Post your questions for the Transformers design team

[RNSrobot]

A lot of these questions aren't relevant to the DESIGN team

[steamwhistle]

Which recent figure(/figures) was(/were) the most challenging to design? What made it challenging?

[RodimusRocks]

What was the reasoning behind making early Prime Wars (Combiner Wars, Titans Return) toys look more "toyetic" compared to WFC which has a more realistic aesthetic, particularly the alt modes. Do the design team prefer going realistic, or the more toy-like route?

[anotheran]

When did the design team embrace parts forming like ultramagnus or sixgun, the newer arcee compared to the thrilling 30 arcee?

Why do the newer lines like siege have more g1 transformations than previous classic lines like combiner wars?

[Iron Moose]

edited for formatting:

Is it more challenging to take an existing character and update their design to fit into a particular line's story (Siege Soundwave -> Netflix Soundwave -> Kingdom Soundwave) or devise an entirely new character (Ractonite, Wingfinger)? What are some of the struggles unique to each of those processes?

One of my favorite things in Transformers is how a new paint scheme can create an entirely new character (Cannonball from Cybertron Red Alert is a great example, or Takaratomy's Megatronia).
It seems like most of the alternate decos we see nowadays are based on pre-existing ideas, like G1 (the Seekers Sinister Strikeforce), Diaclone (Exhaust, Cordon and Spinout, Tigertrack and Deep Cover) and G2 (Sandstorm, Megatron). How do you strike a balance between entirely new ideas (Soundbarrier, Slitherfang, Windblade, Victorion, the Fossilizers) and releases which homage the history of the brand?

I assume that some design choices are imposed by safety tests (blunting nosecones on planes, using softer plastic for pointier parts of figures). Are there any safety-test results, or safety-test-mandated changes to your designs, that have surprised you?

How do you feel your designs have evolved from the first figures you worked on to more recent figures you've worked on? Are there any particular toys that you feel you learned a lot from?

Are there any particular elements that you try to include in your designs, like a particular type of transformation step (dynamic head reveals, geared or spring-loaded moving parts) or articulation (ankle rockers, waist rotation not needed for transformation)?

Over the time you have been working on transforming robot toys, has anything changed about the actual toy-making process that has affected the designs you draw up, for example the increasing use of computer-assisted design? Are there people in your line of work who do lots of work and revision on paper before committing to CAD, versus revising a lot in CAD? If so, do you feel those processes differ in their results?

Are there any toys that you've worked on that ended up majorly different from your designs once they were manufactured? How?

When designing or decoing a toy that pays homage to something in the history of the brand, what sources do you use to learn about the older item? What kinds of archives are available to you through Hasbro and TakaraTomy? Would you say you spend a lot of time with the thing you're homaging, or would you prefer to get its vibe and put your own twist on it? Are there times you've bought old toys to work from?

What were your favorite toys growing up?

What is your favorite weird or obscure Transformer?

[UsernamePrime]

coneheads, where are they?

[evenstaves]

Please discuss the use of clear plastic on hinges

Clear plastic is OK when used for windows, but far too often the (entire transformation panel that includes a window) is done as a single, solid clear plastic piece, and just paint the sections that "aren't a window"
I recognize doing it in two pieces is more parts count (an opaque piece, and a clear plastic window bolted into it - see HftD Seaspray), but there's just so many examples of figures that are destroyed by this process!

-> Animated Swindle, clear plastic shoulder ball joints

-> Unite Warriors Ghost Starscream, usually when there's a QA issue with his UW set, has to do with (the one who's got tons of clear plastic)

-> Power of the Primes Jazz, practically the entire car top chips, breaks, paint scratches

-> Siege Magnus's inner bot's chest/cab-front, was completely fine; the Galaxy Upgrade Optimus retooling, famously changed the "sidetabs" from the outer opaque plastic, to the inner clear plastic!

-> Siege Mirage, issues with legs cracking/breaking due to massive clear plastic use

-> fan-vote Mirage, gets stress marks just removing him from the packaging

-> all Earthrise Datsuns' knee joints (my Amazon-exclusive Prowl stress marks on one knee, from a single transformation!)
-> all Earthrise Datsuns' car-hood/bot-backpieces, another very common break I've avoided so far

[theoneyouknowleast]

Where the designers ever able to properly transformers Runabout and Runamuck , and get those friggen hoods to line up!

[Jonnydark]

What will be a useful skill for Transformers design now or in the future? Zbrush? Solidworks? Another software? Is hand sketching still important or is everything digital now? What do you look for in a potential Transformer designer?

[Zenith27]

Does the design team get early input into re-coloured figures or is it more a marketing push to reuse designs?

Does anyone ever get sick of redesigning Optimus Prime for the 10th time in 5 years?