Takara Designer Teases New CW Blastoff - Cybertron.CA - Canadian Transformers News and Discussion

down_shift · 08-13-2015, 07:42 AM

Takara Designer Hisashi Yuki has updated his Twitter to tease the nerdy masses that he thinks the Hasbro Blastoff is total bunk. Which is good news for us, because this might be a little tease of what we can expect coming out of Takara.

ironclaugh · 08-13-2015, 07:50 AM

Ok i have a gripe with this. Im not really sticking up for Hasbro because they are cutting a lot of corners but it seems to me that they are doing all the work with the CW line.

They are doing all the design and marketing work for Combiner Wars. Then some asshat at Takara gets to be cool, design 1 bot and change a few colours and act like Takara is God's gift to the earth. They have basically just been waiting for Hasbro to release everything for the last 4 or 5 years and then listen to what fans hate. I mean, thats good, but I think that Hasbro does a lot more leg work.

Masta_Skidz · 08-13-2015, 08:28 AM

Looks like I am done with CW and switching to UW. This is all I really needed to get TT Defensor as I want that new Groove and now this Blast-Off. I am sick of re-paints

Ras · 08-13-2015, 09:23 AM

It is a bummer that these TT UW figures are only available in sets, as it would be much simpler to justify importing the 1 figure rather than the whole set. Especially with the dollar where its at :/

ironclaugh · 08-13-2015, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ras

It is a bummer that these TT UW figures are only available in sets, as it would be much simpler to justify importing the 1 figure rather than the whole set. Especially with the dollar where its at :/

Well that's just it right!? I can get a whole Hasbro CW Combiner for like 80-90 Canadian waiting for sales. I'm not going to drop 200+ for Groove instead of Rook... or Spaceship Blastoff instead of Jet Blastoff. I'm sure a 3P will step in and make a kit to clip onto Jet Blastoff.

Supernova · 08-13-2015, 09:40 AM

I'm in a bit of a weird place when it comes to this (and Groove).

With the Aerialbots and Stunticons, we had cases of having members straight up replaced. So it was great that there was the alternatives (and even better that they were made available by Hasbro, even if us Canadians had to jump through a hoop or two).

However, I can get a Hasbro Groove (still need to actually find one) which fits in better scale wise with the team, even if he doesn't form a limb, and we are getting a Blast Off, which although it's not a spacecraft, is still a flying vehicle (it wasn't all that long ago that he was a tank) which fits well thematically with the rest of the Combaticons. So, I'm not really too worked up about the situation. If next year we were to get these made available like Slingshot and Wildrider, I'd likely bite, but if we don't, I'm sure not going to lose any sleep about it.

Shockwave 75 · 08-13-2015, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironclaugh

Ok i have a gripe with this. Im not really sticking up for Hasbro because they are cutting a lot of corners but it seems to me that they are doing all the work with the CW line.

They are doing all the design and marketing work for Combiner Wars. Then some asshat at Takara gets to be cool, design 1 bot and change a few colours and act like Takara is God's gift to the earth. They have basically just been waiting for Hasbro to release everything for the last 4 or 5 years and then listen to what fans hate. I mean, thats good, but I think that Hasbro does a lot more leg work.

While I agree with your basic premise, the fact that these figures are actually in development for at least a year before they come out means that TT Groove & Blast-Off were in the works long ago. They weren't just "listening for what fans hate".

It's possible that TT Groove & Blast-Off have too a high of a parts count for Hasbro's budget (that's why we didn't get Prime Breakdown). Remember, Hasbro's goal is to keep all figures of any given size class the same price; the same is not true in Japan. You could go to a toy store there, pick up two deluxe sized (for example) TF's from the same line, and they would be two different prices. Because Takara prices each figure individually based on how much each figure costs to make (parts count, paint apps, etc.).

Also, Hasbro was trying to keep most of the CW figures within a relative scale as compared to the Constructicons, and a motorcycle that is half the size of a voyager sized figure doesn't meet that scale. Same goes for a space shuttle that is smaller than a truck.

down_shift · 08-13-2015, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ironclaugh

Ok i have a gripe with this. Im not really sticking up for Hasbro because they are cutting a lot of corners but it seems to me that they are doing all the work with the CW line.

They are doing all the design and marketing work for Combiner Wars. Then some asshat at Takara gets to be cool, design 1 bot and change a few colours and act like Takara is God's gift to the earth. They have basically just been waiting for Hasbro to release everything for the last 4 or 5 years and then listen to what fans hate. I mean, thats good, but I think that Hasbro does a lot more leg work.

Yuki has designed most of the Combiner Wars figures for this year and next. (Guys like Emilio Santelluca have helped as well in designing a few figures) Remember, this is a joint effort between both companies. Yuki has also said he doesn't like the direction Hasbro has intentionally taken with the CW teams so he has gone out of this way to design the characters he wants to. Hasbro has their own way of marketing their product, and Takara has theirs.

Also worth a mention is that Shogo Hasui (also known as Mr. Starscrem) has been vocal for years about his love for the Combaticons and while he isn't directly involved with the Unite Warriors Combatrons, there is very little doubt in my mind that his fellow designers would leave his favorite team out of the new figure designs.

Goaliebot · 08-13-2015, 11:18 AM

Bah, I'm making my own Blast-Off.

... With blackjack! And hookers!

(I really am making one though, out of a spare Alpha Bravo)

down_shift · 08-13-2015, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Goaliebot

Bah, I'm making my own Blast-Off.

... With blackjack! And hookers!

(I really am making one though, out of a spare Alpha Bravo)

Ha ha ha! Anything Bender has ever said is welcome on my epitaph.