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-   -   Post your questions for the Transformers design team (http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?t=82507)

Super_Megatron 04-13-2021 09:49 PM

Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
I will be chatting with the Hasbro design team on Thursday, feel free to post any questions you may have about the recent toy reveals, the Netflix TV show or anything else of relevance.

Questions like are you going to do a toy of a character not yet announced will not be considered as they will not comment on things not yet announced.
Thanks.

Tonestar 04-13-2021 10:04 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Is Hasbro ever going to finish making the Targetmasters like :
Needlenose, Point Blank, Sureshot, Quick Mix and Landfill.
Thanks.

RNSrobot 04-13-2021 10:07 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
NEEDLENOSE OR DEATH

delrue 04-13-2021 10:08 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Quote:

Questions like are you going to do a toy of a character not yet announced will not be considered as they will not comment on things not yet announced.

...

wrx78 04-13-2021 10:19 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Are they aware when one of their designs is super popular ans demand far exceeds supply?

Also more for marketing, do they keep tabs on what needs a 2nd or 3rd production run?

savagephil 04-13-2021 10:36 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Hey Hasbro couple questions, are you going to resupply or re release the coneheads on Amazon.CA. Tons of us pre ordered but still waiting for them.

Question 2 will the rest of the studio series dinobots be leaders and will they be released hopefully less than a year?

Question 3 do you guys plan of continuing g1 and beast wars after the wfc trilogy is over and give us say deluxe brawn in proper scale

And great work with the wfc line. Best line u guys have ever done

Ransak The Elder 04-13-2021 10:46 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Same as above...


Ask about Coneheads and if they know what happened.


Will they continue with the G1 and beast wars figures we didnt get in another series.


How many waves is Studio 86 planned for?

Tiffster 04-13-2021 11:10 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Will there be a predaking rerelease similar to the cw devastator? Oh and how about ss86 blaster and Preceptor? I'm in for both! Oh and how about a Nemesis to go with the Ark? Have it change to the undersea headquarters with docking tower!

pandaprime 04-13-2021 11:20 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
why do some recent figures have different shades of the same colour on parts that affects the figure's visual aesthetic when in vehicle mode?


how to choose when to use paint and when to use coloured plastic for figure parts? Is it that hard to make the colour tone more similar more often?


why use clear plastic for panels (windows?) when it exposes obvious robot head/hands/feet in alt mode?


why does some packaging still have clear plastic to show the figure inside? I thought you were changing all boxes to just cardboard only?

Kinetic Bucket 04-13-2021 11:24 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Is there any chance of a re-release or a wider release of the Centurion Drone/Weaponizer Pack?

RNSrobot 04-13-2021 11:57 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
A lot of these questions aren't relevant to the DESIGN team

steamwhistle 04-14-2021 12:07 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Which recent figure(/figures) was(/were) the most challenging to design? What made it challenging?

RodimusRocks 04-14-2021 12:35 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
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 04-14-2021 12:36 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
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 04-14-2021 12:47 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
edited for formatting:



Quote:

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?
Quote:

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?
Quote:

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?
Quote:

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?
Quote:

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)?
Quote:

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?
Quote:

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

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?
Quote:

What were your favorite toys growing up?
Quote:

What is your favorite weird or obscure Transformer?

UsernamePrime 04-14-2021 09:19 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
coneheads, where are they?

evenstaves 04-14-2021 09:19 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
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 04-14-2021 09:33 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Where the designers ever able to properly transformers Runabout and Runamuck , and get those friggen hoods to line up! :)

Jonnydark 04-14-2021 10:51 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
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 04-14-2021 11:32 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
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?

General Tekno 04-14-2021 11:58 AM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
To what extent is there a language barrier between the Hasbro and TakaraTomy design teams? Considering how much collaboration there is I'm curious what sorts of methodologies are used for back and forth given I can't imagine both teams are fully bilingual - is everything funneled through a translator, or are there custom visual/lingual shorthands that everyone is familiar with?

(Incidentally, I want to pass on a thank you to Mark on the design team for continuing John Warden's tendency to namedrop which designers worked on a toy on the Hasbro/Takara side of things. Knowing who worked on what is always really cool to see as it lets one track their own individual design tendencies/characteristics.)

cr3d1t 04-14-2021 03:07 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Which figure had the longest gestation time between concept and production?

Which figure was the most challenging to design?

Which figure do you wish you had designed?

Which figure would you like to revisit if you had the chance?

What transformation step have you thought was really clever?

Which figure do you like to covert the most and why?

delrue 04-14-2021 03:19 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Does the team wish they could do more of the household object Transformers these days? Was it a fight to get a tape-deck mode for Soundwave made in 2020?

evenstaves 04-14-2021 04:40 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by delrue (Post 837084)
Does the team wish they could do more of the household object Transformers these days?

BRING BACK BOTBOTS

Grayfox 04-14-2021 09:51 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Transformers Collaborative question:

Since the line seems to be successful crossing over with outside IPs, are there chances we could see more collaborations with other Hasbro properties like Marvel's Ultimate X-Spanse? For example, a proper GIJoe vehicle that would transform?

Super_Megatron 04-15-2021 12:08 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Was able to ask the most important Amazon question.

The Amazon exclusive Coneheads have been on backorder since last year, no one in Canada received any for example. Is there a 2nd production run of this being done?
Hasbro was not aware of the issue Amazon was having fulfilling the exclusive seeker 2 pack. They are going to look at the possibility of doing a 2nd production run or a rerelease in the future, however.

Is there a plan to continue with the WFC G1 and BW figures after WFC?
Yes, planning to keep to this scale and to complete these micro collections.

More G1 reissues?
Did not deny :)

More Titans coming.

Was it a fight to get a tape-deck mode for Soundwave made in 2020 as a Walmart exclusive?
Not a challenge at all, they want something that is focused on the current media (Netflix).

More Leader class Dinobots to come.

More Beast Wars to come.

A new Armada Optimus Prime is still planned.

Shattered Glass may use older molds that are not current.

Dark Rage 04-15-2021 12:21 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Sweet, a shattered glass Ark Transformer! Just kidding.... Or am I?

CyberDragon10K 04-15-2021 12:37 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Good to hear about that micro collection completion thing. Distribution will be its own issue as it's already been, but still.

More titans though? I thought they were moving to two commanders a year instead. Huh.

RNSrobot 04-15-2021 01:38 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by CyberDragon10K (Post 837164)
Good to hear about that micro collection completion thing. Distribution will be its own issue as it's already been, but still.

More titans though? I thought they were moving to two commanders a year instead. Huh.

That was a rumour without any real substance behind it.

homerrca 04-20-2021 03:36 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
I know I am late but I wonder if they ever have plans on making the tetrajets (G1 accurate) as well as some of the other character modes (Like wheeljack or bumblebee as examples). I have always wanted to have a g1 cybertron bumblebee, jazz and wheeljack as well as the tetrajets.

Super_Megatron 04-20-2021 04:09 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by homerrca (Post 837588)
I know I am late but I wonder if they ever have plans on making the tetrajets (G1 accurate) as well as some of the other character modes (Like wheeljack or bumblebee as examples). I have always wanted to have a g1 cybertron bumblebee, jazz and wheeljack as well as the tetrajets.

Please see the original post on this. Questions were asked last Thursday and they don't answer questions like that.

LegendaryArticuno 04-20-2021 06:20 PM

Re: Post your questions for the Transformers design team
 
I missed it as well, were there any conversation on whether designers have any say when it comes to the cost saving measures such as gaps, hollowness and paints apps (or lack thereof)?

Can designers start focusing in on some of these shortcomings? i.e. instead of hollow arms, why cant they use engineering techniques like the one used for Voyager Siege/King Optimus Prime where a panel opens and the hands fold inwards. That way, it's still hollow, but its hidden.


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