Movie line just ain't doing it for me

[justprime]

The statement was not to re-hash the repaint issue (ugh) as to say that there were alternitives to a saturation of movie pieces,.... that re-using the molds over and over., burns us out and makes us indifferent,... in some cases to the line as far as purchasing...when the legwork,...prototypes, test shots, and product.. etc have already been produced and that the likes such as Henkei red alert, animated blackout etc.. could have seen light here in this market,.... (for the collecting community there seems to be a need at least for Henkei red alert),..as opposed to another voyager prime repaint..(did I actully say that).. movie charaters are On screen,.... the dirges, bludgons etc could have run along as an ongoing Transformers generation/classics...what ever line.... as they did not appear in the movie why tie them to this? Does this line not deserve better than to just be another Barbie,... Hasbro is a leader with this line and should keep the interest of the people that HAVE been faithful and collected this line over the years since it's conception, as well as the new interest... and if they read these boards (hope they do) can understand the collectors (because thats what we are) perspective,.. that as collectors we enjoy there toys but want to keep things fresh,..... keep our interest,.. with new product showing up more regularly than that of the repaints etc.. as stated before these charaters has surpassed being "JUST A KIDS TOY"

[Pascal]

You're confusing your specific collector needs with the needs of Hasbro as a business and the needs of the market as a whole. The stuff is selling, regardless of if you, as a collector, like it or not.

[brr-icy]

i've been sick of the movie line since before rotf, i think i might have 7 figures in total now and most of them are just for novelty or they were more classic-verse than movie like bludgeon and brakedown

[mugen_prime]

I'm also not all that into the movie stuff. There's a few molds I like. But in all honesty I kinda don't mind. My wallet really needed the break. I'm hoping we get the last of the Animated stuff, and we get some good "classics" in the Generations line. But aside from that, I'm going to be cutting back on my collecting. Time to focus on better things in life.

[justprime]

Originally Posted by Pascal

You're confusing your specific collector needs with the needs of Hasbro as a business and the needs of the market as a whole. The stuff is selling, regardless of if you, as a collector, like it or not.

No I think what I am saying is that the collectors spend as much if not more to keep this toyline alive,.. ( Botcon's... G1 -up collecting whether it be old or new product massive dollars spent, how many have started collecting new TF to then look for years past TF ,... Hasbro/Takara relised this with the G1 reissues) as customers we deserve consideration as well... be it direct purchase for ourselves or for our children to enjoy....so I think that our business is just as valuable as the everyday parent shopping for a birthday gift etc... lets hear it from the others do any out there.... think we should,.. as collectors have a voice? as consumers it does seem important.what say you all

[Team Jetfire]

Collectors make up a very small percentage of the over all market and to think that Hasbro doesn't care about us is completely ridiculous.

[Frans_Tormer]

I am new to Cybertron.ca but this thread really struck a chord with me. I am a "vicarious collector" in that I love to search and collect for my son. I have no display cases or $ 15,000 Ultra Magnus' under bullet-proof glass graded by the Super Friends, AFA, or anyone else.

I was a HUGE fan of Transformers as a child and can vividly remember going to Woolco (Primordial Wal-Mart for those not born in the 70's) and getting G1 Soundwave for a good report card, Grimlock and Swoop for my birthday and Jetfire for Christmas along with the dozens of other Transformers I had in my collection.

My son started watching the G1 cartoon every day on a satellite channel we have here in Europe and got a 25th anniversary Optimus for Christmas that he has taken with him to bed every night since he got him. The movie toys hold no interest for him at all.

My own personal biases for the G1 toys aside, he (and my wife) simply cannot understand why there are 15 different Bumblebees 5 or 6 Ironhide's and about a dozen incarnations of Optimus. For him (and I) there is only one Optimus and he comes with a trailer and roller. And therein lies the fundamental difference in the movie toys versus G1 or any other line; G1 had one version of each character and that was it. Now they come in minibot size and every other class/size all the way up to gargantuan.

Repaints have, and always will be a part of Transformers...but do we really need to have so many iterations of the same characters? I am just waiting for "Lube Action Bumblebee" who showers Human Alliance action figures in...well...you get the idea. Though on reflection I suppose that would make him "Goldenbug". I guess the bottom line here is that as a parent and fan of G1 I simply cannot get on board with the movie toys. Too many, too difficult to transform, too brittle for most kids to enjoy.

Hasbro needs to make money but surely they must see that over-saturation will diminish the interest in the Transformers as a whole? My hope is that the promises that Transformers 3 will focus on older stories and mythos might lead to a smarter more restrained approach to the toys or at the very least see the return of rub stickers.

[Fortress]

Hasbro is well aware that Adult Collectors have deep pockets and are also aware of our influence over young collectors. Our voice HAS affected the product in the past and will continue to do so. The North American releases of Masterpieces and Classics are evidence of this.
"You can't please everyone all the time" but at least give them credit for trying.

[brr-icy]

Originally Posted by Frans_Tormer

SNIP

welcome to the boards

[Frans_Tormer]

Thanks for the welcome. Still trying to figure out how to create a new thread since I do not seem to have a "create new thread" button anywhere. Given the general consensus that good movie toys are few and far between this thread looks as good as any to raise a question that has been on my mind for a little while now: Is Bakugan the new Transformers?

Before I am killed for making the suggestion, please let me just say that I sit firmly in the TF camp but after watching my son and his friends play Bakugan and play Transformers I came to the conclusion that Bakugan has taken (in my view) some of the best elements of the transformers and packaged them in a way not seen with Transformers since G1/G2. In other words, they have created something fun, affordable, and in some cases pretty damn cool.

In case you think I have ingested some sort of toxin or narcotic let me just point out that the newest collection of Bakugan (season 3) has rub stickers, small and large combiners, lights and sounds, large transforming action figures, and is getting more and more Transformer-esque with each passing collection.

I won't even compare the Transformers back-story with that of Bakugan since watching Bakugan makes me physically ill. What I will say is that I watch kids light up with excitement and play with these things with much more vigor and enthusiasm than a lot of new Transformers. Kid's attention spans are short and by the time Voyager Ironhide has been transformed they can play 2 or 3 games of Bakugan have a cool looking creature/robot at the end of it...with time to spare.


I guess what I am asking here is whether the movie toy lines have sacrificed the "fun factor" for articulation and "realism" with (some cases) eye-watering price-tags. Collectors are always a minority market share in any collecting genre but isn't the point to make the toys fun for kids? I fear Transformers is losing to Bakugan simply because it has forgotten the fun elements that made them so great to begin with.

Let the battle begin....