Hello and Welcome to another Hasbro Investor Day. Unlike their Financial Calls, Hasbro’s annual Investor Day focuses on their Investors, Press and Consumers like you and me. This is where Hasbro tell us what’s in store for the coming year and even giving us a sneak peek of what we’ll see at next year’s Toy Fair.
First, the highlights:
- Transformers 5 Placeholder Logo Revealed
- Transformers 5 Info (company-wise)
- Transformers: Micronauts
- Kreo: Armour Hero
To find out about all this and more… check out our coverage, after the jump.
Note: Please note that this News Post will be updated time-to-time over the next couple of hours. So, make sure to check back later for updated info.
- Brian Goldner said this event is the first time we’ll see their products from the Disney partnership.
- The Investors at the event will get a sneak peek of what will be shown at the Toy Fair and next year.
- Hasbro is ready for the Holiday Season.
- Stated that Nerf is a Global success story.
- Transformers movies will continue to sell toys with Storytelling.
- Mr. Goldner stated that Transformers movies will continue on and even revealed the Transformers 5 Placeholder Logo.
- Transformers fans will participate more in deciding the future of the Transformers Franchise.
- Hasbro will initiate a Kre-O line exclusively for China titled Kre-O: Armour Hero. It seems as though it will have a Transformers element. No plans for it to go outside China. Animated series will also air.
- But the biggest surprise was Transformers: Micronauts. Hasbro will be weaving Micronauts into the Transformers Franchise in an upcoming new initiative.
- China will be a major partnership. Hasbro will be expanding to India, Vietnam and Indonesia.
P.S: Who’s the mysterious new figure?
Update: Our very own Sol Fury and member Jochimus guessed that this is Micronaut’s Biotron; judging by the iconic torso.
SouthtownKid
Yeah, as a kid, I played with Space Glider until the figure was a floppy mess. Eventually, I lost the figure and just played with the flip-out glider backpack.
I had the blue one.
Nightrain
It's at its lowest since the first movie.
Afterburner
It takes time for things like reputation to set in and take effect. Hence the quick rise and long fall. You'll see the harsh results of it with 5 if it foolishly follows the same formula as 1-4. And if you interact with people, at least in the U.S., you already know this franchise has a bad reputation at this point.
Any competent movies would have had the same effect on the brand because the brand was strong and a natural draw. Unfortunately, the movies haven't added any depth or clarity to the brand, instead more confusion and shallowness. The ceiling is far from being reached, but the floor may again be in sight very soon.
FigureGunplaFan
…and people say that Bayformers had destroyed the reputation of the franchise.
80sforged
While I think the Biotron they showed looks like it has a bit of Phobos in there I hope they only tweak Baron Karza.
TheGrognard
Baron Karza and Force Commander (with Oberon etc) were probably my most-played with toys from my childhood.
Nightrain
I still have a Commander Ran packaged somewhere I think.
microbry
Yeah, that's me, I was second-in-charge there. The mailing list has since pretty much moved to Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/MicroFans/
It's a mix of Micronauts and Microman fans, with a lot of love for Pre-TFs and TFs from many there (myself included).
I was involved some in the Palisades revival attempt as a fan consultant and doing accessory and color design. A lot went horribly wrong on that production, sadly. Honestly I can't recommend more than a relative handful of those releases.
Microman Club is one of my current pet projects, though it's been on hiatus for a couple months. I'm expecting to get it rolling again around New Year's though, if not sooner.
SouthtownKid
I don't think we'll ever see a continuation or adaptation of the Marvel Micronauts story. And with Bill Mantlo in the medical condition he's in, I wouldn't really ever want to. I'd prefer to let that remain perfect in its moment in time, forever.
But we've already seen an attempted reboot of US Micronauts. So they could always do a new, similar take.
I'd kind of rather just see the straight-up Japanese Microman here, though, since we've never had that, and there's zero chance of anyone ever doing Micronauts better than Mantlo.
80sforged
If they scale them with their Daiclone revivals that would be sweet, or do you think it will be a scale that resembled the old toy's scale.
Xabungle
I asked a question over at Micromanclub's blog and received an answer.
As those fans are primarily Japanese fans, familiar with Microman rather than Micronauts, I wanted to ask the same question of international fans:
How would you like to see TakaraTomy handle the revival?
Since the revival seems to be building towards a film, I don't believe Takara will ignore the line. But the plot of Micronauts was created by Marvel in their universe, while Takara's Microman differs in many respects. If Takara plays this right, we'll get Masterpiece Robotman!
80sforged
Mattel is considering similar moves themselves, rooting for Blackstar myself to be revived after they do Thundercats.
If the toys look decent I'll bite, I managed to get quite a few Micronauts as a kid, sadly or (not so sadly) they were played with and did not all survive the rigors of childhood.
Xabungle
Hasbro is fortunate to have SO MANY older properties they could revive. And fortunately for us, Hasbro is ready to explore those ideas. They've renewed trademarks on Visionaries, MASK, ROM the Space Knight, the Gobots, and Micronauts in the past years.
VictoryLeo19
I think Micronauts was a poor choice for a revival. It just doesn't have the deep rooted fan interest. And still no news about Visionaries? They've had the trademarks for a couple years now, and the 6 inch figures popped up with SKUs before going dark again.
I'm wondering if Hasbro is nervous to relaunch that property. It would be amazing I think.
Randomus
Makes sense anyway I guess, at least given the context. No matter how small Spider-Man's expected involvement is in Civil War and Sinister Six (and probably even if it turns out to be none at all), you know Spider-Man is still getting an action figure in the related toylines.
Ash from Carolina
I have to agree. With Transformers doing well for Hasbro and the retailers it would be just weird not to have anything at all. It seems like there would be more than just the Titian Wars releases shown so far and the tail end of Combiner Wars.
eagc7
Yes, but its fan made, all posters they used are fan made posters none are official.
Steevy Maximus
Keep in mind that not only has Hasbro been behind the ball on announcing RiD product (or much of anything since this past summer), but online retailers are getting NEW product Hasbro has not "officially" announced to begin with. The reason we've heard so much about Generations is because most of those announcements were made at venues catering to…collectors, who broadly prefer that line over nuRiD.
With the sheer amount of unannounced product online venues are reporting, I find it doubtful Hasbro would abandon the series, short a viable replacement being ready to go (and I DON'T view Micronauts as a viable replacement). They just aren't going to be in any rush to announce or reveal anything until Toy Fair in February.
Rodimus Prime
I believe the term is "sold through," which is the percent that is actually sold at retail.
Nightrain
Are you the guy from the micronauts mailing list? When palisades was making stuff?