The Transformers brand team sat down with multiple fan sites, streamers and the like today to discuss all things Transformers Legacy, specifically the reveals we got over the last week or so. TFW2005 was able to join in and we’ve shared some notes from the event after the break. Read on to check it out, along with a couple shots of Cybertron Metroplex in hand, some Menasor details, and more!
Don’t forget to check out the Legacy Wave 2 and Cybertron Metroplex reveals, get your pre-orders in!
Transformers Roundtable April 20th 2022
** Below are very short notes from the Transformers Brand Team roundtable today. This is ALL PARAPHRASED, jotted down quickly during the event.
General notice – Asia leads the Masterpiece reveals, MPM Blackout will be offered in the US soon.
TFormers – Will the non-G1 universes be considered sub-lines within Generations/Legacy going forward? Legacy is it’s own line, won’t be sub-lines within it for each universe. Buzzworthy and Selects are separate, and will have cross branding with when it fits.
Awesome Toy Blog – Concern with limbs being split across waves, hard to find first ones for someone coming in late. Box sets like what was done with Devastator not off table.
Transmissions – Yellowing on recent figures – Aware, researching issue. Has been seen by Mark and team, forwarded to engineering for research. Feedback, specifics always welcome, helps narrow down the problem. Pandemic restricted traveling to Asia for quality checks.
Allspark – Legacy Blitzwing – turret – can it turn all the way around. Yes. Got a sample and did so on camera (though choppy connection).
Anthony Karcz – How do you pick out which characters to do? Delicate balance. What’s on shelf all together, cars, planes, beasts, colors. What’s been done before. Budget. Takara’s input, marketing wanting tier 1 characters. Lots of angles.
TFW2005 – Cybertron Metroplex – what was the thought process behind choosing a non-G1 character for such a large expensive figure? Story at first. He mines Energon, play pattern across Legacy involves Energon. So initial trigger for including this Metroplex was story. In addition, toys are still designed with kids in mind so the play pattern and overall coolness of a big construction vehicle was factored into the decision.
??? (sorry) – How is Legacy doing sales wise, non-G1 characters etc. – PO numbers are doing well, crushing War for Cybertron. The non-G1 characters are also doing better than some G1 characters, which shows demand is there.
BWTF – Pricing. 12-18% increase across line. Will this continue? Can’t say there won’t be more. Reacting to world events. Deluxe will be 24.99 going forward for now.
Matt Thomas – Soundwave – Siege vs Netflix – why? Walmart exclusive originally. When exclusives are done, they have it for a certain time, so couldn’t be done now. Walmart does have right to do another run right now. (No clarification or confirmation that it would be done after the exclusive time frame ends.)
Rodimus Primal – Open box – issues with heads removed, crushed boxes from shipping. – Most likely not going back to plastic. Closed box an option. Balance out seeing figure and how important. Kids testing likes the open box.
West Lee Dixon – Menasor – compatible with Combiner Wars? – legs, yes, but not 100% sturdy. Arms – no. Goal is to make Menasor proper best he could be, not be scramble city functional.
Siebertron – Weapon packs? – anything possible, on radar, looking at things like this. Try to get missed weapons into new molds if tool and budget allows.
Vangelus – new mold females in Legacy more frequent so far, want more. More BTS stuff please. Yes they will (lots of humorous back and forth that wasn’t specific to a question, See WTF @ TFW for more 🙂 )
Anthony TFU – Legacy and ports/connections from past lines present – Metroplex using them? – lots of 5 and 3 mm ports, connectors for city /road connections. Drill Bit – costed out. Core offering in future – possible.
Kevin Unicron – ROTB delay affecting product on shelf this year? Didn’t affect Legacy / fan side. And for Studio Series – that’s when SS ROTB stuff was intended to come out anyway. RE: live events – looking at the options now at corporate level.
TFwiki – Legacy core not mentioning Weaponizers gimmick – not called Weaponizers but there are “gimmicks” for collecting more than one to build things out. Kids focused angle. Not making it a primary focus, just there to let fans/kids create their own things from all the pieces.
Jeremy – Shattered Glass comic with Magnus? – New 5 part mini series, Magnus issue, continuing story.
Matt Thomas – Can Galaxy Upgrade Prime hold Cybertron Metroplex weapon? Not sure, didn’t have one handy to check. Wheel doesn’t open.
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That’s about it. We would like to thank the Transformers Design and Marketing teams along with their PR reps for putting this together! We will update and refine this through the day.
Kaynowa
Menasor in the cartoon didn't swap his limbs around so making a very cartoon inspired menasor sacrificed the toy only gimmick for a more stable final product. They didn't fail at their goal by default, you just misinterpreted it. For the record, I dislike the method as well, vastly prefer a traditional combiner, but this one is far from the worst execution of it
Zress Tayasu
>Goal is to make Menasor proper best he could be, not be scramble city functional.
>make a scramble city combiner the best it can be
>without the central gimmick
so they\'re admitting to missing their goal by default, then? but then, copying the garbage way that 3p companies have been doing menasor is already doing it wrong by default, after all\'s said and done.
I do not understand why hasbro seems to want to copy the bad parts of 3p instead of the good.
MadProject
is there a way to see the video?
RodimusRex
Starscream's Ghost?
Thundershot
While all that is true, Rebirth was ruined for me because of my own expectations. The Marvel Comics Headmasters series came out several months before Rebirth, and despite the atrocious art and coloring mistakes, was a much better crafted story and one of my favorites. I would love to see the script from the comic used in a “special edition” version with good, accurate art.
Bass X0
Episodes one and three of Rebirth holds up as being fast paced and action packed. Seeing all the new toys be showcased even if only very briefly for some of them was seriously fun to me. Plus the music, voice acting and dialogue is exciting and memorable / quotable. No later show had that. Rebirth episode 2 was fine but it was a slower paced story centric episode.
Oniconvoy
Skylynx!!!
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transgeek2345
I’m curious at what point in season 3 did it peak for you?
samisham
I 100% agree with this.
samisham
Yeah same, it's a fun show, I meant the people who think TF peaked there and was never that good again.
RodimusRex
I don't know that it hasn't been topped. I just think the writing and acting generally hold up well.
RodimusRex
I think BW and Animated were well done too and Prime at a minimum started good.
The G1 cartoon was at its creative peak in S3.
transgeek2345
Raksha would be proud.
samisham
Do they even know?
GizmoTron
Does anyone really?
samisham
I don't mean to say it's a bad show per sea, esp for the time, however, I would definitely disagree with the implication that hasn't been topped in almost 40 years. Between Beast Wars, Animated, Prime and MTMTE.
Wheeljack84
They better be serious about the Omnibots. I've wanted new Omnibots for a long time. And I won't let any price increases stop me.
As far as the writing for Transformers G1 animation, I think at least in terms of writing, vocal performance, and dialogue it holds up a lot better than many of its other contemporaries of the era, especially S3 when things got a lot darker.
Now yes, the animation does look very dated and of its time, but the rest I find still very compelling.
I have watched all the shows recently, and I think G1 holds up better than Unicron Trilogy absolutely. The writing and vocal performances on Unicron Trilogy were often very clunky and stilted. They were not top-quality dubs or scripts, even if you had people like David Kaye and Gary Chalk back voicing Megatron and Optimus Prime again. It wasn't the same level of writing and direction that was on display with Beast Wars.
WishfulThinking
If nothing else, the world building was insane for a kids show, even there were some inconsistencies.
Gzstg
I keep getting their group name confused with the Omnicons from Energon.
RodimusRex
I watched it last year and I'd stand by that.
The Sunbow/Marvel writers were top talent. The voice acting was as good as it's ever been.
Most of the flaws are in the animation and/or the result of notes from Hasbro.