Hasbro Q&A, Round 3 Answers Options

[Shattered]

So is this it for Q&A? Did no one else participate, or are they still waiting on answers / haven't posted them yet?

Randy

Very curious that there's nothing yet from the likes of TFW and seibertron.

[Reload]

The fact that Hasbro has invested so much time into fleshing out The Fallen and the 13's backstory bodes well for a "13" comic somewhere down the line.

[Jeysie]

Very curious that there's nothing yet from the likes of TFW and seibertron.

I don't think Seibertron participated... at least, I didn't remember seeing a forum thread asking for questions.

[Silent_Magnus]

So is this it for Q&A? Did no one else participate, or are they still waiting on answers / haven't posted them yet?

Randy

Very curious that there's nothing yet from the likes of TFW and seibertron.

TFW's Q&A has been late a few times. If I'm remembering things correctly.

[Moroboshi Ataru]

The fact that Hasbro has invested so much time into fleshing out The Fallen and the 13's backstory bodes well for a "13" comic somewhere down the line.

Yeah, IDW has commented that "The 13" has been held up because it's become a definite focus of Hasbro's attention, and is thus somewhat out of their hands, now, and in those of corporate.

This post has been edited by Ataru: Aug 12 2009, 01:59 PM

[Razorsaw]

Can I just say that with all of this stuff about the 13, I think the best example of a cosmic character portrayed in a TF series is Vector Prime?

Hear me out. He's not a super being. He's not all powerful, and can be beaten in a fight. He's a being as old as time, but still very much mortal and for that reason, more real and grounded, and can thus feel like part of a group and less like a MacGuffin. And he forms relationships; friendships with people based on his experiences, which in his final episode, gives value to his purpose as Guardian of Time and Space beyond simply protecting it; he's doing this because these people, with their fleeting lives full of courage and hope inspire him to do so. And when he does whip out his amazing plot device powers, it's at a cost and for the sake of not just winning the day - but saving the people dear to him.

He's warm, sagely, grandfatherly... much more than the likes we constantly see; distant, unapproachable figures whose only job is to satisfy plot concerns.

[Database]

Can I just say that with all of this stuff about the 13, I think the best example of a cosmic character portrayed in a TF series is Vector Prime?

Hear me out. He's not a super being. He's not all powerful, and can be beaten in a fight. He's a being as old as time, but still very much mortal and for that reason, more real and grounded, and can thus feel like part of a group and less like a MacGuffin. And he forms relationships; friendships with people based on his experiences, which in his final episode, gives value to his purpose as Guardian of Time and Space beyond simply protecting it; he's doing this because these people, with their fleeting lives full of courage and hope inspire him to do so. And when he does whip out his amazing plot device powers, it's at a cost and for the sake of not just winning the day - but saving the people dear to him.

He's warm, sagely, grandfatherly... much more than the likes we constantly see; distant, unapproachable figures whose only job is to satisfy plot concerns.

Yes, but isn't Vector also one of these Quatum entites like the Fallen and Nexus Prime?

[Razorsaw]

Yes, he is, apparently.

But his in show appearance keep him just be a big walking Furmanian archetype, like he is in the Fun Pub comic and his text story appearances.

I mean. These big raving pomp and circumstance universal characters are boring. They show up only to show how awe inspiring they are. Compare, say, Sideways from Armada to the Fallen or the Energon heralds. He's in there, actively decieving and manipulating people, and we get to know him before we find out the dark secret about him. He manipulates people, plays on their emotions. and just doesn't break out apocalypse and doom from the get go.

Vector Prime and Heatwave (less so his components, they just jump from one cosmic farce to another) may be the same type of character the others are, but they have what things like The Fallen lack - humanity and relatability.

[Lukeblast]

Is it terrible to say that the TFViews question bugs me? It's pretty obvious from past answers and discussions with reps that Hasbro wants people to stop asking about fan product, because the more attention drawn to it, the more it forces their hand. Questions that go "what about this guy, and this item, can you make this official, where is the line that cannot be crossed"... are simply not helpful to anyone.

[Jeysie]

Is it terrible to say that the TFViews question bugs me? It's pretty obvious from past answers and discussions with reps that Hasbro wants people to stop asking about fan product, because the more attention drawn to it, the more it forces their hand. Questions that go "what about this guy, and this item, can you make this official, where is the line that cannot be crossed"... are simply not helpful to anyone.

While I agree overall, I can understand that people who liked the products that the fan companies were putting out want to know how they can continue to buy that sort of product in a way that Hasbro would approve of.

Vector Prime and Heatwave (less so his components, they just jump from one cosmic farce to another) may be the same type of character the others are, but they have what things like The Fallen lack - humanity and relatability.

That's a good point, too. I remember thinking I also didn't like the idea of Heatwave being one of the 13 because of the possibility of the five of them basically going from being individuals to being just the one Nexus Maximus mind, which would make my inner fangirl sad.

This post has been edited by Jeysie: Aug 12 2009, 07:41 PM

[Quantumhawk]

Overall, Michael Bay wanted to make sure that the different robot modes were distinct from one another. He pushed the studio and his design team to come up with concepts that would allow each of these robots to be individually recognizable characters.

And then he instructed them to put the robot modes on the screen as a giant Skittle-colored blur so no one could actually see what they looked like until the Blu-Ray comes out. Voilà, built-in DVD market!

[Reload]

The fact that Hasbro has invested so much time into fleshing out The Fallen and the 13's backstory bodes well for a "13" comic somewhere down the line.

Yeah, IDW has commented that "The 13" has been held up because it's become a definite focus of Hasbro's attention, and is thus somewhat out of their hands, now, and in those of corporate.

Ahh right, nice to know.

I keep picturing something Alan Moore-ish with "ABC "The Black Hole" Warriors" Simon Bisley art for the "The 13".

(IMG:http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k176/renegadeautobot/blackhole_boc.jpg)

[FortMax]

<Monzo> And hey, nice going on that Fallen answer for the Hasbro Q&A! Have you seen the glowing responses to it at the wiki?

<Forest> Ha. Thanks. It's nice to be appreciated. Did they include the part where I called Walky a complete bastard for even asking the question? That answer took me like two days to write and revise until it read like it made sense.

[Walky]

I have never had a prouder moment.

[Database]

<Monzo> And hey, nice going on that Fallen answer for the Hasbro Q&A! Have you seen the glowing responses to it at the wiki?

<Forest> Ha. Thanks. It's nice to be appreciated. Did they include the part where I called Walky a complete bastard for even asking the question? That answer took me like two days to write and revise until it read like it made sense.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

[Batchtaster]

Wow, swank answer for the multiverse question. I particularly like the "dead end" universes as an explanation for conflicting fiction.

I found that whole thing kind of embarrassing. A true Comic Book Guy moment.

It's like, "I demand a satisfactory in-universe explanation for every single thing that ever happens. Commence now."

Apparently "because they're toys", "because it's fiction", "because they're not real" isn't good enough.

[Smitty]

When is the next Q&A?

This post has been edited by Smitty: Aug 15 2009, 07:37 AM

[Lukeblast]

Wow, swank answer for the multiverse question. I particularly like the "dead end" universes as an explanation for conflicting fiction.

I found that whole thing kind of embarrassing. A true Comic Book Guy moment.

It's like, "I demand a satisfactory in-universe explanation for every single thing that ever happens. Commence now."

Apparently "because they're toys", "because it's fiction", "because they're not real" isn't good enough.

Here's the thing... 25 years of Hasbro endorsed and cultivated fiction says that it is, in fact, not good enough. Especially since it comes from Hasbro's own mouth that there IS a "satisfactory in-universe explanation for every single thing that ever happens".

Hasbro has invested time, effort, and money into taking this brand well beyond toys and into an entertainment property, which the movies themselves are evidence of. After cultivating the idea that Transformers is a rich storytelling tapestry akin to Star Wars and Star Trek (which they have), Hasbro can (and does) expect these kinds of questions. It would be contradictory to fire back a Shatner-esque "Get over it!" response.

Maybe it is nit-picking geekery at it's finest... but it's not just us (at least, not any more). Hasbro encourages it these days.

This post has been edited by Lukeblast: Aug 15 2009, 08:45 AM

[Bass X0]

When is the next Q&A?

I want to ask why characters who won't get toys made (i.e. Scrapper and Mixmaster) get advertised in the show alongside those characters who do get toys - won't kids be looking for certain show characters not knowing that a toy won't be made of them? Basically if Hasbro isn't going to make a Scrapper and Mixmaster, don't let them be in the show... at least don't let entire episodes be focused on non-toy characters. With Blackout's case its different since his toy is coming much later after the show had finished.

Although I'll phrase the question more properly in the next Q&A topic.

This post has been edited by Bass X0: Aug 15 2009, 10:18 AM

[Jeysie]

It's like, "I demand a satisfactory in-universe explanation for every single thing that ever happens. Commence now."

Apparently "because they're toys", "because it's fiction", "because they're not real" isn't good enough.

As much as I tend to personally decry the tendency for fans to need to have everything tied into a bow, there's really nothing wrong with asking if a given matter actually is something the writers have thought about, and if there thus is an actual canon explanation. After all, writers can and should think about the logic of their fictional universe before they write stuff, so there's going to be at least some satisfactory in-universe explanations for things if the writer isn't a hack.

And I have to give the guy kudos for playing along and coming up with an answer that both serves as an explanation and pretty much also as a, "Nah, we really didn't think about it before now, and it's not actually important anyway practically speaking." instead of just brushing it off with a plain business-like answer.

This post has been edited by Jeysie: Aug 15 2009, 02:52 PM