What would you want in a Transformers Playset?

[The Predaking]

With the whole recent mystery of the 40th anniversary Haslab, a lot of us were hoping for a Transformers playset. However, that didn't come to pass, and instead we get a new RID Omega Prime. Although we didn't get a new TF playset, it got me wondering, what would you want in a new modern TF playset? How big should it be? To what scale? Let me hear your thoughts.

 

[Sabrblade]

I always wanted a big playset of the Axalon from Beast Wars that could open up its roof to show all the rooms and corridors inside where I could put my Maximal figures in it.

 

[Sciflyer]

At the top of my list would be a G1 Ark playset. I do like the Kingdom Ark toy alright, but would welcome something slightly larger, that did not also need to have a robot mode.

Along the lines of the original Millennium Falcon, it could have removeable (or opening) panels that would reveal different areas of the ship, with the bridge being the focal point. I would want it to interact with figures at the Core Class scale, and would expect it to come with at least one figure. I'm thinking that the build quality should be somewhere near what Takara are doing with their modern Diaclone vehicles and sets. Hell, bring on a few of the Diaclone designers to help really push this thing into the statosphere (pun intended)!

Beyond that, I would want a Nemesis that had a similar play pattern to what I mentioned above with The Ark. Then, yes, an Axalon would be cool as well. Beyond that, maybe a spacebridge set?

 

[ZacWilliam1]

With the whole recent mystery of the 40th anniversary Haslab, a lot of us were hoping for a Transformers playset. However, that didn't come to pass, and instead we get a new RID Omega Prime. Although we didn't get a new TF playset, it got me wondering, what would you want in a new modern TF playset? How big should it be? To what scale? Let me hear your thoughts.

I do not think it will ever happen, Playsets that don't Transform into Robots are just too far out scope of the line, and playsets in general are too frowned on nowadays, But...

but 2 have always been in my head.

Both are from the Marvel Comic.

The first is the Smelting pool. I imagine a multi-layer thing. The upper level is Darkmount, with a throne and a plank to walk. maybe a missile launcher. The second is a layer of Translucent orange plastic that forms the surface of the pit slag with lots of dead, junker robot detailing and holes in it to put robots partially through. And then there'd be a "under the slag surface" layer with maybe an escape hatch and a slag monster or something.

The second is slightly more likely in that it would at least sorta have a robot mode - Spanner/Space Bridge. This is a titan I'd want. I know it's a tough sell to cartoon people but I'd like it Marvel comic style. Able to open up into at least a partial Spanner and MORE able to split in half so you could put one half of the bridge in one room and the other in another. I'd include a Crosscut with dying deco. I'd probably take some inspiration from this unmade 80s playset prototype:

-ZacWilliam, that thing deserved to be a MOTU set honestly.

 

[The Predaking]

I do not think it will ever happen, Playsets that don't Transform into Robots are just too far out scope of the line, and playsets in general are too frowned on nowadays, But...

but 2 have always been in my head.

Both are from the Marvel Comic.

The first is the Smelting pool. I imagine a multi-layer thing. The upper level is Darkmount, with a throne and a plank to walk. maybe a missile launcher. The second is a layer of Translucent orange plastic that forms the surface of the pit slag with lots of dead, junker robot detailing and holes in it to put robots partially through. And then there'd be a "under the slag surface" layer with maybe an escape hatch and a slag monster or something.

The second is slightly more likely in that it would at least sorta have a robot mode - Spanner/Space Bridge. This is a titan I'd want. I know it's a tough sell to cartoon people but I'd like it Marvel comic style. Able to open up into at least a partial Spanner and MORE able to split in half so you could put one half of the bridge in one room and the other in another. I'd include a Crosscut with dying deco. I'd probably take some inspiration from this unmade 80s playset prototype:


View attachment 19037


-ZacWilliam, that thing deserved to be a MOTU set honestly.

That playset is epic!

 

[lastmaximal]

I always go back to this, such as in that "make a whole toyline concept" thread where I essentially went all in on playsets. But a proper playset right now would just be incredibly refreshing to see. Something designed from the ground up as one, the whole thing dedicated to that rather than a big robot having playset like elements.

Give me a Lost Light or an Ark. Rather than a large static ship with shell panels that reveal rooms, it can entirely open up and disassemble into dioramas. Let the whole thing split apart into scenes and rooms and backdrops that are modular and interconnect (bunch of wall and floor pieces, etc). Use it as a venue for the Core class and other smaller figures. Give it plenty of interaction with things like Weaponizers and Modulators (this was more or less my toyline idea lol).

The heroes being in a big moving vehicle going from story to story is a longtime favorite trope of mine, and it allows for lots of playtime storytelling potential. The same is true for this being a spaceship, which can land and unfold on different imaginary venues where hostile creatures can invade the ship, or Decepticon raiders can board, or stranded Autobots can be rescued.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I want a big robot with a built in elevator.

 

[Sabrblade]

I want a big robot with a built in elevator.

We have one. In three different decos.

 

[Andrusi]

I'd be interested in a big vehicle that turns into a base (or vice versa, depending on which one is the "disguised" mode), like the old Micromaster bases or some of the DOTM-era Cyberverse stuff.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

Legacy Orcanoch and Arachnid.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Thanks for the reminder that Orcanoch and Arachnid are still on my list. They never manage to reach the top of the list when I have money, but I do want them.

 

[Echowarrior]

Honestly, as long as the toys can interact with it, I'm good.

 

[Donocropolis]

The two big ones I'd want are:

Mt. St. Hilary/Ark/Autobot Base. I'm picturing a big mountain with the Ark sticking out of it from the cartoon that opens up, Greyskull style, to reveal the interior of the Autobot base. There'd be a Teletraan 1 room, a medical bay, Dinobot cave, etc. Probably sized for Core class figures.

Likewise, I'd want the Decepticon underwater base. It absolutely HAS to have the big periscope-style entry/exit point.

For smaller sets, I'd take a spacebridge, or maybe some Cybertronian locations (Shockwave's lab, the Vector Sigma chamber, etc.)

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Whatever it is, if it has weapons, make them detachable and 5mm compatible.

Titan Tidal Wave is a vision of what I want. If you don't have room to display the whole thing and have to put it in storage, you still get those removable chunks you can combine with Megatron.

Make your playset also an accessory pack.

 

[Superomegaprime]

For a playset, I would want:
Interchangable plates for the background and swap it around so you can have Decepticon base or a Autobot base interior via a sliding system, beds for voyager class sized figures to lie on for ratchet to work on, computer screens that don't Transform and are scaled for the voyager figures to interact with, have a slot on the back to put some pre printed pictures of characters from the G1 cartoon or make your own, so you could have Megatron talking to himself via the computer for example! When you are finished with it, it can fold away neatly and pretend to be a brief case.

Accessories, aside from the table, and computer, bridge controls that connect via 5 ml ports and be moved around, of course various background plates for different scenes, such as the cave where the Dinobots were built in G1 cartoon, a chair for Optimus to sit in, a TINY BWTM2 Megatron, to recreate the scene where he attempts to alter history by killing Optimus prime! A cardboard picture of the volcano that the Ark crashed into would do for a extentior, for the cons, a tower that has a hatch to open and let the cons fly out of, also be a space bridge enterance for Cybertron, for the Earth Space bridge connection, a pop up form with a sliding part that you use a tab for to open and close the entrance, rocks not included, of course a pod to fit a deluxe bumblebee in! Final accessory, energon cubes as a stack, you know, gotta stock pile those cubes

 

[Thunderclash]

The two big ones I'd want are:

Mt. St. Hilary/Ark/Autobot Base. I'm picturing a big mountain with the Ark sticking out of it from the cartoon that opens up, Greyskull style, to reveal the interior of the Autobot base. There'd be a Teletraan 1 room, a medical bay, Dinobot cave, etc. Probably sized for Core class figures.

Likewise, I'd want the Decepticon underwater base. It absolutely HAS to have the big periscope-style entry/exit point.

For smaller sets, I'd take a spacebridge, or maybe some Cybertronian locations (Shockwave's lab, the Vector Sigma chamber, etc.)

For deluxes and bigger is better

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

I do not think it will ever happen, Playsets that don't Transform into Robots are just too far out scope of the line

Never understood this mindset.

I mean, for starters...

I mean, hey, these things can "transform" to some degree, sure. That's the main hook of the line, after all (we've had vehicles that turn into vehicles and weapons with Action Masters, and some toys where they deploy weapons more like MASK instead of turning into a robot, sooo...).

But that aside, if they're going to have these things in the cartoon meant to sell toys and the comic book meant to sell toys, then why not have a toy?

Expand on this bit with the volcano/Ark, and I'm good. Take some cues from the MASK Boulder Hill playset, if you want (you own it anyway, Hasbro). After all, that's what my friend who had it and I used it for when we were playing with Transformers as kids!

Heck, in the movie, Autobot City transformed, but not into a robot. Yeah, yeah, I know Metroplex was tied up in there somewhere, damaged transformation cog and all, but he's not the ENTIRE city, as we've seen.

Playsets definitely seem like a HasLab thing, though. While kids can generally make do with play patterns and such, it's the adults who just have them standing around that you're probably trying to sate, anyway.

 

[lastmaximal]

To be fair, that's about a decade plus in the past, and was followed by at least one bigger play base for smaller bots that did have a "big robot" mode. Come to think of it, playsets in general have kind of not been the TF team's thing for some time.

But I agree that turning from one mode into another is still something that can be a fun selling point without a robot mode. Especially if there are a lot of accompanying little bots that DO have that traditional mechanic. It was awesome for that Cyberverse subline that gsve us that Ark, and it was awesome for the Micromaster years that preceded that.

I think playsets still seem to be something that could be bet on at regular retail, if other recent toylines are any indication (TMNT hasn't missed a chance to have one in a while). Transformers' reluctance to get back into it since those Cyberverse lines has been disappointing, with their focus seeming to be on committing to one scale in their main lines.

Part of it may be the challenge of making a playset big enough to be an engaging world for those mainline bots of various sizes, but then they HAVE kept up making Core class stuff that would work fine with it.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I mean, for starters...

View attachment 19070

I don't know if this is the best example, considering stores managed to sell 3 of these before they went on clearance.

 

[Sciflyer]

I saw it a few times at Tuesday Morning and passed each time.