Transformers: One - New Animated Prequel coming September 20th, 2024 - New Toy Official Images!

[Undead Scottsman]

Earthspark, while having the old standbys, gave us not only new characters, but an entirely new type of Transformer, and basically an entirely new status quo.... which they abandoned after the first season.

Honestly, given what the Cyberworld show is shaping up to be, I'm not sure Hasbro is willing to put that kind of money until the kids portion of the franchise anymore, especially with how the economy is going.

 

[unluckiness]

They just need a solid, widespread form of media that has a robust set of toy offerings for both adult collectors and children. No sense in dividing a dwindling market further.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Good luck with that. Marketers love segmenting.

 

[unluckiness]

I hope they love unemployment as much.

 

[MrBlud]

They need a show that is going to have Generations level engineering on the toy molds.

 

[lastmaximal]

The segments make sense, as we've been shown in annual reports. Tiers of toy complexity (which not-coincidentally align with production cost) pair with distinctive aesthetic approaches and presentation to create a ladder that young fans can progress through to grow up with the brand as a whole. The separation keeps things from getting frustrating on the shelves (going to a store expecting Legacy United stuff and seeing very-similarly-packaged Bumblebee Legacy Adventures instead).

It's actually pretty interesting to have gone through about a couple decades of this, as in 2005 we just had the main line as a catch-all, with the only outliers being far smaller ranges of Go-Bots and 1-2-3 Transformers (?). Now there's a dedicated SET of homage streams (Studio Series and the Generations Line Of The Year) and a younger-kids-offering stream, forming that pipeline.

I just wish we'd get more of the occasional bone thrown with Deluxe whatever figures like we've seen in Cyberverse and Earthspark. The kid-show-offerings' designs are pretty neat and it's a shame to miss out on them (Earthspark Arcee is cool). Equal parts greed and Hasbro being too damn good at this, heh.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

I know what the kid stuff for Transformers looks like because I'm heavily in the fandom, but what does the kids stuff look like for Star Wars and Marvel? I'm assuming GI Joe is strictly collectors at this point). I only really see what goes up on Pulse, but I'm assuming it's not all Legend Series, Black Series and Vintage.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

I know what the kid stuff for Transformers looks like because I'm heavily in the fandom, but what does the kids stuff look like for Star Wars and Marvel? I'm assuming GI Joe is strictly collectors at this point). I only really see what goes up on Pulse, but I'm assuming it's not all Legend Series, Black Series and Vintage.

It was a bit hodge podge up until a couple years ago. Since 2023, both Marvel and Star Wars have settled on the "Epic World of Action/Epic Heroes" 4" style product complimented by several large scale feature figures and 12" Titan figures. The exact structure of the lines vary a bit (between Star Wars, Avengers, and Spider-Man), but generally fall into this "structure":
Basic figure series- 4" figures with 9 POA (Star Wars just upgraded from 5 POA this year, 5 POA crops up occasionally in other places), $7.99-9.99
Deluxe- 4" figure with geebles. $12.99
Battle in a Box- 2 4" figures in a carded set. Typically 19.99, but I'm seeing them bounce down to $15 at times. Star Wars' sets were retail exclusive, Spider-Man is the only segment with a regular retail offering
Small Vehicle- 4" figure with small vehicle, $19.99
Feature figures- 9-10" character figures with fancy gimmicks. Generally around $24.99-29.99
Feature Vehicle- 4" figure with medium vehicle, $29.99-34.99
Titan Figures- 12" 5-ish POA figures. 9.99
And then this year, Hasbro added the MixMasher line into the mix as well (basic, 12.99; Deluxe, 19.99). That doesn't include shorter lived "feature" lines like X-Men 97 or Fantastic Four.

Some considerations include the fact that, aside from Star Wars "rebuilding" its entire line this year to increase articulation, Hasbro's actual "investment" into these lines is farily minimal. Last year saw two new figures in Spider-Man (both in the battle pack assortment), and only 1 new figures I'm aware of this year (Ghost Spider). Avengers got a Loki this year...but any new tooling seems to be limited to character refreshes (clear plastic is a "thing" for this year). X-Men 97 ended up with just 5 characters/figures (with one limited to a retailer exclusive gift set and the other to an undersized vehicle) and whatever you count the Sentinel for. Guardians of the Galaxy 3 had only 5 characters as well (well, 6 if you count a retailer exclusive accessory), with Nebula, Warlock and High Evolutionary left MIA in the main toy line.


In that context, Transformers Cyberworld actually seems closer to THAT product structure than what we've been seeing since Cyberverse launched. Listings for next year are showing something like almost half the sub-$20 price point is looking to be package refresh/carryovers from this year. That seems very much "in line" with how Hasbro is handling kids stuff in their licensed properties.

And no, GI Joe is sticking to Classified, even though I think an Epic Hero segment is completely viable...

 

[Haywire]

And no, GI Joe is sticking to Classified, even though I think an Epic Hero segment is completely viable...

I wonder if the Super7 ReAction/ReAction+ offerings don't have something to do with this. No, they're not priced or marketed as toys (though Target sells them in the toy aisle...), but it seems like they're close enough for Hasbro to consider that size of figure "covered", outside of the odd TFxJoe crossover figure.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Joe also has Vintage, right? (or whatever it is they call their 3.75 line.)

 

[LordGigaIce]

I know what the kid stuff for Transformers looks like because I'm heavily in the fandom, but what does the kids stuff look like for Star Wars and Marvel? I'm assuming GI Joe is strictly collectors at this point). I only really see what goes up on Pulse, but I'm assuming it's not all Legend Series, Black Series and Vintage.

Star Wars and Marvel kids stuff has sort of homogenized around a four inch scale with basic articulation.

It's honestly not too bad, even if Spin Master is doing more at that size for a comparable price with DC.
Still, their offerings aren't that terrible all things considered, if you just want some basic figures of the characters. Their Marvel kids line isn't really making an impression on me, but I admit their four inch Star Wars stuff is appealing as someone who generally likes Star Wars but doesn't like it enough to commit to another collector-oriented line.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Joe also has Vintage, right? (or whatever it is they call their 3.75 line.)

I thought Joe is all 6 inch now.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

I mean, that's why I was asking.

 

[LordGigaIce]

I thought Joe is all 6 inch now.

From Hasbro, yeah. But Super7 has licensed GI Joe for their ReAction line, which mimics late 70/early 80s five pints of articulation style action figures at the 3.75 inch scale.

I never saw the appeal myself. GI Joe had actual 3.75 inch figures in the 80s and they were more detailed and articulated than these faux-retro ReAction offerings.

 

[Haywire]

Joe also has Vintage, right? (or whatever it is they call their 3.75 line.)

They had the Retro Collection, but the last releases in that were a Duke/Cobra Commander 2-pack and a Cobra Trooper/Officer 2-pack, and the Skystriker Haslab, and the Retro Collection name seems to have now been appropriated for the 6-inch figures on blister cards. The Transformers x GI Joe crossover figures feature classic o-ring 3-3/4" Joe figures, but those releases are pretty limited.

Meanwhile, Super7 debuted their ReAction+ figures with o-ring construction and classic 3-3/4" articulation, and I haven't really seen any Hasbro offerings in that scale since. It kind of makes me wonder if they aren't letting Super7 handle that particular niche for now?

Personally, I'd kind of like to see what a company like Spin Master would do with a 3-3/4" Joe line. They seem to "get" a 3-3/4 figure line for toys better than most (though their vehicle and playset offerings often are retailer-exclusive).

 

[LordGigaIce]

Personally, I'd kind of like to see what a company like Spin Master would do with a 3-3/4" Joe line. They seem to "get" a 3-3/4 figure line for toys better than most (though their vehicle and playset offerings often are retailer-exclusive).

Spin Master's been killing it with their DC offerings at that scale. It's kind of nuts what you get at that size and price point from Spin Master compared to Hasbro's Marvel kids stuff.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

From Hasbro, yeah. But Super7 has licensed GI Joe for their ReAction line, which mimics late 70/early 80s five pints of articulation style action figures at the 3.75 inch scale.

I never saw the appeal myself. GI Joe had actual 3.75 inch figures in the 80s and they were more detailed and articulated than these faux-retro ReAction offerings.

Just like their Transformers stuff being less articulated than Action Masters. Super7 has absolutely lost the plot.

 

[LordGigaIce]

Just like their Transformers stuff being less articulated than Action Masters. Super7 has absolutely lost the plot.

Their "Ultimate" stuff seems like it could be fun, but every time I look at it, it's always way overpriced compared to what you get.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

I wonder if the Super7 ReAction/ReAction+ offerings don't have something to do with this. No, they're not priced or marketed as toys (though Target sells them in the toy aisle...), but it seems like they're close enough for Hasbro to consider that size of figure "covered", outside of the odd TFxJoe crossover figure.

I'm disinclined to believe that. Both Marvel AND Star Wars have often had multiple items in the same scale over the years. My "vibe" is that Hasbro is treating GI Joe has a legacy brand that is too valuable to let die, but not robust enough for investment that a kids line (much less an associated media push) would require.

Last I knew, Hasbro was still pinning the brand's hopes and dreams on the "in-development" Transformers/GI Joe crossover film. Hopefully, recent events with TF One and Snake Eyes might incentivize Hasbro to explore options not dissimilar to Cyberworld for GI Joe.

Star Wars and Marvel kids stuff has sort of homogenized around a four inch scale with basic articulation.

It's honestly not too bad, even if Spin Master is doing more at that size for a comparable price with DC.
Still, their offerings aren't that terrible all things considered, if you just want some basic figures of the characters. Their Marvel kids line isn't really making an impression on me, but I admit their four inch Star Wars stuff is appealing as someone who generally likes Star Wars but doesn't like it enough to commit to another collector-oriented line.

I think the biggest issue for me with Hasbro's kids offerings is just how limited they've kept it. I'm under no illusion about its nature, but it's a bit frustrating that, nearly two years in, they've only made 5 villains (with Venom being VASTLY overused, repainted into a sixth "character", and Doc Ock being a 5 POA). Over that same time, the Avengers line has amounted to 6 members and three villains.

Spin Master's been killing it with their DC offerings at that scale. It's kind of nuts what you get at that size and price point from Spin Master compared to Hasbro's Marvel kids stuff.

I find amusing since Spin Master has, largely, scuttled any 4" offerings for the year, minus some Batman Ninja stuff that I'm not entirely confident will even see US distribution.

We'll see what Mattel offers next year

 

[lastmaximal]

From Hasbro, yeah. But Super7 has licensed GI Joe for their ReAction line, which mimics late 70/early 80s five pints of articulation style action figures at the 3.75 inch scale.

I never saw the appeal myself. GI Joe had actual 3.75 inch figures in the 80s and they were more detailed and articulated than these faux-retro ReAction offerings.

The "faux retro" is pretty much the appeal, but looks like you and I aren't the target audience for that specifically.

I love that GI Joe fans who were open to a new scale and/or who can afford to start a new collection are eating really good with a line made by people who clearly have a love for the franchise. But I wish the pendulum would swing back toward 4-inch, or at least that collectors of that scale would get something that wasn't "here's construction we moved last, because we need to milk that for a change". The new modern sculpts in the Retro line (well, the FANG pilot) just before it became o-rings again were pretty neat.