The Aligned Binder of Revelation has been REVEALED

[Sabrblade]

Massively disagree. Animated Sentinel was a fun jerk. If that had been Rodimus I can see people getting annoyed at first before coming around on him as the series went along. Like they did with Sentinel.

It's all about the timing of when Animated first came out. This was at that point when Hasbro was pulling inspiration from everything that had come before in order to create one single unified vision for the brand going forward. Had Sentinel been Rodimus instead, Rodimus being an unrepentive jerk that everyone is supposed to hate could have become his main thing for at least the next several years, with things like DOTM and TF One possibly even using him, instead of Sentinel, as their respective main antagonists, all because of Animated.

Edit: ninja'd

 

[LordGigaIce]

Rik loves the Megatron redemption story that IDW did.

Ugh.

He was talking with Aaron Archer a few months ago, and they think it's amazing that toys of the Thirteen, as they never thought it would be possible to make toys of them based on these designs.

Aaron.
You were head of the design team.
Aaron.
Come on.

It was ultimately for the best to take such a strongly-written role and give it to a character who was comparatively a blank slate rather than repurposing an existing character.

I can see that to a point, but I also really liked Sentinel's "gruff but ultimately heroic" take that he had in Megatron: Origins, which was the most character development he'd had up until that point. The one-two punch of Animated and DotM really derailed that, and pushed him into a villainous direction. Which, of all the depictions since, only the Exodus novel and IDW 2019 really got away from. Ultimately most of the "jerk Sentinel" stuff has been good, so it's not something I mind but... well... I donno. It's not like Sentinel was a totally blank slate.

I know what you're thinking, who cared about Sentinel Prime prior to Animated?

Ultimately I think you and @Sabrblade and @Exatron are right, and it all worked out.
My point is just that given how fun Animated Sentinel ended up being, I can see it working like "I can't believe they made Rodimus a jerk, f this" to "oh wow, Animated Rodimus is a gloriously petty jerk, I love it!"
Kind of a "make our guy a jerk? Well he's the best jerk!" reaction.

 

[Sabrblade]

Aaron.
You were head of the design team.
Aaron.
Come on.

They were meant to be just backstory lore, from a time in Cybertronian history before transformation even existed, not toys.

I can see that to a point, but I also really liked Sentinel's "gruff but ultimately heroic" take that he had in Megatron: Origins, which was the most character development he'd had up until that point. The one-two punch of Animated and DotM really derailed that, and pushed him into a villainous direction. Which, of all the depictions since, only the Exodus novel and IDW 2019 really got away from. Ultimately most of the "jerk Sentinel" stuff has been good, so it's not something I mind but... well... I donno. It's not like Sentinel was a totally blank slate.

After reading in the Binder that Sentinel Prime and Zeta Prime were originally supposed to be two separate individuals, with Zeta being the corrupt one instead of Sentinel, the jock jerk in Animated could have been named Zeta Prime and that name could have gone to the main "corrupt Prime" archetype that the name Sentinel Prime is currently locked into.

 

[LordGigaIce]

They were meant to be just backstory lore, from a time in Cybertronian history before transformation even existed, not toys.

I get that but two things come to mind...

One, "to sell toys" has been baked into this franchise since day one. That toys wouldn't be made of these characters seems silly, as does the idea that they'd introduce these new important characters and not realize fans would want figures of them.

Two, Aaron Archer was the best positioned person to make the Thirteen as figures when they were canonized. So for him to go "I never thought I'd see the day" on this is really funny.

 

[Sabrblade]

I get that but two things come to mind...

One, "to sell toys" has been baked into this franchise since day one. That toys wouldn't be made of these characters seems silly, as does the idea that they'd introduce these new important characters and not realize fans would want figures of them.

Two, Aaron Archer was the best positioned person to make the Thirteen as figures when they were canonized. So for him to go "I never thought I'd see the day" on this is really funny.

But remember that the time all this was first going down was back when Brian Goldner sought to branch Hasbro out of just being strictly a toy company and turn it into a media IP company, complete with its own TV network and such. And even back at BotCon 2011, when people kept asking and begging for if or when we'd get toys for TF: Prime, the Hasbro representatives in attendance kept trying to push Prime as a show that could stand on its own merits instead of needing to either support or be supported by a toyline. This was Hasbro's "to sell media above toys" phase, before that later bit them in the butt.

 

[LordGigaIce]

But remember that the time all this was first going down was back when Brian Goldner sought to branch Hasbro out of just being strictly a toy company and turn it into a media IP company, complete with its own TV network and such. And even back at BotCon 2011, when people kept asking and begging for if or when we'd get toys for TF: Prime, the Hasbro representatives in attendance kept trying to push Prime as a show that could stand on its own merits instead of needing to either support or be supported by a toyline. This was Hasbro's "to sell media above toys" phase, before that later bit them in the butt.

"You market with the strength of an IP company, nothing held back. Admirable. But mistaken."

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Rodimus spent most of S3 being bored out of his mind and wanting to go back to being a turbo-revvin' young punk, even though he was capable of leadership. The IDW portrayal makes a lot of sense in the context of a Hot Rod who never got the opportunity to have the matrix but still has a deep down desire to prove himself that runs at odds with his more carefree and lax nature.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Focusing on media first is very different from focusing on media only. They still should have been planning on the characters getting merch at some point.

 

[Sabrblade]

Focusing on media first is very different from focusing on media only. They still should have been planning on the characters getting merch at some point.

Well, that's what they were tasked with doing by the higher ups: create a group of designs for characters meant for storytelling purposes only, not as toys.

After all, by deeming them the "Thirteen Primes" or just "the Thirteen", they essentially took the "Transformers" out of the "Thirteen Original Transformers", anyway.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Is it just me or does Strongarm in this bare a closer resemblance to her Legacy toy's proportions than the ones she had in the show?

 

[lastmaximal]

I think the packaging artwork may have been leaner since it didn't have to be animated transforming (even allowing for some mass-shifting). Everyone's a fair bit boxier in the show.

I'd love for a better-matching Strongarm toy in the future, that's a middle ground between her RID2015 Deluxe and Legacy toys (the RID2015 Mini-Con Battle Pack one is pretty good). She's one of my favorite things about RID2015, high on a long list.

 

[Sabrblade]

Is it just me or does Strongarm in this bare a closer resemblance to her Legacy toy's proportions than the ones she had in the show?

It's just her character models from the cartoon's old promotional art, like what was in the style guide.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Wow, screw Drift, huh?

Even his Mini-Cons got featured ahead of him.