Australian Toy Fair Hasbro Slides: Animated in 2015 - 16 Plus New Transformers: Age of Extinction Concept Art

Those pictures of the TFs are so awesome.

I haven't been an enormous fan of many of the directions Transformers has taken as a brand since I started collecting in 2009. But I try to always keep an open mind, so this new direction could very well be cool

I'm definitely going to start referring to movie Hound as "Truck Dynasty".

Honestly the new designs from AOE are growing on me. I'm liking the smoother appearance, less car parts and more "coated" armor.

This is curious:



I'm guessing that is a lion, but it really looks like a bat to me. Ratbat led Decepticons anybody?

That 2014 Q4 animated event news returns - http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... tes/28435/

Those "animated" things interest me greatly.
Could it be that we'll be getting the Beast Wars equivilant of the Alignedvers?

Pretty interesting indeed.

I wonder if those faction logos are just placeholders. The second one, with the unicorn looking face, was the original Aligned-verse Predacon logo before they settled on the one that's on all the toys and Prime show items. There are test shots of Ripclaw and Sinnertwinstrike that show them with that logo.

I have a feeling we're looking at, possibly, a new Beast Wars.

its a shame the hound toy looks nothing like that.

ANYONE ELSE SEEING IT?

I really hope it's not a Beast Wars type thing. That's what Beast Hunters was already a throwback to, and they specified that they made Beast Hunters be more unique because they wanted it to have its own identity and that doing something even closer to Beast Wars was the last thing they wanted to do.

Sabrblade wrote:I really hope it's not a Beast Wars type thing. That's what Beast Hunters was already a throwback to, and they specified that they made Beast Hunters be more unique because they wanted it to have its own identity and that doing something even closer to Beast Wars was the last thing they wanted to do.

How about... Battle Beasts? And I own a figure with the prototype Predacon symbol: EU 2-pack Predaking.

What if it's something entirely new and original that only happens to be another animal-related thing?

so galvatron and stinger arent classified as decepticons? seems to be no artwork for them

dreadwing95 wrote:so galvatron and stinger arent classified as decepticons? seems to be no artwork for them

Well, technically, they aren't true Decepticons since they're both manmade bots. So, that could be the reason why.

Sabrblade wrote:

dreadwing95 wrote:so galvatron and stinger arent classified as decepticons? seems to be no artwork for them

Well, technically, they aren't true Decepticons since they're both manmade bots. So, that could be the reason why.

true. i hope they go rogue at least.

Sgt. Bulkhound kinda looks like Leadfoot in that concept art...
Incidentally, can anybody tell what it says underneath that IDW G1 Optimus? I think it says Legends, but I'm not quite sure.

Metro Prime wrote:Incidentally, can anybody tell what it says underneath that IDW G1 Optimus? I think it says Legends, but I'm not quite sure.

I'm not sure either, but I think it might say "Primacy", referring to the upcoming sequel to "Autocracy" and "Monstrosity".

Ah, thanks.

That symbol with the red background is the prototype BH Predacon symbol that was seen on some early BH prototype/testshot figures. The other bat-like is really interesting. I immediately thought of Bat Optimus Primal and Sonar from BW and Nightscream from BM. All Maximals. So, kind of taking a bit of a leap here but, if they plan to use the prototype Predacon symbol as the new Predacon symbol for the next cartoon, maybe this bat one is the new Maximal symbol. Which would mean, Maximals vs Predacons! BEAST WARS! RAWR!

Another really interesting thing about that bat logo is that depending how you look at it, you can see different animals in it. Like the ears kinda look like lizards and the jaw looks like a bird. May be intentional, but just be a happy accident.

Hound has uhh...a lot of weight on him. Very different than the toy.

griftimus prime wrote:its a shame the hound toy looks nothing like that.

What, you mean a dumpy, moonshine guzzling red-neck with a 3rd grade education who raided a military base on his way out from the Appalachian mountains? 'Cause yeah, I really want the nod to one of my all time favorite G1 characters looking totally like that.

Three things should NOT...absolutely NOT come into mind when I see a Transformer, either the toy or the concept art, and those would be the lines "Boy, you sure got a 'purty mouth", "I'm gonna make ya squeal like a stuck pig" and "Paddle faster...I hear banjos!" Hound and the Wreckers, between their concept pics, movie appearances and their toys, look like the cast of Deliverance and that's a seriously f'd up impression to be given when you are dealing with kids toys.

The one other impression I'm getting from Hasbro which is messed up in an entirely different different way but still sucks, is the marketing push. Yes, it's been increasing in recent years due to the movie but rather than letting it take a slow and steady course (aka "The SMART way to do it") and keep things stable they are giving things one massive shove starting with the new movie. They are going to F up the whole franchise with this tactic. I guarantee you they will over-hype it, they will flood the market to the point of sensory overload, they will try to convince the world that over the next 6 to 8 years we should do nothing but eat, sleep and shit Transformers, so much so that even us loyal fans will be so sick of the brand that we want nothing to do with it...EVER! Transformers has been around for 30 years now and it's held up that long not by being over-hyped and flooding the market but by the strength of the name and the freshness of the product line. It's been, for the most part, slow and steady but at least it has BEEN THERE. In ten years time, after Hasbro has finished bloating it and then bleeding it out, it will be a dead husk on the side of the road, abused and stagnant with the stench of corporate greed still fresh on it and the sweet, familiar smell of loyalty, originality and excitement long since gone from it as Hasbro finds some other brand to exploit.

You all see new products through 2017 in this outline that Hasbro has and you squee like fangirls at a Twilight release party... I step back and see the bigger picture. don't look at the last 30 years and think to yourself that the same cycle will happen again. for the next 30. It won't. It's different this time around, the rules have changed since my generation grew up with this brand.

El Duque wrote:

Anyone else notice the shelf date of May 1 as opposed to May 17?

Madeus Prime wrote:This is curious:



I'm guessing that is a lion, but it really looks like a bat to me. Ratbat led Decepticons anybody?

When I first saw that faction symbol my immediate thought was Ratbat taking over leadership of the Decepticons. We already know the 2015 animated series is a sequel to Prime/Beast Hunters so I'm not sure why people keep bringing up a new Beast Wars series. I'm thinking Ratbat could be a Predacon defector that reorganizes the Decepticons under his rule. He's well established as a Decepticon leader in various comics so it isn't very far fetched. Maybe we'll see some Ultracons.

Emerje

whatever it is, I'm interested!

No way Hound wasn't designed with Bulkhead in mind. I know Movie designs don't tend to strongly resemble their namesakes, but the similarity here is just uncanny.

Bounti76 wrote:I wonder if those faction logos are just placeholders. The second one, with the unicorn looking face, was the original Aligned-verse Predacon logo before they settled on the one that's on all the toys and Prime show items. There are test shots of Ripclaw and Sinnertwinstrike that show them with that logo.

Some of the Kre-Os actually use the old symbol

Given that both of these insignias look quite a bit like the old BW ones (like updated version or hybrids with their G1 counterparts) makes me wonder what the history behind them is. Were they planning on bringing both the Maximals and Preds back? Are these just stock "new faction" symbols? Could they both be early takes on what would become Prime's Predacons? Maybe they would've had just one catch-all "beast" faction?

Noideaforaname wrote:Some of the Kre-Os actually use the old symbol

Conversely, this one has the final version of the symbol:

And conversely-conversely, someone got the Ripclaw set with the old version.

I guess Kre-O started production before they changed the Predacon symbol.

T-Macksimus wrote:

griftimus prime wrote:its a shame the hound toy looks nothing like that.

What, you mean a dumpy, moonshine guzzling red-neck with a 3rd grade education who raided a military base on his way out from the Appalachian mountains? 'Cause yeah, I really want the nod to one of my all time favorite G1 characters looking totally like that.

Three things should NOT...absolutely NOT come into mind when I see a Transformer, either the toy or the concept art, and those would be the lines "Boy, you sure got a 'purty mouth", "I'm gonna make ya squeal like a stuck pig" and "Paddle faster...I hear banjos!" Hound and the Wreckers, between their concept pics, movie appearances and their toys, look like the cast of Deliverance and that's a seriously f'd up impression to be given when you are dealing with kids toys.

The one other impression I'm getting from Hasbro which is messed up in an entirely different different way but still sucks, is the marketing push. Yes, it's been increasing in recent years due to the movie but rather than letting it take a slow and steady course (aka "The SMART way to do it") and keep things stable they are giving things one massive shove starting with the new movie. They are going to F up the whole franchise with this tactic. I guarantee you they will over-hype it, they will flood the market to the point of sensory overload, they will try to convince the world that over the next 6 to 8 years we should do nothing but eat, sleep and shit Transformers, so much so that even us loyal fans will be so sick of the brand that we want nothing to do with it...EVER! Transformers has been around for 30 years now and it's held up that long not by being over-hyped and flooding the market but by the strength of the name and the freshness of the product line. It's been, for the most part, slow and steady but at least it has BEEN THERE. In ten years time, after Hasbro has finished bloating it and then bleeding it out, it will be a dead husk on the side of the road, abused and stagnant with the stench of corporate greed still fresh on it and the sweet, familiar smell of loyalty, originality and excitement long since gone from it as Hasbro finds some other brand to exploit.

You all see new products through 2017 in this outline that Hasbro has and you squee like fangirls at a Twilight release party... I step back and see the bigger picture. don't look at the last 30 years and think to yourself that the same cycle will happen again. for the next 30. It won't. It's different this time around, the rules have changed since my generation grew up with this brand.

wow.. i completely disagree with you.. the only drawback about this is that stores are going to order A TON of wave 1 crap.. leaving us with the same problem we've had in the past.. they order too much of the first wave which screws the later waves.

before the movie was announced transformers really weren't that big of a deal.. now they are.. and they're going to go through the same cycle they've gone through with the previous movies. i don't see how this hurts the brand AT ALL.. people who love transformers aren't going to get tired of it.. that's probably one of the more insane things i've read.. i don't understand how you could come to that conclusion.. and to judge the next 30 years on the previous 30 years isn't very smart either.

the previous 30 years didn't have any huge blockbuster movies.. and from hasbro's own representative.. they were going through some difficulties before the release of the first movie. so.. these movies have helped A LOT..

this brand won't die, and it certainly won't fizzle out any time soon. these movies attract a TON of people, new kids are getting introduced to the brand EVERY DAY.. there are new cartoons every couple of years, and takara has been keeping the interest of the G1 fan base with their masterpiece figures.. so, i don't see failure anywhere in the future.

the only failure i could see is if hasbro completely turns the toys into junky 1 step changers.. quality products, good shows, and entertaining movies are the key to success.. and as much as i bash hasbro, they've certainly accomplished those three things.

there will always be lulls every now and then.. but there is certainly enough out there to keep people busy.. whether it's the movie line, or the generations/classics figures.. there's always something that appeals to someone.