its amazing to think that these toys have lived through so many generations,

20 F*CKING YEARS...to be exact

compare the toy quality,

G1 Prime to 20th anniversary Prime
G1 Jazz to Alternator Meister

just imagine, if it lasts for another 20 years, imagine the toys then

but im getting off track...

Do you think that TransFormers will end?
its probly inevitable,
i can just imagine all us TFans getting old, and when we tell our grandchildren about them, they'll probly look back and think 'thats stupid, cars that turn into robots?'
they'll think the same thing about TF's that we thought about the toys our parents had,
you get me?

by that time, if TF's last, kids may have tfs that have like AI and can do stuff on there own (refference to the show medabots, every kid have there own robot)

But, that porbly wont happen, dont hate me for saying this, but the 20 y/o fad will probly die, and you know it.


So, when do you think it will happen?

I think it will last a while longer...til it burns out again..like G1 did...it is a cycle that will occure once again. BW brought TF's back and then they brought the Japanese stuff over here which is keeping it rolling along.

I think eventually once all this Japanese-Infusion stuff settles, which it will eventually, then TF's will either have to sink or float on it's on western themes.

I feel in about 5 years, roughly, TF's wil lhave to make a change that will either sink it or float it.

i dont think it will ever end, since Has/Takara always keeps refreshing the line.

I don't want it to end, nor do I want to think about it. I'm enjoying the
moment.

Hopefully never! I am, however, anxiously awaiting the return of American TF series. Even with Dreamwave out of the picture, I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for a possible War Within series. I swear, I've never been a completist, but I would buy every single figure from that line if they looked anything like their comic counterparts. There's even room for more Beast-era continuity, if anyone wanted to get Mainframe back in the picture.

At the very least I'm hoping for a series based on the upcoming film version, hopefully written and produced by Americans and either being CGI or looking more like the 80/90's style of pen and ink animation, NOT that pseudo-anime crap Cartoon Network seems intent on churning out these days.

Hey, I love that "Anime crap". I can say that it's more much more expressionistic and has more of a debth of feeling than almost anything that comes out of American Animation. But I digress, thats another conversation.

As far as how far the TRANSFORMERS can go, I think that if marketed right and kept fresh, they can go another twenty years. I have a feeling that just like GI-JOE and BARBIE and POWER RANGERS and GUNDAM in Japan has kept going strong for so many years, TRANSFORMERS has the staying power to withstand. A lot of it has to deal with the fact that the American society is not as much of a toy/comic mecca as say Japan, but I do think that we will be seeing them in our childrens hands and their children's children will be buying them. I know that I can't wait to (when I'm geriatric) go treat my grandkids to TRANSFORMERS and they'll be like "Grandpa, you really had these when you were a kid? Did you really save the world from an alien invasion? Wow Grandpa, you really beat that many dinosaurs?"

As long as giant robots are loved by kids, I don't see why the Transformers franchise will die. It will have its highs and lows, but it would never completely fade away.

Sorry. I love anime too, I'm just partial to the way things used to be done here. I was referring more to the stuff like Teen Titans, which is drawn well but just seems insincere to me. There's something not right, IMO, about Americans trying to immitate Japanese conventions, and vice-versa.

It will probably hit another lull period at some point, but I don't know if TFs will ever die out completely.

I like that idea. I hope TF last for another 30 years or longer. I would like to see another Amercian made TF show.

I dont know honestly how long tf will keep rolling along forever but if things like gi-joe, and barbie can keep running for 50 years or better. I think Tf might stand a chance. It might go underground here in the states and we'll have to import our TF;s from japan for a while but I dont expect it to die off completely at least not untill both hasbro , and takara do.

I do sence a lull for this year though. Its alright Tf can die down a little this year. I have little doubt in my mind that next year(06) it will expode again. Simplely becuse of the live action film comming out

i DON'T SEE THE LINE DYING ANYTIME SOON, MAYBE EVOLVING OR CHANGING, MAYBE SOME HIATUS BUT ANYONE CAN BET TFs ARE HERE TO STAY, JUST LIKE GIJOE, MOTU AND OTHER ESSENTIAL TOY LINES

dont worry about TF's dying off

one day, these new Tfs from Armada and Energon and hell eveny GF will one day be like the old G1 reissues....

The problem with Transformers and the Anime influences that come with it is that they ALWAYS follow the same formula over and over again. No one in the autobot ranks seem to have a mind of their own when Prime gives them orders. Same thing with Meg's group. They're all 'Yes Prime/Megs right away sir.. it shall be done.' The kids.. they act like they know everything, when they should know nothing at all.. it irked me.. I don't see any transfomer taking the orders of a whiny sniveling snot nosed brat seriously.

I dunno I get so tired of it.. I guess I want Mainframe to come back and start working on this series again and get it out of it's stagnat state it's in. Atleast those guys knew how to keep a show entertaining.

Yeah, if they're going to insist on doing "kids" in any more TF series I'd much prefer it if they went back to the pre-Daniel days of high school and college-aged kids only, or people over the age of 18.

I think by than car will be able turn into robots, don't need no toys~=P

but seriously, I think it's possible that we might get a remote control TF some time in the future... I would love be able to control TF and have OP and Meg beat the crap outta each other.... (dreaming...)

There will be no talk of an end. You never know the company thats earnings were posted as being down will be watching *coughs hasbro*

Yeah, and just like Squaresoft I worry that Hasbro will do something one of these days to screw themselves over... But Square is still in the game-making business, so I'm not too worried about anything happening to Hasbro any time soon. Takara, on the other hand, I've heard isn't doing so well, and I literally shudder to think of TF's someday being entirely in Hasbro's (barely capable IMO) hands.

We already had that. It was called Beast Wars.

IMO it completely depends on the JP market moreso than the US one. If the TFs remain strong and constantly get reinvented into new series like Gundam does, I think TFs will remain well past 12 years from now. Sure this is strictly speculatively but JP IS the mecca for mecha and all things anime.

god i hope not, i mean gundam was established in japan in 1976, now given it is losing popularity (albiet SLOWLY) it hasnt died yet, so what is stopping transformers for going so long, i mean 20 years and they are probably more popular than ever, so unless cybertron (or someother subsequent series) is a massive failure then i dont think it will ever end. But you never know... i agree with glazamus primeblade, if mainframe goes back to doing the shows it might buy transformers another 10 years.

Personally I think Transformers is not a fad. Not anymore.

A fad is more like Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh. The first is already gone (except for a few die hard fans) and Yu-Gi-Oh will not last another year in my opinion.

Transformers has been a hit selling toy for the last few years and may not be the best selling toyline but it is selling well. So I think we can enjoy Transformers for awhile longer.

I strongly believe that the Transformers cartoon should be US made. In Beast Wars we had memorable characters such as Rhinox, Rattrap and Dinbot and Waspinator. Inferno calling Megatron queen is something the Japanese would never think of.

And do not say no because Beast Machines did not work out. That was solely because inexperienced writers were hired. The idea was different and that I liked. I mean apart from the new desgins the new show may not be that different from Energon.

It appears (have not seen it yet) that Optimus is already in his new form. In the Energon comic we are at least shown how Optimus got his new body. In Beast Wars and Beast Machines we also saw how and why a Transformers appereance changed. I think it should not be left out now either.

I like the new toy designs but I do take a full 1 or even 2 points off of every figure. Not because of the gimmick even though that is basically a combo of Armada and Energon: a key which (replacing the Mini-Con) that unlocks a "hypermode".

No the problem that I have with the toys is discontinuity. In Armada we got the Mini-Cons and in Energon the toys kept the Mini-Con Powerlinx points. The Mini-Cons are making a triumphant return for Cyberton/Galaxy force but where are the Powerlinx points?

Not one toy has them. They are also lacking the Spark Crystal. Both features could have easily been retained but were not. I think that is downright bad.

It is such continuity that makes Transformers a hit. I mean, if I were a parent I would want a toy that I could buy new ones of next year as well instead of wasting my money on a new toyline each year.

Jezz i never ever thought that TF would ever end, if it did, i think i would cry my eyes out. It is a beautiful show it is and one that should last a lifetime, but as my brother said when Star Trek Enterprise ended this May, all good shows come to a end. Then there was another saying.

"Mommy, IT'S OVER! WAAAAAAA!" JFL character.

It will probably end but it will end when we are gone, not a nice feeling to think on 

But as for now, lets enjoy the wonders of it. And hope that someday they will come real.

God i would love to see Hotshot at my door right now. I be one happy girl!   

In the world of toys keeping a line going is a nightmare. You have to watch distribution, quality, fan base, kids base, parental acceptance, and more. few lines hit the 5 year mark and fewer hit the kill;er 10 year mark. however, if you are lucky, and i mean lucky, you can make a product that breaks a mold that never existed...these are the major toys. He-Man was one of these lines, but failed to be managed right and overflooded the market back in the late 80's, killing the market and the line. The second time, they starved the market...that and there was a mixed reaction to the line. Now there is Barbie...c'mon up until 2000 she was the #1 toy of every year, you could dang near anything you wanted to...just not that pregnant slut version without the wedding ring... (it's that parental thing...some people are over the edge and insane...). GI Joe, "Hey, let's make a line of war toys!" "But jim, guns aren't selling anymore, we need a hook!" "Here, check these guys out, they have all the gear the real thing would have!" "But they are dolls...." "Ha ha ha ha! That's the catch, we'll call them action figures!"  Hence the longest lasting boys toy line was born, reincarnated several times over. You had toys like little tykes, legos, and then there was a slight drull in the late 70s...until Hasbro took a Japanese line, retooled it for the american audiance and whamo!!!!!! Transformers, a power house that hit the market so hard, so fast the word transformer is now known better or the toys than say the electrical device! Though they line has had a few lulls (as all lines do) it has always had a demand. Every new generation of kids will get the old hand me downs and then there is a demand for their own line. Hasbro could get away with putting out a line every 5 years and still keep the line alive. Yeah, this line will not die for many many years imo.

I was going to say "a change like a new live action movie?", but then I saw how old this thread is and wondered "did we even know about the movie then?" I thought so, but...

I see transformers going the way Star Trek did.  It'll last a few more incarnations, then it'll go on hiatus.  (and I see the movie as the 4th incarnation: G1, BW, RiD, the movie)

As long as the line keeps being reinvented, I could see it going for another 20 years. If they run out of ideas (good ones), like Power Rangers, then it'll be done pretty soon.

IT WILL NEVER END

It all depends on which direction Hasbro takes it in the U.S.  After the movie, I can see Transformers getting revamped, with new figures being reformatted movie characters, with no side line (i.e. Cybertron).  After that rush dies down, Transformers will eventually die down, not die out, just down- just like Power Rangers.  Then, Hasbro will give Disney the rights to air old Transformers cartoons, and Transformers will regain popularity.  It's probably the television series that will make or break the line.

The cartoon is extremely important so it is very important to have a good one.

Which means the next show should (imo) US made with an entirely new concept which should reinvent the line.

The last 3 shows were not really that original.

As long as someone has enough imagination to create them, I don't think it will die out.  Probably evolve into something else depending on the whims/fads of the time each series is released.

Plus the 'live' action movie will prolly spark new lines/spin offs too...

So far transformers appear to be like the phoenix in that it dies and then reemerges from its own ashes just as strong.  Like when G1 died and then a few years later G2 came out and it was reborn and then (gag), Beast Wars that everyone loves and so on and so forth. 

Transformers can avoid a Star Trek-like ending by getting rid of those in charge that have 'run out of gas' as far as Transformers are concerned and replace them with new people that have fresh ideas.  Berman and Braga should have been let go after Voyager and new people brought in for a new series.  This mistake has led to Star Trek not having a new series for the first time in nearly 20 years.  Hasbro needs to clean house at the right time, otherwise it will suffer the fate of Star Trek.  The current team in charge of Transformers is doing a good job.  But I suspect they'll be replaced in a couple years.

I was always under the impression that G2 was nearly the end of Transformers but Hasbro decided to create BW.  Which turned out to be a great success and has resulted in Transformers going strong for 10 years now.

That's nothing. Lego, Barbie, G.I.Joe, Hot Wheels, Tinkertoy, just to name a few, have histories way longer than 20 years.

IMHO, the way Transformers is right now, it will died pretty soon like it did in the early 90s.

Well, look at it this way...  TF's started off in the 70's as parts of the Microman & Diaclone lines, which were remarketed in the US as Transformers starting in 84.  Since then, the name "Transformers" has not stopped yet (only in the US did it experience a one-year hiatus, in 1990, in japan it continued through that period).  The Transformers will probably never stop, they'll just keep getting reinvented every so often to keep the line going.  And many of us might yet live to see Transformers or ideas thereof appear in everyday domestic applications, appliances, vehicles, etc, that will be able to be reconfigured into something completly different and functional.  It'll happen, as long as the the engineers of tomorrow continue to be influenced by the toys they play with today

I was thinking Machine Wars came before Beast Wars, but I could be wrong.

I think Machine Wars started just after Beast Wars gained real popularity. As I remember it, the only toy I was interested in was Optimus, and that was because I was a child, and liked Optimus Prime. It's a good thing my parents said no, that toy was crap.

But, why would they put out Machine Wars during Beast Wars?

According to Ben Yee:

The Mini-Cons are making a triumphant return for Cyberton/Galaxy force but where are the Powerlinx points?

I know this is off the topic,

remember Vector Prime?

Just about everything '80s made a comeback recently, you can say it was basically led by TF, but just about everything came back so that was that. That's why TF got so popular again. It's just a cycle which I doubt will be repeated. However, the only thing that may change it, is the success of the new live action movie... We will have to see how that goes. If the current generation of kids fall in love with the movie, it's possible in 20 years when they're grown up they will come back to it like we all did. But I doubt it to tell you the truth...We'll see.

The only way I see TF's coming to an end:
If or when real cars/planes/trains/etc. transform into real robots that can function on their own and they do something, on a massive scale, hideously wrong, then and only then will Transformers come to an end.
Until then......

The transformers will continue.
but G1 reissue will be end before 2015 i think 

I don't think many will fall in love with it so deeply they remember it in 10 years.  There are way too many similar movies for this one to really stand out to someone who isn't already interested.  A Voltron movie is coming out the same year, the recent flood of comic based movies, and all the other CGI movies make the new TF movie very not-unique. 

The part that's going to have the real effect will be the cartoon spin off.  If it's handled well (and most aren't), it might be a grand revival.  I think it's already hindered by the chance of a sequal.

TRANSFORMERS WILL NEVER DIE !!!!  This will never happen.  The reason transformers will not die is because the concept of vehicles and other things going from that shape into a robot and fighting each other is still a good concept for children and the older fans still love it.  I know some of the ways that some off the shows get ared in america dont always be as good as originals in japan, but they still keep alot of people entertained and that is all that matters.  So TRANSFORMERS in what eveer shape size or what ever they can turn into will live for along, long long long time.

the new movie is different form old one.
BTW, i think crazy fans will reduce

Do I think TF will die out? No. I think we shall see a quiet time for awhile but the TF wont die out. Has/Tak wont let it die and if it does? Well I have many memories and my MP Optimus to always look back on.

I don't think Transformers will ever end. The brand has staying power, 20+ years proves that.

Everything works in circles. Returning to the point of origin, and interconnecting.

TFs will recycle like they did with G1-G2, etc.  However, sooner or later the circle breaks.

It's a part of nature, and it occurs constantly.

Yes, at some point, TFs will die out and most likely permanently. Might be next year, might be 10. They'll be outgrown in time by everyone, it happens.

Enjoy the moment and live in it, look forward to the future.

You know, it really wouldn't be so bad if the Gobots made a comeback....