What about 3rd Party Upgrade Kits?

[puma]

:BS

[RUMBLEBEE]

We all know at the convention this year Hasbro is cracking down on 3rd party figures being sold. One grey area though still remains, where does Hasbro stand on the creation and selling of kits that only enhance their figures? Not talking about like the FP Bruticus that added the 2 new bots, but only the upgraded hands, feet, weapons etc like the Superion upgrade? Or any other weapons and add on kits?

 

Does anyone think or know if Hasbro had a problem with that too? Or is it mostly just the figures? Or is it anything at all that would capitalize on Hasbro's figures that wasn't done by them period?

 

IMHO,Both hasbro & takara are far too narrow minded & lazy to research what is acceptable & not acceptable 3rd party TF stuff.

hasbro/Takara probably consider everthing 3rd party the same.

 

Like another TFormer member said,maybe it's all about the benjamins. perhaps hasbro/takara wants these 3rd party companies to pay the $100,000 liscense fees like CMS Corps does.

 

Personally I think Hasbro/Takara hates 3rd party companies for two main reasons. (1) the 3rd party suff doesn't have to pass any toy safety laws. perhaps hasbro/takara feel they might get sued by buyers who think these are liscensed hasbro/takara products. (2) hasbro/takara is clearly jealous & frustrated at these 3rd party companies making more desirable TF products that their making. in the past hasbro/takara claimed certain TF character/toys were extremly hard to create new poseable toys for. seeing 3rd party companies creating what they said was impossible,embarasses hasbro/takara to no end.

 

While I fully agree with your first point, I cannot agree on the second point. I believe that anything any third party company can create, HasTak can do it and do it better. I think the reason that they do not is a little darker.

 

I believe that there is no reason for them to put any of that stuff out. There is no impetus for them to do so. For them to do so at this moment would make them dependent on adult collectors to make their money back (because there are no 8-12 year olds out there who care about Reflector), and HasTak is too smart to do that. So the option, the most most cost effective one for them I'd suppose, is to make sure that the race is a one-horse race and to squash their competition.

 

Also, as a fan: the only items I have had any compulsion to buy from a 3rd-party company have been the accessories kits. The actual toys themselves have not captured my imagination at all. I might be in the minority on that one, but what the hey.

 

Some of those 3rd party TF toys are pretty awesome & they keep getting better. I seriously doubt hasbro/takara has what it takes to compete & creating better toys than these 3rd party TF toys like the following: protector,city commander,crossfire swindle & blastoff. hercules & giant. those two not-reflectors,trio of G-1 styled insecticons.and the list goes on......

 

their are plenty of 1980's TF character/toys that kids would like if hasbro made new homage molds out of. kids like sitting their & getting tons of play value out of their toys. so city formers that can interract with smaller scale TF toys is right up their alley. scramble city type new homage molds combiners that have 3 modes & can switch parts back & forth with other toys,has tons of play value & is right up their alley.

 

The main problem is hasbro refuses to do a full blown generations/classics toy line that's supported by a main media outlet like a cartoon series. so by default the toy budget is less & the toy sizes are smaller.

 

Hasbro I feel at times has very bad marketing strategies. because they spent money on making a rescue bot cartoon series that basically adverttises only 5 rescue bots toys in stores. hasbro should have created a generations cartoon series that helped sell/advertise generations new mold toys by the dozens.

 

clearly the classics/generations toy sales are selling decent with no media cartoon. so having a generations cartoon would make a already selling line sell out super fast in stores.

 

 

:agree

[Scruffy the Janitor]

BTW,I enjoyed the first few rescue bots episodes,most because dani the female is kinda cute. but after the 4th episode,I lost interest because it got very dull & expected. they keep doing the same stuff all the time. their seems to be no promise of anything newer they can do in this cartoon series. other than the following formula: start the episode with the family members or bots arguing with each other,then having the red light go off,everyone races to the rescue scene. then they save the day & everyone gets along at the end,this same stuff happens in every episode.

 

this is no different from the same pattern that other childrens shows follow. every episode of dora, blues clues, bubble guppies etc.

childrens shows follow the same pattern, and this is definately a childrens show

[puma]

BTW,I enjoyed the first few rescue bots episodes,most because dani the female is kinda cute. but after the 4th episode,I lost interest because it got very dull & expected. they keep doing the same stuff all the time. their seems to be no promise of anything newer they can do in this cartoon series. other than the following formula: start the episode with the family members or bots arguing with each other,then having the red light go off,everyone races to the rescue scene. then they save the day & everyone gets along at the end,this same stuff happens in every episode.

 

this is no different from the same pattern that other childrens shows follow. every episode of dora, blues clues, bubble guppies etc.

childrens shows follow the same pattern, and this is definately a childrens show

 

it's for 5 year olds. not 20-40 year olds. it's not meant to hold your attention...

[Ebonsaber]

How about upgrades that completely change a figure, like City Commander? Would it count as a 3rd party add-on or as a 3rd party figure?

[madman1366]

How about upgrades that completely change a figure, like City Commander? Would it count as a 3rd party add-on or as a 3rd party figure?

 

 

To me I'd say an accessory, but seeing it does capitalize on the g1 Ultra Magnus likeness then I would say that makes it more along the lines of a figure if it came down to letter of the law.

 

I know one thing, if Hasbro ever managed to get 3rd party figures shut down for good, then I really hope they wouldn't go after people putting out accessory kits. That would be tragic.

 

What Hasbro should do is actually invest in and support 3rd party makers. That way, if they are going to be made anyway, they can be made with a stamp of approval and the means for these companies to deliver more superior quality products that are up to Hasbro standards. Hasbro gets a slice of the action, we get better 3rd party figures and everyone is happy. Plus Hasbro doesn't have to worry about pressure to deliver more collector oriented products seeing this would be a way to do that by default. Everyone wins.

 

But that's asking too much. There is no room for reason in an unreasonable world!