I bring this up because I was planning on making MP Starscream but stopped because it sounds like it’s going to be made officially.

 

Whenever a custom gets posted on a TF board, I noticed that usually one of the comments is “Pay attention Hasbroâ€?.  I was wondering, do they? Do they actually troll the boards looking at fans creations?  If they do, and they see something they like, would they make it?

 

In my short 1 ½ years active in fandom I only remember a few instances when Hasbro released something that looks even similar to what a fan has made prior.  The only notable instance I can remember is Alt Skids resemblance to the Ironhide drawing made by Nato.  I know Rodimus VTS has brought up the resemblance between his bash and Alt Prime.  But aside from the hood, I never really saw much of a connection between the two.  But that’s just my opinion.

 

My question is this.  Has Hasbro ever made anything based on a fans work?  I know Hasbro doesn’t take solicitations, but what if they solicit a fan?  Wouldn’t it make sense for Hasbro to use fandom for creativity?  Maybe not just the kitbashing community but the community as a whole.  There’s a ton of artists, fanfics, and even discussion that get people thinking.  “Wouldn’t it be cool if Alt X was made out of this car.â€? 

 

Why doesn’t Hasbro utilize fandom as a creative team?  I don’t remember one discussion on any board that said “Take Alt Swindle, paint him orange and call him Rollbar,  It’s brilliant!!â€?  But I do recall several, “repaint him black and call him Trailbreaker.  I buy it for sureâ€?.  Now I know they can’t use Trailbreaker, but if Decepticharge taught me one thing, it’s fans will name it whatever they want. 

 

What about kitbashes?  Take for instance VP’s War Within Grimlock.  It was a scratch built custom.  Fandom loved it.  It won at Botcon and Aaron Archer judged it himself.  The thing was just plain awesome!  Wouldn’t it make sense for Hasbro to approach VP about it?  It’s there, it’s been realized, it’s a 3D object sitting on the table.  Most of the development’s done.  They could save a lot of money.  And face it, that’s what Hasbro’s all about.  They could take it, refine it, make molds, and sell them like hotcakes.  All they have to do is ask.  But do they?  Do they fear some kind of litigation against them?

 

What about the Alternators line?  Obviously, I’m a huge fan of the Alternators line and I don’t see it dying out any time soon.  I questioned it with the release of Rollbar and Ricochet, but Prime and Mirage gave me no doubts. Repaints of Alts are cheap for Hasbro.  I’m sure they make good money off of them.  Now there’s been lots of fan made repaints that are great.  Much better than the likes of Rollbar.  Hasbro already has the molds and if they just listened to fandom they might get a better idea for a repaint.  Trailbreaker for example. 

 

What about reshells?  I like my bashes.  But their essentially the same thing as the Alt I bashed.  They really only look different in Alt mode.  I do it because I like the line and want something different.  But also because if I see a car out there that I think fits a character I make it and I don’t think Hasbro will ever will.  Do I want Hasbro to make the exact same thing as I did?  Not really.  Do I want to see them make an Alt out of the car I used?  Hell yes! I would rather Hasbro came to me and ask to use my work to help get licenses from car manufactures to create new molds.  But would it help?

 

Another question that’s been brought up before. Would Hasbro not release something because a fan made it?  Would they not make an Alt Megatron out of a Hummer because I made one?  It’s been rumored for a long time, I made one, and then Hasbro officially said they had no plans for it.  Did I kill it? 

 

Just some questions that have been running through my mind that I thought would make for interesting discussion.

I think that Hasbro/Archer seeing VP's War Within Megs (and in turn not wanting to copy it or pay for it) resulted in the WTF Megs in the Titanium line...

 

Thanks alot Viagra Prime... :tflaugh

another example of hasbro taking a note from fans is Natos iron hide that looks alot like Skids

 

i dont think you killed the hummur rumour mainly cuz of a few things one is that the alt/BT designer pointed out that hummers were way to big for the line (yes i know alt prime is big but the hummer would be huge) and thus binned as for him being megs i think thats just fans jumping to conclushions

 

i dont think hasbro would stop a project in its tracks cuzz some one used the car befor them in a kit bash. Take the police impretza BTA alert as an example im pritty sure thier were a few 100 or so prowls made from the scooby befor it and SunStreaker is another example of a popular kitbash that leter became a product (ok not a different car)

 

as for customs well if its based on WW then its don they should ask seeing as its his design and if it were a whole new character i think its more likly they would just copy what they liked

I think they would do a lot better if they did solicit the fandom.

 

One concern they may have though is the possible greed factor.

 

Not to say that is the case with anyone here. Just think, Hasbro/Takara approaches an individual on his/her custom work, and ask's to use said custom in their own line, (mass produce it) dollar sign's would probably light up in the individual's eye's.

 

I would love to see some of the custom's I've seen here mass produced.

Will it happen? God, I wish!

 

But as a major company, I'm willing to bet, that they won't ever because of the fear of it "costing" them too much.

 

So, if you company people are here, don't be afraid to solicit any one of the Customizer's/Kitbasher's here. I believe a TRUE FAN wouldn't price gouge you. A little dough and a little recognition go a long way.

I dont think hasbro will stop making a TF if a kitbash was made already.  Technically the name still belongs to them, so even if you make kitbashes.  Hasbro will still come out with what ever TF they want.  But as u can see hasbro has alot of lines going for transformer.  I'm sure little by little will see different TF coming outs.

what hasbro should od is get a few of their toy designers to join up on some of the transfans boards, to get some ideas

Good point!  I didn't think of Alt Sunstreaker and Prowl.  You're right, there has been many, many customs of those.  Dead End was suppose to be Sunstreaker anyway.  Maybe Hasbro released him afterwards because of fan outcry and also because there was no way anyone could come after them.

 

For Prowl, yes, there where also many customs of him as an Imprezza.  But he came out as an Acura.  Was there a reason for that?  Was it because of the customs?  The Acura isn't even a police car.  When they did release something similar to the customs, only Takara did it and it was Red alert. 

I personally would never SELL the toy to Hasbro...I wouldn'tbe interested in the profit...I would be interested in the end result.

 

I don't think I could ever surrender the original, but I would send them every pic that they would need, and even make a second for them for free if it meant it was going to see mass production!

 

How badass would it be to see your Alternator creation boxed up in the new bubble packaging...

 

Do I think they have used some of our ideas...sure...they have at least heard our pleas...

 

Do they not make something because of a custom? Nah...they'll make it if they want to...but I think they are just being pulled in so many directions.  Takara/Tomy wants to do something, the fans in America want something, the fans in Japan want another...and there are other countries...that unfortunately get left out of being heard...but they all want something different....that combined with the children that buy Transformers...they want something completely different...

Some very good points are being rasied here. I personally think that from a business standpoint it would make tons of common sense for Hasbro to make it a rule for their designers to join the forums here to solicit what the fans want. I would hope Hasbro does not think that the hardcore "Collector" fans only make up a small percentage of their Transformers revenue. How many of us were kids back in the 80's that grew up with the line, only to introduce our children to it years later? It would be simple good research, good cheap marketing and plain old common sense to have a voice for Hasbro that could communicate with the fans. It would cost Hasbro nothing, yet they probably don't see it that way. Only time will tell if Don Murphy's interaction on his board with Transformers fans will produce a realistic version of what we fans have only dreamed of. Perhaps it will be the same here. My thinking is that it would take someone who has been on the inside or IS on the inside now to explain if they can how the process works from start to finish. It seems that lately a lot of the designs that have been released as toys to the general public seem to have a much bigger G1 flavor to them than 5 years ago. So I would like to think that Hasbro is at the very least listening in some regard. Perhaps if we start a monthly petition of some sort for a figure we all want and send it off to Hasbro consistently every single month or something?

 

You never know.

I also have a question........Volkswagon denied a license to takara/hasbro for a bug to do Bumblebee. Because they did not want their design used as a war toy. But the G-1 bumblebee was a bug,...why deny a license now? And why are soo many car companies soo resistant.......it's great advertising !!!