money speaks louder than words my friend. Low sales = might as well be no sales. It's not going to happen.

 

 

Agreed. I mean if they pulled one out every six months to a year I can still see the line doing very well but you have to know that Hasbro had a hand in making this line die. I mean ... the endless repaints. BIG sighs.

I think Alternators had a great run, and there are some Alts that I really liked. That said, they had some serious flaws that couldn't be corrected without compromising the whole design philosophy that made them Alts in the first place.

 

My alt Smokescreen and Bluestreak look awesome sitting on my shelf, but I almost never touch them. Why? Because transforming them into cars and back isn't fun, it's frustrating. I realize they were the first mold in the line and all, and that there were some improvements later on, but they never really completely escaped the overly fiddly where-the-heck-does-this-go transformations. I mean, every time I transform Grimlock I expect Pinhead to pop out of a wall or something.

 

And if you simplify the Alts, and remove the need for them to have super detailed model-car-like features like opening hoods and doors and steering mechanisms and whatnot you basically end up with the movie toys. And if we're lucky, we'll get two more movies worth of them.

 

Classics on the other hand, are a brilliant idea in that they combine the nostalgic character designs that collectors want, and fun, easy to transform robots with a variety of alt-modes. This means Hasbro can sell them to collectors who have wanted a decent Sideswipe ever since they opened their G1 version in 1985, and to the kids who have no idea who this "Sideswipe" guy is, but know that they like cool looking red cars that turn into robots. Whereas with Alts and Ti's they're basically just marketing to us collectors who make up a miniscule portion of their sales.

and to anyone that says that the alt/bt line had run its course. maybe, but the course was up hill, they were weighted down, and they were all in wheelchairs. not a far race to win.

 

I'm not sure if you know about the history of Alts. HasTak invested in alts far beyond what they initially intended. They initially intended to produce only 4 or 5 alts. It's actually quite amazing, and a testiment to Hastak's effort, to see over 20 alts. The return on investment just wasn't enough for them to continue on. Aside from Masterpieces, Alts are the most difficult transformers to develope and tool (even Hasbro said the reason for canceling alts was the cost of tooling). An alt, with it's complexity and licensing deal, costs alot more to develope and make than a voyager class transformers, yet both cost the same at the store.

I remember people talking like this about...um...classics. Yet they live to make internet know it alls scratch their collective heads. :) Oh and they're just a filler line.

 

I personally hope its more of a break than the end. I would sure love to get the Caddy Megs, maybe bring a few more trucks into the line. IMO I find it hard that they would kill the line with no Megatron...wait...damn...next years Botcon fig! Well that puts it out of my range.

I'm sad to hear that they are probably going to end the Alt line. However, I agree that we definitely got alot more than originally bargained for!

 

Unfortunately, I was only collecting Alts, so this brings into question Transformers collecting as a future hobby for me. Movie toys have not appealed to me (maybe they will once I have seen the movie though).

 

I expect that we will see some future repaints to reward us faithful fans, i.e Trailbreaker, Ironhide, Ratchet, Frenzy - amongst others. They cant let the Scion & Jaguar molds go having only been used once! Nor the Dodge Ram (on mass market).

 

Until then, bring on the GI Joe 25th Anniversary figs!

Hey, it's over. It's a shame, but it's over. Please don't petition online.

I happen to agree. I LOVED the Alternators line.

 

Large realistic cars (with chrome rims and rubber tires!) that complexly transform into highly posable robots?

 

We ALL love this line! To cancel it would be a terrible mistake...

 

But as long as Hasbro and Tomy produce "Voyager" sized figures like Movie Ironhide and Ratchet, I think that is the closest we (the fans) will ever get to more Alts. Those two really stand out in my eyes as well designed figures with perfect alt modes. Clear windsheilds. Detailed truck modes with headlamps and accessories.

 

I will miss the chrome and rubber tires, though...

 

 

So if anyone with any power can read this thread and the comments of the fans, PLEASE dont cancel this incredible line!

 

 

I remember visiting these boards and seeing proto pics of Smokescreen like it was only yesterday.... Sigh.... :tfsad

I remember people talking like this about...um...classics. Yet they live to make internet know it alls scratch their collective heads. :) Oh and they're just a filler line.

 

I personally hope its more of a break than the end. I would sure love to get the Caddy Megs, maybe bring a few more trucks into the line. IMO I find it hard that they would kill the line with no Megatron...wait...damn...next years Botcon fig! Well that puts it out of my range.

 

yea, i think that shocked just about everybody! i know it did me. i gotta say, i loved alternators, but theres just no way for hasbro to continue the line. alternators are far more advanced than a voyager sized toy at the same price, but i'm willing to bet they cost more to make. sure hasbro are dedicated to fans (classics proves this jmo), but they can only give so much. they are a business and do need to make money. honestly, i just wish it'd have gotten a much better send off than what we got (some of the worst distro in alt history).

When I first joined, all I talked about was Alt and BTs. I became the admin of GeeWun Redux. I can now sit here and type that I dont care any more if they're cancelled. Too much other stuff going on. I do want Alt Rodimus bad as S**T though. In the end, I've collected 20+big, cool ass figures that can be displayed forever.

I don't think it's fair to say that Hasbro expended zero effort to keep the line alive. The problem is that they didn't sell well enough to cover the costs. You can blame consumers, even blame the retail chains that carried them, but don't blame Hasbro. Alternators was their idea in the first place.