We reported live from BotCon what Hasbro has in-store for the future of Transformers in 2008.
Greg Lombard begins the panel by informing the crowd no pictures will be allowed.
On panel are: Aaron Archer, Eric SebenHauer, and Payla....
- What's down in the Hasbro booth shows everything to finish out 2008.
- New Movie Toys (Allspark Power)
- The Allspark has the power to create Transformers and give them more power.
- There will be redecos and new molds
- Incinerator & Airspray shown on Hasbro Tour
- Landmine is a G.I. Joe-looking jeep for Sector 7 (Dune Buggy)
- Helicopter is a Voyager class and the others are deluxe.
- Desert Attack Brawl is a repaint
- Nightwatch Optimus Prime is a blue and grey repaint
- Robot Heroes continue with G1 an Beast Wars in 2008
- Prime is a Leader repaint
- Retailers like Robot Heroes
- 10-12 new movie toys by next spring
- Sneak Peek at Transformers Animated program
- Partnership between Hasbro and Cartoon Network
- Energon and Cybetron where on too early and didn't get new viewers. This is something they are looking to offer at a new approach to get them back into a good time slot for kids to see the show.
- Hasbro is working on major goals after CN, Eric Sebnehaluer is leading the TA staff.
- Agenda: What the new cartoon is about; Style; Tone of story; toys
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What is the new cartoon about for 2008:
- 3 part mini movie coning in January
- Production done in the United States
- New style and tone for animated series
- Reliable stories and characters
- New possibilities for toys
- Won't lose tradition but also stay current with the times
- Take new perspective to make simpler story
- Quote from press release "Set for Earth"
- Hasbro is not dumbing down the Transformers line but are focused more on humor and characters
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Tone of Story
- This series will be less robots in disguise with a story of them being more in the city setting.
- Episodic storys, but stays in overall season arc.
- Smaller cast on both sides with more character development
- Action driven with doses of humor
- Major focus on personalitiy and abilities
- Familiar and new characters
- Human super-villians and Decepticon villians
- The Transformers are more like superheroes with special powers
- Decepticons will be in the show
- Will be more of a threat and scary because they hide more
- Producer of CN said in the past the same guys always fight and they get nowhere, So Decepticons will be very tough and they will make a real impact
- Stories will be very plot driven
-
Artistic style
- Highly styled and fluid animation
- More energetic and expressive
- Major focus on personality...animation is very smooth and will "blow your mind" - Eric Sebenhauer
- The transforming sequences will be different all the time. No "tazmainian devil."
- Autobots
- Optimus Prime has a helmet and visor that comes down
- There will be two different toys, one with the visor and helmet up and one down
- Earth mode Prime, he looks like classics prime. Will have a trailer this time. Goes away like in G1.
- Bumblebee is the younges and most energetic
- Bulkhead is the big green guy. He's strong - said to be like the Thing from Fantastic Four
- Prowl will be a kung-fu type character
- Ratchet - he's the medic - he is the most experienced vetran
- There are connections to the film... they want them to look like the movie for kids, but not exact
- Grimlock will be a T-Rex - Looks like classic character
- There will be two other Dinobots. "3 crazy dudes" - Eric
- Decepticons....
- Cybertronian Megatron looks dark and that he will change his form in the series
- Starscream looks like an X-Wing jet...swept forward wings...voice by Tom Kinney (Sponge Bob) and has 3 split personalities
- Lugnut is a new character which is sorta like the Incredible Hulk
- Very loyal to Megatron, has missles for hands. He's a jet in alternate mode
- Blackarachnia - looks like beast machines version.
- Has a diferent origin story... she starts as one character in the begin and then changes..."A villan you can car foe...."
- Human Characters...
- Cept Fanzone is a scientice type guy.
- Sari and Father Issice Sundac
- Sari has a new kind of interaction with Autobots.
- No annoying human side-kick telling TFs what to do
- Autobots are new to earth and they find her to help learn about the earth.
- Human Villians...
- There is a guys name The Archer... looks like robinhood.
- 2nd guy looks big like a gorilla. Some guys has wheels on feet. One looks like a "PinP"
- Spaceships
- Ark spaceship...
- Looks like G1 version...sort of
- Nemesis ship is back too
- Dark purple with some kind of pointy things sticking out
- Its like 100x bigger than the ark
- Show setting
- The show is set in Detriot
- In the future
- They dont make cars anymore - now they make robots
- Sumdac tower - looks like upside down spark-plug
- The Toys...
- Animation style allow us to show more personality with each chracter
- Takara and Hasbro designed toys at the same time...they are going very fast on toys designs.
- 90% animation toys accuracy
- New Sculpting style
- No more gimmicks
- Transformation is the gimmick
- Signature weapons and poses
- Attitude and stance...
- Range of motion is great
- Showing the toys now...Prime looks a lot like toon
- He has an axe weapon
- Bumblebee looks like a mini-cooper
- Prowl is a motorcycle, gold and black
- Ratchet is a van
- Grimlock is a Voyager Class and looks less like the classic one
- Megatron looks like a vertical-takeoff space fighter with huge gun arm
- Blackarachnia looks very sexy and is very postable
- The Future...
- Working on season 2 of the animated series already
- Will be more familiar with new characters by season 2
- Possibility of a season 3 and 4
- Desire to create brand new characters. with cameos from G1 favorites
- Toys will have a mat/flat paint like Batman toys
- Cartoon now being previewed
- Very Teen Titans-type feel
- Take place in futue in 22nd century
- Autobots crash in Detroit and stumble on Allspark and are trying to protect it
- Toon produced in-house at CN
- They fight on Eath and Outer Space
- Megatron is evil looking
- Other Toys...
- Classics are back with Classics 2.0
- Sunstreaker and Sideswipe which look very slick but not as G1-ish
- "Continue realistic styling..."
- They are calling it part of Universe so they can do lots of stuff.
- Both look like Lamborginis
- Each figure has different modes
- Octane
- Triple Changer that turns into Jet and Large army Transport jey
- All are deluxe scale figures
- They are looking to so an Ultra scale toys too
- there will be 2 segments for fall 08
- First toon then Universe line (was classics)
- They want to have TFs for everybody
- Looking in to do licensing program for Universe. Add more real cars and stuff
- Q&A starts
- Universe has plans for Combiners
- They didnt do toon of movie becuase the animated series was being devloped before Movie
- Grimclok will be a voyager
- DVDs for Transformers Animated will be done at some time
- Toon toys will start in March - deluxe, voyager and movie pack
- Universie line does not have firm plans for mini-cons but maybe happen later
- They are wainting to see what Robot Heroes will do before deciding on making large scale toys....
- They want to use Beast Wars characters but nothing planned yet
- A new Ultra Magnus is coming that is NOT a repaint of Prime
- Alternators and Titanim lines will not continue due to time and expense of parts for them and not selling like they wanted
- We will likely get a jazz in Universe/Arcee is a good possibilty to
- Trailers for Prime are too expensive to make. The Animated Voyager Prime will have a tailer that becomes his giant axe weapon.
- If characters are in Toon they will not be used in Classics/Universe line
- There will be a combiner in Classics/Universe
- The proto Titaniums shown on tour will not be made becuase no molds have been made.
- Not plans for seekers in Toon, but its being talked about
- Prowl is being considered for Classics along with Ironhide, Silverstreak and Smokescreen
- Prowl will be in both the Animated line and Classics
- David Kaye is doing Optimus Primes voice
- Susan Blu (voice of Arcee) is producing the voice part of the show. This marks her return to the Transformers series since her voice production role in the Beast Wars/Beast Machines era.
- Weird Al Yankovic is doing a voice
- No plans to do BOCTON EXCLUSIVE FIGS IN CLASSICS.
- No Thundercraker
- One reason they can't do all the seekers is becuase they have to offer a variety of toys and they don't usually have enough toy space to offer them all
- They spend a lot of time on naming characters. Its difficult with trademarks and such. They try to reuse ones they already own
- The molds for the G1 Dinobots are lost so they prob won't reissue them at this time
- Classics Sunstreak and Sideswipe will have different heads
- May see some common vehicles like steam rollers, garbage trucks, etc. in the Animated Series
- There may be some Marvel/Transformers crossovers. They are working on them at a corporate level right now.
- Hasbro is very happy people are not so upset about the movie toys
- Toon Grimlock will have familiar kind of voice
- They want to expand Classics to do more than just G1 and G2 figures
- There are plans in the next year or so to do a combo of playsets and bases
- Brawl in the movie was named Devastaor by mistake. "due to a continuity issues...."
- The Animated Series will have a character named Lockdown who is alot like Boba Fett from Star Wars
- They are looking to do a Classic Galvatron That is not a redco of Megatron
- Possible Ultra Scale Classics
- Panel ends
Link to TFormers.com
