Hasbro: What's new in 2008?

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.

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- 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

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- 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

- 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

- 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

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- 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

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- 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

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