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Allspark Answered by Hasbro!

News Article by StuntPrime35-

Allspark has also received their December answers from Hasbro!
1) Animated is a very character driven show with a strong core cast. As such, can we expect all of the main core characters to be getting upgrades and redesigns (ie new molds) on a fairly regular basis, as we saw with the Transmetal and Transmetal 2 figures in Beast Wars?

- Primarily you will see the same characters with iconic accessory upgrades. The show/toyline is designed with familiarity as a primary focus and audience recognition is very important.

2) What can you tell us about future plans for TFU character choices? There is a huge amount of interest in getting the rest of the early G1 characters (Wheeljack, Jazz), more Gobot homages, more Micromaster characters, more combiner leaders or actual combiner teams, and more representatives from other TF eras (Energon, Beast Machines, RiD, etc.).

- First off, we are incredibly happy with the warm reception that our Universe line has received. It has been a pleasure working on the 25th Anniversary as we got to celebrate our vast and rich history of the brand. With that said, the bulk of our focus for 2009 will be on the upcoming movie. However, as we look to the future, the natural tendency would be to continue to celebrate more of our heritage characters from all the ages.

3) In the previous Q&A Hasbro said they might consider releasing the remaining original "Seeker" characters Thrust and Dirge. Now that Takara has molded these toys with new wings, will Hasbro release the remolded toys so fans can complete their Seeker collection Stateside?

- In short, we could release versions similar to TakaraTomy's (TT) versions. In fact, we worked with TT to ensure that their versions were different enough from the BotCon versions to ensure their exclusivity. But we recognize that there have been some fan favorites that are hard to find since they have only appeared in BotCon sets so far. We work closely with FP to ensure they get good exclusivity but we also don't want to miss good opportunities nationally. So there may be a chance that Hasbro releases different versions of those characters (including Thundercracker as well), but it won't be in 2009.

4) Can you discuss mold availability? Specifically, are the following molds available/likely for future use: off-screen movie characters (Stockade, Incinerator, etc), Marvel Crossovers, and molds from previous TF lines that haven't been used much (Energon, RiD, European G1/G2).

- While nothing is ever concrete as to what molds we will and will not reuse, hopefully we can give you some insight into our selection process. As I am sure that you have seen, our design team has focused on bringing our characters to life in modern alt. modes. So as we look at reusing previous molds we make sure that the alternative mode could exist within today's world.
As for Marvel Crossovers, these items were designed specifically for the Marvel line, so these molds will never be used within a Transformers line.

5) With the revelation of the upcoming Cybertron Leobreaker retool Leo Prime, will we be seeing a trend of relatively dormant molds being remolded, or was Leo Prime an isolated instance?

- Leo Prime was mostly an isolated instance.

Once again, I will shorten this out for you:
- More possible comebacks from other eras in Animated
- 2009 focused on Revenge of The Fallen but possibility of Universe line continuing in 2010
- Possibility of a Universe Classics (mass release) Dirge, Thrust and Thundercracker in 2010
- Mold Availability depends
- Leo Prime was an isolated figure
Source-Allspark