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09-25-2014, 01:59 PM | #11 |
I just want foam gliders.
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Tooele (two-willa), Utah
Posts: 18,727
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Terrible name.
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09-25-2014, 03:45 PM | #12 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Virginia
Posts: 2,382
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All that biz-dev speak is a turn-off. Sounds like it wasn't just some artists and designers breaking away from Hasbro -- there seem to be some stuffed shirts in this group as well.
I agree about the dubiousness of the "growing" collector market. And the name doesn't exactly roll of the tongue. Doesn't even make a decent acronym. |
09-28-2014, 06:22 PM | #13 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Michigan, USA
Posts: 125
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PWTT were at Retrocon 2014 and displayed a number of pieces of art.
Astroplast will indeed be colored like G1 Pretender Cloudburst. They have a villain figure called Desolator (Pretender Skullgrin), and well as a recolor of Astroblast called Deep Earth Explorer (Inhumanoids Liquidator). They also showed off a 3 pack of alternate heads. |
10-02-2014, 07:11 PM | #14 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Michigan, USA
Posts: 125
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The Pow Wow Show podcast interviewed Rik Alvarez about his work on Transformers and his upcoming Play With This Too project.
Quote:
Play With This Too, is a small company formed by individuals with multiple years experience in the toy industry.
Some things Rik talks about include how he started at and left Hasbro, how they used his collection for photographs, how he talked them into making the G2 FOC Combaticons and got one of the original box art artists to make up the box and color matched the toys to the G2 Combaticons he owned, his work at TFCC and his books. He talks about how he had come up with the idea to partner with a printing company like Shapeways before he left Hasbro. He talks about how Hasbro is reluctant to release female characters as TF toys because it's a boys line, how they limit the designers by part counts, paint applications and size. Why there are such differences between the show and toy appearances of a character. He also comments on how the TF line has become kiddified and has way too many non-transforming toys. Play With This Toos goals include to be a top designer, manufacturer and wholesale distributor of high-end collectible action figures and add-on accessory kits. The aim is to target the rapidly growing collector oriented toy market and produce products for both wholesale distribution and exclusives for conventions, retailers and websites. The Pow Wow Show ยป Rik Alvarez- Play With This Too http://www.thepowwowshow.net/audio/powwow353.mp3 Some things Rik talks about include how he started at and left Hasbro, how they used his collection for photographs, how he talked them into making the G2 FOC Combaticons and got one of the original box art artists to make up the box and color matched the toys to the G2 Combaticons he owned, his work at TFCC and his books. He talks about how Hasbro is reluctant to release female characters as TF toys because it's a boys line, how they limit the designers by part counts, paint applications and size. Why there are such differences between the show and toy appearances of a character. He also comments on how the TF line has become kiddified and has way too many non-transforming toys. For Play With This Too, he tells how it's named after a comic book store, it's been around for about a year, but only announced last week. There are more designers and writers working for him that are to be announced, how there will be major announcements at TFcon Chicago. |
10-03-2014, 07:39 AM | #15 |
Crimson Nerd
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Virginia
Posts: 12,573
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So...from all I'm seeing...they're basically trying to make an American third-party Transformers company?
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10-03-2014, 09:25 AM | #16 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Michigan, USA
Posts: 125
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Quote:
I have seen 7 characters from them. 3 are Transformers homages, 1 from Inhumanoids, 1 from the Diablo 3 video game and 2 are either original, or at least so obscure of homages I do not know what they are. Last edited by Scaleface; 10-03-2014 at 09:29 AM.. |
10-10-2014, 10:41 AM | #17 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Michigan, USA
Posts: 125
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Shattered Cast Uncut interviewed Rik Alvarez about Play With This Too.
Some adult content in the rest of the show. Interview starts at about 18 minutes in. Rik talks about his hire and leaving of Hasbro, mentioning the events of the Hub channel and the Battleship movie, how his whole Haslab department was let go after Botcon 2012. They were responsible for making story bibles, art work and pitches for things like the Fall of Cybertron game, Dark of the Moon, Age of Extinction and TFPrime. He then talks about how the retail stores are pushing the toy companies to make very cheap, simple, kid friendly toys, which is nice for kids, but then teen and adult collectors are left with no one developing for them... which is where small independent companies can fill the void. Rik briefly talks about IP. He mentions that Hasbro isn't giving him any special scrutiny. While his companies designs are original, that there are no 100% original ideas, everything is somewhat derivative. He says since his people worked at Hasbro, they know just where IP lines need to be drawn and not crossed with their own designs. He talks briefly about the Head Shots. He says he named Vol 1. Mad Wing is named after Rik's daughter. There will be fiction for this series, and they will announce who is writing it at TFcon. There will be bio cards, and possibly more fiction depending on what they can afford. The Kickstarter will be making two initial figures, and those figures will be in Kickstarter exclusive colors. You can probably get the same figures later in retail in different colors, but if you want the exclusives, contribute to the Kickstarter. When the Kickstarter launches they will have about 10 characters designed, plus repaints and Head Shots. Some talk about why GI Joe has nearly disappeared (blame it on Halo and Call of Duty being more realistic, and Hasbro not willing to go there with GI Joe). PWTT has hired one fan artist, will be announced later. Last edited by Scaleface; 10-10-2014 at 12:24 PM.. |
10-12-2014, 10:29 AM | #18 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Michigan, USA
Posts: 125
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Rik Alvarez was interviewed in episode 125 of TFYLP.
Sadly the audio is VERY choppy. Sometimes it was hard to follow as there are words missing from the audio, and sections went quiet, but I did my best to follow it. Starts with Rik introducing himself. They talk about design constraints working for big companies. What we are seeing from PWTT was designed a long while ago, leading up to the Kickstarter. One host wanted to see spring loaded gimmicks. Rik says they won't have giant gimmick weapons, which are for kids, like Mech Tek. They will have detail and 5mm ports which are worked into the design, not obvious eyesores like Armada. The tech drone on Astroblast is made up of a shield, rifle and backpack for the big robot. They become a jet or a robot, and are assembled like a BMOG. The hosts couldn't seem to get that Rik can't call them homages to TF characters, calling it a Pretenders line and asking for a Metalhawk. Rik says he doesn't know who that is... but did say he has a cool jet character coming. In fiction the tech drones are robot companions. There is a big writer coming that will make people take this company seriously. The tech drone can swap parts? There might be something like build-a-figure coming. 10 characters are coming. There will be additional repaints and Kickstarter exclusives. (example: Astroblast in green and orange). There may be licensed toys in 2016, but right now no plans for a vehicle or play set. Talk about them announcing Ken Christiansen. They go over his experience. Mark Wong, who did Minimates and Thundercats. Big TF fan. Steve Redinger, who gets work done fast. Was at Hasbro for 28 years. There was talk about how Hasbro let people go with no reason or warning who loved the company and it's lines. Rik says they want to keep the price of the figures as affordable as possible. (Audio then cuts out completely for a bit.) They ask about Rik's best memories at Hasbro. Rik talks about his work on an MMOG from China. He made a bible for it. (more technical difficulties) Rik talks about a meeting that went very late in China. Rik is a huge Beast Wars fan, but his favorite character is Optimus. Asked truck or monkey? Truck, but Rik credits Beast Wars with keeping Transformers alive. Rik says he liked the Vehicons in Beast Machines, and that's why he got them into TFPrime, because he wanted Decepticon army builders. Play With This Too will offer art to the fandom. They asked for fan artists to email them. They want to reach out to the fans. They are thinking of having fans design head shots. TFYLP asks how they plan to distribute. After the Kickstarter they plan to sell through the usual online retailers, who have already reached out to them. TFYLP asks if they will do a Matty Collector subscription service, and Rik says it would be a logistical nightmare, so no. Asked if they will do convention/store exclusives... they have already been approached asking for those. They just need to get through the Kickstarter first. Every major character will come with a tech drone, except maybe some troop builders. TFYLP asks how the tech drones change. Whip has 5mm ports. Rifle becomes nose piece of jet. Shield makes the wings and chest. TFYLP wants to know if the tech drone "parts forms"... Rik wants toys that look cool posing, parts forming doesn't bother him if done correctly. Looking at Desolataur, it will have ball joints and hinges. It will be 6 inches tall. The heads pop off, and you can swap them with a He-Man or (word missing) character heads. TFYPL asks about the name Skull-FCKR. They think it looks like Predator or Diablo. Rik made the name. Madwing is a pilot named after his daughter. Head Shots Vol 2, TFYLP says Xando looks like a hammerhead shark alien. Rik wants to have head packs, like some companies make weapon packs. The hands on his figures will be interchangeable, and there will be a 5mm port hand (I asked for that!) They ask Rik what he thinks of other companies. He has a lot of "indy toys", he mentions Scoria, Quakewave and KFC tapes. TFYLP asks Rik about preventing defects at Hasbro. Rik didn't do that at Hasbro. When PWTT has a defective part (which can happen to anyone) how will they address it? They will do the best they can to make it right. Check out PWTT's social media pages, and they will be at TFcon Chicago with reveals. MY PERSONAL THOUGHTS: I'd love "troop builders" to be tech drones, not 6 inch figures, as I want lots of those guys. Give me a 4 pack of tech drones that can be assembled into limb extensions that boost 6 inch figures into a super-mode. I'd also love to see some BMOG designs just fall into the PWTT fiction, because the BMOG are supposed to be spread out into different dimensions, so they should be in the PWTT universe too. I don't mind parts forming, as long as all the parts have a place in every mode. I think of it as "combining" the backpack, gun and shield combine into a robot, what's wrong with that? I do hope we see some non-humanoid designs (big figures or drones). 5mm hand ports could lead to Trap-jaw/B.A.T. style weapon hands. I also wouldn't mind seeing homages created by parts swapping by the fans. For instance if someone put together an orange and green 6 inch body, you could swap on the head from a MOTU Man-At-Arms. Seems like with enough swappable parts and recolors, fans could make their own homages of anyone... I'd love to make guys who looked like Earth Corps, Man-Tech, Centurions, Pretenders, Spaceknights of Galador, etc., by mixing and matching parts rather than having each figure be a specific homage to them. Last edited by Scaleface; 10-12-2014 at 02:11 PM.. |
10-12-2014, 03:23 PM | #19 |
Cobra Lab Rat
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: California
Posts: 3,011
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Quote:
He talks about how Hasbro is reluctant to release female characters as TF toys because it's a boys line, how they limit the designers by part counts, paint applications and size. Why there are such differences between the show and toy appearances of a character. He also comments on how the TF line has become kiddified and has way too many non-transforming toys. Those things have dreadfully long days sales outstandings aka they take forever to sell, but are EXTREMELY PROFITABLE (one sold shampoo bottle figure likely has to pay for 10 profit wise, etc.) Only a big box retailer with huge waves of customers would consider something so dreadful. A small toy company would go bankrupt before they saw that money return, a big box retailer can be patient and rake in profits. |
10-12-2014, 06:25 PM | #20 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Michigan, USA
Posts: 125
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Quote:
Well this explains those large 12" shampoo bottle statues they keep selling everywhere.
Those things have dreadfully long days sales outstandings aka they take forever to sell, but are EXTREMELY PROFITABLE (one sold shampoo bottle figure likely has to pay for 10 profit wise, etc.) Only a big box retailer with huge waves of customers would consider something so dreadful. A small toy company would go bankrupt before they saw that money return, a big box retailer can be patient and rake in profits. |
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