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Voice actor Mitsuaki Madono revealed on Twitteron Monday that voice actor Kiyoyuki Yanada has passed away. He was 57. He was a well known voice actor in Japan, lending his voice to characters in Detective Conan, Digimon Adventures, Death Note, Mobile Suit Gundam F91 and Bleach, just to name a few.
For us Transformers fans, he was Megatron in Chō Robot Seimeitai Transformers Micron Densetsu, the show that we called Transformers Armada in the west. And before that he had played Deptcharge.
We regret to inform you all that Jason David Frank has passed away at the age of 49, due to suicide. While he is most prominent for his role in the Power Rangers franchise, he was very active amongst his fanbase and all fans, and crossed paths with many of us Transformers fans attending the same conventions. We even have this nice image below of our own Seibertronian Cyber Bishop giving him a punch as a Storm Trooper, a pic Jason wanted because he said troopers always get the bad wrap for not being able to hit anything.
It's just a small story illustrating how involved he was with fans from any pop culture fandom. And he did brush with the Transformers fandom as well since he was the voice Emissary in Transformers Titans Returns. This is a sad day for many many fans and we wish his family our our sincere condolences.
While Hasbro releases cartoon toy lines in many waves to help store shelves stay stocked, like in the first three years of the Cyberverse show/line or the Robots in Disguise show/line, they have front loaded movie lines in the past, both in terms of the amount of product in the first wave and the amount of different toys in the first wave. You can see an example of this below for the Age of Extinction movie line. The pandemic has definitely changed things with disrupting distribution of both movies and their toylines. Hasbro has been burnt in the past with Snake Eyes and it seems the disruption for the Rise of the Beasts Transformers movie has left a real bad taste in their mouth since they had to re-align their distribution approach and keep many toys stored in warehouses.
So, according to an interview with Hasbro’s VP of EMEA and Asia, Marianne James, those big movie lines or big marketing pushes will be distributed in multiple waves instead of a big push to have all classes and many toys available all at once. That will be easier to manage for them. Of course, we are just talking of big movie lines and big marketing pushes for kid targeted toys. This is unrelated to Legacy/Studio Series lines which already adhere to the slow trickle wave model.
Tried and tested models still have their place, especially when you’ve got a Consumer Products program that leans on core pillars like toys and games. What is interesting now is that we can test and learn. Instead of dropping products based on seasons, we’re now looking to where a rollout could be more relevant to a culture in one of our specific markets.
If the content is pushed back and we experience a delay at retail, or there are problems getting product on the water, it’s better to be flexible and have a softer, more phased-out launch instead of using a big, all-encompassing 360 strategy.
This is especially important for Hasbro’s “vault” brands such as Transformers, Peppa Pig, and My Little Pony, which exists in highly competitive toy categories, most notably preschool. To have a major rollout fall flat due to timing problems is not an option, so the company is expanding its arsenal of marketing and engagement tools.
It is with a heavy heart that we report on the passing of composer Michiaki Watanabe (known professionally as Chūmei Watanabe) at the age of 96 due to heart failure at a Tokyo hospital on June 23. Having been trained in jazz composition his music often combined brass instruments with synthesizers to make his signature sound. Among Transformers fans he'd be best known for composing the score to both the Transformers Victory and Zone animated series. However, among fans of Japanese giant robots and superheroes in general he's considered the father of their respective soundtracks. To his anime credit are Getter Robo Go, Mazinger Z, Great Mazinger, Kōsoku Denjin Albegas, and Kotetsu Zieg. On the live action side he composed for Jinzo Ningen Kikaida, Mechanical Violator Hakaider, Toei's Spider-man, and perhaps most importantly the first six Super Sentai series. As a man that never formally retired he was still working in his advanced years including 2021's Muteking anime series and Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger.
Michael Bay is currently in the limelight again and on a media tour, promoting his new movie Ambulance. The publication Unliad had an interview with him where they asked about his past with the Transformers franchise. Here is what he says, regarding how monumental the first one was for special effects along with the advice Spielberg gave him, which he did not take.
Looking back, he said: "The first one was scary. It was technology we didn’t know would work, and then it became very successful. It was the first time digital effects were that highly reflective, so it broke a lot of new ground."
"It was a fun experience. It made more than [$709 million], that’s a lot of movie tickets and a lot of people that have seen it."
"I made too many of them. Steven Spielberg said, ‘Just stop at three’. And I said I’d stop. The studio begged me to do a fourth, and then that made a billion too. And then I said I’m gonna stop here. And they begged me again. I should have stopped. They were fun to do."
That's not to say Bay didn't give each sequel his all. "I’m passionate about any movie I do, from Pain & Gain to 13 Hours. I like going from big to small, you want to move off the same thing," he said.
This week has been full of random news, like our first look at a toy for the Rise of the Beasts film released in the Cyberverse line when that cartoon is being replaced by a new one. Well, this one might take the cake for randomness. An Australian phone ap for betting called TAB touch has released an ad where they have Gene Simmons in his full Demon garb singing Stan Bush's The Touch but with modified lyrics about betting on horses. If you are wondering how this would be related to Transformers, well, we have that iconic clip below for you as well.
2021 was a big year for Hasbro's mecha toylines. The ever growing Transformers toylines gave us a lot of product (Kingdom, Studio Series, Cyberverse, MP, MPM, Shaterred Glass, Netflix, Buzzworthy Bumblebee, Rescue Bots, Generations Selects, Crossover) and Hasbro finally released the first Power Rangers zords developed under John Warden, the man who got the Transformers brand where it is now. For those curious as to how Hasbro's other transforming/combining robot themed toyline went, we have an update.
For a quick recap of the Power Ranges toyline, when it first got to North American shores, the toys were based on the same toys previously sold in Japan and as time went on, there were more and more differences between the Japanese version of toys (done by Bandai) and the American version (done by Bandai of America). It wasn't like with Transformers where the Takara version would have a slightly different deco, it was far more extensive. For the past 10 years at least, the toys in Japan for the same mecha were bigger and had electronics. To sell at a lower price point, Bandai of America would literally make a new mold, usually smaller and with less parts. There was even one time in Power Rangers Samurai, where the Japanese version of the 5 animal combiner had 3 modes (limb mode, animal mode, and geometric shape mode) and the American version scrapped the shape mode for 4/5 animals, which made it look ridiculous (Japanese on the left, American on the right).
Now when Hasbro bought the brand, they would do the same, remake new molds for their Power Ranger toyline and hired John Warden as the head of the design team to make these new molds. The first toyline fully developed under John Warden was Dino Fury and fans finally got to experience the zords in the later half of 2021.
And it turns out that for the first time in the history of the brand, the American versions are on par with the Japanese version, or even preferred by fans. While still a toyline for kids, Hasbro went for a more collector oriented mindset in what they favoured. It did not have electronics, and the zords are slightly smaller, but they have more articulation than their Japanese counterparts and the main zord has better proportions, a more detailed sculpt and greater show accuracy. Yes, the American version of the toy is more show accurate. It is also more dynamic and works well as a mecha action figure rather than being a brick (which all Power Ranger/Super Sentai mecha were in the past). So congrats to John Warden and his team on that, it is no small feat (Hasbro on the left, Bandai on the right).
Of course, it does help that Hasbro's mecha came out well after the original series aired in Japan, so they could replicate any show detail the original Japanese toys didn't have. Also, Hasbro's combining system for the zords is not as kid friendly as the Japanese version since it requires more force to connect and disconnect. The original Japanese toys had ports similar to lego bricks with similar ease of building but that also means connections on the Hasbro versions are tighter and less likely to undo while posing the figure (something the Japanese toys never had to worry about). So far, 5 zords have been released with more on the way in 2022, and all can combine together in various ways. Below is an example of combining 4 of them together along with using an extra head that comes with the villain action figure.
What does have to do with both is Hasbro upcoming collector oriented Megazord line. This is the stuff of dreams. It's basically Hasbro creating a Masterpiece Megazord line (something similar to Soul of Chogokin) in the west. The price is along those MP level prices of course, being $165 USD for the original Dino Megazord.
This has a lot of fans excited, not just for this release but for what they will do next. Although the fan enthusiasm for the black repaint was not great, since that purchase was behind an NFT wall.
It is with a very heavy heart that we share you the news that Derrick J. Wyatt passed away earlier this month. While he has a mountain of accomplishments in the world of children's Television, we know him best as the art director and character designer for Transformers Animated. While the designs were very bold, they made for a memorable era in Transformers history, and were at the center of an excellent show and toyline, which fans still rave about to this day. Beyond his contributions to Transformers history, he was also very close to the community, appearing at Transformers events. Many among us have stories to share about meeting him and I hope you share them again now as we remember him. He was 49, and we learnt of his passing from Josh Perez who was contacted by Derrick's family.
We thank fellow Seibertronian Sabrblade for letting us know if all the Christmas wished being shared to the Transformers community. We have some from David Kaye (who had an incredible year, MCU baby!), Garry Chalk, and half the beast wars cast.
And all the staff here at Seibertron wish you a very merry Christmas as well.
We have a bit of sad news to bring you, regarding some of the origins of our favorite transforming toys. Henry Orenstein passed away on Tuesday. While not a household name amongst Transformers fans, he is responsible for bringing the Diaclone and Microman toylines from Takara to Hasbro's attention. .
Henryk Orenstein was born on October 13, 1923 to Jewish parents in Hrubieszów, Poland. During World War II he and his family hid from Nazis until the threat of starvation forced them out of hiding and into concentration camps. While he and three of his brothers survived by passing themselves off as scientists, his parents and other siblings died in the Holocaust.
After the war, he emigrated to America and became an entrepreneur, though his main focus was toys. In 1983, he convinced Takara that they could rebrand their toys and sell them in the USA. Following this, he sold the then CEO of Hasbro on his idea, and the following year, Transformers was born! Already an inventor and toymaker for decades previous, his involvement with Transformers would end only a year later with the introduction of the original rubsign, which he shared a patent for. After his involvement with the toy industry ended, he made another name for himself in the world of poker, inventing a camera that would show viewers at home what hand a player had, which made televised poker very popular. He was even inducted into the Poker Hall of Fame later in life. A noted philanthropist, particularly to Holocaust survivors, Mr. Orenstein's cause of death hasn't been given. He was 98 years old, and is survived by his wife, Susie.
Rest in Peace.
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