Go-Bots 3-Pack Officially Revealed!

[Dvandom]

Smallfoot is good, Treds is kinda a nonentity, and that is in no way shape or form Pathfinder. Even if done in the right colors it's still not even a little close for either mode. T30 Cosmos would have at least been in the ballpark as molds go.

---Dave, whose first Gobot was Pathfinder....

 

[GodSentinelOmega]

Now this is a three pack I will hunt down with speed. Glad its happening, because now Bug Bite will have a few more Go-Bots to pal around with.

Ah. Now I’ve got to hunt down Bug Bite Dangit!

 

[Haywire]

Smallfoot is good, Treds is kinda a nonentity, and that is in no way shape or form Pathfinder. Even if done in the right colors it's still not even a little close for either mode. T30 Cosmos would have at least been in the ballpark as molds go.

---Dave, whose first Gobot was Pathfinder....

I would love an update for the original Pathfinder design, too (she's a badass combat saucer!), but these being based on the old eHobby minibot set kinda meant Pathfinder from Cosmos was a foregone conclusion. I do like that they got the Guardian emblem on the flag!

Kinda wondering if we'll get Bad Boy from a Powerglide update sometime to finish the set?

Also, while we're throwing out pipe dreams, I would really like to see a Zod figure, retooled from Commander Sky Lynx, the (seeming canceled) DotM Hatchet, or an RiD15 Underbite update.

 

[Dake]

We know the basic idea has always been:

Hasbro owns the GoBots Names and Fiction. Bandai owns the original looks and toy designs. (And WB through Hanna Barbera probably has some cartoon-specific rights)

That all makes logical sense.

What doesn't is the IDW GoBots comic series licensed by Hasbro a few years back now. I remember it throwing everyone for a loop when it used all the original character looks and designs that we thought Hasbro had no rights to and their Legal Dept. would never let them use for anything for fear of Bandai lawsuits (and ironically used none of the original story/backstory that we know they do own).

That series should never have been able to happen in the format it did given what everyone has thought we knew about the rights. And maybe I missed it but I've never seen an explanation for how it happened.


-ZacWilliam, I'm not saying it changes anything with the prevailing 'we'll never get "on original model" Gobots from Hasbro' wisdom but it does seem to suggest things aren't as set in stone as you'd expect.

I would assume there's a difference between printed media and physical toys. As you say, Hasbro owned the names and fiction, so it makes sense they could authorize someone to make a comic (fiction) using that. That's entirely different from making new toys based specifically on Bandai designs.

 

[Donocropolis]

I would love an update for the original Pathfinder design, too (she's a badass combat saucer!), but these being based on the old eHobby minibot set kinda meant Pathfinder from Cosmos was a foregone conclusion. I do like that they got the Guardian emblem on the flag!

Kinda wondering if we'll get Bad Boy from a Powerglide update sometime to finish the set?

Also, while we're throwing out pipe dreams, I would really like to see a Zod figure, retooled from Commander Sky Lynx, the (seeming canceled) DotM Hatchet, or an RiD15 Underbite update.

I never did buy Bugbite, because I was disappointed that he wasn't a beetle. I'm hoping for a two-pack of SS84 Bumblebee and some theoretical Powerglide update at some point in the future.

And, call me crazy, but I'd actually love to see Zod's colors on Leader Grimlock. I think it could work.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

I would assume there's a difference between printed media and physical toys. As you say, Hasbro owned the names and fiction, so it makes sense they could authorize someone to make a comic (fiction) using that. That's entirely different from making new toys based specifically on Bandai designs.

Yeah, I'm guessing Hasbro could probably make a new Go-bots TV show if they wanted and not have to worry about a lawsuit, but there's not much of a reason to without at toyline to go with it.

Unless IDW did a deal with Bandai that we don't know about. I'll check the copyright info in that trade when I get home.

 

[Sabrblade]

And, call me crazy, but I'd actually love to see Zod's colors on Leader Grimlock. I think it could work.

We know it could work. Hasbro showed us what that looks like way back in 1993.

Spoiler: Kneel before Zod!

 

[Donocropolis]

That doesn't count AND YOU KNOW IT!

 

[Sabrblade]

That doesn't count AND YOU KNOW IT!

Fine, then.

Spoiler: Here you go

 

[tec]

*Knock knock* "Konnichiwa. I am a representative of Bandai. I would like to interest you in this little cease and desist I have for you..."

I welcome that knock on the door cos I have a few words for Bandai myself

 

[Donocropolis]

Fine, then.

Spoiler: Here you go

 

[Andrusi]

I knew not getting Warpath or Gears would pay off. Easy buy.

(I don't have Cosmos either, but that wasn't a deliberate decision.)

 

[Haywire]

Just noticed that BBTS shows the packaging for the 3-pack, and it has the classic Gobots logo on it (as well as the Transformers Legacy one)! Pretty cool that they did that!

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

We know the basic idea has always been:

Hasbro owns the GoBots Names and Fiction. Bandai owns the original looks and toy designs. (And WB through Hanna Barbera probably has some cartoon-specific rights)

That all makes logical sense.

What doesn't is the IDW GoBots comic series licensed by Hasbro a few years back now. I remember it throwing everyone for a loop when it used all the original character looks and designs that we thought Hasbro had no rights to and their Legal Dept. would never let them use for anything for fear of Bandai lawsuits (and ironically used none of the original story/backstory that we know they do own).

That series should never have been able to happen in the format it did given what everyone has thought we knew about the rights. And maybe I missed it but I've never seen an explanation for how it happened.


-ZacWilliam, I'm not saying it changes anything with the prevailing 'we'll never get "on original model" Gobots from Hasbro' wisdom but it does seem to suggest things aren't as set in stone as you'd expect.

There's an old Earth saying that comes to mind...

It's like how, for years, fans thought they knew how Smash Bros. character inclusion worked, all the rules about who could and could not be put into the games.

And in the end, they didn't know jack.

 

[CrockAlley]

My husband grew up with Go-Bots instead of Transformers. I was excited about the e-Hobby toys and the FunPub stories, but my husband didn't really care. Can you imagine the reverse? Bandai owns Transformers and releases a new Bumblebee toy, but he's white and his face is a windshield? I like these new toys because I read the FunPub stories, but aside from that, there really isn't much of a connection to the original Go-Bots toys. I prefer the newest Crasher, who actually looks like Crasher. What's Hasbro gonna do after they finish off the original six e-Hobby minibots?

 

[Haywire]

What's Hasbro gonna do after they finish off the original six e-Hobby minibots?

I think there were a couple more minibot-Gobots based on unused decos: Buggyman from Beachcomber and Man-O-War from Seaspray. Beyond that, if Hasbro wanted to dive deeper into the Gobot waters, Leader-1 and CyKill seem like there are decent options for remolding out there, and Turbo, Scooter and Coptur would round out the primary cast from the cartoon.

My not-gonna-happen wishlist includes Guardians Flip-Top, Baron VonJoy and Royal-T, and Renegades Stinger, Twin Spin, and Tux. Not that there aren't possible remold options out there, but they're mostly all fairly obscure Gobots (Tux might be a good Flatline remold, and is probably the most well-known of the bunch?)

 

[DefaultOption]

When they originally came out I posited that if the Giant Planet Mini-Con team were to get redecoed they could have gone with Dive-Dive, Crane Brain, and Waterwalk.

 

[Thunderclash]

Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun, The Gobots! Dun-dun-dun-dun-duuuuuuuuuuuuuuun... Dun-dun-dun-dun-dun!(Vzzz-vzzzz-Vzzz-vzzz)The Gobots!

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

I'd love to see some new fiction where maybe the GoBots are basically new factions from another world, fighting the Transformers in a sort of 4-way conflict. Or joining with. Maybe mixing or matching, as suits their needs. I'd applaud someone who could make the Autobots and Renegades or Decepticons and Guardians joining together work.

I imagine that at the very least, the Guardians and Autobots would ally themselves eventually, while the Decepticons and Renegades never quite click for obvious reasons, and thus being a deciding factor.

Wouldn't even have to use the GoBots name, really, unless they wanted to for marketing purposes.

I feel like the not-Rock Lords in Legacy are already sort of a step towards this.

 

[Haywire]

I would like to retain the fictional idea of the Gobots being cyborgs to differentiate them from Transformers, but I do like the idea of competing factions added to the Transformers mythos.

What would be really cool is if Hasbro could get Bandai and Takara to work together and just officially make new Gobots. (I would also love to see Bandai reissue vintage Machine Robo figures, in new colors Ala the Best 5 sets)