Fans Toys says Cloud 9’s Masterpiece-style Shockwave copies the engineering of its Quakewave, and John, Brian and Diecast debate whether third-party makers have any intellectual property to protect. Brian calls it the chickens coming home to roost, while Diecast frames third party as “IP borrowing” that benefits collectors. Then two Masterpiece-style Galvatrons, from DX9 and X-Transbots, are revealed hours apart. That kicks off a debate over whether the third-party bubble can last.
Fans Toys vs. Cloud 9 Over Masterpiece Shockwave
Diecast summarizes the dispute from TFW2005 forum threads. Fans Toys claims Cloud 9’s Quakeblast is a direct engineering copy of its Quakewave, and it asked its preferred retailers not to carry it. He stresses this was a request, not a demand. Brian says it is hilarious: “If you disagree with the idea that this is IP theft, you’re just wrong.” He adds that Fans Toys has no legal recourse beyond asking politely. John notes retailers like Big Bad Toy Store, which also buy from Hasbro, don’t want stories like this on message boards. [Source: not found]
Diecast calls third party “IP borrowing.” He admits collectors, retailers and news sites all tolerate it because it benefits them. Since almost nobody has seen Quakeblast transform, he is taking Fans Toys at its word, and the figure doesn’t fit his collection anyway.
Two Masterpiece Galvatrons in One Day
Third-party Masterpiece has become the new Wild West, John says, with companies announcing the same character within hours. DX9 showed what looks like a test shot of its Galvatron, and X-Transbots posted a render of its own a couple of hours later. Brian calls it a farce. He wishes the companies would agree on who makes which character, and he predicts the market can’t sustain this. The bubble will burst, he says, and Hasbro will then target the survivors.
Diecast disagrees. He is glad he can choose, and says he would have regretted buying the X-Transbots version before learning a DX9 one was coming. He trusts DX9 after its last two figures but calls X-Transbots “iffy” for now. John wraps up that competition will whittle companies down. The more organized the survivors become, the easier they will be for Hasbro to pressure through retailers like Big Bad Toy Store. [Source: not found]
Contributors: John DeLuna, Brian, Diecast
Your snack-size Transformers podcast every week. Get in-depth reviews, commentary and more in 30 minutes or less!