The major reasons for the changes!

[tecnowraith]

Myself and almost everyone here on the net completerly forgot the major reasons that will happen for the Transformers movie. One word say's it all: Licensing. Which car and vehicle companies will give film rights and licensing to the producers of the Transformers? With Volkswagen say no to Hasbro which other car companies will do the same?

[DrSpengler]

Volks Wagon saying "no" was a due to their not wanting to have any of their vehicle associated with war. I don't think any other car companies are going to have that hang-up.

However, some companies DO have attitudes. The best example is the Alternators line.

Honda of Ameica wouldn't allow Windcharger to have a gun, because they thought it would give their cars a bad image. So Hasbro removed the barrel of his gun and now he has 2 shields (Overdrive, the Japanese Binaltech version, was allowed to keep the gun by Honda of Japan).

All the Decepticon Alternators are repaints/slight remolds of the Autobot Alternators because all the car companies want to make certain that their cars are good guys first and foremost, because they think making their car a villain will hurt the company's image and lose them money.


Stuff like that, I'm sure, is the problem the movie will have most with licensing vehicles. Volks Wagon flat-out refusing them is based on a sensetive issue left-over from World War II, and certainly won't extend to any other car company.

[Alizarin]

Honda of Ameica wouldn't allow Windcharger to have a gun, because they thought it would give their cars a bad image. So Hasbro removed the barrel of his gun and now he has 2 shields (Overdrive, the Japanese Binaltech version, was allowed to keep the gun by Honda of Japan).


WTF??? That is insane!!! They don't allow toys to have guns becauese that will affect their car sales???

[DrSpengler]

WTF??? That is insane!!! They don't allow toys to have guns becauese that will affect their car sales???

Yeah, I know. It's crazy.

The car companies can be VERY picky about every aspect of the productio of a toy based on one of their models. Sometimes even being that picky.

If you're interested, here's an interview that details the production of the Binaltech (Alternators) line and shows just how picky the car companies can get.

http://www.tfarchive.com/fandom/interviews/alternators_binaltech/takara_binaltech_interview_translation.php

[Havokboix]

I don't see why they can't just design their own cars.. I mean Hot Rod was made up and he looked pretty cool. I'm sure they can have a similar design for bumblebee that won't even require licensing. Have they even considered this as an option?

[DrSpengler]

Maybe, but they wanna use existing vehicles for the same of realism; to maintain that "Robots in Disguise" aspect.

Personally, *I* wouldn't be able to tell a fake car apart from an existing model in most cases, but there are a LOT of car-people out there who would roll their eyes at such a thing and, for them, it would kill the "Robots in Disguise" approach.

[CFlash]

Personally, *I* wouldn't be able to tell a fake car apart from an existing model in most cases, but there are a LOT of car-people out there who would roll their eyes at such a thing and, for them, it would kill the "Robots in Disguise" approach.

I dunno about that. How about "concept cars"... like the movie "The Wraith." That car wasn't sold at the time, but it was a *real* concept car (Dodge or Ford(?) Interceptor it was called I think)... that actually laid the foundation of a every single sports coupe in the late 80's and 90's (Ford Probe, Nissan ZX, Mitsubishi Eclipse, Saturn SC... etc).

I guess that begs the question: how does the Ark's scanner droid learn about a concept car though? Hey, wait, there's not even an Ark or a scanner drioid in this movie is there? Why is this movie called "Transformers" again?

[terry78]

Watch Bumbleebee be a PT Cruiser or something.

[CFlash]

Watch Bumbleebee be a PT Cruiser or something.

Well, the PT Cruiser ain't exactly "compact." There soooooo many small cars nowadays that could easily lend themselves to being Bumblebee..... everything from the Mini-Cooper (which I like) to sporty hatchback coupes (Lancers and Psions and the like) to "spider" roadsters (Mazda Miata, Toyota MR2).... though that's what CliffJumper was (a Mazda spider) so it's kinda dumb.

HOWEVER, a Camaro is the must mundane UNIMAGINATIVE choice. Bumblebee was NOT a MUSCLE CAR.... nor was Bumblebee "cool" in a HOTROD sense. That was the whole point of his character!!! He was the weaker "benchwarmer" who was actually invaluable because of his intelligence and abilities.

[blind_fury]

I'm hoping Bumblebee will be a yellow mini-cooper.

[CFlash]

I'm hoping Bumblebee will be a yellow mini-cooper.

Yeah! It sure beats a Camaro. I can just picture Bumblebee as a Camaro IROQ "Straight Outta Brooklyn" so to speak.... "HEY badda bing badda boom... hey....Spike, you wanna take a ride? Hey... wassa matta wich you... hey.... do I look like clown? here for your amusement?.... hey...."

Maybe Andrew Dice Clay should do the voice.

A camaro... *chuckle* ... they should just go the extra 1 yard and make him a Trans Am and give him KITT's voice. At least then he'd be cooler.

Honestly, I don't know what they're thinking.

[terry78]

I don't even see what VW issue is. Bumblee is like the most pacisfist of all the Autobots anyway, and only fights when need be.