Bee-u-tee-ful

Ouch. Warn me the next time our worlds collide like that.

If you read the forum that guy links on the auction, you'll see that he's actually going to be making kits of this toy. he's going to have various versions too: all black, "battle damaged," and original (based upon guido guidi's concept art)...last i checked, kits were gonna be around $200+

He's also going to be making a more affordable, smaller version kit.

N:

Now how do I say this without being a jerk?

See, I'm not just a TF dork. I'm also a train dork, and an 19th Century technology dork. I liked HoS despite its flaws, and I think the robot designs were extremely well-done, but...I can't really say the same for Prime and Bee's vehicle modes; they have too much very early detailing (Prime's very tall stack and Bee's haystack firebox), some bits that just look out of place (the splashers and 4-2-2 wheel arrangement that Prime seems to have stolen from the British Great Northern) and many things that lack the essential utility even a fantasy design needs. This is extremely important on a steam locomotive, which isn't just a vehicle, but an *engine*...90% of what you see is power generation, engine, and transmission system.

Similarly, though I'm not as much of a plane or boat nerd, the Seekers are a bit too mishmashed from early and modern aircraft, and Shockwave, as extremely cool as he is, would look a lot better with screw propellors instead of side-wheels, and in any case should have the wheels farther ahead.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that this is a very, very, very well-done interpretation of (and in parts, an improvement on) a great robot mode that converts to an iffy vehicle mode. I can't fault his efforts and craftsmanship, however, not at all.

Cordially yours:
Autobus Prime
w/minicon Farebox.

Cool looking but hasbro is gonna shut this guy down. You can't start your own toy company and sell optimus primes, even as kits. It's called copyright infringement.

Sorry to rain on the parade.

You can in the greater action figure world, and people often do. I'm not sure this is any different.

He's spiffy looking, and besides, if the figure ever showed up it would show up as a poorly done Titanium. On the other hand, cost vs. flimsiness always kept me away from customs. The only one I really wanted was that Warpath from a few months ago.

Al:

If anybody could shut him down it's IDW, since it's their design. Do you mean Hasbro could go for the "distinctively Prime" design features like the head? I think if that were possible then Bandai would have shut down Prime years ago, since he looks confusingly similar to a Gundam. :)

I don't know how the law treats 3-D derivatives of a paper design, especially when they are a semi-utilitarian derivative like a Transformer.

Do you mean the name? He hasn't said whether he'll end up marketing it under that name, though. Look at the WST Dinobots that continue in production.

Ideas must be liable to protection, or creativity can never be rewarded. At the same time, the protection can't be total and absolute, or freedom of expression is crushed. I am not an expert on copyright, trademark, or patent law, or even a particularly well-informed amateur, but I know enough to realize that it's not as thorough, clear-cut, and absolute that the general public believes (and that certain well-publicized holders of such rights would have us believe. :) )

Al:

Kit...there's another thing. Even if IDW can restrict use of a design that they have already used and shown to the public, can they keep a guy from selling a kit of resin parts, some of which resemble parts of their design, others that are completely his work (since they were only concerned with appearance and not operation), which just happen to produce their design when assembled? I don't think they could do much except claim that the instruction drawings were infringements, if they were close enough in detail...and they really wouldn't have to be.

Hasbro and Takara, like many toymakers, often skirt the copying line. Look at Cybertron Crosswise and tell me he's not a Bugatti Veyron. Bugatti did not license that design. This is fine with me; when every design is protected absolutely, only the lawyers win.

Cordially yours:
Autobus Prime
w/minicon Farebox.