Five Kickstarter Projects I Want to See from Hasbro
During a recent Twitter exchange with @JohnDoctorKent and @GeneralsJoes one tweet really started my imagination:
@JohnDoctorKent – @philipjreed @GeneralsJoes The idea of a Hasbro Kickstarter scares me. Because what could it be? 3 3/4 scale Transformers? “Too expensive.”
What follows is all because of that tweet.
G.I. Joe Adventure Team Joe Coulton (Sigma 6)
Since the inspiration came during a Twitter discussion about G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 (Amazon.com search*) I thought it fitting that my first choice for a Hasbro project on Kickstarter be one of the unproduced Adventure Team sets. I had considered selecting the unproduced Scarlet (see hisstank.com), but that Joe Coulton Adventure Team set just keeps calling me. I would love to own this toy!
Transformers Generations Trypticon
Hey, if Hasbro can take a chance on a Metroplex (mentioned here) then we’re gonna need a Trypticon toy to go along with it. I know Metroplex is a gamble for them, but if they advertised a Trypticon Kickstarter project inside the toy then Hasbro would very likely snag a lot of the bigger collectors almost instantly; anyone who is buying a Metroplex in the first month or two of release is almost certain to want a Trypticon, right?
Visionaries
If Mattel can run Masters of the Universe Classics as an online exclusive project then Hasbro can certainly take a chance on Visionaries. Just imagine how much fun it would be if Hasbro’s Visionaries Kickstarter project was to create action figures in scale with the Masters of the Universe Classics line! That’s unlikely, but it would certainly make me happy to assemble toys from both lines on the upcoming Castle Grayskull playset.
Modern Death Star Playset
We had a large Death Star playset for our Star Wars toys in 1978 . . . don’t the children of today need one? This Kickstarter project would provide the supporters with a giant playset with an exclusive level. Hasbro would then use the tooling to produce a slightly shorter Death Star playset for mass market release; this way the hardcore fans like me get something special and Hasbro gets us to pay for their widespread release version of the toy. (A SDCC exclusive level would have to follow the next year. Just imagine snapping more and more levels to your playset as the years go by.)
Modern U.S.S. Flagg
No dream of a Hasbro Kickstarter project would be complete with the U.S.S. Flagg. This 1985 playset is still a remarkable toy that’s likely to never be attempted again, but through the magic of crowdfunding Hasbro could let us fans tell them: Make it happen! I would personally be just fine if a modern U.S.S. Flagg was almost identical to the 1985 playset.
Is It Possible?
Kickstarter continues to shake how things are done, but I don’t think we’ve seen crowdfunding reach a point that a company of Hasbro’s size would take a chance on a project. But I can dream, and it’s possible that there will come a point in the future where Hasbro — or maybe even Mattel — decides that an idea is one suitable for Kickstarter. If that happens I’ll be there watching every step of the way . . . and if it’s for one of these five projects then I’ll also be throwing my dollar into the pool and pushing for the project to succeed.
I hope I wouldn’t be alone in supporting any of these as a Kickstarter project.
Related articles
- Review – G.I. Joe: Sigma 6 Zartan (battlegrip.com)
- Wanted: “Hasbro History” Kreons (battlegrip.com)
- Five Reasons Why Hasbro’s “Star Wars Black” Will Fail (battlegrip.com)
Of these, I’d have to say the Visionaries one lights the fire in the heart of the child inside me. I love the other concepts but Visionaries didn’t get enough love back in the day so deserves a second chance (that and HOLOGRAMS!).
The only other one I’d add would be M.A.S.K. – Hasbro already touched on it in the GI Joe 25th line, so it’s something they could expand on.
M.A.S.K. is one i cant believe hasn’t been updated yet. It’s a great concept that could do with very little update in design (alot of the toys still hold up today) and a cartoon.
@bighatdino – The Kickstarter project for a new line of Visionaries just wouldn’t be complete without holograms!
@Court – I considered M.A.S.K. for this list, but I decided that one was way too easy and has been used by Hasbro recently in both G.I. Joe and Unit:E. BUT I wouldn’t object if Hasbro decided M.A.S.K. was the project to try on Kickstarter.
Yeah, I’d throw a bunch of money at MASK line. I loved those toys as a kid, and I still buy some vehicles on ebay.
I think the Death Star set is pretty brilliant. Being able to add floors is a pretty genius idea.
I would love to see the lost Sigma 6 sets (especiallythe Adventure Team sets) funded through Kickstarter. That would be an excellent way for Hasbro to gauge the interest in those. I’d easily pay $100 a set for those bad boys. Have you seen the Dusty set? It’s brilliant!
@Paul – Thanks, that Death Star idea seems to me like an obvious playset idea for Hasbro to attack. I’m sure there are some rabid fans who would love to build a modular Death Star.
@Barbecue17 – We need an online petition!