"Transformers" bring out the kid in grown-ups

(Reuters)
Updated: 2007-07-03 08:47

And while the new, sleeker Transformers toys are a far cry from their larger, more cumbersome predecessors, Sinclair said he won't hesitate to add the next generation of robots to his collection.

"Everybody ... was hesitant when they first saw the initial designs because your gut reaction is 'these don't really look like the original toys. They don't really remind me as much,' but you see how it has to translate to the big screen."

NOT YOUR FATHER'S TRANSFORMERS

For some collectors, Hasbro's updates of the popular 1980s toys -- while aesthetically pleasing -- ultimately fall short.

"The toy's manufacturing was pretty light," said 38-year-old David Silberman, chief technology officer of a Jersey City, New Jersey-based private equity fund.

"When you're looking at them on the big screen, you see there's a motion to them, a tension to them ... I felt like I had to be gentle because I didn't want to break any of the pieces off," added Silberman, who nonetheless said he'd buy Hasbro's Mr. Potato Head spin-off toy, "Optimash" Prime.

"They just don't make them like they used to, that's the bottom line," 29-year-old computer technology student Anthony Toledo said after struggling with, and then accidentally breaking, Optimus Prime's gun during a demonstration.

But with an appeal that stretches across generations, Transformers are expected by some to be the hottest-selling toys based on this year's summer movies.

Between 30 percent and 40 percent of all Transformers sold this year will be bought by adults, independent toy industry consultant Christopher Byrne said.

"This," he said, "is the toy movie of the summer."

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