Hasbro had a lot of pacing problems in the first half of the year, Star Wars also suffered from this. TF had a lot of 4th quarter '09 stragglers in the first half of 2010, and then they did something really weird, they changed all the packaging to a style more matching the Universe line, totally changed the Voyagers packaging, started focusing on bot modes in package, and this really confused retailers, so the second half of '10 was a bit slow and jumbled. But Hasbro also brought back the Classics line with great surprises and new ideas, then put some of its figures in the mainline (only to come back out of the mainline in early '11 anyway, wtf indeed!). The pegs were pounded by shelfwarmers, largely from last year's ROTF line, but a few were repaints from that line too. Decos got a little lighter, figures got a little smaller, accessories got a cool new 3mm clip system, we got an awesome new leader-class figure and Masterpiece Grimlock made it to US shelves.A ton of weird exclusives that really didn't attract. Yet another north-of-leader-class Bumblebee that nobody really was looking to get at this point. Bayverse really didn't ruin too many figures and mostly took a back seat even in the ROTF line, War for Cybertron was a good launch, Prime was a notable launch even if it wasn't my cup of tea (that's the nicest way I can say it was crap). Largely, I think 2010 had a good run of products with a less-than-stellar pacing and availability, but was overall a good year for Transformers.
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For clarification, my comment about Scalpel was from a part you didn't quote.Onslaught Six wrote:I disagree with this. I think Dinobot and Cheetor, to me, *prove* that Hasbro can't do organic TFs anymore (if they ever could--BW's toys were only ever middling when you really got down to it) and I'd rather we don't see that anyway.This I agree with, and it's why I bought ROTF Scalpel.Or at least make some new organic beast TFs, since it's been forever since we got some of those. Universe Dinobot and Cheetor don't count since they were (lackluster) reimaginings of older characters.
That out of the way, Dinobot and Cheetor do prove that the current Hasbro design team can't deliver beasties. The original BWs were done by the then-newly-acquired Kenner division in Cincinnati, and when Hasbro closed the Kenner division they rolled those employees into the main Rhode Island HQ, spreading them onto new teams. But the fact that Hasbro currently can't deliver doesn't mean they shouldn't try new things and keep striving for better.
I guess, though we haven't gotten a particularly good Megatron figure in quite some time, and this one is adequate. I just think you're cheating yourself by closing off nifty figures expressing different eras merely because they're main characters.Prime is Prime and I really just plain don't need another new Optimus Prime toy. (Seriously, I don't care if DOTM Prime transforms into a cocksucking machine, I'm not buying him.) Bumblebee I've been looking at, and Megs is...another Megatron. It's like, we didn't get any of the guys who I might've actually bought for being awesome, like Breakdown, Barricade, or Warpath.
Awful figure, totally crap, I just got him out again to double-check. Terrible alt mode, chibi in the wrong ways, not even chibi enough to be a minibot. Bot mode is way out of proportion, covered in kibble, ridiculously long arms, no back except for a backpack on a frame sticking waaaaay out, and awful feet. And all those compromises without even being part of a gestalt. Hell, he doesn't even have a weapon.Bwuh? Breakdown rules. Simple little nifty guy.
That would be more appropriate for my recent Generations thread, I think, since I specifically ask that question in the opening post. viewtopic.php?f=7&t=734Who do you guys think they need to do next time Generations comes along? I want Skids. As a Scion look-alike. Basically I just want Alts Skids but smaller and easier to transform, really.
"Only when it's appropriate"? Why is it appropriate for them? Because someone 27 years ago decided to do the exact same thing they're doing now with Tracks & Wheeljack, only they did it with different characters. The existing Classics Sideswipe wouldn't exist at all if someone at Takara hadn't NOTICED that an alternate form could have been made out of Sunstreaker's mold with an alternate transformation, this came after the design (that's what they said at SDCC anyway).BWprowl wrote:I don't have a problem with Hasbro repainting toys, but only when it's appropriate (Prowl into Bluestreak, and the Seekers, and the like). But when they assign two characters who otherwise have nothing to do with each other, like Tracks and Wheeljack, to be the same mold, it just smacks of cheapness. Frankly, I don't think Sideswipe and Sunstreaker should've been the same mold either, since they weren't to begin with, and they got enough repaints out of Sideswipe to justify it anyway.
Well, you have a choice: Wheeljack done this way, or no Wheeljack at all. At least they're designing dual-functionality into the molds now, that makes the crossovers easier for stuff like the lower legs, and it also means they can put a little more budget into the figure since it's going to make money across 2 different waves' budgets.When it comes down to it, maybe I'm being selfish, but the main thing I want is more new toys. I do want Wheeljack, so it kinda stings knowing that when I buy him I won't be getting an awesome new Wheeljack toy, but the Tracks toy I already own just in different colors with a new head and feet.
You've said this a lot the last few years to levels that I haven't been able to get you to explain, I'm not seeing that level of QC failure, not like some chinese dollar-store knockoffs the way you make it sound. I've also not seen any copies of Tracks with bad decos yet, but I've only seen a few since I got mine.Dominic wrote:QC is so wildy out of order that it is hard to be sure how to monetize it. The QC is truly low, as QC measures consistency more than absolute quality. In theory, I really like Tracks' coloring. But, in practice, I have seen some pretty bunged up copies of Tracks.
It's never worked very well, and it's never been in the instructions probably for that very reason.Partly true. But, the gun/engine combination does not work as well as it should, which brings Red Alert down a bit.
You kind of like all of PCC, but Backwind is the pits. What do you like about him from an objective point of view? I can tell you six ways till sunday what bothers me objectively, but I'll let that slide and ask: what do you have to say that's good about the toy on its own merits?I kind of like Backwind......
I have no problem using Lockdown, I have a problem with them using MOVIE Lockdown.I am guessing it was a question of saving money and pushing a popular character.
The difference is that BB in the ongoing, G1-based comic series, doesn't look a thing like the bayverse Camaro character; yet this Lockdown comic character is the bayverse toy in a G1 comic.I am pretty sure Lockdown is not intended to be any more of a singularity than say...Bumblebee. Of course, if Sorenson or Willis get their official mits on Lockdown, I might have to smash both of my Lockdown figures.
I am quoting you on this only to explain that Reveal the Shield Tracks and Generations Wheeljack only differ in headsculpt, "pipes" accessories, adding a front lip-spoiler to the car mode front end, and a traditional rear-end spoiler.I think they are going to tweak the vehicle mode a bit, but do not quote me on this.Nah, they designed both into the tooling, hence the gun, but I see waaaay more Tracks in the alt mode than Wheeljack, Wheeljack isn't appearing at all there. And the bot mode, it's only the chest really that suggests Wheeljack to me.
But that's not what Rapido is doing here either.Agreed. But, I also see immigrants slip into their original language when they are mad. (Seriously, you know an immigrant's kid is in trouble when their mother is not using English. This is universal for people from all over the non-English speaking world.)
Go for it!-time to start a "looking forward to" thread.
Good idea. I'll put mine at the opening of this post of mine.Shockwave wrote:And maybe we should add an "in summation" to our lists. In summation, I would say 2010 was a great year for TFs. We got a LOT of new toys and a LOT of new characters in toy form. And many of those were done very well. Sure the year had some low points, but what year doesn't? I really felt that both the amount and quality of product we got this year far outwheighs previous years. It really has been a good year to be a TF fan and it looks like 2011 will be even better.
Ugh, you guys are driving me crazy, I don't want to hunt for Blurr, I want to just find him and not have it be a chore, and to be able to say "oh well, no big loss if I don't get him", but more and more I'm feeling the need to get out there and track him down.138 Scourge wrote:Best Paint: Maybe this should be "Best Repaint" but screw it, Generations Blurr wins "Best Paint" no problem. Holy crap, between the way the four-tone paint on the car mode drew me in and the way the colors just pop on the robot, Blurr looks SO damn good. I was looking at the car and thinking "Hell, good enough", but got him into robot mode and was like "Holy shit lookit that!". It sucks that he's a hard-to-find toy, because he's really good.