The modern comics universe has had such a different take on G1, one that's significantly represented by the Generations toys, so they share a forum. A modern take on a Real Cybertronian Hero. Currently starring Generations toys, IDW "The Transformers" comics, MTMTE, TF vs GI Joe, and Windblade. Oh wait, and now Skybound, wheee!
Yeah, I find it kinda funny that "Comes with a comic I already own that's been edited and doesn't look exactly like the toy" somehow results in the toy itself not being worth buying for Dom. Of course, I've seen *techspec* cards make or break toys for him, so I really shouldn't be surprised.
I have had techspecs turn a middling toy into a favourite, but never the other way around. A bad techspec can be ignored. A great one can make a toy.
But of course, you and I seem to be one of the only ones who continue to view TF as a "toys-first" toyline. These are the physical things I am buying, they're the things I care the most about.
BWprowl wrote:The internet having this many different words to describe nerdy folks is akin to the whole eskimos/ice situation, I would presume.
People spend so much time worrying about whether a figure is "mint" or not that they never stop to consider other flavours.
Onslaught Six wrote: I have had techspecs turn a middling toy into a favourite, but never the other way around. A bad techspec can be ignored. A great one can make a toy.
Some of the worst were the 1988 Autobot Powermasters tech spec bio's.
Onslaught Six wrote:
But of course, you and I seem to be one of the only ones who continue to view TF as a "toys-first" toyline. These are the physical things I am buying, they're the things I care the most about.
I'm also in it for the TF toys first & the TF media dead last.
I often like to treat the TF toys & TF Media as Two seperate entities. for me,it's possible to enjoy the TF toys & hate the media it's attached to or vice versa. Examples: 1- I loved the BW Cartoon character Dinobot but hated all his toys. 2- I hated the DOTM movie,but I bought the leader sized Sentinel Prime & Leader sized Ironhide toys because these were made beyond well.
I really hope Hasbro gets me a replacement Traileater soon, I haven't seen a replacement on pegs yet.
Dominic wrote:The whole point of the "Generations" comic pack-in line is that the damned figures are supposed to look like the comics they are packaged with. In the comic, Traibreaker/Cutter does not have an Earth mode. (Between the toy have the wrong mode and the character name being changed in the comic, it looks like Hasbro wanted this to be the worst of the 4.)
I disagree that they should LOOK like the toy necessarily. I think of the comics more as extended bio notes, it FEELS like the character, that's what matters to me.
Like O6 said, buy the figure and toss the comic, or give it to a kid.
O6 wrote:I have had techspecs turn a middling toy into a favourite, but never the other way around. A bad techspec can be ignored. A great one can make a toy.
Yup, exactly right.
But of course, you and I seem to be one of the only ones who continue to view TF as a "toys-first" toyline. These are the physical things I am buying, they're the things I care the most about.
I do too!
See, that one's a camcorder, that one's a camera, that one's a phone, and they're doing "Speak no evil, See no evil, Hear no evil", get it?
I have to wonder, if the toy didn't include a comic at all (and the others in this wave didn't either), would you even give a shit? Buy it and throw the comic away!
Hasbro branded the toy as being part of a "like the comics" line.
It is a good toy of Trailbreaker in general terms. But, it fails at what Hasbro (the guys who designed and marketed the damned thing) billed it as.
I am wavering on this toy, simply because I like Trailbreaker. Where it not branded as being comic-based, I would likely have bought it before Megatron.
Like O6 said, buy the figure and toss the comic, or give it to a kid.
I do not feel obligated to give kids great comics. But, I do feel bad giving them *bad* comics. And, the inept editing of this book definitely qualifies it as bad.
Hasbro is making harder for me to see the toys as being worth buying in general. I am in almost entirely for the comics now.
Dominic wrote:Hasbro branded the toy as being part of a "like the comics" line.
It is a good toy of Trailbreaker in general terms. But, it fails at what Hasbro (the guys who designed and marketed the damned thing) billed it as.
We have not idea what they 'designed' it as. It's entirely possible they just made a design for a Classics Trailbreaker, and made the decision to put it in here, since that's, you know, the line they had out at the time. Same way they chucked mostly G1/Classics-style guys into the obstinately Movie-originated RTS line back in the day. Don't try to understand Hasbro Logic.
I am wavering on this toy, simply because I like Trailbreaker. Where it not branded as being comic-based, I would likely have bought it before Megatron.
God that's just crazy-OCD. You are literally ascribing more value to the packaging than to the toy inside. That's nuts! I would've bought it had it been in a Beast-Wars-themed box and sold as 'Cobra Commander'. It's a good toy, and they finally got around to making a decent Trailbreaker!
Hasbro is making harder for me to see the toys as being worth buying in general. I am in almost entirely for the comics now.
Hasbro made a toy you yourself said you would want to buy! The only reason you aren't seeing it as 'worth it' is because it's somehow a huge deal to you that Hasbro effectively put it in the wrong box.
Dominic wrote:Hasbro branded the toy as being part of a "like the comics" line.
It is a good toy of Trailbreaker in general terms. But, it fails at what Hasbro (the guys who designed and marketed the damned thing) billed it as.
We have not idea what they 'designed' it as. It's entirely possible they just made a design for a Classics Trailbreaker, and made the decision to put it in here, since that's, you know, the line they had out at the time. Same way they chucked mostly G1/Classics-style guys into the obstinately Movie-originated RTS line back in the day. Don't try to understand Hasbro Logic.
I am wavering on this toy, simply because I like Trailbreaker. Where it not branded as being comic-based, I would likely have bought it before Megatron.
God that's just crazy-OCD. You are literally ascribing more value to the packaging than to the toy inside. That's nuts! I would've bought it had it been in a Beast-Wars-themed box and sold as 'Cobra Commander'. It's a good toy, and they finally got around to making a decent Trailbreaker!
Hasbro is making harder for me to see the toys as being worth buying in general. I am in almost entirely for the comics now.
Hasbro made a toy you yourself said you would want to buy! The only reason you aren't seeing it as 'worth it' is because it's somehow a huge deal to you that Hasbro effectively put it in the wrong box.
My 2 cents: If it's a good toy then i'll buy it regardless of the awful/whatever fiction it's attached to.
30th Deluxe Trailbreaker & Hoist,I think their decent 1980's Homage molds,So i'll be buying them soley based off that.
I don't need to buy any TF toys designs I hate because they had a decent persona in the media or made various appearances in the media.
I got Trailbreaker/Cutter yesterday because I wanted a Trailbreaker/Cutter (comic be damned).
Even putting aside my gripes about the toy not matching the included comic, this figure has problems.
The robot mode is solid. And, the steps to convert it to a vehicle are reasonably clever. (Relative to Hasbro's newer standards, they are brilliant.)
But, the vehicle mode is terrible, with the most offensive problems being caused by a poorly designed weapon that clips on as the top of the truck mode. Would it have really been so far out of budget to make the gun barrels fold in? This problem is not likely to be repeated on the upcoming Hoist retool. But, it definitely taints Trailbreaker/Cutter's vehicle mode.
Grade: C
God that's just crazy-OCD. You are literally ascribing more value to the packaging than to the toy inside. That's nuts! I would've bought it had it been in a Beast-Wars-themed box and sold as 'Cobra Commander'. It's a good toy, and they finally got around to making a decent Trailbreaker!
I am ascribing value to the thought Hasbro puts in to its brand management.
BWprowl wrote:I would've bought it had it been in a Beast-Wars-themed box and sold as 'Cobra Commander'. It's a good toy, and they finally got around to making a decent Trailbreaker!
I would too but that would bug me a bit. One of my main obsessions with the Diaclone blue Bluestreak is because that's how he appeared on the packaging while the toy inside was completely different. In a line where the difference between two totally different characters is color that kind of error is damn near unforgiveable.
Dominic wrote:But, the vehicle mode is terrible, with the most offensive problems being caused by a poorly designed weapon that clips on as the top of the truck mode. Would it have really been so far out of budget to make the gun barrels fold in? This problem is not likely to be repeated on the upcoming Hoist retool. But, it definitely taints Trailbreaker/Cutter's vehicle mode.
I can give you the wastefulness of not putting those guns on joints on the roof, but that's it, the rest of the vehicle is fine if small. The one I picked up at Target yesterday holds together and all the wheels roll and it looks good.
See, that one's a camcorder, that one's a camera, that one's a phone, and they're doing "Speak no evil, See no evil, Hear no evil", get it?
