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Do the "Encore" line of TFs generally cut corners when it comes to materials and whatnot? In other words, should I expect most Encore figures to have the metal/chrome parts replaced with some cheaper, newer material?

Or does it vary from figure to figure...

I don't have any, but haven't heard any reports of this. Think they're pretty much the same as the originals. I've only got a couple of reissues, and they were from the Toys R Us line released in the US/Elsewhere rather than the Japanese Encore line, but the two I have (Hot Rod and Soundwave) don't seem to scrimp on quality.

There are occasionally some minor differences (Soundwave, for example, who uses the remolded Soundblaster tape door, capable of holding 2 cassettes instead of one, and I think Hot Rod uses the retooled Targetmaster Hot Rod mold, and has guns with larger pegs than the original as a result) but I don't think they go out of their way to make these things cheaper than the originals. If anything it's the opposite, with the presentation of the Encores being pretty special.

I know some of those with launching missiles had the missiles lengthened for the Hasbro releases, to make them legal, but again, the Encore line is more of an adult collector themed toyline so they probably got away with keeping short missiles. Heck, Megatron still fired his little pellets, so I'd expect everything that no doubt killed millions of us who had these toys in the 80s to still be intact.

craggy wrote:I don't have any, but haven't heard any reports of this. Think they're pretty much the same as the originals. I've only got a couple of reissues, and they were from the Toys R Us line released in the US/Elsewhere rather than the Japanese Encore line, but the two I have (Hot Rod and Soundwave) don't seem to scrimp on quality.

There are occasionally some minor differences (Soundwave, for example, who uses the remolded Soundblaster tape door, capable of holding 2 cassettes instead of one, and I think Hot Rod uses the retooled Targetmaster Hot Rod mold, and has guns with larger pegs than the original as a result) but I don't think they go out of their way to make these things cheaper than the originals. If anything it's the opposite, with the presentation of the Encores being pretty special.

I know some of those with launching missiles had the missiles lengthened for the Hasbro releases, to make them legal, but again, the Encore line is more of an adult collector themed toyline so they probably got away with keeping short missiles. Heck, Megatron still fired his little pellets, so I'd expect everything that no doubt killed millions of us who had these toys in the 80s to still be intact.

hmmm, ok this is good to know.

I'd like to collect a few MINT/new figures, instead of purchasing a second hand g1 from someone on ebay, cause they always have something wrong with them ultimately. This is good alternative I suppose.

However, in my researching, I saw that the Encore Bruticus had some major quality downgrades compared to the g1, hence why I was asking.

For the most part, and speaking strictly about the Japanese Encore, and Book Style Reissues, they are as good as the originals.

Bruticus is the rare exception rather than rule, where due to some degradation with the Combattcon molds it saw some issues, however all other reissues are of the same high quality as the originals, and keep all the chrome and other important bits intact.

As a personal reference I own a few encores and I can say rthey are very nice high quality reissues of their original counterparts.

There's no reason to fear real Encores.

Prime for instance as an example, comes with all the chrome you'd expect, the long smokestacks of the original which have been trimmed down for most if not all of Hasbro's releases, and the correct length missiles for the Repair bay robot in his trailer.

Yep. I own Encore Ironhide & Ratchet and there's no change in the material from their originals.

gbm wrote:Do the "Encore" line of TFs generally cut corners when it comes to materials and whatnot? In other words, should I expect most Encore figures to have the metal/chrome parts replaced with some cheaper, newer material?

The Encore range is a great range to add to your G1 collection. All the figures come with the same chrome, firing missiles and rubber tires etc that the original released had.. Remember that as a cost cutting measure, Hasbro replaced things like the chromed thighs and rubber tires of Metroplex with stickers and plastic tires.
Cosmetically, the line is accurate to the G1 figures with a few new touches like a blue visor for Trailbreaker and tampographed Autobot symbols etc. You can TF Wiki for a full list. Oddly though, Skids didn't come with tampographed symbols. And you still get stickers!

Or does it vary from figure to figure...

Unfortunately, Bruticus has the most noticable mold degradation and the quality of plastic used feels light, bordering on suspect. If you're like me though, and only use them for display, then they're awesome at half the price

craggy wrote:There are occasionally some minor differences (Soundwave, for example, who uses the remolded Soundblaster tape door, capable of holding 2 cassettes instead of one, and I think Hot Rod uses the retooled Targetmaster Hot Rod mold, and has guns with larger pegs than the original as a result) but I don't think they go out of their way to make these things cheaper than the originals. If anything it's the opposite, with the presentation of the Encores being pretty special.

There is no Encore Hotrod and Soundwave uses the single cassete door. It was Hasbro who applied the changes for their reissues, though. Or did you mean that?

-edit
Encore uses tampographed decals instead of the classic sticker sheets. That's the main difference.

This is awesome news, thanks!

Time to order me an Encore Ironhide!

(this is the figure that I can buy the "upgrade kit" for right? ...with the extended hands/feet and head?)

EDIT: Where can I purchase those kits from? All I can find are "the heads"...the video I watched had extensions for the arms and legs too.

gbm wrote:This is awesome news, thanks!

Time to order me an Encore Ironhide!

(this is the figure that I can buy the "upgrade kit" for right? ...with the extended hands/feet and head?)

EDIT: Where can I purchase those kits from? All I can find are "the heads"...the video I watched had extensions for the arms and legs too.

Gear 4 toys has the GT 01I and GT 01R. Both should be available at BBTS.