Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:22 pm**

im cool with them, just as long as i get my fix. if i dont like a toy i wont get it. will work on the RID line.

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:23 pm**

And then there's those of us who remember the glut of repainted molds in early G2, the long stretch with nothing but the occasional smattering of Beast Wars here and there, etc etc... for whom even today is a treasure trove, despite the declining quality of plastics.

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:31 pm**

I'm not happy. I like what Has/Tak have been *trying* to do, but overall, they've failed to execute on quite a few releases.

The quality is barely above KO standards these days often times and it's repulsive. I don't care about price. They can charge me double if they like (parents wouldn't like that of course though) to maintain better standards of quality and I'd be all over it.

Still, I am still collecting and hoping that the current state of things is only temporary.

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 4:41 pm**

The higher price appears to be just normal adjustment for inflation. FoC Deluxes are really only a little more expensive than BW Deluxes.

www.usinflationcalculator.com wrote:If in 1996 I purchased an item for $9.99 then in 2012 that same item would cost: $14.61

Still, I'm being a bit more deliberate with my purchases.

Sucks that quality is coincidentally going down at the same time. Not sure what's causing that.

Actual products are pretty interesting. Looking forward to the likes of G2 Bruticus, Kreon Microchangers/Combiners, FoC Shockwave, Prime Rumble, and Thundertron. Heck, just look at all the love Decepticons are getting in FoC and Kre-O! So happy to be a

fan right now.

Constant comparisons to 3rd party are beyond annoying and quite frankly unfair, especially this "you can't like Hasbro's wares because 3rd Parties do it better" nonsense. I don't care how good they are, I cannot justify spending all that money on them. Even if they ever go beyond just pleasing the G1 crowd...

Distribution is the real buzz-kill. I can't even humor myself by looking at TF toys I have no interest in getting. As much as I look forward to Prime Rumble, the fact that finding something besides Bumblebee is "a good day" has me rather worried as to how to actually get him.
Outside of Prime looks to be (thankfully) void of BBs, so that's a plus. Still scratching my head at FoC's release schedule, though: Wave 1 - August; Wave 2 - October; everything else - January

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 5:50 pm**

I was hoping this poll could be separated into Hasbro and Takara. On the Hasbro front, I'm not exactly a happy camper as far as FoC is concerned, but that said, the PRID toys are looking better and better with every new wave (EXCEPT Airachnid and PRID Arcee, I guess). On the other hand, the smaller size and higher prices aren't winning any confidence votes from me.

I'm pretty satisfied with what Takara's been doing for the MP line, though.

Since this is a confidence vote and not a performance vote, I declined to vote.

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:34 pm**

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Seriously, you guys only seeing the bad kinda scares me and takes part of the fun of the hobby for me as part of it is sharing enthusiasm. While I do acknowledge the problems the toys have, I would never dismiss their good sides.

I stand with JelZe. Things like this need to be said more often.

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:41 pm**

It Is Him wrote:I voted yes. Here's why:
- RTS from last year - Classics Jazz, Tracks, Wreck Gar and more
- Generations from last year - Seekers, Red Alert, Blur, Skullgrin, etc.
- MP-10 from Hasbro this year
- Voyager Grimlock, Soundwave and Blaster in 2013, plus Legends deployers

Yeah, the smaller sizes and higher price-tags are a big issue for me, but not enough to take away my vote of confidence. With oil prices significantly higher than just a few years ago, those price changes can be justified fairly. Besides, toy collecting is not an essential need. If it really does become too expensive, I can just walk away.

You said it pretty good.

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 8:52 pm**

As has been said, it's a mixed bag. There's some nonsense going on in the main line, but then you have the likes of the MP line, and the REALLY nice Bot Shots and Kre-O side lines. And, despite some of the main line issues, there are still some upcoming gems. We FINALLY got a really nice G1-style Shockwave and FoC Grimlock looks like he'll be pretty great. In fact, all of the upcoming Voyagers have a lot of promise. Really, the more I think about it, the only real issues are (1) increase in price of Cyberverse Commanders and Deluxes and (2) overall decrease in quality of deluxes. Meanwhile, the entire Cyberverse lines are REALLY good.

So, the more I think about it, the more I'm going to say yes. Which is identically the same thing I said about FoC Bruticus, and what I continue to say, despite the issues.

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 9:34 pm**

I voted no. Even though I think the toys are still overall good, the poor distribution and case assortment, combined with canceling of figures is unacceptable. I really like the Prime line so far, the only stinker in the group is Airachnid. But I haven't seen any new figures in months, and I keep hearing that Hasbro isn't releasing so many figures it sucking the fun right out of this.

Instead of looking forward to new figures now I'm thinking "Hey that looks awesome, $50 says Hasbro doesn't release it."

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:19 pm**

It Is Him wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Seriously, you guys only seeing the bad kinda scares me and takes part of the fun of the hobby for me as part of it is sharing enthusiasm. While I do acknowledge the problems the toys have, I would never dismiss their good sides.

I stand with JelZe. Things like this need to be said more often.

bingo

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 10:24 pm**

njb902 wrote:
It Is Him wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Seriously, you guys only seeing the bad kinda scares me and takes part of the fun of the hobby for me as part of it is sharing enthusiasm. While I do acknowledge the problems the toys have, I would never dismiss their good sides.

I stand with JelZe. Things like this need to be said more often.

bingo

Indeed!

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:08 pm**

No, I am not happy with the current state. And I'll explain why.

-Current toy character focus. We get a massive wave of Optimi and Bumblebees ever since the RoTF line. But what about all the other beloved characters needing decent toy treatment? Combiner teams like the Stunticons and Protectobots haven't gotten a decent full-sized combiner toy since G1. We have to settle for 3rd-party crap for those characters? Ridiculous. And the BEST time to make full sets of Insecticon and Dinobot teams, and Hasbro blows it for a deluge of repaints? Which IMO are all okay, but not at the cost of characters like Sludge, who haven't gotten a full-sized toy in decades.

-Fragile molds and/or bad quality control. As much as I love most of the new figures coming out... the Dark Energon line, FoC Bruticus, the diversity of the TFP line... there have been many complaints of mold fragility and breakage. Not across the board mind you, but enough to instill worry on me, especially aimed at the figures I want the most(FoC Bruticus which SHOULD have the problems fixed by retail release if we're lucky, the Dark Energon line that's made up mostly of clear fragile plastic, etc)

-Continuity. This isn't so much toys as it is fiction, but I'd prefer it if franchises stick to one instead of tossing us a new one every year. It would make toy buying/displaying less of a hassle, IMO. A lot of fans are taking Hasbro's word that Aligned is supposed to be one whole continuity... how I wish I could believe that.

-Scale. Yeah, it was never important in a Transformers toy line, but seeing the MP line cleaning up the scale of it's figures relative to each other kinda makes me yearn for some of that in the normal-sized lines. Maybe it's because figures ARE getting noticeably smaller(foC Optimus is smaller than his WFC counterpart... that ain't right IMO). On that note, the MP line is one of the only things I can't really complain about at the moment. Love the direction it's going.

Meh, I still have hope that it'll get better. Though whether that's being optimistic or just foolish, time will tell...

(my longest non-quoting post yet! Yay!)

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:09 pm**

It went downhill since TFA. Saving grace would be the Japanese releases(though QC issues on Rodimus has prevented me from getting him)

Posted: **Tue Aug 07, 2012 11:13 pm**

There are a lot of good things happening, but 1 new game, TF4, and an MP really doesn't cut it.

We have deluxes the size of scouts and voyagers that are almost the size of deluxes. We also have terrible distribution and price hikes out the ying yang.

I want to say I have full confidence in Hasbro, but I really don't. I'll continue buying stuff, but I can no longer say I buy the expecting a quality figure.

Weaponizer Prime was a very nice figure. But the shrinking figures are killing it for me. Deluxe class Onslaught? yeah, really bad idea. No reason why they couldn't just release the limbs as deluxes and made everyone wait for Onslaught to come out with Grimlock. I'm sure a large portion of the fan base would have been okay with that.

I would go back to saying I have full confidence in Hasbro once we get larger figures and better plastic.

At the same time, I'm only a collector that rants on a board that represents a small minority of the fandom and doesn't know much about the economics of toys in production so what do I know besides my own personal preferences?

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 12:01 am**

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote: Seriously, you guys only seeing the bad kinda scares me and takes part of the fun of the hobby for me as part of it is sharing enthusiasm. While I do acknowledge the problems the toys have, I would never dismiss their good sides.

I'm an open-minded, positive thinker, and enthusiastic about Transformers as anyone. But there's been so much sugarcoating with what the positives are lately that it's a joke. We shouldn't have to sugarcoat a franchise that we like to enjoy. As a collector in Canada I feel like I've been put on a pedestal only for Hasbro to take it away and make me fall face first into the ground. That takes away part of the fun of the hobby for me.

Not going to say that this is Beast Machines toyline like, but it feels like it is. As an modest middle-class collector who can't fork over cash for everything, I find it nonsensical that I can't even get myself to pick up a new Transformer because they're all Bumblebees, Bot Shots or Kre-O. That takes away part of the fun of the hobby for me.

When I realistically look at this.. I can't be content with the way we're headed - toys are jokingly getting downsized, paint applications are mia, distribution is laughable and main character toy cancellation is uncalled for. Oh sure, the positives are still there. Yeah, the franchise is still alive and we are still getting toys - but there are so many opportunities that have been missed. It's like seeing 2 50's on the ground and picking up one. The game needs to be changed. The game needs to wake up and step up.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 12:58 am**

and besides making poles what do you do about it? do you still buy the toys? have you ever written Hasbro and expressed your cobcerns? I agree that things aren't perfect, this just doesn't seem to solve any of the problems. perhaps starting a online petition so we could show actual numbers to hasbro, or something. lets be proactive not reactive, this website could be the perfect launching pad for it.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 1:06 am**

I'm grateful to the third parties honestly. I know that Hasbro pays attention to what they're doing, they have to.

I think that along with all the fan complaints they've been getting will have an impact on the franchise over time.

I also believe that even with all the negatives, Hasbro IS listening to us, even in the forums. The recent MP's and choices for FoC figures came from somewhere, and they're all things we've been asking them for for a very long time. They ARE listening to us, but change takes time. If anything, it will be at least a year or two (or possibly in the next toyline) before Has/Tak responds to the complaints of smaller figures, cheaper plastics and fewer paint apps, but I still believe that they will.

So right now, I think the state of the toys sucks, but I'm optimistic that it will change in the future if Has/Tak hears us, which I believe they will.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 1:07 am**

njb902 wrote:and besides making poles what do you do about it? do you still buy the toys? have you ever written Hasbro and expressed your cobcerns? I agree that things aren't perfect, this just doesn't seem to solve any of the problems. perhaps starting a online petition so we could show actual numbers to hasbro, or something. lets be proactive not reactive, this website could be the perfect launching pad for it.

If only that were possible, Hasbro that is, listening to us. How do we get them to listen btw?

I know you can never satisfy everybody but this downsizing and the crappy plastics really is a turn off. You know the type of plastic used on TFPrime Soundwave , the one turns into his forearms? I hate it :BOOM:

Whatever happened to the smooth glossy type ? Same with MP 10, it has on some parts the similar plastic type.

Btw njb982, that should be "polls"

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 1:13 am**

fenrir72 wrote:
njb902 wrote:and besides making poles what do you do about it? do you still buy the toys? have you ever written Hasbro and expressed your cobcerns? I agree that things aren't perfect, this just doesn't seem to solve any of the problems. perhaps starting a online petition so we could show actual numbers to hasbro, or something. lets be proactive not reactive, this website could be the perfect launching pad for it.

If only that were possible, Hasbro that is, listening to us. How do we get them to listen btw?

I know you can never satisfy everybody but this downsizing and the crappy plastics really is a turn off. You know the type of plastic used on TFPrime Soundwave , the one turns into his forearms? I hate it Whatever happened to the smooth glossy type ? Same with MP 10, it has on some parts the similar plastic type.

Btw njb982, that should be "polls"

haha if I was half as smart as I thought I was id be a genius!!!!!! ill leave it to mock my own ineptitude.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 3:42 am**

Asides from FOC voyager Grimlock and the upcoming MP releases, the current and upcoming official releases are pretty sad. As others have pointed out, the bean counters at Hasbro may have finally taken over: cheaper plastic, lighter/smaller designs, and higher retail costs. Case in point: FOC Bruticus, a set that will forever remind us of what could have been... and maybe the moment Hasbro "jumped the shark" with the TF brand. It's a far cry from where we were a year or two ago.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:23 am**

It Is Him wrote:I voted yes. Here's why:
- RTS from last year - Classics Jazz, Tracks, Wreck Gar and more
- Generations from last year - Seekers, Red Alert, Blur, Skullgrin, etc.
- MP-10 from Hasbro this year
- Voyager Grimlock, Soundwave and Blaster in 2013, plus Legends deployers

So one toy in December makes up for them wasting an entire year? Early last year, awesome! Next year, a couple things to look forward to! This year? ...ahhhh no... >:oP

Not happy. 3rd parties are blowing up right now and we get Botshots and Kre-O. Yeahhhhh...

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 8:52 am**

zodconvoy wrote:
It Is Him wrote:I voted yes. Here's why:
- RTS from last year - Classics Jazz, Tracks, Wreck Gar and more
- Generations from last year - Seekers, Red Alert, Blur, Skullgrin, etc.
- MP-10 from Hasbro this year
- Voyager Grimlock, Soundwave and Blaster in 2013, plus Legends deployers

So one toy in December makes up for them wasting an entire year? Early last year, awesome! Next year, a couple things to look forward to! This year? ...ahhhh no...

Not happy. 3rd parties are blowing up right now and we get Botshots and Kre-O. Yeahhhhh...

perhaps that's why they are giving up on the collectors and refocusing on the children's market. I know my niece loves her bot shots and kre-o sets(especially the kreons, I'm kinda partial to the kreons myself.)

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:27 am**

Not really happy with current TFs. Paying more for less is never going to makeme happy. Plus, distribution is just pathetic. Must I turn to online retailers to buy anything I want? Hm.

I pretty much collect Neo G1 stuff, so until that's out ... we'll see. It looks like there's a lot to look forward to, but right now I'm not too happy. Not miserable since there's the new MP Print to look forward to and the domestic release of the Asian exclusives, but I'm not happy like I was when they released the RTS series of figures and their United counterparts.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:33 am**

I voted "yes"...but here are my few caveats:

1. Hasbron't is full of FAIL. If it wasn't for TT and all the fine 3rd party peeps giving me what I really wanted from my childhood, I never would have started collecting again and a large chunk of my nostalgia would have forever gone unfulfilled. This is not to say that they dont make a few good bots (most in the RTS and classics line), but overall...ahem.

2. Although there a many missing characters I would LOVE to have (*cough* DINOBOTS *cough*), the 75% complete G1 roster I already makes me happy happy joy joy every time I take one down off the shelf for some "selective action posing". I also know that they will come, in time, and that anticipation only increases my jones.

3. Bayverse can LICK MY SCHWETTY *oh my!*. MB desevers to be *censored* for what he did to our childhood nostalgia, what he almost did to TMNT, and what he does to basically everything he puts his tainted little hands on.

4. I would prefer to have a wider range of characters available (*cough* DINOBOTS *cough*), as opposed to DOZENS of molds of the same character, i.e. DUMB-lebee, 10 different "MAXIMUM POWER WEAPONIZER ULTIMATE SPACE CONQUERER OPTIMUS PRIME" etc, etc.

Posted: **Wed Aug 08, 2012 10:18 am**

Would just like to say that a "no" vote (like mine) does not mean we don't love and continue to purchase and be enthusiastic about TFs. Seems to me that voting no is perceived by some as not being a good fan or supporter of the brand. I vote no because I care and want Hasbro to succeed and do better.

Also some folks reasoning for their votes seem a little off. Good Generations figures from 2011 or other things from the past do not make me feel good about the current state, in fact they make me feel worse as they serve as a stark contrast to the CURRENT state and direction we are now clearly headed in, which is lesser quality for more money. I feel the apologists of Hasbro who constantly bring up the rising cost of doing business are missing something which has been brought up before. Less toy for the same money is ok, the same toy for more money is ok. The perception of far less toy for a good amount more money is not ok and wouldnt float in many other product markets and I'm not sure how long Hasbro can get away with this for. That's my opinion as a lifelong fan and supporter of Hasbro and Transformers.

Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence

Re: Poll: Vote Of Confidence