The Energon Pub

Okay, there's so much negativity about gimmicks...

But take Classics Jetfire. The helmetm the armor, the flip-out guns, the projectile launchers, the splitting guns? He's COVERED in gimmicks. ANyone here think this isn't a good toy?

So...

Let's talk about toys where the gimmicks that make the toys better.

What's the greatest gimmick? I gotta say, combiner teams and light tunneling in the head win by a long shot.

I'll go with light piping behind the eyes--pretty cool little addition, as was the ball joint (although that may not be considered a gimmick, per se).

I'm always up for a good combiner, and I kind of liked the Headmasters myself. The figures themselves just had little to no poseability....

I also like weapons that store on the figure in both modes, ala the weapons for Alternators figures and many BW figures.

Combiners are good in moderation. Energon's whole "two combine into one" thing just hampered the individual figures.

I still love minicons. It's an extra (albeit smaller) toy with the bigger one you buy. And that by itself is better than Force Chips, which are the function of a minicon without the fun.

I like Targetmasters, and I hope that we get more minicons in that vein. Headmasters I'm not really fond of. Having the big robot dependant upon the smaller one is a recipe for upset if the little fella gets lost. Powermasters are somewhere in between for me (though in essence, they're minicons anyway).

Actually, now that I think about it, Armada would likely have been better-recieved if the bigger figures weren't so bricky and weird. No blame should fall on the minicons.

Well, except maybe the Ramjet minicon. Only one leg! Hooray!

i think the headmaster gimmick is pretty good. Although it hasn't really been pulled off successfully in the recent lines.

Take Overload or Armada Sideways. Good thought bad execution. Something closer to a Headmaster from G1 but with poseability would be awesome.

The combiner Gimmick also works for me. Specially like RID Prime and Ultra Magnus combined form: Omega Prime.

I only like the G1 combiners, I haven't been fond of the new ones because they are just a big mess of twists and turns. The only new combiner I like is the three Minicons from Armada that make Perceptor.

The BEST gimmick is Soundwave and the cassette bots.

Lapse Of Reason wrote:I also like weapons that store on the figure in both modes, ala the weapons for Alternators figures and many BW figures.

yeah that is a good one.

Greed wrote:

Lapse Of Reason wrote:I also like weapons that store on the figure in both modes, ala the weapons for Alternators figures and many BW figures.

yeah that is a good one.

double that qft~
to me, its not weather or not the gimmick is good or not, its what is or isnt sacrificed on the toy to make the gimmick

for example

i think optimus primal (origional ape) is a great figure, awsome posablitly, moderate transformation, tons of weapons.

but his mutant head, and arm swinging gimick is kinda lame. but, they worked it to were it does nothing to the figure overal. that makes it a well done gimmick.

armada prime: ultimatly, armada prime had an incredible innovative gimmick, wireless remote automatick transformation! but the gimmick, as cool in design as it was, overall made the figure worse then it already was.

i dont mind gimmicks, just dont ruin the toy doing it.

Personally I have always liked the Cyber Key gimmick. The Cyberkeys look nice on the shelf (unlike the often ugly minicons) and tend to be a lot better designed than the minicon port gimmicks were. Also cyberkey ports look quite nice and are easyer to blend into the alt mode (downshift anybody), minicon ports are ugly, especilly on suposed earth alts.

1. eyes piping - classics Meg.
2. minicons
3. planet key
4. weapon stashing - alternators
5. combine weapons - classics Jetfire
6. mask!!!!! - classics Jetfire
7. articulate hand - Armada Unicron

My personal favourite is the light piping.

I like the light pipes and the Alts hidden guns. Using the engines or exhausts was a genius idea.

I also like Vector Prime's hidden sword and the way it is stored.

Ravage XK wrote:I also like Vector Prime's hidden sword and the way it is stored.

Good observation. Don't you find it falls out often, though? I do (I have the Hasbro two-pack edition).

I may get ribbed for this, but the Battlechargers, Duocons and the Jumpstarters had good gimmicks, but the execution just left alot to be desired.

Leonardo wrote:

Ravage XK wrote:I also like Vector Prime's hidden sword and the way it is stored.

Good observation. Don't you find it falls out often, though? I do (I have the Hasbro two-pack edition).

No, it hasnt fallen out, its got a good grip on the sword. Maybe cos the Hasbro swords are that floppy plastic? I have the Galaxy Force ( the proper Galaxy Force not the Hasbro repaint ) version. Vector Prime remains one of my top figures for robot looks.

Ravage XK wrote:

Leonardo wrote:

Ravage XK wrote:I also like Vector Prime's hidden sword and the way it is stored.

Good observation. Don't you find it falls out often, though? I do (I have the Hasbro two-pack edition).

No, it hasnt fallen out, its got a good grip on the sword. Maybe cos the Hasbro swords are that floppy plastic? I have the Galaxy Force ( the proper Galaxy Force not the Hasbro repaint ) version. Vector Prime remains one of my top figures for robot looks.

I'll bet that's what it is. Silly Hasbro.

Ravage XK wrote:

Leonardo wrote:

Ravage XK wrote:I also like Vector Prime's hidden sword and the way it is stored.

Good observation. Don't you find it falls out often, though? I do (I have the Hasbro two-pack edition).

No, it hasnt fallen out, its got a good grip on the sword. Maybe cos the Hasbro swords are that floppy plastic? I have the Galaxy Force ( the proper Galaxy Force not the Hasbro repaint ) version. Vector Prime remains one of my top figures for robot looks.

My sword holder gimmick is Tight! My sword never fall of by itself.

GrimlockPlox wrote:

Ravage XK wrote:

Leonardo wrote:

Ravage XK wrote:I also like Vector Prime's hidden sword and the way it is stored.

Good observation. Don't you find it falls out often, though? I do (I have the Hasbro two-pack edition).

No, it hasnt fallen out, its got a good grip on the sword. Maybe cos the Hasbro swords are that floppy plastic? I have the Galaxy Force ( the proper Galaxy Force not the Hasbro repaint ) version. Vector Prime remains one of my top figures for robot looks.

My sword holder gimmick is Tight! My sword never fall of by itself.

*sigh*

Just me then.

sparking action from the firecons and sparkabots was a good gimmick and fun too

Exulted Unicron wrote:sparking action from the firecons and sparkabots was a good gimmick and fun too

In theory or in execution? Because I could only get it to work on window sills.

My favorite gimmick is the one where you get these robots, and they transform into vehicles and stuff.

I love that one.

Canned Pasta wrote:My favorite gimmick is the one where you get these robots, and they transform into vehicles and stuff.

I love that one.

It'll never work!

Redimus wrote:

Canned Pasta wrote:My favorite gimmick is the one where you get these robots, and they transform into vehicles and stuff.

I love that one.

It'll never work!

Get him! He likes Action Masters!

Brakethrough wrote:

Redimus wrote:

Canned Pasta wrote:My favorite gimmick is the one where you get these robots, and they transform into vehicles and stuff.

I love that one.

It'll never work!

Get him! He likes Action Masters!

No hey now... thats uncalled for... lol