The Energon Pub

Sat Nov 14, 2009 6:34 pm

when ever i get a new transformer i leave the instructions in the box and never take them out. instead i watch a review video

News Credits: 402 · Updated Oct 21, 2022

Only rarely, but I always have them out just in case, usually needed for combiners.

News Credits: 1 · Sat Nov 14, 2009 7:29 pm

Yeah I just watch a review, the instructions are like written in a different language.

Sat Nov 14, 2009 7:48 pm

I don't use the instructions or use the Reviews. I just transform it, finding how everything moves and changes on my own is the best part about transformers for me. I hate when reviews show the transformation, i have to skip past it all and then the video takes forever to Buffer. There is no fun in transforming them if i already know how it works.

News Credits: 3 · Sat Nov 14, 2009 7:49 pm

I pride myself as someone who doesn't need the instructions, but I've found in many cases I've begun to refer to them more often. This is usually involving movie figures because in general they tend to have parts and flaps and small pieces that are easily broken, and aren't obvious in where they should be going (take movie Soundwave for instance, there's a lot to be left up to whomever is transforming him).
Any time I really wish to avoid any potential breakage of a figure, I tend to break out the manual.

I've also been noticing that the instructions are getting to be a lot less helpful, as more and more I'm seeing instructions that seem to be based on earlier prototypes of the figures, using unfinished transformations, omitting certain steps, or even outright instructing you on how to transform the figure wrong. This is also especially common in movie figures. Parts that are meant to snap together (as evidenced by tabs and slots) but are not mentioned or even alluded to in the paperwork, small flaps/spikes/fins that are meant to fold out, but are strangely absent from any documentation, areas where the instructions tell you to bend a part at a joint it no longer contains (I'm looking at Voyager ROTF Starscream's hands there). There're a lot of inaccuracies in today's instructions.

- Sam

News Credits: 1452 · Sat Nov 14, 2009 7:51 pm

Yeah, I use instructions. I understand the fun factor people get from transforming a figure by themselves, but there's no fun in breaking a figure apart in frustration. Back in the day, instructions were clear, to the point, blah blah blah. When it comes to movie figures, yeah, that all went to hell.

News Credits: 2 · Sat Nov 14, 2009 8:43 pm

I use instructions if they are available and if I can make sense of them. I basically don't use instructions much.

A good portion of my collection is made up of loose figures, which are complete as far as accessories but many are missing instructions so I've become used to learning how to transform figures without the benefit of instructions. It can be fun figuring out transformations.

News Credits: 6 · Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:28 am

Always, even if I have watched a review.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 12:34 am

I like to figure out how to transform them myself. Afterward I use the instructions as an answer key to see if I missed something.

News Credits: 668 · Sun Nov 15, 2009 5:21 am

Always.

After spending hard earned money, it'd be stupid to break the figure because I let foolish pride get in the way of good, reliable common sense.

Sometimes the instructions show features you didn't realize, other times they don't give you a friggin' clue as to what's going on. (Case in point: ROTF Mixmaster. Can't get his battle platform figured out. Can't.)

Between the instructions, the reviews and the figures themselves...the end result is much more satisfying.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 5:50 am

I tend to make an attempt or two, but whip the instructions out as soon as I get into any trouble. Like everyone, I don't want to break these things-too expensive.

News Credits: 9 · Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:30 am

I haven't used instructions since I was about 9 and I haven't broken a figure yet! I only use them to check things later, to see if I've missed anything or in the case of Alt Wheeljack to see if the suggested order is better than mine. Oh yeah, and as Mkall says, they're useful for combiners - I could never figure those out myself.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 1:28 pm

Except for Legends class or minicons, I almost always use the instructions the first time in each direction. Wouldn't want to miss a step and destroy, say, a hidden Automorph gear.

News Credits: 1 · Sun Nov 15, 2009 2:15 pm

I always use the instructions, even on a Legends. Unless, of course, that Legends is, say, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, or any other car. If it's a car, I can do it blindfolded, almost. If it is like ROTF Legends Optimus, I use the instructions.

(Hey, I'm 13, don't look at me that way)

News Credits: 241 · Sun Nov 15, 2009 4:06 pm

I'm not ashamed to say I do. However, I don't follow them to the letter (read: image), instead I use to them as reference on how a certain part should move, and where it should go in either mode.

News Credits: 3 · Sun Nov 15, 2009 7:38 pm

For harder to find and/or more valuable figs, I usually do. As some people have implied, there's usually enough challenge in just interpreting the instructions...

For new figs that are easily replaceable, I'll typically give it a run through without and only reference the instructions if it doesn't seem a piece wants to move. Then after a full transformation cycle through I'll do it again using the instructions to see if there's a better logical flow and check if I missed anything.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 10:43 pm

I absolutly refuse to use them for the first transformation. After I get it transformed and back once, I will look over the instructions to see if they can make it more fluid.
Last night I got Leader Jetfire. He took forever because I basically folded the wrong parts first and left the things the instructions had first till last. (Took about a half hour) heh. But it was worth it for the sense of accomplishment.

Sun Nov 15, 2009 11:09 pm

In the most cases,No I dont.
But there were few cases I needed them.But the most times i needed them,they didnt helped me enough,So i looked for some reviews in the net.Perfect examples are movie jetfire,and Darth Vader/Death Star.

News Credits: 11 · Wed Nov 18, 2009 4:00 pm

I used to always try transforming a figure the first time without instructions just to see if I could do it, except for expensive ones (MPs, etc). However, when people started breaking their Movie '76 Bumblebees, I changed that stance. Now I usually try it until I encounter difficulty and revert to using the instructions. I just hate when the instructions are wrong, but I usually know beforehand from seeing galleries anyway. I'm a fan of aesthetically-pleasing mistransformations anyway.

News Credits: 2 · Thu Nov 19, 2009 9:20 am

I feel pretty lucky in that I haven't broken a figure yet! I looked at the instructions for RotF Leader OP and couldn't make much sense out of them so I learned to transform the figure on my own. I learned how to transform 07 Leader OP without instructions because none were included. The same goes for the majority of my Alternators figures. By the time I acquired Alternity Convoy and Megatron, I was comfortable with Alternators level of transformation so I didn't bother using instructions(I didn't want to unseal the bag they came in).

News Credits: 12 · Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:00 am

I immediately remove the instructions, unfold them, and reverse fold them to try to smooth out the hard creases. Whether or not I actually use them depends on the difficulty of the transformation. If it's a Scout, I probably won't even look at the instructions. If it's a Leader, I'll follow them as closely as possible. For anything in between, I just use them as a guide to keep me on track. Finally, I check the bottom of the instructions to see if there are any special gimmicks I might not have known about. Then the instructions go into a file folder in a box.

News Credits: 5 · Thu Nov 19, 2009 11:53 am

I wise man (Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor) once said, "Real men don't need instructions!!"

As such I do not use them.

News Credits: 4 · Thu Nov 19, 2009 12:18 pm

Yes of course, try transforming ROTF JetFire or the ALternity Series Vehicles wothout instructions.. bound to break something..

News Credits: 2 · Thu Nov 19, 2009 1:25 pm

freaky777 wrote:Yes of course, try transforming ROTF JetFire or the ALternity Series Vehicles wothout instructions.. bound to break something..

I think that depends on the person because I've learned the transformation of both Alternity Convoy and Megatron without instructions and nothing was broken or even scratched/stressed. Leader Jetfire has a simple transformation, which is complicated by the need to align multiple panel tabs. I don't know how much instructions will help with that figure, hehe.

Thu Nov 19, 2009 7:11 pm

I remember transforming movie IronHide and when I was about to twist the hip, I realized that the plastic part connecting the torso to the hip (If I'm not mistaken) was uncomfortably thin and could easily break off!
So, I suggest that newbies (like me) should go ahead and read the instructions! Even if some parts are meant to pop off with excessive force, some of them will break and make you cry! And of course, don't let the children do these things alone!