The Energon Pub

Why do we in the U.S. always get the shaft on color schemes? It seems that the easterners get the retro original colors and we get some weird retool.
I hate that white astro train. Astro train ought to be grey and purple. I Thought that hasbro has throwing us collectors a bone with the releases of classic figs.
Why then do they color our characters wrong?
There have been some of them turn out looking pretty neat but at the end of the day Id much prefer original color schemes. That voyager megs looks friggen awesome in his retro colors. That purple n green though.....not so much.
What do you guys think?
Have a great day all!!

I agree. Many of the palette choices for Hasbro toys have been very unfortunate over the past few years.

Actually, white Astrotrain IS retro coloring. The '85 Japanese release of the toy was white.

Check it:

I don't really get why Hasbro gets the short end of the stick either. Some of it is that Takara prices figures individually so more paint apps can mean a more expensive figure, while Hasbro has to price everything the same, but it doesn't excuse stuff like Universe Dinobot or the Hasbro's inferior white plastic. Astrotrain gets a pass because they tried to make him more realistic, the theme of the Classics line at the time.

I'm convinced there's some kind of agreement made between Hasbro and Takara that they simply cannot have the same paint scheme for the classics figures.

Midnight_Fox wrote:Actually, white Astrotrain IS retro coloring. The '85 Japanese release of the toy was white.

Check it:

Well would ya look at that? He looks damn good to for being such an old sculpt.
Well now I know where the white color scheme came from. I couldnt understand why they went with white but now I do.
I never owned this fig so Thats why I feel no nastalgic bond to it but I can totally see why those who owned the figure would.
Still, I would have wished for the grey and purple version. White just dosent say "Im an evil decepticon" to me ya know? All well. Im just doomed to pay 80.00 for a henkei astrotrain.

To be fair, the white color scheme(even for the Japanese version) comes from NASA space shuttles being, y'know, white.

That said, I went ahead and got the Henkei version cause that's the scheme he was in the G1 'toon. Plus, I got him as a birthday present(my friends give me awesome presents since I'm the DD when we go out as a result of I don't drink).

Midnight_Fox wrote:Actually, white Astrotrain IS retro coloring. The '85 Japanese release of the toy was white.

Check it:

now having a white classics astrotrain does not bother me so much

I got the Takara re-iusse and I love him. I have no problem with a white Astrotrian.

decepta-scott wrote:Why do we in the U.S. always get the shaft on color schemes? It seems that the easterners get the retro original colors and we get some weird retool.
I hate that white astro train. Astro train ought to be grey and purple. I Thought that hasbro has throwing us collectors a bone with the releases of classic figs.
Why then do they color our characters wrong?
There have been some of them turn out looking pretty neat but at the end of the day Id much prefer original color schemes. That voyager megs looks friggen awesome in his retro colors. That purple n green though.....not so much.
What do you guys think?
Have a great day all!!

They're throwing us a bone with sculpts only, I'm afraid. The decos are to attract the kids as well, as they have different tastes than we old folks do and quite frankly, the kids make the fashion, not us.

Another thing to consider is limits applied by law. Classics Megatron has to have those weird Nerf-like colors thanks to all the local state laws that deal with ranged weapons, including guns. Japan has no such limits, plus TakaraTomy focuses just a little more on us than the kids.

decepta-scott wrote:

Midnight_Fox wrote:Actually, white Astrotrain IS retro coloring. The '85 Japanese release of the toy was white.

Check it:

Well would ya look at that? He looks damn good to for being such an old sculpt.
Well now I know where the white color scheme came from. I couldnt understand why they went with white but now I do.
I never owned this fig so Thats why I feel no nastalgic bond to it but I can totally see why those who owned the figure would.
Still, I would have wished for the grey and purple version. White just dosent say "Im an evil decepticon" to me ya know? All well. Im just doomed to pay 80.00 for a henkei astrotrain.

Is this racist? Is it?

And haha, I paid about $20 for a MOSC Henkei Astrotrain.

decepta-scott wrote:Why do we in the U.S. always get the shaft on color schemes? It seems that the easterners get the retro original colors and we get some weird retool.
I hate that white astro train. Astro train ought to be grey and purple. I Thought that hasbro has throwing us collectors a bone with the releases of classic figs.
Why then do they color our characters wrong?

Both Hasbro's and Takara's 80's Astrotrain had white.

Someone already posted Takaras version but here is 80's Hasbro Astrotrain.


But I do agree ,I wish we got more toon accurate colors.Like this exclusive

One recolor that really got me was the seacons.
I get that they try to make these things attract to kids. So, bold, bright, and solid is the way to do it usually. So, the original seacons look like a 9 year old girls birthday party.
Thing is, we get an exclusive repaint, and again the color scheme isn't that smooth.
The best one, that gels so well is the BW2 repaint in japan.