The Energon Pub

Just wondering if anybody has both and if you think there is a point in collecting both? Im kinda debating as to whether I should sell off the Hasbro reissues that I have Takara reissues of too. Any opinions?

I have examples of both, but I dont have both of any one particular charecter. (Unless you count Hasbro's cartoon accurate Prime+Magnus and Takara'sPepsi Convoy.)

Generally, Takara's are as good or *slightly* better than the orignal, Hasbros are almost always not quite as nice as the origanal (normally due to longer missiles or shorterned smokestacks or missing paint apps).

I have both and doubles (almost triples) of the Hasbro.

I like the Hasbro better because they cam in G1 style looking boxes.

buddha-con wrote:Just wondering if anybody has both and if you think there is a point in collecting both? Im kinda debating as to whether I should sell off the Hasbro reissues that I have Takara reissues of too. Any opinions?

I have a few of each. The main reason is the Takara reissues came out first. I started buying those never anticipating a U.S. release. When the first U.S. reissues came out it was exciting and nice to be able to buy them off the shelf, and the prices were reasonable. Packaging is different and therefore have collector appeal. There are also differences in design. For example long stacks on Takara Convoy vs short stacks on Hasbro Prime. If I were going to get rid of one and keep the other, I'd keep takara versions over hasbro. Takara seems to produce a better quality, more accurate. product, and the presentation is better also. Besides all that, Takara has reissued Transformers that Hasbro has not or will not reissue. So if you want a G1 Megatron reissue you have to buy a Takara version.
So that's that in a nutshell.

If you're looking for just the toy and aren't bothered by the collector's cards, bios, cartoon synopses (in Japanese), etc., then you may as well buy the Hasbro ones as they're just easier to find and cheaper. Then you can just get the Takara versions of the ones Hasbro never released. I had both a Hasbro Tracks and a Takara Tracks and they're both identical.

Leonardo wrote:If you're looking for just the toy and aren't bothered by the collector's cards, bios, cartoon synopses (in Japanese), etc., then you may as well buy the Hasbro ones as they're just easier to find and cheaper.

Unless you read Japanese, it isn't like those things make any difference. It's just more pretty pictures on the packaging.

I don't think the difference in packaging warrants buying both unless you are a completist. I'd stick with the Hasbro ones, and then grab the Takara Prime, Magnus and all the others Hasbro did not release.

The long missiles don't bother me as you can just swap in G1 accesories if desired.

Price wise, though, this will leave you a lil extra to nab some ehobby exc.

Bonger, what do you mean? Hasbro did release Prime and Magnus.

Leonardo wrote:Bonger, what do you mean? Hasbro did release Prime and Magnus.

I mean, Takara's are better and to go with those. I wouldn't bother with the shortened stacks from Hasbro.

Hm, you know, this got me thinking. I really need to get ahold of the movie preview and matrix glow magnus reissues. I've been wanting these 2 for a while.

Bonger wrote:

Leonardo wrote:Bonger, what do you mean? Hasbro did release Prime and Magnus.

I mean, Takara's are better and to go with those. I wouldn't bother with the shortened stacks from Hasbro.

Hm, you know, this got me thinking. I really need to get ahold of the movie preview and matrix glow magnus reissues. I've been wanting these 2 for a while.

Ah, I'm with you now.

Depends on the kind of collector you are really. If you just want to own a figure then the Hasbro releases are perfect.

If you like the originals with chrome weapons, working launchers, or dig the extras that some figures came with, then the Takara ones may be more up your street.

The only thing I dislike about the TFC Book re-issues are the numbers. If you only collect one or two figures, then the box numbers let the collection down.

If you're a real hard-core collector then maybe the 2000/2001 re-issues are more your thing. But the prices are a lot higher for those bad boys.

The working launchers thing I don't understand, because both Hasbro Tracks and Hasbro Jazz fire really far. I've haven't tried Prowl's yet, though, and Inferno's is laughable. Incidentally, Classics Jetfire's launchers fire the furthest out of all my TF's, even further than Takara Hound and the rest.

I have examples from both, but no duplicates. There are some characters only Takara reissued, and vice versa with Hasbro. I'm of the camp that as long as I have ONE of a particular figure, I don't really care who produced it (unless the changes made are hideous - e.g. Hasbro's novelty-sized giant Jazz missile launcher! In that case, I go Takara. I'm glad later Hasbro reissues had the missiles/launchers at original size, albeit unable to fire).

I have a majority of TFCs and I prefer them, since you have molds that never saw the light of day in the US, like the insecticons, soundwave, blitzwing, hound, kup and blaster. While at the same time, the Hasbro CS reissues had standard reissues which became expensive pre-book or exclusives in japan, like Bluestreak, Rodimus Prime Magnus etc.

I have more Hasbros than Takaras, and I like the Takara ones better. The packaging is very cool (but I don't read Japanese, so it is kind of pointless.....) and I like that Takara reissued figures Hasbro didn't, like the aforementioned Blitzwing which I can't understand why Hasbro didn't do. Figure wise they are pretty identical, except for Starscream which has the different hands so as to hold gun mode Megatron, which I find to be a cool touch. But, I also love the G1 style boxes of the Hasbros.

I think some of the Takara ones (Starscream, Hot Rod) have tampographing, whereas Hasbro kept the factory-applied stickers and stickersheets.

I have all the hasbro ones, and the tfc ones i am just missing 00prime, and I have some ehobby and misc reissues.. i was just pondering getting rid of hasbro reissues that i have a takara reissue of too...

I am at about 50-50 Hasbro and Takara releases. I both versions of Prowl and Smokescreen but other than, I just got one or the other.

They are both nice but Hasbro's cheaper. They are practically the same thing except for the box designs. But there are some that takara has reissued which Hasbro hasn't yet.

I got also all of Hasbro's reissues except for Ricochet and Sideswipe. From Takara I got Megatron, Soundwave, the Insecticons, Blitzwing, Predacon set, anime Galvatron, Sideswipe, Blaster, and Perceptor.

I started on this slope with a Takara Starscream. After that, I picked up Megatron, and it only got worse from there.

The rest of the Takara reissues I have are ones Hasbro didn't get around to: Perceptor, Hound, Blaster/Broadcast, Kup, and Galvatron.

The rest of my reissues are all Hasbro, since I could just go to TRU and pick them up. I'm missing Sideswipe, Skids, and PM Prime from Hasbro's reissue series, and I'm undecided if I'm going to get the Hasbro or Takara versions. I love the boxes on the Hasbro versions, but I also want a complete set of TFC someday. I suppose it'll be whichever is cheaper.

inadvertent imitation wrote:I started on this slope with a Takara Starscream. After that, I picked up Megatron, and it only got worse from there.

The rest of the Takara reissues I have are ones Hasbro didn't get around to: Perceptor, Hound, Blaster/Broadcast, Kup, and Galvatron.

The rest of my reissues are all Hasbro, since I could just go to TRU and pick them up. I'm missing Sideswipe, Skids, and PM Prime from Hasbro's reissue series, and I'm undecided if I'm going to get the Hasbro or Takara versions. I love the boxes on the Hasbro versions, but I also want a complete set of TFC someday. I suppose it'll be whichever is cheaper.

PM Prime is Unusual, as It is largly identical to the Japanese reissue. I heard slemwhere that the Japanese one always had shorter smokestacks than the American (no metal, not as good) a trailer one. If you had the origanal though, you will beal ittle disapointed as it ISNT the version Hasbro produced back in the day (even if you ignore the aditional robot that comes with him).

Redimus wrote:If you had the origanal though, you will beal ittle disapointed as it ISNT the version Hasbro produced back in the day (even if you ignore the aditional robot that comes with him).[/color]

What do you mean?

Leonardo wrote:

Redimus wrote:If you had the origanal though, you will beal ittle disapointed as it ISNT the version Hasbro produced back in the day (even if you ignore the aditional robot that comes with him).[/color]

What do you mean?

Takara:
Cab is part metal and i think the windows may be different.
The japanese version has shorter stacks.
The trailer has retractable fists that are blue, instead of red fists that are molded on.
Comes with God/Apex Bomber who was never origanally avialable in the US.

Most of these things are BETTER then the US version, but to some that might make a difference.

Redimus wrote:

Leonardo wrote:

Redimus wrote:If you had the origanal though, you will beal ittle disapointed as it ISNT the version Hasbro produced back in the day (even if you ignore the aditional robot that comes with him).[/color]

What do you mean?

Takara:
Cab is part metal and i think the windows may be different.
The japanese version has shorter stacks.
The trailer has retractable fists that are blue, instead of red fists that are molded on.
Comes with God/Apex Bomber who was never origanally avialable in the US.

Most of these things are BETTER then the US version, but to some that might make a ifference.

Oh, I see what you mean. I think they're better too, even though I have the original Hasbro one. Those fixed red fists look pretty silly in truck and base mode.

Oddly, in the Japanese Masterforce cartoon, Super Ginrai has red fists even though his original toy had the retractable blue.