The Energon Pub

[Riotflea]

You have all these different incarnations of the EXACT SAME characters from the movie... but each one looks freakishly different.

I can understand that to a point, like a SMALL child's version being simplified with less swallowable parts... but the rest of them?

Look through the main thumbnail page of movie figures image gallery here on Seibertron.

I mean god, even the colors go wacky.

Other than just using whatever cheap, excess color of plastic that happens to be laying around in the supply room at some factory in China, is there any good reason for this?

And the sculpting... the minute size differences don't warrant drastic changes in detail / structure, do they?

Other toy companies successfully pull off various multiple resizings... why not Transformers?!?

Hey!
What in the...
HELL?

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Hola, senor Brawl!
No speaka... uh... do I know you?

[Toyotus Superion]

you are totally right on this one. What the hell happened to all these toys? The same figure can look amazing or just plain insulting depending on size. And which sculpt is the most accurate on some of these?! Like optimus, leader class and voyager sport totally different transformations and coloring.

Megatron is a joke in leader class. That thing is heavy and over simplified in its transformation. I thought leader class was supposed to be majorly detailed, so why does he have a big @ss tail and wings sticking out!? Not to mention the lack of features..... Why does voyager class megs look like he has "energon" parts? Whats the deal, anyone?

[Riotflea]

Are you Ladiesma...
Speak up! No EARS here!
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Yup.
Mm-hmm.
Yeah. Too easy.

[Supreme Convoy]

For the most part, I think the movie figures look pretty close.

But Leader Class Meagtron is a disaster.

[Slumble B]

:BOT: For the most part, I think the movie figures look pretty close.

But Leader Class Meagtron is a disaster.

I see Megatron and I wonder if they even tried to make a decent figure.

Hopefully this just means they will come out with a better one down the road.

But seriously, you think a company like Hasbro would know not to put a half-ass product like that out on the market. I guess with the movie toys they are appealing much more to the kids than the collectors.

SB

[DorkimusPrime]

As long as people buy it, it doesn't matter if it's half-assed (in their minds). Only if people stop rushing out to buy everyone would they re-evaluate.

[i_amtrunks]

I prefer the fact the toys heads do not resemble the movie models all that much. Means I can look at them without wincing.

Heads are different because of the way they have to fit into the transformations, at least thats probably one of the many excuses Hasbro would dive for cover with.

[Phenotype]

It's because they have different people doing the sculpts. It's up to each sculptor to interpret the designs and each one might interpret it a little different, minor accents become more prominent, color charts are different, there's a lot of reasons. Also, they probably don't want to make them look too similar because it's less likely parents will buy both versions for their kids if they can tell it's the same character.

[Rushie]

they probably don't want to make them look too similar because it's less likely parents will buy both versions for their kids if they can tell it's the same character.

I think you nailed it right there.

[Riotflea]

they probably don't want to make them look too similar because it's less likely parents will buy both versions for their kids if they can tell it's the same character.

I think you nailed it right there.

Yeah, that sounds about right.
I mean, look at the guys I posted. Most are not even the same freaking color!

I'm not sure if I really like or really hate their way of thinking.

Look at Japanese characters in, well, Japan.
You get pretty much ONE absolute image of a character, and are then inundated with them in every possible scale and product.

DorkimusPrime
Post Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:18 am Post subject:
As long as people buy it, it doesn't matter if it's half-assed (in their minds). Only if people stop rushing out to buy everyone would they re-evaluate.

Yeah. But I wonder... if they WERE to adopt that one-design-fits-all type method the Japanese do... it could potentially be very successful. I doubt it'd be a disaster.

Phenotype
Post Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2007 6:08 pm Post subject:
It's because they have different people doing the sculpts. It's up to each sculptor to interpret the designs and each one might interpret it a little different, minor accents become more prominent, color charts are different, there's a lot of reasons.

Gyuuh, probably. They need just ONE GOOD DESIGN. From there, that would be the character.
My problem with these movie guys (other than the obvious) is that even if you like one guy, here's a few OTHER interpretations that take the coolness of your initial reaction of the character down.

I dunno'... I think they're approaching things the wrong way.
Even more so that some of the "artists" are off their rocker at times.