ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I didn't just say shrinking the design (though on that note, downsizing from Voyager to slightly smaller Voyager is nowhere near as extreme as downsizing from Leader to Voyager and HasTak engineering has advanced over the past 8 years.), I also said refining it.
I didn't say just shrinking it either! I was saying that when they took the basic design of the RotF Leader and downsized it there were obvious compromises that had to be made and for all we know Hasbro/Takara probably went through them all (I'd love to see their design notes and stuff for some of these figures) and perhaps looked at the Battle Blade figure when designing the Studio and thought maybe Battle Blade was as far as they could get with that engineering and budget and size (point below about that) and settled on trying an all new, much more transformation-friendly toy?
* Same for this one: Making the feet properly duplicate those of the ROTF Leader figure.
Just picking this one out as example of that they probably changed how it worked on the BB cos that one was a section of the Leader figure likely too complex to even simulate well at the Battle Blade size and so definitely wouldn't work at Studio size. Perhaps they even tried it before having to ditch it and go for the tiny feet option the figure was released with. Most of the changes you suggest sound like yet more fiddly steps in an already fiddly transformation.
I understand many of your points but at the end of all this I have both of these figures and I just get a heck of a lot more enjoyment and satisfaction from the Studio figure cos it's one I can pick up, pose, transform without any frustration or annoyance. And while the BB truck is more accurate I disagree with the bit about the Studio truck not looking passable. It certainly looks like a truck. The only bits letting it down are the feet on the back, and the short smokestacks. The latter can likely be fixed with some sort of addon stack extenders to slide onto the current stacks, and the feet? Well they have a hole molded into them for a trailer so that's appreciated by me at least.
Some chrome on the grill, stacks and sun visor would have been nice too but eh that's the least of the figure's paint issues.
ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I personally don't mind the ROTF Leader Prime transformation (which I can only imagine Battle Blades is very similar just without the threat of the swords popping out mid-transformation), but I'm certainly not saying Battle Blades Optimus is better than Studio Series Optimus. What I'm saying is "I wish Studio Series Optimus was more accurate and had a less janky truck mode, and I think that could have been pulled off by refining and slightly shrinking the Battle Blades Optimus design". Because as he is... He feels like a let-down compared to the care put into the rest of the line.
Only figure I've felt let down by in the line out of the eight I own is Grimlock and that's mainly cos of the back end of his dino mode. I wasn't expecting to like Studio Prime much cos his poor colour layout made him look unappealing in early photos (but then Evasion Prime had a crappy colour layout too and people liked him) but he's become my fave figure of him I've ever owned (and as said before I still currently own four Voyager figures of him). And like Evasion Prime (perhaps even moreso?) he just poses so damn well.
If they do make another one then maybe it'll be able to mix the positives of both these figures? Perhaps that one would be more to your liking as you are hoping. Who knows? All I do know is I've had a lot more fun with the Studio figure compared to the BB mold and it really suprised me how much I like it despite it's flaws (especially after adding some paint to help the mold look the way it was probably designed to have been before the paint budget went screwy).
Feels like even in non-MP lines like this you get some Transformer figures that are best as display pieces and some that are very functional and fun as the toys they claim to be. I find the BB as the former and Studio as the latter.
Anyways me tired. Time for sleeps.
EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:I was taking a look at my '07 voyager Blackout and noticed two screws holding the main rotor assembly to the rest of the weapon, which gave me an idea.
Now, he can't actually hold this very well (a slight breeze would knock it off in the picture), but at least it looks pretty cool!
That does look cool.
Ok night.