The Energon Pub

From gorilla arm syndrome, to huge backpacks, let's talk Transformers pet peeves!

First thing that came to my mind are fake chest cockpits on Generations Jetfire and Combiner Wars Starscream and Thundercracker, and also the upcoming Legends Slipstream. Either make it work, or don't do the fake cockpit on the chest. For some reason this bothers me even more than fake car front pieces on the chest.

Unnecessary pins that are impossible to remove (such as the pins on Combiner Wars Motormaster's shoulders that attach his arms to his chest). This makes repairing or customizing impossible or extremely difficult at best.

(Moved to the Toy Discussion forum ...)

Thin plastics and hollow parts. Look at the tab where CW Dead End's head rests on. It's paper-thin.

Lol I think gorilla arm syndrome is my biggest pet peeve, like Gen Skybyte's right arm.

I kinda like those huge arms. They're punch-a-riffic.

RhA wrote:I kinda like those huge arms. They're punch-a-riffic.

I'm talking about how the elbow doesn't bend properly, not how big they are.

Panels that fit properly when you first got the Transformer but don't after transforming. Why?!

Yeah, also ones that don't fit together no matter what. Take my Gen Springer figure for example, which I have had for months, after all this time of playing with it and modifying it, in car mode, the window panels on the arms STILL won't tab into the helicopter cockpit. -_-

Did anyone else not really notice this stuff when you were a kid? I'm sure my G1 figures are gappy as all get out.

itscramtastic wrote:Did anyone else not really notice this stuff when you were a kid? I'm sure my G1 figures are gappy as all get out.

Well, when I was 5, and I had Armada Prime, his arms were very floppy, and it annoyed me, even as a little booger.

SillySpringer wrote:

itscramtastic wrote:Did anyone else not really notice this stuff when you were a kid? I'm sure my G1 figures are gappy as all get out.

Well, when I was 5, and I had Armada Prime, his arms were very floppy, and it annoyed me, even as a little booger.

I think my biggest issue was scaling when I was a kid. Galvatron and Ultra Magnus towered over everyone. It's only now that I realize scale is the worst thing ever

itscramtastic wrote:

SillySpringer wrote:

itscramtastic wrote:Did anyone else not really notice this stuff when you were a kid? I'm sure my G1 figures are gappy as all get out.

Well, when I was 5, and I had Armada Prime, his arms were very floppy, and it annoyed me, even as a little booger.

I think my biggest issue was scaling when I was a kid. Galvatron and Ultra Magnus towered over everyone. It's only now that I realize scale is the worst thing ever

Yeah...

Scale is not logical in transformers.

Overly intrusive gimmicks.
*Glares at Armada Prime's trailer*

Gorilla arms. Either mold the arms so they can do a proper arm curl or include a damned bicep swivel. They look ridiculous at best and limit posing.

That Bot wrote:Overly intrusive gimmicks.
*Glares at Armada Prime's trailer*

Yeah, gimmicky is okay, but OVERLY GIMMICKY, that is a different story.

Take armada Thrust for example...

Weapons that suck. e.g CW Deadend and Brakeneck's exhaust pipe. I get its like the whole gang thing but they just aren't cool.

Seibertron wrote:First thing that came to my mind are fake chest cockpits on Generations Jetfire and Combiner Wars Starscream and Thundercracker, and also the upcoming Legends Slipstream. Either make it work, or don't do the fake cockpit on the chest. For some reason this bothers me even more than fake car front pieces on the chest.

Ryan, excellent point, I strongly agree with you about this point for many figures. However it is not a problem for me on Jetfire. If I wanted him to be 100% Earth mode then yeah it is a problem. But if Jetfire took an earth form and then slightly modified it, especially if he left earth, then it is fine with me. Or if he is on earth then he can slide a panel over the bottom viewport when needed to hide it. If you are a scientist then it would make sense to have an extra viewport/sensor on the bottom of the plane taking in information. In real life recon and spy planes have camera's mounted on the bottom of the planes to take pictures. Also it doesn't look exactly like a jet cockpit, ones like Slipstream's can definitely be annoying and distracting. Jetfire's does look like a viewport/sensor.

I know that people may say I don't like fiction to explain design elements but I am just explaining why it works for me.

I like Transformers with great looking robot modes

SillySpringer wrote:Lol I think gorilla arm syndrome is my biggest pet peeve, like Gen Skybyte's right arm.

Gorilla arms in MP-10 also bothered me but technically, it's more of an optical illusion in his case.

Jetfire's hollow arms (Legends /Hasbro version)

Changing the screws in Ginrai's/PM OP into rivets. The ones in the wheel axel.

TFA noseless and chintastic designs

Bayformers insectoid designs

Battery gimmicks

Non ratchetted joints (Straxus' thigh joints)

TFGo! Samurai team's combiner hand/fist(Kenzan's as the main torso) not locking into place.what happened to the alignment

Misassemble figures (TF Prime FE head)

transformers that cost a lot and pose like ****.....mp-09 arms anyone?

Animal alt-mode "transformers" where the "transformation" is just standing the critter on its hind legs, folding the head back or forward, and sticking the tail in its hand. That's not a transform, that's a robot on its hands and knees wearing a halloween mask.

Number One on my list of peeves has to be the "molded in" fists on many recent TF figures. The worst ones are even partly covered by car doors or other vehicle parts. Seriously makes the deluxe figs look like scout class ones.

Second, is fake alt mode parts. I understand that designers have a tough time trying to make toys from designs that use a lot of "smoke and mirrors" (to quote an ILM designer), especially with Hasbro and their "simple is better" policy. Still, a peeve's a peeve.

1 - 5 step transformers.... they are not transformers plain and simple