The Energon Pub

Some are, sure, like leader class upward.

But why are most figures packaged in their alternate mode?

I'd be far more inclined to buy a toy if it had an awesome robot mode.

Or is it cos they want kids to go "Hey a cool car... *reads the back* AND its a robot!" or what?

Im not saying it shouldn't be so, just want to know why it is the way it is

I'd always assumed that it was just that the alt mode is usually smaller and less complicated to design packaging for. Besides, there are a hundred humanoids in the action figure isle. It also provides for amusing mix ups, like Alternators getting stocked in the die-cast car section!

I've always wondered the same thing.

The big toys are packaged in 'bot mode, because if you put Leader Prime or Brawl or whoever in vehicle mode in the packaging, it doesn't really look like you're getting your money's worth.

Smaller toys are probably packaged in vehicle mode, since the vehicles mode usually look better than the bot mode. When you look at the packaging, the only thing you see of the bot mode is Hasbro's airbrushed photos on the back. Maybe if you saw what the bot mode really looked like, you wouldn't buy the toy!

Skowl wrote:I've always wondered the same thing.

The big toys are packaged in 'bot mode, because if you put Leader Prime or Brawl or whoever in vehicle mode in the packaging, it doesn't really look like you're getting your money's worth.

Smaller toys are probably packaged in vehicle mode, since the vehicles mode usually look better than the bot mode. When you look at the packaging, the only thing you see of the bot mode is Hasbro's airbrushed photos on the back. Maybe if you saw what the bot mode really looked like, you wouldn't buy the toy!

Yeah but don't thei airbrush the vehicle mode too?

Two words: Twist ties.

Figures packed in robot mode always have at least twice as many twist ties as those of equvalant(sp) size packed in vehicle mode. In robot mode the little bastards have ties around their feet, around their knees, around their waist, through their damn hands! Plus some of the figures come in a little plastic tray that's glued to the cardboard and has extra twist ties that don't go all the way through the back, so you have to tear the whole damn thing apart to get at the twists. I swear it took me twenty minutes to get Titanium Scourge out of his box.

Now then, figures in vehicle mode will have just a few, and vehicles don't usually have any weird curves to loop the twist ties around.

Meverix wrote:

Skowl wrote:I've always wondered the same thing.

The big toys are packaged in 'bot mode, because if you put Leader Prime or Brawl or whoever in vehicle mode in the packaging, it doesn't really look like you're getting your money's worth.

Smaller toys are probably packaged in vehicle mode, since the vehicles mode usually look better than the bot mode. When you look at the packaging, the only thing you see of the bot mode is Hasbro's airbrushed photos on the back. Maybe if you saw what the bot mode really looked like, you wouldn't buy the toy!

Yeah but don't thei airbrush the vehicle mode too?

True, but if you look at the vehicle on the back, and look at the actual vehicle mode in the bubble, you'll see the difference. You can't do that with the 'bot mode. It's a surprise until you buy it, and once you do, who cares if you like it or not, Hasbro gotz yo' money, fool.

I can see that with the Robot-mode looking crap, Skowl.
But now comes the big but, the titaniums were packet in bot-mode, and most of em look like crap with paint on em.

I prefer em packet in bot.mode, lets em look cooler.

Well take a look on some of the robot modes with all the parts sticking out

Would you want to pry that out of the package and risk breaking off a loose part that could be a hood or tire?

I think the only Transformer I had ever seen packeged in robot mode was Beast Machines Silverbolt

Its also tradition because G1 was packaged in vehicle mode also

publicvisage wrote:Two words: Twist ties.

Figures packed in robot mode always have at least twice as many twist ties as those of equvalant(sp) size packed in vehicle mode. In robot mode the little bastards have ties around their feet, around their knees, around their waist, through their damn hands! Plus some of the figures come in a little plastic tray that's glued to the cardboard and has extra twist ties that don't go all the way through the back, so you have to tear the whole damn thing apart to get at the twists. I swear it took me twenty minutes to get Titanium Scourge out of his box.

Now then, figures in vehicle mode will have just a few, and vehicles don't usually have any weird curves to loop the twist ties around.

I hadn't thought about this... Seems like a sensible explanation for it.

Skowl wrote:The big toys are packaged in 'bot mode, because if you put Leader Prime or Brawl or whoever in vehicle mode in the packaging, it doesn't really look like you're getting your money's worth.

I think that has something to do with it. Leader Brawl looks much more impressive in bot mode, but the size argument still carries because once you get up to that size, they take up less room on the shelf standing up.

From what I understand, a lot of the Transformers are designed alt mode first, so they look sleeker in that form.

As for the twist ties... I like to use my wire cutters on them. If you don't plan on putting them back, you can get your Transformer out in half the time it takes to untwist the ties.

Susinko wrote:From what I understand, a lot of the Transformers are designed alt mode first, so they look sleeker in that form.

As for the twist ties... I like to use my wire cutters on them. If you don't plan on putting them back, you can get your Transformer out in half the time it takes to untwist the ties.

Ah, I would love to do that, however a mild case of Obsessive Compulsion prevents me from doing it Fuuuuuuuun...

Meverix wrote:

publicvisage wrote:Two words: Twist ties.

Figures packed in robot mode always have at least twice as many twist ties as those of equvalant(sp) size packed in vehicle mode. In robot mode the little bastards have ties around their feet, around their knees, around their waist, through their damn hands! Plus some of the figures come in a little plastic tray that's glued to the cardboard and has extra twist ties that don't go all the way through the back, so you have to tear the whole damn thing apart to get at the twists. I swear it took me twenty minutes to get Titanium Scourge out of his box.

Now then, figures in vehicle mode will have just a few, and vehicles don't usually have any weird curves to loop the twist ties around.

I hadn't thought about this... Seems like a sensible explanation for it.

We have a winner!

This is fun, alot of people have brought up alot of very good points.

I think we can all agree that, because of everything everyone mentioned, it's obviously easier for Hasbro to package the smaller toys in their alternate modes.

publicvisage wrote:Two words: Twist ties.

But Hasbro loves twist ties, wouldn't they want more figures in bot mode so as they could use more twist ties?

I always thought that since Alt mode is often smaller, that it means less packaging. But every since the standard packaging for the size classes was introduced, and figures have the same size box/bubble, I can't say that is the case anymore, look at Classics Prime, he looked pathetically tiny in the Voyager Packaging compared to Jetfire and Megatron...

I've never thought of Hasbro's practical reasons for packaging them in altmode, instead I always thought it was for extra impact. It's like you're just buying a vehicle toy and it turns out to be a disguised robot

Rushie wrote:I've never thought of Hasbro's practical reasons for packaging them in altmode, instead I always thought it was for extra impact. It's like you're just buying a vehicle toy and it turns out to be a disguised robot

i think that's the main draw there.

:MAX:

Meverix wrote:

publicvisage wrote:Two words: Twist ties.

Figures packed in robot mode always have at least twice as many twist ties as those of equvalant(sp) size packed in vehicle mode. In robot mode the little bastards have ties around their feet, around their knees, around their waist, through their damn hands! Plus some of the figures come in a little plastic tray that's glued to the cardboard and has extra twist ties that don't go all the way through the back, so you have to tear the whole damn thing apart to get at the twists. I swear it took me twenty minutes to get Titanium Scourge out of his box.

Now then, figures in vehicle mode will have just a few, and vehicles don't usually have any weird curves to loop the twist ties around.

I hadn't thought about this... Seems like a sensible explanation for it.

Sensible??

Try prying Concept Bumblebee out of his package if he was in robot mode

There is a solution to twist ties

there known as nail clippers they can easily cut through twist ties

I use them all the time

Wheeljack35 wrote:

Meverix wrote:

publicvisage wrote:Two words: Twist ties.

Figures packed in robot mode always have at least twice as many twist ties as those of equvalant(sp) size packed in vehicle mode. In robot mode the little bastards have ties around their feet, around their knees, around their waist, through their damn hands! Plus some of the figures come in a little plastic tray that's glued to the cardboard and has extra twist ties that don't go all the way through the back, so you have to tear the whole damn thing apart to get at the twists. I swear it took me twenty minutes to get Titanium Scourge out of his box.

Now then, figures in vehicle mode will have just a few, and vehicles don't usually have any weird curves to loop the twist ties around.

I hadn't thought about this... Seems like a sensible explanation for it.

Sensible??

Try prying Concept Bumblebee out of his package if he was in robot mode

There is a solution to twist ties

there known as nail clippers they can easily cut through twist ties

I use them all the time

It's not supposed to be sensible for you the consumer... it's sensible for Hasbro and the Chinese factory. Less twisties means less time, labor and cost per package which means more product for less expense which means higher profit for Hasbro.

cha-ching.

Meverix wrote:Some are, sure, like leader class upward.

But why are most figures packaged in their alternate mode?

I'd be far more inclined to buy a toy if it had an awesome robot mode.

Or is it cos they want kids to go "Hey a cool car... *reads the back* AND its a robot!" or what?

Im not saying it shouldn't be so, just want to know why it is the way it is

Its a good question. Personally I think it is because alternate modes are what look more natural and perfect. If you see the robot mode first, especially if you are unfamiliar with the character, you might not appreciate the vehicle parts showing on the robot.

However when you see the alternate mode first, with the assistance of the pictures you are left to speculate in your head how good the robot mode would look.

OK I am rambling now.

I think its so you will buy it to see the robot mode later!! The best advice for twist ties is figernail clippers period... Everyone has a pair and they work like a charm!![/i]

Wheeljack35 wrote:
Sensible??

Try prying Concept Bumblebee out of his package if he was in robot mode

More than that, you try transforming him to car mode when he's packaged in robot mode. Having bought the Prime/Bumblebee two pack yesterday, Bumblebee joined the very short list of TFs whose instructions I had to consult when transforming the first time. If he'd been packaged in car mode, it would have been a shedload easier to transform him.