The Energon Pub

I'm asking this with the movie line. I personally find 08 BB and Barricade really hard to transform! Armada, Energon, Cybertron were significantly easier, and CYB only ended last year or so! Why are the becoming so hard to convert!? Sometimes with my movie figs, I keep them in one mode for a week at at a time! The instructions sometimes don't help either. I haven't always been a huge fan, so have they always been like this?

Leon S Kennedy wrote:I'm asking this with the movie line. I personally find 08 BB and Barricade really hard to transform! Armada, Energon, Cybertron were significantly easier, and CYB only ended last year or so! Why are the becoming so hard to convert!? Sometimes with my movie figs, I keep them in one mode for a week at at a time! The instructions sometimes don't help either. I haven't always been a huge fan, so have they always been like this?

Beastwars Neo and Carrobots are the hardest to transform in my opinion. A lot of shell formers with very difficult to allign panels rather like the altenators

I think they are, at least compared to G1. In some ways I like it, because it's a challenge. However I'd much prefer a transformer that was difficult to convert because of actual steps needed to transform the toy, and not because I have to align panels, tuck in exacting angles for limbs, etc. To me that defeats the joy. So you're right, when you say that Barricade and BB09 are difficult to convert, but only because of actual alignment.

A really good example in my mind of a toy that is difficult to convert because of commplexity of steps, and not because if things aren't lined up right then I have to redo everything again, is MP-01 Optimus Prime. I think a good Transformer toy should be made such that each move is a definite step, getting you from one step to the next.

The Alt/BT line figures are initially difficult but after practice, they become easier. I may not have them but I am guessing that the MP figures are very difficult. The movie line are not terribly difficult to transform.

SOmetimes I miss the simplicity of the G1 days. A few flips, maybe a rotation or two, and voila - a robot. It made it for more action in kids play.

These days, a kid playing sounds like: "Decepticons, transform"....5 minutes later .... "attack!"

Ands by "carrobots" he mean Robots In Disguise.

Yeah they were very difficult to transform. Sideburn is still a pain to transform, i think he's as much a pain as Alternator Grimlock or Movie Ironhide.


The different lines have varying degrees of difficulty.

Now with animated, they seem to have returned to the easy to transform, figures.

Yeah, G1 were pretty simple. I've got Grapple and Soundwave, and their easy. like 20 seconds, and WHAM! Robot. I've got barricade on my keyboard right now, just finished convertin him after 3 minutes. I gave up on going back to car, so he went to robot again.

Overcracker wrote:Ands by "carrobots" he mean Robots In Disguise.

Yeah they were very difficult to transform. Sideburn is still a pain to transform, i think he's as much a pain as Alternator Grimlock or Movie Ironhide.

I picked up Side Burn sometime during the summer. I've finally figured out a decent way to transform him without just popping off every part possible, transforming what's left, and then popping bits back on.

I've noticed that many of the movie figures are hard the first couple times and then... kinda average, I guess.

Seeming as I haven't looked at directions in a few years but still need to recheck BW Rampage's instructions for tank mode, I'd say no!

Now are they getting more complex in design and detail, I say YES, which is a reason why I'm unhappy with the upcoming simplistic Animated line.

Alternators/Binaltech are the toughest line so far, IMO.

I'm fine with the BW, Classic, Unicron-Trilogy toys.

Overcracker wrote:The different lines have varying degrees of difficulty.

Now with animated, they seem to have returned to the easy to transform, figures.

This is an interesting point, I wonder what goes into the decision for each line. Why was energon simpler than RID, or the movie line being more complicated than cybertron?

The animated line does seem to be going back to G1 roots with very simple and clever transformations.

The hardest for me to transform from the movie line had to be the first bumblebee, I could never get him to stay together for too long, and Barricade. I actually cut my finger trying to transform Barricade into his car mode.

Avatar Prime wrote:The hardest for me to transform from the movie line had to be the first bumblebee, I could never get him to stay together for too long, and Barricade. I actually cut my finger trying to transform Barricade into his car mode.

seek help

Different strokes .... after having a hard time at first I can transform Barracade and Sideburn easily.

I actualy got Sideburn the same time the Japanesse Hot Rod first got reissued. Seeming as he was part or the TRANSFORMERS 2000, Car Robots line I got from from a collectors shop, I wasn't initialy sure what he was.

The Beast Era was over, and I was just looking for changable robots, as I was unsure if domestic TFs where to continue(sucks that I bought the whole line for 3 times regular retail a year early, but live and learn).

Not knowing how to read Japanesse, and asociating him with Hot Rod, I've dubbed the figure Hot Rod Scrap. I saw him as a junkion Hot Rod drone for Rodimus to comand. The red and flame detailes only encuraged this.

I never realy had a chance to watch RID, so to me, he was a zombie drone, a junker made as homage to Hot Rod. So it struck me as funny that in RID he was a player.

It fits Hot Rod, but not the mismatched scrap bot that is RID SideBurn

Lapse Of Reason wrote:SOmetimes I miss the simplicity of the G1 days. A few flips, maybe a rotation or two, and voila - a robot. It made it for more action in kids play.

These days, a kid playing sounds like: "Decepticons, transform"....5 minutes later .... "attack!"

Then the Animated toys should technically please you because they pretty much go that route (with some auto-transformation as well).

U guys are LAZY so stop complaining, yeh ok im a G1 fan and thats were i spend my money, but guys ( + girls) were all here because TF's are a way of life

I own a RiD Side Burn and Prowl. I also have a Deluxe Barricade, Comparing the transformations, I have to say that Barricade is the one that takes the most time to transform, having to align the sides of his alt mode with the holes on the legs, and even if it seems he is perfectly back in his Saleen mode, still he can't roll smoothly on a flat surface!

Transforming Side Burn does'nt take as long, and all his parts (the halves of the hood with the doors, the roof and windshield, the front of the car) end up snaped right in place, without any gaps, and the Viper mode feels very solid (Except for the exhaust/missile thing), and rolls really well.

IMHO, majority of the movie line are a bit challenging compared to most of the Unicron trilogy. Energon Slugslinger is the exception. Still have him in the middle phase when i tried from bot to jet in storage...


Seibertron rocks.

I can't get Barricade to convert to christianity no matter what I do.

The movie figures are hard to transform because hasbro wanted a figure that looks like it's movie counter part.

Personally, I'd have to say the Alternators line provides me with the most frustration. Not that they are overly difficult mind you, just a little frustrating and time consuming.

The movie toys are generally more complex than the G1 and G2 Tfs that I grew up with but, as an adult, I find them more interesting in their complexity.

All of the MP's that I have (DVD Prime, MP Skywarp, Mp Starscream) are definitely waaaaay more complex, but they aren't really toys IMO, more for displaying. Also, after looking at the gallery for MP Megatron (I preordered him), I'm looking forward to a couple of rounds of transforming him. I'm guessing that'll kill a good half an hour or so lol

Lapse Of Reason wrote:I can't get Barricade to convert to christianity no matter what I do.

...that's some funny ****!

In regards to the actual topic, I'd have to say that I find Leader Class Brawl the hardest to transform, but I do like the challenge. I'm glad the movie line is a wee-bit harder than the older lines to transform. As far as instructions, I tend to go with just 'wingin' it' and figuring it out on my own.

I haven't had any problem with movie deluxes or voyagers, (except Ironhide's shoulders...but that was because of my own stupidity, and not the figure's fault. I just didn't realise the wheels lock on the sides of the neck), and can't comment on leader class because I don't collect them.

But 2 alternators are always giving me headache: Prime's front grill (I'm sure it doesn't really FIT properly without excessive use of force...) and Silverstreak's feet, which don't fit easily back in car mode.

So, some of them are a bit hard to transform, while most are still easy enough. (my opinion, NOT intended to be universal truth...)

I think a lot of the Movie stuff and the Alternators are not so much difficult as fiddly. You can see where everything needs to go, but it has to be lined up exactly right, or nothing will clip together properly. As an "adult" collector, it doesn't bother me too much, but I'm glad I'm not a kid trying to stage fast-moving adventures with the Movie toys.