The Energon Pub

Ahh...too good to be true. I wonder if Target will let me exchange it for another set. Has anyone else have the same problem?!?

It's not too bad, just kinda annoying when I turn him into robot mode. Here's the pic:

This reminds me of the time that my Animated Waspinator came with two right legs.

Same thing happened with my henkei Starscream. Got exchanged lucky me.

Just picked mine up yesterday and didn't have that issue...

fenrir72 wrote:Same thing happened with my henkei Starscream. Got exchanged lucky me.

whoa, this type of quality control happens with Takara too?

shonenfan4 wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:Same thing happened with my henkei Starscream. Got exchanged lucky me.

whoa, this type of quality control happens with Takara too?

Yeah, it seems during 2008 both Takara and Hasbro had QC problems. Henkei Starscream had paint app problems. Some people got other defects, but the paint apps was a huge issue. That's why henkie Starscream is still collecting dust at some online stores.


Well pray to God for me. I'm going to exchange it for another set.

I'll post a new pic when all goes well.

I bet he's a terrible dancer.

Have you tried yelling at him and telling him to 'STOP IT.'?

shonenfan4 wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:Same thing happened with my henkei Starscream. Got exchanged lucky me.

whoa, this type of quality control happens with Takara too?

Please don't take this as me picking on you in particular shonenfan4, but these kind of comments amaze me. Unless of course you are being sarcastic. Takara figures aren't any better than Hasbro, they just aren't. I've been collecting for a long time, I have many Takara figures, and I've encountered all the typical QC issues you get with Hasbro in Takara figures. Loose joints, sloppy paint applications, missing parts, broken parts, misassemblies, etc. To think that for some reason Takara goes the extra mile just because their figures are for the the Asian market is ridiculous. Unless you're after some alternative paint applications or chrome you might as well go with Hasbro. It's like imported items have some sort of mystique about them. Sorry, rant over.

El Duque wrote:Please don't take this as me picking on you in particular shonenfan4, but these kind of comments amaze me. Unless of course you are being sarcastic. Takara figures aren't any better than Hasbro, they just aren't. I've been collecting for a long time, I have many Takara figures, and I've encountered all the typical QC issues you get with Hasbro in Takara figures. Loose joints, sloppy paint applications, missing parts, broken parts, misassemblies, etc. To think that for some reason Takara goes the extra mile just because their figures are for the the Asian market is ridiculous. Unless you're after some alternative paint applications or chrome you might as well go with Hasbro. It's like imported items have some sort of mystique about them. Sorry, rant over.

true, takara has these errors too, but not as much as hasbro....

El Duque wrote:

shonenfan4 wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:Same thing happened with my henkei Starscream. Got exchanged lucky me.

whoa, this type of quality control happens with Takara too?

Please don't take this as me picking on you in particular shonenfan4, but these kind of comments amaze me. Unless of course you are being sarcastic. Takara figures aren't any better than Hasbro, they just aren't. I've been collecting for a long time, I have many Takara figures, and I've encountered all the typical QC issues you get with Hasbro in Takara figures. Loose joints, sloppy paint applications, missing parts, broken parts, misassemblies, etc. To think that for some reason Takara goes the extra mile just because their figures are for the the Asian market is ridiculous. Unless you're after some alternative paint applications or chrome you might as well go with Hasbro. It's like imported items have some sort of mystique about them. Sorry, rant over.

I can understand this perception considering a lot of the praise that imports get. QC is not perfect anywhere. Case in point: My Alternity Megatron Blade Silver has some paint chipping on the rear wheel well right out of the box. If it wasn't for the fact that I had to order online for the product, I'd try for an exchange but the effort just isn't worth it to me.

Now I exchanged it and got one with one left and right leg.....(pic)


If you notice the yellow screwdriver, it helped as well.

The canopy on guess who (Vortex) was loose and the screw came out. I caught the screw and fixed the canopy. I was nervous because I was not going to Target three days in a row. So there may be some QC issues with Vortex in some of the packages. You have been warned.

tom brokaw wrote:

El Duque wrote:Please don't take this as me picking on you in particular shonenfan4, but these kind of comments amaze me. Unless of course you are being sarcastic. Takara figures aren't any better than Hasbro, they just aren't. I've been collecting for a long time, I have many Takara figures, and I've encountered all the typical QC issues you get with Hasbro in Takara figures. Loose joints, sloppy paint applications, missing parts, broken parts, misassemblies, etc. To think that for some reason Takara goes the extra mile just because their figures are for the the Asian market is ridiculous. Unless you're after some alternative paint applications or chrome you might as well go with Hasbro. It's like imported items have some sort of mystique about them. Sorry, rant over.

true, takara has these errors too, but not as much as hasbro....

Again, not trying to stir up trouble, but what proof do you have of this? If we're just talking personal experience then in my case Takara would actually have a higher percentage of QC problems. I have quite a few Takara figures, but I have a ton of Hasbro figures. Just going off percentages in my collection the Takara stuff has would have more QC issues. Maybe your experiences have been different, but there aren't any real numbers to determine who has better QC. I would expect that truth be known the percentage would be about the same. I don't want to derail this topic into a Hasbro vs. Takara QC war, but the notion that Takara stuff far exceeds Hasbro's is a myth.

El Duque wrote:

tom brokaw wrote:

El Duque wrote:Please don't take this as me picking on you in particular shonenfan4, but these kind of comments amaze me. Unless of course you are being sarcastic. Takara figures aren't any better than Hasbro, they just aren't. I've been collecting for a long time, I have many Takara figures, and I've encountered all the typical QC issues you get with Hasbro in Takara figures. Loose joints, sloppy paint applications, missing parts, broken parts, misassemblies, etc. To think that for some reason Takara goes the extra mile just because their figures are for the the Asian market is ridiculous. Unless you're after some alternative paint applications or chrome you might as well go with Hasbro. It's like imported items have some sort of mystique about them. Sorry, rant over.

true, takara has these errors too, but not as much as hasbro....

Again, not trying to stir up trouble, but what proof do you have of this? If we're just talking personal experience then in my case Takara would actually have a higher percentage of QC problems. I have quite a few Takara figures, but I have a ton of Hasbro figures. Just going off percentages in my collection the Takara stuff has would have more QC issues. Maybe your experiences have been different, but there aren't any real numbers to determine who has better QC. I would expect that truth be known the percentage would be about the same. I don't want to derail this topic into a Hasbro vs. Takara QC war, but the notion that Takara stuff far exceeds Hasbro's is a myth.

Well then I guess you just might be the unlucky one.... sorry to hear your Takara figures dont look as good....

.... but yes, I am speaking from experience.... and from my experience Ive noticed that Hasbro has pretty crappy QC. So by default, Takara looks to be better than Hasbro.... and although Takara may still have bad QC issues, Hasbro's is still worse. As a result, Takara just looks better....

.... and I'll quote you from your earlier post.... where you used the word "comments", as in plural.

El Duque wrote:.... but these kind of comments amaze me

So I'm sure you've heard it many times before that Takara has better QC than Hasbro. So its safe to assume that I'm not the only one that feels this way.... cause I've heard many times before as well. And when theres more than one person pointing it out, you know somethings wrong....

I'm not trying to stir up trouble either.... but I'm just sayin....

El Duque wrote:.... To think that for some reason Takara goes the extra mile just because their figures are for the the Asian market is ridiculous....

.... and its not that they go the extra mile.... it just seems that they have higher standards....

tom brokaw wrote:.... and its not that they go the extra mile.... it just seems that they have higher standards....

They don't.

Hasbro and Takara have their toys produced off the same molds, off the same type of production line, and are usually don't at close to the same time.

This Takara is always better myth started with Armada, where circumstances dictated that Japan got their toys later than we did. As such, the Micron Legends figures were able to be updated with more accurate decos and colors because the show was already out and in production. Armada toys suffered paint and deco accuracy issues to be on the shelves in time. Truth is, Armada toys were probably the right versions, the show screwed up the colors and Takara went with the on-screen accurate screw-ups.

So, the Takara version = better myth kicks into high gear because for a time, it's right, but only in terms of deco. The toy quality is exactly the same.

Oddly enough, Energon is more show accurate than Superlink and Cybertron has a track record of established better QC than Galaxy Force (reference Thunderblast), but only because they produced later and were able to fix a few of the initial run production issues.

As someone who has (no bragging intended) one of the largest collections of modern era toys on this site (and probably others too), I can confirm that there are just no reasonable differences in quality on the toys.

I've gotten plenty of screwed up two-left hand figures from Hasbro.

I've got Takara defect toy stories that would crush the souls of lesser men. Among the worst offenders of Takara product I've had:

-original Starscream reissue, joints and pegs so floppy and loose it would have appeared to be a KO
-TFC Reissue Soundblaster...melted leg, malformed, right out of the package
-Encore Optimus Prime...no head
-MP-03 Starscream...massive paint app problems, no painted face

Are those things Takara's fault? No, I mean, they did it, but it's all a part of the manufacturing game. Hasbro has similar problems for me over the years. So, I completely agree with El Duque on this. The QC issues being off balance one way or another just is not the case.

Counterpunch wrote:

tom brokaw wrote:.... and its not that they go the extra mile.... it just seems that they have higher standards....

They don't.

Hasbro and Takara have their toys produced off the same molds, off the same type of production line, and are usually don't at close to the same time.

This Takara is always better myth started with Armada, where circumstances dictated that Japan got their toys later than we did. As such, the Micron Legends figures were able to be updated with more accurate decos and colors because the show was already out and in production. Armada toys suffered paint and deco accuracy issues to be on the shelves in time. Truth is, Armada toys were probably the right versions, the show screwed up the colors and Takara went with the on-screen accurate screw-ups.

So, the Takara version = better myth kicks into high gear because for a time, it's right, but only in terms of deco. The toy quality is exactly the same.

Oddly enough, Energon is more show accurate than Superlink and Cybertron has a track record of established better QC than Galaxy Force (reference Thunderblast), but only because they produced later and were able to fix a few of the initial run production issues.

As someone who has (no bragging intended) one of the largest collections of modern era toys on this site (and probably others too), I can confirm that there are just no reasonable differences in quality on the toys.

I've gotten plenty of screwed up two-left hand figures from Hasbro.

I've got Takara defect toy stories that would crush the souls of lesser men. Among the worst offenders of Takara product I've had:

-original Starscream reissue, joints and pegs so floppy and loose it would have appeared to be a KO
-TFC Reissue Soundblaster...melted leg, malformed, right out of the package
-Encore Optimus Prime...no head
-MP-03 Starscream...massive paint app problems, no painted face

Are those things Takara's fault? No, I mean, they did it, but it's all a part of the manufacturing game. Hasbro has similar problems for me over the years. So, I completely agree with El Duque on this. The QC issues being off balance one way or another just is not the case.

Thanks for the back up CP. You hit the nail right on the head, Takara and Hasbro QC are the same.

May I also add my input too?

I was also a victim of the henkei Starscream two left leg curse. Thank god my supplier changed it. In a case box, he had a total of (8) 2 lefties.

Maybe it ain't quality per se but on the presentation. Like in RID, Fire Convoy and God Magnus had those shiny cystal like appearance on the plastic while the RID version were kind of dull. And in Japan, the safety standards aren't that strict.........that's why they have TFC and Encore Megatron with functional poke in your eye, asphyxiate your throat firing projectiles. On the former, the TFC had it on the mark with the presentation aspect.

In fact, I also had an original Takara G1 TF 1980's Meister that had air bubbles on the hind wheel shield(if thats the proper terminology)

So if we do have this "errors", it's due to some supervisor sleeping on the job, mechanical failure or exhausted sweat shop worker.

fenrir72 wrote:May I also add my input too?

I was also a victim of the henkei Starscream two left leg curse. Thank god my supplier changed it. In a case box, he had a total of (8) 2 lefties.

Maybe it ain't quality per se but on the presentation. Like in RID, Fire Convoy and God Magnus had those shiny cystal like appearance on the plastic while the RID version were kind of dull. And in Japan, the safety standards aren't that strict.........that's why they have TFC and Encore Megatron with functional poke in your eye, asphyxiate your throat firing projectiles. On the former, the TFC had it on the mark with the presentation aspect.

In fact, I also had an original Takara G1 TF 1980's Meister that had air bubbles on the hind wheel shield(if thats the proper terminology)

So if we do have this "errors", it's due to some supervisor sleeping on the job, mechanical failure or exhausted sweat shop worker.

Now when it comes to presentation, it's just a matter of personal taste. If you prefer a Takara deco then by all means go for it, but the idea that the actual construction of the figure will be better because it's from Takara is false.

and knowing is half the battle!

tom brokaw wrote:and knowing is half the battle!

Go Joe!

Counterpunch wrote:

tom brokaw wrote:.... and its not that they go the extra mile.... it just seems that they have higher standards....

They don't.

Hasbro and Takara have their toys produced off the same molds, off the same type of production line, and are usually don't at close to the same time.

This Takara is always better myth started with Armada, where circumstances dictated that Japan got their toys later than we did. As such, the Micron Legends figures were able to be updated with more accurate decos and colors because the show was already out and in production. Armada toys suffered paint and deco accuracy issues to be on the shelves in time. Truth is, Armada toys were probably the right versions, the show screwed up the colors and Takara went with the on-screen accurate screw-ups.

So, the Takara version = better myth kicks into high gear because for a time, it's right, but only in terms of deco. The toy quality is exactly the same.

Oddly enough, Energon is more show accurate than Superlink and Cybertron has a track record of established better QC than Galaxy Force (reference Thunderblast), but only because they produced later and were able to fix a few of the initial run production issues.

As someone who has (no bragging intended) one of the largest collections of modern era toys on this site (and probably others too), I can confirm that there are just no reasonable differences in quality on the toys.

I've gotten plenty of screwed up two-left hand figures from Hasbro.

I've got Takara defect toy stories that would crush the souls of lesser men. Among the worst offenders of Takara product I've had:

-original Starscream reissue, joints and pegs so floppy and loose it would have appeared to be a KO
-TFC Reissue Soundblaster...melted leg, malformed, right out of the package
-Encore Optimus Prime...no head
-MP-03 Starscream...massive paint app problems, no painted face

Are those things Takara's fault? No, I mean, they did it, but it's all a part of the manufacturing game. Hasbro has similar problems for me over the years. So, I completely agree with El Duque on this. The QC issues being off balance one way or another just is not the case.

QFT!

My JRX is a floppy bag of crap and has rusty screws. And it was MOSC when I bought it. The fact that alot of the same factories get used, with the same employees, etc, all amount to the same kinds of QC issues. The only reason to go Takara is for deco differences.

Razorclaw0000 wrote:The only reason to go Takara is for deco differences.

This is how I see it too! WhenI chose between Hasbro and Takara, it's normally due to deco and I can't even say that Takara reigns here as it depends on what you're looking for in a figure's colour scheme.

Convotron wrote:

Razorclaw0000 wrote:The only reason to go Takara is for deco differences.

This is how I see it too! WhenI chose between Hasbro and Takara, it's normally due to deco and I can't even say that Takara reigns here as it depends on what you're looking for in a figure's colour scheme.

Yeah, Cyclonus was a great example of this that really divided the fandom. I personally much preferred the darker scheme U2.0 was rocking rather than the lilac that Henkei had. And oh God the chrome! I'm not a fan of the chrome on alot of Henkei's stuff (but I'm OK with it on exclusives like ED Ligier and Strafe).

Razorclaw0000 wrote:Yeah, Cyclonus was a great example of this that really divided the fandom. I personally much preferred the darker scheme U2.0 was rocking rather than the lilac that Henkei had. And oh God the chrome! I'm not a fan of the chrome on alot of Henkei's stuff (but I'm OK with it on exclusives like ED Ligier and Strafe).

I prefer the Universe colour scheme of Cyclonus as well. It's more accurate to the G1 Cyclonus figure I have(one of the few Transformers toys I managed to keep from my childhood).

Hmm, yes, chrome. I'm not a big fan of its use in many of the Henkei figures but on the other hand, I do prefer the colour schemes used by many of those figures. On the exclusive figures with their usually more far out decos, chrome seems to fit in better to my eyes.

I just saw a nifty fanmode at TFW2005. Seeing the RotF Bruticus in the haul thread and this fanmode makes me so envious of those who have the set!