The Energon Pub

I understand why toys are sometimes mis-transformed in publicity pictures and when they're on display at conventions and such but you would think if they were going to get it right somewhere it would be in the instructions.

Do the engineers/designers not get consulted when the instructions are being created?

Knock Out certainly doesn't think so.

They too communicate with each other using only arrows while their respective bodyparts are highlighted. But you'd think that an engineer would be present whilst the photos are being taken to ensure accuracy

Most of the times, I find the instructions hard to understand. The picture is small, unclear, and it's hrad to figure out what is going on. So, I just use them to get a rough idea of what to do next. I also use the pictures on the packaging to help me. Even so, the pictures on the stupid Packagings are often mistransformed and the instructions themselves have steps that no longer apply on the actual figure. For better (DotM Sky Hammer and the rotor blades that no longer get removed) or worse (RotF Starscream with his hand that no longer fold inside the back of the jet).

I don't use instructions that much anymore. Unless I'm the first to ever get the toy (which never happens), I mostly rely on reviews.

Yea some of them are really bad, I still remember ROTF leader Prime, after 30 mins of trying to put him into vehicle mode, I went to youtube..

I agree that they often are confusing. I only use them after I've transformed it a few times to see if I've missed anything. Sometimes they suggest a better order than what I did, more often they have things missing.

That said, it must be hard to make them.

Part of the fun isnt it? Working out what the heck you are supposed to do.