by Whifflefire » Thu Sep 29, 2022 7:19 pm
- Motto: ""From Primus Every Help""
- Weapon: Gattling Gun
This is a very interesting prospect, but I think expanding the G1 toyline now would be too niche for mass retail, and maybe even for an exclusive line. G1 figures are appealing because of either nostalgia or history. Older collectors like them because they have personal connections to that era of toys, and newer collectors like G1 figures because they represent the beginning of the franchise. What all collectors expect from new Transformers toys has evolved as the franchise has evolved. At this point, it must be very few people that still see G1 figures as purely toys, and not as relics to be appreciated for the impact they had personally and culturally (not that they aren't toys, or that they can't still be used for fun, but who's going to play with their complete G1 Jetfire or Constructicons in the same way they did in the 80's?).
With the standard practice of creating new toys for old characters with new standards of functionality and engineering, reissuing older figures become opportunities to experience a piece of Transormers history, rather than to be truly definitive representations of these characters. To try to retroactively make history by making toys that didn't actually exist at that time would defy the main appeal for both demographics.
Would it have been nice for there to have been a G1 Arcee, Unicron, Devcon, or other Junkions? Sure! Would they be needed now, now that we have multiple options of updated versions of those characters that do much more and integrate into a modern collection? For most, I would guess probably not.
I hope they continue to do reissues, for G1, Beast Wars, and other lines. They're great for giving new fans a glimpse into the origins and development of the franchise and to see how far we've come. But Transformers doesn't need to fabricate authenticity.
That said, if they did a G2 Megatron in G1 colours I would scoop that right up.