the tf toy legacy forgotten by hasbro?

Figures, collectables, customs and collecting.
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is the legacy forgotten?

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tfforlife12
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the tf toy legacy forgotten by hasbro?

Post by tfforlife12 »

It seems for the last 6 years we've seen a decline in the quality of the transformers figures.
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Brendocon 2.0
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Post by Brendocon 2.0 »

Plastic's ****ing expensive and we're running low on dead dinosaur juice.
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tfforlife12
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Post by tfforlife12 »

still not an ecuse to make cheaper toys.
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tfforlife12
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Post by tfforlife12 »

prices have increased alot in the last 10 years.
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tfforlife12
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Post by tfforlife12 »

supply and demand i guess.
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tfforlife12
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Post by tfforlife12 »

i'm sure hasbro doesn't care.
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Sades
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Post by Sades »

Rather than make multiple posts, use the edit button if you're going to add to your original message, please.
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tfforlife12
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Post by tfforlife12 »

sorry to affend you(not being sarcastic).
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Skyquake87
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Post by Skyquake87 »

I wouldn't say the legacy is forgotten at all. They're recycling some of the brands core concepts in the current Generations themed lines (Combiner Wars / Titans Return), to say nothing of general homage lines like Generations and Masterpiece.

They're also trying to keep the line fresh for kids with regular cartoon shows and new lines/ concepts for younger children. I think Hasbro do a pretty awesome job, all things considered, of appealing to a wide spectrum of consumers with different tastes and demands.

There are of course things I think they could do better - not releasing the same characters in a multitude of size classes/ complexities in near identical packaging for roughly the same price for one, tailoring assortments better for local markets for two - but overall, its impressive that Transformers has grown to have some real staying power in the marketplace. The challenge for Hasbro is how to sustain interest in its most successful non-licensed property going forward. The action figure market is slowly but surely on its way out generally, so that's a revenue stream they aren't going to be able to rely on forever.

As for the toys becoming more expensive and feeling slightly cheaper, that's largely down to economics, as Brendocon alluded to. The global economy is still trying to get going after the financial crash of 2008 and resources are becoming ever more stretched as time goes on, so in that context, its not surprising to see costs cut on manufacturing hand in hand with increases in prices on luxury goods (which toys are). Having seen the near £20 the new Titans Returns Deluxes go for, that has made me hesitate about which ones I'll be picking up...if of course they actually show up on toy shelves in the UK, with TRU (the main stockist for anything that isn't the latest kid-orientated line) having already stated the new stuff will be drip fed whilst they try and shift the mountain of AOE crap they're still stuck with.
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tfforlife12
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Post by tfforlife12 »

Thank you for actually replying.Yes i agree i still trying to get out of what happened in 2008.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

I think Hasbro are actually doing what they can for the line in a harsh economy that's probably only going to get tougher; action figures are a dying thing sadly as costs just keep rising and they get trapped in that cycle; Transformers are a luxury for a lot of fans, let alone kids with so many other things competing.

Hasbro have tried to largely give people what they want since '08, with lots of classic characters while trying to keep fresh Bumblebees around for the kids but I think that's in reflection a little of fans becoming a larger percentage of the market now that it's shrinking. The existence of figures pitched firmly at MTMTE readers and the return of Headmasters is certainly a sign of Hasbro respecting the line's history, perhaps to the extent of navel-gazing.
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Post by Denyer »

Always been a bit of a false legacy, really -- die cast feels nice and premium but chips easily, parts were small and generally got lost, and then there were plastic part issues with things like Swoop's beak and Jazz's roof.

The better quality stuff for robustness is arguably the mid-era releases like the Masters.
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Tetsuro
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Post by Tetsuro »

Denyer wrote:Always been a bit of a false legacy, really -- die cast feels nice and premium but chips easily, parts were small and generally got lost, and then there were plastic part issues with things like Swoop's beak and Jazz's roof.

The better quality stuff for robustness is arguably the mid-era releases like the Masters.
Die cast gives the toys a nice amount of heft, but it's not much fun when the rest of the toy is too fragile to put with much abuse or just suffers from bad tolerances.

But yeah, I'd say in terms of durability the best stuff is around '87 onwards - ironically when die cast got dropped entirely. The larger size might have something to do with it.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

You can't break the legs off a figure if it's got one solid monopod stump.
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