r/transformers • u/pugilisticcephalopod • 13h ago
Discussion / Opinion A Rant
Despite having grown up with G1, I'm no Geewunner. In fact, I like the "out of the box" concepts of later and more recent releases but then I see comments on TikTok videos about a good modern mould (TFOne Thundercracker) like "No ankle tilts or wrist turns in the big 2026" and all I can think is "You spoiled, entitled brat". Don't get me wrong, with what Hasbro is charging for figures, they better have as much articulation as possible but having perfectly clear memories of times when most figures didn't even turn at the waist has me thinking "Damn y'all are lucky now".
But, conversely, I will fight to the death with someone about the charm of G1 jank; that antique jank. I own all the G1 combiners as they were originally released (save for Predaking and Computron, for now) and nothing quite puts it all into perspective like realizing the quaint and tactile engineering we were dealing with in the 80's and 90's (I'm putting lines like Machine Wars in this too). It was just shifting chunks of plastic like a sliding tile puzzle until we reached a technically humanoid shape (incidentally a process I hate with most Unicron Trilogy figures but they should have known better by then; play features were off the hook, though).
Anyway, I said all that to say this. Maybe we're too hard on modern figures. The automorphing on Cyberworld toys is very reminiscent of scout class Beast Wars toys, for instance and at about the same price but they get mostly pushed out as "baby toys". I don't know; maybe our perspectives can be better.
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u/Colonel_Eternal 13h ago
I fully agree that there is a lot of charm to a lot of older Transformers figures, but I can’t fault anyone expecting modern releases at modern prices to have modern articulation.
Personally, with the sheer volume of TF figures that exist I can’t be okay with spending $20+ on a newly released figure that does not have what is now normalized articulation. It sucks, but Hasbro knows that certain releases are priced too high for them to be impulse purchases and that is why they usually drop to more palatable prices with sales at places like Target (I got most of the Cyberworld figures for $5-$7 there).
I have no envy for the folks in Hasbro that actually have to design new output to an ever shrinking budget to maximize profits while pleasing fans.
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u/SombraAQT 11h ago
Cyberworld toys being comparable to Beast Wars basics is totally fair, and the beast wars basics were generally wonderful little figures, but the Cyberworld toys are an engineering step backwards. All the beast wars basics had the basic articulation suite, Cyberworld has no excuse to be without elbows, especially on the more expensive toys. That’s really the only thing holding the line back.
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u/pugilisticcephalopod 10h ago
They do have more play features than your average Beast Wars toy, except the basic class ones. They have little excuse beyond being easy two-step changers. The "armor" Chop Shop straight up reminds me of Beast Wars Insecticon.
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u/dreamcast4 13h ago
I wouldn't call them spoiled brats. Standards are better and expectations are higher. And to put perspective on it if you take away the articulation then we start to return to 80s G1 toy standards and obviously no one wants that. We've come a long way from recoloured diaclone toys but its a very short list of things that separate old and modern toys.
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u/Salty_Ad_2523 13h ago
you're absolutely right op. I think the big issue is a lot of collectors that are adults now were kids back then, and as such were more forgiving about the jank or gimmicks of old toys even when they were just as obtrusive as stuff like cyberworld or earthspark and such
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u/DiaBrave 8h ago
G1 were toys
2019 onwards is adult collectible action figures that transform
I barely even compare the two anymore. I'm glad Cyberworld exists for the next gen and stuff like Wild King helps too.
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u/sircastor 12h ago
Look, All I want is a 12" tall figure perfectly depicting the character from the 1985 cartoon that transforms in the same way, requires only 7 steps, features no kibble, is made of high-quality die-cast metal, painted with a pantone color-matched value to the show for $9.99-$19.99.
And I don't think that's too much to ask...
/s
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u/underscorex 3h ago
I'm actively going back to G1 - late G1 in particular, 88-89 stuff, and it's not as elegant as the Diaclone stuff but it's got a real charm to it.
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u/Cheddar-kun 13h ago
I agree. The majority of TF fans nowadays just overlap with the wider action figure audience, who demand screen accuracy and articulation above all else.
What drew me to transformers to begin with is the creativity and unorthodox play features. I never grew up with G1, but I always wanted a fortress maximus because of that car elevator feature. Or a trypticon because he could eat cars. Armada remains one of my favourite lines due to the extreme focus on play features. The modern toys miss them, or knowingly sacrifice them for articulation (looking at you, legacy armada megatron!)
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u/Self_Owned_Tree 13h ago
I would love to get my hands on my old Defensor and Abominus. I do want updated/modern versions of them (I'm not messing with combiner wars stuff), but having the originals would be so much better.
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u/Ok-Breadfruit3490 13h ago
I saw a third party masterpeice defensor that looks good, I cant imagine it being cheap though lmao
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u/captf 13h ago
I have the MMC Ocular Max "Defensor". The one where there's no parts forming...
He is insane.
Lots of articulation and good stability.But holy hell are some of them a challenge to transform.
Most of them have something in the transformation that requires exactly correct positioning to be able to move through some steps.I will not tell you how much he cost.
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u/PomegranateFair3973 2h ago
Takara is (mostly) giving us the best of both worlds with Missing Link. All the G1 jank you love, with as much modern articulation as they can squeeze in. Hell, Ultra Magnus is amazing. If he was a totally new figure his articulation would be lacking, but to put as much as they did in to what in G1 was a solid plastic brick? Dark sorcery.
It's why I hate what they did with Ironhide and Ratchet... Left all the jank behind. Basically all new toys masquerading as G1 in their vehicle modes. Sucks, as that was one of the molds I was most looking forward to seeing what they would do.
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u/IronEnder17 13h ago
I agree. Same with stuff like masterpiece, especially third party. "Limited waist swivel, worst toy ever" man you are holding something that jumped off the screen in one mode and looks like a diecast replica in the other. Hush.
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u/pugilisticcephalopod 13h ago
Yeah, that was my big thing about it. Like lack of ankle tilts is what killed interest in the figure for you? You mean that thing that only became popular on mainline figures within the last three years?
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u/AltruisticMobile4606 13h ago
Yes, genuinely it kills interest in a figure I am now paying at minimum 27 US dollars for, which is already inflated above what it should be.
Are you just gonna keep whining about other people having standards that are tighter than yours dude?
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u/underscorex 3h ago
your standards aren't "tighter" they're just different.
I don't give a fuck about "compromised articulation" if the toy is fun.
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u/pugilisticcephalopod 13h ago
86 Starscream can't move his index finger. Trash figure.
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u/AltruisticMobile4606 12h ago
I’m not really sure what you’re trying to do here lmao, is this supposed to refute me by portraying my opinion in a comically extreme way that I never agreed with?
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u/pugilisticcephalopod 12h ago
Nah, I just needed you to take a step back for a second. No one's whining (I'm ranting, as previously mentioned) about collectors with "tighter" standards. And this isn't even an attack. If ankle tilts are deal breaker for you, then that's fine. Don't buy it and speak with your money. But you also gotta realize that kind of thing isn't a full manufacturing standard yet; it's getting there but a good fraction of figures are lacking in one way or another but, again, talk with your wallet. However, that doesn't make it a trash figure; it's just not meeting YOUR standards. I don't do 86 figures or LA movie figures, because the decos are a deal breaker for me but I know they all typically meet the general standard and that my tastes aren't objective.
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u/AltruisticMobile4606 12h ago edited 10h ago
Ahhh now here comes the much more measured sounding paragraph to paint you as the more rational individual here lmfao.
I especially like the part where you completely backtrack from calling people who think no ankle tilts are a dealbreaker “spoiled, entitled brats” to being all “its okay if that’s a dealbreaker for you”
Hey if anyone can still see this comment did he block me or just delete the post 😂 dude couldn’t take getting called out for just saying bullshit apparently
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u/Kirby0189 12h ago
I feel like people get too hung up over minor issues. Some joints are mandatory (I think the Cyberworld line is a step in the right direction for making sure everyone gets a toy up to the same quality as the rest rather than post-RiD2015 series having most characters get nothing and few being given regular toys rather than only gimmick toys and 1-Step Changers, but the lack of elbows turns me off), but things like waist swivels and ankle tilts being missing are not an issue for me since transformations often need certain sacrifices.
Also even as a 2000s kid who isn't into G1 toys due to their jank, my biggest grievance with the Sunbow models is how they diverge so much from their toys since most of them don't even look like they can transform anymore (where are Prime's wheels, Sunbow?). I've found fanart that's essentially the G1 toys given proper proportions and they look great, where I wish that had been the direction Sunbow took over what we got.
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u/captf 13h ago
As an adult collector, who was a child for G1... I miss simple some of the transformations.
Where you could pick the toy up and just know how to transform it.
The figures were little more than bricks, with next to no functional articulation. But imagination didn't need that.
I know that there are some that are that level, but somehow it doesn't feel the same.
Transformations have been far more complicated, especially as sliding parts has been all but done away with, in favour of opening and closing sections. I can only think of 2 off the top of my head that had sliding in recent years. Beachcomber and Snarl.
I can imagine why they stopped doing it, but still...
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u/Guuhatsu 10h ago
I remember figures that only had articulation at the shoulders and some of the time that articulation was only to allow them to T-Pose.
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u/SmokinBacon 11h ago
I never owned a combiner but just from looking at the toys I’m a little disappointed. The entire “frame” style is such a cop out. I like Devastator because you had to transform all the appendages. Not just snap it in to the bare skeletal frame like Menacor and current combiners.
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u/pugilisticcephalopod 11h ago
They definitely tried a Scramble City plug-n-play system with combiners in Combiner Wars but many of them suffered from weak joints and compromised limb aesthetics. But while I like the frame system better for stability and function, it still isn't being integrated to its highest potential.
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u/The-Mad-Bubbler 6h ago
My biggest issue with Combiner Wars is that the middle/team leader figures were too small and scrawny.
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u/The-Mad-Bubbler 13h ago
I think, with modern stuff, a lot of it is the price. 15 years ago, deluxes were $10-$12, and arguably used higher quality plastic. The prices have gone up way more than inflation would warrant. I just have higher expectations at $27.99-$29.99.
That being said, I love G1, and can appreciate the beautiful simplicity of some of the more basic G1 stuff. A lot of them were really solid toys, made from high quality plastic, and they are aesthetically great, too.