Overrated Transformer Toys

[Vector Prime]

In the spirit of the other thread (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=11114), what's an overrated Transformer toy in your opinion?

For me, it would currently have to be DOTM Leader Class Sentinel Prime (see here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=241496#post241496) to understand why)

Anyway, what other ones out there are overrated in your opinion?

[1AZRAEL1]

Drift





JK :p

Can't think of any figures that I was dissapointed with, they all are enjoyable to me, therefore not overrated :)

[Vector Prime]

what's an overrated Transformer toy in your opinion?


Drift

Toy, not character. Lol :p

[1AZRAEL1]

Toy, not character. Lol :p

Oh let me have my fun :p

[i_amtrunks]

Classics Voyager Optimus Prime/Magnus.
Never really felt the mold really suited Prime, hated the forearm kibble, and thought the transformation was average, even though it was easy.

Only kept Magnus for the City Commander Armour, and even then sold them off as I had no attachment or joy from owning the figure.

[Hursticon]

Generations Warpath - IMO whilst it is a nice toy it doesn't really do anything more for the character than what the Universe 2.0 Legends Class figure did. :cool:

I'd also like to second Drift. :p

[liegeprime]

Cybertron Supreme Starscream.... it's only big and with lights and sound but has nothing awesome at all, the Voyager version was enough... this toy was a colossal waste of plastic along the lines of Supreme Cheetor....they both shelfwarmed anyways... but if your a kitbasher, this toy would be a must have to harvest for parts :p

[Gutsman Heavy]

MP Megatron, MP Starscream.

[LordCyrusOmega]

Cybertron Supreme Starscream.... it's only big and with lights and sound but has nothing awesome at all, the Voyager version was enough... this toy was a colossal waste of plastic along the lines of Supreme Cheetor....they both shelfwarmed anyways... but if your a kitbasher, this toy would be a must have to harvest for parts :p

+1 I was so dissapointed when I got him home. For such a big toy the transformation was incredibly basic.

Also Cybertron Primus. I was Excited to have get a Primus/Cybertron toy but when I got him home I quickly realised that I'd payed $150 fo a ball. While everything about him was cool he was still just a ball, should have waited till he came on sale.

[Sky Shadow]

Masterpiece Optimus Prime. It's just a heavy, overrated thing that looks funny in both modes and is out of scale with every other Transformer.


I'd also like to second Drift. :p

Thirded!

[GoktimusPrime]

Transmetal 2 Cybershark. Totally did not live up to the hype. I like Generations Warpath, but he is hyped up by his rarity. People probably wouldn't be talking about him so much if he was easy to find. He's about as nice as Thunderwing really... some minor flaws, but overall a really nice toy and good homage to his G1 counterpart.

[jaydisc]

Masterpiece Prime by a country 1.61km

[Sky Shadow]

Transmetal 2 Cybershark. Totally did not live up to the hype.

Was there hype? If so, I'd agree, since it's an abysmal mould that swims around in circles with parts falling off, but I just assumed everyone felt that way.

[Paulbot]

I foresee a repeated anecdote.

I think RTS Lugnut is over-rated, most disappointing TF in ages.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Why were you disappointed with Lugnut?

[jaydisc]

I was too. He is overrated; simplistic; the rubbery nose cone was annoying; the arms couldn't rotate at the shoulders.

[Paulbot]

Why were you disappointed with Lugnut?
My comments in the review thread (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=230372&postcount=28), everyone was raving about it so much that it made me question wether people were serious or just going along with the "Lugnut is great" joke.

[LordCyrusOmega]

I'd also like to second Drift. :p

Forgive me but what's this about another drift?


Transmetal 2 Cybershark. Totally did not live up to the hype

I was hyped about this toy though not from a fandom point, didn't even know there was hype for it though I lived in a bubble back then. I like sharks and he was the coolest of the 3 TM2 that were being advertised. Sure parts fall off him and he's a pain to transform and His alt mode is fused in mid-turn but I still like him. Sea animals are cool.

[kurdt_the_goat]

I was too. He is overrated; simplistic; the rubbery nose cone was annoying; the arms couldn't rotate at the shoulders.

The rubbery nose came as a surprise to me as well, and at first i thought the whole connection was weak (in plane mode), until i realised the head has notches to help lock it in place.


My comments in the review thread (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=230372&postcount=28), everyone was raving about it so much that it made me question wether people were serious or just going along with the "Lugnut is great" joke.

My animated Lugnut at least, suffers from the spring problem on the chest - the slightest knock will put it out of place. He's also a bit loose at the legs(falls over) and i think his weapon's too big (only useful to help him stand up!). Though, i agree the new Lugnuts weapon is worse! Overall i think the new one is the better toy..
But, i got it at the same time as about 5 excellent deluxe toys, so it seemed a bit disappointing for the extra cost.

[GoktimusPrime]

yeah, there was plenty of hype for TM2 Cybershark when it came out in 1999... so many reviewers were fapping themselves silly over it, and it made it to ToyFare Magazine's Top 10 listing for quite some time, where it was even #1 for a couple of months. I dunno if those reviewers were on something or if Hasbro bribed them or what... but after reading all these rave reviews for the toy it had me psyched -- so then when the toy finally came out here, I quickly grabbed it and was sorely disappointed. :(

[i_amtrunks]

My comments in the review thread (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=230372&postcount=28), everyone was raving about it so much that it made me question wether people were serious or just going along with the "Lugnut is great" joke.

Joke?

I think that there were a few Cybertron figures that were a overrated, the Cybertron Defence Scattorshot and Red Alert figures were worse than the original figures, which was sad, considering that most of the characters who got upgraded had improvements (bar Leobreaker.... blech).

Movie Blackout was also a terrible figure that seemed to get ranted about quite a bit but I guess compared to some of the other toys we got for the first live action film he probably isn't so bad. I just remember that he was another figure that I couldn't get rid of out of my collection fast enough.

[Vector Prime]

Cybertron Supreme Starscream.... it's only big and with lights and sound but has nothing awesome at all, the Voyager version was enough... this toy was a colossal waste of plastic


+1 I was so dissapointed when I got him home. For such a big toy the transformation was incredibly basic.


+3 :D

He's utter crap! They could have at least attempted to make the toy a bit more involved in its transformation and could have stuck in a few more gimmicks, but as it stands, it's just big, useless, underperforms and takes up a lot of space (kinda like an American SUV :p)


Masterpiece Optimus Prime. It's just a heavy, overrated thing that looks funny in both modes and is out of scale with every other Transformer.


Masterpiece Prime by a country 1.61km

+3 too! :D

I have never quite gotten the fascination with MP Prime - as SS mentioned, he just looks funny in both modes and is just big and heavy.

I'm probably one of the very few people who is looking forward to the upcoming new and improved MP-10 to represent Masterpiece Prime in my collection, not the overrated original release. :rolleyes:

[SkyWarp91]

Aww, I like MP-04, probably because he costs so much and I can't justify getting MP-10.

I gotta agree with Classics Voyager Prime, he ain't that cool-looking what with the sunroof/surfboard thing.

Also, Classics Hot Rod is overrated as well. The car mode is cool but the robot mode is mehhhhhhhhhhhh

[Lint]

I think RTS Lugnut is over-rated, most disappointing TF in ages.

Over-rated I can understand because of lugnut's novelty factor, but most dissapointing TF in ages? :eek:


MP Prime overrated? Try G1 Optimus Prime, arguably the most overrated transformers toy of all time. I get the feeling that everyone is more enamoured by the character/nostaglia than the actual toy itself.

Heck, after all these years I still don't own one. :o

[Hursticon]

Transmetal 2 Cybershark. Totally did not live up to the hype. I like Generations Warpath, but he is hyped up by his rarity. People probably wouldn't be talking about him so much if he was easy to find. He's about as nice as Thunderwing really... some minor flaws, but overall a really nice toy and good homage to his G1 counterpart.

I honestly knew nothing of the hype, I just remember the toy add and thinking: "Man! - Fuzors and Transmetal 2s look freakin' Awesome!". :o
(I still like him too)


My comments in the review thread (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=230372&postcount=28), everyone was raving about it so much that it made me question wether people were serious or just going along with the "Lugnut is great" joke.

Nope, I wasn't joking as IMO he's the best Voyager figure that was released out of the entirety of the Generations, HFTD & RTS period lines. :cool:
(His Gloriousness truly knows no bounds)

@Skywarp: I'm with you on MP-04 man, he is the Masterpiece and as he was the first it's not that he doesn't fit in with the other MPs, they just don't fit in with him. ;):cool:
(Apart from MP-05)

[Vector Prime]

Over-rated I can understand because of lugnut's novelty factor, but most dissapointing TF in ages? :eek:

MP Prime overrated? Try G1 Optimus Prime, arguably the most overrated transformers toy of all time. I get the feeling that everyone is more enamoured by the character/nostaglia than the actual toy itself.

Heck, after all these years I still don't own one. :o

G1 Prime may be overrated now (in terms of dollar value or nostalgia factor) but he was certainly one of the most awesome G1 toys back in the day.

As a 6 year old kid, I thought he was the coolest thing since sliced bread and craved owning him like crazy - finally got him (I was the third kid in my school to acquire him) and he lived up to all my expectations and more.



Nope, I wasn't joking as IMO he's the best Voyager figure that was released out of the entirety of the Generations, HFTD & RTS period lines. :cool:
(His Gloriousness truly knows no bounds)

Big call there Hursty! :eek:

But I would agree that he was the best Voyager in those lines you mentioned (with the exception of Grappel, everything else was ordinary - there weren't that many Voyagers to begin with). :D

[Hursticon]

As a 6 year old kid, I thought he was the coolest thing since sliced bread and craved owning him like crazy - finally got him (I was the third kid in my school to acquire him) and he lived up to all my expectations and more.

I was about 4-5 when I saw the Gold box re-release of G1 Prime and I've got to say I felt exactly the same VP, except I wouldn't own one for another 15 odd years. :o


Big call there Hursty! :eek:

But I would agree that he was the best Voyager in those lines you mentioned (with the exception of Grappel, everything else was ordinary - there weren't that many Voyagers to begin with). :D

I prefer to state the facts. ;)

I like to try and give figure's engineering a context when comparing them, especially when comparing them to those that are released before or after it.
(The only one I feel that competes is Highbrow personally, Inferno/Grapple is quite good too IMO)

[klystron]

Nope, I wasn't joking as IMO he's the best Voyager figure that was released out of the entirety of the Generations, HFTD & RTS period lines. :cool:


I was going to say that Bludgeon is better, but I don't remember what damn line he was. :confused:
(I'm only a few steps away from the box, but really couldnt be bothered getting up)

And though I really like Lugnut (definitely not overrated), I like Highbrow more. :cool:

[Vector Prime]

(The only one I feel that competes is Highbrow personally, Inferno/Grapple is quite good too IMO)

Highbrow didn't even come close to the gloriousness of Lugnut.

Speaking of Highbrow, there's another overrated toy in recent history.

Purchased him nice and early from overseas since his alt mode looked very nice and his bot mode looked ok (in pics).

Received him and couldn't see what the fuss was all about?

Alt mode was nice as expected, bot mode looked fugly in person and overall he was pretty ordinary.

Perhaps the allure of being slightly difficult to get (since he wasn't released down under) sent his stock skyrocketing a bit, but once I had him in hand, I would even rate Sea Spray higher than him.

[Hursticon]

I was going to say that Bludgeon is better, but I don't remember what damn line he was. :confused:
(I'm only a few steps away from the box, but really couldnt be bothered getting up)

And though I really like Lugnut (definitely not overrated), I like Highbrow more. :cool:

Bludgeon was of the ROTF Voyager line, but his repaint; Bonzaitron, was in the HFTD line if that helps? :)

Yeah, I reckon Highbrow is his only real competitor. :cool:
(I Should've picked one up :()

[Golden Phoenix]

Crossovers Venom.

I remember a while back there were a lot of people raving about it. As awesome as his car mode was, the robot mode was so horrible.
The legs are the worst part. They were blocky and the feet and thigh didn't line up. They were atrocious.

[Tober]

Voyager Bludgeon. Nice enough, but over-rated in my opinion.

MP-1 Convoy was a great achievement for Takara 10 odd years ago. Problem is they kept milking it, and it kept selling...

[GoktimusPrime]

Lint: I don't think 1984 Optimus Prime is overrated. Take yourself back to 1984 and don't tell me you didn't think that was a DAMN awesome toy! He was absolutely the coolest toy of that line that every kid wanted (the most popular Decepticon was Soundwave). Back in those days, you either had an Optimus Prime, or you wanted an Optimus Prime!!

The great thing about Optimus Prime was that he wasn't just another Transformer action figure - he was also a playset - a mobile headquarters for all your other Autobots! And he was _huge_... he just towered over all the other Autobots of that year. The only Transformers that could match his size were Soundwave and Megatron. And the engineering of that toy was damn fine by the standards of the day. :)

[Lint]

Lint: I don't think 1984 Optimus Prime is overrated. Take yourself back to 1984 and don't tell me you didn't think that was a DAMN awesome toy! He was absolutely the coolest toy of that line that every kid wanted (the most popular Decepticon was Soundwave). Back in those days, you either had an Optimus Prime, or you wanted an Optimus Prime!!

The great thing about Optimus Prime was that he wasn't just another Transformer action figure - he was also a playset - a mobile headquarters for all your other Autobots! And he was _huge_... he just towered over all the other Autobots of that year. The only Transformers that could match his size were Soundwave and Megatron. And the engineering of that toy was damn fine by the standards of the day. :)

I was an infant in 1984 :p

But I still grew up with Transformers. Perhaps the hype had died over the Optimus Prime toy by 1990 but he was still available due to Classics reissues. The only awe I ever felt for this toy was:

A) Huge pricetag
B) Physical size compared to other Transformers


He turns into a frieght truck. When all the other Autobots transform into awesome sports cars who the heck would want a freight truck? Sure I wanted him but on my list of wanted G1 Autobots at the time he would have been behind all the dinobots, just about all the 'deluxe sized' Autobot cars, any autobot flier and any combiner gestalt.

As for playset value, I was more excited by the Turtle Van. :rolleyes:
Micromaster bases and the likes of Metroplex and Fort Max are the only playsets done right in the TF universe.

Now Soundwave I wanted badly. He turned into a walkman, the most sophisticated portable music device of the era, and had awesome articulation and proportions. Whatmore he had an army of transformable cassettes he could store in his chest!

Alas I don't think he was reissued until the noughties?

[Lord_Zed]

Classics Jetfire. Sure he is a great homage to both the cartoon and the toy with all his nick knacks and what not's, but strip of all that armour and he just a F14 with a rectangular nosecone (that looks unaerodynamic and boxy), and Valkyrie like thruster nozels. Aesthetically I would rather they go for one of the other than make frankenstiens fighter. My other issue with this toy is his simple transformation his arms don't even attempt to hide in alt mode, and he's pretty damn basic.

It's a decent toy and good homage but many classics are, I don't understand peoples obsession with it, and that's from a Valkyrie fan.

[SkyWarp91]

Classics Jetfire. Sure he is a great homage to both the cartoon and the toy with all his nick knacks and what not's, but strip of all that armour and he just a F14 with a rectangular nosecone (that looks unaerodynamic and boxy), and Valkyrie like thruster nozels. Aesthetically I would rather they go for one of the other than make frankenstiens fighter. My other issue with this toy is his simple transformation his arms don't even attempt to hide in alt mode, and he's pretty damn basic.

It's a decent toy and good homage but many classics are, I don't understand peoples obsession with it, and that's from a Valkyrie fan.

The only good VF-1S toy is the original toy! :D

[kurdt_the_goat]

The great thing about Optimus Prime was that he wasn't just another Transformer action figure - he was also a playset - a mobile headquarters for all your other Autobots! And he was _huge_... he just towered over all the other Autobots of that year. The only Transformers that could match his size were Soundwave and Megatron. And the engineering of that toy was damn fine by the standards of the day. :)

Even now some toys could learn a thing from G1 Prime! I love how his legs ratchet into position - close together for truck mode, but separated in robot all from a simple up > down movement

[GoktimusPrime]

I was an infant in 1984 :p
Turbo revvin' young punk! :p


But I still grew up with Transformers. Perhaps the hype had died over the Optimus Prime toy by 1990 but he was still available due to Classics reissues.
Interest in Transformers was on the decline by 1990. The US cartoon was cancelled 3 years prior and even in Japan the anime series was being canned, with Transformers Zone canceled (and its pilot episode released as a direct-to-video OVA). Toywise things were getting desperate too - the same year Hasbro also gave us Action Masters which dominated the line. Yeah. (-_-) Then the US Marvel Comics got cancelled a year later - and of course, G1 itself got canned in '93. So with 1990 you're looking at the middle of G1's declining years.


He turns into a frieght truck. When all the other Autobots transform into awesome sports cars who the heck would want a freight truck?
I can't speak for others, but I didn't want _all_ my Autobots to be sports cars. I liked the variety of vehicles... and there were plenty of Autobots in 1984 who weren't sports cars, e.g. Bumblebee, Gears, Brawn (my first!), Huffer, Bumblejumper, Ratchet, Ironhide, Trailbreaker... and technically Mirage isn't a sports car. ;) To me having a big truck made sense as a leader of a team of automobiles. He's big, and he could carry the other Autobots inside his trailer too. When I was a kid I used to load up other Autobot cars into Prime's trailer, have him smash into the Decepticons' camp, then unload them into action, then transform himself into battle mode (w/ combat deck & Roller deployed). Soundwave might be able to eject cassettes, but Prime could shoot out cars! And quite literally thanks to the trailer's launch mechanism. :) And the fact that combat deck's main tower could stick out in trailer mode gave Optimus Prime the first battle ready alt mode (for a civilian vehicle).


Sure I wanted him but on my list of wanted G1 Autobots at the time he would have been behind all the dinobots, just about all the 'deluxe sized' Autobot cars, any autobot flier and any combiner gestalt.
Yeah but imagine a time when there were far fewer Autobot cars, no such thing as Autobot fliers and no such thing as gestalts. Imagine then how much more a lot of kids would have wanted Optimus Prime when he was such a cool toy.

In 1985 we had Omega Supreme, a bigger play set Transformer. We also had flier Autobots (Powerglide, Jetfire and Whirl) and several Transformers that were taller than Prime (Shockwave, Blaster etc). But that all came in the following year -- so in context of the first year of Transformers when none of those toys existed in Transformers, I hope you can see how awesome Optimus Prime would have looked in our eyes.


As for playset value, I was more excited by the Turtle Van. :rolleyes:
Micromaster bases and the likes of Metroplex and Fort Max are the only playsets done right in the TF universe.
Yeah but again, none of those toys existed at the time Prime came out. Metroplex and Fort Max might be arguably nicer play sets, but it's always easier to make toys better when they come later because designers are always trying to improve. And as nice as they are as play sets, I don't think they're as nice in terms of being action figures as Optimus Prime -- especially Fortress Maximus. His size makes him an awesome playset, but a somewhat cumbersome action figure to interact with other Transformer toys. And neither of them are really "robots in disguise" since their alt modes are fantasy based, whereas Optimus Prime is a Freightliner.


Now Soundwave I wanted badly. He turned into a walkman, the most sophisticated portable music device of the era, and had awesome articulation and proportions. Whatmore he had an army of transformable cassettes he could store in his chest!

Alas I don't think he was reissued until the noughties?
Yeah, he wasn't reissued until 2002-03. Having said that, Hasbro continued production of Soundwave for a fairly long time... 1984, 1985 & 1986 (he appears in the catalogues for each of those years).


Classics Jetfire. Sure he is a great homage to both the cartoon and the toy with all his nick knacks and what not's, but strip of all that armour and he just a F14 with a rectangular nosecone (that looks unaerodynamic and boxy), and Valkyrie like thruster nozels. Aesthetically I would rather they go for one of the other than make frankenstiens fighter. My other issue with this toy is his simple transformation his arms don't even attempt to hide in alt mode, and he's pretty damn basic.

It's a decent toy and good homage but many classics are, I don't understand peoples obsession with it, and that's from a Valkyrie fan.
The obsession comes from people who wanted a Jetfire to look like the way he did in the comics and cartoon. Marvel/Sunbow had to draw him in a more boxy way obviously to avoid a lawsuit from Harmony Gold (Robotech). Classics Jetfire combines the aesthetics of both the original toy and marries it with the Marvel/Sunbow model in an attempt to please both fans of the original Valkyrie-based toy, and fans of the blockier comic/show model.

I think the cleverness of the toy is that its G1 homage works on two levels like that. Even moreso with the Henkei repaint as the colours are more like the cartoon, yet the helmet has a red visor like the G1 toy (and they even explained the blue eyed robot and red visor mask thing into Henkei fiction :))

If you're looking at it from a "Valkyrie purist" (for lack of a better term) POV, then I can see why you wouldn't like it as much... but the toy is attempting to walk the middle road and try to appease both camps. And I think in terms of that, it's well designed. :) My only complaint about it would be the clearly visible hands in jet mode... otherwise I'm pretty happy with it.

[Lord_Zed]

The obsession comes from people who wanted a Jetfire to look like the way he did in the comics and cartoon. Marvel/Sunbow had to draw him in a more boxy way obviously to avoid a lawsuit from Harmony Gold (Robotech). Classics Jetfire combines the aesthetics of both the original toy and marries it with the Marvel/Sunbow model in an attempt to please both fans of the original Valkyrie-based toy, and fans of the blockier comic/show model.

I think the cleverness of the toy is that its G1 homage works on two levels like that. Even moreso with the Henkei repaint as the colours are more like the cartoon, yet the helmet has a red visor like the G1 toy (and they even explained the blue eyed robot and red visor mask thing into Henkei fiction :))

If you're looking at it from a "Valkyrie purist" (for lack of a better term) POV, then I can see why you wouldn't like it as much... but the toy is attempting to walk the middle road and try to appease both camps. And I think in terms of that, it's well designed. :) My only complaint about it would be the clearly visible hands in jet mode... otherwise I'm pretty happy with it.

Yes I acknowledged that he is a good homage in my post, but thats not enough to justify they hype around him for me. Homage or not he's quite and ugly jet, and a simplistic transformer for his size too, As a jet transformer he is average at best. There are better around, and that is why for me he will always be overrated.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

The thing with Jetfire is he's really fun, quite sturdy, looks pretty faithful to his various fictional incarnations/portrayals, and has an interesting transformation as well. The only real letdowns I found with him were he's really back-heavy and his legs aren't that poseable, so he isn't that great on the robot-mode poseability front.
Fair criticisms, sure, and he is overhyped, but he's also really enjoyable to fiddle around with.
I was an infant in 1984 :p

But I still grew up with Transformers. Perhaps the hype had died over the Optimus Prime toy by 1990 but he was still available due to Classics reissues. The only awe I ever felt for this toy was:

A) Huge pricetag
B) Physical size compared to other Transformers


He turns into a frieght truck. When all the other Autobots transform into awesome sports cars who the heck would want a freight truck? Sure I wanted him but on my list of wanted G1 Autobots at the time he would have been behind all the dinobots, just about all the 'deluxe sized' Autobot cars, any autobot flier and any combiner gestalt.Heh, I still remember how chuffed I was at getting Optimus Prime for my birthday as a kid - only finding a complete Predaking during the uni days has ever topped that in terms of sheer me-want-ness (well, TF-wise anyway). Still have my old OP, too, though he's missing a few pieces, has really loose arms, and his chrome and stickers are long gone - he's not in my top 3 or even 10 favourite TFs these days but I could never quite bring myself to sell him on either. I have to agree with Goki on this one, Prime was awesome. And I was born around the same time as Lint.
Ahhh, nostalgia.:D

[klystron]

Personally I think Classics Jetfire is worth every bit of the "hype." Great homage and has that 'playformer' transformation appeal, coupled with heaps of extra bits. To me, he looks fantastic in both modes. Not overrated at all.

And as far as my love for Highbrow goes - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[STL]

Cybertron Supreme Starscream.... it's only big and with lights and sound but has nothing awesome at all, the Voyager version was enough... this toy was a colossal waste of plastic along the lines of Supreme Cheetor....they both shelfwarmed anyways... but if your a kitbasher, this toy would be a must have to harvest for parts :p

Gotta agree there. I loved the scale of it, but it was certainly overhyped as being the "best" and "detailed" representation of starscream. Note this was before Classics.


Joke?

I think that there were a few Cybertron figures that were a overrated, the Cybertron Defence Scattorshot and Red Alert figures were worse than the original figures, which was sad, considering that most of the characters who got upgraded had improvements (bar Leobreaker.... blech).



Blasphemy! I loved those toys. I don't think they were overhyped at all. i think if anything they were underrated and the reverse was true for deluxe Cybertron Red Alert. I liked the repaint of him b/c of its character but an everage toy overall.


Classics Jetfire. Sure he is a great homage to both the cartoon and the toy with all his nick knacks and what not's, but strip of all that armour and he just a F14 with a rectangular nosecone (that looks unaerodynamic and boxy), and Valkyrie like thruster nozels. Aesthetically I would rather they go for one of the other than make frankenstiens fighter. My other issue with this toy is his simple transformation his arms don't even attempt to hide in alt mode, and he's pretty damn basic.

It's a decent toy and good homage but many classics are, I don't understand peoples obsession with it, and that's from a Valkyrie fan.

Utter blasphemy! Classics Skyfire is perfect! perfect!

(I have to say that, I have 13+)

[The_Damned]

well if all you guys dislike rts highbrow so much sell one to me i am really wanting one :p

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah, Leobreaker's really disappointing. Such a poorly articulated brick for a toy of its time. (-_-)

[klystron]

G1 Ultra Magnus. Toy and character.
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=247463&postcount=91

[Golden Phoenix]

G1 Ultra Magnus. Toy and character.
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=247463&postcount=91

To be honest, I just count that as all of G1 being overrated......

[GoktimusPrime]

I don't think G1 is necessarily overrated... but I sometimes feel it's over-done. (-_-) Ever since Armada, every Transformer series is like some kind of reboot of G1... gah.

And as others have said, it's not really fair to compare G1 with other Transformers series because:
1) It came first, so it will always be used as the benchmark.
2) It came first, so to some people the power of childhood nostalgia may overwhelm their ability to objective judge later TF series (e.g. "Trukk Not Munky").
3) G1 ran from 1984-93 and is thus the biggest TF series. Having been around for 9 years, naturally G1 would have accomplished a lot more than other TF series. But other TF series have accomplished a lot too, relative to how long they've been around.

But G1 was an incredible phenomenon that launched the entire Transformers franchise. The humble lineup of 30 Autobots and 10 Decepticons in the 1984 series grossed over US$1,400,000 by the end of that year, becoming the most successful toy debut in the world. "Gee Wun" is way overdone IMO. We had nine years of G1, and yet so many people only focus on the first 3 years... (-_-) Just look at all the characters that Hasbro lets their licensees like JayJays use -- all a limited number characters from GeeWun. It would be nice to see characters from 1987 onwards getting some limelight... And that's someone I like about Furman's writing, even with what he was doing with IDW (at least prior to AHM) -- plucking a host of characters from across the G1 and G2 gamut.

The live action movie franchise kiiinda does it too, although it's very hit and miss (e.g. Optimus Prime's appearance and persona is reasonably close to his G1 namesake, but then you have characters like Skids who's nothing like his namesake (other than being a hatchback)! :eek:)

And of course, G1's greatest character (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Time_Warrior) is definitely NOT overrated!

[Golden Phoenix]

Being an "Overrated Transformers Toys" thread, I was referring to the toys. I don't mind the G1 media.

They are overrated because they just don't hold up anymore. There are minicons from Armada that have more articulation than a G1 figure.
Most don't even have knees or elbows. They just don't cut it.

I know they are old (+25 years) but a lot of the Beast Wars stuff still holds it's own, even by today standards, and that was 15 odd years ago.
The difference between G1 and Beast Wars toys is so much more than the difference between Beast Wars and something like Generations and the gap just isn't as wide.

There is just so much hype placed on G1 figures and they are just a let down.

The only thing I like about the 1 G1 figure I have is that it is diecast. But that pretty much helps it be a paperweight.......

[Bartrim]

Also you have to look at the cost of G1 figures these days. When I started collecting again I bought a couple of G1 figures and was very disappointed with what I got for what I paid. Yeah I had toys of some of my favourite characters but I still felt ripped off. That's why I was so glad when classics etc came out. As a rule of thumb I find them a more articulated better representation of some of my favorite characters.

[1orion2many]

Masterpiece Optimus Prime. It's just a heavy, overrated thing that looks funny in both modes and is out of scale with every other Transformer.



Thirded!

Out of scale:confused: I don't consider him out of scale as he was the first in the MP line, they changed the scale after MP Ultra then put it back up after MP Greenie then put it back down after MP rusty feet:p:D

[GoktimusPrime]

Being an "Overrated Transformers Toys" thread, I was referring to the toys. I don't mind the G1 media.

They are overrated because they just don't hold up anymore. There are minicons from Armada that have more articulation than a G1 figure.
Most don't even have knees or elbows. They just don't cut it.
Yeah but you gotta look at it in the context of the time. By 1984 standards, toys like Jazz and Soundwave were freakin' amazing! Don't tell me that at the time, you looked at these toys and though, "Meh... these suck."

They may be dated now - I'd agree with that, but by the standards of the day, they were really well made IMHO.


I know they are old (+25 years) but a lot of the Beast Wars stuff still holds it's own, even by today standards, and that was 15 odd years ago.

The difference between G1 and Beast Wars toys is so much more than the difference between Beast Wars and something like Generations and the gap just isn't as wide.

Yes but that's because the engineering in Beast Wars had progressed a lot since G1. Late G2 saw a lot of new and innovative engineering techniques coming into play, such as fully articulated robot modes - and Beast Wars picked that ball up and ran with it. So it doesn't surprise me that these toys can still hold up because a lot of the engineering techniques that are used in Transformers toys today, was born in late G2 and Beast Wars anyway! You can think of it as a significant turning point in TF engineering -- but G1 came before that major kilometrestone.



There is just so much hype placed on G1 figures and they are just a let down.

The only thing I like about the 1 G1 figure I have is that it is diecast. But that pretty much helps it be a paperweight.......
That's because some people are looking at it from rose-tinted childhood nostalgia glasses where some of them think anything "old school" is automatically better than everything new ("Trukk Not Munky") -- and I don't agree with that. Transformers today ARE handsdown better than G1 for sure - as they bloody well should be. Die-cast... it's a bit overrated and overdone, but ya know, die-cast does make the vehicle modes look pretty sweet (this is particularly evident on Binaltech). ;) But that comes from a Gee-Wun perspective, because die-cast was phased out in 1986; so from 1987-1993, a significant chunk of G1, toys were principally plastic.


Also you have to look at the cost of G1 figures these days. When I started collecting again I bought a couple of G1 figures and was very disappointed with what I got for what I paid. Yeah I had toys of some of my favourite characters but I still felt ripped off. That's why I was so glad when classics etc came out. As a rule of thumb I find them a more articulated better representation of some of my favorite characters.

Yeah, I definitely don't think it's worth collecting G1 now. Classicsverse definitely gives you more bang for your buck! :D

[Golden Phoenix]

Yeah but you gotta look at it in the context of the time. By 1984 standards, toys like Jazz and Soundwave were freakin' amazing! Don't tell me that at the time, you looked at these toys and though, "Meh... these suck."
Well considering I wasn't around until 1988 I really couldn't tell you a thing.


Yes but that's because the engineering in Beast Wars had progressed a lot since G1. Late G2 saw a lot of new and innovative engineering techniques coming into play, such as fully articulated robot modes - and Beast Wars picked that ball up and ran with it. So it doesn't surprise me that these toys can still hold up because a lot of the engineering techniques that are used in Transformers toys today, was born in late G2 and Beast Wars anyway! You can think of it as a significant turning point in TF engineering -- but G1 came before that major kilometrestone.

But in the last 11-15 years engineering and manufacturing techniques have advanced, and probably at a faster rate than before. Certainly it hasn't stopped or gone backwards.
Even with all the advancements a Beast Wars figure can still be compaired to a Generations or movie figure. Hell, pick out a couple of Crossover figures and you could say the Beast Wars was better. You can't compair G1 to anything and get a positive outcome (unless you pick out the worst figure from something like Armada)

And that was my point. 10-12 years after the initial figures, the toys were so much better or advanced, the older ones (G1) didn't compair. 10-12 years after those toys, they were better again, but the older ones (now Beast Wars) still held their own.

I don't think in another 10 years that we will look at the Beast Wars figures like we look at G1 figures today. They won't be as good at the figures that might be release in 2020, but unless there is some huge advancement like actual robotics or actual onscreen like movie transformations, I don't think we will be making the same excuses we make for G1 toys. Doubt you'll hear "by '96 standards they are awesome"


That's because some people are looking at it from rose-tinted childhood nostalgia glasses where some of them think anything "old school" is automatically better than everything new ("Trukk Not Munky") -- and I don't agree with that. Transformers today ARE handsdown better than G1 for sure - as they bloody well should be.
This was initially why I started to think G1 was overrated. And it also makes it really simple to show it is rated higher than it should be.
Nostalgia increases its rating. You take that away, and they are not as good as what they are made out to be.
So they are overrated.

[1orion2many]

I myself am a Beast Wars fan but I don't consider G1 over rated. Compare an old 1957 Chevy to a new Chevy, the new car is superior in everyway in it's technology and safety but I don't consider the 57 chevy over rated and I know which one I'd prefer to be seen in:D. I know the old G1's are more like blocks but at the time they were superior to any other transforming toys, I know there was far better articulated toys at the time but I can't think of any offhand that transformed from vehicle to robot without having to pull the item apart and put it back together. G1 set the bench mark, Hasbro & Tak have in general only improved from there, if the bench mark was really low in the mid 80's 2 things may have happened, we may now only be getting decently articulated TF's instead of the BW Era bringing it in or 2 they would have flopped and TF's would have been no more as was demonstrated when they tried G2 which almost wiped out Transformers(as far as I was concerned it did, ugly looking things shelf warming:D).

[1orion2many]

Almost forgot, I'd consider the recent recolour of Armada Unicron over rated. I just couldn't see the justification in forking out all that money when I honestly couldn't see that much difference:rolleyes:. I did end up getting hold of an Energon Unicron MISB at what I considered a good price from one of our members because they wanted the new one so I can't complain:D and yes I know that's just a recolour as well but so much prettier:p:D

[Hursticon]

Almost forgot, I'd consider the recent recolour of Armada Unicron over rated. I just couldn't see the justification in forking out all that money when I honestly couldn't see that much difference:rolleyes:. I did end up getting hold of an Energon Unicron MISB at what I considered a good price from one of our members because they wanted the new one so I can't complain:D and yes I know that's just a recolour as well but so much prettier:p:D

Hell Yeah! - Black-Metal Unicron! :D:cool:

[GoktimusPrime]

Well considering I wasn't around until 1988 I really couldn't tell you a thing.
In that case I imagine that you must have grown up with G2 and Beast Wars -- toys with fully articulated robot modes and other improved aspects of toy design and engineering that wasn't around during G1 and early G2. You have the advantage of looking back at G1 with retrospective hindsight, which of course those of us growing up with G1 during the 1980s and early 1990s didn't have.

For example, toys like the original 30cm G.I. Joe, Henshin Cyborg and Micronauts, Mego etc. all came out before my time, and to me those toys look quite dated - but I can appreciate and understand that they were cool for their time and that they did help to shape what action figures are today.


But in the last 11-15 years engineering and manufacturing techniques have advanced, and probably at a faster rate than before. Certainly it hasn't stopped or gone backwards.
Even with all the advancements a Beast Wars figure can still be compaired to a Generations or movie figure. Hell, pick out a couple of Crossover figures and you could say the Beast Wars was better. You can't compair G1 to anything and get a positive outcome (unless you pick out the worst figure from something like Armada)

And that was my point. 10-12 years after the initial figures, the toys were so much better or advanced, the older ones (G1) didn't compair. 10-12 years after those toys, they were better again, but the older ones (now Beast Wars) still held their own.

I don't think in another 10 years that we will look at the Beast Wars figures like we look at G1 figures today. They won't be as good at the figures that might be release in 2020, but unless there is some huge advancement like actual robotics or actual onscreen like movie transformations, I don't think we will be making the same excuses we make for G1 toys. Doubt you'll hear "by '96 standards they are awesome"
But as I said before, the mid 1990s (late G2) was a significant turning point in Transformers design history. It was a major kilometrestone which forever redefined how Transformers would be created. It's true that late G2 and Beast Wars did set a new benchmark; a new standard which is still used holds up today (and is a massive compliment to HasTak designers of the time). But that's what happens when you have major turning points in history that (e.g. writing, the atomic bomb etc.).

Up till 1994/5, it was an impressive enough feat to have toys that could transform from a vehicle or device into a robot. It was a really novel idea that offered play value on multiple levels - you had one toy that could be a vehicle or a robot, and there was some level of "puzzle" play. I know that G1 toys are really simple by today's standards, but some of the TF toys captured our imaginations with their transformations at the time. Like Soundwave and the way his weapons ingeniously becomes his batteries in walkman mode. By the end of G2, HasTak gave us fully articulated robot modes. Beast Wars improved on that and gave us better durability, more detailed sculpting and paint apps etc. - the idea of using stickers to add detail became laughable.

So after such a big leap forward at the time, Transformers engineering just "normalised" again. That's why Classicsverse toys based on Beast Wars don't interest me - because as you said, the original BW toys still hold up well by current standards.

But cost is another thing to take into account. I've been playing around with Generations Warpath this weekend, and he's superior to G1 Warpath in many ways -- but Generations Warpath cost me $30, whereas G1 Warpath cost me $1.99 (I can say this because we still had 1c coins at the time! :p). In terms of value for money and even taking inflation into account, I think G1 Warpath is still pretty decent.


This was initially why I started to think G1 was overrated. And it also makes it really simple to show it is rated higher than it should be.
Nostalgia increases its rating. You take that away, and they are not as good as what they are made out to be.
So they are overrated.
I agree that nostalgia does boost the ratings of many G1 toys. But I don't look at G1 from a nostalgic POV because I've never been "out" of Transformers. Nostalgia I think tends to come from people who were into Transformers during G1, then took a considerable amount of "time off" when they lost interest in Transformers, then for whatever reason changed their minds and decided that the Transformer that they once completely lost interest in are suddenly cool again. Don't ask me why... it's never happened to me.

So when I look at G1, I look at it as how they were at the time they were out - not retrospectively comparing it with today's toys, cos that's an unfair comparison, but also not judging it from my G1 nostalgia, cos - for lack of better words - G1's never left me. :)

[bowspearer]

Almost forgot, I'd consider the recent recolour of Armada Unicron over rated. I just couldn't see the justification in forking out all that money when I honestly couldn't see that much difference:rolleyes:. I did end up getting hold of an Energon Unicron MISB at what I considered a good price from one of our members because they wanted the new one so I can't complain:D and yes I know that's just a recolour as well but so much prettier:p:D

I dunno, maybe it's because I missed the Armada Unicron. Maybe it's because it was the first TF I got for Christmas in ages at the time, but I actually really like the EN version on Unicron. Sure he's the most inaccurate of the colour schemes, but considering the colour scheme, I actually love the originality of it.

TBH, it honestly looks to me like the Borg travelled through a rift and assimilated him- either that or he was assimilated in the Star Trek Universe.

That and the idea of a deep booming, disjointed Unicron voice booming "I AM UNICRON! RESISTANCE IS FUTILE!" seems like it'd really be cool :D

As for what I find overrated (and it comes down to owning the fully functional versions and so I'm very aware of the butcheries); Blaster, and the Medium and Large Machine Wars toys are right up there. For all the colour scheme improvements, the toys have been thoroughly gutted.

It's hard to figure out who fares the worst. Optimus Prime gets out of it with the least butchering, as despite his nerfed missile launchers, the missile bays being left empty does work stylistically.

After that it's kind of a tie. Sandstorm only has his launchers gutted, but they didn't even bother recasting the guns, so there are holes in the guns that make it completely noticable how gutted the weapons are- along the noticably empty missile hardpoints. Soundwave winds up with no weapon at all and a gutted supersight function.

Starscream is worse- gutted supersight, no weapon, and gutted bombing reticle.

The worst offender of all though would be Blaster. Compared to the Microchange version; all the electronics were gutted, all moving switches solidly hard cast and the earpiece removed from the gun while leaving noticable holes where it combines (in the case of one of them, gaping) on the gun.

These guys go to prove that when it comes to TFs, there are reissues, recolours, retools, and eviscerations......

[liegeprime]

Almost forgot, I'd consider the recent recolour of Armada Unicron over rated. I just couldn't see the justification in forking out all that money when I honestly couldn't see that much difference:rolleyes:. I did end up getting hold of an Energon Unicron MISB at what I considered a good price from one of our members because they wanted the new one so I can't complain:D and yes I know that's just a recolour as well but so much prettier:p:D

I agree that the Energon Version of Unicron is much better. I had the chance when I bought the figure to get either the Armada or the Energon version but was more drawn to the dark color scheme of the Energon Version. Even with the release of the more movie accurate color scheme (and altered head) i still prefer this "dark god" version... more sinister and evil looking than a bright orange robot with a mustache. :p

[5FDP]

I did end up getting hold of an Energon Unicron MISB at what I considered a good price from one of our members because they wanted the new one so I can't complain:D

He sounds like an awesome guy :p