Missing Heads

[Dan]

I've been noticing recently in stores that some Transformers are missing their ball-jointed heads since the new packaging came along. I take them to check-out to report but, beyond that, I'm wondering what the solution could be for the manufacturers or sellers. I have a few suggestions, some serious, some silly, but am wondering what others think...

[Skyfire]

I too have seen this with the open packaging - Target, Big W and Kmart, and rarely Myer or Toymate. I imagine Hasbro and retailers have factored in shop spoilage into their prices. And the gains of plastic-free windows, from their perspective, outweigh the cost. But we literally pay for others' bad behaviour.

[Thurmus]

I have seen that and a Spiderman with a knob head as well at K-Mart the other day.

[Paulbot]

Speaking of Spider-Man remember all those headless Vulture toys that used to be everywhere.

I think Hasbro have said that with Transformers the retailers want the toys visible, but it wouldn't surprise me if eventually they went in to fully enclosed boxes - like the Generations Select toys (and other Hasbro toys: Marvel Legends, Thor Love and Thunder, Dungeons and Dragons, Indiana Jones)

What does the Japanese packaging for the Legacy toys do? Does anybody buy the Japanese versions anymore now the difference is just the box?

[Dan]

I was looking at some of those Gen Selects today in J B Hi-Fi and that solution dawned on me. The full box artwork is pretty evocative but I agree with retailers that toys are more appealing seen in the flesh. Maybe that is partly nostalgia on my part - I feel that too much is mediated today by screens and there is something in the immediacy of what you can see right in front of you.

Another solution would be to package Transformers in alt-modes that generally hold all those body parts in. Part of the appeal always was discovering the robot inside your toy.

Yet another is replacing ball-and-socket necks with some other sort of joint, but I expect that would alter the all-important articulation or price.

Or maybe each wave of every separate toyline could include a pack of 'spare heads and guns' just in case you need more.

And now I start to get silly - HasLab are a laboratory right? Get them to develop truly transparent yet sturdy cardstock for the windows. :)

And from silly to simply wishful thinking - we could always instil in kids (or whomever is nicking those heads) some damned ethics.

[Tha_Phantom]

Yet another is replacing ball-and-socket necks with some other sort of joint, but I expect that would alter the all-important articulation or price.

That one just might happen. In 2021 Hasbro applied for a "anti-theft" patent so that future toys will be designed in a way that locks the body/core into the packaging. But I could also see them redesigning elements like neck joints that are exposed in the box as well to make them less prone to tampering.

https://news.tfw2005.com/2021/11/28/hasbro-applies-for-a-brand-new-anti-theft-anti-tamper-packaging-patent-445708

[GoktimusPrime]

There have been a few times when I have found headless Transformers, but in most cases I find that the heads have just been pushed down. But yeah, I have come across a few which had the heads entirely removed. I think the simplest solution is just to have a completely enclosed box with more artwork and photos around. We already have it with the Legacy Leader Class toys and TakaraTOMY's Masterpiece toys have always been in enclosed boxen. Commander and Titan Classes have also all always been boxed.

AFAIK shifting to fully enclosed boxen hasn't dampened the sales of Leader Class Legacy toys. Galvatron's a bit of a slow seller because he's essentially a package refresh of Kingdom Galvatron. Legacy Laser OP, TM2 Megatron, Scourge and even Blitzwing that a lot of people whinge about, all seem to be strong sellers. I think that shifting to enclosed boxed Voyagers, Deluxes etc. shouldn't be a problem. Another issue with the open windowless boxen is that parts can accidentally fall out. I believe Tha_Phantom's Studio Series TLK Hot Rod came with Crosshairs' spoiler; likely having fallen out of a Crosshairs box and falling into Hot Rod's while in the assortment case during transit or something.

Fully enclosed boxes are something that isn't as commonly found with Hasbro TFs, but Takara's been doing it since 1985.
https://i.ibb.co/k4Ddjym/temp.jpg

[Dan]

That anti-theft thing seems clever but I'm wondering if it would hamper the design of already complex machines (in the case of Transformers).

I do recall that even the bigger toys would sometimes have a flap on the front to provide both lots of imagery and a view of the toy itself. But I'm sure this is just "what I'm accustomed to" influencing my expectations. Move onto closed boxes and soon we will be fine with the change.

Something I now remember is that sometimes the head is not missing, it's just rattling around loose in the box, so worth giving them a shake. :)

[KELPIE]

I'm yet to see a headless figure, however I wholeheartedly support a fully enclosed box with wonderful artwork.

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm yet to see a headless figure, however I wholeheartedly support a fully enclosed box with wonderful artwork.
FWIW I've recently discussed this with a Hasbro rep. I told her that there are reports of toys with heads removed and missing accessories. Heck, one of my Rise of the Beasts Airazor's weapons had been dislodged in the packaging; luckily it hadn't fallen out. And this wasn't due to any malicious acts, sometimes things get loose, but having an open window means that that thing can fall out.

I told the Hasbro rep that having a fully enclosed box would be a better way forwards, and pointed out how collectors are already used to this now with Leaders, Commanders, Titans, MPs etc. already all coming in windowless boxes. Heck, even the EarthSpark Tacticons are in windowless boxes.
https://i.ibb.co/Tvfs1TY/temp.jpg

[Cat]

It's funny that some of us are advocating for fully enclosed boxes, meanwhile Marvel Legends collectors are rioting because they've got.... fully enclosed boxes. Shows how weird all our collecting segments are, doesn't it?

[GoktimusPrime]

It's funny that some of us are advocating for fully enclosed boxes, meanwhile Marvel Legends collectors are rioting because they've got.... fully enclosed boxes. Shows how weird all our collecting segments are, doesn't it?
It may be because there are more sealed collectors in other toy collecting fandoms. We don't have that many sealed TF collectors, at least not compared to other toy fandoms. And I'm talking about people collecting current toys to keep sealed, not people retroactively buying second hand unopened toys; because it would be sealed collectors of current toys who are complaining about Hasbro's recent decision to go with enclosed boxes.

It's relatively harder to find sealed Transformers, especially G1 TFs, compared to say finding sealed vintage Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe etc. When I visited Lobos Collectibles in Melbourne on New Year's Eve, I saw walls lined up with sealed vintage MOTU figures, and only a handful of sealed TFs (a few of which were counterfeits and KOs). This is likely due to the fact that most Transformers collectors want to open our toys and play with them. With other toys like Marvel Legends, what you see is pretty much what you get; they all follow the same basic core body design. But with Transformers, we want to experience how these different toys transform. It's not good enough to just look at images of the robot and alt modes, the transformation in itself is a key part of the experience of owning that toy. And as such, we don't get too many sealed collectors in our fandom compared to others.

How many of us were collecting sealed toys in the 20th Century? I didn't start collecting spares of toys to keep sealed until 1997; before then I always opened every toy that I got. But in the 90s I already met collectors of other toylines like Star Wars and DC etc. who never opened their toys. Because every vintage Star Wars action figure more or less does the same thing; they have the same body plan with the same 5 points of articulation. Now that's not to say that it's not fun to open and play with these toys; I think the majority of toy collectors regardless of franchise opens their toys. But what I'm saying is that you're more likely to find more sealed collectors among non-TF franchises.

Disclaimer: Yes, I am very very much generalising here. I know that there are plenty of TF collectors who purposefully collect TF toys for the express purpose of keeping them sealed. What I am saying is that I think that sealed TF collectors are a smaller minority than sealed collectors of other action figure lines. And again, how many of them started collecting TFs sealed in the 80s? I knew a guy when I was a uni student in the 90s who already had a room full of sealed Star Wars toys which he bought in the late 70s, 80s & 90s (we watched The Phantom Menace together at the midnight premiere in 1999 ;)). He was the very first person I'd ever met who was a sealed collector, and also the first person I'd ever met who had a dedicated collection room. I still keep in touch with him today. :) But yeah, the number of people that I know who started collecting toys sealed in the 20th Century I can count on one finger. :p I have yet to meet a single Transformers collector who started collecting TFs sealed during G1 (1984-93).

[JJJ]

How many of us were collecting sealed toys in the 20th Century? I didn't start collecting spares of toys to keep sealed until 1997; before then I always opened every toy that I got. But in the 90s I already met collectors of other toylines like Star Wars and DC etc. who never opened their toys. Because every vintage Star Wars action figure more or less does the same thing; they have the same body plan with the same 5 points of articulation. Now that's not to say that it's not fun to open and play with these toys; I think the majority of toy collectors regardless of franchise opens their toys. But what I'm saying is that you're more likely to find more sealed collectors among non-TF franchises.

Funny you should ask. I was only this week thinking of the person I went to TAFE with in 1996. He was collecting sealed Star Wars stuff even then (and had been doing so for years, and he was only 18 or 19 at that time), with the explicit aim of keeping their value for later. I met him again 10 or 15 years later, and he funded his wedding with part of that collection. I certainly would have opened them and played with them :)

Anyway, that was my sole encounter with anyone who didn't open their toys until the last few years. Still don't understand the point (I mean, sure, I know why he did it, but plenty of other people don't seem to be doing it for the supposed investment, and I really don't get what they're doing it for), but then I don't need to; doesn't involve or affect me in any way, except for threads like this one :)

[KELPIE]

It's funny that some of us are advocating for fully enclosed boxes, meanwhile Marvel Legends collectors are rioting because they've got.... fully enclosed boxes. Shows how weird all our collecting segments are, doesn't it?
I think the main issue for Marvel Legends collectors is that they get a CAD drawing of the figure on the box as opposed to excellent artwork. I've noticed it on some of latest wave of Joe classified releases too. The CAD of the figure is stupid. Artwork is great.

Reading up on it, apparently Walmart (or one of the big US retailers) want a representation of the toy on the box instead of artwork.

e.g.
Artwork:
https://i.imgur.com/qeXgZEE.png
vs CAD
https://i.imgur.com/InrfFPB.png
https://i.imgur.com/L4WG15D.png

I'd take the artwork every day.


Sealed collector <snip>

Sealed collector here :)

[GoktimusPrime]

I'd rather take the toy photography, like MP. But Titan Class, Commander Class and Kingdom/Legacy Voyager and Leader Class toys all have artwork.

Ultimately it doesn't really matter. Just release the damn toy and I'll buy it. :) Heck, Gens Selects gives us boring plain packaging and we still lap 'em up. :)
But I guess the purpose of packaging design is really more to appeal to children and more casual enthusiasts. I guess packaging design is a lot like political ads; more to persuade voters who don't have any fixed loyalty to a party vs those who do. If you're a die-hard voter for the Make Action Figures Tax Exempt Party, then they don't need to do anything to win your vote; they already have it. The same holds true for toys with us fans; they already have our brand loyalty. :p