could hasbro improve the quality on tf's??

[primatives]

I was wondering if the quality of the TF's on the market can be dramatically improved without costing them too much. Reason I ask is because I recently bought a LEGO set cos it was cheap. I always knew they were good quality but once I started to assemble it together, I really liked it how the quality is spot on for every single piece. the precision and cut of the blocks are amazing. They are so accurate and is the reason why they are so popular. I have some mega blocks at home and they are just plain crap. The quality of the plastic is also something even as a kid realised how good they were.

Could this be applied to TF's??? Some toys look really cool but the quality to me sometimes is a let down. For example. WFC Prime is one cool looking toy however i find him to be really flimsy out of the box and hard to pose. Luckily i just display my figures so that's no biggie to me but for those who handle their figures a lot the plastic would wear down making them loose.

Also regarding the plastic they use, I could be wrong but the plastic these days seem to be of cheaper quality than what was used in the past like G1. The plastic was hard and solid but these days they seem to be really soft and flexible. I also find the colors not to be solid looking colours but very translucent.

Don't get me wrong I'm quite happy with the figures the way they are BUT with seeing how good the quality of LEGO is makes me wonder IF TF's toys could be better if more emphasis was put into quality :)

Whats your opinion??

[SkyWarp91]

You're not the only one who's thinking this - some of the latest figures I have bought have very below-average QC - you're probably best voicing your concern to Hasbro themselves by sending an email to their website so that at least they know that there's something wrong with their current QC - there's probably more people out there having already told Hasbro their concerns so soon enough Hasbro will get the message :D

[Sky Shadow]

Of course they could improve the quality, but it would be at a premium, and one that - considering Wal-Mart seems to determine Hasbro's pricing structure - would not be lucrative for Hasbro. They'd have to spend more money on materials and quality control, while still selling the toys at the same price in the major US chains. And better quality would almost certainly raise the RRP of most Transformers in Australia.

[jaydisc]

I know what you mean when comparing Lego, but Lego production scales. It's all the same pieces, same molds. With TFs, the only stuff that's reusable is stuff for repaints. And that gets old after the 2nd, 3rd, especially the forth. Also, the Lego market is considerably larger. Unfortunately and fortunately, Chinese manufacturers are climbing out of poverty and the spoiled American and Australian markets are going to have to come to terms with their cheap shit getting considerably more expensive, or lower quality.

In other words: no. :(

[5FDP]

They could but they won't because of the costs involved (as the wise Sky Shadow put it). TakTom can because they target adult collectors with most of their product whereas Hasbro are primarily making toys for kids who aren't that fussed about QC.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Even with Lego ... at least when i bought a few sets after a 20-odd year hiatus, i thought the plastic bent easier, and had sprue marks that my old ones never had.

[SkyWarp91]

Maybe when we were younger these small faults in our toys were unnoticed because we were so fascinated with just owning and playing with the toys. But now that we've aged these faults are starting to become more apparent... :rolleyes:

[Seraphim Prime]

I think there's a few reasons I think in the apparent drop in quality.

Increased costs in production in China

The increased costs of plastic (a petroleum based product) in line with the increasing cost of crude oil.

The uproar US fans make when Hasbro suggests that they may have to increase their price from $10-$12 means that they have to look at other areas to cut costs to maintain profits.

Also i think, older toys were a little larger and a little more basic in their design, so the requirements from the plastic weren't as great. Therefore it was easier to get a desired result from simple plastic.