Do you feel quality of figures are getting worse?

[Sam]

This is a question not for any particular line of TFs, but since I have been only noticing Generations, I was wondering if you are finding this as well?

For example, I noticed that the front of my Blurr figure in vehicle mode does not close properly, unlike the Drift figure I have.

On another note, my Dirge figure also seem to have bigger gaps in seams that are meant to join together in either mode (e.g. two pieces of the left leg have a gap, and so do the cockpit pieces). I never had these problems with my previous Seekers.

I wonder if the quality control is becoming less stringent.

[Thanatos]

I feel it's mould degredation. It's not long before that seeker mould breaks at the releases its had.

[Sky Shadow]

Every single 2010 toy I've bought in a long time has required use of a screwdriver to correct problems. I don't recall ever having to do that before, and none of the older toys I've bought this year have required it. So... yes.

[5FDP]

I feel it's mould degredation. It's not long before that seeker mould breaks at the releases its had.

This is a big factor, however there are no excuses in the case of Blurr who is only the second retool of that mold.

[Paulbot]

Well Animated had a noticeable decline compared to Cybertron so it's not like it's just recently that quality had slipped a bit.

[kup]

When I compare A/E/C and even Classics (original line) to the modern batch, IMO the material quality, paint applications and Quality control is much less than it was just a few years ago.

It is far more noticeable with Hasbro products but there is also a decline in quality since Tomy merged with Takara when it comes to Japanese toys.

However having said the above, every so often Hasbro surprises me by releasing a figure which has above average QC and paint applications but this is not the norm.

[GoktimusPrime]

I think Dirge is pretty well done considering how many times that mould's been used. Overall I find a lot of issues with recent figures has been due to sloppy QC.

Thank Primus for receipts and store exchange/refund policies. :) Sometimes I won't be bothered to refund/exchange if the issue is fairly minor/slight... but if it bugs me enough I'll definitely refund/exchange it. I wonder if anyone can beat my record with Animated Blitzwing of refunding/exchanging a Transformer toy four times because each one had problems (and even the final one I settled with isn't perfect, it's just the best one I could find... I've since gotten a Japanese Animated Blitzwing that I can transform to tank mode -- my Hasbro one never gets transformed to tank mode!).

[jaydisc]

I think there's two factors at work here.

When the movie toys came out, they were considerably more fiddly, and I think the plastic density was adjusted to be more malleable and fault tolerant. This was very evident to me when comparing Universe/Henkei toys to their Classics counterparts. The Classics were harder and firmer, albeit less fault tolerant.

And the second factor is the increased costs of production which has invariably resulted in a reduction of quality control.

[SuspectimusPrime]

And the second factor is the increased costs of production which has invariably resulted in a reduction of quality control.

Strongly agree with this second factor.

Costs of production in China has been increasing at a dramatic rate due to labour shortages. The country's one-child policy has done its job of limiting childbirths for the last couple of decades, and led to the present ageing population. With more in the workforce entering prime family building phases in their lives, there are few likely to take up low-paid low-skill employment.

Whilst there are economies of scale to be reaped by reusing the same molds over and over again (Drift/Starscream molds), I don't think these gains can offset 300% hikes in the minimum wage (given, that this resultant 300% is still a pittance).

[GoktimusPrime]

wasn't there talk of HasTak relocating their production to Vietnam to make it cheaper?

[5FDP]

wasn't there talk of HasTak relocating their production to Vietnam to make it cheaper?

They already did.

[sanbot]

Granted I have severly cut back on TF purchases, I feel that all my purchases this year feel like they are of good quality and are sturdy. I could just be lucky here though.

[SilverDragon]

Granted I have severly cut back on TF purchases, I feel that all my purchases this year feel like they are of good quality and are sturdy. I could just be lucky here though.

Same here. About the only QC related issues I've had at all were with that 3-pack of Cybertron scouts, and they weren't big enough to be deal-breakers for me anyway.

[kup]

I have seen a steady reduction in material quality from Hasbro (with a few exceptions) in the last few years but overall their QC is alright. There has been some shockers like Generations Blurr but I cannot think of another widespread QC issue in the last few months.

It's mostly material quality that has gone down and that includes Takara-Tomy too.

[GoktimusPrime]

An overseas fan has reported getting a RtS Jazz with two left hands. Guess he won't be applauding Hasbro anytime soon. :p ;)

[heroic_decepticon]

An overseas fan has reported getting a RtS Jazz with two left hands. Guess he won't be applauding Hasbro anytime soon. :p ;)

Haha... i like that.

I think the material quality is definitely getting worse (from what was already bad). Paint apps are hit and miss too. Gone were the days (ie: G1) when I'd stand in a mall selecting the best looking box, confident that there will be no issues with the toy. Nowadays, I scrutinise the toy and will take a toy with good paint apps and banged up packaging over one that has nice packing but lousy paint apps.

Oh, and certain pieces like Henkei Thundercracker, Inferno and Ramjet are loose right out of the box.

[Verno]

I've said it before, and people have even weighed them, but I still say there was something 'off' about the Hasbro BW 10th Ann. figures. They just didn't 'feel' right, if you get me. And they would have come out during the... Cybertron toy line? I'm not sure.

It's the same with Lego. Big increase in popularity and production causes more scope for faults as designs get more and more intricate. I'd never seen a minifigure with a smudged face or paintwork until the Star Wars stuff started coming out. But becuase they're trying to put more on a face, it happens.

And [erhaps this is the same with Transformers. They're more advanced than they've ever been. And as they try more, more things slip through.

An outsiders perspective though.

[SkyWarp91]

My Classics Ramjet feels strong, solid but flexible too.

My Generations Thrust and Dirge feel somewhat lighter and too loose.

Enough said.

[Oilspill]

Personally I feel 2010 has been in improvement in quality. I found that Universe 2.0 and Animated had many more QC issues and sloppy paint jobs.

[kup]

I've said it before, and people have even weighed them, but I still say there was something 'off' about the Hasbro BW 10th Ann. figures. They just didn't 'feel' right, if you get me. And they would have come out during the... Cybertron toy line? I'm not sure.

It's the same with Lego. Big increase in popularity and production causes more scope for faults as designs get more and more intricate. I'd never seen a minifigure with a smudged face or paintwork until the Star Wars stuff started coming out. But becuase they're trying to put more on a face, it happens.

And [erhaps this is the same with Transformers. They're more advanced than they've ever been. And as they try more, more things slip through.

An outsiders perspective though.

I am not sure - G1 figures can have more intricate paint jobs and seem to be composed of just as many parts (often more) despite their simpler transformations and lack of articulation. There isn't much engineering that goes into a ball joint despite its large range of motion and effectiveness but when you look at the deceptively simple swivel joint of a G1 figure, you will notice that it can be composed of friction gears, pins and springs despite the limited movement.

As someone who has disassembled and reassembled countless TFs, vintage figures seem to require much more care in their manufacturing than the new more streamlined figures. Simply put, there is more room for assembly errors and bad paint applications with a vintage toy than a modern one.

However I don't recall QC being as bad as it is now. The amount of very good condition vintage figures out there from 1984-1985 figures is pretty amazing. It is also rare to find a vintage Beast Wars figure with dodgy paint apps and some can be pretty elaborate.

Although at the turn of the century, the Japanese seemed to have gained an upper hand in manufacturing quality, Hasbro's was still pretty competent until around 2007 where things begun to nose dive a bit. This decrease in quality is also not isolated to Hasbro as since the merger between Takara and Tomy, their toy quality has suffered too but is still noticeably better than Hasbro's.

[Mr Ed]

The decrease in quality I feel has come about as wages have soared in China and the more skillful staff are doing other jobs in China.

A classic case I would like to point out that in the Diecast model world, over the last 3-4 years, model cars have been getting worse and worse and worse.

Issues such as

- misaligned decals
- ill fitting doors, bonnets , boots
- poor paint - overspray
- broken spoilers
- wheels have come off.

Someone of the damage may have been caused by shipping.

3-4 years ago QC would have picked up these issues.

These cars cost $215 retail and they are worse than they were previously at $165 5 years ago