Is a shiny paint job worth the extra $$$ (Takara VS Hasbro)

I see both as alright, really depends on the figure. IMHO. I'm not too picky and like many have said, sometimes the chrome is good, but it damages easily. Paint apps aren't everything though.

Both have their pros and cons.

I do it on a figure-by-figure basis.

There's some that are essential to get from TakTom, like Henkei Smokescreen, Ratchet, etc.

Others ill go with to get an alternate take on the character, or just to get a good figure with more paint apps, or more G1 accuracy if I want a nostalgia hit.

Rarely I'll do it for extras, like Henkei Hot Shot.

I like that TakTom uses a whiter white than Hasbro.

I'm not a fan of Henkei's mandatory chrome, but it worked sometimes, and it's gone now with United.

I've decided I'll just get United Brawl for upcoming releases. I don't think I care about the others enough.

I'll probably get TakTom's FOC Grimlock too, as it looks like a nice sculpt with a lot to highlight.

The eternal battle of quality vs price.

Generally I've found even after the merge, Taktomy's versions are always a little bit better quality wise. However that doesn't mean I will always get the Japanese version, it really depends on how much I like the character or mold. With some like Henkei Smokescreen and United Jazz it's a no brainer, however with others the difference is not that big a deal.

With these new FOC toys I think the Taktomy's versions are definitely superior, however I'm not sure I like the molds enough to get them. So I personally think it comes down to how much like each toy or character, if you really really want a FOC Prime then I'd get the Taktom version, however if your still on the fence and just want him to complete a line up then I'd go local, for example.

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Buying Takara was a lot easier when their prices were about the same as AU RRPs, e.g. Henkeis cost about the same as Universe and Generations. So e.g. When I saw Henkei Sunstreaker I thought the colours looked way better than Universe Sunstreaker, and the price was about the same, so it was a no-brainer. But the problem with FoC of course is that the price seems to be about double... so I'm inclined to say no unless the colours really bug you _that_ much. The other thing is that the FoC Combaticons are by no means great toys (they're okay at best). So yeah... I personally wouldn't advise it.

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That's the situation I am in. I would love to buy a set but the price point (even local Hasbro price) plus the actual toy design quality is not worth it. I do want to buy it for character reasons as I did like Bruticus' appearance in FOC but the mentioned factors strongly deter me.

If the prices had been more or less equal to the local release like it was with Henkei, I would have gone for it but now it seems that they are charging more for less and I can't justify it.

If the Hasbro toys were spread widely enough that you could actually get them at a good discount, I'd consider getting them. Yet somehow both the Hasbro and TakTom versions seem overpriced at bog standard RRP.

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Originally Posted by UltraMarginal

I think it really depends on the figure, the takara seekers all look odd with Chrome guns if you ask me, though those guns are ridiculously oversized.
On the other hand, the Paintwork on the Takara jazz and Tracks seemed far superior to me.
Hasbro Perceptor had a much better paint job than the Takara version.
many of the Takara Prime figures have no paint, relying entirely on stickers, which is another kettle of fish entirely.

Personally I tend to go for Hasbro product unless there is a standout reason to go for Takara, like the jazz, Tracks and recent Prime voyager Breakdown which may not ever get a release here.

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Sure -- sometimes I get the Hasbro version too if I prefer it over the Takara one or if the difference isn't that big a deal for me. But what I'm saying is that in many of these cases, the RRPs between the Hasbro and Takara versions are about the same, so you can just pick and choose whichever version suits you. e.g. if you prefer Henkei Sunstreaker, get that, if you prefer Universe, get that -- they both retailed for about the same price anyway.

But in this case it's not just about the Takara version have better colours but the price being way more expensive than the Hasbro version. If the Takara version was about the same price as the Hasbro version, then I'd say it's a no brainer - just go for whichever version you prefer... if the Takara version looks better, then just get it. But at double the price I'm more hesitant in making such a recommendation -- because no awesome paint job is going to change the fact that these are 5 fairly ordinary toys (IMHO).

i mostly have hasbro toys because that's what's been available to me, but that being said if there was a mould i really liked where tak had better paint aps i'd probably pick it up, with the generations line etc whats the plastic quality like for the takara versions ( i dont own any of my own ) i've noticed hasbro seem to be droppign the ball in that regard they just dotn maekt hem like the used to!

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Originally Posted by Kapryiath

i mostly have hasbro toys because that's what's been available to me, but that being said if there was a mould i really liked where tak had better paint aps i'd probably pick it up, with the generations line etc whats the plastic quality like for the takara versions ( i dont own any of my own ) i've noticed hasbro seem to be droppign the ball in that regard they just dotn maekt hem like the used to!

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Plastic quality is pretty much always the same nowadays.

It's the same factories making the figures for both companies.

Lately I've found myself steering clear of Hasbro products and opting to pay more for TT stuff. In a way I guess it's my form of silent protest against Hasbro's AU prices and ever-falling quality, even though it doesn't make much difference in the long run.

It depends entirely on the toy, and how much I want it.

Generally, I'll stick with the Hasbro version each and every time.

But sometimes I will splash out for the Takara paint job, or accessories if they look good enough and fit in with my display. I seem to have become addicted to Arms Microns, for example. (Thank god my finances will not let me get any at the moment.