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

Okay guys so I was looking at pictures over on TFW2005 and saw all the shinny, pretty paint apps Takara had put on their up-coming FoC deluxes and I started wondering if my persisting with Hasbro is the right path. So I want to hear from anyone who has purchased figures from both companies and how they compare.

So far I can see;

Takara
+ far superior paint work
- double the cost

Hasbro
+ cheaper
+ locally available (although not as much recently)
-- sometimes painted by 4 year olds using only their fingers

I would be cherry picking toys from either Hasbro or Takara, unless you want to collect the whole line to be consistant. I have pre ordered 3 figures and thats it. $$$ expensive, even though its in a bulk order. Only worth it if its a favourite character. The downside of metallics the paint is damaged easier, and the little imperfections are easier to notice. If you want to play instead of display, its maybe better to go with Hasbro.

For the new united FOC deluxes,
to really bring the cost down of buying takara figures you need to buy bulk. Otherwise you will spend excess of $40 per figure.

Personally for me it's purely a price thing. I will usually always go with the cheaper version which is Hasbro. However if I want a figure then I generally get it, regardless of cost (within reason of course). :)

I like metallic paint apps on cars and for highlights on bot mode. Otherwise, no.

The Takara FoC stuff... I don't get it... :confused:

If it's done right it can look quite nice. Classics Jetfire with chrome boosters just looks wrong. IMO it depends on the figure.

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Originally Posted by 5FDP

If it's done right it can look quite nice. Classics Jetfire with chrome boosters just looks wrong. IMO it depends on the figure.

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I agree with that!

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Originally Posted by Tober

I like metallic paint apps on cars and for highlights on bot mode. Otherwise, no.

The Takara FoC stuff... I don't get it...

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But it's those metallic finishes on the FoC I think I like. LOL

How about this... Are the paint apps on Takara figure sloppy at all like they tend to be on Hasbro's line? I'm not saying all Hasbro's line is sloppy, I've got a Prime RiD Dreadwing that I think is fantastic but I've also got altimeter Rid Ratchet that's rubbish(although the reprolabels did an amazing job at hiding all that slop)

LOL not sure how autocorrect got altimeter from a Prime....

I used to buy mainly Takara, This was mainly due to some of the local members doing group buys. I'm happy to pick up the Hasbro versions if I can get them locally, As this seems to be less and less likely lately the online buying of Takara figures seems to be the way to go, Absolutely nothing to do with paint apps more to do with Hong Kong being so close and cheap for postage.

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.

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.

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.

I do try to avoid too 'shinny'.

Also beware of excess thigh...


/smart arse

I'm wondering Takara, has given the FOC figures metallics to justify a price hike. Weren't the United figures original retail priced lower? Maybe Takara just wants a bigger slice of the pie considering aftermarket prices and what people are prepared to pay for popular United and Henkei figures? maybe who knows transformer toys are steadily costing more to produce?

It seems alot of the Takara releases, and Asian exclusives are trying to reap more profits from the collector market. On one hand Im happy because we will get more desirable products, but the downside is higher prices.
I'm not complaining, but there are the pros and cons.

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Originally Posted by Defcon

Maybe Takara just wants a bigger slice of the pie considering aftermarket prices and what people are prepared to pay for popular United and Henkei figures?

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You answered your own question ;)

Thanks for the help guys. I've decided I will not get the expensive Takara version of the combaticons and just keep sticking with Hasbro for now. I'll put the "saved" funds towards the new FP Bruticus upgrade and Asian exclusive Bruticus I have on preorder. I'm still debating on the voyager soundwave and will probably go the Takara for grimlock too.

For me the colour of the characters can sometimes count for a lot. So my plan is to:

Get the www.bigbadtoystore.com version of G2 Bruticus to have set up in Bruticus form

Buy the Hasbro Swindle, Brawl and Onslaught in their G1 colours in the shops

Get the Tarkara version of Blast Off who actually looks brown instead of that horrible Purple.

Give an extra Vortex a miss

As has been said, your choice. Look at reviews, galleries and any info before deciding.

Personally I wouldn't, at least not for FoC toys. I would for classics. My United Blurr is shiny, shiny...