Quality of Instructions: Poll

Do you want to see a higher quality of instructions with your new Transformers?
i.e. better illustrations, text included, book design over fold out etc...


Personally I do. Not because I need them but because I think they add to the toy's value. (play/collectible value not monetary value)

I keep all my instructions now but that's because I'm an obsessive hoarder...not because they are decent.
But my G1 instructions I treasure because of the quality of them
You're getting instructions with your Tf anyway, why should they be sub-standard?

Answer: No.

As with the other thread, i seldom refer to instructions unless it's too complicate to transform or requires it to be transformed in multiple forms (triple or six-changer)
However, once i've referred to the instructions or maybe not and have transformed the figure once...i will mostly remember how to transform it back.

Mis-transformation isn't that bad either as it gives us more artistic look to the figure.
Instructions wise, sometimes it can be a pain to read them or trying to figure out what the figure does to get the parts transformed. Instructions doesn't matter to me...figure's quality and paintjob however matters to me most.

The instructions seem fine to me, I've never read any that I didn't understand, and after I look at them once I put them away so I'm not really fussed by the design, colours etc

Where are Machine Men and Barbie? :D

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Originally Posted by Kyle

Where are Machine Men and Barbie? :D

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One day I'm gunna post pics of the magnificent MISB Barbie collection I....I mean my daughter has.

Her latest are the Betty and Wilma Flinstones twin pack and the Pink Label 2008 Holiday Seasons Barbie.

Ni instructions in them though...

I want better instructions than on those newly found MOSC Micromaster Patrols

"Lap de achterkant uit; dit worden de robotbene. Zet de robot rechtop."

What? :P

I would like to see a few words of instruction added for things that pictures can't depict or make clear. I'd like to see clear warnings for parts that aren't "made to detach if excessive force is applied".

I'd also like to see some consistant/uniform sizing of the instructions too so you could file them away better (A4/Letter size perhaps with larger ones folding nicely to that size.)

At the moment the instructions reflect the quality of the figures. Fairly cruddy.

Animated box art and packaging is greatly improved over the packaging we got for Cybertron, now the instructions (and whatever other extra paperwork added) should be improved.

I wouldn't mind improved instructions but overall I don't really care.

I would be happier if they payed more attention to the actual toy.

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Originally Posted by kup

I wouldn't mind improved instructions but overall I don't really care.

I would be happier if they payed more attention to the actual toy.

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big HI 5

seriously speaking..if money goes to improving the instructions and lose focus on the toy figures itself...would you buy the toy even if the instructions are good and detailed? doesn't make any sense

don't care, I just bin them.

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Originally Posted by Gutsman Heavy

don't care, I just bin them.

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you serious!!!! what have you binned!! :mad:

everything bar G1 and Masterpiece. I don't need instructions or the clutter they cause

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Originally Posted by Paulbot

"Lap de achterkant uit; dit worden de robotbene. Zet de robot rechtop."

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What? You don't understand that?

It translates from Dutch to English as...
"Rag the back; this becomes the robotbene. The robot puts rechtop"

Clear now? Just remember to rag the back.:rolleyes:

I look at the instructions once & then pack 'em away. Nicer instructions wouldn't make a whole lot of difference to me... *shrugs*

What I'd luv for HasTak to do is to bring back Tech Spec decoders... ;)

:)I haven't voted as I do like good instruction manuals but will more than happily put up with mediocre versions of these if it is a quality figure that I am getting:D.

I'm a retard and voted backwards. I say No (but voted yes :mad:) because everything comes at a price and I'm all for more effort on the actual toy.

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Originally Posted by Pulse

What I'd luv for HasTak to do is to bring back Tech Spec decoders... ;)

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Oh yeah. It wouldn't cost any more even to print a cut out area so that kids (and us :rolleyes:) can cut out the bios. It would definitely make the packaging more interactive and add play value to the overall product.

I find that Takara instructions are usually better illustrated and have text, and in terms of raw RRP they don't cost more than Hasbro TFs.

Yeah, there should be a Machine Barbie option for people who don't care about instructions. Only those who bother to use instructions would really care about its quality.

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Only those who bother to use instructions would really care about its quality.

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I don't use them but I still care about their quality in terms of a collectible.

I want because they look nicer, that's just my personal taste though of course :)

Bring back G1 styles!

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Originally Posted by Kyle

Where are Machine Men and Barbie? :D

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That's what I was gonna ask!

And more money to toys and less to instruction writers I say!

I voted no, because I rarely use them, but I do belive the illustrations in Hasbro's instructions of late are generally poor and often hard to decipher.

I voted no. I find that I can figure them out with the way they are now. I haven't really had any problems, save for 1.
And since I only usually use them once I kind of just don't care.

Instructions don't seem to have the recurring play value of the toy or the immediate sales attraction of the boxart, so it doesn't surprise me that they'll be one of the cheaper components.

That said, I've never run into instructions so bizarre/poor that I couldn't figure out how to transform the toy they were packaged with.

It's ironic that overall I find the G1 instructions to be the most helpful as they had little descriptions at the top of each box telling you what to do, rather than just shading a part with some arrows around it. On more complicated toys you can hardly tell which part is which in the picture! But G1 are also about the easiest TF's to transform ever so you don't really need those awesome instructions in the first place - put little descriptions on the ones we get now Hasbro - I very occasionally need them!

Not needed but I can see how a parent would want it.

I find text most useful! That's something I really appreciate about most Japanese instructions (though lately I find that they've emulated Hasbro in cutting down on the text); especially useful with toys like Binaltech, Masterpiece etc. With Hasbro TFs, sometimes I get stuck and I have to go to YouTube and watch a video review to see what I'm doing wrong (e.g. MP Rodimus' hands). But I shouldn't have to -- the instructions alone should be sufficient to let me know how to transform it.

It doesn't help that some Hasbro instructions are really poorly illustrated. Even though instructions now use photographs, I find the quality of the photography on some instructions can be confusing - and sadly recent TakTOM instructions have been like that too. The old Takara instructions were so well illustrated that I think it's possible to follow them purely visually without being able to read the text (as I'm sure some non-Japanese reading folks here may testify w/ their BT and MP instructions :o). It also really doesn't help when the toy isn't transformed properly in packaging to begin with (and again I'm finding this to be an increasingly occurring problem w/ TakTOM TFs of late too). Are they assuming that kids are too stupid to read toy instructions? Come on... we grew up with G1 and we were able to read their instructions! Heck, those instructions taught me entirely new vocabulary that I didn't have before reading them, like "pivot," "rotate," and "authenticity" etc. :)

Part of Hasbro's argument might be that they don't want to exclude their non-English speaking markets by only printing instructions in English. Okay, if you print the text in English that means that only English speaking kids can read it, and non-English speaking kids can't. When you print the instructions with no text, it means everyone can't read it! Hooray, we're all screwed! :rolleyes: And honestly, as if Hasbro doesn't print a different set of instructions for their different markets anyway. I've bought a few Hasbro TFs from China before and the text on it (e.g. character name etc.) is in Chinese, not English! So they've clearly printed a separate run of instructions for the Sinophone market anyway. There goes that argument. :rolleyes:

And as many have said - it's useful for parents... and the majority of people who buy Transformers are still parents buying for their kids. Kids who may ask for help. I never asked for help when I was a kid, but admittedly the TFs we grew up with were a damn sight easier to transform than some Transformers today. Leader Class ROTF Optimus Prime and Sentinel Prime were challenging for me, so I can imagine non-Transfan parents getting stumped on those toys.

There are some i come across where i get stuck as they dont really show it very well between 2 steps like the arms with the animated UM i tried the other day bur at the end of the day if i get stuck i just go to the figures review video on youtube and watch which way the arm is meant to bend and be pushed in etc

Where's the option for lack-thereof? My Grimlock vs Bruticus has no instructions. Not sure if just a mistake or is uniform. :confused:

I like the included comics we're getting at the moment, and much prefer them to high quality instructions. Wouldn't even mind if Hasbro completely ditched printed instructions in favour of video instructions on an official Youtube channel.

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Originally Posted by nofacej

I like the included comics we're getting at the moment, and much prefer them to high quality instructions. Wouldn't even mind if Hasbro completely ditched printed instructions in favour of video instructions on an official Youtube channel.

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I'd be against youtube watching for instructions. You pay for something, it should tell you how to use it on what you buy, not make you go to the internet to find stuff. That's just lazy cost-saving (for the company).

Game instruction manuals do this all the time now. BAH! I hate it!

^Agree.

TakaraTOMY typically has better quality instructions, and there was a time (i.e. for some of the harder movie toys) when they even included official short video clips to complement those instructions.

I'm not a fan of the monotone instructions with the two little arrows pointing outwards. Half the time i work it out for myself anyway, and that isn't being egotisical, i just find some of the instructions aren't very clear and leave me no choice but to.