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Thread: Gimmicks That Really Annoy You

  1. #1
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    Default Gimmicks That Really Annoy You

    Yes I'm starting another thread, so I like discussions

    I've just been thinking more and more about the Cyberverse Scout class, and how the toys only partially transform. And it REALLY REALLY bugs me! Why? WHY would you do this? Transformers that don't transform I think actually makes MORE sense than this! Why 'deform' a perfectly good function of a Transformer this way??

    There have been PLENTY of other gimmicks that has graced the Transformer toy market as someone comes up with some 'new, fresh' idea to try and sell more of our favourite franchise and some of them have really fallen flat. So what's your biggest gripe from over the years?

  2. #2
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    Soundboxes. Almost all of them are toy-breaking, either taking up a huge solid chunk where transforming could happen, or tipping the bot mode completely off balance. Unicron Trilogy and Universe 2.0 are probably the worst offenders.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lint View Post
    Soundboxes. Almost all of them are toy-breaking, either taking up a huge solid chunk where transforming could happen, or tipping the bot mode completely off balance. Unicron Trilogy and Universe 2.0 are probably the worst offenders.
    I came here to say this.


    Eagerly waiting for Masterpiece Meister

  4. #4
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    Battery gimmicks are certainly up there but for me it’s clip on armour.

    It’s either wasteful and unnecessary for the figures as it takes away from the budget and size of the toy or adds unwanted costs or it’s a silly gimmick that will end up with bits and pieces of smal plastic pieces falling off, breaking or getting lost by either adult or child fans.

    I’m talking more about the RiD style minicon armour sets or even the power of the primes junk more than something more like a shell of armour like ultra Magnus.

    I also hate enormous, stupidly absurd weapons such as what we got in the third transformers live action movie or even the combined wars/prime trilogy weapon/armour add ons.
    Looking For: Wreckers Saga TPB Collection (with Requiem)

  5. #5
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    In a franchise that has held scant regard for scale for the most part, Pretenders push that particular concern to extreme degrees. In my opinion, Pretenders are the dumbest concept Transformers have to offer.

    More recently, I hated the way that the over-sized Mech Tech weapons lowered the overall size of TFs they were packed with. A wasteful gimmick.

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  6. #6
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    I literally cannot think of a single toy I've owned or seen where the spring loaded missiles were anything but an annoyance. I'm so glad that we're past them now. I also dislike pressure launched missiles, but slightly less than their spring launched counterparts.

    Battery boxes managed to gimp a couple of the ROTF Leader Class figures which I adore (Prime and Starscream), but could have gone to the next level if unburdened with the sound and lights gimmick.

    Aside from generally thinking that the Unicron trilogy gimmicks were on the whole a bit crippling, I thought that the Energon Deluxe class combination gimmicks were a particularly shithouse.

    Obligatory mention for Transformers that don't transform Whether it's Actionmasters, these new Furai Model kits, the old Revoltech or Heroes of Cybertron stuff - what's the point?
    I'm really just here for the free food and open bar.

  7. #7
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    Yeah, pretty hard to go past those Cyberverse Legion Class figures. Even Action Masters are arguably better in that they don't give you false hope by offering you something and utterly failing to deliver.

    Ultimately I think that it comes down to 2 main things:
    1/ Does the gimmick compromise the toy? #WhYmYShOuLdErShUrT?
    2/ Does the gimmick actually work?

    In this regard I would say that one of the worst gimmicks has got to be Cyberverse Warrior Starscream's Wing Slice gimmick. Aside from heavily compromising the figure itself, the gimmick DOESN'T WORK. You can have a compromised figure if the gimmick works, because then at least you can enjoy the gimmick.
    e.g. Armada Hot Shot's gimmick notoriously compromises the toy. But the gimmick works, and it works well. You plug in a Mini-Con and the rear axle instantly springs up and fires the missile -- all in the blink of an eye! NO other toy does this. The gimmick is unique and it functions. The toy has limitations because parts of it were compromised to service the gimmick, but at least there's a trade-off. With CYB Warrior Starscream there is no trade off. The toy is rubbish and services a gimmick that doesn't even work.
    Quote Originally Posted by M-bot View Post
    In my opinion, Pretenders are the dumbest concept Transformers have to offer.
    IMO Pretender Bumblebee's core robot alone is a pretty good toy. You could pack his shell away and just enjoy the figure on its own merits. Some of the other 1989 Pretenders were also okay - much better than the '88 ones.
    e.g. Bludgeon, Stranglehold etc. -- even Jazz, Grimlock and Starscream were okay considering that they were also Pretenders.
    I think the thing that makes the 1989 Pretenders stand out to me is that I can immediately tell what their alt modes are meant to be. You take one glance at Bludgeon and you know he's a tank. Even if you lose his accessories it still looks like an armoured military vehicle. A lot of the 1988 Pretenders were basically just cosplaying contortionists. Bend over, tack on some accessories and pretend that you're a vehicle. The worst Pretenders are the ones who really cannot form any functional alt mode without their accessories - and there are figures guilty of this across both years (e.g. Doubleheader, Pincher, Iguanus, Splashdown etc.). Gunrunner's the absolute worst. His alt mode is kibble for the vehicle (which is the entire accessory). The Pretender Beasts were probably the better of the '88 Pretenders, but a shame that they were never released here.

    The Mega Pretenders and Ultra Pretenders are super lame. Thunderwing's the best of that lot, but that's like saying that Shockwave is the best Cyberverse toy. It's easy being a big fish in a small pond.

    Quote Originally Posted by M-bot View Post
    More recently, I hated the way that the over-sized Mech Tech weapons lowered the overall size of TFs they were packed with. A wasteful gimmick.
    I didn't mind the downsizing as much, but what I disliked more where the Deluxe Class weapons that wouldn't stay deployed, making the deployed mode useless. Especially melee weapons. What's the point of having an axe or sword if the blade won't stay out?

  8. #8
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    Soundboxes is the biggest offender. The best use i have seen of it is the giant 1-step Grimlock. Other than that, they are usually easy to trigger and annoying and take up too much transformersing room.
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  9. #9
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    Coming home I thought about opening my TR Predaking. Then I thought “wait, does it need stickers like Metroplex and Trypticon?” And because I don’t know for sure I haven’t opened it. So this tells me: I really hate stickers.

    (And this goes for ones we need to apply and the recent voyagers with preapplied stickers.)

  10. #10
    FatalityPitt Guest

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    Anything that doesn't completely transform into a recognizable alt-mode, i.e. Cyberverse, Action Masters, etc.

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