TF UNiverse 2.0 & next animated wave

[FFN]

So true, you can really see the difference in customer satisfaction values these two company has.

Isn't that because there's only a handful of people (comparatively) who own Takara/TakaraTomy Transformers while there's far people people who own Hasbro Transformers?

Logically, with the more Hasbro toys there are in the western english-speaking fandom, the more faults and quality control issues will be found. And unfortunately, there is the stereotyped perception that "everything from Japan is better".

Funnily enough, the official Binaltech book, The Transformers Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide, stated that Japanese fans often go after the Hasbro versions of Alternators because they could be played with without fear of damage or chipping.

[Soundwarp]

In Malaysia they are $18AUD

[kup]

Isn't that because there's only a handful of people (comparatively) who own Takara/TakaraTomy Transformers while there's far people people who own Hasbro Transformers?

Logically, with the more Hasbro toys there are in the western english-speaking fandom, the more faults and quality control issues will be found. And unfortunately, there is the stereotyped perception that "everything from Japan is better".

Funnily enough, the official Binaltech book, The Transformers Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide, stated that Japanese fans often go after the Hasbro versions of Alternators because they could be played with without fear of damage or chipping.

No, not everything that Takara does is better than Hasbro but in recent years most of it certainly is.

I am not a Takara fan boy, I will see which company (Hasbro or Takara) offers me the better product for my money and choose accordingly. In this 'Henkei 2.0' release at least, they have certainly earned it as the Hasbro versions are clearly of a very cheap and substandard manufacturing thanks to cost cutting for the sake of greater profits at the loss of the consumer.

In the recent past there has only been a couple of occasions in which Hasbro has done better and as a result they have gotten my business instead of the Japanese counterpart. For example Hasbro's version of MP Starscream is miles above MP-3 but that's it, I cannot think of another.

When it comes to Alternators/BTs I have experienced both and frankly the Alts look like cheap KO copies next to a Binaltech. I will agree that the BTs are more fragile but their quality is still far and above the Alts even though I have had a bad experience with one Binaltech.

Its best to sit down and analyze which company offers you the better product for your money instead of going for the more accessible (easy and quick) option.

[Zippo]

While I am waiting on the Takara ones to open, I will be getting these to keep sealed - and can't wait for them to finally hit.

[Lord_Zed]

For example Hasbro's version of MP Starscream is miles above MP-3 but that's it, I cannot think of another..

As usual I disagree with the above, but It is one example of Hasbro trying to please the majority of fans for a change.

The advantage of Hasbro's releases are that they are far more toylike, and don't have any diecast to chip paint from, or chrome to wear of.

That said if you put a Takar release next to a Hasbro one, most of the time the Takrara one looks a lot nicer than the Hasbro's. Not to mention they tend to be packaged a lot nicer. And this isn't just a recent phenomena. Going back to the Robots in Disguise the Car robot brothers releasesd by Takara were of much higher quality than the Hasbro ones that suffered from spliting rubber and only partialy transparent headlights. I personaly think its the japanese mentality toward customer service and satisfaction.

FFN is correct that there are more Hasbro toys out there than Takara, but that's kinda the point Hasbro go for quantity not quality.

[Golden Phoenix]

FFN is correct that there are more Hasbro toys out there than Takara, but that's kinda the point Hasbro go for quantity not quality.

That's what happens when you up the scale of production. Quality generally goes down as production increases.

[FFN]

What you guys are mistaking for production numbers (quantity) is actually down to budget and fixed price points of our market. Western retailers prefer fixed price points, which for the toy company determine the cost of design and production.

Specifically for Alternators, Hasbro wanted to sell the toys at $20 USD, so that meant all-plastic pieces and some sacrifices on paint where possible, otherwise the (very complex and expensive-to-produce) toys would be unprofitable at the $20 price point. Remember, they're selling in a market where corporate retailers control things, and it is quite likely that a higher price would be unacceptable to the retailers for a product that small.

Japan's different (smaller) market allows for a more flexible pricing system where toys in a line aren't rigidly priced by how big they are or what is in them, but by how much they think they can charge for it. For example, during Superlink, Takara removed the electronics from nearly all of the Autobots, but kept the prices the same as the Decepticons, who retained their electronics. Wing Saber was priced slightly more expensively despite still being considered (at least internally) as a Mega class toy.

Also, demographics, Hasbro primarily deals with a massive mass market, selling to major conglomerate retailers who primarily sell Transformers to children. By comparison, TakaraTomy is clinging onto a niche of dedicated (though a small number) of Japanese collector fans, so they pretty much *need* to throw some extra money into their decos because their primary customer base expects it in such a demanding market.

This is not about Hasbro not giving a shit about customer satisfaction or Takara caring more because they're Japanese (I would consider that a western stereotype), but different markets and different budgets at play.

[Tober]

When it comes to Alternators/BTs I have experienced both and frankly the Alts look like cheap KO copies next to a Binaltech.

Actually the cheap KO copies are made from diecast and use toxic enamel paint packaged in the smaller BT box. Therefore it would be more correct to say that the Binaltechs look more like the cheap KOs than Alternators.

Gok should be having an aneurism about now...

I will agree that the BTs are more fragile but their quality is still far and above the Alts even though I have had a bad experience with one Binaltech.

I think they both originate from the same master CAD Files. Only the shells are made from different materials and use different molds to compensate. At the end of the Binaltech line the quality of Red Alert had deteriorated considerably from his earlier counterparts to the extent that parts no longer lined up (which is why some people speculate that this is why they were packaged in robot mode, amongst other reasons).

[kup]

BT Asterix do have a couple of issues, I 'll admit that but it still looks a hell of a lot better than a crappy looking Plastic Alt.

I bought Alt Meister because I thought I would never get a hold of the BT version as the prices are crazy high and when I got the alt, I felt ripped off as the quality was so crap and it just felt cheap and awful despite the excellent mold.

Thankfully I was able to acquiere a BT Meister later on at an acceptable price because the Alt annoyed me as hell and stood out as if it were a KO on my shelf.

[Kyle]

I have only opened 2 ATs so far. The first one was AT Optimus Prime which I got before my Kiss Convoy. It looked very "plastic" and lacked painted details in bot mode compared to my previous BTs, but I was ok with it. My biggest complaint was when you display him in bot mode and there's a light source behind him, his chest plate looks very transparent and very fake. Later I got my Kiss Convoy. He's also all plastic, but Takara still applied an additional layer of red paint over all the red plastic, so he looks and feels like a BT. My AT Optimus Prime went into storage.

The other AT I opened was AT Hot Rod. I had owned Kiss Rodimus already whose quality is on the same level as Kiss Convoy, but I still wanted AT Hot Rod for his flame details, especially in bot mode. (I think the Kiss one's car mode looks better with the extra layer of red paint all over the plastic and the white racing stripes.) If you put the two side by side the with paint and without paint are quite noticeable. AT Hot Rod was better than AT Optimus though because the flame details helped to make the red plastic less "stand out". Now I keep both on my display, Kiss in car mode and AT in bot mode.