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I had one of my next Masterpiece dreams last night...
Wait for it... Preceptor
I have had dreams about MP Starscream and MP Megatron before they were announced so it could happen.
In the dream I was more excited that I finally got MP-11T Thundercracker
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Does anyone else have the problem where 'sorting Transformers to sell them' time becomes 'finding all the missing bits of figures from more than a decade ago and sitting on the carpet playing with them' time?
I'm really just here for the free food and open bar.
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I am soooooo attracted to you right nowOriginally Posted by Tetsuwan Convoy
I hated Ratraps organic beast mode but loved his transmetal version with the wheels
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Lol I was getting some G1 combiner bots out to sell and so I needed to test that all the joints were tight before I sold them. Well that is what I told myself when I spent 15 minutes transforming and combining them
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For our most youngest members who may not remember, this is what Happy Meal Transformers looked like in 2003:
...and this is what they look like now. The price hasn't changed. You could purchase each of the Armada Happy Meal toys separately for $2 and you can still do the same now - so the $2 price has remained constant. IMO the Armada figures gave us WAY more bang for our buck compared to Happy Meal Toys today which are just ab-so-lute rubbish.
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The only good thing about the Maccas toys today is that my kids play with them in the shower. The main reason is cause they are pretty crap toys and I dont care it they break them
The target market for these Happy Meal Toys are toddlers / kiddies NOT adults. They don't give two hoots about the level of engineering design nor the points of articulation. It's a mute point you are making as the kids I've seen, including my nephew, absolutely enjoy being creative in their own special way they play with, say, Optimus Prime. i.e. soaring through the air & slashing everything and anything with that bad-ass sword. (yes Optimus flys without his jetpack & beats up ALL that stand in his way
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Total Bayverse there!(yes Optimus flys without his jetpack & beats up ALL that stand in his way
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The packaging states "For Ages 3+," and in terms of the cognitive development of a 3 year old...
* The child is now entering the peak period of imaginary play and enjoys using replica objects as actors in sequenced themes.
* The child has progressed significantly in their gross-motor skills and have now developed the fine motor skills for more manipulative, challenging and complex play patterns.
And for the remainder of a child's pre-school years (Age 4-5), we can see:
+ Dramatic and pretend play is at its zenith
+ Children enjoy creativity and complexity in their dramatic and make-believe play scenarios
+ Children create and coordinate multiple roles in more elaborate scenarios to build story lines
+ Motor skills are further enhanced and they develop more sophisticated levels of dexterity and coordination
(Reference)
Yes, the current Happy Meal toys can hit these developmental markers too, but IMO not at the same qualitative level as the Armada Happy Meal toys. Or let me put it another way, how long do you think a child will maintain their interest in a current Happy Meal toy for? Are these toys that they're going to look back on fondly in years to come or will they simply be forgotten?
e.g. Who remembers any of the 2007 live action movie Red Rooster Meal toys fondly? (if at all) Now who remembers the 1980s transforming McDonalds toys? They weren't marketed as Transformers here, but you know, the transforming Big Mac, Milkshake etc.? Cos I've given all of mine to my daughter who loves playing with them! I gave her the current Happy Meal Bumblebee toy and she just gave it away to her almost 2 year old cousin.
Another thing is something which kids don't understand (but it doesn't mean that it's not irrelevant) - value for money. I'm comparing two sets of $2 Happy Meal Toys. Both toys are aimed at the SAME target demographic and both cost the SAME price. Yet IMHO the Armada figures give parents way more dollar value. If Maccas wants to make cheaper toys then make them cheaper. If they're going to give us half the value, then halve the price. What I find objectionable is that they're giving us toys with half the value at the same price.
Lemme put it this way, imagine if the Last Knight toys hit shelves for these prices:
- Deluxe = $55
- Voyager = $100
- Leader = $190
How would you feel? It's not so much that the current Happy Meal toys are inherently rubbish, but they're rubbish for the price that you're paying. Just as a Last Knight Deluxe Barricade would be rubbish if you had to pay $55 for it.
I'm no expert on Happy Meal toys since I haven't had one since I was about 8, but think the difference between the Armada toys (2003) and the current RiD ones (2017) is that Armada HM toys were transforming Transformers while the RiD HM toys are action figures of Transformers. What the RiD toys lack compared to the Armada ones (being able to transform, combine, etc), they make up for in proportions and show likeness. It's like comparing a G1 1984 transformer to an Action Master or Revoltech.
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