View Poll Results: Do you want to see a higher quality of instructions with your new Transformers?

Voters
36. You may not vote on this poll
  • YES!!!!! Put in some damn effort Hasbro

    20 55.56%
  • No I really don't care. Just give me the figure!

    16 44.44%
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Thread: Quality of Instructions: Poll

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  1. #1
    Join Date
    2nd Jun 2011
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    Rylstone
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    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!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    8th Nov 2012
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    Beverly Hills, Sydney
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    1,650

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

  3. #3
    Join Date
    27th Dec 2007
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    Sydney NSW
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    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 ). 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! 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.

    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.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    21st May 2013
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    Brisbane
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    90

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    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

  5. #5
    Join Date
    8th Jun 2012
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    Melbourne
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    Where's the option for lack-thereof? My Grimlock vs Bruticus has no instructions. Not sure if just a mistake or is uniform.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    22nd Jun 2012
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    Melbourne
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    124

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    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.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    30th Dec 2007
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    Japanicus Minimus
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    7,720

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    Quote Originally Posted by nofacej View Post
    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.
    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!

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