I thought you were supposed to reciprocate?

[KELPIE]

G'Day all,

I signed up a little while ago. I've made some sporadic posts. Guess I might stick around for a bit.

That means I'm going to need to make one of these newfangled posts and add an avatar or something.

Transformer fan since the start, ex-TAAU member (noticed a few others here). G1 collector at heart but I do have a soft spot for BW.

A stand alone collector in the real world with everyone I know happy to spend money on more important things like food, shelter, etc.

Favourite Autobot: Beachcomber
Favourite Decepticon: Flywheels

Firm believer in Transformers toys/merchandise not having to Transform for it to be added to my collection.

Even though I am a big fan of articulation in my Transformer toys, I feel the proliferation of the ball joint to be a blight on the land.

Other interests: Marvel (Spider-Man predominantly), most cartoons from the 80's, Anime/Manga, Boardgames and League of Legends.

[TypeTnT]

Interested in why your fave Decepticon is Flywheels?
Was he your first bad guy?
I’m always curious about people’s choices!

[UltraMarginal]

Welcome aboard the board!

you're going to have to elaborate on TAAU?

I'd like to hear more about your thoughts on the ball joint. I feel it's made a lot of transformers possible that never would have been otherwise, but I can't help but see your point, it's a good joint design, but when it doesn't work it fails rather spectacularly..
There are other joint designs that are perhaps not as versatile however they are also more robust in many ways.

[KELPIE]

Interested in why your fave Decepticon is Flywheels?
Was he your first bad guy?
I’m always curious about people’s choices!

Skywarp was my first Transformer.

Not sure why Flywheels. I think it came down to a few reasons. He was a fun toy to play with, he fit in well with the G.I.Joes with the bot mode being about the same height as a 3 3/4" figure, I like the idea of him splitting into two alt modes allowing him to attack from different angles and I guess I liked his involvement in the zombie arc of the Marvel UK stories. Oh and how cool does he look in the animated advert!

Welcome aboard the board!

you're going to have to elaborate on TAAU?

Abbreviation of "They Are Among Us". An alternate Australian TF forum/community.

I'd like to hear more about your thoughts on the ball joint. I feel it's made a lot of transformers possible that never would have been otherwise, but I can't help but see your point, it's a good joint design, but when it doesn't work it fails rather spectacularly..
There are other joint designs that are perhaps not as versatile however they are also more robust in many ways.

Like I said, I love articulation in my figures and there's no doubt that the ball joint really embodies that aspect. However when limbs can and do pop off with very little force it drives me nuts.

It could be something as simple as a knee joint having more tension than the ball joint in the hip can handle, hence bending a knee to pose causes the leg to pop off.

Now while this is annoying and frustrating for me, it seems to be even more so for kids, a combination of two things happening:
1) the child runs to their parents to re-attach said limb... constantly, or
2) their toybox if full of Transformers with missing limbs.
This is counter intuitive to play enjoyment.

I understand there is an argument of safety, however there is also an level of responsibility on the engineer to design a toy that can be Transformed in a manner that doesn't risk breakage or rely on limbs popping off.

I'll also say, there should be some responsibility on parents to teach kids not to get frustrated with their toys, not to use force and treat things with care. Not always going to happen I know but hey, I learned these lessons young thanks to Transformers.

Ultimately I just feel these joints cheapen the overall figure and are always the first to go over time. They had their moment, however there are now better options out there.

[Dan]

Welcome.

I too am newish and only sporadically visit but what I do see here is frequently interesting.

I'm okay with ball-and-socket joints as long as they're sturdy. Problem is, that's not always the case, but is that more a manufacturing than a design problem? I feel like often the more complex designs of contemporary Transformers are let down by manufacturing standards.

It seems like my TFs that have survived thirty-something years will last the rest of my life now, but I'm not sure the same will be true of the ones I've gotten this decade. I still proudly tell some (mostly non-collecting) friends that I have Transformers with the stamp 'Made In Japan' on them.

Worst case of flimsy ball-and-sockets for me is that live-action Scalpel (creepy Decepticon medic microscope). Most of the sockets have crumbled around the balls. Doesn't stop him being creepy, though.

[VERT]

Hi KELPIE welcome back. They are among us was a long time ago.

[KELPIE]

Hi KELPIE welcome back. They are among us was a long time ago.

Thanks Vert. Good to see a familiar face. You and Sharky were good peeps

I didn't think it was that long ago but I guess it is when you think about it.

I mean, it's crazy to think that Generations Metroplex came out over 5 years ago

[VERT]

Thanks Vert. Good to see a familiar face. You and Sharky were good peeps

I mean, it's crazy to think that Generations Metroplex came out over 5 years ago

Hey thanks. And yeah I was actually thinking the same thing the other day. It's been 5 years since Metroplex. Wow time moves to fast.

[Jetfire in the sky]

Thanks Vert. Good to see a familiar face. You and Sharky were good peeps

I didn't think it was that long ago but I guess it is when you think about it.

I mean, it's crazy to think that Generations Metroplex came out over 5 years ago

Yeah it was a long time ago and even I forget that sometimes, its a whole new fandom (insert best Simpsons nerd voice) hmm they are among is gone, arhh you are now among us (remove nerd voice) some of us old farts from TAAU :-)

[KELPIE]

Yeah it was a long time ago and even I forget that sometimes, its a whole new fandom (insert best Simpsons nerd voice) hmm they are among is gone, arhh you are now among us (remove nerd voice) some of us old farts from TAAU :-)

Haha, yup.

From memory there was a bit of a rivalry between the two boards back in the heyday.