Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Toys Then and Now
What do you think of toys now compared to earlier toys from the past?
Ive noticed a lot more of these mystery / surprise toys where you dont know which figure you are buying. They dont do much either just a plastic lump. No articulation or anything. Id say the fun factor of play and what the toy can actually do has decreased. This is in terms overall across the toy aisle as there are a couple of toys that are very interactive but cost alot.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
I find that toy lines are often a mixed bag. With G1 we had a lot of really cool toys like the Autobot Cars etc., but there were also duds like Firecons etc. We all know that Beast Wars was the big game changer, but even then things continued to be a mixed bag. BW gave us loads of incredible figures that forever changed the landscape of toy design, but it also gave us some questionable toys like Retrax etc. Even MPs have had their ups (e.g. Inferno) and downs (e.g. MP3). But on the whole the majority of toys in most lines tend to be reasonably good. It's the reason why Transformers has enjoyed unbroken longevity for 35 years. Toy lines that allow inferior toys to take over are doomed to extinction, like many other toy lines from the 1980s that have experienced periods of non-production or are just no longer around today.
The main thing I find that's changed with Transformers more recently is a diversification of the line. Now this has its ups and downs. I think the advantage of this is that it doesn't allow any single concept to threaten the brand as Action Masters did with G1. The downside to this is that it can allow each of these "sub lines" to become more homogeneous and, in itself, lack diversity. Take Cyberverse for example. Whether you love or loathe this series the fact is that it's not an incredibly diverse line; it's put all of its eggs into a small basket. But the upside is that if Cyberverse were to totally tank, it would unlikely deal a critical blow to the Transformers brand. We still have Siege, Studio Series, Masterpiece, Rescue Bots, reissues etc. to help keen the TF brand afloat. On the whole I think the brand diversity has become a good thing. It gives us consumers more choice. In 1990 if you didn't like Action Masters then tough. They were half the freakin' toy line. Don't like Micromasters either? Well, aside from the Classic reissues, there'd be nothing else for you to collect. Today if you don't like Cyberverse, that's okay. There are still other Transformers lines that you can collect. Compared to previous years we're spoiled for choice.
However there is one thing I really miss about older Transformers lines. Character diversity. Today it seems that almost every Transformer being released is another reimagining of an existing character or character concept. Thinking about all the Transformers that I've purchased this year, aside from Shatter from the Bumblebee Movie line and Bot-Bots, I cannot think of too many other new or original characters. Even CHUG and MP are becoming repetitive as they are increasingly making new toys of characters that already exist in the line, like Springer. Did we really need a new CHUG Springer? Sure, Siege Springer does bring some new things to the table, but ultimately I don't consider much better or worse than Generations Springer. I would much rather see CHUG focus on characters that have never been "CHUGgified" before or even just give us more new characters before revisiting already done characters. "Galactic Man Shockwave" felt like a wasted opportunity, and ditto red chested Swoop. It would've been nice if they'd followed Takara(TOMY)'s footsteps and gave us new characters based on existing variants (e.g. Clampdown, Cordon, Delta Magnus etc.). I'm still happy to get these toys but they seem to lack creativity in terms of developing new characters. They're giving us a third MP Convoy and yet another MP G1 Bumblebee... but really, I'd like to see them continue producing new MPs based on characters never done before. That's why I jumped on pre-ordering MP Hound. I know he's overpriced (even at pre order discount), but I will gladly support TakaraTOMY in their effort to finish the rest of G1 (esp. early G1) as MPs over revisiting already done characters. I'm not completely against revisiting characters per se; MP36 is a significant improvement over MP5 (although at twice the price) and Siege Jetfire is a big improvement over Generations Jetfire; even factoring different price points I consider Siege Jetfire to offer superior dollar value than Generations Jetfire (and I'd say about equal dollar value as Classics Jetfire bearing in mind that Siege is triple the price of Classics).
I have little exposure to blasphemous toylines outside of Transformers, but from what I've observed I've noticed a general decline in value. Star Wars figures today seem to lack the level of detail and articulation as those from the late 90s to mid 00s; the 16cm black boxed figures seem to have about as much detail as the smaller 10cm figures from before. 15 years ago we might've considered them as just upsized versions of the 10cm figures but these days they're viewed as premium deluxe figures because the 10cm figures have become far more simplified. Marvel figures seem to also be of inferior value, especially compared to the old Toy Biz figures. I saw someone's Spider-Man Homecoming Night Monkey figure and it's just dismal. No leg articulation, are you kidding me? And the only accessory is this... claw... thing? Toy Biz's Spider-Man figures in the 21st Century were all superbly articulated -- many with double elbow and knee joints. And they came with bases and reprinted comic books, and all for $15 (or $20 in today's money).
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
There seems to be a pattern (when it comes to these non-TF figures) that the smaller the figure the greater the detail. They wouldn't dare try for that on the larger figures unless they were aiming at the collector market and even then it would be limited edition like those figures behind the glass displays at Zing.
It's all about cost effectiveness like removing the joints from the legs (which is blasphemous for an action figure aimed at kids).
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
This sometimes holds true for some Transformers toys too.Originally Posted by shockNwave
e.g. Legends Class ROTF Devastator vs Combiner Class ROTF Devastator etc.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
I'm somewhat dismayed at the rise of loot box toys. These parents are buying toys up to around $80 for their kids that they don't know what is inside.
I've seen parents buy these stupid things for their kids then have the kid hurridly open it once it's paid for only to have the kid start crying because they already own the toy.
It's like a pokie machine for kids, sometimes you hit the jackpot and get the toy you want, sometimes you get the same toy you already own three of.
What's wrong with knowing what's in the box before you pay for it?
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Greed.
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
The best (and ethical as well) loot boxes I know of are the $5 TF Botbot ones.
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Evolution of Hasbro Star Wars figures. Modern articulation with better detail and finish. I didn't bother featuring earlier versions of AT-AT Commander/General Veers because the current 6 inch version is probably the best version (premium format such at Hot Toys aside). The Black Series 6 inch figures, especially with face printing technology, are better representations of the characters than the ones in 3.75 inch form.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
^ how do prices compare?
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Back in 1995, 3.75 inch Star Wars figures (five points of articulation) were priced at $8.99 at Toys R Us. In the mid 2000s, 3.75 inch figures were priced at around $14.99 or more. Now, the 3.75 inch figures are priced at around $24.99 or more. Back in 2014, the 6 inch figures were priced at $34.99. The 6 inch figures are now priced at around $39.99.
Prices in AUD and at RRP.
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