Quote Originally Posted by Seraphim Prime View Post
The G1 cartoon can hardly be called consistent even within itself, let alone being consistent with other sources. I think everyone loved the Datsun, Lancia, and Sideswipe moulds because they gave us a wonderful balance of cartoon likeness, effective transformation, and realistic vehicle. It was a the best representation of everything that that character was - not a screen accurate replica that allows us to re-enact the cartoon.

I feel like the obsession with cartoon accuracy is giving us poorer quality figures at much greater prices, and I for one would gladly sacrifice perfect accuracy for a figure that was more affordable and could be handled more frequently and without needing to be extra delicate.
I certainly hope that the amount of returns and complaints about Hound breakages is a wake up call for them. No one wants delicate figures and breakages, and they could certainly do well to stop a little short of some of the things they attempt, in favour of greater structural integrity.

Thankfully mine has no issues. But reading threads on it, even the people with breakages still love the figure's design. It has an incredible transformation to a super clean robot mode mode with amazing articulation. It's a shame MPs are going up in price (which only makes any issues that much bigger of a deal), but a big part of that is the accessory bloat as much as parts count imo.

While they're certainly going for cartoon aesthetic, I do wonder just how different a 2012 Hound or Sunstreaker might have looked compared to what we got recently. Or how much different a new Sideswipe with skinnier chest would be to MP-12. I think Sunstreaker and Hound fit in with the others quite nicely. They don't forgo panel details or toy nods like say Ironhide did. I feel like he's a bit of an outlier because the van kind of afforded them greater choice for styling the legs and arms, than the bots who wear more of their vehicles. I don't think a modern Sideswipe would look as different to MP-12, as say MP-10 does to MP-44.

The cars I feel, have stuck pretty close to each other overall (especially vehicle-wise - I mean Sunstreaker and Sideswipe are nigh on identical) - it's when you look at some of the others that there is a more obvious difference in aesthetic. Personally I think an eventual Jazz will probably be very similar in aesthetic to what we got with Prowl. But something like Trailbreaker might look more in line with what we got with Ironhide. If they come right after each other, it might seem a little like "So, what's the direction of the line now!?".

I think the specifics of each character - their alt mode, their difficulty in transforming to something resembling the cartoon, and the toy's budget all play a part in the end result as much as any overall aim to be cartoon accurate. The earlier cars had lower budgets/less parts, and couldn't do as much to achieve cartoon accuracy. The Beast Wars MPs are very accurate, but a great degree of that is due to their shells affording freedom to cover pieces that can look like anything the designer wants, and their higher price. And like you say, because the models were so defined in the first place.

Then look at Arcee. They've taken much more artistic liberty compared to the cartoon than any of us expected I think. Is it just that they can do whatever they want with her body, since almost none of it is the car, and a designer has their own image in mind this time? Part of it is because they can't afford the space to store fake chests instead of using the real hood as her chest. Or does it signal a shift away from cartoon accuracy?

I don't think we can necessarily look to the last or any figure really, as some kind of definitive guide for how the next one will turn out. There's a lot of factors that go into what is and isn't possible and what the end result will be.

I wish they were cheaper of course, but Sunstreaker and Hound are so good, that I'm pleased Jazz hasn't come yet. He's going to be incredible when he does!
I think if given the choice, I'd rather have 202X Jazz than 2012 Jazz. With good QC please