Repaints like Rumble & Frenzy and the Seekers isn't as shameless as all the "Powerlinx upgrades" or all the different versions of Lockdown or yellow Ratchet - ya know, the kind of repaints that just make you scratch your head and go, "WTH?!"

Quote Originally Posted by Ode to a Grasshopper
In defence of recolours, a lot of the time I prefer the recolours to the originals - i.e. Energon vs. Armada Tidal Wave, BM/Universe Strika, Energon Mirage/Dreadwing
But you'll notice that all the repaints that you prefer came after the originals were released? i.e.: Hasbro releases a mould first in - let's admit it - acceptable colours. Then they release them in better colours later in an attempt to make collectors think, "Damn it! Now I want that one!" It reeks of a plan to milk more money from collectors after they've already given money to Hasbro from buying the originals. Again - same as the Malibu Stacy w/ hat analogy... they were targetting collectors who already had Malibu Stacy but who would then want the new version with a cool hat! The fact is, the original version should've come with a hat in the first place!

Quote Originally Posted by Ode to a Grasshopper
What does tick me off is toys like Animated Sunstorm, Shockwave and co. shelfwarming in the USA while we don't get them released over here. I remember the last movie flood season and it had me baying at the moon for some variety...
I agree. Hasbro AU has been getting pret-ty slack with local distribution here. Finding Universe Inferno is like finding rain - some places are flooded but while a lot of other areas (like my areas) have been in drought - it's like the the distribution we had with the Ultra Transmetal 2s. And a lot of other toys are just not seeing the light of day here. Then there's the response Hasbro AU gave me regarding MP Grimlock... (-_-)

Back on the issue of lazy repaints - what also irks me are unfocussed repaints. By this I mean repaints where they're trying to do something that makes sense, but screw it up in the end. Universe Mudflap is a classic example of this - the toy is obviously meant to be a tribute to Erector... but they screwed it up not changing his allegiance to Autobot or changing his name from Mudflap -- that's not just lazy, but also downright "we need Ritalin stat!" inattentive. Or Universe Powerglide with Hot House's colours. Buh!?!

Then there are just some, IMHO, odd choices for tributive repaints like Universe Treadbolt. Treadbolt?! For any of you who've purchased this toy or intend to purchase this toy -- be honest... before you heard of Universe Treadbolt, how much did you know or care about G1 Treadbolt? Name one thing Treadbolt did in G1 continuity (without looking it up).

Here's the answer: Treadbolt did nothing. He had no appearance in the G1 cartoon, comics, animé or manga! He was just a toy who was released in 1990 as a member of the Micromaster Air Patrol Team

Tread Bolt is such an odd choice for a repaint intended for mass market release due to the character's relative obscurity and seems to me to be a better suited choice for an exclusive repaint. Seems strange that Classics Thundercracker, Dirge and Thrust had to become BotCon exclusives (and sold like hot cakes), and yet I'm seeing Universe Tread Bolt shelfwarming at TRU. Odd!