have hasbro/takara become lazy...

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

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?!"

I'll totally pay that, but the point I was trying to make is that repainting stuff is pretty much a given in TFs, and one that has potential to work well. I'm not a completist and usually wait for sales, so often by the time I get a figure it's got a repaint or 2 anyway, and I just choose the one I like best. I agree, it is lazy, but I'm lazy too so I just don't buy the ones I don't like - my only problem with the lazy repaint flooding in Oz is that it's taking up space that could otherwise be filled with other new non-lazy (well, excepting Atomic Lugnut) stuff. Alternately, we're pretty close to Asia and have a pretty good trade with Japan, how about some joint Hasbro/Takara goodness like Taiwan or Singapore?

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!

Heh, all TF 'fans' have a love-hate relationship with Hasbro (except maybe Japan). The trouble with that analogy is that the only 'collector' hot to trot for New Hat Malibu Stacy was Smithers. The rest were all small children. While Universe Dragstrip etc are nods to the (usually older) fans, most of these repaints are aimed at kids. When you get right down to it, we are all pretty much adults who collect/play with children's toys. I can live with that - it's better than 'alcoholic' - but it's not like an evil plan or a personal affront to us as collectors, it's just that TFs are a business franchise aimed primarily at children.

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!?!

Totally. I would have really liked to have seen Movie Mudflap as Grapple and a Hoist-esque repainted Longarm as 2-pack a la Blackout/Scorponok myself. And don't get me started on the latest Combaticons set - how hard is it to repaint one of the Aerialbot limbs and include a Blast-Off who can actually fly? It's not like the Treadshot mold couldn't sorta have been passed off as a 'space fighter' or something. A slight remold/recolor of movie scout Hardtop (I don't know the base figure) or Energon Strongarm would work as a Swindle too. It's not like that's a lot effort, and having so many different limb sets would mean more potential for even more lame Energon combiner repaints in the future. Jeez Hasbro, remember how ages ago those wacky Japanese came up with a little something called "Scramble City"?.

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!

Stoopid no mass-Aus-release-Seekers. With Tread Bolt I just assumed they picked a name at random and hoped the kids who missed out on Skyfire would be happy with an 'evil' repaint. That or it's a repeat of the BW TM Inferno/Scavenger trademark protection thing.