by Autobot032 » Sun Jul 01, 2007 10:04 pm
- Weapon: Switch Blade Tail
Well, there were some pros and cons here. Major ones.
Pros:
Movie figures will continue. (YES!)
Classics will return. (Out of left field, but YES!)
Masterpiece Starscream is a Wal-Mart exclusive, and affordable. (YES!)
Excellent voice cast for the cartoon. (No, seriously, as much as I hate the overall feel of the cartoon, I'm impressed they were willing to use a cast this good. "WEIRD" AL FTW!)
Cons:
Cartoon toys will basically look like their animation model counterparts. (This is a travesty. The animation style is awful and translating it into plastic makes it even worse.)
Classics figures will go under the Universe heading, which I'm sure a lot of stores will be apprehensive about carrying. (Although, being that they are clearly new molds should shut them up.)
Seacons/Piranaking *STILL* up in the air. Maybe, maybe not, etc. (This is growing tiresome. I'd much rather have them, than not. However, quit screwing around and dangling the carrot in front of us. Make a final decision. It's driving us nuts!)
Final thoughts:
From everything I've seen and heard so far, this year's showing was a mixed bag of positives and negatives. Running too much neck and neck for my tastes. (Of course I'd want more positives, who wouldn't?)
I see why they killed Alternators, and I'm fine with it, although...some of their best molds were at the tail end of the line. Perhaps if they had just distributed them better, along with more of the same incredible engineering behind Mirage...Alternators could've really been something great.
I'm glad (and I do mean GLAD) that they killed off the Titaniums line. Overall, it didn't sell well in my area, and what did sell, happened to be the most popular ones, leaving their less than successful shelfmates to be the worst dust collectors in years. Great idea, bad execution.
I'm absolutely ecstatic that they've decided to continue with the movie line for a while. It shows what Hasbro is truly capable of, and that they should continue that trend. Not always pretty, but definitely kick ass robots. Wouldn't kill Hasbro to make movie-esque figures for the collectors.
It's a little disheartening to see that the mainline for 2008 is going to be so dumbed down. No, I know, it's aimed at the correct demographic, as it should be...but it's just a really sad state of affairs in my book. The cartoon designs aren't the worst I've ever seen, period. They are, however, the worst for TFs. The fact that they're translating it into plastic just makes it mind boggling for me.
Yes, collectors will be thought of (and I appreciate it, I really do!) and I know kids are the main focus (and I'm fine with that), but it seems like it might be a tad barren in '08 for certain collectors, such as myself. I'll collect Universe (because Classics were terrific. No ifs, ands, or buts about it...) and I'll definitely buy more of the movie line. (Damn you TransFormers The Game! Damn you and your drone figures that kick so much ass...damn you hard!)
The problem is...what if the figures suck? I'm not trying to be funny. Let's face it...those of us who hate the cartoon designs, and those of you who hate the movie designs realize that the figures can, in fact, suck. So, what do we do in the interim? And before anyone says "stick it in a savings account" or something like that, don't bother. There's a time and place for that, this is about our vices. We deserve a little something for us every now and then...and for us collectors...TransFormers happens to be that vice.
I don't know. I might be worrying too much, but I do feel there's a big let down coming soon, and some of us will just be left waiting for the next big thing, but if we're left waiting too long...we'll no longer give a damn and walk away. I've seen people do it before, and they'll do it again. I can't imagine not being a TF collector, or being involved, period. But, it's possible, it's happened once before...(I replaced TFs with TMNT and MMPR) and if it wasn't for "Code Of Hero", BW would've never brought me back. (It's the defining episode of the entire series. If that episode doesn't convert you into a fan, then nothing will.)
Yeah, I could collect reissues, but I don't give a damn about G1 anymore. It's just not my thing. I'm not a RiD fan by any means, either.
*sighs*
I have hope, but I'm still afraid of "TeH suck".
NOTE: Realize that I am not a perfect Christian, nor do I profess to be. I apologize if anyone's ever offended by me, I'm not perfect. Don't hold my posts and opinions against other Christians.