You'll be lucky to transform ROTF Leader Optimus during the length of the movie. I totally agree with you, my son is the same way.
They're for kids dude. As someone who has kids and is around a shit ton of kids all the time I can tell you they love these things. Not sure why Takara is going all out with premium paint but they're still relatively cheap compared to other imports. I may get a Prime just because I love his battle mask design.
These things seem to shelf-warm for TakaraTomy. Don't know why they bother. Guess they sell enough to warrant it but eh. Yeah, they're popular with kids but from what I've seen, it's because parents are either cheap or the kids have an attention span shorter than a gnat's dick. When I was a kid, I didn't need these sort of toys to have fun, and I know there were plenty of other kids like that too. It's almost like we're teaching kids to have ADHD these days, I swear.
Transformers were much simpler when most of us were kids. If these types of toys didn't exist now then the main line/ generations / collector figures would probably be dumbed down a bit to make them more suitable for a younger demographic.
It's not about catering to or encouraging ADHD, it's about keeping up the fun of the story you're playing out. You make it out like kids are too impatient or unable to transform an actual complicated TF and it's not about that. You mentioned that they "need these toys to have fun" and framing it like that is like you're saying they can only enjoy dumbed down TFs and that's the furthest from the point of these. If me and my boy (or girls since my two girls are fairly decent TFs fans as well) are the Autobots charging the Decepticon base, you don't want to ruin the energy and momentum of the moment having to stop and transform a twenty bot army of bots from their alt modes. The quick changers let you be able to constantly shift from bot to alt mode and back at the drop of a dime during play like in the media, be it games, toons or the movies. That's the playstyle these guys address. Further, did you play with others playing TFs as a kid or by yourself? Because I know by myself I played very differently that I did with others simply out of time constraints. Besides which, the three and five steps arguably have more steps and articulation than half the g1 toys. Let's not pretend that we couldn't transform a figure in less than 10 seconds back in the day. Starscream to plane mode? Flip up the feet, push in the non-articulated arms and swing up the nosecone. Mirage (and lots of the car bots come to think of it--he and they are all a waist twist and arm tuck under the unfolding chest away from alt mode. I get it. When I didn't have kids, I just wouldn't have understood the point of these figures so I can see why someone wouldn't get the point of the figure. But now that I have my own brood, I love them. I gave my boy one of the non-transforming movie Primes a couple of years ago (I think you guys call them the Shampoo bottle bots). He didn't care. He has Optimus Prime and he's durable AF. That's the bot that can crash and fight the other toys he has without remorse.
Not all kids like this kinda type of TFs. I have family members/relatives who come over during the holidays, for their kids my dad will handover the simplistic robot toys for them to play with. But as always they'll lose interest and will clamor for my dad's MP & Generations toys. They will shout and scream when their request are ignored. (Fyi my dad was born in the 70's & grew up with the G1 cartoon)
Either way, they're pretty reasonably priced (roughly $19 when converted to USD) on HLJ: HobbyLink Japan - Search Results for Transformers turbo change
These things are stupidly fun (seriously, pick one up some day, it's like having a new G1 toy) and it's confirming nerd stereotypes hilariously when adult men complain about toys being too toy-like.
Series product page on the official TakaraTomy TF site and series logo. tf.takaratomy.co.jp/products/tf_tc It's weird how much effort they seem to be putting into simple figures like these. Especially when the movie hype has already died down.
I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that Takara is willing to dedicate time and money to give these figures better paint applications, yet they weren’t willing to do the same for the Premier Line.
And your point is? I was commenting that I can’t see how the line is PROFITABLE and worth continuing, not that no person could ever want them. I’m sure there are people on these boards that buy them simply because it’s an official TF Product, which is totally cool. I’m talking about how it shocks me that they are able to justify the same type of lines year after year.
Obviously they are for kids! You missed the point of my post completely. I’m shocked that the lines are popular enough to be profitable and worth continuing for each new line. And clearly there are collectors such as yourself that like aspects of the item and want to purchase it, which is fine. Sheesh!
There cheap and I'm on a tight collecting budget. So these give me a chance to own the core characters from the film. Plus they take up minimal space, which is once again another win.
