What's your favorite Toy Line Gimmick?

Discussion in 'Transformers Toy Discussion' started by Janeails22x, Feb 2, 2011.

  1. Weirdwolf

    Weirdwolf TFYLP Podcast Founder TFW2005 Supporter

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    Pretty much what he said; I don't really consider Headmasters, Targetmasters, and to a lesser extent Powermasters a "gimmick" per se, since it added additional transforming to the figure.

    It's not like sticking a Cyber-Planet Key up Beast Megatron's ass and all or Armada's Hot Shot being hampered by the spring-loaded missile launcher on his back.
     
  2. Scarecrow

    Scarecrow Banned

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    I'd go minicons, setting aside Transformers being gimmicks.
     
  3. PowermasterJazz

    PowermasterJazz Well-Known Member

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    I like the Transformers that light up and make noise. I press that button over and over like a rabid child.
     
  4. Grandum

    Grandum Well-Known Member

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    Gimmicks

    Right, I'll make a list:

    Favorite:
    1 Transforming
    2 G1 gestalt combiners
    3 Soundwaves Cassette gimmick
    4 G1 style weapons and accessories
    5 Hidden weapons (Metroplex's shoulder cannon and missiles for example)
    6 Powerlinx
    7 Lightpiping
    8 Chromed parts, maybe not a gimmick, but hey I like it
    9 Powermaster
    10 Targetmaster

    Hate, loathe and despise:

    1 Beast wars alternative mutant style heads
    2 Brickforming? Not sure what to call it, but G1 ultra magnus where you just add a brick trailer to make the bot
    3 Beast wars style weapons, sorry, but organic bodyparts just don't make good guns
    4 Beast modes, again not fond of the organic thing
    5 Pretenders
    6 Modern style missiles, 99% of them are just too big to fit naturally
    7 Sound boxes, too cumbersome and anoying when they go off unintentionally
    8 Throttlebots
    9 Minicons, I like that they unlock stuff, but the scale on the altmodes just ruin it for me.
    10 Headmasters
     
  5. RedAlert Rescue

    RedAlert Rescue Banned

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    Nearly Universal 5mm posts & holes for Deluxes and upwards and 3mm and up for Scouts.

    Or if that don't count Minicons/ & Minicon posts and ports.
     
  6. IronicHide

    IronicHide MEME GO HERE

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    Triplechangers. Does that count?
     
  7. Deadend

    Deadend Spark of Creation

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    Weapon storage, or the current clip system. I love how wreckgar and kup, even blurr and drift can store their own weapons during vehicle mode, and in bot mode. I love having a bot mode place they can go, out of the way while the bot isn't in an active battle using it. Also keeps me from losing their weapons in the long run.
     
  8. Jetbolt

    Jetbolt Maximal Air Commander

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    The TM gimmick from the BW line. Some were lame, but others were great. Like Waspinator's jet mode or Rattrap's drag car mode.
     
  9. VictoryLeo19

    VictoryLeo19 Well-Known Member

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    I know its been covered as mostly not a gimmmick, but I REALLY like headmasters when I was little. They were really the "old ones" for me, because Action Masters and Pretenders were my choices in the toy store. I also really liked the water squirting character in G2, I think those bots were well done and fun to play with.
     
  10. Superquad7

    Superquad7 OCP Police Crime Prevention Unit 001 Super Content Contributor

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    The "gimmick" of transformation is #1 for me. Getting at least two toys in one is a concept that's completely revolutionized toys.

    Aside from that:

    • Minispies
    • Scramble City-style combination
    • muliti-changers
    • cityformer interactivity with other existing, sold separately Transformers
    • Head/Target/Powermasters
    • Minicons [but not having to have them for "unlocking" a particular transformation sequence]
    • Predetermined scale [1:24 and 1:32 are the only ones we've gotten "officially"; Alternators/Binaltech and Alternity respectively)
    • Realistic details (Alts/BTs and Alternity)
     
  11. UKBrawn

    UKBrawn Intergalactic Tin Opener

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    I actually used to really like the sparkbots\firecons and throttelbots. Making sparks was fun!!!
     
  12. Voiceroy

    Voiceroy Trans-fo-mahs!

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    I liked those too, and they're something you rarely see anymore in toys due to the potential fire hazard.

    Back in the 90s, I remember seeing humorist Dave Barry on David Letterman with a sparking Barbie toy illustrating how it caused a fire in real life. [Edit -- wow, someone put the clip on youtube!]

    YouTube - 1994 - Dave Barry

    My favorite gimmick is the namesake that got me interested in Transformers to begin with: the fact that they transformed. It was 2 toys in one. I loved robots and I loved sports cars. Transformers was the best of both worlds.

    Other noteworthy gimmicks, my top 10 favorites continued:

    2. Power Core Combiners - just plain fun, and with so many combo possibilities it blows the mind.

    3. G1 combiners - this was always my favorite gimmick until Power Core Combiners came along.

    4. Action Masters - I don't care how many fans hated them, I am grateful Hasbro finally gave us poseable TF action figures. (As for how they mucked up the comics for a while trying to force them into the continuity...yeah, I hated that.)

    5. Mini-cons - can't get enough of tiny TFs, especially ones that unlock stuff and combine with other toys.

    6. Triple changer - when I first held Astrotrain and Blitzwing, I was so incredibly fascinated with their engineering and design. Amazingly fun toys.

    7. Powerlinx - some weird combos, but some fantastic ones too.

    8. Light piping - a quirky one that I really enjoy, but always like better when it lights up electronically.

    9. Tie: Headmasters/Targetmasters. Although the transforming head was lame on its own, combined with a 'bot I thought it was really cool. And I wish there had been a lot more Targetmasters. I like the idea of transforming weaponry.

    10. Mouth-plate moving TFA Prime (Supreme Class), and the moving mouths on TFA Leader class Megatron and Ultra Magnus. Goofy as crap, but I really loved it. It's the closest we've ever had to having a TF puppet.

    Worst gimmicks:

    - Cyber Planet keys - may have unlocked some neat features, but it was too easy to lose them.
    - Color-changing: dipping your toys in water will eventually ruin them.
    - Pretenders: gah. Not only were they a really lame gimmick, they were ugly toys too (except for Thunderwing). If it weren't for the tiny versions of Grimlock, Jazz and Starscream (and a larger Bumblebee), I would have hated them completely.

    And I did not realize until today that TFWiki has a whole page devoted to Gimmicks:

    Gimmick - Transformers Wiki
     
  13. whoamidri

    whoamidri Mumbling Madman

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    ^ hehe david letterman.... always funnier when he's drunk, or when I'm drunk either one works.

    My favorite gimmick has gotta be missle launchers with no springs they are my favorite!
     
  14. AMG

    AMG Old School

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    Minicons, you get another TF out of the deal.
     
  15. Kup-is-Dion

    Kup-is-Dion Lord Cthulhu

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    Im partial to that gimmick where the robots turn into cars and planes and stuff. It's my favorite!
     
  16. Insane Galvatron

    Insane Galvatron is not insane. Really!

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    Targetmasters. They're basically little versions of Megatron, but with much more variation in design.
     
  17. TFcollecterguy

    TFcollecterguy Well-Known Member

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    I kinda count automorph and mechalive as basicly the same thing. They were my favorite. Subtle and but sweet. Especially Automorph.
     
  18. anotheran

    anotheran Old skooler

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    i like minimal use of automorph. it's really neat how things start moving into place just by moving something else.

    I used to like headmasters but it really limited the design of the head.
     
  19. Quixote_Prime

    Quixote_Prime is missed.

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    Never gets old.

    Don't forget the Monsterbots as Cold sparking geniuses.