WTF @ TFW - 193 - March 30 2012

Discussion in 'WTF @ TFW Transformers Podcast' started by Vangelus, Apr 5, 2012.

  1. Cybermnky

    Cybermnky Well-Known Member

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    Reasons for Lego's high prices:
    1) brand name, pure and simple
    2) quality - the tolerances for your standard lego brick are significantly higher than the materials that go into building your house.
     
  2. QuinJester

    QuinJester T. Bison

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    I find the image selected for this podcast pleasing.
     
  3. EmGo316

    EmGo316 Freakin' Geek

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    The funny thing is this isn't the first time I've been mentioned on the podcast, but it's the first time they actually remembered my name. I'll take what I can get LOL
     
  4. SideswipePrime

    SideswipePrime Reply Dump Extraordinaire

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    Ok on lego, I won't deny that they are expensive, and back when they started changing everything back to yellow skin like 3 years ago rather than have the skin be caucasian i did wonder why they did that but then I figured it out, only star wars and licensed stuff get caucasian skin and everything else that is Lego's property has yellow skin, I guess because it's tradition, but putting a Mega Blocks brick on a Lego brick bothers me personally, since they are different types of plastic, and I like consistency in my lego sets, then again I did put some spare Lego pieces on me Kre-o Sideswipe, so that it will look better, but yeah that will make a ton of people furious if you do that. My opinion on Mega Blocks is I don't like it, I got one TMNT set a while back, and I had nothing but problems, the bricks would not hold together, and when I was trying to get the last brick to stay on, the entire set just broke apart, and I have never bought a Mega Blacks set since, I don't know if they have improved or not, and I probably won't buy any since the majority of it is Halo, and Halo just really isn't my thing, but if they have improved, I might give it another try
     
  5. nazgul777

    nazgul777 Well-Known Member

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    Simple answer to the poster above: yes, Mega Bloks has improved greatly. The Halo license has brought them ALOT of money, and all of their brands are top notch quality wise now. I've got a figure from every brand they produce in front of me now, and they're all great.
     
  6. TrueNomadSkies

    TrueNomadSkies Well-Known Member

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    All of my Megablocks are mixed in with my Lego, and some of my favorite pieces actually came from my Megablocks shuttle.
     
  7. Matty

    Matty @StayingInTheBox Veteran

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    I'm gonna have to give Megablocks a try ...
     
  8. SideswipePrime

    SideswipePrime Reply Dump Extraordinaire

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    Ok then, I guess I'll give them another try
     
  9. Rexidus

    Rexidus Autobot

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    Hey thanks for the tip about Ratchet's eyes. I hadn't even noticed. Luckily I already had my paints out and quickly did his. It really makes his eyes look good.

    I took a look and the only other figure I noticed that had this was PRID Megatron. Did I miss any others?

    Hopefully this will be some good advertising for your great review channel.
     
  10. Snark

    Snark Well-Known Member

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    Hey Vangelus, regarding your Kreo/Lego/Mega comparison, you might want to know that the new Battleship kreo (and presumable the upcoming Transformers) sets show a marked improvement in quality over the early Transformers sets.

    Firstly, stickers are now transparent plastic as opposed to the paper stickers used with Transformers. In addition to looking better, they are more forgiving in allowing you to pull them off and reapply them, and presumably are less prone to peeling.

    The sets also seem to have been built with more play value in mind. Even the smallest sets have missile launchers and apparently the helicopter set has a rotor gimmick!

    Most significant however is the fact that the Kreons are massively improved. Their tolerances are much more consistent, allowing them to interact much more freely with their accessories as well as those made by Lego and Mega. Similarly, other brands can use their weapons and accessories much better now. Furthermore, joint tolerances are much more consistent with fewer loose limbs. Finally, weapons and accessories are now much better made than the sprue-connected ones from the Transformers sets.

    In the interest of fairness, you might want to consider getting a Battleship set for comparison. Personally, I would suggest the Alien Strike. It's a lovely looking set, makes a cool counterpoint to the Lego Alien theme and it's even got a claw to grab unsuspecting minifigs!

    ---

    In regard to the differences between the three brands, as someone who buys all three, I find they have their respective strengths and weaknesses.

    Lego is the standard maker; they have great designs and have the best QC in the industry. They are however ungodly expensive, and in my opinion, the licensed sets are so stupidly overpriced as to make them not worth the money.

    Kreo is my favourite alternative brand. While the set designs are not up to par with Lego yet, the plastic quality and clutch/declutch consistency of the bricks are on equal footing with Lego. Because of the quality, I keep my Kreo bricks with my Lego, and use them interchangeably. Before, I used to say that the Kreons were the weakest link of the brand, but in light of what I've gotten from the Battleship sets that I've bought, they're fast catching up. All in all, a solid brand that looks like they're striving to improve with each new wave.

    Mega Bloks is the weakest of the three in terms of brick quality. The plastic is not as good, and the clutch/declutch can be all over the place, which can make building an unpleasant experience at times. That said, between their unique 'camo bricks', the top notch set designs and their trademark articulated minifigs, the brand manages to carve its own identity. However, the weaknesses in plastic quality mean that I buy Mega Bloks purely for the sets, without ever using the bricks in my own builds.
     
  11. seekerblackout

    seekerblackout Banned

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    Megatron totally killed Optimus' sword micron twice. :lol 
     
  12. KnightHawkke

    KnightHawkke Flynn Lives

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    Crazy part about Arms Microns being sentient is they are part of the transformers bodies.. and live inside of the forearms of the larger robots, how do they "sneak out"? I reallllllly do want to see these little clips indeed.
     
  13. Seth Buzzard

    Seth Buzzard R.I.P. Buzzbeak Content Contributor

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    I'll say double plus good or un-good in conversation now and then just to see if the person I'm talking to even reacts for the fun of it.
     
  14. RedAlert Rescue

    RedAlert Rescue Banned

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    Perhaps something like :

    WTF @ TFW - 193 - (Date of recording) March 30 2012 - [Board posting date : 5th April]

    I would arguably help those who stumble into these podcasts by finding TFW2005 off the Transformers Movie's DVD Extra disc's or via social media or Youtube breadcrumbs.

    I can't see how you'd be expected to know what is intended rather than what is stated though.

    It also might also might help people realise that the recording date of the podcast is not the same as the publication date - The advantage of making that clearer is that if big news comes out the day or so after the recording date then a few less people might be saying "I'm surprised you didn't mention" so much to you folks.
     
  15. godotislate

    godotislate S-Secret Police?!

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    Seeing as all board posts are timestamped above every username, I'm not sure what the point of putting the post time in the subject would be.
     
  16. RedAlert Rescue

    RedAlert Rescue Banned

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    Yeah and again the point is that they are making it look like the date that is important and in big letters is the date the thing is published where it's actually the date or recording.

    I personally feel it's less confusing to have it the other way around the publishing date as the big date so you see the date and glance at the date on your computer and see it's a close match and so it's probably a new one - where as sometimes there's a 5 day gap between it being recorded and being listed on the site - this is I feel a huge are of potential confusion.

    Fine if you can read and understand it but imagine you are a first time potential listener is it really as plain as it could be ?

    I happen to think not - which is why I'm mentioning it - glory to those who do understand it but I suspect it's not as obvious as it might be to someone who's learned it.

    It's just something I thought as I've been trying to navigate Youtube lately and that site is a complete disaster in terms of design especially the search function and user playlists and categories they often come out totally messed up.

    I think a very clear note as to the date or posting and recording on the page show note at a minimum would help. Though as I've implied I personally think the best date to use on the shows is the publishing date not the recording date as it's the way pretty much everyone else does it as far as I've noticed it to date.

    No pressure on anyone - it's just an ease of use observation. The reason I make it is that sometimes the date of publication of a thread is not the same as the day something is front paged so a podcast thread actually ends up with 3 dates on it - the date or recording, the date of posting and the date it's front paged. And I do see that as a potential point of confusion for someone new to the site which is the only reason I mentioned it.
     
  17. MrByatis

    MrByatis Questioning Rumble

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    They've been doing it this way for nearly four years and anybody has claimed confusion other than yourself, at least that I know of.
     
  18. GogDog

    GogDog Logic's wayward son Veteran

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    That would be utterly stupid.

    EVERY SINGLE THREAD on TFW shows the publish date. It's called the date of the first post. Its been common knowledge since we started this show we record on Thursday nights. If you can't utilize common sense and understand why there is a date on the show that predates the posting date, then there is literally nothing I can do to help you. We have zero intention of changing a system that literally EVERYONE BUT YOU can grasp. That includes including extra words in the thread title just for you to help you understand it AFTER it's been explained to you.

    This is the last time this topic will be discussed. If you have further issues, take it to PM. Have a good day.
     
  19. Sludge

    Sludge Well-Known Member

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    [​IMG]
     
  20. TedimusPrime

    TedimusPrime Full Time Toy Designer

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    When you guys were trying to fuse your names into the name of your country, it just sounded like a bunch of adult stars.