A testament to the greatness of G1

Discussion in 'Transformers Toy Discussion' started by rob_charb, Apr 3, 2009.

  1. rob_charb

    rob_charb Well-Known Member

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    So a couple nights ago, I woke up around 3:30 or so in the morning to go the bathroom. As is my habit, I walked into the computer/PS2/Transformer collection/dog's room to give him a bit of a fuss, scratching between his ears and whatnot. That's when I noticed something red on the floor in front of the TV...then another something red with some blue and silver.

    My heart sinking into my feet, I went over to see what it was...my blasted cat had declared war on my Encore Prime during the night and knocked him down from his shelf, which is about five feet off the floor, where it would have landed on the TV under the shelf, and either bounced or rolled off to the tile floor below. About to curse my cat before strangling her, I picked up the pieces of Prime, convinced my 2000 dollar (Taiwan dollars, not US) G1 Prime, the heart and soul of my collection, was now trashed and I was going to have to junk it, with no hope of a replacement. His left arm was completely off the torso and his head was missing. I found his head tucked under my dog's blanket.

    Holding the pieces in my hands, I noticed something curious. There were no cracks...no jagged bits of broken plastic...not even a stress mark anywhere on Prime. Hoping against hope, I tried popping the left arm back in at the shoulder...in it went and in it stayed! It was just as snug as the day I bought it. Now, what to do with the head? Somehow, the head had popped off the torso without breaking the pegs or the holes they go into, or even so much as cracking them. I had to use a bit of force, but hey! presto! in went the head! And still not so much as a stress mark anywhere.

    Convinced that there was going to be a problem somewhere, I started going over every millimeter of the figure. All the joints were still good and tight, he still transformed perfectly, all the limbs moved smoothly, there wasn't any chipping of paint or chrome anywhere. Even the smokestacks had survived entirely intact!

    Heaving a huge sigh of relieve, I put Prime back on the shelf next to G1 Soundwave and Megatron, gave my dog a huge hug and patted him for a few minutes then finally managed to do what I'd originally set out to do...go to the damned bathroom!

    Now, my cat seems to have declared a new war on Encore Megatron. So far he hasn't fallen off the shelf (knock on wood), but he's taken a couple of tumbles over into some hard plastic corners and is still has chrome-tastically beautiful as the day I got him.

    My point? Despite their brickishness and seriously outdated designs, G1 toys are damned tough and show how much care and thought was put into making sure kids toys were going to last back when these guys came out. In comparison, my 2007 Movie Bumblebee (the old Camaro version) literally exploded when the cat knocked him off his shelf...which is barely two feet above the ground.
     
  2. Optimus Scourge

    Optimus Scourge Arcee's boy toy Veteran

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    Glad he is ok, if Megs falls you won't be so lucky, that chest piece will snap right off- it happened to mine :( 

    I recommend you move them out of harms way, man.

    "Die cast construction - it's a lost art" -BW Optimus Primal
     
    Last edited: Apr 3, 2009
  3. Blitz.

    Blitz. Well-Known Member

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    wow you were very lucky. I'd think if anything were to go it would be the smoke stacks
     
  4. rob_charb

    rob_charb Well-Known Member

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    My thoughts exactly. I was expecting to be picking up pieces of smokestack from all over the place.

    Optimus Scourge, sorry to hear about your Megs. Unfortunately, the only safe place for my collection would be in my closet or in a cupboard...and that kind of defeats the purpose of having all these lovely Transformers...
     
  5. aprim

    aprim Well-Known Member

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    Ahhh G1..JUST PERFECT!
     
  6. Yigal

    Yigal Dutch Meeting camera man

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    Yeah, tell that to the kids who bought Monstructor, Black Zarak, or Roadblock.

    Can you imagine? A 7 year old boy 20 to 25 years ago "Atobot attak the deseptikon. BOOM BOOM BOOM..." And the decepticon with great gold plastic literally falls in a thousand pieces.

    How many parents have had a nervous breakdown after that happening to one of their little kids. The horror!! The Agony!!

    G1 at its best......
     
  7. Ziero

    Ziero TFW2005 Supporter

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    I've had my '08 CC movie BB take numerous fasc dives off my 4' tall dresser onto my hardwood floors and the worst he's gotten was one shoulder piece that wasn't glued in right to begin with and pops on/off all the time anyway falling off.

    While G1 toys are sturdy bricks, they can and will break just as easily as modern day toys if they fall the wrong way. Hell, my Henkai Jetfire loves taking nose dives onto my floor, but always comes out unscathed. Luck, it's a wonderful thing.
     
  8. Seawing

    Seawing Lurker of the depths Moderator

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    Just so you know, the gold plastic breaks down over time. 20-25 years ago, the plastic would have been durable and solid like other stable plastics.

    Glad to hear Prime came out ok Rob.
     
  9. Backstop

    Backstop Have you seen my box art?

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    I have been saying for years that G1 is the shit compared to those lower quality ball jointed things! lol...
     
  10. Valkysas

    Valkysas Attack Buffalo

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    you're lucky. my G1 primes as a kid, shattered constantly in normal play. I went through five. he is not a durable figure at all, and it was pretty much nothing but luck that he survived the fall.
     
  11. planetjacker

    planetjacker Critters burn real good. TFW2005 Supporter

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    That's why I have snakes instead of dogs and cats.
     
  12. rob_charb

    rob_charb Well-Known Member

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    LOL...I can see how that would make your collection much, much safer. I can't fault my dog for the random acts of destruction he's caused, he's just following his instincts...plus he's a Shiba Inu and anyone who's had any experience with a Shiba Inu will know just how "fun" it can be to try and train them.

    As for my cat...well, she's on borrowed time :D 

    She even went so far as to try to take down my G2 Megatron!
     
  13. Backstop

    Backstop Have you seen my box art?

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    you busted 5 Primes! you are bad man, VERY BAD MAN! :throw  lol....
     
  14. Sportimus

    Sportimus Well-Known Member

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    They certainly are tough toys that can take a beating. Most of them anyway. Years ago, my G1 Jetfire fell off his shelf, and took about a 5 foot fall as well. Nothing broke. Was I lucky? Perhaps. But one thing is for sure, the new stuff is not nearly as solid as they old "bricks" were.
     
  15. T-Logicon

    T-Logicon assembles the drones

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    The original g1 toys were made better + stronger than they are today. Having been given alot of them from 84 - 88, (as a 7-11yr old boy who played with them)I definitely think the overall level of quality was much higher then. There is something about the way the Japanese make things - not just toys. China + Taiwan pale in comparison. (no offense intended) The levels of detail and articulation of todays TFs are amazing, and there is nothing in the first few yrs of TFs that even came close to the average 07 movie deluxe figures. For those features we have toys that routinely come out of joint/socket while being transformed, kibble type parts that seem to be an afterthought, or paint apps that look sloppy and sometimes easily smudged. The days of a sticker sheet are long gone on new TFs. (except for re-issues of course) That being said, I would get my collection out of harms way before something does break.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2009
  16. Bgrngod

    Bgrngod Autocon

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    My Unicron took a 7 foot dive and landed ON a few movie figures after I stumbled and smacked face first into my display shelf. I'm lucky the whole damn thing didn't fall over.

    Some legs and wings popped off, but nothing broke. Yay for plastic!
     
  17. Valkysas

    Valkysas Attack Buffalo

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    I'd much rather something pop off that can be popped back on than snap off like joints of G1 that couldnt be fixed.

    they werent more durable back then. they weren't higher quality back then. they were just built differently, and all the heavy and shiny parts make it seem like they're higher quality.
     
  18. aurascope

    aurascope Well-Known Member

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    You keep animals in your collection room?!

    Isn't that a disaster waiting to happen?!
     
  19. firehawc_69

    firehawc_69 cloppers = ignore list

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    Thank you! I thought I was the only person who hated ball joints!
     
  20. rob_charb

    rob_charb Well-Known Member

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    Only place in the apartment that has space for my dog's crate (for when we're out). Plus, my cat pretty much has free roam of the house when we're home, and stays in the room with my dog when we're out. Thems be best buds, thems be.