I can’t tell if you’re serious. Cost of goods, labor, and shipping are all exponential higher in 2021 vs 1989. Of course the older toy has more plastic and is sturdier.

 

We have a fully articulated figure versus a transforming brick.
While both represent the character, they do it differently. The 1989 one is limited by it's engineering to be torn apart and used to armor up another figure. While it can transform you lose out on any kind of movement on all the limbs and have a toy like a platypus, they don't do much.
On the other hand the new representation gives us full articulation of all limbs and joints, the ability to split apart and armor up the other figure at the cost of a few hollow areas.
I don't think it is correct to compare G1 versus chug. The materials used and the hardware used are vastly different. As we've seen in the reissues of G1 figures the cost of those characters being re-released are exponentially more expensive than they were when they were originally produced. Part of the reason for that is the mass of the figure.

I understand how frustrating it might seem to have the figure look the way that it does because of some sacrifices that had to be made to keep costs down, due to materials used, engineering involved, and many, many other parts that come into play. We need to look at the whole package versus one part of the figure. It's easy to think something may have been done poorly when we focus on only one piece and we stop looking at the whole set.

 

I'd support this, if I had any faith that people would actually read a "HasLab for Dummies" FAQ page....

 

I don't think it would affect the onslaught of posts purposefully spreading misinformation, but it would help with people who actually don't have any ideas how Haslab works.

 

It would be easier to put a link in rather than type it out each time  

 

It's like watching a yo-yo....    

 

I dont know which one I like better. Maybe a mix of the two

 

And being two figures is a nice icing on the cake.

Very most excellent! 3k more to let's say go!

 

On the other hand, the gappy cannons are a bit of an eyesore and in a very prominent position in both Victory Leo and Victory Saber modes. I understand wanting to keep the cost down but I don’t think that’s a good place to “cheap out” given its prominence. Hollow bits on limbs and back sides I can accept but I don’t like how the look is spoiled from the front. I think they could’ve easily put two extra parts and one extra step in assembly into the budget to clean those up.

 

I may have said this elsewhere, but (speaking only for myself, of course), these kind of gaps don't bother me. I'd very much consider filling them in a waste of a tier bonus. I wouldn't be opposed to seeing such a thing added to the figure as the design process is finalized, but by no means should it be used as a tier bonus, IMHO.

 

I'm sure DNA Design, Matrix Workshop and a slew of others will have 3rd party upgrades, but it does suck that you have to drop more dough to get a more finished look.

 

A more finished look on the final product would be more expensive anyway

 

With the magic of 3D printing I would HARDLY imagine dropping a few extra bucks for plastic chunks to fill into gaps is ultimately going to be a massive problem.

 

The cannons aren't ideal but I think they're ultimately manageable. You can likely pose him to have the guns pointed forward and have the gaps pointing to the ground rather than in your face, they seem to face inward when on VL's arms, and are almost entirely obscured by the V-Lock Cannon and the rest of the combined jet mode.

 

Just stuff the play-doh from the spoiler packs into the holes.

 

It is an eyesore agreed. But who knows, after a decade or so like the mold overused atrocity Encore Bruticus which got a solid duo canons, we'll get one too? 

 

Honestly, the original cannons look like a pair of painted straws, and they look kind of off to me like I'm looking at somebody's cardboard tube cosplay, and so I prefer the crevices.

Mind, I'd prefer More Interesting Cannons over both the Cardboard Tube and Crevices options, but

 

Why are people scared of hollow plastic? Are you afraid a tarantula will be hiding inside Star Saber's wrist?

 

I think the vcannon locked behind a tier is a bigger issue than the shoulder cannons. Vcannon should be mandatory part count. But that's just me.