I know that nothing is perfect, but I loved the Iron Dibots, (they were FT's best offering) and that crumbling hand was one thing that soured me on FT.

The others being things that you mentioned as well as the fact that (most of the ones I had) their transformations were nigh impossible.

Rouge, Apache, Koot. I had to rip bits off of Koot to get him to transform, and parts clashed anyway.

So here's another to add to the list:

No transformations that are too complicated just for the sake of being complicated.

 

As far as I'm concerned, FT peaked with Phoenix/Jetfire. I have the Insecticons from previous, which are meh-tastic. Phoenix turned out spectacularly, IMO, who tricked me into giving them a chance with future releases. After Koot and Rouge, however, I just chalked it up to a fluke. The reputation for Hoodlum and Blurr (forget his name) didn't help to sway my opinions.

Thomas was also pretty good, but FT is very much a case-by-case thing.

 

So Pheonix is a mixed bag to me. He looks perfect, but his lack of waist swivel and almost no range in ankle tilt knock him down a couple notches. Galvatron is probably my favorite figure from them. Followed by Cyclonus and the dinobots.

 

Again, I'm no articulation queen. I can forgive Phoenix's limitations because any extreme poses out of him are liable to make him collapse, and he's ridiculously heavy.

 

Larger combiners would benefit from non-slip pads in their feet i'd say.

I would also say that moulded in turrets that don't turn is a no-no for me it's being needlessly cheap for such a simple feature - I wouldn't mind in the slightest if they left them on the frame or asked you to install them yourself. The Ark's turrets being immobile was a real disapointment to me.

 

Yearly Checklists. Like back in the G1 era.

I hate it that I don't know how many MS 'bots & 'cons have been released & in how many variants.

I don't care if they come with every release & drive up the cost a few cents.

And standardized packaging. NA & to a lesser extent MS, are all over the place in this regard.

EDIT: But then again...NA does have beautiful packaging.

 

Great idea for the combiners. My metallic Zeta Bruticus actually came with non skid stickers in the box set which was a huge bonus.

 

As for my requirements, first and foremost, they have to offer something Hasbro/Takara doesn't. Maybe that means a character that I don't think will get an official release or maybe they are legends size, or maybe they make big improvements OR offer something similar but at a lower price.

Also, figures have to be solid. This is the hardest thing to know before there's actually a review out, but I want joints that work and I don't want parts disconnecting if I try to articulate something. Also, in this same way, they NEED TO GRIP THEIR WEAPONS SOLIDLY WHILE POSING. The old MP standby of having a slot in the hand is not cutting it these days when heavy ratchets are used and whenever you move an arm it jolts the weapon out of place.

Articulation has to be pretty good. I don't need EVERYTHING. I can deal without an ab crunch or butterfly joint if everything else is good, though over time I start expecting things like that more and more. They do need to have ankle tilts and such though. This means decent range as well.

 

This applies so well to DS starscream. That figure, you can tell no one tested it outside of the cad design.

 

No offense, but i think every company is very much a case-by-case thing. And yes, also Takara. I’m not perfect either.

 

At this point in the game. In my opinion, I think ALL figures should have: Fully articulated fingers, Ab crunch, Butterfly joints in the arms, Double elbow and knees, ankle articulation. Head should also be able to look up and down instead of just the side to side motion.

Figures that have "Flying Alt modes" should ALWAYS come with a stand, that's should be common sense. What's the point of the figures alt mode if you can't display it correctly. I just went in on all the Deformation Space Seekers and it sucks they dont come with their own stands but at least we got the back filler pieces included

BONUS: If we're paying $100+ for these figures, it would be nice that they come with some extra spare parts in case we break anything. It's annoying trying to chase down customer service for extra parts

Ok, just my 2 cents. Carry on....

 

Every Decepticon needs a circle game hand.

 

Every female transformer should come with alternate, open mouth orga...

um...

Um, coughing face. Yep, that's it. She got too close behind Smokescreen and she's coughing. That's what's going on there.

 

Instructions with pictures large enough to actually see what part your supposed to move. Tired of needing an electron microscope to see what the hell I'm supposed to be doing. Plus include all steps of the transformation, especially 3P. They are notorious for not showing a particular sequence with everything you need to do. Lastly, show the transformation going both ways (bot to alt/alt to bot). Hate when the instructions only show alt to bot, but the toy is packaged in bot mode, or vice versa.

 

alternate faces. nothing kills a dynamic pose/display like everybody going :| all the time

 

alternate faces, articulated fingers (at least ONE) 0 paint in joints or inside hands, painted hands ruin a figure if it needs to hold a weapon because you're 100% sure that the paint will scratch once you put them

 

Stand ports. Kind of disappointing not being able to elevate a figure even though it’s light enough

 

Got to give it HasTak for actually doing that with the CHUG and SS lines. Even that behemoth of a figure Siege Jetfire has them, just aren’t any stands strong enough for him yet lol

 

Signal-boosting this and I'll add ..... Accountablity

1. If a figure has sold out, leave an online croudfunding preorder open, if it reaches 100% of its goal, another preduction run will start. If not, no one is charged.
2. That same croudfund should have an "Over-sized" option as well. Double sized Maketoys Utopia anyone? Studio Cell the same size as Haslab? Titan Class Tidal Wave?
3. Micro LED's in headlights.

 

Transformation tabs that work properly