I haven't bought a toy (TF, GiJoe, etc) in ages. I haven't played with one in even longer.
Because of a fellow parent's son's costume and follow-up questions, I showed my son Generation 1 TF cartoons. He's now hooked and I'm screwed.

I want to purchase G1 toys, KOs of course, as I find them extremely easy to transform, cheaper than originals, and easy to find (on the Bay). My son is 4 yrs old, so KOs or reissues are as far up the money chain I'm willing to go.

A few questions if I may...

I am curious if the members here are aware of TFs from any generation that are of a similar size? I like that size because my son is small, obviously.

Is there a similarly sized G1 Ratchet and/or Ironhide that looks like the cartoon version? The G1 versions of those two characters looked lousy.

Lastly, Megatron (reissues) are darn expensive. Any suggestions as to where to find a G1 sized one that looks fairly decent?

I appreciate the assistance and suggestions from one and all. Apologies if this has been asked previously, my first day on the site.
Thanks ahead of time.

 

I dont know I just want a new cry kill

 

Killing that silly looking G1 Ratchet would be nice. The MPs of that character or any are
. Giving that to my 4 year old would be dangerous to both my mental and financial health however.

 

It's a little smaller but you could look up the Hot Soldiers Ironhide and Ratchet. That line didn't really catch fire like Legends lines after it so the prices should still be reasonable.

 

Great. I'll look it up. I appreciate the tip.

Legends I take it don't come cheap?

From the cartoons, those two were requested by him, as well as the original seekers.
Fortunately, Walmart reissued Starscream so that's one down.

 

Third-Party Legends ( like Newage, and Magic Square) especially nowadays are very expensive yeah.

 

For a little I might also recommend the core figures. Lots of ball joints so some arms and legs can just pop back on if accidentally removed, cheap and should be available. They've done Optimus, Ratchet, Wheelie, Megatron, Starscream, Soundwave, Skywarp, a Dinobot combiner is currently releasing and Thundercracker is coming. Fill in holes with the aforementioned Hot Soldiers or whatever. Boom, done.

 

Welcome to TFW! Since I’m not sure how familiar you are with the current state of Transformers toy collecting, I’ll provide a little background. Legends are smaller scale (only 3 to 4 inches tall for Ironhide, for example) figures made by “third party” companies. Third Party companies are unofficial and unlicensed manufacturers who produce figures of Transformers characters without permission from Hasbro or Takara (who own the brand). These third party legends figures are pretty complex for their size and would not be appropriate for a 4 year old (lots of thin tiny parts and accessories, relatively complicated transformations, etc.). They also cost $40 or more per figure.

I recommend you look at Hasbro’s core class figures. They would be far more appropriate for a young child. They recently released a core class Ratchet that looks a hell of a lot like the Ratchet on the G1 cartoon…and he’s $12. He’ll be far more affordable and durable than a G1 reissue or a third party figure.

Transformers Studio Series Core Class The Transformers: The Movie Auto – Hasbro Pulse

 

Not very familiar with the current state of TGS, so I appreciate the information .

I especially am kin to anything being labeled as durable. I imagine whatever I buy will be going for aerial rides and stomps.
Ill look these up as well right now.

 

The core class guys will have the best chance of surviving the swooshes…the stomps…and the splats for sure.

 

And thank you for the welcome.

First day on the job and it seems money will be spent on my first day.

My memory is a bit hazy on the G1 toys. Are these Core toys at or near the size of the originals?

 

You know, there are a lot of good modern toys for kids that are cheap and sturdy.

There is a new show on Paramount + called Earthspark, and it has very G1 inspired designs and the toys based on it are showing up in stores now.


These are meant for little kids. Unfortunetly, most people here are collectors and will suggest figures not suitable for young children. Earthspark also follows an alternate version of the G1 cartoon universe, so your kid might like it.

Unfortunetly, G1 KOs can be hard to find and less durable then the originals, and the better ones can be pricey as well.

Core Class figures are around 2-3 inches. The G1 figures dwarf them.

 

You are welcome!

They are lighter, but not too much smaller in robot mode for guys like Ratchet and other characters his size. Core class Optimus Prime/Megatron/seeker jets/etc. are notably smaller than the G1 toys.

 

I'm guessing since they made the ambulance, no issues finding his brother from another mother, Ironhide? Knock out both if I can tonight.

Good grief are they that small?

He saw that show after I showed him the 80s cartoon. . He thought those figures looked like they were for his brothers (I have two younger boys) .

 

Core Class Ironhide has not yet been announced for a release but it's probably only a matter of time.

Definitely have to echo the core class figures are definitely great figures for kids just getting into TFs. They are cheap, economical, and dont take up much room. Also if he likes the Dinobots, they are just now doing them in the smaller core class as well. Sludge and Slug are hitting online and Grimlock will be coming soon. They didn't in the G1 cartoon, but these new smaller dinobots will be able to combine when the others are released.

 

No, the core class Ironhide isn't out yet.

I wouldn't usually recommend legends stuff for kids/casuals except that Ironhide was really cheap. I paid something like $18 or $20 when it was new and you could still find it for $25 or so last year. I don't see any on eBay right now but they did a Soundwave too that sits around $25 usually. The Hasbro core Soundwave is just as good though for half the price.

Hot Soldiers HS-03 HS03 Soundtrack mini Robot Toy | eBay

 

Core Class, at least when I Googled it, also produced a "Voyager" line. Those look like the G1 cartoons. Look big though.
There was also an '86 line which I'm guessing models their figures after the movie. Those looked large as well, but I could be wrong.

Incidentally to all reading this, I forgot to mention that he saw and heard my reaction, when I was initially looking for figures, of the MP figures. I audibly and mistakenly said, "Damn these are cool!". Hence the problem I am encountering of finding him stuff that also looks cool. ‍♂️

 

Code class and 3P legends are closer to four inches...or GoBots if you had any of those.

That search might've picked up Authentics. They carry those at places like Walgreens and dollar stores if I recall. There's a small range and a large range.

 

I had the Gobots for sure. That is considerably smaller yes.

 

There's another company out there called Mech Fans Toys (MFT) that makes what we call Legends+ that historically have skewed a little bigger and a little cheaper than other 3P legends. The issue is that they more or less follow legends in design trends, so as those got more complex, so did MFT's stuff. When that whole legends train started, they were a little more complex than GoBots but now alot of them are trying to be mini MPs. Just something to be aware of.