...in 'til the bitter end.  

 

It is just the opposite for me, despite all of the repaints. The Binaltech/Alternators line is the only line I'm currently collecting with few exceptions. I'm getting a few notable mainline characters, but not many. I just don't have the space for all of them.

 

I'm still getting the majority of them, but Swerve I never managed to get ahold of, and I'm not losing any sleep over the fact. Ricochet I might get, but not Rollbar. He doesn't do it for me.
I'll keep getting what interests me, and leave the rest. At the end of the day, that's all that really matters to me. As long as Hasbro makes something that interests me, I'll pick it up.

 

I'm a get them all type of guy.. Well US versions only.. I'll probably get Prime and Ricochet right off the bat and a wait a week or two on Rollbar. I love the mold, but Rollbar is not a high priority right now.

 

Well on the subject of repaints...

I think they are OK in some cases:

Similar body type charachters - Useing the same mold for Swindle and Hound or Sunstreaker/Sideswipe/Dead End is fine. They all originally had similar alt modes in the old days so it works.

But I think alt modes should be only used twice.. three in special cases like Sunstreaker/Dead End/Sideswipe. Two is a nice number for them. Gives two charachters and can be used for filling out a wave with few new molds.

I say give more of the hard to find figures people want like Prowl and Skids and Sunstreaker and add prime to the assortment.

Reapaints are not bad in my opinion... just when they are OVERused like Rollbar. Rhicochet actually looks ok and is an established charachter so he is fine as a repaint..

 

Like I said I have no problem with repaints and remolds, as long as they make sense!!!!

There are hundreds of characters in the Transformers mythos and Swerve, Ricochet and Rollbar are the best they can come up with? Come one guys do some characters that people give a shit about and repaints/remolds that make sense and you won't have these problems.

 

Thanks Shin-Gouki for making this thread. I was going to create an "I hate Alt. Rollbar thread". I too have no problems with remolds. Like Valkysas said Hasbro and Takare need to reuse molds to recoup licensing costs, so I can understand the business aspect.

If they need to do a straight repaint, at least give us a beloved character like Sunstreaker. Rollbar could have easily been Trailbreaker. If they're going to use B-lister bots and least give them a new head like Swerve. Ricochet at least has flames.

Oh well at least Mirage and Optimus are something to look forward too.

 

Well, at least Swerve had a new head unlike the other repaints...

But yeah, it would be nice to see characters that make more sense, but then we have the problem of copyrighted names, or colorschemes that cant be used

 

They have proved that they can get around the name thing with faction/name, the color scheme thing is harder to get around as it comes down to how much of a hard ass the company in question is. Tracks was almost yellow but GM Relented Skids has the bloody stickers painted on and there was no way around that I believe, just like the no gun barrel on the s2000, yet Honda has no problem with Prowl's gun? Maybe because he's a cop? Swerve might have been to Placate GM as they are very up on the red color for the Vette. So far Subaru and Dodge have been the most lenient, "Yeah whatever just promote our stuff"

 

Eh. I'm fine with the repaints. Alternators are spaced out well enough that I don't have a problem with repainting a figure a couple of times. Also, I'm happy that they're going with more obscure characters. Maybe, they'll finally get some characterization.

 

I'm in for the long run if there are ones that are readily available and that interest me. The last one I got was Wheeljack and that was a christmas gift.

I'm not too fond of their choices in repaints right now. Swerve, who I want, just doesn't seem to have the demand in me to get unlike say... Swindle or something. I love the series, but this current wave of figures just has me a little demoralized. Providing that there wasn't a licencing issue with Mazda, they should have used the Meister mold for Riccochet, Rollbar could have been Trailbreaker (or naming issues in mind, maybe overhaul or Autobot Trailbreaker).

Blackwidow was something I was looking forward too, and one of the few figures I would have spent that much money on getting imported. I guess only because I love the character it was a nod or supposed to be. The characterization most definately increases the buying impulse and demand.

 

yeah, the Alternators line rolls on... down hill.

 

As most here know, I am a compleatist and will get one of any toy made. That said, I think it's better that the second stringers are the ones that are the repaints. It's the main characters that should be new molds.

A few people would like to see Hot Rod/Rodimus made out of the Mustang or the the Acura. Why? Cause they want the character. But if he was given a New mold that looked more like his G1 self, then more of us would buy it. It's the main reason why Prowl wasn't another Subaru.

 

a lot more creativity in the repaints would go a long way. It seems the line is going toward simple color pallete swaps, rather than, say, SideSwipe to Dead End - in which there were tons of paint highlights on areas previously neglected.

Creativity. It's an extra cost to Hasbro/TT, but it would actually pay off in satisfied consumers.

As it is, the fandom has become disgruntled. Undoubtably, if there are any small kids who actually get Alternators, the parents are refusing to buy a fifth Corvette just because it's pink and named Arcee.

 

When I heard of the two latest Alts, Rollbar and Ricochet, I nearly cringed. Nothing against Rollbar and Ricochet fans, but, how about two characters that most of us would actually like to see? I'm all for supporting the occasional turd in the line to keep it active and to keep new molds more likely, but I can only take so many. Surely there must be better choices for repaints than Rollbar and Ricochet! (There's a thread around here somewhere dedicated to Alt repaints.)

Now, if they included some unique, dare I say, gimmicks in repaints, it wouldn't be so bad. How about a targetmaster for Ricochet? Or, make Ricochet an RX-8? OR, maybe, make Rollbar a Baja off-road super Jeep (racing roll cage, bigger than Swindle tires, graphics, etc.).

Still, I understand the cost of developing a line as complex as the Alternators, and, I see where repaints are a necessary evil. Finally, and above all else, IMO the Alternators line is the best thing to happen to TFs since G1 and I will continue to support the line until the end.

 

I stopped a year ago, completely. The last TFs I bought were Grimlock and Windcharger. I MIGHT pick up Sunstreaker, but in my mind I have him in BT Dead End. Sure... he's Sunstreaker turned evil w/ a black repaint. Works for me.

I'll consider another Transformer purchase when I see one worth my $.

 

Really easy. Buy what you want. Screw the rest. Enough people do it, Hasbro will get the hint. Honestly at this point I Think the appeal of Alternators is starting to wear thin. We're really reaching on some of these characters, and there's only so much excitement I can muster for a line consisting entirely of cars.

 

Ricochet's nose isn't white. Check out the BBTS preorder pic.

The out of box pic Richochet's nose most probaby looked white cos of camera flash.

 

I'm not really trying to defend anyone here, but fans tend to be in the unique position of know more about TF toys than the average consumer. I notice many seem to lump together BT's and Alts when counting up repaints, when from the purely Hasbro side of it there's so far been at most one remold and one repaint per each early mold (or two remolds for Tracks).

I'll agree that i'd rather see less of the 'obscure' characters like Swerve, Rollbar, and Ricochet, though I'm not crazy about non-remolds with 'bigger' G1 identities, but not faces to match, like BT* Alert, for example.

I wonder, would people like the Alternators better, or worse if instead of G1 back-burner names, we got RiD/Armada/Energon/Cybertron names, Such as Hot Shot, Crosswise, or Clocker. (much of those names are repeats or variations of G1 names though)

 

I own Swerve, and I ordered Rollbar and Ricochet as soon as they were available.

No, they're not my favorites. From the point of view of Hasbro they DO make sense, it generates extra revenue.

Revenue which is put into new molds.


If nobody bought the repaints there would be less revenue for Hasbro to invest in new Alt molds.


Then people would complain becasue there aren't enough new molds.

Alternatively Hasbro could produce the same amount of new molds per year, and only use them once.

Then each Alternator would cost more.

Then people would complain about that too.


They have to persue manufacturers for licensing, and get approval on the final design.

The end result is a toy which has the same retail price as a less complex Cybertron toy, which does not require
a homage or persuit of a car manufacturer.

Alternators take TIME and time is money;

Look at the dates beside the engineering drawings in the Binaltech book, their dates are long before the toy hits the shelf.



The repaints aren't killing the line. They're giving it life enough for it to make Hasbro a profit.