I don't mean to be a debbie downer, nor do I mean to insult people who like what Hasbro/Takara are putting out, but does anyone else feel like these figures just aren't doing it for them? I was a huge BW fan and was going to try and get back into collecting TF's but to me the toys look cheap, all the same, and boring. I really was hoping for new BW figures but I guess that won't be happening anytime soon. Well I guess it's time for me to call it quits with TF collecting and find another passion or something. Sorry if I am spoiling the fun for people who do like these figures, but I can't get past how cheap and boring they look to me. I miss the Transmetal beast wars which were exciting and well crafted in my opinion.

 

I have no idea how anyone can sanely say they all look the same since BW.

 

Idk. The engineering between BW era to now are just miles apart. BW era was okay, and they got plenty of plastic in it and more hefty, but most of them look crappy and are fiddly, Imo.

 

I was speaking in terms of cars, trucks, planes.......mostly anyway and the fact the same characters. I rather they create new characters like they did with cheetor, dinobot, depthcharge, etc.....no more recycled names.

 

I think a lot of us would agree on that one anyway.

 

That's um a weird way of looking at it   Transformers since then have created a whole bunch of new characters, and Beast Wars had its share of recycled names, not to mention several seasons of using the same characters. In fact, when you look at it, Beast Wars started/populzarized the trend of having a small cast of TFs featuring more or less the same characters (albeit in most cases, in new upgraded bodies) as opposed to the wide range of characters we got in G1.

 

The only thing I don't like is there being less 'side' characters and toy-only characters. Other than that, eh.

 

Let's see..

RiD - Loved it.
Beast Machines - Hated it
Animated - Hated it
Unicron Trilogy - Not a fan, only want a few key characters
Altanators/Binaltech - Not a fan but, i'm starting like a few of them
Classics - Love them.. want them all and working on it.
Movie line - Only like certain figures.. on screen cast only, but love the way they transform and the complexity of them
Prime - Don't mind them but, they do feel a little Play-school to me..
Beast Hunters - Hate them
WFC/FOC - I like these.. there are a few figures in here that are just boss but, some like Jazz are just lack luster..
Master Piece - Love these things

So, I haven't lost all faith in the franchise just a few lines here and there.

 

MP Lambor completely disagrees with this thread, as does many, MANY other Transformers toy designs since 2000.

While I do enjoy the fiction of Beast Wars, it's a rare occasion that I enjoy a toy from the line. This is also coming from someone who's been able to view a complete Beast Wars collection multiple times in person. Aside from a few design points, they're so far removed from what I want from Transformers toys.

 

Masterpiece
Classics
Animated

These lines made a major jump in engineering for Transformers.

No offence but you seem like a Beast Wars version of a G1'er

 

Might be a generational thing   Next thing you know we'll be having people talking about how A/E/C was the best thing to happen to Transformers.   Although in fairness, I love many of the designs they put out in E/C.

 

I disagree with that...as you see more quality issues with the figures, the sizes are smaller, and all the figures created now have the animated/movie look to them. Beast Wars might not have been the most poseable figures, but they had neat concepts behind them. Transmetal figures showd how Chrome on a TF can really make a figure pop out, plus it was cool having a blue monkey or purple dinosaur on skates. Beast Wars also allowed for the better poseability, and still remain with a better quality control than the figures they are releasing now. Heck a majority of the movie and animated figures I bought had loose arms, legs, feet, etc. Some even had 2 left arms or the other way around.

I am not complaining how there can't be a different direction, I am more complaining how the TF toys now a days lack any ingenuity or creativity. Most have the same look to them as the movie figures and crappy quality control.

 

Yea Beast Wars recycled some names and focused on a smaller cast, but it let us enjoy some throw backs to the earlier days of TF's and also gave us a better appreciation for each character of the show. On top of that, they also introduced a majority of NEW characters/names never used before. Tf's since then have recycled the same old names used countless times with only a couple of new characters created. Beast Wars gave us at least 10+ new characters alone.

EX:
Show Characters with different names never used
Dinobot
Rattrap
Cheetor
Terrorsaus
Waspinator
Depthcharge,
Rhinox,
Quickstrike
Tigatron
Airrazor
Tigerhawk

non show characters with names never used
Ramulus
Airhammer
Spittor
Stinkbomb
powerpinch
Injector
Torca
Sky shadow


It was just more creative and a new concept involving different animals and more organic transformations(first series). It was brave for its time, to try something new that no tf fan was use to. Now all we get are the same old designs and re-hashed names.

 

No. The TF Engineering is light years apart. Light years. Heck compare a late Generations / HftD to early Classics or Unicron trilogy. When Hasbro said they were going to begin integrating Alternator-level engineering into the main line, they weren't kidding.

Also APS-01 Striker Prime sees your Optimal Optimus and raises you a Masterpiece Sideswipe.

 

Again, one could argue that TF series since then have introduced a ton of new characters, i.e. Hot Shot, Vector Prime, Bulkhead, and thats only on top of the hundreds of minicons introduced since then ( I could be wrong there, but it feels that way.)

I'm also not seeing what you mean by same old designs. We're actually seeing the widest range of aesthetics after BW got cancelled. You can't possibly think the aesthetic for the Unicron Trilogy, Animated and the Movie line are similar and all the same. One could even argue that the Movie and Animated aesthetics were revolutionary, as they did away with much of the blockiness of the old TF designs and went for something more organic and alien for the movie, and more sleek and cartoony for Animated, despite much uproar from the fan community during the early days.

 

I jumped back in with Beast Machines and Armada and I love Animated and Prime. The Beast Hunters spin off may slow me down again.

 

Love all your toys like you would your children - each for what and who they are with no judgement against them.

Oh and saying toys since Beast Wars suck is also saying you thought RID toys had no merit too and it's not like there was not some real stinkers in Beast Wars and also quality control issues including GPS, fragile parts and missassemblies.

It depends what you actually want from your toys personally I hold a lot of merit in AEC stuff due to the playability factor. Someone else might like Animated toys for their show accuracy.

The only line I can think of that really was a bit trashy was Beast Machines due to a whole wheelbarrow full of QC issues and bad choice of scales and that the show and toys look very unlike each other. Sure there might have been some nice scouts / Basics but not much else was good about that line unless you have to lower down your standards to see something like Blastcharge in a good light.

 

OP, it's funny because that's how i feel about everything after G1, that includes BW.

Nahh, truth is they just don't make them the way they used to, material wise and conceptual wise. There is allot of good stuff though, before when i looked at TFs on shelves(movie stuff) i'd think what tat but once i researched stuff and looked at everything that was being made and put out i found there was some really appealing stuff(not movie stuff).

Things are just different, you're different, it's just the way it is(philosophical)...

If i'm critical of one thing that's not so much the toys but something lost in the sea of change - it's that things seem to be so formulaic, not always bad as it provides a certain standard of production but, such as we have to have Bumblebee in everything as he's "the kids way into TFs". How strange it would seem to have a flying Autobot in Prime for example because everything in Prime is so structured it would be really surprising. Hard to get exactly what i mean, but in the good old days things seemed allot free-er.

I was watching some G1 last night and i think i just used to, when i was a kid, love the variety, loved that there was a cool plane like Powerglide, the Dinobots, crane trucks, jeeps, rockets, various funky sports cars... In a funny kinda way what you might think is a very constricted way of doing things - having the toys then making the show created this really alive unique world, as opposed to now where they can choose any method they like but still find it hard to replicate quite a similar thing/feeling.

 

I loved Beast Wars as a kid. Of the figures I had as a kid, they were pretty good. Saying they are as good as today? ummmm, I personally can't do it. With advancements in toy tech, We now get toys that is literally feel like they have mass shifted. I love Beast Wars with a passion, but they are not as good as stuff today. Just my opinion, thought I'd put it out there.

 

For me I've hated certain parts since Beast Wars ended. One part was the lack of BW style movement in some figures. I have G1 figures that are more fun than Armada Smokescreen. Even his Minicon is like a MP figure compare to that figure. BW was good, BM was good, RID's new figures were good, but it seemed like something happened toy wise after RID for a bit.

Another thing I don't like is the lack of non show characters. As a kid, I loved them during Beast Wars more than the show characters. It allowed me a greater range during play time as I could make them as I wanted. So many interesting ideas for stories and so many cool looking figures as well. Now its just the monthly Bumblebee repaint special that stalks the stores.