So... I've been wondering this for a while. Especially with the recent Siege and Earthrise lines.

Do people LIKE having clear plastic on their Transformers toys?

Sure, it looks nice in vehicle mode...kinda. I mean if you weren't seeing all the Transformer bits and actually seeing car seats and stuff, though we saw that with the Binaltech toys, and that was hit and miss.

But when they use it on joints, it makes for some very worrying situations. In particular the recent Siege and Earthrise Smokescreen/Prowl/Bluestreak molds with their knee joints being on clear plastic. People have been experiencing breakage on them after a few transformations.

Would people prefer they use solid plastic for where the windows would be and just add paint for the windows?

I think I would have to say, yes for me. I never really cared for the clear plastic windows of vehicle modes that much given my Transformers would more often be in robot mode than vehicle.

Anyway, what are your thoughts?

 

Said it before somewhere else, I'll say it again here: keep the clear plastic to light piping.

 

In the past, I never really minded clear plastic, but now I utterly despise it. Clear plastic is just not durable. Clear plastic on joints especially are a disaster in the making ex knees on the ER Datsun mold. I’d much rather have painted on windows than clear plastic at this point.

 

No to clear plastic!! too brittle.

 

If its like Siege Mirage, sure.
But every other figure I've had with clear plastic for major parts like joints has not survived. It's only good for windows and eyes.

R.I.P Animated Swindle. 

 

I love clear plastic! It looks amazing. The 3 ER Platformers look great because if it. Those clear repaints of the TP figures were awesome. It elevates a figure.

 

I really hate how cheap painted-on windows end up looking 95% of the time, so definitely keep it, but they should try to avoid using it for major hinges/stress points like the knees on the ER Datsuns. I wish they'd go back to using clear plastic inserts for the windows or headlights only, rather than making the entire part out of clear plastic and painting over the rest.

 

This is when it's done right:


It's a separate piece that is snapped in place (screwed or whatever) under a solid piece...

I voted nay in reference to painted over stuff... which is a blasphemy in itself and causes every issues that everyone has with it.

 

Yes. For light-piped eyes and windshields, windows, etc. The only thing worse than painted-on window details are unpainted ones.

 

I want clear plastic. I just want clear plastic to not be used for joints and hinges. Have clear parts snap, glue, pin or screw on to solid parts like in the old days.

 

To paraphrase Jazz, do it right or don't bother doing it. Right in this case means snapped/screwed in parts, not painting over giant blocks or using it for joints. The poll options are so basic it's like there's no middle ground between using it stupidly and not using it at all.

 

Yes clear plastic is nice but there are issues. Clear plastics on windows yes but no clear plastic on joint and hinges would be nice but of course people need to understand what this means.
- This will limit the design options for efficiency.
- This will limit the design options for complexity.
- Due to how parts are gang-molded, this will limit options also. This didn't seem to be an issue in the past when light piping and headlights were the only clear parts so not sure how big of an issue this really is keeping in mind times could have changed.
- Paint versus plastic matching (i.e. Sunstreaker)

Case in point, the ER datsun molds. It's 5 clear pieces (the hood, the two legs, one headlight)
1) Design differently. The legs a different way. Cost? The roof hinge?
2) Only the back part (i.e. legs) is not clear plastic would look weird AND there might not be enough clear plastic to gang mould for Hasbro to consider it worth it.
3) Making the roof solid but the windows clear not an option at this time.

 

Clear plastic is fine for non-structural parts, but all joints, tabs, levering parts, etc should be less fragile plastic.

 

Just my opinion but I feel clear plastic should be kept to windows, light piping eyes, blast effects or missiles. And not for joints, moving, clipping for stability, or pivoting pieces.

 

What he said.

 

Yes to clear plastic windows, no to clear plastic joints.

 

Have never experienced an issue with clear plastic. According to TFWiki, it is plain old polycarbonate, which is rather durable.

Is this issue just ham-fisted adults?

 

Here's a short list on what i think about this.

YAY!:
On Lightpiping (Especially if it has solid opaque plastic with it for support.)
On some Accesories. (I really loved the idea of energon weapons, especially since they are in a separate spruce, that's why i enjoy Energon & DOTM's play pattern so much.)
On Windows! (Even though it might lead to issues with gang-molded parts, it's kinda a great way to make those windows look realistic.)

Nay.:
On important articulation/transformation joints (They just ain't for moving parts.)
On gears/internal transformation parts (Seriously, Movie Brawl can tell the many horror stories he had with messed up Auto-Morph parts.)
On Moving parts! (Seriously, i had to repeat this three times to prove a point.)