Define the term “partial” as used by Hasbro

Discussion in 'Transformers Toy Discussion' started by Seeaich, Jul 28, 2020.

  1. Seeaich

    Seeaich Inaction Master

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    STAFF EDIT:

    This thread was made since the Netflix figures thread in the news & rumors forum got derailed due to differing interpretations of the word “partial”. Keep that discussion here.


    I think we all pretty much knew 'Bee wouldn't come with his G1 gun when it was packed in the Centurion Droid set arsenal, kicking myself that I didn't twig the likelihood of him turning out to be a Cliffy remould though.
    I don't think Warden lied I think he was fudging the truth that 'Bee isn't just a Cliffy Repaint but a partial remould that gives him his classic G1 vehicle mould.
     
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  2. Fenrys

    Fenrys Formerly Tigatron2002

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    Warden also said Bumblebee wouldn't share a mold with Cliffjumper :p 
     
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  3. T-Hybrid

    T-Hybrid Gnodab Kidult (He/Him)

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    Didn't someone go back to the footage and he actually said something else? Like, what he originally said confirms that Bee wouldn't just be Cliff with a new head...and people just ran with it meaning it'd be an all new mold?

    Because, I mean, it was obvious from day 1 that Bee would absolutely share the transformation scheme....

    And then the dude on the stream kept using the term "partial" which must be their word internally for reusing stuff. Because, yeah, it makes sense they'd have a ton of internal jargon that they wouldn't necessarily use in public discourse.
     
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  4. Fenrys

    Fenrys Formerly Tigatron2002

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    Probably, and honestly I much prefer the use of the word partial because it is much more encompassing than repaint or retool. Like some people call new heads a repaint, despite there being new tooling. Well call it a partial and it's accurate. Some people call Chromia a repaint or retool of Moonracer, but neither is correct. Call her a partial though and it is correct because she shares engineering.
     
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  5. Mister D

    Mister D Bloosh Compatible

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    I'm just saying that sonuvabitch better not have killed off my favorite seeker. ;) 

    I don't know why the terms are confusing (though I grant in typing quickly it is easy to misuse them).

    Repaint/redeco = same mold, different colors, with pallet swap specifically referring to keeping the same patterns on the figure just with new colors.

    Remold = essentially the same figure, but with certain parts - usually the head - resculpted. Siege Ratchet is a good example of a remold as it can easily be confused for a recolor if you don't look at the sculpted details.

    Now we can use "partial" for those figures that share bits with a preexisting figure but are significantly different - Siege and Earthrise Primes, or Siege Maximus and GUOP.
     
    Last edited: Aug 3, 2020
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  6. Fenrys

    Fenrys Formerly Tigatron2002

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    Because some people insist that a retool is just a "lazy repaint" if the only new part is the head. It's willful obstinance
     
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  7. Mister D

    Mister D Bloosh Compatible

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    Take it from a teacher - you can't change the vocabulary to accommodate the dumb, lazy, or stubborn.
     
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  8. Fenrys

    Fenrys Formerly Tigatron2002

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    Amen to that
     
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  9. Dinobot Snarl

    Dinobot Snarl Well-Known Member

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    I believe his exact words were, Bumblebee would not be returning as Cliffjumper. Which was ominus because it also kind of insulated that there would be no Bumblebee....which there hasn't been...until now. But they way he worded it suggested that if he ever did come to pass he would be a compeltely different mold.
     
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  10. T-Hybrid

    T-Hybrid Gnodab Kidult (He/Him)

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    Honestly I just called them all "repaints" during CW because it was easier than having to specify both a repaint/new head and people knew what we meant.

    Hell, there were people pedantic enough to complain about "repaint" because technically the figures were molded in the new color, not painted.

    It's why I stopped caring. If you got specific enough to appease some there were other still who wanted more specifics and it took too long to voice a simple concept.

    I call stuff with new heads "repaints" and anything beyond that is "retool." Chromedome/Hun-Gurr are new molds and at best I'll agree there's "shared engineering" between them and Dead End/Silverbolt.

    If we get to the point where we have to analyze molds from every angle to discover there's shared thighs or similar ankles it's like "F**k it, new mold."
     
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  11. T-Hybrid

    T-Hybrid Gnodab Kidult (He/Him)

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    Sounds pretty clear to me. Bee wouldn't be a new head on Cliffjumper (or a new coat of paint) and if you thought it meant anything close to "no Bumblebee" that's pretty silly considering CJ's transformation was identical to what a new Bee would need.

    But knowing internally they have a term for reusing elements of one design in another, it's pretty clear what he was referring to.
     
  12. PrimalFury

    PrimalFury The Chosen One

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    What John Warden said, paraphrasing, was that Cliffjumper would not be just a Bumblebee repaint like we are accustomed to which was true, other people ran with their own interpretation of his very simple words just like they do with his comments on Metroplex etc
     
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  13. daimchoc

    daimchoc Well-Known Member

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  14. tfwmongrel

    tfwmongrel Plastic Crack Addict

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    Did we ever see Cybertronian alt modes for Bee or Wheeljack in the new show? To my memory they just \'leisurely walked\' everywhere as is the basis for 60% of the series.
     
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  15. T-Hybrid

    T-Hybrid Gnodab Kidult (He/Him)

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    Oh yeah, we're getting a new Metroplex because Warden would like a second go at him as if that's actually how that decision gets made.

    There were very few alt modes, in general.

    Megatron, Jetfire, the Seekers, Cog, Prime... that was about it I think.

    Most likely because transformations are hard to animate, and therefore expensive.
     
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  16. Bass X0

    Bass X0 Captain Commando

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    You are on a forum where the distinction between straight repaint, head remold and extensive remold actually matters. Expect to be challenged every time you insist that Earthrise Bumblebee is a repaint of Cliffjumper.
     
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  17. Fenrys

    Fenrys Formerly Tigatron2002

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    It may be best to just start using the word partial then, especially since we now know that is what they use internally
     
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  18. T-Hybrid

    T-Hybrid Gnodab Kidult (He/Him)

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    I mean, yes and no.

    We know it's a term they use, but how they seem to use it is too broad to be useful in casual conversation.

    With "partial" we know it's a reference to reuse. But it's easier to form a picture in your mind with "repaint/retool/shared engineering."

    They likely have their own terms for stuff like that as well. And adapting "partial" in the fandom could very well be taking it out of the context within the design team.

    My solution? Ask them.

    Next time there's an opportunity to interact with Hasbro design staff, TFW staff could ask them about terms like "partial."

    It would be an interesting insight in to the design process to know how they go about building out a figure. Are there shorthand terms that could help us as a fandom better communicate with them about new figures?

    Because if we're going to adopt terms we hear them use... let's make sure we do it properly. Or else it could just cause even more confusion.
     
  19. Fenrys

    Fenrys Formerly Tigatron2002

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    But you yourself admit to using the term repaint for something that is technically a retool, and get mildly annoyed when people correct you (at least I've gotten that impression). In the fan friday video Mark seemed to use partial for anything from a repaint to a retool to shared engineering. It's an all encompassing term
     
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  20. T-Hybrid

    T-Hybrid Gnodab Kidult (He/Him)

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    I'm all for using "partial" as long as we know we're using it correctly.

    But we currently don't, because all we have to go on is one dude in one stream. That's why I said it would be worthwhile for TFW to use it's resources (whatever they may be) to see if we could get a Q&A with a Hasbro person in the know who could break down these kinds of terms for us.

    Because the only reason I use the language I do is because the fandom keeps bouncing back and forth about what to call things. The last thing I want to do is adopt a word we barely know the context of and create even more confusion down the road.
     
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