What are everyones thoughts on it? Apparently, they are going to simplification route all the way, even on the "collector oriented line." As per the Hasbro Brand Panel.

https://twitter.com/BWTF_Ben/status/480412757305458689

Something that really shows with Optimooshed Prime, Brainstorm, and Arcee, sadly.

 

I don't really see any simplification in the Generations toys, TBH. They're as good as I could hope for.

 

Brainstorm lays on his back and turns his waist and kicks his legs up. Then the back panel folds over. Four easy steps.

 

Yeah, couldn't help but notice it with the new figures. Not really fond of it. Simpler transformations are one thing, but blatant "robot yoga" or shell-forming? I HATE that.

Brandishing the Generations as "for collectors" then making those very same toys simplified while making a billion separate kiddie sub-lines is kinda counter-intuitive.

 

Bet ya the price won't go down either. Smaller, simpler figures with less paint apps that cost more and more. Because of the "economy." <.<

 

You're delusional if you think Brainstorm is 'simplified'. Sure, he just really folds up at the waist, but his alt. mode looks very dynamic and spacey without the need for complex transformation or compromise in the robot form, and he is an actual legit headmaster, right down to having the old toy's bar graph be a part of the chest!

Just because a toy has a simple, non-complex transformation does not mean it's well designed. Rather, if done right, a simple transformation actually could be disguising a lot of design work. Example: Animated Leader Megatron. The entire alt. mode relies upon the pivot spars that control the orientation of the leg armor depending on the form and the cockpit being so portruded that it looks more tucked away than it really is in robot form.

The problem with Munkymus Prime and Arcee go farther than just "simple" transformations, though frankly I can't figure out where the rear wheels go in Arcee's robot mode. With Prime, the proportions are WAY, way off, since his transformation looks barely different from Cybertron Optimus more or less, but the long-limbs, brick-like chest, and laughably puny head just don't go together. And Arcee...well, I'm not convinced that toy can even stand on its own without major support with that backpack of hers.

Why are you acting like that's somehow below standard? I ask because the original Classics Jetfire is just him laying on his chest, with a flipped up nosecone, an adjusted back panel, and his arms lying ramrod straight at his sides with no attempt to even hide the fists, which I should point out Brainstorm does by flipping them back into the forearm compartments. Universe Cyclonus, the one everybody loves? Pop open the chest to flip out the nose cone, fold up the hands, unlock the shoulders to swing them down, then split the legs. Done.

In fact, I'm pretty sure the way you just described Brainstorm's transformation is almost no different from ROTF Long Haul, who is easily one of the best of the mid-period ROTF Voyagers. He just curls up into a vague box like shape and the front part of the dump truck covers them up, instead of serving as a nosecone.

 

His transformation is simplified. It's a very simple transformation, part of the fun of transformers is transforming a toy, and yes, there is a point where complicated becomes a little excessive, but there's a large margin before lay down, waist twirl, and that point. A significant portion. I can see where everything goes in Brainstorms case, and it's not hard to see at all. I like how it looks in Spacefighter mode from the top, but from the side and bottom is where it doesn't look nearly as good as you can see all the robot mode bits hanging off of it.

 

I don't mind if the transformation is about 8 steps but I hate ones that are like Three Steps.

I do think that the new Generations figures are pretty good though.

 

G1 figures transformed in a few steps. So did Armada. And most of Energon/Cybertron.

If done well, I don't have concerns.

 

Nearly every single jet-former ever has had that problem.

 

The designers working on Brainstorm clearly spent most of their time on making a good-looking robot mode with a good-looking headmaster that could also fit in a cockpit in the vehicle mode. Brainstorm and Arcee are both pretty exceptional designs so they shouldn't be taken as indicators of anything.

 

Ah, but here's the thing: a simpler transformation would mean a faster conversion, wouldn't it? For a kid, having a toy that he could rapidly reconfigure between modes would offer more play value, and it's not like this hasn't been encouraged by the franchise since the original cartoon, since that's exactly what Jazz does in the opening sequence.

 

If it looks good in both modes, I don't really care. If the figure itself can't really pull off good poses, then I start to care. I mean yeah, complicated transformations are fun, but I don't mind sacrifices being made for figures that look cool.

 

They don't look like they have any less parts than 2013-2014 Generations and in fact seem to have less hollow gaps.

So no, not simplified. You just don't like them, and that's fine. But the sky isn't falling.

 

And I for one am damn tired of it.

 

I would much rather they sacrifice the complexity of the transformation than the quality of the two modes.

And a simpler transformer is more fun to fiddle with anyways.

 

LIAR!

WE KNOW SKYFALL IS HAPPENING IN GENERATIONS!

Superion is happening!

 

I have the feeling he'll be another FoC Bruticus. Or worst, upscaled BH Abominus with how Hasbro is pushing simpler transformations and everything. Ugh.

 

Unfortunatlly simplification is the way things are done there now... few designers that remember how to pull off creative AND complicated are still employed there... so asking someone whose job is to do "simple" to try and do complicated.. is asking a kid who builds model cars to build a full size car from just parts! It "can" be done.. but will look wrong and some left over parts will remain!

 

Ah ha. Nice one!

As for simplification, I don't care. Just as long as it isn't a "fiddly ball-ache"(thank you Thew) like ROTF Optimus and Jetfire and I'm good.