The original looks like a giant blue blob to me, but to each their own.

 

Just my gut feeling, logic be damned:

The cynic in me is saying that this is part of the current mentality of "well, if the kids don't pass the test, we'll just lower the standards until they do". What happened to challenging kids so that they could become better and make something of themselves?

It's also saying that it's another symptom of modern parents not having as big as a role in their children's lives in a world full of distractions: they're not taking the time to work with their kids to teach them how to use their toys just as they're not taking the time to teach them math, science, etc because they either don't have time or/and they expect others to do it for them. As a result, everybody suffers.

I'm probably wrong, and I hope I'm wrong, but it's just what my gut says.

 

As long as it's not Alternators Grimlock or Energon Slugslinger than the complexity is fine.

 

Yeah I can see how the wording kind of detracts from the meaning in Hasbro's statement there about the simplicity. But I think what it's really about is not making all the toys totally mind-numbingly simple but taking them back to the level of simplicity of where they were at the beginning. It's just a case of recognising that the technology has advanced that they have the ability to engineer more complex figures but it's not about creating the most difficult thing possible. Whether a child is playing with a toy in 1984 or 2014, they'll find the same toy just as complex, so why not make some figures at the same level as a lot of the 80's toys?

 

Other than our own imaginations and to make ourselves feel better about the brand, when was challenging kids so that "they could become better and make something of themselves" ever part of the equation? Trying to make the brand out as some type of intentional educational tool is beyond silly. Likewise is this false concern for the kids. "What about the kids, they're going to be dumbed down by less complicated transformers!" Bunch Bill O' Reillys up in here.

 

I know, just let them play and enjoy being kids. Poor little buggers have too much pressure thrust upon them to succeed these days as it is.

 

I was just saying the same thing to my wife this morning about this particular subject. I very much understand that if its too complex its not fun. But on the other hand should we dumb something down so much to the extent that its not even a challenge? What are we teaching the next generations that with a push of a button difficulties will go away? This is happening all over not just in toy lands. Our schools have been in the public eye about cheating scandals(I live in Atlanta and its been in the news past few years) with teachers doctoring students grades just to get them out the door. There is a lot of great teachers and there are bad ones, but ultimately the child suffers and the system continues to erode.

 

Go to some of the low-income public schools in Atlanta, hell anywhere, and you can clearly why some of those students are "pushed out" when they don't deserve it. I guarantee you'll start singing a different tune about failing kids and eroding the lauded "system."

 

Wait... does "smash and change" mean that I literally have to hit the toy agressively on the top and it transforms by itself? Because that'd be hilarious!

 

I'm not saying they don't have an educational effect or benefit, but that's not their purpose. Trying to church them up as it being their intention or goal is simply fooling oneself.

 

Due to the sad news you may have to do just that.  

 

Energon Slugslinger still makes me chuckle it's a toy with endless panel shifting to get back to something that looks almost the same as how you started. "Why" (who knows). You might as well stand the jet up on it's nose cone and unpeg the arms and legs you end up with something mostly the same in 10 seconds as takes several times longer to move bits that don't really need to move.

I hate to be contentious but I think sometimes a simple toy with a good gimic can be lots of fun - like the original headmasters for example.

It seems to have a large handle on the back shaped like his shield you pick the truck up by the handle (not unlike the Ultimate Beast Hunters Optimus Prime I suppose) and smack it down tail end first on a table like a drunk german at a beer festival and the arms popout and the head pops up - that's it one action transformation no manual steps (other than raising the arms at the elbow and getting him to hold his sword if you want too).

I don't even think the shield is removable.

 

Oh jeez. Those giant beer mug handles are an eyesore.

 

smash grab clip on wheels!

 

fixed

 

It does seem like the Transformers toys got complex to the point of taking all the discovery out of transforming without the instructions. A simpler transformation and it seems like kids could mess around with it until they could figure it out. Perhaps the steps the child took were not exactly like the step on the instruction sheet, but they still got there.

Some of the really complex movie figures almost required you to follow the directions precisely step by step with no deviations. I remember the horror story a friend told about a nephew getting frustrated at Christmas over a Bumblebee figure and my friend had to spend about 30 minutes to get the figure transformed properly.

Looking at the long list of instructions on some figures I can't help but feel like taking some steps out is a good idea. Maybe not go so simple there isn't any puzzle solving left, but changing from robot mode to car mode should be easier than putting together Ikea furniture.

 

lolwut

              

 

I thought I was looking at BH Ultra Magnus at first