I was chatting with @Cal and @Bob Schoonover in the Earth Rise news thread, and we got into a debate about Retools and design structures. Because of the 3D age, there are certain toys out there that are designed from the base, design stage to be multiple toys at ones. There structure and engineering are created with the intention of multiple reuses. It has only grown in popularity as of late. We were debating what to call this phenomenon. I would like to propose a new term: Reshell. A Repaint is a figure that shares the same body as a previous release, with a new paint job and minor mold changes. A Remold shares much of the base structure, but is significantly changed in areas. A Reshell would have all of the defining characteristics changed, but would share the structure, joints, and transformation, and would have been designed along side the previous release I don't know. I am interested to hear your thoughts. Why are Airwave and Brunt the same mold but G2 Starscream and Energon Starscream aren't? (Which, the aren't, but that old rumor always seems to crop up in these discussions) Where does that leave TR Skyshadow and Overlord? And where does that leave the term Retool? Discuss!
I love the idea reshell is now in my TF term dictionary and to me i feel like a Retool would be something like Silverbolt to Hun-gurrr it has shares parts but has a completely different transformation
I don't agree. A repaint is simply that, no mold changes. (Seekers, Datsun brothers.) A remold/retool is one that clearly shares the same mold with some modifications. (Energon Inferno to Roadbuster, Datsuns with new head becomes Smokescreen, Soundblaster is Soundwave with a new chest.) A reshell is the same core robot with new outer pieces. (CW Onslaught and Hot Spot.) Shared engineering (which is more of what Airwave is, compared to Brunt) is the best term to use. (Hun-Grr and Snaptrap are remolds of each other, but both of those are based on the engineering of Silverbolt and Scattershot, while using none of their parts at all.)
In before @Nevermore chides us for using repaint and redeco interchangeably Regardless of redeco/repaint I disagree with the OP saying "minor mold changes" still fall under that label. Unless we're talking like a running change to shorten a peg or something, it's always a retool if it has new parts.
Nah. Reshell is already a common term in customising used to describe a custom TF that's modded using a model vehicle as a "shell" to turn into a different vehicle. I like ReCAD. Don't know who came up with it but I've heard it a few times already, and it's pretty clear what it means.
RePaint: all the same parts, just different colors. BW Cheetor/Tigatron/ShadowPanther ReCap(itation): repaint with a new head mold, everything else the same. Non-integrated accessories don't count. DotM Sideswipe and Darksteel, CHUG Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. ReMold: parts/shapes significantly altered in appearance but not function. Alterations are mostly aesthetic. TFP and BH deluxe Soundwaves. BW Wolfang v K9. ReTool: figures share parts but specific shapes, functions, or connections for transformation have been altered. CW UM v TR PMOP/Ginrai, or CHUG Wheeljack v Tracks. ReCon: REused CONversion: 2 figures have all different parts but the same transformation, embellishments aside. G2 Smokescreen v Energon Starscream v HFTD Terradive. Or TFA dlx Prowl and Perfect Effect RC. BW Dinobot v TM2 Dinobot is... dubious at best. The parts kind of go to the same places, but the fxn of the bot legs in beast mode is the kicker. ReShell / shared engineering /ReCast/ ReCAD: 2 figures seemingly designed alongside each other, to the point of appearing to have the same parts, but in actuality physically share next to nothing. Siege Brunt v ER Airwave, MP Cheetor v MP Tigatron.
Redeco - plastic and paint colors are changed. Repaint - same figure, same plastic colors, only paint differences. Palette swap - same paint layout, only the plastic and paint colors are changed. Retool - altering parts or creating new parts to replace existing parts after the fact. Pretool - a pre-planned alternate version of a toy using alternate parts to replace other parts that was planned from the get-go, along with the original version. Gang-molded alternate parts - both versions of certain parts come from the same tooling; the unused version is discarded or recycled. Shared engineering - same basic functionality (including the transformation), but no existing toolings are actually reused, all the parts are new. Reshell - parts used for the robot mode are reused, only the parts used for the alternate mode are different.
Nevermore has the most precise and complete set of definitions. There is nothing wrong with being precise with how we describe things (I’m not being sarcastic).
