My 1st Alternator was Smokescreen. I was amazed by the details, articulation, etc. Then, my g/f bought me Binaltech Deadend and Hound. :clap She brought them back from her trip to Japan. :thumb

 

Then I got Alternator Sideswipe for myself. Boy does it suck. I've noticed that body panels don't align right and the back wheels don't even touch the ground due to the little poll thing connecting the back trunk. You guys that have Sideswipe may see this issue. This is not an isolated incident becasue my brother has one too and his has the same problem!!!

 

When I compared it to Deadend, which is bascially the same mold, I noticed that his tires touched the ground and the alignment was almost perfect. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that he is made of die-cast, thus allowing less flex in the mold?

 

Conclusion? Hasbro's Alternators are of much inferior quaility. Even though the Binaltech are more expensive, I think that I'd much rather pay extra for Diecast and superior build quailty!

 

For those of you who don't have any Binaltechs, let me tell you that you will be amazed by the superior build quality and the painted metal looks 1000% better then the cheap plastic flexing crap Alternators.

 

Any thoughts or comments?

Well...My Sideswipe doesn't have your problems. I'm rolling him right now across my desk...and he has no tire-to-ground issues. May be only in a few certain ones, like a small production error.

 

And to me, I don't have the money to shell out for BT's...I've seen them, played with them, and compared them to Alts. however. I agree to a point and disagree also...

 

BTs have the potential to chip like mad when played with or Transformed a lot. Plastic doesn't. But then again Plastic can get stress-fractures from moving it too much, particularly tmoving it the wrong way.

 

My friend has a BT Hound and half the hound is now chipped, because he was knocked off his shelf and bounced across the floor. Also when he first got him, he transformed him multiple times and ended up chipping a few spots.

 

So I think it's just a matter of perference.

Perhaps some minor corrections were made to the mold when they re-engineered it for Dead End. Quality tends to get better over time, I think. I'm perfectly happy with my Alt Smokescreen, but the jury is out until I pick up some Alts/BTs in the future.

Well...My Sideswipe doesn't have your problems. I'm rolling him right now across my desk...and he has no tire-to-ground issues. May be only in a few certain ones, like a small production error.

 

And to me, I don't have the money to shell out for BT's...I've seen them, played with them, and compared them to Alts. however. I agree to a point and disagree also...

 

BTs have the potential to chip like mad when played with or Transformed a lot. Plastic doesn't. But then again Plastic can get stress-fractures from moving it too much, particularly tmoving it the wrong way.

 

My friend has a BT Hound and half the hound is now chipped, because he was knocked off his shelf and bounced across the floor. Also when he first got him, he transformed him multiple times and ended up chipping a few spots.

 

So I think it's just a matter of perference.

:pfx

 

no problems with Sideswipe here either... and while we are on the subject (yet again) for those of you who consider BT quality to be much higher than ALts, remember that in 5 or so years when all your paint apps have scraped and fallen off, the we'll still have our pristine Alts standing proudly and victoriously...... and for only half the price :tflaugh

My Sideswipe is a binaltech and I do not have your problem, but my Deadend is an alt and there is no problem there either.

 

With them doing two or more recolors and remolds per mold, I cannot afford to buy all the Binaltech figures, so I buy one Binaltech of each mold and then any others that I want I get the Alt version of.

 

And mine just stay on top of the entertainment center well out of harms way, and I have yet to have any chipping on mine. Well except a scratch on the top of Tracks that happend when I was using a dremel to shave down the ball joint so I could attach Deadends repainted head.

Mine has that problem. What I do is, with my fingers on both wheels and my thumbs on the black pole, I push in the the pole with my thumbs and pull down on the wheels. it sounds and feels dangerous at first but it usually works. An for the front bumper lining up dont be scared to use force. I connect every thing, then I push in the grill. After that I look and the crease where Swipe's black part of his legs connect. If they are not completely touching I put my hands on both side of the front frame and forcefully squeeze the two halfs together.

For the doors I make sure that the connector hinge is properly in place.

 

I know these toys are work of art and the BT are expensive but they are more dorable than you think. Just cause you use force on them doesn't nessasarily mean you will break it. I learned that when I couldn't stop there from being a gap between Hound spare tire door and the side paneling. I used my fingers to forcefully sqeeze his feet together.

easy way to think of it...

to play with - Alternators

to display - Binaltechs..

 

I like to think of them as toys so Alternators are my choice.

Binaltechs look pretty, Alternator play great.

IMO of course.

Perhaps some minor corrections were made to the mold when they re-engineered it for Dead End. Quality tends to get better over time, I think. I'm perfectly happy with my Alt Smokescreen, but the jury is out until I pick up some Alts/BTs in the future.

I agree with the above, look at Jazz/Meister, same basic principal as Smokescreen but a much better evolution.

 

I have the whole caboodle including a Grimlock, Windcharger and Battle ravage, I have some Binaltech but most are Alternators. I think the quality is pretty good on the alts and feel more substancial than the Binaltechs as they have higher tolerances due to being a plastic build, as Deathmarch said, drop one of each on the floor and see which one comes out better ;)

 

I have had no issues with panel fit on the alts even on my prototypes, maybe I have just been lucky

 

;)

I like to play with my toys :clap

It is real easy to have the wheels not touch the ground. I've had any trouble with Sideswipe, but Smokescreen and Silverstreak constantly don't. I first thought it was a defect, but actually you just have to have all the parts lined up just perfectly. Maybe you have Sideswipe somewhat mistransformed. As for the Binaltechs metal is more rigid so it would only go to where is should, but the Alts pastic can come misaligned with little effort.