Repaints are NOT exclusive to G1. Go Bots were well-known for it's repaints of figures. (just HOW many Leader-1 and Cy-Kill versions do we need?) Not to mention that Gi joe only had 8 sets of arms, legs waists, and torsos to start. To make a new character, they would mix and match the parts, then REPAINT them.

 

 

But in reference to repaints as taking a total character and recoloring him to represent a totally different character: G1 is guilty of that. But if you think about it, wouldn't the transformers take a sucessfully proven chassis / body design, and use it for a new robot? In the case of the seekers, this is very evident.

 

But i wouldn't go so far as to blame G1 for the "repaint syndrome" we are suffering from. The truth is, A mold for any toy is usually made from stainless steel, which is VERY expensive to manufacture. First, they have to design the prototype, then in the old days they would use a pantograph machine (It was a wierd rig that had a stylus or non-writing pen on the end) to carve the basic design into a block of steel. (Nowadays they use CNC macihinng to accomplish the same thing to a greater degree of detail and accuracy.) After the initial carving, aprofessional engraver was called in to do the fine details.( And keep in mind, the details were INVERSE: sunken panel lines were raised on the mold, grooves and inlets were raised too.) Clear plastic parts required the molds to be polished to a MIRROR finish. ( and have to be repeatedly done so, to keep them at top level.)

 

So, taking a look at all of this, it cost a toy company a LOT of money to come up with an entirely new mold for a toy. It was (and is still today) far cheaper to try a "test shot" of a new color in the molds, and see if it sells. I'm not saying it's right, but from the manufacturer's point of view, it's at least somewhat understandable.

(Not directed towards you WV:)

 

Waah. Toy companies are supposed to make toys. It's called "the cost of doing business." If they want to put the same toy on the shelves three or four times, that's their decision. Just don't expect me to buy them.

Hmm... forgot how "argumentative" these forums can be. A long post isn't neccessarily an angry or rant post. People write differently... don't misinturperate an opinion. Take it with a grain of salt, I'm not "hating" or "bashing" at all... this is just a thought. I'm not forcing anything, this is just my take.

 

To keep it shorter (and/or easier) I'll rephrase my dislike (which is way too harsh a word I admit) to this:

 

I believe (would have liked) the Transformers line as a whole should have done away with repaints passed the initial starting run. To accept repaints because "we've always had them since G1" is in my humble opinion a mistake. Indeed cost is a factor, without doubt... but not every toy line in the world recycles molds. I believe if early on HasTak stepped up and said "we'll only sell the same mold twice if it's be re-tooled, repainted, and renamed" the world (Transformers collecting community) would be a happier place.

 

...just think of how Figeuroa handled the WWI Seekers... variety is the spice of life. But hey what do I know... I just posted way too long again.

I believe (would have liked) the Transformers line as a whole should have done away with repaints passed the initial starting run. To accept repaints because "we've always had them since G1" is in my humble opinion a mistake. Indeed cost is a factor, without doubt... but not every toy line in the world recycles molds. I believe if early on HasTak stepped up and said "we'll only sell the same mold twice if it's be re-tooled, repainted, and renamed" the world (Transformers collecting community) would be a happier place.

 

...just think of how Figeuroa handled the WWI Seekers... variety is the spice of life. But hey what do I know... I just posted way too long again.

:pfx

 

HasTak does repaints because they can. You can't exactly repaint Darth Vader as some other character or something. And I think it was a bad precedent to set back in G1 days.

 

And the whole "this is the way it was done in G1" thing is a weak argument. The pre-'86 TFs were all repaints/remolds of toys from various different lines, which were in some cases already ten years old by that point. Is that really the precedent we want?

(Not directed towards you WV:)

 

Waah. Toy companies are supposed to make toys. It's called "the cost of doing business." If they want to put the same toy on the shelves three or four times, that's their decision. Just don't expect me to buy them.

Yeah, I know. While I can understand the companies reasoning, after a while it just becomes an excuse. If they're making all this money, they can afford to put out at least a new mold or two. As for you, SkywarpsGhost, I agree with you for the most part. While I like they variety of characters, they have overused the same molds. maybe the other seekers could have been F-14's, A-10's, F-16's, and so on.

 

p.s: sorry. accidentally put what i wrote in the quote! No offense LM!

I think most people have a problem w/ G1 because of the G1 "purists" out there that think G1 is the only relevant Transformers line.

Thats why I hate G1.

I think most people have a problem w/ G1 because of the G1 "purists" out there that think G1 is the only relevant Transformers line.

Thats why I hate G1.

Agreed. But I don't hate G1, that's too powerful a word to use. It's more like "annoyed" with the constant Starscreaming of the G1 lovers.

I think most people have a problem w/ G1 because of the G1 "purists" out there that think G1 is the only relevant Transformers line.

Thats why I hate G1.

True, but it's not fair to hold the fans against the line that created them. just because somebody acts like an ass about a particular thing doesn't make that thing itself bad.

 

Example; a guy who loves coca-cola goes on a 12-state murder spree, just to promote coke. does this mean coke is bad?

 

Answer: No. Coke is a product. The man, who is fully in charge of his actions, is giving it a bad name. the product itself has nothing to do with it.

 

While the previous isn't the bext example in the world, it's just there to demonstrate that G1 shouldn't be hated because of it's fans. as a point of fact, many G1 fas are also fans of other transformer lines.

 

But you do bring up a valid point: "purists' can ruin things by being militant. So from now on, let's differentiate them from purists who don't push their views down other's throats by defining them as "militant purists." That being said, militant purists do more to ruin transformers than anyone or anything else.

As I replied on the other topic, this sums up reasons not to enjoy G1:

 

Five Faces of Darkness? That contemptible Carnage in C Minor?

 

Headmasters, Targetmasters, Triggermasters, Shellformer Masters?

 

Pretenders? Micromasters? Actionmasters? Classic Legends that are repackages of Classic Pretenders?

 

Wildly inconsistent sizes and colors of everyone in the cartoon? Carwash of Doom?

 

G1 seems to begin and end with the Diaclone/Microman line. Or Scramble City, rather. I call it, "Diaman". heh. People seem to forget the bad aspects of G1: The toys broke far too easy thanks to diecast, the animation was subpar -even at the time-, the movie killed the reason why people enjoys TFs (the characters), and anything from late 85 on, toywise, was a big plastic brick that was ugly even at the time it was made, in context with the other toylines of the time.

 

And GeeWun Pundits stink pretty bad. The fans that don't allow creators to advance and evolve the mythos without gripes, the people that keep the toylines sinking with renames and Dreamwave rehashing old scripts time and again, and insistent homages just to have an homage at the expense of a new character's potential.

I am glad that Sprung isn't a Springer clone, and he is infact his own charector.

I think most people have a problem w/ G1 because of the G1 "purists" out there that think G1 is the only relevant Transformers line.

Thats why I hate G1.

True, but it's not fair to hold the fans against the line that created them. just because somebody acts like an ass about a particular thing doesn't make that thing itself bad.

 

Example; a guy who loves coca-cola goes on a 12-state murder spree, just to promote coke. does this mean coke is bad?

 

Answer: No. Coke is a product. The man, who is fully in charge of his actions, is giving it a bad name. the product itself has nothing to do with it.

 

While the previous isn't the bext example in the world, it's just there to demonstrate that G1 shouldn't be hated because of it's fans. as a point of fact, many G1 fas are also fans of other transformer lines.

 

But you do bring up a valid point: "purists' can ruin things by being militant. So from now on, let's differentiate them from purists who don't push their views down other's throats by defining them as "militant purists." That being said, militant purists do more to ruin transformers than anyone or anything else.

You're right. But it's not fair for a G1 purist to say, "G1 is the best and everything should be just like it!" That's forcing their love of the series onto others. I find that very annoying. Which is why I don't like G1 as much as I like it. (if you understood this last sentence congratulations)