Takara all the way baby.

In light of all of this, I came up with my own solutions:

 

1) Bad joints and paint problems: If I get something that BAD, I simply FIX IT. 20 years of collecting transformers has taught me that unless you do something about the problem, you have no right to complain. And yes, I have written in to both companies, and neither one really cares. So I prefer to remedy things my way.

 

2) If Hasbro or Takara won't come out with something, I'll build the damn thing MYSELF. I built my own chracter ( Looks like my avatar), as well as my own custom designed macross valkyrie. I realize that not everybody has the know-how, but that's why I posted "The Idiot's Guide to Kitbashing" on the toy discussion forum: so it doesn't take them 20 years to learn what I do!

 

3) I was not only able to make the rocket launchers work on my reissues, but I acually got prime's trailer to shoot roller across the room, simply by doing a little work on the launcher mechanism. If you guys really want something, pick up a screwdriver, and GET TO IT!! And don't tell me "Well, it's good for you to have these skills, but we don't so.." I didn't know CRAP about it 20 years ago!! it took me all that time to get it right!!

 

So, not to come off the wrong way, but the lesson I learned back then: if they can't do it RIGHT, you gotta do it YOURSELF. And it's a lot easier than you might think. materials aren't that expensive, and you might surprise yourselves. Anyone up to the challenge, or does Hasbro and takara win AGAIN?

Beautifully put! Way to stuff that in the craw of the entire thread! :tflaugh Which I'm shocked and kind of sad is still going since it's all really a moot point since even if there is an eventual winner, it's not going to change a bloody thing since we're still being to buy the same things from the same companies out of convenience and/or preference.

 

That was so elequently put that I'm never touching one of these pointless arguments ever again, since if it's not good enough for someone then they should stop pissing and moaning and MAKE IT meet their outlandish requirements! Wouldn't be the first I've resorted to such action and I can practically guarantee that it won't be the last. :thumb

Thank you. It wasn't meant to be stuck in anyone's craw; It's just that I learned a long time ago that complaining never changed a thing, but action does. And at least if I make my own, I have what I want plus I can help other people if and when they wish to do likewise. I strongly believe that all the Transfans out there, from G1 to Energon, deserve the best,(which is a far cry from what Has/Tak has given them in the past!) and if we can't get it from the powers that be, we'll do it ourselves. (TransLabels and Reprolabels come to mind as Prima Faciae examples.

If I had to pick between Hasbro or Takara, I'd take Takara anyday. Hasbro's for soccer mom kids.

 

If I had to pick between Toynami vs. Yamato/Bandai, I'd go with the Japanese companies.

 

Let's face it, when it comes to Robot toys, the Japanese are the best!

I just wanted chime in with my 2 cents. I like them both.

 

I like the Takara for their ability to keep true to from with the reissues without alterations to molds for details and accessories. I must say I do prefer the takara seekers because the missles are unaltered. However having said that, I am working on a way to cut down the jet mode missles so that they seat in the launcher with proportions similar to the original. The robot mode missle actually looks pretty cool and is no more show accurate than the original ones.

 

As far as the stack argument goes, did anyone notice that the Takara god ginrai reissue had small stacks as well. I did have a prob with reissue prime with the short stacks I must confess, but I like the look of the smaller stacks with ultra magnus though in both armored and unarmored forms. It is just a simple matter of preference. And I thought that the stacks on 20th Prime would bother me, but it really doesn't look bad. And for those who don't actually own 20th prime but bash it anyway, the battle damage was drastically downplayed prior to the release of the figure and the early prototype and test shot had a lot of damage that made the figure less attractive. The damage on the actual version is very subtle and enhnaces the figure.

 

Hasbro has done alright with reissues though, and if you really want to replace the springs you can get those disabled launcers working again, trust me :)

 

I bought a few of the Hasbro Rodimus Majors just because they were just like the Takara ones and they were cheaer and i could kitbash/customize some.

 

As far as Binaltech/alternators, I don't have both so that I could compare, but I am very happy with the Hasbro product.

 

Takara has the more accurate color schemes most of the time that is true, but most of the time the variation isn't that much of a probelm. I like the energon scorpinok, and armada Wheeljack. However I would have liked the Takara Tidalwave.

 

The only time I would really go all the way over to Takara is if hasbro doesn't recognize the TF goldmine that takara just hit with it's robotmasters line and does not provide US releases.

Well, most of the complaints I'm seeing about hasbro aren't really hasbro's fault. loose joints is mold defect. my takara armada wheeljack has wicked loose joints, but my american version is exceptionally tight.

as for packaging, americans want to se what they are buying. alot of the takara toys I have are just boxes with cool art. no window. except for my beast wars, they have a samll window.

and not all american consumers want to keep the package. we are a wasteful society. we pay for something, and then crumble up the package and throw it away.

and as for non-launching missles and short stacks, that's not hasbro's fault, it's the fault of idiot parents who buy a toy for a three year old, even though it says "ages 8 and up" on the package. it's a safety mandate thats forced on the toy companies.

 

I guess it's all about your preferences.

if you want cool colectables, with pretty boxes for display, Go takara.

if you want a TF that your kid will throw across the room, then get hasbro.

The short stacks, cheap-lightweight plastic, and non-diecast bothers me bigtime.

 

It also doesn't matter if the loose joints and all isn't Hasbro's fault. They are not going to fix it.

 

Takara all the way!

Hasbro can't fix it. it's us toy safety laws that make the stacks short. I've had more loose joints with my takara TF's than with my hasbro TF's. how many people have gotten the takara reissue jazz? he has incredibly loose feet. all the people I know who have him have this complaint. and takara didn't fix it. they just moved on.

and I've never had any difference in the plastic quality between hasbro and takara. and not that many TF's have diecast nowadays. hasbro made the alternators plastic for extened play value. I've already got paint chips on my BT lambor, and I've only converted him twice.

 

takara is going for the collectors market, since it's hard to find theier stuff on these shores. hasbro is going for kids toys. which, last time I checked, is what TF's are supposed to be.

takara is going for the collectors market, since it's hard to find theier stuff on these shores. hasbro is going for kids toys. which, last time I checked, is what TF's are supposed to be.

G1 reissues isn't for today's kids.

 

No kid today could identify with G1. This is why I see tons of Hasbro TRU commerative series TF's still on the shelves. I notice this with G.I. Joe figures too while comic book figures sale like hot cakes (pardon the cliche). Atleast in my neighbor's TRU and I live in big city.

 

In Robocrap and Macross, their toylines aren't targeted for kids. No kid could afford a $80 VF-A6 Alpha let alone a $180 1/48 VF-1J Milia.

 

It's all about taking advantage of nostalgia and that's adults.

 

Hasbro's targeting adults too.

takara is going for the collectors market, since it's hard to find theier stuff on these shores. hasbro is going for kids toys. which, last time I checked, is what TF's are supposed to be.

G1 reissues isn't for today's kids.

 

No kid today could identify with G1. This is why I see tons of Hasbro TRU commerative series TF's still on the shelves. I notice this with G.I. Joe figures too while comic book figures sale like hot cakes (pardon the cliche). Atleast in my neighbor's TRU and I live in big city.

 

In Robocrap and Macross, their toylines aren't targeted for kids. No kid could afford a $80 VF-A6 Alpha let alone a $180 1/48 VF-1J Milia.

 

It's all about taking advantage of nostalgia and that's adults.

 

Hasbro's targeting adults too.

Hasbro's main focus is kids. Yes, they provide the reissues (I believe the changes were made to make them "kid friendly" because of TRU themselves, lack of sales is another area where we can blame TRU w/ their insane mark up), but TRU still tries to sell these to kids, even though nobody is going to pay $30 for what would normally be a $10 toy.

 

But Takara REALLY goes after the collectors market on both sides of the ocean. WST, PVC, Mega SCF, and even Robotmasters and Binaltech are to a large extent geared towards collectors, hence the randam packaging in WST and PVC lines (they can make a lot of money by collectors buying entire cases at a time).

 

And comparing comic book lines to GI Joe or Transformers really isn't a fair comparison. Batman, Spider-Man, and all those others have had a constant retail presence for more than 20 years, in addition to an overall greater exposure to the public. Nearly any kid can see those toys and immediatly recognize what they are. GI Joe lacks the media push Transformers has gotten, and if a new cartoon is produced, I wouldn't be surprised to see GI Joe make a slight comeback.

This is a coin toss. Both are over-priced and both take too long between releases. I like Hasbro for availablity and true G1 boxes (although they are getting away from that w/ later releases). I like Takara for Megatron & soundwave releases that we will never see from Hasbro. Also like the Dreamwave artwork. However, most times I will opt for Hasbro and avoid the $20 shipping prices on Ebay from Japan... :tfevil