funny how we've come to expect and speculate what each new line's "gimmick" will be... only a couple lines ago, RID had no gimmick.  Well, i spoke to TFmaster, and he said their gimmick was detail and articulation... i thought that was funny - RID's Gimmick: Well thought out figures.

 

nothing else goes across the line, or even across the faction.

 

Well, there is one gimmick that's seen throughout all lines.  Robots turning into something like animals, vehicles, machines, weapons, etc...wait, that's what they're supposed to do :tflaugh  :tflaugh1 I kind of like the force chip gimmick.  The Mini-Con gimmick was interesting because it not only gave you a regular TF, but a new kind of TF that were almost a line of their own.  But towards the end of G1, some of the line had gimmicks (Pretenders, Nebulans (Powermasters, Targetmasters, Headmasters) and Action Masters).  The only ones that were good were the ones that involved a Nebulan.  They were neat.  And then Armada brought us the Mini-Cons, Energon had Powerlinking for the Autobots and Hyper Power for the Decepticons, and now Cybertron has the Cyber Planet Keys/Force Chips.

I am fine with flip up weapons and power up modes, but I could do without the trigger device.  The minicons from armada were great if they would have been brought in as the new targetmasters, headmasters, breastmasters for the new line.  Now dont get me wrong, the minicons are great, but I never understood why a large vehicle would want a smaller vehicle attached to its arm.  Some looked cool, some looked alright, and some got it right with weapon alt modes.

 

It makes more sense for a smaller race of transformers to turn into tools used by ther larger bots, but not smaller vehicles and in all reality would draw more attention to them, and not be able to remain in disquise in the real world. 

 

I dont mind the gimmicks I just hate that they have to have triggering mechanisms. 

I dont mind the gimmicks so long as they make some kinda sense -

for example - Armada Hotshot combines with a helicopter and so he now has A) Claws in carmode and B) a Missle launcher in Bot mode?

yet his feet were made out of the claws.

 

So everytime before he met little helicopter guy - he never noticed that he had a big olg missle launcher hidden in his back?

he never noticed that he needed a mini-con to TF his Feet?

 

i dont know - just rambling now i suppose

 

Hunter

I dont mind the gimmicks so long as they make some kinda sense -

for example - Armada Hotshot combines with a helicopter and so he now has A) Claws in carmode and B) a Missle launcher in Bot mode?

yet his feet were made out of the claws.

 

So everytime before he met little helicopter guy - he never noticed that he had a big olg missle launcher hidden in his back?

he never noticed that he needed a mini-con to TF his Feet?

 

i dont know - just rambling now i suppose

 

Hunter

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

you are exactly right... that was always a :wtf issue with me.... 

:pfx like a million percent, esp. when you consider that these are the TFs' actual bodies and not just suits of armor or something

That being said:

Sans minicon I REALLY REALLY REALLY like Armada-Hot Shot

he is silly and ugly and Effing irritating (like the slobbber child in the dennys booth behind you)

 

But there is really a charm to him. (unlike the Yuppie-larva)  He's like the perfect balance of Brick and BW-ball jointed wonderland.

 

Dont get me wrong - I really like his Claws and his missle launcher - great playability level there - i just dont understand what the mincon has to do with it

 

Hunter

(who now has bananna and drool in his hair)

"i just want to - you know, squeeze a lemon in his eye or something --- nothing to permanently harm the kid, and certainly nothing traceable back to me"

RiD was full of gimmicks.  Prime+Magnus=combination gimmick, Rail Racer and Landfill=gestalt gimmick, Megatron=multichanger gimmick. 

 

The only real gimmickless original molds from the line were the car brothers.  I don't think gimmicks are a bad thing at all.  If they add playability and fun to a toy so much the better.

I'm down for any kind of gimmick as long as it doesn't blatantly hinder some of the play value (energon autobots).  I'll admit I was skeptical about mini-cons in Armada, but I now believe they are about as good a gimmock as you can get.  My biggest complaint is electronics in TFs.  keep sound/light out of the toys and therefore keep the cost a schmidge lower.

RiD was full of gimmicks.  Prime+Magnus=combination gimmick, Rail Racer and Landfill=gestalt gimmick, Megatron=multichanger gimmick. 

 

The only real gimmickless original molds from the line were the car brothers.  I don't think gimmicks are a bad thing at all.  If they add playability and fun to a toy so much the better.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Read the original post, Tant.  :)  there were no gimmicks that were across the board. 

 

For instance - in Armada, every Autobot and Decepticon could augment himself with Minicons using the posts that littered his body.

In Cybertron, same with the force chips.

 

RiD didn't have something like that.  Some bots combined, some bots multi-changed, some could be transformed one-handed and fit in your zippo pocket.  some lit up.  plenty of individual gimmicks.  Nothing across the board. 

 

not saying that's good or bad, just making conversation.