Ok, two stories here:

 

I am stage manager for a play at the local community theater. We have 3 child actors, ages 9-11, so I bring in a few of my more durable figures for them to play around with as a treat, and to keep them quiet, which was becoming very difficult. The adult cast of the show are just regular people, very few geeks which is surprising for theater, and range in age from 18-30. These people are not involved with toys at all. I brought the following figures:

 

Energon Megatron

Armada Tidal Wave

Alternators Smokescreen

G1 Hot Rod reissue

G1 Sixshot reissue

G1 original Soundwave

RiD Scourge---just the cab

 

The kids went through all of these, but eventually they settled on splitting Sixshot, E-Megatron and Tidal Wave between them and played with them all night. Out of what I brought, everybody went gaga over Soundwave, and I'd say about 90% of the cast handled it. About three of them were really interested in Smokescreen, and I transformed it for them a few times. Nowhere near the interest Soundwave garnered.

 

The second story happens at a Goth friend of mines house, watching Wreslemania. These guys were kinda into Transformers. Brought a bunch of Reissues, and everybody played with Soundwave and Megatron all night. Somebody said: "I want to hold Megatron just once in my life"

 

 

I don't know who your friends are, but they are nothing like the "normal" people I've introduced to my collection.

i just got done reading all the suck threads lol. what a way to celebrate cinco de mayo lol. owning a fort max will make your g1 suck issues go away lol

What exactly am I overstating?

 

1. G1 toys are not action figures. Judge them as such and you will be disappointed. Judge them as what they are and they live up to the legend.

 

2. G1 figures have better weapons. Is this not true?

 

3. The names Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Starscream are as famous as they are because of the G1 cartoon. You can argue that BW/BM was a better cartoon and you would be right. Neither was ever as big as the G1 cartoon.

 

4. Only truly great tech specs on Transformers. Period.

 

5. People who are not toy collectors and not Transformers collectors are always more impressed by G1 toys. This is a fact.

 

 

There is more to G1 than just nostalgia.

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1. How are G1 toys not action figures?  They fit my definition.

 

2. BW weapons are equal to G1 weapons, if not better.  I hated G1 for not having more weapon storage and for having more than a character could hold. 

 

3. I'll give you this one, but that has nothing to do with the figures.

 

4. I'll give you this one as well, but who cares?  Cartoon and Comic were way more important for characterization than TS ever were.

 

5.  Seems pretty anecdotal to me.  When new people look at my collection they're mostly drawn to the BW figures, and yes my G1 collection is pretty extensive.

 

G1 figures were a pretty big disappointment when I got back into collecting 5 or 6 years ago.  They were no where near as great as I remember them being. 

1. G1 toys are not action figures. Judge them as such and you will be disappointed. Judge them as what they are and they live up to the legend.

 

 

There is more to G1 than just nostalgia.

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ummmm ... what are they?

 

You said they aren't action figures.  They aren't models because the scale is way off for most of them.  Especially when you throw in ones like Bumblebee and Cliffjumper.  They aren't statues (despite people crying about the lack of posability) because statues generally don't move at all.

 

So ... what are they?

 

Just so I know what I've been collecting for all these years.

 

1. G1 toys are not action figures. Judge them as such and you will be disappointed. Judge them as what they are and they live up to the legend.

 

 

There is more to G1 than just nostalgia.

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ummmm ... what are they?

 

You said they aren't action figures.  They aren't models because the scale is way off for most of them.  Especially when you throw in ones like Bumblebee and Cliffjumper.  They aren't statues (despite people crying about the lack of posability) because statues generally don't move at all.

 

So ... what are they?

 

Just so I know what I've been collecting for all these years.

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Inaction figures?

The first two years of G1 are not what I would call action figures. They break if you breathe on them, and aren't really made to survive children. I broke most of mine as a child. A requirement for an action figure is the ability to survive being an action figure. G1 transformers fail this test miserably.

 

I don't really consider Alternators action figures. I consider them 1/24th scale model cars that can do things like, lets say, transform into robots. So what if they aren't a specific scale, or some of them transform into things other than cars. The original G1 figures were more models that could transform into robots. There is room to argue the point, but they were models more than they ever were action figures, even if most kids treated them as action figures anyway and broke them.

Guld Posted Today, 01:15 PM

 

QUOTE(STPrime @ May 5 2005, 03:10 PM)

I would never hit one of my kids, but I'd shake the hell out of them.

 

 

 

 

My dad put a gun to my brothers head....it was unloaded mind you....but when we pointed that out it didn't go too well regardless.

 

Should I be worried that I don't remember this?

 

Back on topic, though, I fully agree with you. I was on a huge Gundam kick, until I was rather forcibly pointed towards buying a Master Piece Convoy. Something inside just reawakened, and I was once again way into Transformers. Got me not interested in just old toys, but in a few of the newer series as well.

 

The imagination's still there, so I still find fun in the toys.

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FAMILY TIES REVEALED!!!!! :clap

How about we keep this topic on track? That would be a good idea at this point.

The first two years of G1 are not what I would call action figures. They break if you breathe on them, and aren't really made to survive children. I broke most of mine as a child. A requirement for an action figure is the ability to survive being an action figure. G1 transformers fail this test miserably.

 

I don't really consider Alternators action figures. I consider them 1/24th scale model cars that can do things like, lets say, transform into robots. So what if they aren't a specific scale, or some of them transform into things other than cars. The original G1 figures were more models that could transform into robots. There is room to argue the point, but they were models more than they ever were action figures, even if most kids treated them as action figures anyway and broke them.

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I agree. G1 and "broken toys" are virtually synonymous. Whoever invented the ball joint is like the coolest guy in the world. Not only did they give TFs universal joints, but they also eliminated (or at least significantly reduced) the likelihood of breakage.

Which is why I think G2 was such a huge series. Regardless of the paint apps. and such, G2 introduced ball joints to the Transformers toy line, if I'm not mistaken.