I'm just curious what has changed in TF toy design and production since the first Diaclone, etc toys were made in the late '70's/early 80's...Have improvements in the design and production processes allowed for better, more articulated toys? Is the plastic used in today's TF's the same type of plastic used 20+ years ago?

I think the advance in computer based engeneering technology is what has really brought the articulation and complicated transformations to bear. Back in the days of G1, it was all done by guys sitting around with drafting boards trying to figure out how to get a car into a robot, much less worry about a thing like articulation. Most articulation back in those days was a direct result of the transformation.

I think since the unposable bricks were so popular they didn't think kids cared whether or not they were posable. So they continued to sell us crap.

i have a european exclusive from 1991, there was not much articulation and was a brick but the transformation process is better and the quality of plastic is beter than earlier tfs

I think since the unposable bricks were so popular they didn't think kids cared whether or not they were posable. So they continued to sell us crap.

I'm not so sure about that. I don't think a 6 year old today cares any more/less about posability than a 6 year old from 20 years ago...

The most obvious thing that's different is die-cast, for which Hasbro and Takara both dumped in 1986 and haven't gone back to (except for reissues and the Japanese Binaltech).

To me one of the most obvious differences is the distribution and availability of the toys. They were easiere to find in almost every type of store. Today you must count on mayor stores to get your toys.

 

Ahh, the quality of toys has changed as well. Diecast vs. pure plastic. But this just a matter of preferences to the average collector.

I think since the unposable bricks were so popular they didn't think kids cared whether or not they were posable. So they continued to sell us crap.

I'm not so sure about that. I don't think a 6 year old today cares any more/less about posability than a 6 year old from 20 years ago...

I cared at 6. I would watch Transformers, He-man, Go-Bots ect, and see all the cool stuff they could do. Then I'd get my Transformers and Go-Bot figures and.....weeee! All they can do is move their stiff arms up and down, up and down. Fun! Believe it or not, even at six years old it was highly disapointing to me when I discovered that Bumble didn't have knees, hips, elbows, hands, butt/cod piece combo, and to top it off his head was a face attached to a chrome, sqaure piece of plastic.

 

I admit it was fun to transform them back and forth. But if it weren't for the show's characters being so entertaining and the lack of any real competition from Go-bots I wouldn't have wanted most of the toys that were out. In fact I was collecting G1 reissues to get the characters and toys I never had as a kid until I saw pics of Binaltech Smokescreen and Sideswipe. My G1 collecting stopped dead. I couldn't believe they were finally making G1 style toys the way I always wanted.

 

Bottom line, If 20 years ago G1 Transformers were still the same toys they were but Go-Bots toys were based on the Alternator/Binaltech toys were getting now, I would have forgotten Transformers even existed.

You were a pretty advanced 6 year old then... :thumb

 

The point is we DIDN'T have Alts/BT toys 20 years ago...my original question was basically asking if we even could've had the toys of today 20 years ago, based on the production/design procedures of the era. Or, were we getting the best toys that period could produce?

I think since the unposable bricks were so popular they didn't think kids cared whether or not they were posable. So they continued to sell us crap.

I'm not so sure about that. I don't think a 6 year old today cares any more/less about posability than a 6 year old from 20 years ago...

I agree Sky! Also, I wouldn't call all the G1 bricks, crap either, some people do not care about articulation. I know when I was a child I certainly did not.