Official Transformers ROTF merchandise thread.

[Colossal Spoons]

I'd hate these toys if I were a little kid

[Hotwire]

Originally Posted by Mr. Earle

I am amazed by the complexity of the toys. The way they transform is amazing. That said, they arent so good for kids are they?

Originally Posted by Colossal Spoons

I'd hate these toys if I were a little kid

A freind of mine's son prefers to play with the robot replicas and the fast action battlers. He's really good at transforming them, just gets frustrated that they can take so long.

[Mr. Earle]

Originally Posted by Colossal Spoons

I'd hate these toys if I were a little kid

I remember my G1 Prime toy. Not only did he have a massive trailer (something that i really miss on this one) but it could be transformed very easily into robot mode. But this Prime is way cooler and more 2009. I suppose its for bigger kids...

[The Lizard]

Originally Posted by Colossal Spoons

I'd hate these toys if I were a little kid

The TF toy series has always been kind of a mixed bag for kids.

Back in the '80s, some of the G1 Autobot cars were too fragile for younger kids and weren't poseable enough in robot mode to really play with.

As much as TF fans like to mock GoBots, the GoBot toy line was really better for younger kids than TFs because Gobots were more simplified and tougher.

Hasbro really got smart when they started to list the difficulty level of transformation on the TF toys' boxes and started making simplified versions of the most popular characters.

[Mr. Earle]

Yes, the poseability was horrible in the G1 toys. Its amazing how they are able to accomplish both poseability and the intricate bayverse transformations with the current ones.

So the voyager is the main toy line and the others are the simplified kid lines?

[Dave McFly]

Originally Posted by Mr. Earle

I am amazed by the complexity of the toys. The way they transform is amazing. That said, they arent so good for kids are they?
Also, can someone explain the toy classes because i am at a total loss? I suppose Leader class is the top in quality and size? But if that is how it is, then why is Leader Megatron so crappy?

the way it goes in class is this:

Leader class: VERY BIG, prime, meg, jetfire
Voyager class: smaller, comes in boxes, starscream, ironhide etc.
Deluxe class: even smaller, comes on cards that hang on pegs, sideswipe, bumblebee, 'the twins' etc
Scout class: even smaller yet also on cards, not sure of the names, but the sport bike, the forklift, the biplane etc.

[Mr. Earle]

Originally Posted by Dave McFly

the way it goes in class is this:

Leader class: VERY BIG, prime, meg, jetfire
Voyager class: smaller, comes in boxes, starscream, ironhide etc.
Deluxe class: even smaller, comes on cards that hang on pegs, sideswipe, bumblebee, 'the twins' etc
Scout class: even smaller yet also on cards, not sure of the names, but the sport bike, the forklift, the biplane etc.

Thanks a lot

[The Lizard]

Originally Posted by Mr. Earle

So the voyager is the main toy line and the others are the simplified kid lines?

The really simplified TF toys for kids are the "robot replicas" (non-transforming) and the "quick conversion" toys.

[brimstone_halo]

Earlier on a different thread I was talking about how much the toys changed. I got a g1 reissue of Soundwave from robotkingdom.com (awesome site by the way) and my fiance (who has never transformed a tfrmr) transformed him out of the box with no instructions or help from me in about a minute. On the other hand, I bought a deluxe Rampage from the ROTF line. Now i'm not trying to brag or anything but I have been transforming these things for about 25 years and I'd like to think I'm pretty good at it, I mean I have some alternators and an MP Optimus and I can change them all pretty quick and easy, 5 minutes max, thats if I'm watching TV or something. Well it took me about 30 minutes to transform rampage back into vehicle mode for the first time. This is a deluxe class figure I spent 9 bucks on at tRu.

Back in the day it was, flip up a head, fold out the arms, pull out the legs and you're done

[sandmjuggalos]

Originally Posted by Mal'Akai

A freind of mine's son prefers to play with the robot replicas and the fast action battlers. He's really good at transforming them, just gets frustrated that they can take so long.

My 4yr old can trasform DD Brawl in just a few minutes, as well as Animated OP.

[Dave McFly]

Originally Posted by brimstone_halo

Back in the day it was, flip up a head, fold out the arms, pull out the legs and you're done

Ah memories

Dave "child of the 80s, and PROUD of it" McFly

[The Lizard]

Originally Posted by brimstone_halo

Earlier on a different thread I was talking about how much the toys changed. I got a g1 reissue of Soundwave from robotkingdom.com (awesome site by the way) and my fiance (who has never transformed a tfrmr) transformed him out of the box with no instructions or help from me in about a minute. On the other hand, I bought a deluxe Rampage from the ROTF line. Now i'm not trying to brag or anything but I have been transforming these things for about 25 years and I'd like to think I'm pretty good at it, I mean I have some alternators and an MP Optimus and I can change them all pretty quick and easy, 5 minutes max, thats if I'm watching TV or something. Well it took me about 30 minutes to transform rampage back into vehicle mode for the first time. This is a deluxe class figure I spent 9 bucks on at tRu.

Back in the day it was, flip up a head, fold out the arms, pull out the legs and you're done

Well, Soundwave was a pretty easy transformation, even among the other TF toys back then. The G1 Jetfire, Roadbuster and Astrotrain were much more complicated than Soundwave, for example.
But overall, the transformations are indeed more complicated these days than the old Takara Diaclone/Microchange toys of the '80s. I'd still say that some of the those Alternators from 2005 are the most complicated medium-sized TF toys, though.

But to find any transforming robots that are as complex as Leader Class ROTF Optimus Prime, you'd probably have to look at some of the imported collectors' market robot toys from Japan, like the Robotech Masterpiece series or Bandai's "Soul of Chogokin" deluxe robot toys.

[brimstone_halo]

Yeah the alternators can be pretty tough the first couple times but they look the best IMO. I have had the red viper Sideswipe alternator for a while now but his arms still seem to give me problems when changing him back to alt mode tho. I haven't got to transform the new leader prime because I have MP prime and can't justify getting the new leader no matter how bad I want him. But I did pick up voyager Ironhide and he is a complete pain to transform. Probably the the most difficult of all the figs I have

[The Lizard]

I got it in my head that I wanted to customize and re-shell one of the Alternators (Windcharger the Honda S2000) last year. I'm a pretty decent toy customizer, but wow did I bite off more than I could chew. I finally had to abandon the project when I just couldn't change the chassis enough to line up the axles the right way. Fortunately I used a Windcharger toy that I got loose on eBay for cheap so I didn't feel too bad cutting it apart for nothing.

I'm still trying to find a 1/24 scale TF car that I could maybe use for that reshelling project, but it has to be a convertible and that really narrows down my options.

[DarknessOfDeath]

I like playing with the autobots and decepticons while they are in car mode.

Vroom vroom! Bumblebee chased by Barricade down a quiet road. Vroom vroom.

Optimus Prime enters the fray and crashes into Barricade. Starscream flies overhead and fires on Optimus. Breakaway meets Starscream head on and fires openly on the decepticon.

[The Original Bamfer]

You are special.

[DarknessOfDeath]

Special? heh. Why do you say that?

[lars573]

Originally Posted by Mr. Earle

I am amazed by the complexity of the toys. The way they transform is amazing. That said, they arent so good for kids are they?
Also, can someone explain the toy classes because i am at a total loss? I suppose Leader class is the top in quality and size? But if that is how it is, then why is Leader Megatron so crappy?

You have to ignore the titles of the classes. Here's a rundown from smallest to largest. I'm going to use Canadain price points, because I know them.

Legends (you might also see it titled Legends of Cybertron), small carded figures. $6.99-$7.99 price point, small simple chibby-ish figures all around 6 cm tall.

Scout (formerly basic), medium carded figures $9.99-$12.99 price point. Equivalent in size to 3.75 inch/1:18th scale action figures. Tied for second behind deluxe as most numerous class in a line.

Deluxe, larger carded figures. $15.99-$18.99 price point. Equivalent in size to ML or DCUC figures. In any TF line this is the most numerous class. Due to it selling the best. One of the two where complexity and detail are higher. Due to lack of electronics and size.

Voyager (formerly Mega), smaller boxed figures. $28.99-$30.99 price point. The other class where complexity and detail are higher. For the same reasons as deluxe. The other tie winnner for second most numerous figures in a line.

Ultra (not used much anymore), medium/large boxed figure. $39.99 price point. This is the class where electronic lights and sounds are always included, in a bang for buck deal. At this scale due to things like gravity and the electronics complexity goes down on average, with the robustness going up. It's also fallen out of favor for not being as much of an increase over voyager as leaders are.

Leader (formerly super), larger boxed figure. $59.99 price point. Again due to gravity and electronics the complexity can go down in these figures. Also due to the expense of producing them it's the class with the fewest figures. And it's reserved for the most prominent characters in the tie in fiction. Or ones that need to be larger relative to the others.

Supreme/Ultimate, largest boxed figure. $69.99-$99.99 price point. Usually 1 in a line. Also has electronics. Tends to be very robust and not all that complex.

Line specific classes:
Activators, unique to Transformers animated. Scout in most regards. Has a spring loaded transformation gimmick. Fairly simple for younger kids

Fast action battlers, unique to the movie line. Deluxe in terms of size. Quite simple and mean't for younger kids.

Also the movie devastator combiner is a one off class.

Now no size class is a guarentee of any sort of design level. In fact the Takara engineers who build the figures from Hasbro's concept sketches work on any and all size of figure. In fact one guy has done every single Starscream figure since Armada.

[The Lizard]

Originally Posted by Mr. Earle

why is Leader Megatron so crappy?

Leader class ROTF Megatron really should have been a triple-changer IMO (that's assuming that his triple-transforming process is mechanically possible and not just "fudged" in the movie by using CGI).

[DarknessOfDeath]

I'm glad Megatron didn't transform into that tiny gun in the films like he did in the G1 animated series. I prefer movie version cause Megatron is so menacing and badass.

[The Guardian]

This was the last Transformer I was expecting to find, you guys will never guess who I found while looking for another leader Jetfire to add to my collection, The Dr's in the house lol!!!

[BLACK-SPIDEY]

lol scalpel, hes pertyy rare over here, cant find that guy anywhere, well heres hoping to get Long haul and Rachet soon.

[BLACK-SPIDEY]

lol scalpel, hes pretty rare over here, cant find that guy anywhere, well heres hoping to get Long haul and Rachet soon.

[DW4]

The Robot Replicas will have the most detail in robot mode though, I'm thinking of picking up Ironhide.

[Hotwire]

Originally Posted by The Guardian

This was the last Transformer I was expecting to find, you guys will never guess who I found while looking for another leader Jetfire to add to my collection, The Dr's in the house lol!!!

Found him today, too, but don't want him.