Let's discuss the merits of G1 molds (From MP thread)

Post by **Time Traveller** » Sun Jul 07, 2013 10:56 pm

I've always kind of wanted to do this...
Let's hash out our true feelings on the quality of G1 toys compared to their contemporary peers. Die Cast? Realism? Posability? Diaclone? Non-Takara? Have at 'em, boys and girls.

Frankly, some of my all time favorites are non-Takara. I'm a big sucker for Jetfire (Bandai), and Shockwave (Toy Box). I think Bandai put out some superior quality toys at the time. Machine Robo, Godaikin, and Macross all had some real winners far and beyond the scope of what Takara was doing at the time. However, I think some of their nicer pieces were above the price point that Transformers was targetting early on.

However, despite their partsiness, I think G1 had some of the best looking combiners of the time.

Roadbuster · Post by **Roadbuster** » Mon Jul 08, 2013 7:40 pm

Not sure what to say. G1 toys have been around for 30+ years and have stood the test of time. I own a lot of them, more than any other Transformers line and love them for what they are. Times change though, and collectors who were once kids now have become adults. Better tooling exists now, paint application has gotten better and the overall engineering process is remarkable now compared to what it once was, which allows for greater posability/display options.

LD2062 · Post by **LD2062** » Mon Jul 08, 2013 8:10 pm

Honestly from a review stand point I'm not a fan of the g1 toys. My affection for them is wholly do to childhood memories. Some diecast stuff is nice. BUt they were so limited for poses and lots of them had either a good alt mode or a good robot mode but not both. Some of them where just bad by any measure.

I'm Way more impressed with the current redesigns of the classic figures (generations/classic/universe).

I've not had the hands on experience with the master piece and 3rd party stuff to judge myself but they seem like they might be the best options.

Post by **Time Traveller** » Mon Jul 08, 2013 10:00 pm

Magnus pointed out in the MP thread about how G1 Soundwave and Blaster are relatively clean, with no gaping holes, and had a little more posability overall. I guess I have to agree, but as LD touches on, their alt modes wound up as rather uninspiring bricks.
Going back to pre-movie molds, the Seekers are probably some of the worst. Their jet modes are too gap-y to do the F-15 justice, and the robot modes are bricklike and disproportionate. That, and they're total partsformers, and not in an endearing way like Omega.
G1 Jetfire is a pretty impressive piece for the time, and would stand up to modern coolness standards easily. Despite not having ball joints, his posability would rival many of his modern competitors, and looks great in all modes.

Despite the leaps and bounds in casting technology, I have to admit I'm still impressed by the engineering of many other G1s. For example, a lot of the Diaclone-era cars were rather complex constructions, and despite the lack of articulation, had a lot of pieces and fairly complex transformations for their size. The "Scramble City" gestalts broke a lot of engineering barriers, and typically the worst complaint is only the small block-like heads.

Despite the advances, HasTak is still capable of pumping out crappy figures that make Blitzwing's tank mode look like the real deal!

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Tue Jul 09, 2013 9:27 pm

Yeah, baby! Let's talk about the old stuff...

I'm all fan of the G1 stuff, and some of you who know me better, of the pre-movie figures. I also want to say - I don't loathe the reissues. Personally I have several and I'm considering seriously to change some of my more worn oldies to reissues, as they will come in perfect shape, and I don't have room to keep every variation ever made.

I have great respect for the old TFs. Despite their limitations in technology, they come up with a decent figure, as most of the design tokens are played on the "alt mode".

A feature I like is the weight. Newer toys are much lighter. Also, painted parts, are just beautiful. Compare a face of the old Hound or Mirage vs. the Classics Starscream. I can go on and on...

Post by **Minerva** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 10:42 am

Jose wrote: A feature I like is the weight. Newer toys are much lighter. Also, painted parts, are just beautiful. Compare a face of the old Hound or Mirage vs. the Classics Starscream. I can go on and on...

I couldn't agree more!
I have a soft spot for the G1 figures. Many of them have very nice detailing and are of good, sturdy, long-lasting quality, as opposed to many newer figures that feel so light that chances are a summer breeze would carry them away.
Don't get me wrong, I do like the newer figures as well, but in my opinion many of them have become very light, brittle and flimsy. There's just no weight to them anymore, and sometimes the plastic is so thin that the cheap dollarstore KO Transformers rival them in quality.
I wish that we could get a combination of old and new; the nice, sturdy 80's quality, combined with today's highly detailed and modern looks!

Jose · Post by **Jose** » Sun Jul 21, 2013 6:58 pm

Minerva wrote:(...)
I wish that we could get a combination of old and new; the nice, sturdy 80's quality, combined with today's highly detailed and modern looks!

Yes! Some technology wouldn't hurt... Like extra pose-ability.

I also dig on the old G1 cars that they are all real vehicles. Instead, today we have some new Transformers which turn into generics. I am aware that licensing may be a trouble sometimes, but I don't think it's something a giant toy manufacturer can't handle.

Dinobot · Post by **Dinobot** » Sat Aug 10, 2013 10:53 am

I figured I should chime in. Im a true G1 fan, I have nearly every figure released in america. All of it is strong, well built, and looks great. Poseability sucks on almost all of it, but when I was a kid I didnt care about posing them. The new stuff looks alot better, but cant take the abuse like the old days. I was hanging my 80's millenium falcon from the ceiling one day. As soon as I let go to see how it looked, it fell from the ceiling, hit my entertainment center, and flipped 4 times before smashing into the ground. Sure all the removable parts came off, but nothing broke. I recently bought the new series figure of Samus from metroid. She fell two feet and broke in half. And she cost triple what that millenium falcon cost me lol. So as I love all of it, you just cant beat an original.

SentinelPrime · Post by **SentinelPrime** » Sun Oct 20, 2013 5:21 pm

My G1 collection is by far my most favorite of all the lines. I love the diecast metal and much simpler transformations. The live action toys are pretty complicated to transform. Any do not like the cheap plastic.

I also loved the Alternator line. However their transformations were also complicated. The titanium line was pretty good too. Any of course I liked the MP line.

Steeljaw · Post by **Steeljaw** » Sat Nov 16, 2013 10:31 pm

skywarp408 · Post by **skywarp408** » Sun Nov 17, 2013 9:40 pm

What the G1's lack in possibility, they make up for in quality. The plastic/metal is far better than what they use now. I know it's a cost issue for Hasbro/Takara except for the expensive MP Lines.

The G1's are much simpler to transform as well. I do not want to spend a half hour of my life Transforming MP Megatron, when I can do the Original in 2 minutes. I honestly wonder if kids now with their ever shortening attention spans want to do it as well.

Poseability? Yeah, I used to complain a little when I was playing with my G1's about the Seeker jets legs not moving. Those drove me nuts along with Rodimus Prime legs.

The MP lines uses the best of both worlds. The only drawback is the cost.