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Post by mpchi on Aug 30, 2007 22:29:21 GMT -5
Oh, and for the record, I own all 6 versions of movie Bumblebee. Good for you! ... I am afraid that it is too Robosapien for me LOL Glad you found your Movie Prime, mazfan. Let us know what you think about it after some play time, see if you like or dislike it.
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Post by lurkerx on Aug 31, 2007 12:37:53 GMT -5
This is going to be the end of my Transformer purchases--unless they are releases as SOC's. Why not try some titanium TFs they're cheap enough with an abundance of die-cast. Of course aethetics-wise...well they're are transformers and you have to like that sort of design to appreciate these. I personally got the whole set. I think they're a steal
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Post by mazfan on Aug 31, 2007 15:18:42 GMT -5
Yeah, I am quite impresses and puzzled about all of the recent diecat releases (Star Wars and Transformer toys) Why are they so cheap in comparrison the SOC's? Okay, obviously the mass production aspect. But does it really cost more to use metal vs plastic? Any answers?
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Post by goldenage on Aug 31, 2007 18:56:02 GMT -5
Well, im not sure either but I imagine using diecast requires more thought-out engineering. Otherwise the toys are floppy or unbalanced.
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gerb
Rusty Robot
Posts: 51
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Post by gerb on Sept 1, 2007 1:32:02 GMT -5
which they sometimes are... no offense to TF 6" Titanium fans, but i find most of them to be floppy and flawed. the WW OP left a bad taste in my mouth and yet i followed through with this up till rodimus, and i still wasn't impressed... i really wish the classics line was made into titaniums.
metal in transformer toys doesn't always translate into better toys.
mazfan, if you can still find them, check out the classics line. at least the Optimus, to go with the OPs you already have... i'm sure you'll see with the movie LC Prime and the classics Prime, that toys costing less than 50 bucks, can be fun and quality toys.
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Post by mazfan on Sept 1, 2007 9:48:54 GMT -5
is the classic OP metal? I'd so, I may want a triad.
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Post by lurkerx on Sept 1, 2007 17:07:56 GMT -5
is the classic OP metal? I'd so, I may want a triad. Its one piece of solid......plastic ;D To me, the only figure actually worth getting from the classic line is Jetfire. Its probably the best jetfire rendition that's not molded after the takatoku Valkryie. Although, most of the titanium are flawed, it still really is a good line to follow from a pricing point as well as aesthetic-wise, to me.
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Post by mazfan on Sept 2, 2007 1:32:04 GMT -5
you mean that the latest 20th Anniversary OP is the closes to die-cast Transformers has ever been? Is so, I feelreslly glad to have one of these. Hard to believe but that is pretty cool (on my part).
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Post by GDomino on Sept 2, 2007 3:14:15 GMT -5
Nope, the original toys from the 1980's were diecast. So were the [now cancelled] Binaltech line from Takara. The premise behind the Binaltechs were that you had diecast model cars that could transform. If you do a search on ebay, you can see that they are going for a pretty penny right now.
But, yep, the 20th anniversary Optimus or the Takara MP Convoy, is the most recent diecast rendition of Optimus Prime, not including the re-releases of the G1 toy.... The docking station for the IPOD might count as a re-design, but it is essentially is a repaint of the G1 toy with the trailer replaced with the docking station and speakers.
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Post by lurkerx on Sept 2, 2007 8:17:51 GMT -5
Mind you, the 1980's G1 TF's never really had "that" much die-cast, I think people "romanticize" the G1's too much...that they forget these weren't all that great. Take the G1 Optimus for example the metal was limited to its feet & chest plate that's it. I remember I also had Sunstreaker whose only die-cast part were its feet as well.
The Binaltech, titanium & MP lines are far superior to the G1s in every aspect you could imagine save for nostalgia.
Titaniums have far more metal than the G1's ever had. Even comparing a G1 optimus to the titanium Optimus in my opinion the Titanium would win in most every category. It has more die-cast, its more poseable, more anime accurate than its G1 grandfather.
Heck, any plastic transformer line is far better designed and more anime accurate than the G1's ever were.
So going on this basis, the MP OP , titanium & Binaltech are the closest a transformer has ever gotten to being rendered in die-cast, in terms of amount of die-cast used.
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Post by supergetterv on Sept 2, 2007 16:26:47 GMT -5
Yeah, the original G1 toys didn't really have a lot of die cast in them. But as a kids we thought they had a lot of die cast. Probably because of the misconception that they were heavier. Everything is heavier to us as a kid. But just because they are heavier doesn't mean that it's all diecast. I went to a old toy shop a couple of months ago and found a loose Grimlock G1 figure. A friend of mine kept on saying that its a KO or fake because of the light weight and lack of metal. I remember handling a Grimlock as a kid and I don't remember it having much die cast at all. So the misconception and the ways we remember things over time can play tricks on us.
But as far as Die cast Transformers goes, I really like the Binaltech. I caught onto them late too, just started getting them around a month ago, and the line was out around 4 to 5 years ago. So far I only have 3, Red Meister, Overdrive and Yellow Tracks. Tracks and Overdrive are easy to find, small demand I guess. But they are a lot heavier and nicers than the Alternators Counterpart. They're still affordable and most people like to display the Masterpiece Prime with Binaltech because they complement each other well. Only Problem now is that the Binaltech are getting way too expensive.
And as for the G1 figures, I'll always stick with the characters that I remember, like and want. Just because they are reissue Rachet and Ironhide under the Encore line doesn't mean I have to get it. Even if it is only 25$. Those two are ugly G1 figures, IMO.
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Post by mazfan on Sept 3, 2007 15:31:22 GMT -5
I am quite proud of myself... I was able to transform my new OP movie version from robot to truck mode. It took me quite some time though. I had a lot of fun. It made my ride from Maine to Boston more enjoyable (I was not driving)--it was like a Rubik's Cube experience.
This is the end of my mini-week long Transformers phase. I back to just collecting SOC's.
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Post by mazfan on Sept 4, 2007 22:29:53 GMT -5
Yeah, I am definitely over my brief Transformers phase. In my opinion, they just don't compare to SOC's. Sure, they are significantly more affordable (I paid more for my Battle Fever for both). Their designs are also amazing and they look cool overall. But despite all of this, I am still not convinced to collect more. First reason, they don't seem to be as special--there are tons of Transformers collectors in comparrison to SOC collectors. Secondly, the hunt for Transormers is way to easy. They are everywhere: Walmart, Target, Toys R' Us, etc. Thirdly, they are all plastic! Even my 20th Anniversary OP look all plastic (despite its die-cast content).
I am really glad that I got both OP's. They are fun to play with because they actually feel like toys--not too precious feeling, you know... Plus, as I mentioned, I can let anyone handle them. I can keep my SOC's off limits to guests and let them play with my Transformers.
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Post by laserprime on Sept 4, 2007 23:06:53 GMT -5
I know what you mean - it's good to keep a few appetizers for the guests. Titaniums are designed by Hasbro and it shows. They're nowhere as well engineered as anything from Takara, such as the Classics, G1, MP, etc. A high amount of diecast content alone does not make a good toy - it needs to be fun. Classics Skywarp is an example of an all plastic toy that is both fun to transform, and makes a good display piece. Classics Starscream on the other hand looks cheaper because of its silver plastic, even though it's the same mold. I have looked into SOC for something more "precious" to grace my shelves. Most TFs don't cut it anymore for me, except the MPs. Of course, the fun factor has to be there when I'm putting down $200 for a toy.
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Post by mpchi on Sept 5, 2007 20:55:18 GMT -5
Yeah, SOC is definitely higher end compare to the best of TF. Just like mentioned, TFs are more toy-ish and can be handled and played without much worries of scratch or stress (with a couple exceptions). MP Prime & MP Megatron ranks pretty high in my book though, and I rank them as some of the higher end pieces in my collection. Diecast they may not excel, but they do have more complexity over most SOC. But TF toys at this caliber is very very few. Maybe just these 2 MPs really. But I guess both SOCs and TFs aren't meant to go head to head. But in terms of overall quality and finish, no doubt SOC wins. TF for me is more of a cheaper side thing, but can be quite fun. Like the recent movie toys.
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Post by zman on Sept 5, 2007 22:40:01 GMT -5
is the classic OP metal? I'd so, I may want a triad. I recently grabbed the Classics Prime. I have ignored this fig since its release. Well, it turns out it's very good. It actually looked like it has diecast in truck mode. I recommend this one if you can spot it on the retail shelves. Here's a pic I took:
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Post by GDomino on Sept 6, 2007 7:47:40 GMT -5
Yep, I liked Classic OP too. It surprised me that his robot mode looked so good, and I like that his wind vein (the back part on zman's pic) turns into a gun also. It was certainly a surprise to me that a tiny Optimus has a fun transformation, is actualy posable, and looks good in both modes. Sure it's not SOC quality, but it was well worth the 20 bucks you spend on it. If it was diecast, I'm sure it would've been toy bliss...
And I did enjoy many of the other classics like Jetfire, Rodimus (though he really was the classics Hotrod) and Bumblebee also.
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Post by lurkerx on Sept 6, 2007 10:27:03 GMT -5
Titaniums are designed by Hasbro and it shows. They're nowhere as well engineered as anything from Takara, such as the Classics, G1, MP, etc. A high amount of diecast content alone does not make a good toy - it needs to be fun. Let's not foget as well that they didn't have CAD back in the 80's when the G1's were made so this perception of it being "well-engineered" is yet again another myth. It's likely about the same or even slightly inferior to the Titaniums. Of course, the titanium's engineering tends to be a bit overly simplistic compared to any other modern transformer lines such as the classics. However, compared to the G1's its on par or better. And most all of them look good in both modes far prettier than most G1's could ever dream to be. I think these toys suffer from the "local" toy syndrome were most collectors snob them because its Hasbro as opposed to takara. ok... I'm going to stop the titanium propaganda now. ;D
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Post by mazfan on Sept 6, 2007 22:42:54 GMT -5
Thanks for sharing the Classic Prime OP (very nicd). But I think that I'll just stick to my 2 OP's and focus on my SOC's.
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Post by megatroptimus on Sept 8, 2007 0:22:24 GMT -5
The Titanium series makes a bad use of metal. Too much metal with rubbery parts = crap. Less die-cast with plastic would have been better. As it is, only a few are decent enough.
Also, G1 never had much die-cast. Its use was very limited. Feet, chest, nothing major compared to Titanium figures.
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