Toy company silliness that needs to stop in 2011.

I have to say, 2010 was a hell of a year for toy collectors. We got some of the best Star Wars (Rohlan Dyre), Transformers (Drift, Generations), GI Joe (90% of PoC), and some others.

However, I would like to see some shit just stop. Below, a list.

1. Please stop making redundant characters. Snake Eyes? You got the best one out there already. Nothing can be added to or taken away from this to make it more or less awesome. Now we have it. Please stop. Clone/Storm troopers? Make a damned troop pack or something. Bumblebee? Okay, at what goddamned point in the 80's did ANYONE decide this guy was cool? He isn't, and we don't need 3 damned stripes on him to make him a "special operations" version. Seriously, it's a damned Camaro and those 3 stripes are not going to change its purpose: A place to fingerbang Meagan Fox. Nothing else. I don't need multiple versions of the same guy. I didn't when I was a kid. Do it right once. If you gotta remake the character, then make a DRASTIC change to the way he looks, not just a different shirt or accessory.

2. Please stop with the shameless repaints. Looking at you, Transformers. Nothing can hide the fact that this color and that color do NOTHING to change the bot. It's sickening. I mean, I get it. But nothing would suck more than being one paint job away from looking like another Transformer. I honestly feel bad for these guys. Please stop this. Give them a different head or something.

3. Stop using the rubbery bullshit plastic. This stuff warps and stays warped when you have to do something like, I don't know, holster it. I think plastic technology has come to a point where we can make something in between that doesn't turn my blasters into a floppy dick.

4. Stop adding "too much". Looking at you, Halo: Reach. Articulation is great when, you know... the goddamned figures can stand up on their own and not crumple like Britney Spears having a "meltdown". Real damned heroic.

5. Scale your weapons. Please. No reason I should have rifles that look like kids' toys in the hands of a normal sized man. I get it, it's a carbine or whatever... but get some scale here. Also, there is absolutely no damned reason my pistol grips should have different sizes. And trigger wells and trigger fingers: Do it, or don't.

6. Troop builders in multiples. Please? This actually works. You can do it. I assure you, it would eliminate peg-warming, because all the "soldiers" are in another box, and the stores will not have to put 4 boxes' worth of Snake Eyes or Yoda on clearance.

7. Sell the figures for the movies. You know, by now, that the other shit does not sell. It just eats up space. We do not need little cars with Iron Man logos, we do not need wind-up toys, we do not need silly masks in June. Sell the damned toys you know are going to make money. It's obvious anything "Transformers" that isn't, you know, a goddamned Transformer... is not going to sell. You have known this for years.

8. Little waves. Enough, already. I should be able to choose from more than 4 figures every 3 months. This is bullshit and you know it.

9. If they figure cannot hold it, grip it, or use it- don't do it. Seriously, there is no sense in this. If the weapon or equipment doesn't work with the dude you included it with, stop. I can even see your half-assed attempts when you advertise it. It bothers me, honestly. It's like you said "to hell with it, let's just hope no one notices it" and threw it out there without testing it. Lame.

10. Game functions. WHo the hell cares? No one. Guess what? My Boba Fett just killed all your dudes.

Distrobution problems, solve that and everyone is happy.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

1. Please stop making redundant characters. Snake Eyes? You got the best one out there already. Nothing can be added to or taken away from this to make it more or less awesome. Now we have it. Please stop. Clone/Storm troopers? Make a damned troop pack or something. Bumblebee? Okay, at what goddamned point in the 80's did ANYONE decide this guy was cool? He isn't, and we don't need 3 damned stripes on him to make him a "special operations" version. Seriously, it's a damned Camaro and those 3 stripes are not going to change its purpose: A place to fingerbang Meagan Fox. Nothing else. I don't need multiple versions of the same guy. I didn't when I was a kid. Do it right once. If you gotta remake the character, then make a DRASTIC change to the way he looks, not just a different shirt or accessory.

Well I have to agree I'm tired of 6 or so Snake Eyes a year but Hasbro is hooked on this core characters idea so I don't think we'll not see some of Snake Eyes, Storm Shadow, Cobra Commander and Duke, however I'd like to see a better spacing of them...if wave one has Snake Eyes then please don't have the other three cores. Hold them back for future waves. So wave one SE and say 5 other characters, wave two Cobra Commander and 5 other characters, etc. And then when you move from lines like Rise of Cobra to Pursuit of Cobra you can give us another of these characters. I'd be okay with that...I still think its overkill of the characters, but at least its a better balence.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

2. Please stop with the shameless repaints. Looking at you, Transformers. Nothing can hide the fact that this color and that color do NOTHING to change the bot. It's sickening. I mean, I get it. But nothing would suck more than being one paint job away from looking like another Transformer. I honestly feel bad for these guys. Please stop this. Give them a different head or something.

You know I used to think this as well but something occurred to me...I loved the old G1 Seekers (loving the Classics versions as well) and essentially G1 had at least two uses for most of its molds in the Seeker case more and never once did that bother me....why? I think the basic reason is because at least they were new characters, that were ACTUALLY defined characters. Its hard not to like the Seekers or Prowl and Bluestreak and Smokescreen or Grapple and Inferno, etc because they are actually fleshed out as a character. Now though their pretty one dimensional. I mean look st both of the characters of the Missile Truck (both of which's names escape me for the moment), which is not a bad mold, but honestly we are never gonna see either character on film or in a TV show so its hard to care about either version. In fact as soon as Prime and Dark of the Moon lines roll out both characters will be forgotten...if their not already.

I will however say please stop slapping a few highlights on an existing mold and giving us Sea Attack Ravage, and Jello Strike Ravage, and Deep Space Ravage, and Wendy's Chicken Nugget Ravage...its just not needed...I mean would it really be that hard to design a lion like head for that mold paint it yellow and release Steeljaw or some other new character? Really?

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

3. Stop using the rubbery bullshit plastic. This stuff warps and stays warped when you have to do something like, I don't know, holster it. I think plastic technology has come to a point where we can make something in between that doesn't turn my blasters into a floppy dick.

The Star Wars weapons are like Jello your dead on fight with this...but if their not gonna correct that at least just tray display weapons next to figures so they don't warp permenantly that way.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

4. Stop adding "too much". Looking at you, Halo: Reach. Articulation is great when, you know... the goddamned figures can stand up on their own and not crumple like Britney Spears having a "meltdown". Real damned heroic.

One of the main reasons I don't by those.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

5. Scale your weapons. Please. No reason I should have rifles that look like kids' toys in the hands of a normal sized man. I get it, it's a carbine or whatever... but get some scale here. Also, there is absolutely no damned reason my pistol grips should have different sizes. And trigger wells and trigger fingers: Do it, or don't.

I think at least in Joe they do a fair job with weapons scaling...maybe not always, and certainly not those damn ROC missile launchers, but they do okay.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

6. Troop builders in multiples. Please? This actually works. You can do it. I assure you, it would eliminate peg-warming, because all the "soldiers" are in another box, and the stores will not have to put 4 boxes' worth of Snake Eyes or Yoda on clearance.

Mixed emotions on this....I agree with you, I think Troop Builder sets work great but I also know Hasbro keeps saying the numbers don't support that...so maybe its true...I mean lord knows I bought like 5 sets of the Vipers, 5 sets of the Crimson Guards, 5 sets of BATS, etc, etc, so I find it hard to believe they don't sell.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

7. Sell the figures for the movies. You know, by now, that the other shit does not sell. It just eats up space. We do not need little cars with Iron Man logos, we do not need wind-up toys, we do not need silly masks in June. Sell the damned toys you know are going to make money. It's obvious anything "Transformers" that isn't, you know, a goddamned Transformer... is not going to sell. You have known this for years.

Amen...I honestly am sick of foam swords, and small tanks with a big Snake Eyes head popping out, or a rolling Transformer that only has pop out weapons, etc...I can't believe how much space it takes up until its clearenced out and I can't stop thinking how much went into developing and producing that stuff that COULD have gone into the main line of items we would rather have. And yeah I know the idea is marketing to kids, but I'll say this...as kids once ourselves all we needed was a cool action figure and some vehicles and bases to go with them...its a proven sales method, why mess with it. In fact maybe if they had diverted some of that time and money into the ROC action figure line it would have been a better line and we wouldn't have had Coverdog haunting out toy aisles.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

8. Little waves. Enough, already. I should be able to choose from more than 4 figures every 3 months. This is bullshit and you know it.

I actually don't mind this so much...it kinda is easy on my wallet and spaces stuff out a bit.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

9. If they figure cannot hold it, grip it, or use it- don't do it. Seriously, there is no sense in this. If the weapon or equipment doesn't work with the dude you included it with, stop. I can even see your half-assed attempts when you advertise it. It bothers me, honestly. It's like you said "to hell with it, let's just hope no one notices it" and threw it out there without testing it. Lame.

Again amen. I mean Joe has been making spring loaded missile launchers for quite some time, and love'em or hate'em some are not half bad...the ROC ones...were insanely useless.

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

10. Game functions. WHo the hell cares? No one. Guess what? My Boba Fett just killed all your dudes.

I have to agree again, has no one learned that interaction be it a playable game or voice chip stands or some online things just no one cares about at all.

I hope toy companies eventually stop making toys for adults. I hope they only make little kid toys from now on. What would toys scalpers do then I wonder... get a life? What would toy collectors do then I wonder... grow up? (btw... I actually typed that while playing with my MU Bleeding Edge IM fig... he's so cool; I cannot stop messing with him, lol).

Originally Posted by Baron Samedi

1. Please stop making redundant characters. Snake Eyes? You got the best one out there already. Nothing can be added to or taken away from this to make it more or less awesome. Now we have it. Please stop. Clone/Storm troopers? Make a damned troop pack or something. Bumblebee? Okay, at what goddamned point in the 80's did ANYONE decide this guy was cool? He isn't, and we don't need 3 damned stripes on him to make him a "special operations" version. Seriously, it's a damned Camaro and those 3 stripes are not going to change its purpose: A place to fingerbang Meagan Fox. Nothing else. I don't need multiple versions of the same guy. I didn't when I was a kid. Do it right once. If you gotta remake the character, then make a DRASTIC change to the way he looks, not just a different shirt or accessory.

I don't think one can make the "penultimate" action figure of a given character. So far the the best Snake Eyes has been v47 and v48, the City Strike versions of Snake Eyes. This latest POC Snake Eyes is really just a Beachhead with a Snake Eyes mask and swords. It's an awesome figure, just not a very good Snake Eyes. I would like to see Hasbro keep updating the characters, but I agree we don't need a Duke or a Snake Eyes in every other wave. Of course if toy collectors weren't a bunch of unimaginative sour pusses they could perform head ad gear swaps and have completely new characters.

You need to pull your head from the sand. Hasbro does do troop packs. Some are better than others. Crimson Guard and Green Shirt packs weren't moving when TRU was selling them at clearance prices. Star Wars has seen a ton of troop packs. Mandalorian Warriors, AT-TE Assault Squad, ARC Troopers, Clone Attack on Coruscant, etc....

Bumblebee was pretty bad ass in TF2, one of the few highlights to the film. If the figure is selling then give fans more of what they want. Nobody is holding a gun to your head forcing you to buy every Transformer produced.

2. Please stop with the shameless repaints. Looking at you, Transformers. Nothing can hide the fact that this color and that color do NOTHING to change the bot. It's sickening. I mean, I get it. But nothing would suck more than being one paint job away from looking like another Transformer. I honestly feel bad for these guys. Please stop this. Give them a different head or something.

Nooooooo!!!!!!!!! Shameless repaints are the saving grace of Transformers. Have you seen how bad some of the paint schemes are?

Seriously?!?!
http://www.tfw2005.com/resources/att...1292759907.jpg

And he's not the only one. Bludgeon vs Banzaitron, Jetblade vs ROTF Dirge, etc.... Hasbro often makes some downright garish color choices. Repaints help ease that by giving fans an alternative. We can pretty much count on two paint schemes for every character. Instead of buying the first thing you see wait and choose to buy the colors you like best.

I like the repaints in Star Wars too. If it was up to me, everything would have a Mace Windu purple version. Purple AT-AT, Purple Turbo Tank, Purple Millennium Falcon, etc....

3. Stop using the rubbery bullshit plastic. This stuff warps and stays warped when you have to do something like, I don't know, holster it. I think plastic technology has come to a point where we can make something in between that doesn't turn my blasters into a floppy dick.

Yeah, the vinyl stuff sucks for weapons. Makes for pretty good vehicles though.

4. Stop adding "too much". Looking at you, Halo: Reach. Articulation is great when, you know... the goddamned figures can stand up on their own and not crumple like Britney Spears having a "meltdown". Real damned heroic.

Your Halo figures don't stand up? Sounds like operator error.





And that's standing on a towel, not even a hard surface.

5. Scale your weapons. Please. No reason I should have rifles that look like kids' toys in the hands of a normal sized man. I get it, it's a carbine or whatever... but get some scale here. Also, there is absolutely no damned reason my pistol grips should have different sizes. And trigger wells and trigger fingers: Do it, or don't.

Some weapons just aren't very big, especially with the move to urban combat scenarios.

6. Troop builders in multiples. Please? This actually works. You can do it. I assure you, it would eliminate peg-warming, because all the "soldiers" are in another box, and the stores will not have to put 4 boxes' worth of Snake Eyes or Yoda on clearance.

It's been done.
http://image54.webshots.com/54/6/25/...6IpPcUe_ph.jpg

7. Sell the figures for the movies. You know, by now, that the other shit does not sell. It just eats up space. We do not need little cars with Iron Man logos, we do not need wind-up toys, we do not need silly masks in June. Sell the damned toys you know are going to make money. It's obvious anything "Transformers" that isn't, you know, a goddamned Transformer... is not going to sell. You have known this for years.

Just because you don't want it doesn't mean it is not wanted by somebody else.

8. Little waves. Enough, already. I should be able to choose from more than 4 figures every 3 months. This is bullshit and you know it.

Why are you so entitled t dictate how large or how small a wave should be. I would prefer some product to no product. And I prefer quality over quantity. If Hasbro chooses to keep releasing 4-man waves with the current quality levels of POC, then I say bring it on. 4 figures or 8, as long as it's cool, I'm happy.

9. If they figure cannot hold it, grip it, or use it- don't do it. Seriously, there is no sense in this. If the weapon or equipment doesn't work with the dude you included it with, stop. I can even see your half-assed attempts when you advertise it. It bothers me, honestly. It's like you said "to hell with it, let's just hope no one notices it" and threw it out there without testing it. Lame.

I often wonder if the guys who sculpt the weapons even talk to those that sculpt the figures. Anyways it's hardly an issue. I have a gallon size ziploc bag full of guns from other Joes and Maruader Gun Runners. If one figure can't hold is gun, chances are I have 10 others that will fit his hands.

10. Game functions. WHo the hell cares? No one. Guess what? My Boba Fett just killed all your dudes.

Unless I have a sand worm on my team, then your Boba just became lunch. I don't think the battle/card games see much use but those dice that come with the Star Wars figures are pretty cool.

Originally Posted by zedhatch

Distrobution problems, solve that and everyone is happy.

I think "distribution problems" are local problems. I've been to 2 K-Marts, and 2 Walmarts in North Dakota, none of which carry GI JOE. So is that a Hasbro "distribution problem"? The K-mrts only had 2 or 3 Marvel Universe figures on the pegs, is that Hasbro's fault too?

It's not like Hasbro ships directly from their warehouse to each and every individual store, nor do they just ship new product willy-nilly. All product goes through the chain's distribution centers. If you're having trouble finding something, that's probably where it starts.

Plus, Hasbro has been kicking ass with the revision cases, making sure that hard to find figures are making it to the shelves. I found Skrulls and Alley Vipers in Casper, Wyoming. Product is making it's way to the shelves, it may take weeks to months after the initial release, but it is getting there.

11. Hasbro, stop selling shit to Ross

Originally Posted by OSOK

11. Hasbro, stop selling shit to Ross

No way. You know how much gold has been mined from Ross, TJ MAXX and similar stores? City Strike Snake Eyes for $4, Y-Wing for $20, TF Animated Voyager class bots for $7, clear Wraith for $4, comic Deadpool for $5. I say keep that good stuff coming.

More spring loaded weapons and action features please.

Originally Posted by OSOK

11. Hasbro, stop selling shit to Ross

Thou shalt not happen. I say thee nay!
California will fall into sea. It's what keeps us anchored.

Originally Posted by Bujo

No way. You know how much gold has been mined from Ross, TJ MAXX and similar stores? City Strike Snake Eyes for $4, Y-Wing for $20, TF Animated Voyager class bots for $7, clear Wraith for $4, comic Deadpool for $5. I say keep that good stuff coming.

^qft
I think in places like California. "We" are a little spoiled with getting stuff first. distribution issues aside and the fact that Mattel HQ is in So Cal . I can't agree with all the toy companies issues but I think cheap rubbery plastic is the worst offense. For some the prices on these toys quality control should be the number one priority.