It's been going on for a while now and seems to be where it's going to keep going, so I'm curious where you stand in regards to the toy decos? Do you love the simplified cartoon colors or the more traditional toy based reiterations of G1 characters?
Which way, western bots?
- Thread starter Kalidor
- Start date
For the most part, I've always been of the mindset of wanting toys that look like what I see on TV, since what I see on TV has usually been what gets me to want the toys in the first place, as it has been through watching TV that led me to discovering the toys to begin with.
The fiction gets me into the characters, which makes me want toys of those characters, which makes me want the toys to look like those characters.
In cases of toys that have no fictional appearances, they can go nuts on looking however they wanna look. but I am all for visual synergy between toys and media.
The fiction gets me into the characters, which makes me want toys of those characters, which makes me want the toys to look like those characters.
In cases of toys that have no fictional appearances, they can go nuts on looking however they wanna look. but I am all for visual synergy between toys and media.
Toy!
but the poll's still broken
but the poll's still broken
Toy decos!
I don't know what's up with the poll. Everything looks like it was set up correctly.
I don't know what's up with the poll. Everything looks like it was set up correctly.
It varies case by case for me. If I had to set a general baseline, probably cartoon decos. Like Sabrblade, I appreciate visual synergy.
However, there are a lot of cases where I strongly prefer the toys. Thundercracker's wonderful deep blue and the Dinobots having a consistent color scheme are two prominent examples that have come to mind recently. I've always preferred Hot Rod's toy burgundy over magenta. Ultra Magnus's red cartoon bumper irritates me to no end.
There are likewise plenty of instances to the reverse, where I strongly prefer the show. Tidal Wave is a great example. I love his appearance with the show color scheme, but never liked the toy green. Abominus was one of the combiners I had as a kid, but his cartoon head looks much nicer than the toy colors. And Beast Wars in general greatly improved on the decos from the first year of toys.
However, there are a lot of cases where I strongly prefer the toys. Thundercracker's wonderful deep blue and the Dinobots having a consistent color scheme are two prominent examples that have come to mind recently. I've always preferred Hot Rod's toy burgundy over magenta. Ultra Magnus's red cartoon bumper irritates me to no end.
There are likewise plenty of instances to the reverse, where I strongly prefer the show. Tidal Wave is a great example. I love his appearance with the show color scheme, but never liked the toy green. Abominus was one of the combiners I had as a kid, but his cartoon head looks much nicer than the toy colors. And Beast Wars in general greatly improved on the decos from the first year of toys.
That's what I was thinking too but leave it up to me to be too dumb to use my own site
I voted stickers to test the poll but it's just an extension of the toy look anyway. I can't help but sometimes think the cartoon decos are just there for skimping on paint apps and cost cutting. The same reason they looked like that in the cartoons in the first place.
TOON robs us of so many accessories. I don't care about some tiny doodad the characters held in one scene in one episode. Give Jazz and Prowl their shoulder cannons back.
D: All the Above.
my ideal version of any character can be Toy or Cartoon, so that varies. Sometimes I get both if I really like the character. And then Sometimes I feel like neither of those deco works, or it falls short. In those cases, stickers can make a mid or bad deco amazing.
my ideal version of any character can be Toy or Cartoon, so that varies. Sometimes I get both if I really like the character. And then Sometimes I feel like neither of those deco works, or it falls short. In those cases, stickers can make a mid or bad deco amazing.
Marvel comics decos! (sob)
It kinda varies on a case-by-case basis though. I think in a vacuum, generally the toy decos are more vibrant and interesting, but sometimes I do want something that looks like the cartoon. Or I even just prefer the cartoon look, as Shadewing says.
Kingdom Cyclonus is a good example... the Selects (toy) deco is so beautiful, and if it had released simultaneously with the original deco at the same price, I would've been really on the fence as to which one to pick. I probably would've gone cartoon, though only because he's one of my favorite toon characters and I can't say that for the majority of bots.
Primus yes, I miss those shoulder cannons so much. Wheeljack sometimes gets one but I also prefer the dual monsters his toy has.
It kinda varies on a case-by-case basis though. I think in a vacuum, generally the toy decos are more vibrant and interesting, but sometimes I do want something that looks like the cartoon. Or I even just prefer the cartoon look, as Shadewing says.
Kingdom Cyclonus is a good example... the Selects (toy) deco is so beautiful, and if it had released simultaneously with the original deco at the same price, I would've been really on the fence as to which one to pick. I probably would've gone cartoon, though only because he's one of my favorite toon characters and I can't say that for the majority of bots.
Primus yes, I miss those shoulder cannons so much. Wheeljack sometimes gets one but I also prefer the dual monsters his toy has.
Last edited:
It is not good enough to give us one little pea shooter that can be handheld or shoulder mounted. Autobots need a rifle and shoulder cannons. And not those dinky cannons TOON Bluestreak has.
This is a proper Autobot. The TOON is wrong.
This is a proper Autobot. The TOON is wrong.
I'll always pick and choose from either field; I am grateful to have options. It used to be a bit more varied when Takara tended toward show and Hasbro tended toward toy, but since the unification there's tended to be fewer options.
I missed out on basically the entirety of the G1 toy scene, save for a few very deep sentimental attachments to ones like Hardhead and Brainstorm (my uncle had them), Action Master Devastator and Scorpulator, and some Micromasters like Erector and the Construction Patrol. But part of that was poring over the gorgeous G1 catalogs (and eventually the Generations mook) and practically memorizing what the toys looked like. So there are many times when toy decos are an option and I'll end up picking them. Things like POTP Abominus over the Selects Abominus (the toy's white helmet and yellow visor are particularly striking in my memory). I was happy to make Selects Cyclonus my primary Cyclonus for the same reason; I still have the Kingdom one but I'll drop that yellowed version if and when a blue-violet-y one gets made. Especially if that somehow has a better face sculpt.
I occasionally get Toyhax stuff so I can make official releases more visually interesting or toy-based (bringing back old-toy sticker detail), and sometimes to help distinguish between versions (Wreck and Rule Collection Springer is now more G1-toy vs. SS86 Springer; I do wish the mold had bigger sticker-friendly surfaces).
But I do also enjoy a nice cartoon deco once in a while, mostly from the animated Movie (for likely similar reasons to many). I still want a more grid-based deco on Reformatting Galvatron, but the current one looks nice. I went and got SS86 Galvatron after much waffling because it captured that color scheme better. I was very glad to finally get a richly magenta G1 Hot Rod. I'm more than content with Earthrise OP (and got an SS86 OP), but if a Dramatic Capture OP showed up for a decent price I may be tempted.
Cartoon decos do tend to be simpler and more plain-looking as toys. Depending on the color scheme, that can be a good thing or a bad thing. (I'm typically not interested in cel-shading decos, so I've mostly passed on the ones that have popped up in official releases and Toyhax stickers alike.) And I'll agree with CoffeeHorse -- outside the pure "they remembered the thing" nerd joy of seeing deep-cut accessories like That One Whisk Gears Used To Make Eggs or Some Kind Of Bucket From Season 1, I'm not really pining for any episode- or moment-specific accessory. (This does not include items like Kremzeek or Paradise Parakeet.) The G1 toys had so many great accessories that gave them such a striking silhouette (the kids say "aura" these days too I think) and I do miss those.
Either way, there's so much appeal in either the visually-rich, sometimes-busy and certainly time-capsule-y sticker detail, as well as the occasional flatter, more vibrant cel-inspired colors.
I will say that irrespective of whichever deco the toy ends up having, I'd like for them to pivot more toward opaque plastic in these limited-budget days when they often have to pull double duty as structural parts.The nice look (which can be debatable) is just feeling less and less worth the breakage anxiety.
I missed out on basically the entirety of the G1 toy scene, save for a few very deep sentimental attachments to ones like Hardhead and Brainstorm (my uncle had them), Action Master Devastator and Scorpulator, and some Micromasters like Erector and the Construction Patrol. But part of that was poring over the gorgeous G1 catalogs (and eventually the Generations mook) and practically memorizing what the toys looked like. So there are many times when toy decos are an option and I'll end up picking them. Things like POTP Abominus over the Selects Abominus (the toy's white helmet and yellow visor are particularly striking in my memory). I was happy to make Selects Cyclonus my primary Cyclonus for the same reason; I still have the Kingdom one but I'll drop that yellowed version if and when a blue-violet-y one gets made. Especially if that somehow has a better face sculpt.
I occasionally get Toyhax stuff so I can make official releases more visually interesting or toy-based (bringing back old-toy sticker detail), and sometimes to help distinguish between versions (Wreck and Rule Collection Springer is now more G1-toy vs. SS86 Springer; I do wish the mold had bigger sticker-friendly surfaces).
But I do also enjoy a nice cartoon deco once in a while, mostly from the animated Movie (for likely similar reasons to many). I still want a more grid-based deco on Reformatting Galvatron, but the current one looks nice. I went and got SS86 Galvatron after much waffling because it captured that color scheme better. I was very glad to finally get a richly magenta G1 Hot Rod. I'm more than content with Earthrise OP (and got an SS86 OP), but if a Dramatic Capture OP showed up for a decent price I may be tempted.
Cartoon decos do tend to be simpler and more plain-looking as toys. Depending on the color scheme, that can be a good thing or a bad thing. (I'm typically not interested in cel-shading decos, so I've mostly passed on the ones that have popped up in official releases and Toyhax stickers alike.) And I'll agree with CoffeeHorse -- outside the pure "they remembered the thing" nerd joy of seeing deep-cut accessories like That One Whisk Gears Used To Make Eggs or Some Kind Of Bucket From Season 1, I'm not really pining for any episode- or moment-specific accessory. (This does not include items like Kremzeek or Paradise Parakeet.) The G1 toys had so many great accessories that gave them such a striking silhouette (the kids say "aura" these days too I think) and I do miss those.
Either way, there's so much appeal in either the visually-rich, sometimes-busy and certainly time-capsule-y sticker detail, as well as the occasional flatter, more vibrant cel-inspired colors.
I will say that irrespective of whichever deco the toy ends up having, I'd like for them to pivot more toward opaque plastic in these limited-budget days when they often have to pull double duty as structural parts.The nice look (which can be debatable) is just feeling less and less worth the breakage anxiety.
Last edited:
I just prefer that we not have to deal with stickers unless absolutely necessary.
This. I don't mind if those same details are tampographed, molded, and/or painted on, but I can't do the sticker thing myself anymore. My hands just aren't that steady now, if they ever were to begin with. Not past a couple, anyway (wish me luck when/if I get around to doing SS'86 Steeljaw!).
I really don't like flat, G1 cartoon-style minimal details. Think of that a combination of 1. I didn't see the G1 cartoon much as in my formative years, it barely being broadcast on UK television, so I have no real connection to it 2. It's just visually boring. Earlier I saw over on another TF website, the official Takara stock images of SS86 Megatron. One image had Earthrise Starscream in it, holding one os SS86 Megatron's accessories – all that image did was show how much better ER Starscream looks than SS86 Megatron, with the former's surface detailing... Much more 'industrial' and generally meaner-looking.