HASBRO vs. TAKARA opinions?

[The 12th Prime]

I must say I'm loving Takara. I'm very happy with the figures I have from both Henkei and United. Sitting here looking at my Blurr I'm glad I got it and not the Generations one, it reminded me of Universe Smokescreen well maybe not that bad but I wouldn't have taken that Smokescreen for free. Anyway I appreciate the detail Takara puts into the figures like Jazz, unpainted tail lights on the Generations one? Sorry not for me. For all the gas or shipping and taxes I'd spend hunting down the harder to get Hasbro releases like Kup, Blurr and so on, I'm better off calling my hook up for a pick up and ordering the Takara's for the same money.

[questlyfe]

I don't know if my opinion is much on the topic since i've only been collecting for 9 months but even though Takara is the better of the 2 companies for G1 reissues, when it comes to Universe/Classics/Henkei/Generations/RTS/United for me i just can't bring myself to spend $20 more on the exact same figure but with better paint apps/chrome. I mean this is what it all boils down to right? How much different can the plastics be throughout all those lines? And when they are all on display out of box on a shelf can anyone really tell the difference aside from the paint? Not likely. My collection consists mostly of reissue G1's but if i had said they were all G1 originals could you tell from looking through a glass cabinet? The weapons are a dead giveaway but the figures themselves aren't much different.

Personally i think it's all about prestige. It feels different having a $50 fig on your shelf instead of a $10-15 one. Sort of an accomplishment that not everyone can get. It's funny how we think because in the 80's G1's went for $10-15 bucks and who guessed they'd be worth hundreds now and they were by Hasbro weren't they? I guess what i'm saying is even though these walmart/TRU figs are cheap, later down the line they might be worth a small fortune.

Let's not forget about customizers. Would they really want to spend $50 on a figure they're just gonna destroy and make into something even better when they can pay $15 for the same thing?

Anyways just an opinion from a noob

[Echotransformer]

Originally Posted by questlyfe

I don't know if my opinion is much on the topic since i've only been collecting for 9 months ....

i just can't bring myself to spend $20 more on the exact same figure but with better paint apps/chrome...


I mean this is what it all boils down to right? How much different can the plastics be throughout all those lines? And when they are all on display out of box on a shelf can anyone really tell the difference aside from the paint?

Personally i think it's all about prestige. It feels different having a $50 fig on your shelf instead of a $10-15 one. Sort of an accomplishment that not everyone can get...

Let's not forget about customizers. Would they really want to spend $50 on a figure they're just gonna destroy and make into something even better when they can pay $15 for the same thing?

I think it's great when newer collectors chime in...it's easy to forget how I felt when I was just starting into the hobby and re-allocating funds just to get one or two figures!

I think you're correct, for some collectors, the Chrome/paint is not enough value. And you have a great point about customizers...a bottle of testors paint or even some reprolabels are doing great things for these great molds like RTS Jazz and Tracks.

But as an owner of all the Henkeis and most of the United I can tell you from my standpoint I don't own these figures for prestige. No way. Hardly anyone gets to look at them but me, my wife, my kids, and the odd collector friend that visits.

Nope, I buy these because I like them..nay, because I LOVE them, they are MUST_HAVE for me, and I go to great lengths to get them!

In fact I really like to see other collections and how people choose their priorities...I've seen small collections that are just as impressive as large collections, I've seen 'low cost' collections that are just as interesting as 'premium' collections.

For me what makes collecting cool or interesting is how the person collects, why they collect and.or how they got back into the hobby, how they organize/display their stuff and why they make the decisions they make. We're like snowflakes man, no two are alike!

Not saying everyone is like this...just wanted to speak up from my standpoint...

--Echo

[justprime]

Originally Posted by questlyfe

I don't know if my opinion is much on the topic since i've only been collecting for 9 months but even though Takara is the better of the 2 companies for G1 reissues, when it comes to Universe/Classics/Henkei/Generations/RTS/United for me i just can't bring myself to spend $20 more on the exact same figure but with better paint apps/chrome. I mean this is what it all boils down to right? How much different can the plastics be throughout all those lines? And when they are all on display out of box on a shelf can anyone really tell the difference aside from the paint? Not likely. My collection consists mostly of reissue G1's but if i had said they were all G1 originals could you tell from looking through a glass cabinet? The weapons are a dead giveaway but the figures themselves aren't much different.

Personally i think it's all about prestige. It feels different having a $50 fig on your shelf instead of a $10-15 one. Sort of an accomplishment that not everyone can get. It's funny how we think because in the 80's G1's went for $10-15 bucks and who guessed they'd be worth hundreds now and they were by Hasbro weren't they? I guess what i'm saying is even though these walmart/TRU figs are cheap, later down the line they might be worth a small fortune.

Let's not forget about customizers. Would they really want to spend $50 on a figure they're just gonna destroy and make into something even better when they can pay $15 for the same thing?

Anyways just an opinion from a noob

I disagree about telling them apart a good collector will be able for instance to tell you a reissue inferno has a screw where the rivit now holds the ladder mount or that stepper has gold or silver body chrome depending on the reissue or original,... star convoy, magnus,twincast,.... even prime have a different shade of color for there plastic from the original release there is a difference and it can be spotted if one knows the piece. reissues are a good way to be affordable to everyone and provide a playable alternitive to originals that as you say are expensive not to mention keeping the interest alive,... by the by look on the bottom of G1 tfs they say Takara/Hasbro takara being the original producer(and bandi for a few such as jetfire) since they were taken from many Japanese lines at the time

[King Benny]

The more toon accurate paint apps of Henkei make those figures superior to the Universe Classics. For me, it's 100% worth the extra cost and has nothing to do with me feeling prestigious. Some of the Hasbro Classics have really odd colour/design choices. I really don't care about how much they'll be worth in a few years. Its just a hobby, not an investment.

Thankfully the newer lines are not like the Henkei vs. Classics at all. For United, I have only have Grapple, Tracks, and Jazz. Everything else is and will be Hasbro because those versions are pretty close to the cartoon - in some cases better than their United counterparts. My wallet is much happier!

Ben

[justprime]

Originally Posted by justprime

I disagree about telling them apart a good collector will be able for instance to tell you a reissue inferno has a screw where the rivit now holds the ladder mount or that stepper has gold or silver body chrome depending on the reissue or original,... star convoy, magnus,twincast,.... even prime have a different shade of color for there plastic from the original release there is a difference and it can be spotted if one knows the piece. reissues are a good way to be affordable to everyone and provide a playable alternitive to originals that as you say are expensive not to mention keeping the interest alive,... by the by look on the bottom of G1 tfs they say Takara/Hasbro takara being the original producer(and bandi for a few such as jetfire) since they were taken from many Japanese lines at the time

Sorry ment to say Original inferno has a screw where the reissue now has a rivit.

[Bruticus82]

Originally Posted by questlyfe

...when it comes to Universe/Classics/Henkei/Generations/RTS/United for me i just can't bring myself to spend $20 more on the exact same figure but with better paint apps/chrome.

This is how I feel. Yes, the United/Henkei look awesome, but I just can't justify the price for a piece of plastic that size, not when there are so many other things to put money towards.

[MaP_Prime]

I have to admit I don't understand the craze over the Takara stuff. I don't think all of it looks nice at all, some do sure, but to me many are not very good looking. An example, I think the Henkei Hound is ugly, yeah I know it is more G1 accurate in colours, but i think it's colours are horrid. I love the lighter green on the Universe Hound a lot more.

But to bottom line it, I am just not impressed enough by the paint apps, and I think chrome is horrid. Now I am not going to bash on anyone for going after Henkei, United, what ever, I think there are plenty of fine looking figures in those lines. But to me they're just not good enough to pay that extra amount for.

[Gaetznes]

Don't mean to side track this thread, but I was thinking of an alternative for Hasbro vs Takara. Cartoons. Personally, I enjoy the Hasbro approach to the development of Cartoons. I would have loved to have seen Mainframes sequal to Beast Machines. I couldn't get into any of the other series after BM till Animated.

Just a thought

[Cheers Ian]

Sometimes Takara's is better. Sometimes Hasbro's is better. Sometimes the difference is minor.

I usually wait till someone posts some comparison pictures online and I make my decision from there.

At this point, cost isn't a factor for me. I am willing to pay the price for the most accurate representation of the character available. However, if cost was an issue I would be more than happy with Hasbro's offerings on 90% percent of the figures released.