Has the movie line been good for TF design development?

[JediTricks]

This question has been sitting in my inbox for a month and a half, since I first thought it up and mailed it to myself. I was setting up all my Classics figures, and noticed that the design on the pre-2007 figures was notably lesser than the post-2007 figures. Sculpting wasn't that far off, a little softer perhaps, although less detailed in the finer areas for sure. But it's the mechanics of it, transformation and articulation and attention to alternate modes, that stuff was really different before the movie line. In some areas, the complexity and gimmicks have overwhelmed the works, but in most areas it's just advanced. Has working on the movie lines with their increasing levels of detail, their complex designs and transformations, their automorph gimmicks, etc., made the TF design teams better in general? Not just for classics either, but look at the elegance of Animated's designs. Sure, there are some dogs, but every line can say that. Although PCC definitely doesn't feel like that step forward.

[Onslaught Six]

Animated toys were all either too simple or too complex for their own good. Figures I got from that line were all either too simple for their size (Grimlock) or too complex (Blackarachnia, Ratchet). Shockwave and Lockdown were the only winners I picked up. (I also got a Wreck-Gar about a month ago and still haven't opened him.)

But the Generations mainline? Yeah, that's definitely gotten increasingly good in the engineering department. I picked up Kup and Scourge last night and was outright amazed at their ankle articulation, and a lot of the stuff going on with Kup was clever as hell. These are really nifty toys.

[Dominic]

Undeniably, the movie has been good for engineering and development in the hobby as a whole. Hasbro's design team is being forced to do different things. Even comparing figures from '09 and this year, there is a striking difference in appearance. Jazz and Tracks do not look quite right next to Red Alert, (my fondness for the latter carrying less objective weight with every change to the line).

PCC suffers for being dominated by a gimmick that Hasbro did not quite polish before releasing the toys. Still, I admit to consistently having a few PCC figures on hand at any given time, just for fiddling value.


Dom
-cannot say the movie have been a total loss.

[Shockwave]

And from another aspect of it too, it's brought money into the brand in general which can then go towards better RnD all around.