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The Fiddle Factor
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New and Improved Zobovor
Sep 12, 2017, 12:15:54 AM9/12/17
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There is a very high probability that I will continue to buy any toys Hasbro produces, from now until eternity, that are updates of G1 characters. (I'd buy Generations versions of G2 characters, for the record, but we tend to get those so seldom.) There's a difference between owning a toy and not being able to put it down, though. Some toys, due to their design, or size, or transformation, or some intangible, undefinable je ne sais quoi, just have an inherently higher fiddle factor.
I've had a couple of boxes full of Titans Return toys sitting on the computer desk for a while. I know the toy line is winding down (which makes me a little sad, because I've really, really enjoyed it) and the boxes are destined to be put in an easily-accessible closet, but before that time comes I sometimes poke through the box and dig out a toy to mess with while I'm watching 13 Reasons Why or something (I will never look at Quake the same way again... or cassette tapes, or packages of razor blades for that matter).
There are some toys in the box that I just won't touch. I tend to leave the bigger ones alone. Deluxe-scale toys really are the perfect size in so many ways, as far as I'm concerned.
Full-Tilt really has an enormous amount of appeal. He's new to me, so perhaps the novelty just hasn't worn off yet, but he watches episodes of The Real Ghostbusters on Netflix with me just about every night, and I have not grown tired of his company. (I have, however, gotten tired of Dave Coulier's attempt at a Bill Murray impression.)
Oddly, I keep coming back to Titans Return Hot Rod. I've pulled him back out of the box many times. He's an incredibly successful update and his design is just the right combination of simple and interesting and elegant. There are zero things that are frustrating, or that I dislike, about the toy. I'm not even really that big of a fan of Hot Rod as a character, but his toy is dynamite.
Nautica enjoyed a really long period of time out of the box, but that's because mine was missing its head connector piece, so her head couldn't attach to her body. I spent a long time deliberating on what the hell to do with her. I still have tentative plans to try to build a proper connector, but the trick would be to actually install it without breaking the toy.
Galvatron also recently enjoyed a renaissance period after I fixed his face and marveled for many days over how much it improved the toy. I decided it was silly to let this kind of flaw ruin my enjoyment of the toy, so I cut the helmet off, shaved down some plastic, and glued it onto the Titan Master. It will not fit into the cockpit of the jet mode, but the jet mode is silly and I never use it anyway. It does seriously elevate Galvatron to one of my all-time favorite Titans Return toys now, though. I need to post pictures or something. (Unlike many of the bigger toys with their mylar stickers that I am afraid to touch, Galvatron has none of these.)
Which toys do you feel have an inordinately high fiddle factor? Which ones do you keep coming back to?
Zob (might have to keep Full-Tilt out when Trypticon goes into his box)
I've had a couple of boxes full of Titans Return toys sitting on the computer desk for a while. I know the toy line is winding down (which makes me a little sad, because I've really, really enjoyed it) and the boxes are destined to be put in an easily-accessible closet, but before that time comes I sometimes poke through the box and dig out a toy to mess with while I'm watching 13 Reasons Why or something (I will never look at Quake the same way again... or cassette tapes, or packages of razor blades for that matter).
There are some toys in the box that I just won't touch. I tend to leave the bigger ones alone. Deluxe-scale toys really are the perfect size in so many ways, as far as I'm concerned.
Full-Tilt really has an enormous amount of appeal. He's new to me, so perhaps the novelty just hasn't worn off yet, but he watches episodes of The Real Ghostbusters on Netflix with me just about every night, and I have not grown tired of his company. (I have, however, gotten tired of Dave Coulier's attempt at a Bill Murray impression.)
Oddly, I keep coming back to Titans Return Hot Rod. I've pulled him back out of the box many times. He's an incredibly successful update and his design is just the right combination of simple and interesting and elegant. There are zero things that are frustrating, or that I dislike, about the toy. I'm not even really that big of a fan of Hot Rod as a character, but his toy is dynamite.
Nautica enjoyed a really long period of time out of the box, but that's because mine was missing its head connector piece, so her head couldn't attach to her body. I spent a long time deliberating on what the hell to do with her. I still have tentative plans to try to build a proper connector, but the trick would be to actually install it without breaking the toy.
Galvatron also recently enjoyed a renaissance period after I fixed his face and marveled for many days over how much it improved the toy. I decided it was silly to let this kind of flaw ruin my enjoyment of the toy, so I cut the helmet off, shaved down some plastic, and glued it onto the Titan Master. It will not fit into the cockpit of the jet mode, but the jet mode is silly and I never use it anyway. It does seriously elevate Galvatron to one of my all-time favorite Titans Return toys now, though. I need to post pictures or something. (Unlike many of the bigger toys with their mylar stickers that I am afraid to touch, Galvatron has none of these.)
Which toys do you feel have an inordinately high fiddle factor? Which ones do you keep coming back to?
Zob (might have to keep Full-Tilt out when Trypticon goes into his box)
Gustavo Wombat
Sep 12, 2017, 12:35:51 AM9/12/17
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New and Improved Zobovor <zobo...@gmail.com> wrote:
> There is a very high probability that I will continue to buy any toys
> Hasbro produces, from now until eternity, that are updates of G1
> characters. (I'd buy Generations versions of G2 characters, for the
> record, but we tend to get those so seldom.) There's a difference
> between owning a toy and not being able to put it down, though. Some
> toys, due to their design, or size, or transformation, or some
> intangible, undefinable je ne sais quoi, just have an inherently higher fiddle factor.
> There is a very high probability that I will continue to buy any toys
> Hasbro produces, from now until eternity, that are updates of G1
> characters. (I'd buy Generations versions of G2 characters, for the
> record, but we tend to get those so seldom.) There's a difference
> between owning a toy and not being able to put it down, though. Some
> toys, due to their design, or size, or transformation, or some
> intangible, undefinable je ne sais quoi, just have an inherently higher fiddle factor.
> Full-Tilt really has an enormous amount of appeal. He's new to me, so
> perhaps the novelty just hasn't worn off yet, but he watches episodes of
> The Real Ghostbusters on Netflix with me just about every night, and I
> have not grown tired of his company. (I have, however, gotten tired of
> Dave Coulier's attempt at a Bill Murray impression.)
From this line? There are lots...
> perhaps the novelty just hasn't worn off yet, but he watches episodes of
> The Real Ghostbusters on Netflix with me just about every night, and I
> have not grown tired of his company. (I have, however, gotten tired of
> Dave Coulier's attempt at a Bill Murray impression.)
Full Tilt really is surprisingly awesome.
Hot Rod fits the bill as well.
Triggerhappy
Hardhead
Misfire
Chromedome
Shuffler
Nautica -- why her, and not her mold mates? No idea.
Something keeps drawing me back to Broadside, but I have no idea what. And
Sky Shadow, but he's actually a good toy.
Previous lines...
Megatronia -- this combiner appeals to me so much more than the others.
Computron -- mixed the two versions, mostly Takara, but Hasbro Strafe
Actually, Combiner Wars has high fiddle factor overall because of the play
pattern. I don't love the Voyagers though, so it's a matter of which one
bothers me least.
Generations Armada Starscream
Energon Ultra Magnus
Movie Scout Armorhide
Masterpiece Grapple
Armada Supercon Optimus Prime
Cybertron Downshift
BM Deluxe Jetstorm
BW Jetstorm
BW2 Dirgegun
Armada Rhinox
G1 Perceptor
--
I wish I was a mole in the ground.
New and Improved Zobovor
Sep 13, 2017, 7:32:40 PM9/13/17
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On Monday, September 11, 2017 at 10:35:51 PM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> Armada Supercon Optimus Prime
This was an enormously satisfying toy. Just a bite-sized, solid Prime toy with no major flaws. Maybe even the best Armada toy ever.
Zob (when I think about selling off my Armada collection, he's the only one I get sad about maybe not having)
> Armada Supercon Optimus Prime
This was an enormously satisfying toy. Just a bite-sized, solid Prime toy with no major flaws. Maybe even the best Armada toy ever.
Zob (when I think about selling off my Armada collection, he's the only one I get sad about maybe not having)
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