On Gimmicks and Transformers: What works?

[Haywire]

So there have been a few varied discussions on the board that got me thinking about gimmicks on Transformers. There have been some great ones over the years, and there have been some...less than great ones.

To start with, the idea of a toy that transforms, sorry, CONVERTS from one form to another is already a pretty solid gimmick. This is, pretty much literally, the basis for the toyline. Additionally, most Transformers from the very start had weapons that fired missiles or similar projectiles. So, 2 gimmicks right out the gate. The point being that gimmicks are not inherently a problem, per se.

And there have been some pretty epic ones over the years: the cassette dudes, combiners, the various Masters (this may come as a surprise, but my favorite variation is the Targetmasters... in a world where things transform, why shouldn't the weapons?), Minicons, Energon combiners (the concept was sound, if not always the execution), and more.

But then, there are the ones that leave me scratching my head, wondering just what they were thinking: the Earthspark Tacticons (finger puppets? really?), the RotB Flex Changers (what do they do that the One Step changers or Beast Changers didn't do better?), the Cyberverse Action Attack series (Legion/Core-ish scale figures that can't actually transform because they had to make room for weird action features? This one irks me the most, as Cyberverse Shadow Striker and Windblade have some cool robot sculpts, but don't really have vehicle modes. Ramjet is the only one I found that works without completely sacrificing the vehicle mode.)

So, what gimmicks in Transformers work for you? Which ones don't? And why?

 

[lastmaximal]

I like seeing the odd little sublines for big product pushes like the movies. The Flex Changers I don't have to buy, but the new thing they're trying is intriguing (still not quite sure how those work). The smash changers (?) seem interesting too. Just the usual "let's reach younger audiences", with novel transformations. None interest me but I get them.

I don't understand or like the Tacticons either. Or the Cyberverse "action feature only, no real altmode" replacements. Seems very wasteful.

My favorite gimmicks are the less obtrusive ones. I'll pass on lights and sounds (one thing I'm glad has been priced out of the lines). Give me stuff with light-piping, modular weaponry that stows, cool little hidden bits like spark crystals, glow-in-the-dark paint detailing maybe, etc.

Over time I've also lost interest in firing missiles and gained a fondness for just lots of accessories. Mix them up, give me some Energon weapons. And blast effects! I'm surprised at how into those I've gotten.

Combining and armoring up is cool! I'm not wild about the Armorizers, who seem to be the weakest-done, but the Weaponizers started things off very well and the Fossilizers were intriguing applications of this to beast modes.

I'll lump in play patterns here since they can have gimmicks and be the selling point.

Micro play is something I've been very vocal about. The 2012ish Cyberverse push was great and it's weird and unfortunate that it petered out before we really got going with Titans. Now we've got an Ark and a Nemesis and everything else but a pittance for a cast to play in them, and even the latter's fading away.

Mixing micro play with regular scales is fun too. As weird as it's been to have a truck with a car stapled to its side, I loved Mini-Cons and want to see more of that. Targetmasters, Titan Masters, alla that. Just not wild about potentially losing a Headmaster/Titan Master, so if that's the gimmick there should be a secondary storage solution for it (or I guess I can just store them separately in an accessory box).

Pretenders, I'm still waiting to be done well, but I'm kind of resigned to the toy-in-shell format not being very cost-effective these days. And honestly while it'd be nice to see it executed, I don't know if I need a lot of that. Might be more interested in Gen Thunderwing style "the shell transforms".

 

[Exatron]

Clearly, Optimal Optimus's Red Ryder gimmick is the best in frachise history.

Aside from that, combiners have always been my favorite gimmick. A close second would be smaller partner Transformers. The cassettes are probably my favorite iteration on this, followed by Minicons and Targetmasters. Headmasters and Powermasters are a big step down, since the larger figure is compromised if the partner is absent.

That reasoning also extends to a lot of other gimmicks that didn't work for me. Basically, if a figure is badly compromised for the sake of a gimmick, that gimmick had better be fantastic to be worth it.

 

[lastmaximal]

I forgot to mention Cyber Keys and the like. On the one hand, I'd rather not have clunky weapons and main figure-compromising spring-loaded features (Override). On the other hand, when it's well-integrated (Hot Shot) or split off into the accessories (Ransack, Thunderblast) I can deal. The latter does tend toward clunky weapons but at least I can set those aside.

I like the idea of tangible power ups (and making them out of clear plastic with a unique symbol code is a big plus), and enjoy seeing them played with in the lore. And if a toy HAS to have a spring-loaded fun gimmick this is a neat way to do it. Or was, as again, this has been mostly costed out.

Oh, and I do miss sparking gimmicks. I always meant to get some of the dino sparkers they had for AOE but never did, so I may never get to test in person whether they captured the vibe of that old gimmick.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

My personal favorites are decent articulation and universally-sized weapon pegs.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

All I really need is a decent transformation. Not some over-engineered mess like ROTF Leader Prime that makes me want to throw it off a bridge, just something fun to fiddle with. Good articulation is also a big plus.

I also love a good combiner. Whether a fusilateral-quintrocombiner or a power-up form (albeit more like, say, Armada Prime's magic mushrooms, not the "rip it apart and slap chunks all over another guy" like the Fossilizers et al).

I don't care for electronic gimmicks, as I tend to try them out once or twice and then take out the batteries anyway to avoid acid leakages. I don't care about projectiles, they're just more parts to lose. The various gimmick lines for small kids don't do anything for me because I'm a crusty old fart.

 

[Sciflyer]

Yeah, in all honesty, I am a sucker for a well-designed, intuitive transformation. I don't care if it has to "cheat" to get there (i.e. removal of some parts, fake vehicle chest, etc.), as long as it is enjoyable to transform. I prioritize that first and foremost, and I am good with most any gimmick that doesn't interfere. That said, I have enjoyed most of the "master" gimmicks: Titan, target-, head-, power-. Basically - and as mentioned in another thread - just little bots interacting meaningfully with bigger ones.

 

[Destron D-69]

I'm kind of ready to have Variety of gimmicks be the gimmick again for a while... having line wide gimmicks is fun for a while, and having no gimmicks for most of generations (except when absolutely necessary like head masters) has been a great way to blast through the back catalog of characters... but I'm ready for 'special teams' styled gimmicks again. give me triggercons, give me Omnibots. If there's a gimmick out there, give me 2 or 3 bots on either side who can do it and I'll buy the cool ones and then cave and buy the others so I have the full set... oh and missiles bring those back.

also do the energon Autobot gimmick again, but make it also Landcross this time

 

[LordGigaIce]

"Gimmick" is such a broad term that it's almost meaningless as far as Transformers go. Transforming is a gimmick, if we're talking toys in general.

As someone who went as completionist as mom, dad, and allowance would allow for Armada I... kinda don't like gimmicks that hinder stuff like articulation. I always wanted Armada Megs and Starscream to be able to pose. And while losing Megs' knife hand has been a loss, aside from that? I'm fine with Legacy trading gimmicks for possibility and more accuracy in the sculpt.

That being said I don't hate gimmicks. I've said how much I loved TR (in part because it felt like a modern day Armada). Combiner Wars was fun. And PotP... participated. Targetmasters, Head/Titanmaster, the cassette bots, all of that stuff is great.

So I'm not anti-gimmick. I just don't want one that will compromise the base figure. Which I know is super subjective... but that's the best way I can phrase it on a Sunday morning before breakfast

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Automorph was the best gimmick of all the movie lines. Somebody's going to rebut "But what about this toy that just has pop-out knees" but if the biggest complaint about a line-wide gimmick is that some toys didn't use it enough, it was a pretty good gimmick.

It captures the movie aesthetic in a way Studio Series doesn't, despite Studio Series having incredibly more accurate proportions and surface level detailing. The key there is "surface level". Automorph forced the designs to have genuine parts layering, where subsequent movie lines prefer to have the shards just sculpted on and not painted, which just makes the toys look like piles of lumps and bumps.

 

[Princess Viola]

i hate all gimmicks

give me completely unpainted and unarticulated lumps of plastic, none of this gimmick shit like 'transformations' or 'articulation' or 'paint' or 'sculpted detail'

 

[Donocropolis]

You can definitely "over gimmick" a figure, but I do like when they add a few interesting touches.

Auto-morphing was usually pretty fun when done well. It doesn't even have to be complicated, the occasional "head pops out automatically when you fold down the chest" or "purely cosmetic gears are visibly turning inside when you move the arm" add a lot to a figure without compromising the articulation or playability.

In that vein, I also liked some of the Mech Tech weapons, especially when they seemed to transform between two different functions. One of my favorites was from Bumblebee. The two different modes seemed to suggest that it went from small, rapid fire shots to a large, powerful shot:

I wouldn't at all mind if they weren't spring-loaded, auto-transforming things, either. I would welcome some upcoming toys with transforming weaponry. I do like Targetmasters, but a gun that just turns from a gun into a different gun (or a sword, or a hammer, or whatever) can be fun, too!

Totally agree with LastMaximal about getting a whole line of micro-sized versions of normal characters designed to interact with a base or playset.

And as Destron D-69 said, mix up the gimmicks! Don't give me a whole line of nothing but Sparkbots for a year, give me a line that has 6 Headmasters, 3 Triple Changers, 4 Symmetrical Docking Combiners, 2 Sparkbots, etc. Make it feel like the gimmicks are actually unique and special abilities that not ever Cybertronian has!

 

[Badgertron]

I really love light piping, it's unobtrusive and brings the figures to life, but not every figure does it equally as well.