That sounds entirely plausible and Hasbro-like, really.Clay wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 2:44 am I can't even begin to remember where I read it, but the reason Hasbro didn't release most of the BWNeo new molds was that most of the animals weren't, erm, action-y enough? 1996 beast wars was a cheetah, a rhino, a t rex, etc., whereas the 1999 selection was a giraffe, a penguin, a tanuki, etc. It's not the strongest point of argument if you ask me, but it was the rationale (if I remember right) for bringing over the dinosaur figures and not the rest.
I was having a conversation with someone else the other day and wondering why Hasbro transitioned to Fuzors and Transmetals so quickly when the original line seemed to be selling quite well. I'd put it down to simple greed and thinking they could make MORE money with different gimmicks. But after what you said, I'm wondering if they simply didn't think there were enough "cool" animals left to make toys of. That's really too bad, though, because I think a giraffe, a penguin and a tanuki could have been turned into MUCH cooler toys if it had been Kenner doing it and not whichever janitor Takara assigned the job to.
(If Hasbro chose not to import most of the Neo molds because most of them were simply sub-par toys, I don't think I'd be able to muster much of an argument against that.)
The Neo stuff is definitely an acquired taste. One that I, for the most part, don't seem to have acquired. Airraptor is the first one that I can actually bring myself to call good. I like Stampy and Universe Nemesis Prime well enough but they're definitely pretty flawed.Skyquake87 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:32 pmWell, stuff like Longrack, Break and Stampy are very silly. But then that's part of the charm. Or not.
I'd like to track down Rapticon but he seems to be surprisingly rare compared to the other BM Dinos (who, like you say, he doesn't fit with at all...)Skyquake87 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:32 pmless so when Rapticon (or whatever the TMII Dinobot repaint is called - I own that. Bad collector, not knowing the name...)
I definitely think I'll put my Terranotron with my other Transmetals rather than assembling a Dinobot display.
Honestly? I wracked my brains trying to think of a worse Transformer in my collection than Triceradon and I came up blank. I can think of a whole heap that are less-interesting, but he's just such a mess, engineering-wise.I mostly bought mine (the Universe version) to laugh at what a mess he is.Skyquake87 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:32 pmTriceradon is always welcome around my house. He's got the nicest paint job out of all the versions of this mould. Something unique for Hasbro, there.
I know, right? The sheer amount of bright colour and detail is a big part of what attracts me to Beast-era stuff. Compare something like Airraptor or Universe Reptilion or Geckobot to a modern Generations toy toy and the difference is almost laughable.Skyquake87 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:32 pmLots of paint on a Transformer. Unthinkable in this day and age.
My Stampy and Sling were is a two-pack too, but I think the two-packs got Korea releases. In fact I'm pretty sure mine were. Either way, like you say, they're fairly attainable as far as imports go. I get the impression they were over-produced and maybe over-imported by e-tailers who thought they'd be more popular than they were.Skyquake87 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:32 pm Hmm. Just thinking, my Hardhead is in a vs pack with Sharp Edge (also fantastic) which I bought as the vs packs seem to be a more cost effective way of getting the BWN figures, aside from the Korean releases.
Sharp Edge is another I'd love to track down one day. I adore Cybershark and I can only imagine the mold is even cooler as a swordfish.
Barbearian? Survive? Can never remember which one was the convention exclusive...Skyquake87 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:32 pmKiller Punch was my last 'grail', so I'm pleased to have got him - again in a vs pack with that Polar Claw repaint whose name escapes me. Brown Bob. That's his new name.