I was responding to Zob's review of the new G1 reissue Soundwave, and then took enough tangents that this felt more appropriate as its own post.

I began by saying ...

Huh! Super interesting to hear it explained that way, Zob. Funny that the newer reissues of the vintage toys actually are that much heavier, at times. I wasn't fully aware of how micro-bubbles in plastic could contribute to flexibility and resilience in such a way, but it does make sense.

And then, I digressed ...

(I do feel like, often, discussions around "New TFs bad! 40-year old TFs good!" are essentially a retread of the late-90s-era TRUKK NOT MUNKY comments and debates that once raged here. The vintage TF collecting community - it really is a community in its own right, mostly on FB, and realized at places like toy shows, where the primary interest for folks at all is the toys themselves, as opposed to any kind of attendant fiction. Plastic - like ideas, and perspectives on what we keep, what we purge, and what we value as fans - can change over time, but still be no 'less than'.

Speaking of plastic and toy shows: the weekend before last, I attended a pretty massive toy and comic expo - https://www.canadiancomics.net/ - and there were quite a few vintage (G1/G2) TF sellers and buyers in attendance.

One of the hot topics of note among the group was G1 plastic failing, and how, specifically, the 1987 small Decepticon Targetmasters (Quake, Needlenose, and Spinster) were among the worst offenders. And, indeed - I picked up a Quake AND a Needlenose (to join my Spinster at home), and all three had (and have) issues: Quake has plastic damage on his shins (where the transformation is sometimes forced), Needlenose's upper thighs, below his hips, at the seam, are stressed, and Spinster's helicopter tail (where it joints behind his head) isn't looking great. Just an interesting set of anecdotal observations. There are entire TF vintage collecting communities contemplating existential questions of plastic entropy right now.

While I'm writing about plastic, another reflection to share: currently, one of my G1 toy "holy grails" I am working to complete is G1 Deszaras / Deathsaurus, who I have long admired as a character. The toy itself is beautiful, too, in classic Decepticon Emperor fashion. The only trouble is, his accessories - both his TigerBreast and EagleBreast partner, and their small weapons - are both incredibly easy to loose, and - as a result - very expensive on the secondary market. (If online listings are any indication, the toy itself is also vanishingly rare in any condition these days).

I'm a pretty careful purist, but I did find a 3D print render pattern for one of the last remaining pieces I need to complete Deszaras online: the two tiny black guns that complete the small red EagleBreast partner:

https://cults3d.com/en/3d-model/game/transformers-g1-deathsaurus-deszaras-eaglebreast-guns

When I did so, I brought the pattern to a local maker-space to have them produced, along with the actual EagleBreast partner piece to ensure a good fit. When the tech tested the EagleBreast partner to match the plastic, they remarked on the uncommonly high quality and consistent matching and measurement of the original toy's plastic, from what they could see.

So - score one for vintage Japanese G1 plastic (ironically, from a year or so after the G1 Targetmasters had been produced, actually), I guess?

Apologies for this stream-of-consciousness ramble!

Hope everyone is doing well,

JB

PS) VG - I am so excited that you are writing Soundwave! So cool, and looking forward.
PPS) Codigo - I always appreciate your positivity, too!

Fascinating, you'll have to keep us posted on your progress! I believe VG demonstrated you can attach images here.

I feel like the pinnacle of TF plastic was the Unicron Trilogy era - the strength and density of G1 with the flexibility of modern plastics. Very hefty and pleasing chunks of toy.

JosephBardsley wrote:

> One of the hot topics of note among the group was G1 plastic failing, and how, specifically, the 1987 small Decepticon Targetmasters (Quake, Needlenose, and Spinster) were among the worst offenders. And, indeed - I picked up a Quake AND a Needlenose (to join my Spinster at home), and all three had (and have) issues: Quake has plastic damage on his shins (where the transformation is sometimes forced), Needlenose's upper thighs, below his hips, at the seam, are stressed, and Spinster's helicopter tail (where it joints behind his head) isn't looking great. Just an interesting set of anecdotal observations. There are entire TF vintage collecting communities contemplating existential questions of plastic entropy right now.

Needlenose does seem to have a lot of problems with plastic tensile strength, since almost all the copies I ever saw on eBay had a broken hinge where his tail fin was attached.

I experienced far more broken Transformers from 1985-85 growing up, but my specific childhood experience was that while lots of kids were into Transformers during the early days, fewer were interested during the later years. By way of anecdotal evidence, I knew dozens of kids who owned Dinobots and Constructicons, but I only knew a couple of other kids who owned Darkwing and Dreadwind, and by the time 1990 rolled around, I didn't know anybody else who was buying Micromasters or Action Masters. So, it increasingly became the case that my only familiarity with the toys were the ones that I personally owned. And the care with which I handled G1 toy, growing up, was on a sliding scale. The older I got, the better I was about not damaging them.

But, these plastic toys were simply not intended to be preserved and curated some 40 years after they were manufactured. Hasbro fully expected kids to play with them and then throw them away after a year or two. The chemical composition of the plastics seems to settle and even deteriorate over time. Plastics become more brittle and more likely to snap. Some plastics that were once malleable and flexible become rigid and immobile. Various Pretenders develop "moldy banana" spots on their armor (Waverider and Pretender Bumblebee and Wildfly all seem to be problematic in that regard). And of course there are afflictions like Gold Plastic Syndrome, which was never a problem when toys were new (I remember being able to transform Pretender Roadblock or Skyhammer, or G2 Slingshot or Electro, with zero problems after first getting them).

Nowadays, I have to treat my G1 toys like museum pieces. Minimal handling, kept behind glass and out of sunlight, and transforming them maybe once in the course of doing a review and then sparingly, if ever again. The risk of them breaking is just too great. There are plenty of modern-era toys made from much more resilient plastics if I want something to handle and fiddle with. That's the way it's got to be, now. Thank goodness for knockoffs and reissues, or else the G1 toy experience would essentially be lost to people forever!

Zob (wonders how many plastic toys from the 1980's will be left in the world in 100 years' time)

JosephBardsley wrote:

> Ah, Codigo, thanks for the reminder about images!

> Let's see if this uploads ... Deathsaurus, one of my most beloved TF toys. I love his colors, and the sheer sense of personality that comes through for the character.

> JB

Stunning!

JosephBardsley wrote:

> One of the hot topics of note among the group was G1 plastic failing, and how, specifically, the

It's pretty neat that you strike up conversations with people at conventions. I am too busy running around trying to find stuff to talk to anyone but the dealers. And even then I choose my words carefully and try not to reveal too much. I kind of consider every other attendee my competition instead of fellow fans. Outside of panels I don't talk much to anyone at toy shows lest I leak information about what I am after.

Back to the point of decaying toys, what kills me is seeing G1 rubber tires crack and break up into chunks. The reissues help as sources of spare parts but even those aren't 100% faithful reproductions. Like for example I don't think any minicar reissue has had Dunlop logo tires. I feel so bad that I never used Armor All on my G1 tires back in the 90s.

I need these things to be authentic and as in good shape as possible because of my toy photography project. But the way they keep deteriorating leaves me a shorter and shorter timetable of presentable usefulness. I had to shoot an Ironhide recently and the rear tire was crumbled in half. I had to use digital manipulation to recreate the tire for my pictures and it's a pain.

It's pretty neat that you strike up conversations with people at conventions. I am too busy running around trying to find stuff to talk to anyone but the dealers. And even then I choose my words carefully and try not to reveal too much. I kind of consider every other attendee my competition instead of fellow fans. Outside of panels I don't talk much to anyone at toy shows lest I leak information about what I am after.

====

I think it's really just about a difference in approach. I'm a member of a pretty active and robust G1 TF-focused collecting, buying, trading, and selling group specific to the Metro Vancouver area on FB, and that allows for a nice recurring sense of collegiality and social connection with fellow fans, even if the hobby itself is your primary outlet for being social. We look out for one another in terms of potential scams and bad traders, and we also keep up in general. The group is small enough (less than 100 people) that people generally know / know of one another.

And so in this context, it's nice to catch up at toy shows and related events. Sure, there's the occasional moment of friendly competition, but it's also nice to just have folks who you know as people at these events, too. As with many things, I guess it's about effort invested and the corresponding results.

JB