My Biggest Complaint With Transformers Toys Starts in 1984
Created from Japanese toys that Hasbro licensed and then used as the basis for a completely new line of toys, a cartoon, and even a comic from Marvel, the Transformers toys have carried with them one serious problem that has bothered me since the line was launched in 1984: Lack of consistent scale. As the page about scale at the TFWiki points out:
The characters should be in scale with each other as they all have real-world alternate modes that (should) pass for real vehicles. However, since Diaclone toys were not part of the same line as Microman toys, scale issues arose. Diaclone figures such as Optimus Prime, Prowl and Hound are more-or-less in correct scale with each other . . . but many of the Mini Vehicles from the New Microman line are clearly far too small by comparison.
And even after the Transformers became a success Hasbro continued to produce toys drastically out of scale with each other, going so far as to — these days — have the same character released in different sizes in order to offer a variety of price points to buyers. I understand the desire to have toys at $5, $10, $20, and higher price points, but ever since I was a kid it has bothered me that Bumblebee is way too small compared to the various Autobot cars . . . and don’t even get me started on how Perceptor towers over Optimus Prime.
Does Scale Really Matter?
Realistically, I have to admit that almost thirty years of Transformers sales clearly proves that my complaints about scale have no real meaning. Even when Hasbro goes so far as to make Bumblebee taller than Optimus Prime in the same size class of toy (the War for Cybertron “Deluxe” toys from 2010 presented us with a towering Bumblebee toy) it doesn’t seem to negatively affect sales. Just maybe Transformers fans are so used to the toys being so dramatically out of scale with each other that it doesn’t matter at all.
And thinking back to my childhood I have to wonder how many official Transformers toys in my collection would have been replaced with cheap transforming robot toys if Hasbro had selected one official scale — say basing their measurements for all characters on the Autobot cars — instead of just using whatever sizes the existing Japanese toys had been released in. Would characters like Cosmos, Huffer, and Powerglide have even existed if Hasbro stuck only to toys that were properly scaled with the Autobot cars? Probably not, so I should probably just come out and admit that one of the things I have always disliked about Transformers toys was actually a vital key to the creation of the line and the fiction.
But It Does Bother Me
Not that anyone cares, but even though the way in which the toy line was initially created is what led to the lack of an official scale and gave us such fun character designs doesn’t make me any happier that the line continues to be all over the place in terms of scale. I wish that at some point a decade ago or so Hasbro had established an official scale for the toys, but that didn’t happen and appears unlikely to ever happen.
So all I can do is continue to grumble when I see an Optimus Prime that’s too short or a Starscream toy that’s too tall. And trust me, I know how to grumble.
Related articles
- Early Eighties Diaclone Toy Commercial (battlegrip.com)
- New Generations G1 Optimus Prime Teaser (tfw2005.com)
- Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Optimus Prime In-Hand Images of Voyager Class Figure (TFormers.com)
Love it. The scale issue does bug me a bit now that I’m older. When I was little, I really didn’t care at all. My parents would never have bought me one of the bigger, more expensive toys anyway. They could buy me a couple of minibots, though, so that’s where I ended up (or with Go-Bots). In order to feed/continue my love of Transformers, I’ve had to turn off the scaling part of my brain. My “goal” isn’t to replicate the cartoon as I remember it (with scale accurate bots and poses), I try to repllicate the *character* as I remember it. I’m just going for character likeness and good toys overall. Look at things like the iGear MiniWarriors (and their upscaling in mid-line). When added to the official TF releases, the scale is all over the place. Hench is the same size as the new FOC Ultra Magnus! BUT, Hench is an incredible Brawn (especially compared to the G1 Brawn). I’d much rather have this awesome Hench than the more properly-scaled Brawn with the little claws for arms.
I always shake my head when I go to Toys R Us and see 4 different Optimus Primes in 4 completely different scales. They’re usually from different lines, so I can kind of understand it (I don’t “fault” the Rescue Bots for being large, chunky toys, for example), but it still bugs me. At least there’s some variety there, though. I’d much rather have 4 different Optimus Primes than 25 of the same Bumblebee that are sitting on the adjacent pegs.
Once again Phil you are right on the money. The all over the place scale of Tformers has been an odd issue ever since day 1…great article!
“a Starscream toy that’s too tall.” But he should be among the tallest? an F-15 is quite a bit bigger than a semi truck.
..All joking aside, the closest I’ve seen to official scale is those size charts used by the G1 animation teams; which Takara seems to be using as reference for the Masterpiece series.
So we’re gonna have a completely in scale transformers line for once; except its not accurate to the vehicles, but rather a cartoon where robots shift size and color quite often.
Oh well, I guess its better than nothing.
Well, I want to highly recommend that you pick up the Fall of Cybertron Ultra Magnus, just because his colors and face sculpt are great. Unfortunately he is going to be on the small side when compared to other Transformers.
This brings up my problem with Skylinx vs. Astrotrain. Skylinx was a terrible toy, looking like a space shuttle carrying…a book? It’s alt form was lazy (though I like the idea of a sphinx-like bot). BUT, at LEAST it was closer in scale than Astrotrain–who had some of the coolest forms, but was WAY TOO SMALL.
And don’t even get me started on Blast Off!
It wasnt’ as big a concern for me as a kid, as I didn’t display my toys (no room / fear of younger brothers & sisters breaking things). When everything’s in a toybox, you tend not to notice scale issues.
As an adult collector, I find weird scales of figures just require different shelves (Legends/’giant’ robots, Deluxes that look like large Legend, Voyager sized bots that, due to vehicle mode scales, are essentially deluxes, etc.)
It’s weird logistics battle, but it’s fun in it’s own way – finding a way to display things that engaging, thematic, and doesn’t have a 12″ tank robot fighting a 5″ Semi-truck – unless it looks fun. 🙂
Megs and soundwave where from a different line from takara. It was a 1/1 scale line that was supposed to inspire kids imagination to to think mundane objects might be robots. They where not intended to be with the diaclone line but hasbro shoehorned them and limes from other companies into one brand.
The transformers success means we are stuck with things like mass shifting, repaints, and translucent/chrome/samurai aesthetics that people would do well to look back at what led up to transformers since it’s kind of masochistic to not tolerate some trates without knowing they are inherent cores to takara design.
Also, diaclones fit in G1 seekers, that’s as close as any mass line comes with scale tweaks.
@Paul – I kinda have my fingers crossed in the hopes that someone brings us an upgrade kit for Hench that gives him the claw hands. I know, I’m weird.
@drrampageo – Thanks! It’s the important issues like these that keep me awake at night. 🙂
@Chris – My Masterpiece experience hasn’t been good enough for me to collect the line. And yeah, I think many people don’t realize just how big fighter jets really are.
@Clark – I have that Ultra Magnus but haven’t had time to open him. I’ll bump him closer to me; thanks for the tip!
@Jay – Transformers scale discussions never end well! Blast Off and Swindle are the same size? Huh?
@Blayne – Now we just have to imagine the world where all of the scale problems aren’t an issue: the characters really look like that! Maybe Teletran One needed glasses before it went out and started scanning new forms for all of the Transformers on the Ark.
@Openchallenge – As long as mass-shifting brings us Soundwave and the cassettes I’ll have to bite my tongue and be happy with the situation.