[ComicGuy89]

So today I decided to buy, after a long time, a Hasbro Transformer. This was the Voyager Powerizer Prime, seen here (Amazon picture):



First of all, make no mistake, this is a great figure. Amazing engineering, an very intuitive transformation, with a great design. Some weird design choices, such as the translucent arms, but I'm pleased.

Then I realized that it was hard to get the hood of the vehicle mode to stay together. The connector is a simple friction port, which won't hold well. Wondering if there was something I didn't do right, I looked all over the figure.

Turns out, it was not my fault but another QC problem. One of the pin joints is jutting out at a slight angle, possibly either from poor assembly or low quality plastic. Unfortunately this joint is one of the more crucial joints so having it off-center makes the whole transformation misaligned.

This is greatly frustrating because it's something that could have easily been avoided with greater quality control. It's also very frustrating because this is not the first time this exact same issue has happened to me on a Transformers figure.

And worst of all, more concrete design choices would have worked around this issue! Instead of having a straight friction-based connector port, why not use one of these?



(Image from CollectionDX)

That would have snapped the hood together even when misaligned.

Or if that's not possible, why not have more connectors instead of just one measly one? For instance, as can be seen in the following picture, the front grill could have loads of connectors to keep the hood together, but there are no functional ones in the actual toy.



It's really tiny bits of cost-cutting measures like this that ruin an otherwise fantastic design. I still love the figure, and after lots of fiddling the hood stays together. Yet, all this hassle could simply have been avoided in one way or another. A toy shouldn't need this much fiddling to work!

I guess a few years ago I wouldn't have been so irritated with these issues as I am now. However, Transformers prices are rising, and I have not bought a single Transformer in many years that did not have a QC problem right out of the package (and I am not kidding!). I see myself bothering less and less with the toy aisle in superstores in the future.