I *just* happened to have accidentally started my camera recording video instead of taking a picture JUST as Richard started showing this, so here's what I've got video-wise of the hammer method on the torso.

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Awesome! I was actually gonna ask if anyone caught any video or was going to make a "how-to" for us. I shoulda figgered that teh beav would come to the rescue!

So does this method mar the torso any?

Thanks Boss!

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Nope, they pop right apart with no damage. The wood and rubber mallet are soft enough to avoid damage.

You can crack the lower torso too if you just lay in on it's side and whack it right on the seam. Sounds crazy but it works SOOOO slick.

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Actually, the wood block isn't soft because otherwise the torso would just embed in it. I remember him saying that specifically.

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Right you need to use a hard wood.

But it's still soft enough not to deform the plastic, unlike say a steel block.

Sorry my last post wasn't clear.

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Steel block, heavy metal hammer -- got it!

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There's a serious lack of interchangeability with this method, because you have to glue the torso back shut.

Hasbro's "we're taking customizers into consideration" claim is crap. If they were, they would've used screws like they used to.

I could easily say that Ninja Force figures were made with customizers in mind because you CAN still split the torso apart.

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Right, and it has nothing to do with the fact that a screw would require making the upper torso larger and therefore more out of proportion in order to make room for the screw surround

It's new and it requires a little more work, but it's very doable and it's not hard.

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Please, there's a nice big area where the neck ball used to be that could house a screw.

Microman figures have the same kind of articulation and yet they're held together by screws. Hasbro has no excuse.

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That area from the neck ball now holds parts that allow the middle chest joint articulation.


Hasbro's excuse is probably setting up their articulation differently from Microman so that 1) they don't get accused of stealing the design and 2) the fact that even with all of what they've done for us during this con and to show support/aknowledgement of the hobby, they are still designing the line for the best middle ground.

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Considering how long Takara and Hasbro have worked together, I'm pretty sure if Hasbro asked Takara to borrow the design, Takara would say yes.

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Well, to each their own. I'm rather happy that the team actually, you know, bothered to do something new and damn good (though I can tell by your sig that you'll disagree... imagine that, Jay disagreeing with something) than going to Takara and "borrowing" a design. Heaven forbid they be successfully original instead of just phoning it in.

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I don't see why they can't turn to Takara for help. I mean, look at Transformers. Hasbro Transformers without Takara's help results in monstrosities like Mega-Dinobot and the Star Wars Transformers.

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Why should they? The most popular action figure line on the planet right now is Star Wars, which are non-customizable figures with no screw holes, and yet the thousands of Star Wars customizers out there seem to be able to handle those okay.

Why should Hasbro go to Takara "for help"? They've been doing a damn good job of designing their own toys for 50 years now, and just how exactly are the Anniversary figures somehow inferior just because they don't have a screwhole? Hasbro has gone out of their way to show how customizable the 25th figures are, and I see absolutely no reason why they need to borrow elements from other toylines, or seek "help" from other manufacturers.

Justin

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They *are* inferior and need help. I mean, most stores won't even put them on their shelves now.


What? You say they are? Then why so many empty pegs? Oh yeah... it's because they're selling so well that stores can't keep them in stock. So why does Hasbro need "help" again?

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