I hate soft bendy plastic!

[decadentdave]

I'm venting. I really hate the soft bendy plastic Hasbro has been using on figures and accessories. They sag and bend out of shape. I cannot stand most of my figures even on the plastic display stands without them leaning or sagging or doing the "splits" and the accessories are so flimsy and bend completely out of shape. It's gotten especially worse the last few years since the introduction of the Greatest Hits line and has continued through Saga Legends and TAC. This gripe even applies to the 25th Anniversary G.I. Joe figures. Why can't they go back to a harder plastic molding? Is it because they are afraid some 3 year-old kid is going to poke his eyeball out? The packaging says "For ages 4 and up" and "Warning: contains small parts that may be a choking hazard for children under age 3." Duh! That's what Galactic Heroes are for! Hasbro, my army builders all suck because they can't stand at attention without sagging under the weight of the Earth's gravitational forces and the weapons bend like rubber. Please make harder plastic moldings from now on. Ditto on the vehicles as well. You have disclaimer warnings to indemnify you of legal liability should some stupid soccer mom who can't read try to sue you because her dumb kid swallowed a gun.

[jedi master sal]

I'm venting. I really hate the soft bendy plastic Hasbro has been using on figures and accessories. They sag and bend out of shape. I cannot stand most of my figures even on the plastic display stands without them leaning or sagging or doing the "splits" and the accessories are so flimsy and bend completely out of shape. It's gotten especially worse the last few years since the introduction of the Greatest Hits line and has continued through Saga Legends and TAC. This gripe even applies to the 25th Anniversary G.I. Joe figures. Why can't they go back to a harder plastic molding? Is it because they are afraid some 3 year-old kid is going to poke his eyeball out? The packaging says "For ages 4 and up" and "Warning: contains small parts that may be a choking hazard for children under age 3." Duh! That's what Galactic Heroes are for! Hasbro, my army builders all suck because they can't stand at attention without sagging under the weight of the Earth's gravitational forces and the weapons bend like rubber. Please make harder plastic moldings from now on. Ditto on the vehicles as well. You have disclaimer warnings to indemnify you of legal liability should some stupid soccer mom who can't read try to sue you because her dumb kid swallowed a gun.

I do have to agree with this. Though it's a bit cut and dry and no doubts some of you who are parents will disagree with Dave's comments.

Point being, Hasbro has met the legal obligation.

The poor quality (soft and/or bendy) has prevented me from buying figures I would have otherwise bought. For me that is most notably the Battle Droid. Articulation issues aside regarding the Legends battle Droid figure, the soft quality of the plastic has kept me from buying these. Being an army builder and an extreme one at that, it's disconcerting that I can't get the figures I want due to manufacturing processes. The battle droid soft plastic issue alone represents no less than 80 sets of that figure. While that's miniscule in the grand scheme of things, it is a representation of the overall displeasure with some of the plastic choice you have made, Hasbro.

Again to reiterate, you've already met the legal standard regarding the figures and accessories. Please give us figures that can withstand their own weight.

[Devo]

I don't think I've seen a concept Chewie whose rifle isn't bend beyond usefulness. I also have 2 TAC stormies whose legs were warped in-package.

At the very least Hasbro need to stop trying to pose the figures inside the blister. For one thing these poses are usually quite silly looking and secondly it overcomplicates the packaging making it larger than is strictly necessary, lengthens the opening-time and worst of all causes the plastics to be bent.

I'd rather have straightforward blisters like the Vintage figures.

[jjreason]

I'm "finer" with the figures being soft than the accessories. Fighting to get the handle of a blaster into a figure's hand is the most ridiculous and frustrating activity a human being can undertake.

[JediTricks]

Hasbro claims the material not only meets modern safety regs, but also takes sculpting better than the harder plastic they were using before. Personally, I wish they could find a middle ground because the accessories are no fun when they're all curved up like that.

[Sinscia Fat'o]

The battle droids were really dissappointing, i cant even keep them on stands either without them bending over, which is quite disheartening.

[jjreason]

Hasbro claims the material not only meets modern safety regs, but also takes sculpting better than the harder plastic they were using before. Personally, I wish they could find a middle ground because the accessories are no fun when they're all curved up like that.

I think they did, back in the EpI/POTJ era. Those figures were pretty sturdy, but were still quite a bit less rigid than the POTF2 jobbies.

I think it's quite apparent they're using less & flimsier material to save on costs.

[figrin bran]

I don't think I've seen a concept Chewie whose rifle isn't bend beyond usefulness. I also have 2 TAC stormies whose legs were warped in-package.

At the very least Hasbro need to stop trying to pose the figures inside the blister. For one thing these poses are usually quite silly looking and secondly it overcomplicates the packaging making it larger than is strictly necessary, lengthens the opening-time and worst of all causes the plastics to be bent.

I'd rather have straightforward blisters like the Vintage figures.

I totally agree with this. Pre posing the figures does not make it any likelier that I'll buy the figures. It also tends to warp the hands as well as the weapons. For openers like me, it also generates a great deal of waste, even if the cards and bubbles are recyclable.

[Gothiczartan]

they can use it on lando's cape after they do the retooling on the vintage style lando figure that needed a removable cape and he will have a soft plastic cape rather than the cloth like version since I heard other fans wanted him in plastic cape.

[El Chuxter]

GZ, have you tried just cutting the cape off the VOTC Lando?

[Gothiczartan]

GZ, have you tried just cutting the cape off the VOTC Lando?

why would I do that? there is already a Q & A about lando retooled for cape and with drapes on shoulders that jeditrick had added.