Rated X wrote:I remember back in th. G1 days, during season 3-4 there were no repaints. Every character got its own mold. WTF happend? Some would argue hasbro got smart. I would argue that they got stupid.
You're remembering incorrectly.
Targetmaster Hot Rod
Targetmaster Blurr
Targetmaster Kup
Targetmaster Scourge
Targetmaster Cyclonus
Targetmaster Artfire
Targetmaster Stepper
Rewind
Eject
Frenzy (plastic black feet version, lack of stickers variation with Ratbat)
Soundblaster
Twincast
The running changes of Ultra Magnus, Metroplex, Hot Rod, Kup, Blurr, Rodimus Prime, Sandstorm, and Springer should also be considered as well. All of those figures lost die-cast pieces and paint apps which were replaced by plastic. Not repaints, per se, but along the same lines of re-using existing assets and making those products more profitable to the company.
1988 honorable mentions: Black Zarak and Grand Maximus.
One could also make the argument that the Battlechargers and Throttlebots are remolds of each other but it's probably best if we leave them out if this discussion despite the re-usage of parts (though we would consider them remolds if released today).
It's also very important to note that back in the 1980s that toys had a much longer shelf life than they do now. Consumers and retailers demand that new products be on the shelves. The same version of Optimus Prime can't have a 2 year shelf life any more. G1 Soundwave was sold for 4 years! That's unprecedented in this world we now live in where a toy product is lucky if it lasts 6 months on the shelves before being blown out and replaced by a recolored product or whatever the newest trend is.