Oh, Christopher. No it's not contradictory, it's the 5 minutes or so each episode that adds to the season story arc. The individual episode plots don't really have to change, but the season arc does.
The 1960's armour couldn't even exist with today's real life technology, you couldn't put that much power into a briefcase. The power source and transistors are what make's it unique and that still stands the test of time. The Tony depicted right now as a "driven teen genius" is ridiculously far-fetched, to the point where his character isn't believable and doesn't add to the story, it detracts from it. The suspension of disbelief has to include everything about Tony, which doesn't make him a character that we can identify with.
But it's fine if you like the show better as it is, you watch it and I'll enjoy Sonic X instead.