Your ambitions for your TF collection

[grahamthomson]

When you look to the future, where do you see yourself with your Transformers collection?

Are you intending on acquiring everything Hasbro/Takara are likely to release ad infinitum?

Are you happy with your current collection, looking only to fill in gaps?

Are you thinking of pruning your collection, weeding out toys you no longer desire?

[Andy Turnbull]

I generally prune the collection on a regular basis. I go through phases of collecting things and some I keep, some I feel "I've owned that and I don't really need it now so - off you go.". I'm long past the completist urge - which my wallet thanks me for.

Andy

[Dark Stranger]

I do the exact same thing Andy, a regular clean out of a toy I was happy to own for a while. I pretty much want my wishlist filled, and then whatever new toys that are nice.

First off though I need a bigger spare room...

[legios]

I'm very much the same as others here - I tend to prune the collection on a regular basis. I have a couple of turn-outs a year where I cull out things I have decided I no longer wish to own.
I used to sell some of these on Ebay but mostly these days I find other means of finding them good homes.

I pick up the occassional new toy, but any real trace of a completist urge in regard to anything has gone - I tend to only cherrypick items I really like rather than feeling any particular urge to complete any particular subline or anything.

How about you Graham?

Karl

[kayevcee]

Thanks to years and years of spending all my spare cash on shopping and eBaying and Yahooing I think I have every legacy TF I actually want for my current collection, and I'm relieved to see that the current release schedule only includes relatively small figures I'm interested in, such as Universe, Power Core Combiners and Battle for Cybertron. Wait... that's three whole lines. I ought to be in Saudi by the time most of them come out so at least space in my Glasgow bedroom shouldn't be a factor

-Nick

[Gav]

I'm interested in completing the holes in my Animated collection and a few other bits and bobs. I'm thinking it may become my last hurrah for collecting, to be honest. That is of course, unless something comes along in a few years to pique my interest. I never expected to get into another TF line after RiD.

[Shockprowl]

My TF collection is currently driven by two main goals: ongoing collecting of the Masterpieces I fancy (which don't exist -yet- Soundwave and Shockwave), and a collection of the 84 characters in Classics (with a few 85ers thrown in). My small G1 and large Beast Wars collections are sound as a pound. And my Prowl and Seeker/Strike Plane collections are all but complete. I have culled in recent times, and plan to have a further cull in the future. Specifically my Movie collection, gunna see what characters get the Movie treatment in the third film. If Prowl and Shockwave feature, and if they do a larger Soundwave, I may keep most of them, otherwise they'll prob be moving on. Other than that, I suppose I can't rule out future releases in future lines, but it really is just about a core of original characters for me, and representations of those characters. Maybe that's alittle 'narrow', but 'tis what floats me boat.

[grahamthomson]

Apr 23, 2010 12:12:21 GMT legios said:

How about you Graham?

I'm thinking of a cull later on this year, actually.

I don't think I'll ever part with my "The Transformers" collection from (1984-1986), which hold the most nostalgia for me. Plus there are a few holes I'd like to fill in due course.

My OCD-like problem is, I can only bear to get vintage stuff if it's still MISB.

[Deleted]

I plan to keep them, and keep adding, I mean I wont get every single figure ever produced, but I'll buy the ones I like

[Bogatan]

I've set aside about 400 figures that I've decided to part with. Mostly loose duplicates from 15 years of car boot sales and more recent AEC onwards that just don't appeal. Theres also a few whose financial value outweights my desire to keep them.

I can't imagine parting with my pre BM collection, but I think a lot from AEC onwards might begin to disappear and new stuff is going to be mor carefully purchased and if I decide I don't like it it goes on ebay. I've said this before, I think I mean it this time.

Andy

[The Doctor]

I have regular culls, mostly for space reasons and changes in taste.

-Ralph

[Deleted]

I have a hankering for owning most if not all of the early G1 figures. As I've mentioned many times before though space and money are my two biggest enemies in this conquest but if I ever move into my own pad then maybe I'll go a little bit berserk!

[blueshift]

As it looks more likely I will be moving house come the end of June, I'll probably need to do another big cull. Really I want to reduce the more 'banal' figures that I bought for the sake of buying, and keep/build up a collection of figures I truly think are awesome / mental.

[dyrl]

I'm thinking of re-starting my collection (now at zero) and taking this opportunity to do it "right."

I'm thinking what I'll do is just focus on characters I love (all of them from G1 really) and get single representations of each of them.

For example:

Wreck Gar ---- > Animated Wreck Gar

Grimlock-------> Masterpiece Grimlock

Sometimes - it'll be self-evident like the above two... But sometimes it'll be hard to decide...

For instance:

Optimus Prime.

Now seriously - the Masterpiece Prime is great - but it's just so frickin' big. MP Grimlock is actually a great size to interact with deluxe and voyager class figures from across the ranges. But Prime? Forget it - too big. He can interact with Alternators/Binaltechs - and those are too complex to be fun in terms of transformations....

So what then? Classics Prime? I don't really like the lack of smoke stacks and the doors hanging off his arms...

Hybrid Style?

Well - he's a bit too small, and his truck mode isn't all that appealing....

Wartithin? Flimsy flopy mess and I prefer the G1 earthmode...

G1? Great truck mode - but robot mode is not so great....

Robotmasters?

Good robot, but again - the truck is lacking...really....

Oh bother.

Ok...

How's this?

Until Hasbro makes a SERIOUS G1 revival line where we get figures that actually correspond to their G1 look - like classics Hound and Cyclonus - I ain't buying.

Bullocks

Pete

[Deleted]

what about the upcoming war for cybertron version?

[dyrl]

Is that the Generations one? The truck mode is, like the warwithin, not "the" truck mode ...

Looking back, what really stinks is that in terms of scale, I get the feeling that G1 was the best... Now -I know that the VEHICLE and alternate modes were out of scale towards one another - but the robots all pretty much were IN scale...

That is to say the combiners towered over the larger figures like Prime and Megatron...well...ok..maybe not "towered" -but they were BIGGER (combined). The little robots were little and the bigger robots were bigger...

Hmm...

I dunno. I'm thinking of getting Animated Wreck Gar...but he's way at the bottom of my list of stuff "to get" ...none of which are TFs ....

I do sometimes miss them - but every time I think of getting back into the hobby, I hit a brick wall called "where to start?"

Now that I have that option... I should take advantage of it... but really... it's quite difficult!

I was also thinking of maybe just collecting Movie TFs... since they are somewhat iconic insofar as the LA movie is iconic but....

now with all this reboot the movie talk it's like...groan!..noooo!!

Sometimes, I wish Transformers never went beyond BW...

Pete

[grahamthomson]

May 1, 2010 10:30:21 GMT dyrl said:

Sometimes, I wish Transformers never went beyond BW...

Just tell yourself they didn't.

What was your very first Transformers toy, Pete? Why not get that one (and just that one) again and see what feelings it stirs up?

Do you just love the characters and want a physical representation of him/her? Are you interested in the design/engineering of the toy itself? What other factors influence your attraction?

Listen to me, I sound like a therapist!

[dyrl]

My first Transformers toy was G1 Ratchet. I did get him again - the Encore version - and sold him off with all the rest of my collection

I do just love the characters and want a physical representation thereof. Nothing more.

The big problem for me is that there really AREN'T any exact physical representations - beyond MP Grimlock and MP Prime maybe...but even they are a bit of a stretch...

When I watch Gundam, and I like the Gundam or other mecha - I can get a perfect representation in the form of a model kit that's fully poseable. When I watch Macross - the same. And on and on for all the other shows I watch. I can even get excellent representations of humanoid characters from shows I like.

But in Transformers - I'm always being asked to accept some kind of compromise. Classics Astrotrain couldn't turn into a choo-choo train....why not? Why did he have to become a bullet train? Classics Bumblebee couldn't look like a VW?

I understand that part of the problem (nowadays) is that Hasbro can't get he licenses to make the Autobots turn into the exact cars they turned into...

But even movie toys fail to look like their on-screen counterparts

Anyways - the main big factor that influences my attraction are the characters and the stories from Marvel comics.

The second factor is childhood nostalgia for everything from G1 up to the European classics/Turbomasters/Predators etc etc (well...and Pyro and Clench) .... that whole period...

I dunno. It's really hard to re-start the collection...have no clue where to begin

I'd also like the toys to be somewhat in scale to eachother - at least in robot mode...so Masterpiece Prime is pointless because there's no way to interact with other toys...

Pete

[grahamthomson]

I see your frustration, Pete, and I understand it.

Unfortunately I don't think what you're looking for in Transformers toys will ever be realised.

One answer would be to not buy any Transformers whatsoever (crazy, I know!) and let your imagination supply you with what you desire.

A side note: If you were interested in Shakespeare, would you want/need plastic toy versions of his characters to enhance your love of his work?

The other answer, as is true with all desires, is to learn to see and appreciate things for what they really are and do away with frustrations of wanting things to be what they're not.

That's what Rhinox taught me, anyway. Or was it Lao Tzu?

[Grand Moff Muffin]

May 4, 2010 11:30:30 GMT @grahamthomson said:

A side note: If you were interested in Shakespeare, would you want/need plastic toy versions of his characters to enhance your love of his work?

And, off-topic, would anyone want him and those who come after him to keep telling alternate versions of the lives of all his characters?

Martin

[dyrl]

Re: Shakespeare/Action Figure etc -

Martin - I once asked something like this on a different internet forum and was introduced to Hamlet II - the Musical. Check it out on You Tube. It features Hamlet being helped by Jesus to travel back in time to try and stop the tragic Shakespearian death that is their lot in the original play...

Anyways....

I think what I'll do is this: once I have all the truly important things out of the way financially - I'll raise some money and go out and just splurge on Transformers.

Best to get all the ones that interest me in one fail swoop and be done with it....

As to which ones those are - I'll know when I can pay for them

Thanks for the advice guys.

Pete

[grahamthomson]

Be sure to share with us all your (re)new acquisitions, Pete!

When the time comes, of course...

[dyrl]

I will. Truth be told - the main thing I miss about Transformers is making photo-comics. For all their faults - they were FUN TOYS and really easy to play with.

Pete

[Deleted]

My collection is not destined to be particularly large. For a start, we've a couple thousand books and a couple hundred duck-related things (the better half's passion), so space doesn't abound.

There's also the fact that I'm limited in what I intend to get. I've no interest in anything outside of G1. As a matter of fact, I'm not particularly interested in a lot of G1 either.

Where my interest lies is in the first couple of series of the G1 cartoon, predominantly Decepticon at that. That's not to say that I'm limiting myself to the original toy range, nor one of each favoured character: Oh no. I can't stand the Megatron G1 toy's robot form, so decided to get the Masterpiece version instead. (After two unsuccessful attempts to transform it to gun mode I think my patience has run out, so I think it's doomed to stay in its robot form.) I also have a two-inch-tall Megatron character hiding somewhere, and would probably buy the robot heroes version if it turns up cheap.

I'm going to mount this poster of Megatron in the "duck room" at some point too:



My better half made a point of ruling out the purchase of a Megatron cut-out, alas. (And naming our first born after him too, for that matter.)

I love the Seekers, so am pleased to have a Skywarp Masterpiece, Starscream Revoltech, and two mini PVCs of Thundercracker and Skywarp guarding a couple of books. They're from a range called "Heroes of Cybertron". Here's the Thundercracker one:



Standing alongside them is a Pallisades Soundwave:



I have a few Robot Heroes mini things dotted around, but I'll probably sell most of them. I'm only really interested in having the characters I like (Soundwave, Shockwave, Megatron, Ravage, the Seekers), so a few of the others are living on borrowed time.

There's also something of a Devastator shrine. I've taken someone else's fantastic artwork and amended it so that it's in higher resolution, then printed it off as a 7" by 5" and framed it on a shelf, alongside a little PVC version of him. There's also a World's Smallest Devastator in the vicinity, but his presence makes things look a little tacky, so he'll probably go. I'd kill for a Masterpiece or affordable custom version just to finish off.

(The photo is based on this artwork:)



I have a couple of the standard toys floating around in a cupboard downstairs, which my nephew plays with (the keyring versions of Bumblebee, Windcharger, and Brawn, and mini versions of the Coneheads), but I'm not looking at having them on display.

So, my Transformers collection is not likely to get overly big. It'll simply consist of (several versions of) the same few characters. If the original toy isn't particularly to my liking, then it'll probably not form part of the display.

I'm more interested in amassing gimmicks than actual toys now. I've got OP and Megatron money banks on order, and I'd quite like to get my hands on some busts or statues, providing some cheap ones make themselves known to me.

[blueshift]

I'm still trying to downsize my collection, I still have figures I want to display just living in boxes with no room to put them anywhere.

But also, I am considering collecting Rock Lords! Anyone got any tips?

[The Doctor]

Yes. Visit a quarry.

-Ralph

[kayevcee]

Find kindred spirits as if you buy mixed lots of Rock Lords (the only economical way to get the rarer year 3 ones) you will have a drawer full of doublers within a month, usually the year 1 chaps who are worth buttons. Also, give up on having the weapons unless you're determined to spend a lot more.

-Nick