Focus!

[Fortmax2020]

I think the only G1 TF I feel I am missing is an original/Classics/reissue Prowl.

And a Predaking.

[Shockprowl]

No Prowl?!?! That is indeed an open, terrible, wound.

[Fortmax2020]

I suspected you would feel my pain.

[The Doctor]

If only I had known before TOY-FU got my book style re-issue Prowl!

-Ralph

[Toph]

Add to my list Nucleon Quest Convoy. The only black optimus toy ever to really get my interest.

BW Bonecrusher
BW Jetstorm
BM Strika
MW Optimus Prime
MW Prowl
MW THUNDERCRACKER
AM Thundercracker
G1 Overlord

Though I've acquired Tonbot and Big Horn, so I no longer feel as terrible for not having the originals.

Add to my not made list, Toxitron. Any version. Could be from the laser prime, the rts prime, or even armada prime.
Animated Wasp
Animated Thundercracker

Also, updates for Blackarachnia, tigatron, bm jetstorm, bm obsidian, bm maximals, terrorsaur, scorponok, tarantulas, Megatron, Optimus, Airazor, a do-over for Cheetor, and anyone I missed.

[Philip Ayres]

Feb 23, 2014 17:38:59 GMT Toph said:

MW Prowl
MW THUNDERCRACKER

If you have any of the repaints of these toys then they're much better

BM Stryka's a great toy.

I Like Nucleon Quest Super Convoy, one of the better Black Primes

[Toph]

Thundercracker, it doesnt matter what the mold's repaints look like. It's not Thundercracker. The only Thundercracker I've never been able to bring myself to buy is that godawful horrible, second to worst toy ever made in HISTORY FoC mold.
Prowl, i just like the white, and wish I snagged it back in the day. So none of the repaints ever put it in white and black, either.

[Philip Ayres]

For years there wasn't a decent Mirage version of the race car flipchanger either!

[Bogatan]

Machine Wars was a bit of a miss for me too. My holiday in 97 was to Canada which didn't have MW so my sole chance to buy them was during a trip across the border at Niagara. For some reason I only picked up Prime, Hoist and Megaplex (was aiming for Megatron but went on colour rather than name on the package, glad I did though)

Did eventually get the flipchanger, though Shockprowl now has Mirage I think.

I'd still like Sandstorm and Starscream. Not bothered about Soundwave as I never much liked the mould, it always seemed crude in comparison to Rotorstorm.

[kayevcee]

I should probably be taking notes here, shouldn't I?

-Nick

[legios]

You mean that you aren't? You should always be watching to see where peoples styles are strong and weak - that is how you learn where to apply your strengths to overcome their weaknesses.

Karl

[Pinwig]

Jetfire would have been top of my list for this, but as I now have him I have thankfully stitched that particular open wound. Predaking would also be on the list, but I've satisfied myself there by getting last year's platinum reissue.

However there are others. Most of mine come from wanting particular characters as a kid and not having the money/persuasive ability to get hold of them - or knowing that some characters just weren't out in this country:

Sunstreaker, Hound, Blaster, Shockwave, Devastator, Trypticon, Computron.

And a few I did once have but sold and now pine for:

Bruticus (hence the salivation for Warbotron), Highbrow, Weirdwolf, Scorponok (what possessed me to sell this one I have no idea).

Of the later lines, having a job, I think I've managed to get hold of what I've wanted. The exceptions I think would be Animated Ultra Magnus in his original colours, MP Thundercracker and the Takara version of MP Rodimus. There are a few more Animated deluxes I'd like, but I wouldn't class them as open wounds just yet. Same with FoC Wreckers and FoC Kickback. I daresay one day I'll regret not proactively looking them out now, but for now the money goes elsewhere.

Figures I'd like that haven't been made I think comes down simply to any 84/85 figures that haven't yet had Masterpiece versions, oh and the Voyager FoC Prime I keep bleating on about just to give that range of deluxes a bit of height. They need more than just Grimlock for the ensemble photo.

[Philip Ayres]

FOC Kickback can be found in many TRUs at the moment.

Blaster had a SDCC reissue a few years back that's cheapish, Hound was in the Takara box line and Devastator's been encored.

[Toph]

I never even *saw* FoC Kickback.
I don't feel a terrible loss as most FoC, including him were ugly as sin, with terrible designs. But I'd have at least liked to see it in person and judge for myself.

[Pinwig]

Feb 23, 2014 19:50:34 GMT Philip Ayres said:

FOC Kickback can be found in many TRUs at the moment.

Blaster had a SDCC reissue a few years back that's cheapish, Hound was in the Takara box line and Devastator's been encored.

I'm still not decided on the original vs reissue debate, but I know it isn't impossible to find any of those figures. In fact if you look at eBay it seems original Blasters are pretty cheap without cassettes. I didn't know he'd been reissued recently though, I tend not to keep up with all the exclusives as its hard enough following all the retail releases.

I have to say though I've never seen a Kickback in a TRU. I assumed he was short packed and I kept missing him.

[Philip Ayres]

Here's the Blaster reissue www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/toy-images-of-sdcc-exclusive-g1-autobot-blaster/19339/

The Kickback case isn't evenly packed that's for sure:

2 each of Magnus, Starscream and Sideswipe
1 each of Air-Raid and Kickback

As a new mold I'd have thought it be worth putting an extra Kickback in for one of the Sideswipes.

But what do I know?

[Pinwig]

Oh *that's* why that Sideswipe keeps turning up. I couldn't work out why a figure from the previous wave kept turning up on the shelves with the newer ones. My TRU only ever has that and Magnus, which figures from seeing those ratios. I saw an Air Raid once, but I don't want that. Repaint of the worst Shockwave ever, don't even want that mould under another name.

[Pinwig]

There may be a thread along these lines lurking in the depths, but I've been box shifting, sorting and reorganising my collection this weekend again; it seems to be something I am unable to stop myself doing from time to time to unite new purchases with their correct box/tub whatever the rest of that particular line is kept in.

It started me thinking - how do you decide on the focus for your collection? what is it that makes you want to collect particular sets/lines/figures etc? by which I don't mean financial constraints, I mean the money you do spend; how do you focus what it goes on? Or do you need one at all?

I think I need specific focuses to stop purchasing wandering all over the place, I'd rather go deep into one line than spread thin across many, but it's hard to stay restricted sometimes when there are so many nice looking figures around. So do you prioritise?

[Toph]

I prioritize on what looks like a great figure.
Everything else is secondary.

If it looks like it'll be a bad figure, or it doesn't offer anything a previous figure doesn't, skip it.
Example: Generations G1 and Armada Megatrons.
It's a neat enough mold. There has yet to be a classics Megatron that tries to be G1, and this does in spades. It doesn't matter that I have other Classics Megatrons.
Meanwhile, the Armada version doesn't really bring anything new to the table, with the actual armada megatron being a superior toy, and representation of the character.

[The Doctor]

I have never had a focus other than 'running out of room, offload some to charity'.

-Ralph

[Andy Turnbull]

Apr 7, 2015 12:38:42 GMT The Doctor said:

I have never had a focus other than 'running out of room, offload some to charity'.

-Ralph

Pretty much the same!

Andy

[Philip Ayres]

Apr 7, 2015 9:22:07 GMT Pinwig said:

There may be a thread along these lines lurking in the depths

There were several. They have been tidied.

[Bogatan]

I have no concept of focus.

[Philip Ayres]

Have some Focus then:



www.youtube.com/watch?v=OznS7X9BOxs



www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGaVUApDVuY

[Shockprowl]

Groovy baby.


I'm all about focus. I'm driven by nostalgia but most importantly CHARACTER INTERACTION. That's why I'm so obsessed with scale. My figures HAVE to be the correct 'scale' relative to each other as per my mind's eye. Add that to my intense nostalgia and you get.... MASTERPIECE!!!! And a touch of Classics/Generations. Masterpiece to awe at, and Classics to play with! I spend alot of time considering which 'core' and 'sub-core' characters are included.

Oh and Prowls. Lots of Prowls. Hmm hmm ha haa Haa! Haaaah!!! HAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!! AAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAHHHAAAAAHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bogatan]

Ill give you a sense of my collection. I just looked up and the first thingi saw was a shelf containing:
MP bee, deaths head, tru reissue soundwave, botcon cindersaur, universe dinobot and botcon double punch. All stood in front of foc g2 bruticus.

The next random look up took in from tight to left.

taco tank, prime soundwave, classic artfire, g1 greatshot, greatshots brave brother, hddvd movie starscream repaint amtc style, generations blitzwing, rotf leader starscream, rid trainbots, rotf devastator and MP 1. Oh and looks like classics lugnuts is perched on devastators shoulder. Not really sure how thats working.

[Pinwig]

This is all fascinating chaps. Thanks for wrangling the thread Phil, I'm enjoying reading it from the start. I think in my head I am pretty much in tune with Shockprowl, everything you're saying there matches me. It's about working displays, and the scale bit is also important.

However I have come to the conclusion recently that much as I love the Masterpieces, they tend to be display figures. Like Shockprowl says, it's the Generations figures that get played with.

[Shockprowl]

Not a Necro-Bumping. Honest.


Wondering where we're all at these days focus-wise, with all the various nostalgia lines, movie lines, younger lines, expensive collector lines, 3P etc etc.

Where's your collecting at, Mother Hubbers?




I'm drifting away from Masterpiece and more towards Generations. Partly due to the expense, and partly because these days I tend to PLAY more than DISPLAY. Often with the kids. Generally speaking the Generations nostalgia line has been giving me a pretty decent nostalgic hit pushing Masterpiece out of my collecting focus to the point where I'm wondering if I need Masterpiece anymore at all. Take Siege- I know the plastic will be cheap, but MPs haven't been feeling much better have they? Siege figures, shit-splash effect aside, and other Generations updates, look just as nostalgic as MP these days. Do we (I) need Masterpiece anymore...? Then again, in the years to come, would I regret abandoning Masterpiece?

[blueshift]

I have been buying Gameboy games recently, sorry Shockers

Been looking at Energon on ebay but have not taken the plunge

[Dezzeh]

Ok soooo, I actually have a plan.
Siege looks great, and I want to have it all. After that, I want to think I am done with modern TF's. I don't have room for more and they have redone enough characters that I don't feel I need more. That being said, there will probably be some I want eh..
Other than that, I will continue to buy MP, 3p as things come along that interest me.

Also, as you all may have noticed, I'm on a G1 kick right now and I intend to complete that as much as possible over the next five years or so.