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A friend of mine I game with from time to time has been bringing his 11 year old son by, and since they arrive a couple hours before the rest of the group, I've started showing the kid my collection, and he's actually made up (with input from me and his dad) an interesting plot idea:

Any figure with a more 'classic' aesthetic, including TF: Cybertron, FOC / WFC, Energon, CHUG, and so on is an actual Cybertronian, with all that entails. Masterpiece class also fits here, except for Megatron (more on him below). Most Prime figures fall here, but some fall below.

Any figure with a Movieverse aesthetic is actually a human cyborg, built with the assistance of the Autobots (or under the control of the Decepticons), with the brain and spinal cord of a human soldier who fell in battle (or a criminal broken free from prison) as the control. Thus the more 'techy' look, as the human cyborgs can't use subspace for transform mechanisms as efficiently as the Cybertronians. Minicons, as well as any Targetmaster or the like, are also human borgs. Headmasters are Cybertronians who use their detachable head as a way to interact better with humans at human scale, and have had their purposes repurposed as Ambassador (autobot) or Infiltration (Decepticon). The large number of Bumblebee figures 9and repaints) is simply because the soldiers think the new Camaro is cool.

Any figure with an Animated aesthetic is an unintelligent drone created for a movie - this includes the more awkward prime figures. Yeah, I know.

And finaly, Masterpiece Megatron is technically Megatron - but Megatron when he's shrunk down to the size of a human gun. Maybe if an updated version is released that'll be the "Real" Megatron. As it is, the story the kid has worked out is Megatron was badly hurt, and is hiding somewhere. Meanwhile, all sorts of fake Megatrons, from Titanium WWI through Classics and Henkei to the Movieverse Megatrons (obviously fake, as they're human borgs) have been fighting for control of the Decepticons.

So... having said that, I'm beginning to rethink my collection strategy. I can now just picture an entire army of transforming human borgs leading the charge, with, say, General Oscar Premium (ROTF Prime) right next to MP-10 Optimus as they face down the Decepticon forces... and it lets me include all the figures in a single 'cosmology', so to speak. Which, of course, means I'm considering getting more prime figures, as well as actually halfheartedly looking forward to more movieverse figures when T4 comes out.

Anyone else find a fan plotline or cosmology changing the way you plan on collecting figures?

The Universe lines were based around a similar concept as is Alternity. When ideas like a multiverse etc. are included in your storylines it's easy to make any figure fit.

Sounds like the kid has a pretty good imagination though and I bet it would make a good form of fiction (comic, cartoon and/or movie etc.).

That's a great plot line he came up with

Fan plot lines isn't something I've ever used for my collecting, though this one had me thinking about it. Except for Alternity my collecting has always been cartoon inspired.

I think that kid should write the next TF movie!

I tend to base the shelf arranging on the basis of personal cosmologies.

Especially the PCC and dinoshelf sections.

Breakdown 2099 wrote:

Valandar wrote:Anyone else find a fan plotline or cosmology changing the way you plan on collecting figures?

No

Yes. Well, to an extent. I have a special section based on Universe 2003, which basically serves as a Multi-verse hub (excluding the Live Action Movies). It has all of Universe 2003, non-show RiD and Unicron Trilogy repaints repurposed or not. I'm currently investigating the possibilities for Beast Wars (though that's mostly covered by Japanese cartoons), Animated, Prime and PCC.

What? I'm a sucker for side-stories.

My collection is basically Movieverse, but has branched out to incorporate the 2010 releases, PCC, Prime, Alternity and WFC/FOC.

Aside from that, I'm collecting various Optimus Primes for all 9 Continuities; G1, Beast Wars, RID, Unicron Trilogy, Movieverse, Animated, TransTech, Prime and Kre-O. These 9 Primes form a team to defeat various cross-continuity threats like Unicron, The Fallen, the Quintessons, Hytherion and such. Furthermore, they are targeted by a corrupted Prime, portrayed by the Universe Nemesis Prime mammoth.

As for my Movieverse collection, all non-Movie guys and various new-body releases were renamed and repurposed as new characters. The blue Alternity Megatron is Cryotek, for example. And Protoform Starscream serves as Sunstorm. Plotwise, they follow the films, but I like to imagine any vehicle on which a toy was based is in fact that character in the film. Guys like Brimstone (in Mikaela's garage), Landmine and DotM Air Raid (as the AWACs plane that coordinated the attack on Scorponok).

My personal canon for the PCCs splits up the Mini-Cons and the Scout class figures. The Mini-Cons are a new race of Cybertronian creatures made of crystallized Energon and called Microns for their diminuitive size. They're a murderous, vicious bunch who form a faction of their own and declare both Bots and Cons their enemies. The fifteen scout class PCC molds used to be Decepticon and Autobot soldiers who all set out to investigate a mysterious energy spike in the area. A blast from the AllSpark grafted Gestalt points onto their bodies and had them surging with electrical energy. They are essentially capable to transform anything with appropriate mass into limbs and thus grow taller and more powerful. So far, only six have managed to control this power and have created drone teams to use in combat.

I used to have something like this going for my collection wherein everything was all part of the same continuity. Numerous Optimus Primes from different series became like the Council of Convoys, Megatrons like the tripredicus council, all but one Starscream was renamed as another seeker, dito with Hot Shot and any others that shared the same name. Then Bayformers came along and I dropped that idea all too quickly. Now it's just anything that fits on a classics/neo G1 cast goes on that shelf, and everything else goes where it's supposed to.

Granted the more I read into the aligned continuity and IDW G1 comics the more I'm starting to apply some of those concepts to my classics shelf as well...

I have always had a sort of "plotline since I have been buying them from 84 till today..

I know I stopped transforming and writing stories about my G1's some time ago before the classics were introduced.. Now When a new classic/generation/fig that fits as a stand in/etc.. comes out, well this is what happened..

Some time ago the governments of the Earth were upset over the destruction and fighting of the bots and cons. One day all nations decided to stop them all by hitting their respective bases with missiles and EMP bursts. Many Autobots and Decepticons were damaged and all were put out of commission until one day...

This is when they started releasing the classic figs, so Optimus and the rest of wave 1 and whatever Cons were around had the task of rebuilding their respected races. Now whenever a new fig comes out and I pick it up the character (Bots)are rebuilt by Ratchet, Wheeljack and Hoist (things are going slow because of human technology) and the Cons are being repaired by a couple of cons I designated as their "medics"..

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Breakdown 2099 wrote:

Valandar wrote:Anyone else find a fan plotline or cosmology changing the way you plan on collecting figures?

No

Yes. Well, to an extent. I have a special section based on Universe 2003, which basically serves as a Multi-verse hub (excluding the Live Action Movies). It has all of Universe 2003, non-show RiD and Unicron Trilogy repaints repurposed or not. I'm currently investigating the possibilities for Beast Wars (though that's mostly covered by Japanese cartoons), Animated, Prime and PCC.

What? I'm a sucker for side-stories.

Use the United EX story for PCC! Do it! Do it!

Va'al wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Breakdown 2099 wrote:

Valandar wrote:Anyone else find a fan plotline or cosmology changing the way you plan on collecting figures?

No

Yes. Well, to an extent. I have a special section based on Universe 2003, which basically serves as a Multi-verse hub (excluding the Live Action Movies). It has all of Universe 2003, non-show RiD and Unicron Trilogy repaints repurposed or not. I'm currently investigating the possibilities for Beast Wars (though that's mostly covered by Japanese cartoons), Animated, Prime and PCC.

What? I'm a sucker for side-stories.

Use the United EX story for PCC! Do it! Do it!

I so saw that coming

Come on, it's a decent enough storyline which incorporates several figures so far.
Of course I was going to suggest it!

And what's the issue with Animated?
Is the existing story not good, or are you trying to combine the lines?

Va'al wrote:Come on, it's a decent enough storyline which incorporates several figures so far.
Of course I was going to suggest it!

Of course, to make them fit some characters will need new names.

Va'al wrote:And what's the issue with Animated?
Is the existing story not good, or are you trying to combine the lines?

It's the style, mostly. Not saying it's bad, far from it, it's just so different, it makes repurposing as G1 characters hard. Not that I do that all the time...

Yeah. The Animated figures simply AMAZED me that they could fully transform, but still keep the aesthetic of the highly stylized cartoon.

They just don't seem to fit in any other line, even with my buddy's kid's explaination, as any form of actual combat Transformer.

I still judge toys solely on the toy. I buy what looks good.

Of course, in some cases when a toy is bad, I still buy it to complete the cartoon/movie cast. *Cough* Airachnid *cough*.

For me, it may have not been obvious from my first post, but what changed was I actually began somewhat looking forward to more Movieverse style releases when T4 comes out, to reinforce the Human 'Borg forces...