Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

"peer pressure", eh?

I have to admit, sometimes fandom hype makes me want things. Like all the Fort Max hype. I have no room for him, no connection to the character ... but the years if hype kinda makes me want the reissue. This is also true for 3rd party items, I see a bunch of people with PE's Arcee and I kinda want her, despite havign a great Arcee already.

Lucky for me, I can afford what I want with some budgetry. So I don't feel jealous, although I occasionally feeel some regret over passing some things over. Only a little regret, though. I tend to stick to my guns on how I feel about figures, so I just recite the reasons why I didn't buy so-and-so and I feel fine again.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Diem wrote:The Rebirth is a fantastic story

...


I think I just had a stroke.

I understand you're entitled to your opinion, but I had to say something. Rebirth is so inadequate when it comes to the story of the Headmasters and Targetmasters, especially considering how good the Japanese Headmasters and the comics versions of the story were. If those hadn't existed, maybe Rebirth could pass, but this way? It's kinda sad knowing its wasted potential. I do understand it was made that way because the cartoon was canceled, but then they should have just left it alone and ended it with the Return of Optimus Prime. But, there were toys to be sold, so of course the promotion had to be done. But that's the only purpose I see to "season 4."

At the risk of going off topic, you'll have to go back and tell my 6-year-old self that it isn't awesome but he won't be able to hear you over watching his scratched VHS copy for the 2000th time.

I do agree that it's a terrible shame that a season had to be condensed into a five-parter, and then into a three-parter. But despite that I would say that the franchise is better off for it existing and that it's a way more satisfying ending than Return Of Optimus Prime.

Sure, with adult hindsight it's easy to see the pacing and animation issues that plagued that three parter but I would still argue that The Rebirth is an excellent story. It has a 3-act structure that is smooth and condensed. Act one: introduce all characters and plot. Act two: the bad guys win, with a giant bloody scorpion and Galvatron takes Cybertron. Act three GIANT GIANT ROBOT BATTLE, happy endings all around, stinger for the future episodes (that sadly never came).

Given the huge number of characters introduced it does a good job of getting a lot of the personalities across with dialog and actions rather than exposition (with the exception of the infamously awkward but undeniably memorable Punch/Counterpunch scene). The script is very sharply written for a cartoon of the period and everyone gets their turn at being awesome. Do you not feel a little shiver of excitement when the 5 new Headmasters step out into the middle of a Decepticon camp, confident they'll win against twice as many foes? When Spike, knowing his son has been kidnapped BUILDS A GIANT FORTRESS ROBOT and personally flies it into Decepticon space, leading an Autobot pacifist to fight off the Horrorcons and Decepticon Targetmasters, before holding his own against a rampaging warlord wh has already captured or defeated all other Autobots? When the Autobots, rallied by the arrival of Prime think they've won, only for a city to literally rise up from the ground and turn into a scorpion? When Snapdragon bites Daniel and throws him to the floor (YAAAAAAAAAAY)?

I'd certainly argue whether or not Rebirth is better than Headmasters. They're both excellent, while suffering from a few plot holes. They're both great examples of epic space opera. And they're both the wrong length (Rebirth is shorter than it should be, Headmasters is longer than it should be). But Rebirth is SOOOOO much better than the Marvel Headmasters mini-series it isn;t even funny. Rebirth is exciting, has a satisfying ending and the reason for the introduction of the Headmaster gimmick was well justified. Marvel Headmasters is slow, dull, and makes no goddamn sense.

Diem wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Diem wrote:The Rebirth is a fantastic story

...


I think I just had a stroke.

I understand you're entitled to your opinion, but I had to say something. Rebirth is so inadequate when it comes to the story of the Headmasters and Targetmasters, especially considering how good the Japanese Headmasters and the comics versions of the story were. If those hadn't existed, maybe Rebirth could pass, but this way? It's kinda sad knowing its wasted potential. I do understand it was made that way because the cartoon was canceled, but then they should have just left it alone and ended it with the Return of Optimus Prime. But, there were toys to be sold, so of course the promotion had to be done. But that's the only purpose I see to "season 4."

At the risk of going off topic, you'll have to go back and tell my 6-year-old self that it isn't awesome but he won't be able to hear you over watching his scratched VHS copy for the 2000th time.

I do agree that it's a terrible shame that a season had to be condensed into a five-parter, and then into a three-parter. But despite that I would say that the franchise is better off for it existing and that it's a way more satisfying ending than Return Of Optimus Prime.

Sure, with adult hindsight it's easy to see the pacing and animation issues that plagued that three parter but I would still argue that The Rebirth is an excellent story. It has a 3-act structure that is smooth and condensed. Act one: introduce all characters and plot. Act two: the bad guys win, with a giant bloody scorpion and Galvatron takes Cybertron. Act three GIANT GIANT ROBOT BATTLE, happy endings all around, stinger for the future episodes (that sadly never came).

Given the huge number of characters introduced it does a good job of getting a lot of the personalities across with dialog and actions rather than exposition (with the exception of the infamously awkward but undeniably memorable Punch/Counterpunch scene). The script is very sharply written for a cartoon of the period and everyone gets their turn at being awesome. Do you not feel a little shiver of excitement when the 5 new Headmasters step out into the middle of a Decepticon camp, confident they'll win against twice as many foes? When Spike, knowing his son has been kidnapped BUILDS A GIANT FORTRESS ROBOT and personally flies it into Decepticon space, leading an Autobot pacifist to fight off the Horrorcons and Decepticon Targetmasters, before holding his own against a rampaging warlord wh has already captured or defeated all other Autobots? When the Autobots, rallied by the arrival of Prime think they've won, only for a city to literally rise up from the ground and turn into a scorpion? When Snapdragon bites Daniel and throws him to the floor (YAAAAAAAAAAY)?

I'd certainly argue whether or not Rebirth is better than Headmasters. They're both excellent, while suffering from a few plot holes. They're both great examples of epic space opera. And they're both the wrong length (Rebirth is shorter than it should be, Headmasters is longer than it should be). But Rebirth is SOOOOO much better than the Marvel Headmasters mini-series it isn;t even funny. Rebirth is exciting, has a satisfying ending and the reason for the introduction of the Headmaster gimmick was well justified. Marvel Headmasters is slow, dull, and makes no goddamn sense.

Add the HM series from Japan into the mix and we can sadly conclude that being a Headmaster means that you're gonna be A) overhyped and B) do not get to have an awesome story.

Which bring us back to the Fort Max hype- That Mastersword wouldn't have even have dented my interest without that stupid, boring, ill-transated cartoon.

I know that feel.
It feels werid sometimes to see people go like"Oh,that was released only on Japan?Oh its simple,I will just import them all at once!"


As for pressure you kinda feel it for some figures,like when i bough Leader Jetfire,i knew it would harder an i would go through nore hassle to get him.


But there is positive side to this like written earlier,it makes you think about what are you buying.

I pressure me into buying. It's a rare thing when someone changes a decision I've made on a figure. The hobby has certainly gotten more expensive and harder to stay on top of. I do it for my own enjoyment though. As far as singling out Fortress Maximus, I couldn't care less what anyone else thinks. I want it, I will manage the money for it and that's that. Yeah, it's pricey. Collecting Transformers has never been nor will it ever be cheap. We all define our own parameters. We choose whether or not to get sucked in by hype.

This is one thought-provoking thread!

I do sometimes feel peer pressure when looking at some of the other threads/comments on here. It is never intended by the posters, but when I see that people can drop money on expensive figures, I tend to want to do that too.

I do not let that convince me to buy things I don't want. I have a pretty strict set of rules that I stick to. I have been convinced a few times that I needed to get an expensive(ish) figure because it did fit into my collection, but I never felt like I had to to make other people "accept" my collection.

I am fortunate that I have some expendable income and can afford what I want most of the time. But, the most expensive figure I every purchased was MP Grimlock.

Fort Max is a perfect example of this. I think he is a cool figure. I really do. I do not think that he is $300+ cool. I wished I had him as a kid. Part of me wants to get him. But I won't. It just isn't worth the cost.

I don't feel any pressure to buy anything, but I do have a tendency to purchase items I have not planned on if it gets amazing reviews for example, Hegemon. For all the griping of the fandom, besides the price increases and figure downsizing, which is a major issue, Hasbro has been fantastic to fans this year by re-releasing First Edition and the Masterpieces in TRU, Amazon Exclusives, and GDOs. It is not perfect but its a lot better than it could be.

So, this thread bothers me a little bit. I don't want to take away from the sentiments of the original poster, but I think this thread misses the point of this site. This is a forum for TF fans to come together, share their wants, experiences, opinions, etc. of everything related to the brand.

Because of that, there will always be a big focused discussion on upcoming toys. Whether you plan to preorder, wait for in-hand reviews, or to avoid it altogether, these forums allow you to express your opinions, excitement, hatred or whatever about that figure. To me, this should never lead to peer pressure.

This is simply a group of people with a common interest (or obsession, I think probably some of both!) to engage in discussions with people as enthusiastic about TF's as they are. I sort of see how someone could internally want to "keep up with the Jones'," but how you spend your money is entirely up to you.

Collecting TF's is a hobby (a great one I might add) for people who like to physically possess a figure that represents more to them than the plastic it is made of. I personally get a lot of joy from collecting. However, I also am only happy when I live within my budget. This is unique to every person and I don't think anyone should feel pressure to buy a TF because someone else has shared their excitement over preordering/ordering a figure they really want.

I guess my point is, it's up to each person to spend their money on the TF's they actually and truly want. I hope no one gets so caught up by pressure or hype to buy something they don't want. Again, I mean no disrespect, but this line of thinking kind of takes away from my ability to enjoy this site where I can engage with others who share my passion for TF's, even if we are all from different walks of life.

Rhinox23 wrote:So, this thread bothers me a little bit. I don't want to take away from the sentiments of the original poster, but I think this thread misses the point of this site. This is a forum for TF fans to come together, share their wants, experiences, opinions, etc. of everything related to the brand.

Because of that, there will always be a big focused discussion on upcoming toys. Whether you plan to preorder, wait for in-hand reviews, or to avoid it altogether, these forums allow you to express your opinions, excitement, hatred or whatever about that figure. To me, this should never lead to peer pressure.

This is simply a group of people with a common interest (or obsession, I think probably some of both!) to engage in discussions with people as enthusiastic about TF's as they are. I sort of see how someone could internally want to "keep up with the Jones'," but how you spend your money is entirely up to you.

Collecting TF's is a hobby (a great one I might add) for people who like to physically possess a figure that represents more to them than the plastic it is made of. I personally get a lot of joy from collecting. However, I also am only happy when I live within my budget. This is unique to every person and I don't think anyone should feel pressure to buy a TF because someone else has shared their excitement over preordering/ordering a figure they really want.

I guess my point is, it's up to each person to spend their money on the TF's they actually and truly want. I hope no one gets so caught up by pressure or hype to buy something they don't want. Again, I mean no disrespect, but this line of thinking kind of takes away from my ability to enjoy this site where I can engage with others who share my passion for TF's, even if we are all from different walks of life.

I hear you, but I don't think that's quite fair. No one on this thread is less than a pretty intense collector and fan. But we can acknowledge that there's a fine line between enthusiasm and obsession, between collection and compulsion. And that line can be easily slipped over in these days of weak economy, rising prices, and expanding 3rd-party offerings. Certainly none of us are having our arms twisted to be here, but there are moments when it might feel that way and this forum is as good a resource as any to find comfort.

Rhinox23 wrote:So, this thread bothers me a little bit. I don't want to take away from the sentiments of the original poster, but I think this thread misses the point of this site. This is a forum for TF fans to come together, share their wants, experiences, opinions, etc. of everything related to the brand.

I guess my point is, it's up to each person to spend their money on the TF's they actually and truly want. I hope no one gets so caught up by pressure or hype to buy something they don't want. Again, I mean no disrespect, but this line of thinking kind of takes away from my ability to enjoy this site where I can engage with others who share my passion for TF's, even if we are all from different walks of life.

Well I didn't meant to bring you down. I've been part of this community for quite some time and I have been on the other side of the fence too; I lived in Japan for several years and back then I was the one who was getting all the cool J-exclusives quicker and cheaper. But I am in a comparatively bad position now, financially and emotionally and I think it reached some kind of apex when I made the first post.

I understand your sentiments, and the sentiments of the others in this thread who have talked about curbing one's collecting and having the ability to change what you can, capacity to accept what you can't etc. Maybe I am just being a spoiled brat. We are all here out of love, not hate (except for Rated X, who is here for trolling). I didn't mean for this to be a turn off for you and for that I apologise; this is an amazing site full of very supportive and excellent people. And if you stick around me you'll find that when I'm don't have my nose pressed up against the outside of Counterpunch's window in the snow, I'm actually a pretty funny and upbeat guy.