Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

Hey guys. I'm a new member on forum, all though I've been using the database for a good while. I can't really call my self a TF collector in any way: I collect mainly G.I. Joe, MOTUC, and to a limited extent Star Wars. But lately I have found out that I want a selection of Transformers as well, as they were a huge part of my childhood, just as the joes and he-man figures.

The entire franchise is obviously too much to start collecting, in particular when I already collect other stuff. I don't have room for an entire toy line. I want a relatively small, good looking collection, and I need a focal point, a goal. So the question is what sub group I should go for. I think I prefer G1, but for all I know, there may be some newer TF lines that are great, I know the Masterpiece stuff looks great. But if G1, then what sub group should I go for? I've thought about combiners, Headmasters, G1 cars, all the planes, only yellow robots, only robots from the original comic book mini series, etc.

What is most realistic, in terms of managing to get a complete group over, lets say the next two years?
What looks best in display?
What has the best playability today? I have fond memories of both the combiners and headmasters, but do they hold up to day?
What subgroup will cause the least head ache in terms of re-issues, Japanese versions, bootlegs, etc.? I've must say I have tried to understand the various lines, but I'm at a loss here.

I plan on having the TFs on display, either on shelves or in glass cabinets. And I have yet to decide if they should be MIB or loose, but that obviously depends on what subgroup I plan on collecting. They do look good in package, but I think I prefer them loose, and in robot mode.


I'll be very thankful for any replies, and if this is the wrong forum, I hope it will be moved without too much trouble. I thought of putting the thread in the Xperts forum, but as I thought I could get valid opinions from everyone (not just "experts"), it ended up here in Toys Forum.

Welcome aboard!

I'm a completionist, so I'm probably the worst to answer this question, but if you're looking for great figures, and can handle the relatively high prices, the Classics and Universe 2.0 lines will not disappoint. Some truly epic figures, like Classics Optimus Prime, Classics Mirage, Classics Astrotrain, U2.0 Octane, U2.0 Cyclonus, among others are some of the best representations of their characters. In some cases, like Prime, the alt-mode is updated and slightly more "futuristic", but they're really great.

I agree with Razorclaw0000, the classics/universe line is probay the best bang for your buck investment nowadays. Take everything that was great about the G1 line and update it to modern standards. And don't forget to buy a Unicron for your collection also!

Some of the later waves of Universe might still be avaliable in online shops like hasbrotoyshop or toysrus so there shodnt be too much of a markup. However the origional classics line may be significantly more.

Oh and welcome to the boards!

I hate to disagree with Razorclaw and Firebird, but if getting a "complete" collection in two years is your goal, Classics/Universe could be difficult. Even if you take Gentai/Henkei out of the equation, there's still the likes of Drag Strip and Overkill, there are various figures that questionably belong to the line (such as Crankcase, or the later Animated Legends) and there are some seriously tough to get exclusives like Thundercracker.

Moreover, the C/U line is pretty incomplete as it stands. Galvatron and Cyclonus, but no Scourge. Megatron and Starscream, but no Soundwave. Octane and Astrotrain, but no Blitzwing.

I agree that C/U is a great set of toys; in many cases they're the epitome of the figures they represent. But trying to collect them all might drive you crazy.

I'm biased , but if you have the funds, I'd say get the Headmasters, the Targetmasters, and the seven Scramble City type combiners. None of these figures hold up well by modern posability standards but they maintain their charm. In terms of exclusives, it would depend only on whether you wanted to get Artfire, Stepper and the ludicrously expensive extra Japanese heads.

Welcome aboard!

For previous lines like Headmasters and G1 and G2 combiners, they do hold up for display purposes but not so much for playability and poseability. Unfortunately, combiners haven't seen much in toy design advancement with the exception of Landfill/Build King and Railracer/JRX of the Robots in Disguise/Car Robots line.

If you want to dip into the more exotic and/or high end figures at some point, aside from the Masterpiece line, you could consider the Binaltech/Alternators and Alternity lines. They take classic characters like Optimus Prime and re-envision them with a modern twist.

The Binaltech/Alternators line uses mostly sports cars for the alternate/vehicle modes, which are quite accurate to the real vehicles. The Binaltech line is the original Japanese produced line, which uses a fair amount of die cast metal in the figure construction. Alternators is the American version of the line, which uses the same figure molds but uses plastic instead of die cast metal. I have quite a few Alternators because they are easier to acquire and much cheaper than the Binaltech figures. Binaltech/Alternators is basically finished with its production. It's on "indefinite hiatus" but it's unlikely that it's going to continue because the Alternity line, which just started recently, is basically the sequel to Binaltech/Alternators.

The Alternity line is a new line of high end Transformers figures. It, like Binaltech/Alternators, uses classic characters in re-imagined designs. So far, only Convoy/Optimus Prime and Megatron have been produced. Bumble/Bumblebee and a red coloured variant(Cliff/Cliffjumper) with a retooled head sculpt that resembles Cliffjumper will be released in the near future. So far, the Alternity figures have alternate/vehicle modes that are based on cars, like the majority of Binaltech/Alternators figures.

Due to the pricing, it's not going to be easy to complete the Binaltech/Alternators collection but they are great for display and playability.

Hey guys, thanks a lot for great answers, and varied opinions. I'm still trying to figure out what the classics and universe lines actually are. Of the few Transformers I've bought in the last years, I actually have a few I think are classics/universe. I have Classics Starscream, Mirage, Jetfire, and I have the 25th Soundwave that says "universe" on the box.

Anyway, I think I'd prefer to display some vintage toys, and I really like Diem's idea of going for Headmasters, Targetmasters and the combiners.

Alright. Looks like you need some links, and I'm going to be the one that brings them. As a new collector to anything, it can tend to be pretty hard. There's so much terminology out there, and I'm guessing all you know is a few characters here and there. All you gotta know is that our toy galleries, will make your world alot easier.

When we fans say Classics/Universe, we're talking about 2 toy lines. 'Classics' was released in 05-06, new molds paying heavy homage to Generation One (You know what that is right?). Basically it made every fanboy (and girl) pee their pants. With the popularity of that so high, Hasbro totally had to continue that trend, and released 'Universe' in 08-09. We sometimes call it Classics 2.0. Basically with that, we have modern day figures for a TV series released back in the 80's. It doesn't stop there as Classics 3.0 is somewhat in the works.

Anyways, that's not my opinion entirely. Yeah, I like Classics/Universe, but really... it's just pose-ability when it comes to those figures. Comparing Classics to their original G1 predecessors, obviously Classics wins because G1 was bricktastic. There's one thing you said and this isn't exactly what you said, but I'm getting the vibe that you want something 'easy to collect' and figures that are 'really fun and have a multitude of ways to play with'

Now do I have the toyline for you - Transformers Energon.

Energon had an underlying theme - Energon Chips, Energon Weapons and Energon Powerlinking. Basically everything on one figure is universal to the other. What I'm trying to get here is that.. no Figure in the Energon toyline can be misplaced among others. It totally happens in other toylines.. Also, Energon, of all the toylines in the past 10 years, is probably the most main-stream that isn't exactly popular. You could probably collect it easy without such a dent into your wallet.

I'll start off with toy gallery links to Energon, and it's subsequent TFWiki toyline page.

Kanye West wrote:Classics, I’m really happy for you…I’ll let you finish.

But Energon had one of the best toylines of all time!

One of the best toylines of all time!

Also, Energon is chock full of homage goodness, like Downshift, who is an awesome Wheeljack, Arcee, Beachcomber, Rodimus, Prowl, who is an awesome Mirage homage, etc. You even get little Godzilla and Mazer Tank homage with Cruellock and Signal Flare.

I didn't suggest Energon because it's a relatively large toyline, but it is also one of my favorites.

Thanks for a solid run down, Blurrz. The Universe/Classics/Energon lines have confused me

I have picked up a few of the Energon TFs for my nephew, and I'm honestly not that impressed. They are flimsy, and the characters seem bland. But from the praise it gets from you guys, I will definitely take a closer look at the line. The point that Energon can't be confused with any other line is a big plus.
"Easy to collect", sure I'll take that, but I also like the chase, the quest for those last pieces. I don't really have a time limit for collecting, I just wanted to have a few robots in my toy room.

I must point out that I'm a nostalgic, and I grew up with Generation one - Mainly trough reading the comic and watching the cartoon. I enjoy both still to this day. So it's not like I'm new to the robots, I'm very much familiar with G1, I just haven't bothered with the toys yet.

Alright then, I guess it's probably going to be Classics/Universe then.. You could probably venture way back at actually get G1, but that might take awhile (and cost alot)

When it comes to Classics/Universe figures.. I guess I'll point out a handful that may give you problems;

Optimus Prime - Obviously the face of the franchise. FansProject's D.I.A. and Powered Commander have increased the price of the figure, but it's still reasonable
Ultra Magnus - Fansproject's City Commander increased the price a bit, not all too much. Comes with a 2-pack with Skywarp, making it a bit more expensive.
Nemesis Prime - Exclusive
Rodimus - Fansproject has a Trailer coming up soon... Prices have increased.

Basically Classics/Universe is extremely popular, so prices are a tad increased from their retail price. That's about it! Happy Collecting!

Blurrz wrote:[color=darkgreen]You could probably venture way back at actually get G1, but that might take awhile (and cost alot)

Money not an issue. Obviously, not on a MISB Fortress Maximus-scale, but cutting down on buying joes leaves me with a nice budget for robots.

And that Classics Magnus looks great. Specially with the added gear!

I would second the Alternators mention. 27 figures all to scale that make for a nice display. Model worthy cars all with the same sized robots. Would probably run you about $1500 or so.

I'd say the Masterpiece line, but there are only 4 molds and IMO not worth "completing" as a line. Better off skipping MP01 (Prime with no trailer) and MP03 (odd color Starscream) then getting the USA edition g1 color Starscream whose packaging doesn't fit with the rest.

I collect certain characters myself. So, if they release a movie version of Grimlock, I'd be all over that. It's really neat to put all the toys together and see how they're different.
Though, some people don't like the idea of buying the same character again.

Welcome to Seibertron, Soulgem!

IMO, chasing after older lines would be rather futile, not to mention expensive if you plan to bid for stuff on ebay. I also entered TF collecting at a rather late stage, so even Cybertron and Galaxy Force TF's are rarer than dinosaur fossils to me.

For what it's worth, I recommend the MP line, since it's a highly-detailed line featuring (some of) G1's most memorable characters. They might be rather high-end, but the quality is second to none. These are ideal for display purposes.

Also, Alternity TF's are a good source of collectibles, since the line has barely started, and there is sure to be quite a few more TF's lined up for release, with Bumblebee and Cliffjumper set for release. You can still easily find Alternity Primes and Megatrons in many online shops.

As far as playability goes, TFA figures are no hassle to transform, but complex enough to make the process fun yet not tedious.

As for Hasbro versus Takara, I can speak from personal experience and those of some fellow collectors, that Takara generally has better QC than Hasbro products. Just remember that by better QC, I mean that there are far less cases of manufacturing defects, and the overall finishing is better. Missing paint apps will remain missing in the Takara TF's, but whatever paint apps that are on both US and Japanese version will usually be in pristine condition.

Hope this helps some

If you, like me, want great playability then Alternators, Masterpiece, Classics/Universe and Movie/ROTF are for you. Interesting and complex transformations and (mostly) great pose-ability.

Wow, thanks for so many interesting replies. I just have to try out a few different lines, and see what's working for me.

Skywarped_128: are you talking about a general difference between Takara and Hasbro, or on a specific line? Also, are they planning to make more Masterpiece versions? Is this line healthy in terms of sales? I see that Grimlock is the latest, and an entire new mold. Seems weird that they made a mold they can't reuse the same way they as with the truck and the jet. Ratchet/Ironhide and Red Alert/Sunstreaker/Sideswipe would be interesting as masterpieces. I'm guessing we probably have a few topics on this, I'll see if I can find them.

Thanks again guys for good advice and ideas.

Soulgem wrote:Skywarped_128: are you talking about a general difference between Takara and Hasbro, or on a specific line? Also, are they planning to make more Masterpiece versions? Is this line healthy in terms of sales? I see that Grimlock is the latest, and an entire new mold. Seems weird that they made a mold they can't reuse the same way they as with the truck and the jet. Ratchet/Ironhide and Red Alert/Sunstreaker/Sideswipe would be interesting as masterpieces. I'm guessing we probably have a few topics on this, I'll see if I can find them.

In regards to Takara and Hasbro, I was referring to the general quality of all TF's produced by both companies. IMO, Takara seems to demand stricter QC standards from factories than Hasbro. Since I buy mostly Takara TF's, many of the complaints I hear about a specific TF usually doesn't occur in the Japanese version I purchased. I might have gotten lucky, but there have been several cases of this happening. For instance, there have been several complaints that ROTF Mudflap's silver paint apps were all over the place, but the Takara-made version I got looked fine.

In some cases, Takara versions of TF's also get "pimped up", so to speak, which can be either good or bad. Some TF's from Takara's Henkei line sported additional decorations than Hasbro's Classics line, namely chrome, paint apps, and different colored shades of paint. It's a matter of taste, in this case.

As for MP, no one really knows if they'll make any more TF's for that line. Most of the popular ones have already been released, including Prime, Ultra Magnus, "Nemesis Prime", Megs, the three Seekers, and most recently, Grimlock. I haven't heard any recent news of a new MP toy. Even if so, they'd likely just re-release an already released mold with extra accessories, probably Starscream, with his "corronation gear".

Soulgem wrote:Ratchet/Ironhide and Red Alert/Sunstreaker/Sideswipe would be interesting as masterpieces.

my thoughts exactly, but Takara currently seems busy with the Alternity release of Bumblebee and Cliffjumper, and several other new TF's from the ROTF line. Things have been rather quiet on the MP line, so I'm afraid Grimlock might be the last G1 character from that particular line.

Still, one CAN hope for an MP Ironhide and Sunstreaker. It'd be great if that were to come true!

If you're looking for a line that's likely to produce more toys in the coming months, Alternity would be a good candidate. Only Prime and Megs has been released, although they did come in several different colors, making for six individual figures in total. I don't know if the line might last very long, but chances are good that at least three to four more characters will be released before this line gets abandoned. Alternity offers high-end, realistic-looking alt modes with automotive designs licensed from car manufacturers, such as the Nissan GTR for Prime, and the Fairlady for Megs. From the Super Black Prime and Lemans Blue Megs I have, I can tell you quite assuredly that the alt mode of these TF's can easily match the quality of non-transforming die-cast Burago scale model cars.

SKYWARPED_128 wrote:In regards to Takara and Hasbro, I was referring to the general quality of all TF's produced by both companies. IMO, Takara seems to demand stricter QC standards from factories than Hasbro. Since I buy mostly Takara TF's, many of the complaints I hear about a specific TF usually doesn't occur in the Japanese version I purchased. I might have gotten lucky, but there have been several cases of this happening. For instance, there have been several complaints that ROTF Mudflap's silver paint apps were all over the place, but the Takara-made version I got looked fine.

Hasbro and TakaraTomy use the same factories with the same QC. TAKARATOMY IS NOT BETTER. JUST DIFFERENT.

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Misconceptions_a ... mers#Other

I have a good mix of figures from both companies and the Takara stuff is just as floppy and loose, with just as awful of paint apps as the Hasbro stuff.

I apologize for ranting, but this misconception is THE SINGLE MOST annoying thing about the fandom. I can take the whines about BotCon Thundercracker, or the opinions of how awful Animated was, or the Movie stuff is, but I'm sick of this.

<End Rant>

I have to concur with SKYWARPED about Alternity. From the original post I was worried that Soulgem might not be interested in figures that are not very G1-ish, let alone a line that consists of only four characters/eight toys. But the Alternity line consists purely of awesome...so far.

If you'll allow me to blow my own trumpet, my reviews of the first two figures:
Convoy:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=50790
Megatron:
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=54987

Since then, I also picked up Black Convoy and love him. Hopefully this Thursday I'll be getting Cliffjumper, and maybe Bumblebee too.

Yeah, alternity resemble the alternators. They look spectacular in disguise, but I guess you're right, Diem. I'm leaning towards the G1 style for now...

I just took a chance, based on what I really wanted, and from reading all of your great suggestions, and picked up a huge robot from the internets just now. Basically my first conscious TF purchase as a collector. Looking forward to it
It may be a complete miss, but since I'm an extreme noob to collecting TFs, I expect to make some mistakes.

Razorclaw, I honestly don't know all the facts about Takara's QC policies, and what I said is just a personal view of what I believe to be true. Like I said, maybe I just lucked out and got the ones from the good batches. I've never confirmed the statement about Takara's QC standards, merely saying that there's a possibility they might be stricter than those of Hasbro's.

Either way, thanks for the link. Good to know the truth, even if it proved me wrong While I've never been against Hasbro versions of TF, the store in my neighborhood primarily sells Japanese imports, so most of my TF's invariably come from Takara.

Lastly, I just want to make it clear that it was never my intention to bash Hasbro. God knows, without them there would be no Transformers, just some unknown transforming toys in Japan called Miclones and Microman.

SKYWARPED_128 wrote:Razorclaw, I honestly don't know all the facts about Takara's QC policies, and what I said is just a personal view of what I believe to be true. Like I said, maybe I just lucked out and got the ones from the good batches. I've never confirmed the statement about Takara's QC standards, merely saying that there's a possibility they might be stricter than those of Hasbro's.

Either way, thanks for the link. Good to know the truth, even if it proved me wrong While I've never been against Hasbro versions of TF, the store in my neighborhood primarily sells Japanese imports, so most of my TF's invariably come from Takara.

Lastly, I just want to make it clear that it was never my intention to bash Hasbro. God knows, without them there would be no Transformers, just some unknown transforming toys in Japan called Miclones and Microman.

No worries. I just hate that myth more than any others. No hard feelings, eh?

I really think it's all the luck of the draw. I bought a first release of Universe Prowl, and I never had any of the stickiness that everyone else dealt with. But these literally, the same factories, with the same employees.

Anyway, please resume your regularly scheduled thread.

Razorclaw0000 wrote:No worries. I just hate that myth more than any others. No hard feelings, eh?

No hard feelings whatsoever, bro.

I know where you're coming from. Besides TF's, I'm also an avid Macross VF collector, and like you, there are certain common misconceptions that bug the hell out of me. For one, many Macross collectors insist that the VF-1D is a trainer jet just because it's a two-seater and is colored orange and beige. What they fail to realize is that it's given the model name VF, meaning variable FIGHTER! A trainer would have been named VT, for variable trainer, but many still argue against it.

Oh well,....

Actually, this thread inspired me to pick up some of the G1 homages from Energon (or rather, from Superlink) so I got Wheeljack and Rodimus Convoy. And theyre both great. I understand even less now those people who are clamouring for a Wheeljack in Universe; this guy is a perfect update.

Anyway, to Soulgem: Energon is a good bet for G1 homagery without costing too much.

Diem wrote:Anyway, to Soulgem: Energon is a good bet for G1 homagery without costing too much.

Like I've said, price is not really an issue. The energon line has lots of cool robots, but for some reason, I feel they are better suited for younger fans, like my nephew.
I bought a robot called MP-04, and if I like it, I will get more of them. And I will fill in with alternators and a few classics where the Mp line fails to give me my favorite characters.