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Va'al wrote:I find myself aligning characters more to their current IDW personalities or groupings, rather than others.

Yes, I've begun doing this, as well. Before I started reading the comics I had a little Galvatron, Cyclonus and the Sweeps gang going on. Since then I've removed Cyclonus and shoved him on my Lost Light shelves, where he's currently sharing a few bevvies with Tailgate and Swerve (courtesy of the Maketoys 3P Swerve's drinks tray).

I only got into the IDW stuff this year, so as I've said before in another thread I'm lagging behind a little. I've got all the Collections so far (the 8 from pre-MTME/RiD, and the new one starting from The Death of Optimus Prime) and I'm up to Volume 4 of the paperback releases. I'm about 10 episodes or so in, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it and I keep coming across more and more characters that find their way onto my "OMGMUSTHAVEORIWILLDIE" list. I keep meaning to buy the rest of the comics in one big job lot to catch up, but then something comes out likes these Combiner Wars figures which will leave me short of cash again.

For me, I was a fan as a kid in the early 90s. Cartoon and toys.

Fast forward a few years, and the movies came out, sparked my interest again, saw the figures on pegs and work and I'd admire them. Didn't buy though.

Then I bought the FOC and WFC games (in that order)

Enjoyed the story, and found FOC Soundwave on the shelf wth his minions. My first purchase. Eventually I backed that up with the entire FOC/WFC catalogue, along with Gen Warpath for some reason.

I slowly got into the IDW comics via the iPad app, and then started a more G1 collection, from the classics-generations series.

Two years after my first purchase I probably have over 100 transformers now...

shajaki wrote:my really deep answer:
watching the TF show and playing with the toys was a happy time. maybe one of the highlights of my childhood. i didnt have the greatest upbringing and have struggled with depression my whole adult life and i think collecting TF's is a way to "hold on" to those good times. (after a lot of work im quite stable and happy now by the way)

Sounds very similar to my childhood. There were many times where transformers were the only happy part of my childhood. I kinda grew out of them for a few years as I became a teenager, then Beast Wars showed up on my tv and I was hooked! Bought a number of the toys (13 of each faction), then as season 1 finished and I missed season 2, I moved away from tf to collecting movies.

A few years later my brother directed me towards a new cartoon (R.I.D.) and I was hooked again. A gift voucher convinced me to buy R.I.D. Optimus and from that point on I was addicted to collecting transformers. That is also when I first see myself as a collector and not just a fan. I wasn't buying everything that came along, but if it appeared in a cartoon I had to have it. Energon and the 07 movie became small regrets that eventually helped me cut back and focus more on Classics and MP. The upcoming RID with bumblebee in charge ( ) put the final nail in my cartoon inspired collecting.

These days my collecting is really is focused on Classics and MP with my own fan fiction and the odd impulse buy expanding things a little. While I have no intentions of selling anything, if I had to it would be Armada, Energon, 07 movie and any PRID figures I haven't repurposed for Classics. Nostalgia is the driving force behind my collecting now. If future cartoons get their s**t together that might change, only time will tell.

Va'al wrote:There is a correlation between some aspects of geek/nerd (I regard them as interchangeable)

I always viewed them as having the same interests (sci-fi, fantasy etc.) with nerds also having book smarts. Revenge of the Nerds was probably where that view developed

Va'al wrote:(Yes, niche nerdy joke.)

We're members of a forum dedicated to transformers for crying out loud, I think niche and nerdy are pretty appropriate already

Va'al wrote:

ArmadaPrime wrote:Wow, what a question!
I think for me personally, I largely get figures because I see them as fun toys. If I think I'm going to enjoy transforming and posing a figure, chances are I'll (at least attempt to) pick it up.

Yes! Poses are a great incentive to pick up a figure from the shelf, be it your own or a shop's (online or in person). But wouldn't you say that this applies to all action figures?

Why is it Transformers specifically, what is it in the aesthetic gain - not the cognitive one we experience in the puzzle-transformation - but the tactile, visual pleasure of shape-shifting robots over, say, a car by its own or a humanoid figure by itself?

I think perhaps the interchangeability plays a part- sometimes I might feel more like cars, sometimes I'm in the mood for a robot. Gotta admire the efficiency of a toy that does both, if nothing else
Interesting that you bring up the comparison with non-transforming action figures though, as the more and more I fall into the Kamen Rider fandom, the more S.H. Figuarts I find myself wanting to pick up- I have four so far. Figuarts are really, really well-done action figures, packed full of articulation, accessories, and alternate hands, but aside from "looking like wot it does in that there show" they don't really do anything per se. Odd then that I love them so much, if one of the main reasons for me enjoying transformers is their tactile nature and the fact that they do have a lot going on
I suppose though, that with all the accessories and that, Figuarts do provide a lot of options- poses are far from limited to "looking frustrated whilst holding a gun" as is the case with some transformers, and maybe that's what it boils down to, I enjoy that there are options and so rather than eventually getting tired of a figure, you can just change the way you display it to spice things up a little.

Va'al wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:They made a strong imprint on me waaaaaaaaaay bck during the G1 days. Never looked back since.

So is it the G1 fiction that spurs you on? Or your memory of the period?

Is it a type of nostalgia, a way of keeping alive the memory of what you enjoyed then, or something else?

Uhmmm,both. Great backstory (I'm sticking to the 1984 cartoon and a bit of the Marvel era up to the DW vision).

And the memory (a bit bitter sweet in a sense that my family could nigh afford to get me one)and in front of my eyes, ALL of them were available. (torture people, torture!). started collecting them at the tale end of 1980s

Good idea for a thread. For me I grew up with G1, I had a modest but satisfying Transformers collection, mainly due to my parents not being particularly well off, that said they really pulled out the stops on Christmas and Birthdays resulting in me owning figures like Optimus, Megatron, Ultra Magnus, Metroplex and Scorpinok to name but a few. I grew out of Tranformers shortly after thie 86 Movie,I personally felt the franchise had gotten lazy , esspecially with regards to transformation, figures like Topspin and Twintwist were the final straw for me.

The years rolled on and Transformers endured with lines such as Cybertron, Armada and Energon, these new incarnations never really floated my boat but it pleased me that they were still around. That all changed when Classics hit the shelves, I had not at this time followed the franchise in any detail and when I saw Classics Starscream on a shelf in TESCO on holiday I was instantly transported back to my childhood, I bought him on sight and have never looked back since.

The original plan was to buy Classics versions of all the G1 toys I had as a kid, however the line did not pan out as I had predicted, I therefore focused on collecting "pre Movie" Classics figures basically anything from season 1 and 2. I slugged away at this rather specific (and restrictive) rule, passing up on Rodimus, Ultra Magnus et al. This all changed when IDW started to re release the UK comic book, once again I was transported to my childhood and began to gain a greater affection for Rodimus, Magnus and especially Galvatron, as a result I began to expand my collection chasing up previous figures I had passed on (which proved quite expensive in some cases) and also delve into the 3rd party side of collecting to fill those much needed gaps in my collection.

I am still in the process of revisiting the original UK comics, and plan to move on to the Dreamwave and IDW comics, which will no doubt result in a lot more figures popping up on my radar. Either way with so many great figures out there and some really interesing stuff on the way both official and 3rd party this party aint over yet!

ArmadaPrime wrote:..poses are far from limited to "looking frustrated whilst holding a gun" as is the case with some transformers..

I have no idea what you mean.

Syn_13 wrote:

Va'al wrote:I find myself aligning characters more to their current IDW personalities or groupings, rather than others.

Yes, I've begun doing this, as well. Before I started reading the comics I had a little Galvatron, Cyclonus and the Sweeps gang going on. Since then I've removed Cyclonus and shoved him on my Lost Light shelves, where he's currently sharing a few bevvies with Tailgate and Swerve (courtesy of the Maketoys 3P Swerve's drinks tray).

Ah, see, it's a little different for me. It's more of a reason to have a specific toy than have a set belonging to a shared fiction. So, for example, while Windblade, Chromia and Starscream all appear together, I have no real urge to own the latter two, but am excitedly looking forward to the Takara Windblade toy showing up in the post.

The fiction itself is not a backdrop or a display theme, but rather the prod or shove I need to eventually buy a toy.

Arctorro wrote:A gift voucher convinced me to buy R.I.D. Optimus and from that point on I was addicted to collecting transformers. That is also when I first see myself as a collector and not just a fan. I wasn't buying everything that came along, but if it appeared in a cartoon I had to have it.

Oh, that is a very intriguing point, right there: fan and collector. How do you see the two as being different, what separates one from the other, and what are the contact points?

Because, personally, I can see being a fan without the collecting, but not the other way round, yes?

Va'al wrote:

Arctorro wrote:A gift voucher convinced me to buy R.I.D. Optimus and from that point on I was addicted to collecting transformers. That is also when I first see myself as a collector and not just a fan. I wasn't buying everything that came along, but if it appeared in a cartoon I had to have it.

Oh, that is a very intriguing point, right there: fan and collector. How do you see the two as being different, what separates one from the other, and what are the contact points?

Because, personally, I can see being a fan without the collecting, but not the other way round, yes?

I can definitely see people being fans and not collectors. Someone who collects but isn't a fan would be an investor wouldn't they? As for the difference, there is clearly a grey area.

I was to young to collect G1 being born in 81 and with Beast Wars I was initially only interested in a few toys. Wasn't really worried about not getting Tigertron and Blackarachnia, and as much as I loved the show (my fav tf cartoon to date), it was more a passing fad than anything else. There was no real plan other than getting a few toys to play with. I remember walking down the isle looking at the toys and (in the case of Tigertron) thinking, "I have that already (Cheetor), why would I buy it again?", then looking at other new moulds and just not caring that much at all. I've tracked down a heap of BW toys in the last few years, just didn't care at the time.

It was after watching a couple of episodes of R.I.D. that the desire to get the full cast of each and every cartoon started to kick in.

As for what defines and collector... If a definition is possible, I see at least 3 different types; 1) Planning a specific collection with set boundaries, 2) Set boundaries with a few impulse buys in between (where I'm at these days), and 3) Buying everything you like the look of. Though, in the end, a 'collector' is probably someone who sees it as more than just a passing fad.

Arctorro wrote:As for what defines and collector... If a definition is possible, I see at least 3 different types; 1) Planning a specific collection with set boundaries, 2) Set boundaries with a few impulse buys in between (where I'm at these days), and 3) Buying everything you like the look of.

Though, in the end, a 'collector' is probably someone who sees it as more than just a passing fad.

And of course, the sinister connotations that the term has in some parts of 'popular' culture, from the stereotypical mis-representation of the Comic Book Guy to these two:








Would you, or anyone else, argue that the collection aspect is definitely part of the appreciation of the characters/fiction (i.e. the fan part, even if it's a collection of two figures) - or do you think that it can overshadow the actual enjoyment of the franchise, or whatever aspect of it you are into?

Va'al wrote:

Would you, or anyone else, argue that the collection aspect is definitely part of the appreciation of the characters/fiction (i.e. the fan part, even if it's a collection of two figures) - or do you think that it can overshadow the actual enjoyment of the franchise, or whatever aspect of it you are into?

You can argue for everything. We know for a fact that there are millions of TF fans worldwide, specifically in China. But they will watch the movies and not buy the toys. For many, the fandom for fiction does not extend to toys. My little cousin is a HUGE fan but could not care less for the toys. She will play with constructbots, but more because they are building toys.

And the reverse also applies. Collections can be very interesting in their specificity. Some people collect Takara products, no matter what, sometimes due to another franchise not necessarily linked to TF, and will buy TF products due to it's link to Takara. Some collect Robot toys, and this falls in there, no need for a specific association to the fiction. I collect Transformer toys because I love the Transformers brand design, it's roots and the concept of the toys. I had no link to G1 wheeljack or Lambo in any way (I have never even seen an episode with Sideswipe) but you bet your ass I got those masterpiece toys because they were such perfect examples of the Transformers Toy.

And then there is everything in between.

Va'al wrote:And of course, the sinister connotations that the term has in some parts of 'popular' culture, from the stereotypical mis-representation of the Comic Book Guy to these two:

When does pop culture ever get anything right

Va'al wrote:Would you, or anyone else, argue that the collection aspect is definitely part of the appreciation of the characters/fiction (i.e. the fan part, even if it's a collection of two figures) - or do you think that it can overshadow the actual enjoyment of the franchise, or whatever aspect of it you are into?

The collection aspect is most definitely part of the appreciation for me, can't speak to anyone else. I'm a big fan of robots and cartoons, so transformers (and Zoids) are perfect for someone like me. I also have a lot of fan fiction bouncing around in my head and new toys I like the look of, that previously had no spot in that fiction, help to expand it. So the fiction increases my appreciation of the toys and the toys increases my appreciation of the fiction.

william-james88 wrote:

Va'al wrote:

Would you, or anyone else, argue that the collection aspect is definitely part of the appreciation of the characters/fiction (i.e. the fan part, even if it's a collection of two figures) - or do you think that it can overshadow the actual enjoyment of the franchise, or whatever aspect of it you are into?

You can argue for everything.

[...]

And then there is everything in between.

Yes, of course.

I was just prodding the conversation along, I'm not entirely sure what point, if any, I am trying to make. Other than clearing my ideas about collecting in general, and Transformers specifically.

Arctorro wrote:

Va'al wrote:And of course, the sinister connotations that the term has in some parts of 'popular' culture, from the stereotypical mis-representation of the Comic Book Guy to these two:

When does pop culture ever get anything right

Oh, that's definitely true. It's why I find series like Comic Book Men and Big Bang Theory mildly annoying in their portrayal of geek/nerd culture. But that's a different thread altogether (we actually did go into it at some point, I'll see if I can find it..).

But here's another prompt - most of the responses so far have been about collectors/fans who enjoy the figures for their playability (read as posing, fiddling, transforming, shelf position, etc).

What about collectors, who are still fans, therefore not 'investors' - to use a term that has shown itself in here - who like their robots in boxes? The variations of MISB, MIB, MOC, MOSC - do any of you find yourselves in there?

Va'al wrote:But here's another prompt - most of the responses so far have been about collectors/fans who enjoy the figures for their playability (read as posing, fiddling, transforming, shelf position, etc).

What about collectors, who are still fans, therefore not 'investors' - to use a term that has shown itself in here - who like their robots in boxes? The variations of MISB, MIB, MOC, MOSC - do any of you find yourselves in there?

I personally dont keep my stuff in boxes, I open them as soon as I get them, also never keep boxes, throw them away every time. as far as I'm concerned Transformers are designed to be transformed and keeping them in there boxes just defeats the object buying them IMO.

And yet there are a lot of people who do like the boxes, either to keep separately or to form part of the collection itself. There are some very good examples in the Share Your Collection threads.

Can anyone give us some insight on the type of enjoyment gained from that? (I'm not judging, actually curious!)

Va'al wrote:And yet there are a lot of people who do like the boxes, either to keep separately or to form part of the collection itself. There are some very good examples in the Share Your Collection threads.

Can anyone give us some insight on the type of enjoyment gained from that? (I'm not judging, actually curious!)

I know, I'm struggling to find room for my figures nevermind the boxes as well

Lovebug wrote:Can anyone give us some insight on the type of enjoyment gained from that? (I'm not judging, actually curious!)

I have one figure only in his box. A 100% complete original G1 Optimus Prime.

For me, it's prestige, to be able to say, "there's my Optimus Prime/Convoy collection, and see there at the back? Original Optimus Prime MIB"

Burn wrote:

Lovebug wrote:Can anyone give us some insight on the type of enjoyment gained from that? (I'm not judging, actually curious!)

I have one figure only in his box. A 100% complete original G1 Optimus Prime.

For me, it's prestige, to be able to say, "there's my Optimus Prime/Convoy collection, and see there at the back? Original Optimus Prime MIB"

I can definitely see the appeal of that! I almost kept the TF:Prime First Edition Optimus Prime in its box, it looked absolutely amazing, and the limited availability gave it a sense of 'trophy' or memorabilia. Like framing a good piece of art, say. (Though I just had to open it eventually, because it's a great figure.)

But it's not an entire collection of boxes. That's what tends to confuse me - even recent releases, just in boxes.

Va'al wrote:But it's not an entire collection of boxes. That's what tends to confuse me - even recent releases, just in boxes.

It looks good.

Seriously, have you seen some of those displays with the glass cases housing all those beautifully boxed Transformers?

It also reminds of what the toy shops were like back in the day, walking in and seeing all those boxed Transformers.

While I definitely prefer to have my TF's unboxed and on display, if I had the time, space, and money, I wouldn't say no to a room full of boxed TF's displayed in glass cases.

OK, lets see.

I started collecting when I discovered that the show was out on DVD (Sony Wonder's version of Season 1 in the UK), and I rediscovered how much I loved the series growing up. Suddenly I wanted the RID toys that were out at the time and got whatever I could, that reminded me of either G1 or Beast Wars characters that I liked.

Originally I would only get what looked awesome to me, like when I was still getting TFs to play with, then I decided to concentrate on stuff that looked like G1 characters - Classics representation if you will, the closer to the G1 character the better, and no two versions of the same toy, save for maybe the Seekers. Then I went and got anything that appealed to me during Energon and Cybertron.

When I joined the forums I suddenly slipped into this "have to have everything" mentality, and got as much I could get my hands on. I even went and got figures that where based on characters I didn't like or had any interest in, like FP City Commander, and eventually Classics Ultra Magnus so I could display the City Commander armor and my Classics Prime at the same time, oh and the Henkei Seekers.

For Animated I even went completist, and tried to get the whole main line, and all versions of certain main line figures or characters (Optimus Prime, Lockdown, Megatron). I was bummed when the inevitable happened and a couple of figures never made it anywhere near my hunting grounds, leaving me with an incomplete collection.

Couple of years ago I decided to stop after I realized just how huge my collection had gotten, and that despite all the money I put into it, I never managed to actually finish anything. I had no complete set of the G1 cartoon cast, I didn't even have a full set of Animated cast characters. So for me, it was all just a waste, waste of space, waste of money and effort. I even realized that at the time, that I had almost 80 figures in my room, which struck me as insane seeing how I had put my entire collection into storage just two years prior.

I went cold turkey and completely stopped. Then I got my hand son MP11 Starscream and realized what to do.

I have since restructured my collection, I now only go Masterpiece 2.0, and only cartoon characters and decos. No useless repaints like "Night-shift nurse Optimus Prime" or non-characters like Sunstorm.

Sure, I may pick up guys like Sunstorm or Acid Storm should I find them for dirt cheap, but only when I have all the main guys of the year caught up on and I really have money to burn.

leakin' lubricant wrote:

Va'al wrote:But here's another prompt - most of the responses so far have been about collectors/fans who enjoy the figures for their playability (read as posing, fiddling, transforming, shelf position, etc).

What about collectors, who are still fans, therefore not 'investors' - to use a term that has shown itself in here - who like their robots in boxes? The variations of MISB, MIB, MOC, MOSC - do any of you find yourselves in there?

I personally dont keep my stuff in boxes, I open them as soon as I get them, also never keep boxes, throw them away every time. as far as I'm concerned Transformers are designed to be transformed and keeping them in there boxes just defeats the object buying them IMO.

Yeah, I would like to chime in here. I actually did collect lots of other figures that I would leave in the box, specially figures from DC Direct that had little posability. But a TF whose mold I didnt have yet would not last 2 seconds in it's box once I buy it. Of all action figures for kids 5 and up, TFs are the one brand that demand to be taken out innorder to actually see what you have bought. How is the alt mode? How's the transformation? These are things many TF fans need to experience for themselves.
That aside, I totally get how one would also like a prestine version of something they already own or have a fun collection of unopen tfs to simulate another age. However, in both those cases, I do think those people have already experienced those toys out of the box one way or another.

Dead Metal wrote:No useless repaints like "Night-shift nurse Optimus Prime" or non-characters like Sunstorm.

Va'al wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:No useless repaints like "Night-shift nurse Optimus Prime" or non-characters like Sunstorm.

This did make me laugh. I have a question though, who are Acid Storm and Sun Storm? Because I only remember 6 seekers in the original cartoon.

A bright green seeker and a bright yellow seeker who appear for all of a second. But the bright yellow seeker who appeared for all of a second should not be confused with another bright yellow seeker who appeared for all of a second.

*is having a bit of fun before Sabrblade or someone else explains it in full detail*

Noideaforaname wrote:A bright green seeker and a bright yellow seeker who appear for all of a second. But the bright yellow seeker who appeared for all of a second should not be confused with another bright yellow seeker who appeared for all of a second.

*is having a bit of fun before Sabrblade or someone else explains it in full detail*

Seconded. Briefly.