The Energon Pub

One rule: I like - I buy, wallet permitting. I don't worry about what ANYONE else thinks. This rule I have never broken.

Few guidelines:

-They must be in pairs. If I buy an Autobot I like, I MUST find a compatible Decepticon and vice versa. Not necessarily a strict counterpart, but something close in both size and look. For example, I consider Armada Jetfire a counterpart to Armada Tidal Wave. Though from Armada I only have the toys for the characters that appeared in the PS2 game, plus Jetfire, Demolisher, and Overload. Even. Except for Unicron.

-I got into collecting Primes and Megatrons from ALL lines last year. I am still in the process of filling out this collection, though I believe it will stop with DoTM, unless they're the same size. No repaints. I'm up to 20 pairs so far. Exception is the Masterpieces, because Megatron is just fugly. Instead, I consider the "masterpiece" version of Megatron the little one that came with Optimus.

-My favorite characters are Grimlock and Hot Rod/Rodimus from G1. I have gotten quite a few Grimlocks and Rodimus Primes. Both MP versions of Rodimus are planned. They need not have Decepticon counterparts. They are on a separate shelf from all others.

Those are my only guides when shopping TF. Though I have been less and less impressed with newer stuff. Also, sidenote, I just scored a MIB G2 Laser Prime AND a complete (no box) Masterforce Overlord in the same week, for $280 combined. 2 of my most sought-after figures. I can now die happy. But why would I want to?

hmmm my rules are simple.

i buy only what i like.

both modes MUST be good, cybertron modess are fine, as long as they are cool.

articulation is a must. not necasarily super ball joint action but must have some degree of posability.

thats about it really. i collect across all lines, sizes. but i do tend to avoid leader class... i just dont like big toys, so unlike alot of you guys i give the legends class some love! tiny is cool! i used to try and keep to scale, but hey its just not possible so anything goes. after all 3 of my favorite TFs of all time are astrotrain, kickback and ravage. and lets face it there is no way they can be displayed together acording to scale...

I basically do G1 only, since its what I grew up with. Originals only, re-issue and the like are acceptable as well. Zero knock offs in my collection and it will stay that way.

Absolutely zero movie figures for me, unless Bludgeon and Banzaitron count since they homage G1 characters.

Next to no third party products either, I don't care how awesome some of them are, I can't justify parts that cost as much as the figure did.

Working on American G1 and will get to Japanese eventually as well, I only pick them up when I find deals.

Only real exception to the above rule is the new Generations line as well as Reveal the Shield stuff that homages G1 characters and I did pick up the WFC figures with the others and a Terradive snuck in since everyone was raving about him.(plus lets face it the line(s) do kick ass)

@JelZe GoldRabbit


let me know man
i got em still floatin round here

i don't have many rules when it comes to transformers.
there's actually just 3:

1: no G1. i'm too young to have seen G1 on tv and the toys don't do anything for me. while i do respect them as being the ancestors of what is on the market even today, they're too simple for me, too expensive often and hard to get completed.

2: no repaints. allthough i've broken this rule several times
with the classics seeker and autobot brother molds, but i justify this as being different characters with the same mold.
i have no problems whatsoever with retools, but it's got to be a decent one.

3: i have to like the figure of be interested in it to buy it. i've thrown away or sold several figures that were either crap (such as universe cheetor and hot shot)
or that just didn't interest me anymore (i sold almost all of my unicron trilogy stuff)

my collection ATM consists of Beast wars, RiD (no repaints of earlier molds except for scourge, cuz' he's awesome),
Classics/universe/generations/whateveritsgoingtobecalledinayear, bayformers universe, masterpiece/alternators, and 1 hero optimus prime (the one with the air-missiles) that i got as a kid and don't want to part with

I want it all, but it comes downs to means. I put things in tiers for priority.

First I look at G1 figures/homages and exclusives. Exclusives appreciate at a higher rate of return than other figures, even if they are just repaints.

Then I look at specific characters. Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, Jetfire, Galvatron, Soundwave, Starscream, Gestalts, and Headmasters, etc.

Then I like buying reissues.

I do not like the Movie Lines, almost completely avoided Animated, but at the right price I will pick anything up. The Movie figures I make a priority are characters in all lines.

my rules:
the transformer must transform (broken when i got some robot heros and titanium class for gifts)
no G1, too expensive( classics are the G1 that never were, but i do have G1 TFs that were given to me)
no crossover TFs
no doubles, (broken by the energon line with the terrorcons and omnicons)
i collect beast wars and up!
AND NO POWER CORE COMBINERS! this rule has not nor will ever be broken!
other than that i love em all!
edit: i get the ones in the movie/show first then i go for ones that were not in the show/movie

SJ21 wrote:I stopped in TRU last night because I heard they had a huge sale going on. I looked through the aisles and didn't find anything I needed for my collection. Then, I looked down and they had all of the ROTF voyagers on sale for $9.99! I bought Bludgeon.

I have certain rules that I follow to keep my TF spending in check. I only collect stuff that is a direct homage to a character that appeared in the US TV show. They must have similar robot, alt. modes, and paint jobs. Example: Animated Jazz=good. Animated Prowl as motorcycle=not good).

Or, I will buy G1 figures that didn't appear on the show if I owned them as a kid. Example: I owned some of the Seacons growing up, so I bought the BBTS Seacons.

Back to the story. I had been passing on Bludgeon since he came out. I really liked the figure when he was released. Every review I read on him loved him. But he didn't fit into my rules. He didn't appear on the the show. At that price (as well as a couple bucks off for TRU rewards points) I caved.

What I would like to discuss is, what are your rules? What figures did you want so badly that you just had to have them, even though they didn't fit in? Were you happy with you decision later on?

I broke my collection rules (G1 reissues, Classics deluxe/voyagers and Masterpieces) to buy Fansproject Springer and City Commander. Despite the superb likeness I didn't like Springer so much so I sold him quite quickly but CIty Commander I kept for over a year before finally deciding that I didn't want to start buying 3rd party stuff as well as that would mean spending way more than I feel is acceptable on Transformers (I love collecting TFs but have other hobbies I want to spend cash on + don't want to end up with an entire room full of them, just enough for a big ass display case).

I sold City Commander. I was really tempted to break my rules again for Device Label Blaster and Fansproject Bruticus but resisted.
The upcoming TFClub Devatator will test my resolve to the limit.

Jazz-1982 wrote:

SJ21 wrote:I stopped in TRU last night because I heard they had a huge sale going on. I looked through the aisles and didn't find anything I needed for my collection. Then, I looked down and they had all of the ROTF voyagers on sale for $9.99! I bought Bludgeon.

I have certain rules that I follow to keep my TF spending in check. I only collect stuff that is a direct homage to a character that appeared in the US TV show. They must have similar robot, alt. modes, and paint jobs. Example: Animated Jazz=good. Animated Prowl as motorcycle=not good).

Or, I will buy G1 figures that didn't appear on the show if I owned them as a kid. Example: I owned some of the Seacons growing up, so I bought the BBTS Seacons.

Back to the story. I had been passing on Bludgeon since he came out. I really liked the figure when he was released. Every review I read on him loved him. But he didn't fit into my rules. He didn't appear on the the show. At that price (as well as a couple bucks off for TRU rewards points) I caved.

What I would like to discuss is, what are your rules? What figures did you want so badly that you just had to have them, even though they didn't fit in? Were you happy with you decision later on?

I broke my collection rules (G1 reissues, Classics deluxe/voyagers and Masterpieces) to buy Fansproject Springer and City Commander. Despite the superb likeness I didn't like Springer so much so I sold him quite quickly but CIty Commander I kept for over a year before finally deciding that I didn't want to start buying 3rd party stuff as well as that would mean spending way more than I feel is acceptable on Transformers (I love collecting TFs but have other hobbies I want to spend cash on + don't want to end up with an entire room full of them, just enough for a big ass display case).

I sold City Commander. I was really tempted to break my rules again for Device Label Blaster and Fansproject Bruticus but resisted.
The upcoming TFClub Devatator will test my resolve to the limit.

DL Blaster is TakaraTomy, so it's not 3rd party. So technically he's a Classics Deluxe. Just saying

I know. I live here in Japan so he was in Toys R Us for ages. I meant that he was in a line (Device Label) which was outside of the 3 that I stick to - G1 reissues, Classics and Masterpieces. No worries.

I saw a few people mention trying to avoid buying repaints. When I first got back into collecting, I refused to buy repaints. I bought classics Prime and Ramjet, so I passed on the Magnus/Skywarp repaint 2 pack. Boy am I kicking myself for that now. I had that thing in my hand for $7 at Target and didn't buy it. Since then, if the repaint is of a G1 character, I buy it. I do like that they are doing remolds to make the repaints a little different.

Jazz-1982 wrote:I know. I live here in Japan so he was in Toys R Us for ages. I meant that he was in a line (Device Label) which was outside of the 3 that I stick to - G1 reissues, Classics and Masterpieces. No worries.

Nice. You could start yourself a nice little business buying United and sending them to us poor souls in the US.

Yeah, I could take a DL Blaster off your hands!

Jazz-1982 wrote:
I know. I live here in Japan so he was in Toys R Us for ages. I meant that he was in a line (Device Label) which was outside of the 3 that I stick to - G1 reissues, Classics and Masterpieces. No worries.


Nice. You could start yourself a nice little business buying United and sending them to us poor souls in the US.
I am in need of a tire for a MP/DVD Optimus Prime For a reasonable price. PM me if you have one available!
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Re: Collection rules...and breaking them.
by SJ21 » Tue Feb 01, 2011 9:55 am

Motto: "You don't know because you can't see me. Then you are dead."
Weapon: Sniper Rifle
Yeah, I could take a DL Blaster off your hands!


In the past I've bought the ToyHobbyMarket and Ganbo figures and sold them to TF fans in the US (Thrust, Dirge, Skyfire) but recently the exclusives have all been really big (Black/Sleep Prime, Ghost Starscream Masterpieces and the 3 packs) so it hasn't been worth it as I wouldn't be able to sell them at a reasonable price (me making a profit, customer paying less than BBTS) so I'm hoping for a ToyHobby or Ganbo single figure exclusive later this year in which case i'll do what I usually do and order 5 as long as it's a popular character and then stick them on Ebay.

The cheapest DL Blaster is still going for $50 over here.

SJ21 wrote:I saw a few people mention trying to avoid buying repaints. When I first got back into collecting, I refused to buy repaints. I bought classics Prime and Ramjet, so I passed on the Magnus/Skywarp repaint 2 pack. Boy am I kicking myself for that now. I had that thing in my hand for $7 at Target and didn't buy it. Since then, if the repaint is of a G1 character, I buy it. I do like that they are doing remolds to make the repaints a little different.

I used to feel that way too. But I did grab the Magnus-Skywarp 2 pack (mostly for Skywarp then, but glad to have Magnus since FP's City commander). Now, it doesn't matter to me. Anything to add to my collection is my only rule. I think I've gotten OCD about this now.

I just recently developed my one real rule. NEVER buy loose. I just did that with Henkei Ghost Starscream. His hands are stuck in his arms so well, I stopped trying out of fear of breaking them.

I was an MIB Star Wars collector and moved into Transformers and now I open. I think I got into collected value minded and I know that's a bad idea but that's what brought me into the hobby. Since I'm an 80's kid TF mean more to me than Star Wars ever did so I don't mind opening now.

Do not buy a repaint if the mold has been used twice before. I just bought RtS Bumblebee (previously used for Classics Bumblebee, Classics Cliffjumper, BotCon 2007 Bug Bite, Henkei! Bumblebee, and Legacy Classics Bumblebee, none of which I own), and due to mold degradation, the darn thing will not fit together! Ever! The one exception to this rule will be any version of the Classics Seeker. They clearly designed that thing to be immune to mold degradation, in anticipation of all the recolors and retools. Props to them.

Skywarp64 wrote:I just recently developed my one real rule. NEVER buy loose. I just did that with Henkei Ghost Starscream. His hands are stuck in his arms so well, I stopped trying out of fear of breaking them.

Oh, and I also have a rule against buying KOs that I broke twice last week. (Entered and won two auctions held by Heerotoysmaker)

Skywarp64 wrote:

Skywarp64 wrote:I just recently developed my one real rule. NEVER buy loose. I just did that with Henkei Ghost Starscream. His hands are stuck in his arms so well, I stopped trying out of fear of breaking them.

Oh, and I also have a rule against buying KOs that I broke twice last week. (Entered and won two auctions held by Heerotoysmaker)

This is a good rule I go by, too. No KOs in my collection. I got rid of all of mine.

I have a few KO's in my collection, but those are merely placeholders until I get their G1 counterparts.

I must have an even number of Autobots and Decepticons in the one line I decide to collect.

I get only new molds and remolds, but will get repaints to balance out a faction.

I use gift cards and other gifts of money on figures I think are cool from other lines, but wouldn't buy otherwise (I do not need an even number of each faction when it comes to these).

I have only one simple rule: I only buy those figures on School breaks.
A half-a-rule, more of a guideline is to buy only figures that seem proper

The only problem now is that I usually have money limits to buy only Legends class. So now, I have a bit of time to spare for Scout class, 'cause They're only sellin' HFTD series in my country (plus some Voyagers and deluxes from ROTF and Generations) cause i've seen HFTD Legends and they look like crap.

They're not crap (mostly). I know for one that Fireburst Optimus Prime isn't half bad, and neither is the Victory of the Fallen 5 pack.

I have alot of unopened toys that I probably will not make a profit on so a few years ago I made a rule not to buy anything I didn't intend to open if it cost over $10. For the most part I've done good but I have broken the rule a time or too.