The Energon Pub

MightyMagnus78 wrote:There is a lot of great 3rd party stuff around at the moment, perhaps a little too much? However more worryingly is that post DOTM it looks as though Has/Tak is really starting to drop the ball, in fact I'd even go so far as to say it looks pretty bleak.

I seriously doubt this. Just because we aren't inundated with news right now from Takara/Hasbro doesn't mean we can assume there isn't anything GRAND about to come out.

Takara is still releasing United figures, TF Prime figures, DOTM, and Masterpiece figures. In February we're getting more Encores in Soundblaster and Twincast.

Hasbro recently released the newest wave of Generations with two new figures: Scrapheap and Sky Shadow; new waves of DOTM, the 1st 3 figures from TF Prime with more to follow, and readying for the DOTM Trilogy line, where we'll finally get the smaller Prime and Trailer, Soundwave, Que, etc.

We're only about a month away from the next big toy convention, where I'm sure we'll be getting even more news or conformations of product being released in the next 6 - 12 months.

I agree that we are getting flooded with 3rd Party releases, but it's only a problem because the prices are much more than a HasTak release. With so many larger size figures and combining teams going around $100/each, I know many fans will be unable to keep up if they are so inclined. But this isn't a Has/Tak problem, except that they should take note of the progress and trends being made.

We're in a great period, where there seems to be product available for all tastes (I didn't even mention the Rescue Bots and Kre-o!). I think the future is bright, and my wallet is going to suffer for it.

I'm rather happy, for the most part. I have a few quarrels but that's natural when it comes to things like this.

I will admit I don't have much to base my views on however. I've been watching the shows since Beast Wars but I didn't actually start collecting the toys until a few years ago. It really started with the movies but I did own a select few TF toys before then (all yard sale finds mind you, none store bought). Even then the bulk of my collecting didn’t start until 2 1/2 years ago when money freed up to allow it. So I’ve only really delved into the modern toys with a few spotty purchases of the A/E/C line, Revoltech and a happy random find of G1 Topspin. So my collection is heavily biased towards the movie-design-based characters… which has lead to my fatigue with them.

I’m a *little* excited for the Trilogy line, if only because I want Wheeljack (the G1 influenced one. Que bothers me :/ ) and Optimus with his trailer. I’d rather focus my attention on the TFP. The simpler design is very appealing after years of complex, detailed movie-verse figures and while I know Generations is simpler too there just isn’t much to be found.

Fatigue aside I was pretty happy with the DOTM line in 2011. There are characters I think are crap but, like I said before, that’s bound to happen when one is interested in a mass marketed toy product. I didn’t have much issue with distribution. Only line I’m a little annoyed (and puzzled with) is the 1st edition TFP guys. I really wonder why Canada has seen more figures than we have in the US (not saying they shouldn’t have them, I just don’t get why it’s taking so long for them to get out down here when they’ve been out up there for a month or so now).

Wasn’t all that enthused with Kreo. I think the Kreon’s are adorable but I’m not spending the money to get the packs. I found Jazz to be complete rubbish :/ Mine, at least, has issues keeping his shoulders attached and I didn’t have all that much fun assembling him. Blame the latter on my lack of lego’s as a kid.

All in all I think Hasbro is doing a pretty good job. The economy is shoddy so lower quality in comparison to, say, 10 years ago is a given. But with DOTM, Generations, HFTD, RTS, PCC, RPMs, Kreo and a spot of TFP we had a great variety of things to choose from in 2011 (even if some were and still are in discount stores).

I don’t intend to spend as much money as I did last year but I am excited to see what Hasbro has in store for us and I’m definitely looking forward to expanding my collection away from the movie designs.

I don't like the size reductions or the goofy look adapted from Animated and transferred onto Transformers Prime. Bulkhead is just about the only toy I'm considering from Prime. I also dislike much of the movie aesthetic, especially the vast majority of the robot faces.

While I enjoy a certain degree of complexity and am very impressed with the engineering these days, some toys in the movie lines have suffered a lot from overdesign on the graphic end and underdesign on the toy end (Ravage, Laserbeak), and I think the Generations/Classics lines are better. They're also far better aesthetically than the toys designed after movie characters.

I also find that after experiencing the modern toys, I have a greater appreciation for the simplicity of older Transformers. They were pretty amazing for their time, and they've stood the test of time. I find that the simpler toys from older lines, or repaints of older molds, make the best gifts for children, who are easily frustrated if things get too complicated. My best friend's 4-year old son was overjoyed when I gave him a Universe Silverbolt. To me it was a simplistic robot strapped under a jet, but to him it was an awesome-looking Transformer that he could transform all by himself. He was so proud he carried it everywhere with him.

I am not a fan of things like the Power Core Combiners, Robot Heroes, or Rescue Bots that dumb it down too much or venture too far from the core of Transformers, which is the ability to transform from a robot into something else, and look awesome in both modes. I have yet to find a kid that prefers the goofy looks to the badass looks, or a spring-loaded drone to a regular transformer. If I had to bet, I'd say all lines like those are doomed, and frankly I'll be happy about it.

Distribution is the main problem. Some of the toys have been excellent, although I passed on a lot of DotM stuff as the mechtech ruined most of them for me.

amtm wrote:I don't like the size reductions or the goofy look adapted from Animated and transferred onto Transformers Prime. Bulkhead is just about the only toy I'm considering from Prime. I also dislike much of the movie aesthetic, especially the vast majority of the robot faces.

I agree about movie-styled faces...or "scrunched up tinfoil" to be more accurate. But dislike of the animated "goofiness" would have made me think Bulkhead would have been the absolute last Prime toy you'd want, as I think he looks the most exaggerated and Animated-styled of them all. Arcee, Bumblbee and Ratchet certainly wouldn't look out of place in a neo-G1/IDW group shot. The Cons, Starscream and Soundwave especially do look a bit different from the rest, but not in that Animated way really.

I actually really like the mixing of styles that Prime is using, different characters lean more towards one previous line's aesthetic but everyone works in the universe. It's sorta like when John Cassaday would draw different characters in Planetary in the style of their inspirations, like their original artists, but still within the overall look of the world of the comic. I can't really explain it better, but I do like it.

necr0blivion wrote:

MightyMagnus78 wrote:There is a lot of great 3rd party stuff around at the moment, perhaps a little too much? However more worryingly is that post DOTM it looks as though Has/Tak is really starting to drop the ball, in fact I'd even go so far as to say it looks pretty bleak.

I seriously doubt this. Just because we aren't inundated with news right now from Takara/Hasbro doesn't mean we can assume there isn't anything GRAND about to come out.

Takara is still releasing United figures, TF Prime figures, DOTM, and Masterpiece figures. In February we're getting more Encores in Soundblaster and Twincast.

Hasbro recently released the newest wave of Generations with two new figures: Scrapheap and Sky Shadow; new waves of DOTM, the 1st 3 figures from TF Prime with more to follow, and readying for the DOTM Trilogy line, where we'll finally get the smaller Prime and Trailer, Soundwave, Que, etc.

We're only about a month away from the next big toy convention, where I'm sure we'll be getting even more news or conformations of product being released in the next 6 - 12 months.

I agree that we are getting flooded with 3rd Party releases, but it's only a problem because the prices are much more than a HasTak release. With so many larger size figures and combining teams going around $100/each, I know many fans will be unable to keep up if they are so inclined. But this isn't a Has/Tak problem, except that they should take note of the progress and trends being made.

We're in a great period, where there seems to be product available for all tastes (I didn't even mention the Rescue Bots and Kre-o!). I think the future is bright, and my wallet is going to suffer for it.

I agree 100%

Delicon wrote:

necr0blivion wrote:

MightyMagnus78 wrote:There is a lot of great 3rd party stuff around at the moment, perhaps a little too much? However more worryingly is that post DOTM it looks as though Has/Tak is really starting to drop the ball, in fact I'd even go so far as to say it looks pretty bleak.

I seriously doubt this. Just because we aren't inundated with news right now from Takara/Hasbro doesn't mean we can assume there isn't anything GRAND about to come out.

Takara is still releasing United figures, TF Prime figures, DOTM, and Masterpiece figures. In February we're getting more Encores in Soundblaster and Twincast.

Hasbro recently released the newest wave of Generations with two new figures: Scrapheap and Sky Shadow; new waves of DOTM, the 1st 3 figures from TF Prime with more to follow, and readying for the DOTM Trilogy line, where we'll finally get the smaller Prime and Trailer, Soundwave, Que, etc.

We're only about a month away from the next big toy convention, where I'm sure we'll be getting even more news or conformations of product being released in the next 6 - 12 months.

I agree that we are getting flooded with 3rd Party releases, but it's only a problem because the prices are much more than a HasTak release. With so many larger size figures and combining teams going around $100/each, I know many fans will be unable to keep up if they are so inclined. But this isn't a Has/Tak problem, except that they should take note of the progress and trends being made.

We're in a great period, where there seems to be product available for all tastes (I didn't even mention the Rescue Bots and Kre-o!). I think the future is bright, and my wallet is going to suffer for it.

I agree 100%

I'm not agreeing at all with the 3rd party statement. 3rd party stuff can only really appeal to fans if it at least looks like something we recognise. They must always follow up on what Hastak has previously done. Sure those Constructicons are awesome, but they already exsisted in the TF-universe. Same for all he Seasprays, Wheelies, Sixshots and City commanders out there. Yeah, Hastak could take note... But simply put- Why should they? Because it's an overpriced version of a character they already made? Hastak has the liberty to create whatever they want, 3rd party stuff must always follow up on that.

RhA wrote:
I'm not agreeing at all with the 3rd party statement. 3rd party stuff can only really appeal to fans if it at least looks like something we recognise. They must always follow up on what Hastak has previously done. Sure those Constructicons are awesome, but they already exsisted in the TF-universe. Same for all he Seasprays, Wheelies, Sixshots and City commanders out there. Yeah, Hastak could take note... But simply put- Why should they? Because it's an overpriced version of a character they already made? Hastak has the liberty to create whatever they want, 3rd party stuff must always follow up on that.

I took those comments more along the lines of "People will pay $600 for a decent Devestator, Hasbro should get in on some of that action". And really, why not? The high costs of 3rd party products are primarily due to the low numbers created, the time between each company's products being released down to money, probably, and staff numbers. Sales are hampered by distribution, and the price. If Hasbro announced tomorrow that they're doing a 6 piece Constructicon set for $300, with each character a moderate Voyager size, well...a lot of people would probably get that instead of Giant, or at least as well as. There are people who won't touch 3rd party stuff, and I'm sure some of them would welcome such an option.

Of course, there are things the 3rd parties can do that Hasbro can't, I think. Stuff that a small company whose product only sells to the already convinced will get away with quality control issues far easier than a multinational toy company. If every DOTM Leader Optimus Prime's head fell off when you looked at it funny, angry parents would be up in arms, and the whole thing would be replaced or recalled or both. If a $70 3rd Party Deluxe splits in 2 every time you try to lift its arm, all the collectors who bought it will be grumpy, and complain on message boards, and email the manufacturer, and probably get a replacement part that they have to fix themselves, and like it.

It's been said earlier in this thread that a collector aimed line of TFs could work. There's a market for it if FP, iGear, TFC, Maketoy and the rest can continue doing what they are with less staff, less marketing, less resources and lets be fair, less experience. The difference in the consistency of quality between something like FansProject's Insecticons compared to any random wave of Hasbro TFs, is that the budget is spread around a lot more on the official ones, and it's a much lower budget, because these are mass market retail toys. I'd expect that for $35 or whatever the Causality were (I paid £35-ish each, anyway, twice as much, and a bit more than a retail Deluxe) that Hasbro could easily deliver quality TFs that would better any 3rd party out there. I don't think they will, but they could.

The quality and posability is amazing. Transformers have never looked better. For that, I'd give it a 5. But, I think that Transformers have gotten absurdly difficult to transform. If a 26-year-old fan can't figure it out, what chance does a 6-year-old have?

I understand the need for complexity when it comes to, say, the Masterpiece line, but the overcomplicated alt modes really kill me.

Marcdachamp wrote:The quality and posability is amazing. Transformers have never looked better. For that, I'd give it a 5. But, I think that Transformers have gotten absurdly difficult to transform. If a 26-year-old fan can't figure it out, what chance does a 6-year-old have?

I understand the need for complexity when it comes to, say, the Masterpiece line, but the overcomplicated alt modes really kill me.

when I were a lad, grown-ups were confused and amazed by these Transforming thingamajigs. Now, I'd like to think that I've still got the knack, but maybe it's just that transforming is a young man's game?

I'm quite happy with the current state. There are lots of figures I don't like, but I can't afford to buy every figure anyway. There's more than enough good figures to keep me happy; more than I can afford and more than I have room for in my house.

I'd say it's mediocre. Although I do want to get some Prime toys, I don't watch the show (yet), and mainly care about Classics and Movie right now, both of which haven't been doing so well. We haven't had any new Classics molds since the spring, and we don't know of any new Classics figures coming out any time soon (I bet we'll get some some time in the net few months, though), and we haven't been getting many new Movie molds for a while. I'm really hoping that the Movie Trilogy line turns out to be really good, with lots of new molds like HFTD.

I had to vote mediocre for a combination of factors. I honestly don't find the current iteration of TF toys to be any good as a whole, but that rests on a few issues, really. The DOTM line has just been lame, and I think Mechtech is a total dud. I know kidz luuv itz, but this poll isn't exactly asking what kidz think. The few DOTM toys I have are either favorite characters of mine or the somewhat interesting ones like Darksteel, and the tremendous Sentinal Prime leader. Distribution of the worthwhile stuff like the Generations figures has been so bad, as most of us know, and that really sours me to the toys right now. I've also just been getting into other toylines that don't seem to be some routinely disappointing, or been getting more involved in more satisfying fictions. Not being a fan of the movieverse, I don't find too much in the TF fiction to be thrilled about presently, and that's causing me to drift away from it as a whole. That said though, I'm not a big Prime supporter, but it looks like the line has potential. The last few Botcon sets haven't interested me too much either, so I think that at present TFs' are just in a sort of low tide period for me. I was let down by the movies and really hated Animated, but it won;t last. The Cybertronians always end up drawing me back in if I stray.

I voted for the last option.

It's hard to put why in words because I understand some folks elation, but I understand more the frustration from my point of view.

DOTM toys did not work for me. I mean they are somewhat fun, but the few I have bought, will go the way that most of my movie toys will go and that's on the selling block. The movie aesthetic has never been amongst my favorites. And unfortunately for me (but fortunately for the franchise) that has translated into not wanting to buy or keep a lot of that type in my collection.

I also have a hard time understanding HASBRO. You and Paramount make movies that are PG-13, but want to sell toys to an boys 8-12 demographic. What kind of a barrel does that put parents over when their child wants to see their new toy robot in action?

The Prime cartoon is for this age group but there, until very recently, have been no toys of it for the kids to latch onto.

Rescue bots toys have come out 3+ months before a cartoon was even seen. Is the demographic even one that watches TV? I suppose so.

What is going on with the intellectual property lining up with the toys that are the representation of that product being out with that cartoon?

Distribution is poor. Yes, if you are savvy you can nail things from HTS, or TRU when they come in stock, or order in large amounts from BBTS. Brick and mortar though is a freakin' nightmare. And for many collectors of my cut, the hunt was half or more of the fun, but when the hunted has become seemingly like finding a Unicorn, when it used to simply be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, it's much less fun. Nowhere near what the UK has faced, but frustrating for me.

I know there are more collectors now than there used to be which can account for some of the inability to find product...but never seeing some things...ever...not just at the beginning of when they are released, but ever? Blah.

Local fans are not as into it as we used to be. Not having the local connection to fellow collectors really hurts the collection desire. And because Botcons have been moved to Florida, Cali, and Texas, the local guys have not been going there to meet up and hang out either.

And as I am purging large parts of my collection as soon as my un-collector life gets less busy, it's sad that I cannot keep and hold on to, and be a completist of Transformers items as I used to be. Lack of space, and lack of interest because of the disjointedness of products and fictions again, helps make the purging decision even easier.

I mean I loved Animated, got used to the toys and the cartoon, and it's gone.

Now we have Prime, a good cartoon and good toys, but nothing like Animated. So I'll have another group of toys that don't match with one another, and thus, feel like I don't need to keep them (minus one or two).

I guess I am having a hard time changing my collecting style to match HASBRO's consistant Transformations.

So, I've become less passionate about the product when it becomes by play, display, sell, or not buy at all unless toys meet certain requirements to be able to have a home on my shelf.

Yes, I currently have a collecting problem and it has no solution and is not HASBRO's fault (or is it)?

This year I've bought more third party product than actual HASBRO or TT product. I've bought more third party product to enhance the line that I feel is the one I really want to have on display... my Neo-G1/G2 or the G3 line as some call it.

Besides that I want to keep my original G1 and G2. But I'm trying to figure out, what else is worth keeping, and what needs to get the boot, due to all my self-created frustrations.

Transformers is not as big a part of my life as it used to be, and I think part of that is the lack of consistency, the lack of HASBRO really trying to hook and keep a collector level community, and the fact that most of the stuff I have bought is not official HASBRO and TT, so I feel even less interested in the actual brand of Transformers that appear officially because it is nothing a really want to spend my money on, or keep on display.

Yes, I know, I'm riddled with inconsistencies, and my own personal goals for satisfaction, but that is what should base my interest in a hobby, my own personal desires, and goals.

I appreciate and love the brand's roots, but I don't much care for where the brand is now, as a whole, officially.

The biggest problem with the toys are they are too difficult to transform! I work with kids and most of them love transformers but they are constantly asking me to transform them or they just keep them in robot mode. (They may as well be action masters) I know there is specific kids lines but kids 8 to 10 want the real transformers, I hate to be a G whinier but at least in the old days almost anyone could transform Prime!

The engineering is awesome.They keep getting better and better.
All the line catter to both kids and veteran fans.
There are distribuiton problems,but these are not directly Hasbro fault.

Even though I don't plan on collecting much of them, seeing new Prime toys is certainly boosting my spirits, but the Movieverse buzz has completely died out on me. No new toys in months, Que/Soundwave/Leadfoot still on hold, still no word on Mirage (worse, the red Legends Sideways we've seen has a high possibility of being Mirage), and Evac is the only non-repaint we know is coming.

...much worse after seeing the hideous translucent plague that has infected Prime Powerizer Optimus Prime. More like "Vomitizer"....

metaphorge wrote:...much worse after seeing the hideous translucent plague that has infected Prime Powerizer Optimus Prime. More like "Vomitizer"....

Yeah, after seeing that knowing they are most likely screwing us out of the superior first edition figures I may boycott the whole Prime line.

craggy wrote:

amtm wrote:I don't like the size reductions or the goofy look adapted from Animated and transferred onto Transformers Prime. Bulkhead is just about the only toy I'm considering from Prime. I also dislike much of the movie aesthetic, especially the vast majority of the robot faces.

I agree about movie-styled faces...or "scrunched up tinfoil" to be more accurate. But dislike of the animated "goofiness" would have made me think Bulkhead would have been the absolute last Prime toy you'd want, as I think he looks the most exaggerated and Animated-styled of them all.

It's because Prime Bulkhead looks significantly less goofy than Animated Bulkhead, and those are the only options available. It's one of the few cases where movie-izing a character could actually help.

craggy wrote:when I were a lad, grown-ups were confused and amazed by these Transforming thingamajigs. Now, I'd like to think that I've still got the knack, but maybe it's just that transforming is a young man's game?

I dunno. I'd like to say that's the case, but I feel like I can figure out how to transform a G1 figure I've never seen a lot easier than I could a newer figure I haven't seen yet. But hey, maybe that's just me.

i feel sad. it sucks that hasbro won't reissue toys the way takara/tomy is doing or even the way the ko people are doing. i wish they'd realize that there is a market for reissue g1's, and that people will buy them. i'm tired of seeing the same if not consistently worse optimus prime reissue every time.

it would be nice if they'd try to focus on other figures, like more of the 1985/1986 line or even branch out and do a few that are hard to find, especially complete like sunstreaker and wheeljack.

tigertracks 24 wrote:I voted for the last option.

It's hard to put why in words because I understand some folks elation, but I understand more the frustration from my point of view.

DOTM toys did not work for me. I mean they are somewhat fun, but the few I have bought, will go the way that most of my movie toys will go and that's on the selling block. The movie aesthetic has never been amongst my favorites. And unfortunately for me (but fortunately for the franchise) that has translated into not wanting to buy or keep a lot of that type in my collection.

I also have a hard time understanding HASBRO. You and Paramount make movies that are PG-13, but want to sell toys to an boys 8-12 demographic. What kind of a barrel does that put parents over when their child wants to see their new toy robot in action?

The Prime cartoon is for this age group but there, until very recently, have been no toys of it for the kids to latch onto.

Rescue bots toys have come out 3+ months before a cartoon was even seen. Is the demographic even one that watches TV? I suppose so.

What is going on with the intellectual property lining up with the toys that are the representation of that product being out with that cartoon?

Distribution is poor. Yes, if you are savvy you can nail things from HTS, or TRU when they come in stock, or order in large amounts from BBTS. Brick and mortar though is a freakin' nightmare. And for many collectors of my cut, the hunt was half or more of the fun, but when the hunted has become seemingly like finding a Unicorn, when it used to simply be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, it's much less fun. Nowhere near what the UK has faced, but frustrating for me.

I know there are more collectors now than there used to be which can account for some of the inability to find product...but never seeing some things...ever...not just at the beginning of when they are released, but ever? Blah.

Local fans are not as into it as we used to be. Not having the local connection to fellow collectors really hurts the collection desire. And because Botcons have been moved to Florida, Cali, and Texas, the local guys have not been going there to meet up and hang out either.

And as I am purging large parts of my collection as soon as my un-collector life gets less busy, it's sad that I cannot keep and hold on to, and be a completist of Transformers items as I used to be. Lack of space, and lack of interest because of the disjointedness of products and fictions again, helps make the purging decision even easier.

I mean I loved Animated, got used to the toys and the cartoon, and it's gone.

Now we have Prime, a good cartoon and good toys, but nothing like Animated. So I'll have another group of toys that don't match with one another, and thus, feel like I don't need to keep them (minus one or two).

I guess I am having a hard time changing my collecting style to match HASBRO's consistant Transformations.

So, I've become less passionate about the product when it becomes by play, display, sell, or not buy at all unless toys meet certain requirements to be able to have a home on my shelf.

Yes, I currently have a collecting problem and it has no solution and is not HASBRO's fault (or is it)?

This year I've bought more third party product than actual HASBRO or TT product. I've bought more third party product to enhance the line that I feel is the one I really want to have on display... my Neo-G1/G2 or the G3 line as some call it.

Besides that I want to keep my original G1 and G2. But I'm trying to figure out, what else is worth keeping, and what needs to get the boot, due to all my self-created frustrations.

Transformers is not as big a part of my life as it used to be, and I think part of that is the lack of consistency, the lack of HASBRO really trying to hook and keep a collector level community, and the fact that most of the stuff I have bought is not official HASBRO and TT, so I feel even less interested in the actual brand of Transformers that appear officially because it is nothing a really want to spend my money on, or keep on display.

Yes, I know, I'm riddled with inconsistencies, and my own personal goals for satisfaction, but that is what should base my interest in a hobby, my own personal desires, and goals.

I appreciate and love the brand's roots, but I don't much care for where the brand is now, as a whole, officially.

You really are a God of Transformers...

I am extremely disappointed. I am not so much disappointed with the toys as I am with Hasbro's maddening decision to keep all the good toys hidden in a warehouse somewhere and instead distribute all of the undersized, kibbly and under-engineered figures instead.

So my complaint isn't so much against the toy designs themselves, but is instead against the fact that the bad toys are the only ones I can get my hands on.

I mean, seriously, would it kill Hasbro to at least let me order a First Edition Prime figure from Amazon? Even if I can't get it from a store I don't see why they (Hasbro) can't put it online.

tigertracks 24 wrote:I voted for the last option.

It's hard to put why in words because I understand some folks elation, but I understand more the frustration from my point of view.

DOTM toys did not work for me. I mean they are somewhat fun, but the few I have bought, will go the way that most of my movie toys will go and that's on the selling block. The movie aesthetic has never been amongst my favorites. And unfortunately for me (but fortunately for the franchise) that has translated into not wanting to buy or keep a lot of that type in my collection.

I also have a hard time understanding HASBRO. You and Paramount make movies that are PG-13, but want to sell toys to an boys 8-12 demographic. What kind of a barrel does that put parents over when their child wants to see their new toy robot in action?

The Prime cartoon is for this age group but there, until very recently, have been no toys of it for the kids to latch onto.

Rescue bots toys have come out 3+ months before a cartoon was even seen. Is the demographic even one that watches TV? I suppose so.

What is going on with the intellectual property lining up with the toys that are the representation of that product being out with that cartoon?

Distribution is poor. Yes, if you are savvy you can nail things from HTS, or TRU when they come in stock, or order in large amounts from BBTS. Brick and mortar though is a freakin' nightmare. And for many collectors of my cut, the hunt was half or more of the fun, but when the hunted has become seemingly like finding a Unicorn, when it used to simply be like trying to find a needle in a haystack, it's much less fun. Nowhere near what the UK has faced, but frustrating for me.

I know there are more collectors now than there used to be which can account for some of the inability to find product...but never seeing some things...ever...not just at the beginning of when they are released, but ever? Blah.

Local fans are not as into it as we used to be. Not having the local connection to fellow collectors really hurts the collection desire. And because Botcons have been moved to Florida, Cali, and Texas, the local guys have not been going there to meet up and hang out either.

And as I am purging large parts of my collection as soon as my un-collector life gets less busy, it's sad that I cannot keep and hold on to, and be a completist of Transformers items as I used to be. Lack of space, and lack of interest because of the disjointedness of products and fictions again, helps make the purging decision even easier.

I mean I loved Animated, got used to the toys and the cartoon, and it's gone.

Now we have Prime, a good cartoon and good toys, but nothing like Animated. So I'll have another group of toys that don't match with one another, and thus, feel like I don't need to keep them (minus one or two).

I guess I am having a hard time changing my collecting style to match HASBRO's consistant Transformations.

So, I've become less passionate about the product when it becomes by play, display, sell, or not buy at all unless toys meet certain requirements to be able to have a home on my shelf.

Yes, I currently have a collecting problem and it has no solution and is not HASBRO's fault (or is it)?

This year I've bought more third party product than actual HASBRO or TT product. I've bought more third party product to enhance the line that I feel is the one I really want to have on display... my Neo-G1/G2 or the G3 line as some call it.

Besides that I want to keep my original G1 and G2. But I'm trying to figure out, what else is worth keeping, and what needs to get the boot, due to all my self-created frustrations.

Transformers is not as big a part of my life as it used to be, and I think part of that is the lack of consistency, the lack of HASBRO really trying to hook and keep a collector level community, and the fact that most of the stuff I have bought is not official HASBRO and TT, so I feel even less interested in the actual brand of Transformers that appear officially because it is nothing a really want to spend my money on, or keep on display.

Yes, I know, I'm riddled with inconsistencies, and my own personal goals for satisfaction, but that is what should base my interest in a hobby, my own personal desires, and goals.

I appreciate and love the brand's roots, but I don't much care for where the brand is now, as a whole, officially.

Absolutely how I feel - I picked the last option too. This should be printed out and circulated to the board members at the Hasbro / Takara brand philosophy steering commitee meetings, or whatever they call them.

It's funny, looking at the start of this thread, all of the positivity going towards the doomed release of the Prime FE line - I'd like to know how many of those views have changed over the last couple of days!

It seems everything I collect, or want to, I have to pre-order online, as it sure as hell won't be available near me, due to the ridiculous amount of dead stock Deluxe DOTM, and the unloved bastard offspring (PCCs, Ultimate Primes, and those fake Legos ) clogging up the shelves.

For the likes of Striker / Jetwing Prime, ROTF Starscream, Generations and RTS / United designs that I have had to source online, I have to admit to a twinge of 'how does IT FEEL!!!' for the general populace that are able to normally get these things locally.... and currently having to source their FE Prime above market price (and yes, I do feel bad about that... )

I guess what I'm saying is, looking at most of the stuff I've got lately, I've ended up leaning towards imports, or 3rd party, or bought stuff I had passed up on previously - and none of that has been available locally.

Hasbro seems to have ploughed way too much resources into sidelines (those blasted Legos, Rescue Bots, Fast Action Battlers, RPMs, etc) that have failed to even catch on with the target groups they were even aimed at - and are now in the process of 'reaping the whirlwind' by losing sight of the core line's quality and sustainability - if Hasbro didn't keep wasting their time on these things, and concentrated on keeping the main line going, maybe we wouldn't be here now.

I do think the 3rd Party bandwagon is already peaking, or is about to - (that Dr Wu Metroplex eye is my 'jumping the shark' equivalent) - but there will always be a market for high end collectors items (Masterpiece, Premium Leaders) - and smart 3rd Party makers will be there to cater to that - bottom line is, I'm getting most of my stuff from an imported cardboard box from somewhere anyway, Hasbro is getting less and less of the percentage on what I'm buying at this time.

Conversely, there will always be a market for cheap and cheerful mass-produced TFs - instead of all the ill-conceived younger market-driven sideline stuff, why not concentrate on that, and use the sidline budget to go more for more diverse Premium line items, for collectors?

It's that niche 3rd Party makers are getting in on now, so why not show them how it's done?