The Energon Pub

I know we think TF's are awesome, but what drives us to go out and collect these toys all the time? Why do we have such strong opinions on childrens toys and hoard 100's or even 1000's?

I'm not being a smartass here, I'm interested in what you think! Share your thoughts.

I collect Transformers because I like having the stories in my hands and on my shelves. I know there are more elaborate ways to put it, but that's what it boils down to.

It was the G1 cartoon and Marvel UK comics that got me into Transformers as a kid, but as I grew up and developed a fondness for art and model making, the original (read Diaclone\Microchange) figures took a new angle.

I love the original Transformers because they're quirky, fun toys\models that I used to love as a kid.

Hmm...that's actually a hard one.

Well, my friend was a real TF freak starting in the Beast Machines days, and he just came more of a fanatic as we grew up, but I never really got into it until he got me a minicon set for my birthday. But I was just a "sort of kind of I guess" kind of fan. That was until 2007 came along...

Nuff said.

I love Transformers. Do I need a better reason?

Seems like a rather silly question. Have you read my username? I'm robofreak for a reason. Robots fascinate me and Transformers fit the bill perfectly.

The story and the designs of the figures have always been appealing to me and I doubt that will change anytime soon.

Now if I could have a wallet that never ran dry...

Because it gives me purpose.

It Is Him wrote:I love Transformers. Do I need a better reason?

This is the answer. And this plus 42 is the answer to Life, the Universe, Everything, & Women!

You make a good question I must say,

really it’s the idea you have a world to make your own, you can have a war raging and stop it with a finger tip.
When you try to imagine the character you never get the feel of the toy, the silkiness of the plastic still slightly chilled from never being touched out of it’s packaging from a store outlet and walking to the car looking more normal then any other person and when you get in the car…you become a beast hungering for the figure and when you touch it…you become calm, one with the transformer and nobody can take that from you

And so you have it we spend our money on the things we love

SlyTF1 wrote:Because it gives me purpose.

You are more than the sum of what you consume.

Counterpunch wrote:

SlyTF1 wrote:Because it gives me purpose.

You are more than the sum of what you consume.

Which is exactly why vegetables are over-rated.

Cause I fricking love pantsu.

Blurrz wrote:Cause I fricking love pantsu.

Oh yea, that...

Counterpunch wrote:

SlyTF1 wrote:Because it gives me purpose.

You are more than the sum of what you consume.

Yeah, I might enjoy the hobby, but it doesn't rule my life.

robofreak wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:

SlyTF1 wrote:Because it gives me purpose.

You are more than the sum of what you consume.

Yeah, I might enjoy the hobby, but it doesn't rule my life.

I'd get a little worried myself if everything I thought of pertained to Transformers.

godzillabot wrote:You make a good question I must say,

really it’s the idea you have a world to make your own, you can have a war raging and stop it with a finger tip.
When you try to imagine the character you never get the feel of the toy, the silkiness of the plastic still slightly chilled from never being touched out of it’s packaging from a store outlet and walking to the car looking more normal then any other person and when you get in the car…you become a beast hungering for the figure and when you touch it…you become calm, one with the transformer and nobody can take that from you

And so you have it we spend our money on the things we love

The idea of being able to control 'a world of your own' is certainly appealing. I think an essential part of someones personality comes from the urge to control things in a certain way. Having models of TV characters would fill some need somewhere I guess.

There's also a form of safety in it, maybe? It's something from our youths, something we recognise from when thing where simpeler (at least according to me). Now no longer having to wait untill birthdays an such, we make our own money and get to decide for ourselves what we do with it.

*edit* the money issue could also be explained as a control issue.

Then there's a social factor I guess. The one-upmanship of collecting. Like when we drool over someones collection with a MISB Grand Max in it. To me, that's what a Ferrari would be to a car lover. I feel deprived to an extent when I know people have the money to buy stuff like that. Sort of a status symbol, why can't I own a Grand Max?

RhA wrote:

godzillabot wrote:You make a good question I must say,

really it’s the idea you have a world to make your own, you can have a war raging and stop it with a finger tip.
When you try to imagine the character you never get the feel of the toy, the silkiness of the plastic still slightly chilled from never being touched out of it’s packaging from a store outlet and walking to the car looking more normal then any other person and when you get in the car…you become a beast hungering for the figure and when you touch it…you become calm, one with the transformer and nobody can take that from you

And so you have it we spend our money on the things we love

The idea of being able to control 'a world of your own' is certainly appealing. I think an essential part of someones personality comes from the urge to control things in a certain way. Having models of TV characters would fill some need somewhere I guess.

There's also a form of safety in it, maybe? It's something from our youths, something we recognise from when thing where simpeler (at least according to me). Now no longer having to wait untill birthdays an such, we make our own money and get to decide for ourselves what we do with it.

*edit* the money issue could also be explained as a control issue.

Then there's a social factor I guess. The one-upmanship of collecting. Like when we drool over someones collection with a MISB Grand Max in it. To me, that's what a Ferrari would be to a car lover. I feel deprived to an extent when I know people have the money to buy stuff like that. Sort of a status symbol, why can't I own a Grand Max?

Or I can’t own a FP City Commander. You have a point RhA.

RhA wrote:Then there's a social factor I guess. The one-upmanship of collecting.

Unfortunately, this is one reason I collect. As much as I hate the fact that I do it, it is easy for me to give into this kind of 'peer pressure'. It's too easy for me to jump on the bandwagon of whatever is a hot collectors item at the time.

I've played with TF's my whole life, I always liked how I could get a "giant robot" or a car to use with other toys, and they're just so darn entertaining! Being 15 and having plenty of "normal" friends who know about my hobby of collecting transformers (although my collection isn't exactly big, but it's a collection nonetheless), I admit that it's rather surprising that nobody finds it strange. Naturally I don't really play with them anymore, but I do change rearrange them every so often, and I always have my favorites on display to liven up my room a bit.
To sum it up, it's pretty much a hobby that carried over from my childhood.

OptiMagnus wrote:

robofreak wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:

SlyTF1 wrote:Because it gives me purpose.

You are more than the sum of what you consume.

Yeah, I might enjoy the hobby, but it doesn't rule my life.

I'd get a little worried myself if everything I thought of pertained to Transformers.

Well, there's nothing else for me to think about.

Sly: you're a guy. There's a lot for you to think about besides plastic.

robofreak wrote:Sly: you're a guy. There's a lot for you to think about besides plastic.

Let's see: Bacon, video games, explosions, thinking about how much humanity sucks...that's all I can think of.

SlyTF1 wrote:

robofreak wrote:Sly: you're a guy. There's a lot for you to think about besides plastic.

Let's see: Bacon, video games, explosions, thinking about how much humanity sucks...that's all I can think of.

What about the female species?

They might help you calm down too.

It Is Him wrote:I love Transformers. Do I need a better reason?

I can't think of a better reason that this.

Transformers are cool, man!