The Energon Pub

I know this has been asked many times.
And I'm not looking for defensive answers.

This thread is to help a fellow forum member out, or anyone else
who is addicted to plastic crack and feels a bit lost.

On the youtube TF toy review community, some concluded that
they do this for BIF (Because It's Fun)

well, is life only about having fun?
Are there better ways of having fun?


Collectors seem to have a lot in common with a connoisseur,
what I've noticed about those kinds of people is that often times
they cannot enjoy the simple stuff. After you've been collecting
TF toys for a while you become very picky, this has a poor paint job,
it has too much kibble, articulation is bad, face mold is not great, etc.
it takes the fun out of things. Provided that if you find one that is
exceptional it really makes you happy cause human nature is like
the more you work for it, the more important it seemed.
But then that just means your increasing your workload.
And just how common is a Universe Cyclonus? Would you say
10% of the time? Then 90% of the time your not blown away.

Another thing about collectors is that often times they are completists.
I have gone that far before... and not happy with it because the satisfaction
gained from it is not like wow I made great choices, it's more like
scratching just to settle an itch...

At a less extreme level I have gotten stuff just for the sake of variety.
And this doesn't feel good either. Because they weren't really needed.

So I like to take the approach of the Minimalist.
If I can only get 5 which 5? If I can only keep my top 20 then which ones?
Which ones can I really do without? Which ones were not a great decision?
Which ones are not that good of a design?

The Minimalist approach to me is satisfying because I'm still picky
but I'm also not over indulging. The result is satisfying because I put
in a lot of thought into it, so the only thing I've wasted is lots of time
thinking about it, instead of money,
and I know my thoughts I put in is something not to take seriously,
after all this is not a hobby like trying to figure out a more efficient
and eco friendly fuel.

So why do I collect TF? I pretty much answered it,
the Minimalist approach results in an engaging hobby.
You have to really study and be selective. And as a reward you get to
enjoy the genius design of the toy, display them like a trophy
but the true reward is that this is an exercise in being humble
and disciplined.
Your not saying I have a wallet and it's my money that I can do
whatever I want with, your also being your own "mom"
yes the one that wouldn't let you go home with the entire shelf!

I hope people feel better after reading this. That is my intention.

Wow... that's very deep. And you have a lot of good points.

I seem to be in the stage where I carefully examine a toy instead of buying recklessly. I developed my taste over time, part of the fun for me is deciding what I want, actually hunting for it and then deciding *if* I really want it. Another joy I get is recording stuff, where I can find what for picking stuff up later, recording what's out already... It's not just the buying of the toys for me, it's the hunt itself.

Wow a very intense opinion u got there wpmyr on collecting

i feel i collect due to positive childhood tf related memories and my general love for all things G1 and G2

i think people should collect wht they want, i may not like what they collect but i'm not exactly gonna force my opinion on them

lets face it not many people like G2, but i luv the stuff, and i generally have a real distaste towards animated figures

its not about the size of your collection, you can be a minimalist or a completionist

in all its ur collection, whats the point in owning a tf collection, if you don't make it ur own, be as anal as you want about it, at the end of the day the only person who's ment to trully appretiate it is you

i know this sounds cheesy but u gotta be true to urself, buy what figures make u happy, and if the process of buying that certain figure requires you to be super anal about paint apps etc so let it be

I collect Transformers because I want my own personal physical representation of a particular character..I want to hold and pose a character and or keep him locked in a box, and admire it as art.. in some form or another..

I love robots, and have a great appreciation to the engineering involved in bringing a robot transformer to life in plastic/diecast form.. for me, having an accurate physical representation of a character is what I look for in collecting..it's not about an addiction, or about an exclusiveness.. it is simply about what I feel looks cool, looks accurate, and basically makes me feel as if I own the ultimate representation of that character..

to watch the G-1 cartoons, or the G-1 movie, or read the comics.. and look over my shoulder to a shelf and see that have the Masterpiece Prime, makes me feel happy and content.. I own him, he is mine, and I can read and imagine him in doing his thing in various stories, knowing that I have a physical representation to pose and enjoy..

I collect because they remind me of simpler, happier times - childhood. Waiting and watching for the cartoon to come on Saturday mornings, watching the VHS of the movie so many times that it broke ... twice. Having a "war" with your friends on your parents carpet with the Autobots trying to defend the living room from invading Decepticons. I look at my collect and I remember the "good old days." It's peaceful to me, no matter how stressful work is or how bad my day is, I can come home and sit at my desk and I am surrounded by memories of happier times, and it all just melts away. It's the same reason I had an Autobot emblem on my old car (G-d I miss her already), I don't have a set desk at work because I am always traveling, so when I'm on the road or in a hotel, I still can get the same feeling (It also helps I have a Knight Rider GPS and an iPod filled with 80s TV themes). So that's why I collect ... plus even after 25 years, these little piece of plastic still intrigue me.

well i collect because the first cool toy i ever got was a TF. i thought to myself i like these i want more! and plus i was three when i got my first TF and i broke it and got an other and the other one i broke so i got an other which i still have. it is true that it is fun but it all depends on what you consider fun. and plus i always had robot toys as a kid and i still love robot toys. gundam star wars TF of course, and bionicle. i am kinda completists. i get what i see on the screen. for example i have all of the TFA autobots and cons(except a couple of seekers and the ones yet to be released) that i saw when watching the show. and i have all of the bots and cons that i saw in the movie and i am currently working on the new movie. i was raised on TFs and other robot shows. i never missed an episode of TF. besides, what is cooler than two giant robots beating the crap out of each other?

Decepticon_25 wrote:oh and hows about in this thread we get to see very ones collections!

The OP was looking for a philosophical discussion, not a showcase. If you want to show off your collection, please start a new thread.

Thanks



As for why I collect, I do so because first and foremost I love the feel of opening a new package and getting at the figure that's inside. I don't bother with instructions anymore unless the TF is an Alternator or a Masterpiece so each figure is an adventure in fiddling until my tenacity and patience rewards me with a robot mode. After that I introduce my new figure to the shelves and enjoy seeing what was once a lone figure now part of a greater machine. One by one my shelves get busier and I get happier.

I think the deep root of my collecting habits is that it's easier for me to take care of transformers than it is to take care of any woman I've run across so far in my life.

Plus it's cheaper than heroin.

Mkall wrote:

Decepticon_25 wrote:oh and hows about in this thread we get to see very ones collections!

The OP was looking for a philosophical discussion, not a showcase. If you want to show off your collection, please start a new thread.

Thanks

agreed and to those of us, myself included whose collection can NOT be shown due to the nature of our living circumstances.. IT WOULD BE UNFAIR..

however.. I am trying to get my collection together enough so I can take pics for posterity before they end up back in safe storage..there they will have to remain, sadly, until my perfect room is ready for them to be placed on a display shelf for viewing by all who visit my sanctuary..or my fortress of solitude..

Over the years, I've changed as a collector. I still have the first toy I ever got, a G1 Prowl. Which is ironic, because I don't like the character. I think he's a sniveling little buttkisser to Prime. But you know the saying you never forget your first.

When I was younger, I was all about quantity. I gobbled TFs up like crazy, and I was "enabled" because my grandmother would buy me whatever TF I wanted. She even bought me a Fortress Maximus. However, after G1 was over, I stopped collecting until 2001. When Robots in Disguise came out, I bought almost every one of the toys. By then it was out of my own pocket, and I realized that when it's your own money, you gotta be more selective. Unless you're loaded. Which I am not. So I scaled back, and went from quantity to quality. At the same time I was moving, and also lost interest in some toys. So i sold some, I gave some away, and kept the rest. I went from over 300 toys to 17 currently. But they're the ones I really love. I am thinking about doing something which i regret not doing through the years. I am trying to collect every Prime and Megatron from every line. It wll be costly, but I can do it!

My 17 Transformers are:

MP Prime.
Optimus Primal
Fire Convoy
Armada Jetfire
G1 Prowl
G1 Blue Streak
Alternator Grimlock
Alternator Tracks
Alternator Sunstreaker
Tank (G2) Megatron
Beast Megatron
Armada Megatron
Black Convoy
Armada Starscream
G1 Thundercracker
G1 Skywarp
Alternator Ravage

I am planning on buying RotF Prime (though I don't like the Mech Alive feature) and a Masterpiece Megatron.

I collect because I love the way the toys look. I enjoy the stories around said toys. Most of all though, I collect because every time I purchase a toy or check out a show and a website I know that I am not alone in my endeavors. It is something that many have a passion for. Every purchase is like another nod to the team. Makes me feel like im a part of something.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Over the years, I've changed as a collector.
When I was younger, I was all about quantity. I gobbled TFs up like crazy, and I was "enabled" because my grandmother would buy me whatever TF I wanted. She even bought me a Fortress Maximus. However, after G1 was over, I stopped collecting until 2001. When Robots in Disguise came out, I bought almost every one of the toys. By then it was out of my own pocket, and I realized that when it's your own money, you gotta be more selective. Unless you're loaded. Which I am not. So I scaled back, and went from quantity to quality. At the same time I was moving, and also lost interest in some toys. So i sold some, I gave some away, and kept the rest. I went from over 300 toys to 17 currently. But they're the ones I really love. I am thinking about doing something which i regret not doing through the years. I am trying to collect every Prime and Megatron from every line. It wll be costly, but I can do it!

I am planning on buying RotF Prime (though I don't like the Mech Alive feature) and a Masterpiece Megatron.

this is an extremely interesting response!
at 1t you come across as someone who just took advantage of your grandma.

then it seems like you learned your lesson when you found out that when it comes
out of your own pocket, but then your like, unless your loaded which means
you haven't.
Philosophically speaking we are looking for someone that would pretty much be
humble and relatively live the same whether they are a billionaire or average.

And THEN you cut down to 17! WOW! that is extreme!
Like a smoker that suddenly just stopped cold turkey.

And now your talking about going back...

anyways,
I just thought your post was very interesting, it honestly wowed me.

wmpyr wrote:
this is an extremely interesting response!
at 1t you come across as someone who just took advantage of your grandma.

then it seems like you learned your lesson when you found out that when it comes
out of your own pocket, but then your like, unless your loaded which means
you haven't.
Philosophically speaking we are looking for someone that would pretty much be
humble and relatively live the same whether they are a billionaire or average.

And THEN you cut down to 17! WOW! that is extreme!
Like a smoker that suddenly just stopped cold turkey.

And now your talking about going back...

anyways,
I just thought your post was very interesting, it honestly wowed me.

Heh, well, thanks. I've gone through phases. I think I'm getting to the point where I am just going to pick and choose the cherry of every line, and I also look at my collection now as one beautiful thing. Each piece is carefully chosen to fit in. I went from overwhelming with sheer volume to dazzling with top quality. And, in my case, getting rid of some of them is good, because in this case less is more.

Ha, on the other side of all this minimalist effort, you will find me and many others.

I make and offer no excuses or reasons. The things I do, are not to compensate for some other aspect of my life which is lacking.

I am happy, I am fit, and I make my own way.

To answer? Because I can.

I like to collect because it takes me back to when my grandmother would be around with me and my brothers, we never asked for any tfs but shed get us them, it was just something she did. It was such a great time in my life, it was a time when everything was so simple, get up whenever, hang out with my brothers, play with transformers at the grandparents house, not a care in the world. So whenever i get sad or miss my brothers because they are so far away, or miss my grandmother because she passed away back in 94, I look at the tfs and it brings a big smile back to my face, or sometimes some tears but either way its awesome.

Some back stoy as to how it started back up...
Around the time my grandmother passed away in 1994 I was 20 and it hit pretty hard. I was trying to find something that i remember as a kid that always brought some happiness and it was whenever she'd call me and my brothers up from the basement with a big smile on her face and would say here i got you kids something, she'd bring out the tfs freshly wrapped waiting for us to unrap. It took me about 4 years to get over her death she was pretty much like a mother to me. During that time i searched her basement and my moms looking for transformers, after the big search I found 6 transformers I got as kid and was on cloud nine. The transformers were mixmaster, scrapper, longhaul, scavenger, blitwing and headstrong. Around 1997 I think it was around season 3 of Beastwars was out and was like **** transformers is still going sweet so I started watching that and it took me right back to my childhood all over. So with the help of flea markets, local toy shops I started collecting. My first find was a complete Devastator for 60 bucks and that set me right off, I was hooked and havent looked back. I have a modest collection about 400, I try to get at least one tf from every show released in Canada, i missed some from armada. I tried to keep her transformer madness alive, its tough I don't have a magic purse like she had, no matter how much money came out of that thing it was never empty.


Coles Notes:
Im not a completest I pretty much buy whatever ones I like, plus I purchase some that even though arent the greatest, I imagine my grandmother all happy about picking this up for one of us and waiting to see out faces when we open it.

Thats why i collect and thanks for reading my messy run on sentences.

underdog wrote:::snip::

::High-five::

Right on.

I collect because I enjoy it. I have no emotional problems or any crap like that. I just like robots.

I've liked robot for as long as I can remember. My parents have told me that my first word was robot and the first toy I actually remember getting is the innerbot to what I eventually discovered to be Pretenders Jazz. After that I got the first Megazord and have been collecting robots ever since.

When I buy figures, I normally try to put together a budget of some sort. From there I pick out the figures I want the most. Once I get those figures, I may buy others depending on how much I have left or if I gain access to more disposable funds, I buy the others. I usually turn my focus towards "must haves" first.

I build Gundam and anime figures as well.

To me, collecting is about having fun and buying what you like. Of course, everything must be done within reason. For example: I really want the 2007 Botcon boxset. At $700 though, I won't be buying it for a while. For me to justify purchasing the set, I have to have a bigger budget. Thus, I try to collect within my means. You won't be seeing this collector going on a Ramen diet.

robofreak wrote:You won't be seeing this collector going on a Ramen diet.

Depends on how bad you want that Noisemaze Production Type...

Counterpunch,

when you basically responded with,
I make no apologies I get what I want as much as I want
because I can...
you sound like a viking

what do you say to those people that actually ruined their lives,
over spent, lost a significant other, because of toy collecting?

that they were too weak and not strong like a viking?

it's for those people why I created this thread and shared my
minimalist approach

Counterpunch wrote:

robofreak wrote:You won't be seeing this collector going on a Ramen diet.

Depends on how bad you want that Noisemaze Production Type...

I thought the harassment over this would be daily?

I can't find the thing at all. I may make an exception if I ever find Noisemaze though.

Well, the short answer is that it's because I grew up with my parents collecting *everything*. We had a china cabinet full of Hummels when I was a kid. (Creepy lookin' things, though compared to that Dept 56 stuff, almost okay.) Last I checked with them it was Chinese calligraphy brushes, oriental carpets, and high-end fountain pens. Compared to them, I'm bargain-basement!

The longer answer is twofold.

One, as I've said somewhere else, I enjoy The Hunt. The figure itself is almost simply a trophy of the hunt rather than the whole point. But that's only part of it, since I have to decide who or what is worth the hunting....

Two, for me, it's all about character. I have to really connect with or like a character to want that figure. That means that my collection is nowhere near 'complete'. I have, for example, NO Optimus Primes. He bores me (I know! Blasphemy!!!). Why would I want Guilt Trip Disappointed Dad on my shelves? Already got one in real life, thanks. No TFA Sentinel Prime, because I work with enough pompous jerks, too. It's almost 'who I want to have hangin' around' than anything else. (She says, petting Dinobot).

If I like that character, or even if I really sense the potential for an interesting backstory in that continuity, I'll get that figure.

The only exception is Starscream. We must have him. All of him. As many as possible. Don't ask: I don't know why.

Plus, there is that whole fascination with robots thing that Robofreak mentioned. It's hard to explain. I like robots. I like imagining how they work. I like watching them move (does that sound creepy?) I like wondering how they are different from people.

HK, and they're all armed. Sweet!

kinda funny but,

after reading HK's post my mind went off and I imagined the life of a player, a guy who collects panties... conquests in other words.

And then for some reason I started thinking of the reciprocal. No, I'm not on drugs,
I'm straight edge and I don't need them to be imaginative and creative LOL

Wouldn't it be awesome if your Transformers could talk, what they would say about you?

This person said he loved me but a week later...

heh, join the club, he says that to everyone!

Oh look at Grimlock, he's the teacher's pet right now, and who knows how long
that's gonna last!


Or would they be like,
Commander (you) is a great person. He keeps us in tip top shape,
always in formation and well exercised. We have tons of respect for him
and are proud to be in service! TEN-HUT!!!

wmpyr wrote:what do you say to those people that actually ruined their lives,
over spent, lost a significant other, because of toy collecting?

that they were too weak and not strong like a viking?

LoL? I don't know man. If someone ruins their life over toys, isn't that kind of awesome? Like, it's some kind of Greek Tragedy. I mean...they should write a book or something.


See, when you're a kid and someone asks you why you like something, Transformers in this instance, they say things like..."Because!", "It's cool!", or "I don't know...". They aren't worried about nor have they thought about why they like something.

As we grow up, we feel the need to attach an answer to everthing. Quantify this, rationalize that, defend your belief!

I say 'No.' I offer no defense. What I do for fun makes me happy and if there are reasons for it or if I attach reasons to it, then those reasons and that happiness can be taken away.

robofreak wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:

robofreak wrote:You won't be seeing this collector going on a Ramen diet.

Depends on how bad you want that Noisemaze Production Type...

I thought the harassment over this would be daily?

I can't find the thing at all. I may make an exception if I ever find Noisemaze though.

It's a members only club! Ticket please.

Did I tell you how I got mine? It's a good story...

I collect because I've never allowed my inner child to grow up. For so many of the already listed reasons as well. I've loved robots forever and love toys. I've got a really large collection as a result.
I like to collect things that exhibit power. I have a huge collection of Clone Troopers from the Star Wars prequals for simply that reason. I love the Star Destroyers becasue they represent power and are imposing. I love the Seekers because they are a gang or a hunter-killer team, not the imbecilies they were often portrayed as.
That being said, every so often I go on this collection purging mission for reasons that I can only describe as being spiritual. I'm not by any means religious, but every year and a half or so, I look around me and feel that I am being crushed by my possessions and begin to thin out the herd. I'm sort of going through that phase right now, actually. If faced with the desire to get rid of everything, which I've often had, I'd only keep my Starscreams and other Seekers. IF I had to eliminate that number even furhter, I'd be left with 40 pieces, all of them Starscreams.
I collect figures who's characters I am enamored with, and get obsessed with thier backstory. In a world as vast and lush as the Transformers presents us with, we have some really wonderful entities, and many of them feel like they are real people. Now don't call the loony bin on me, alright, I know they;re not real.

Well, if you want one for the books...here you go. To start, this is my second go-around with Transformer collecting. My first collection had about 120 pieces and I had to sell it off (along with most of my GI Joes and Star Wars) when I was 24. I was newly married, my wife and I had our first kid and I had to keep a roof over our heads and the rent was due. I was "all grown up" and my plan for holding onto collectibles till I could sell them 20 years down the road to put kids through college was no longer a practical idea. Skip ahead some years, I now have 2 kids, am trying to put myself through school, work full time and deal with a debilitating injury that has had a profound effect on both my work and my ability to perform at school. Life is taking a downward spiral, the marriage goes south and I wind up becoming an ***hole and get kicked to the curb.
Can't save the marriage, drop out of school, company has massive layoff (I get the axe) nothing left but to go through 18 months of counseling and try to salvage my relationship with my kids (who I am clueless about as far as being able to relate to these small creatures since I had been working so much and going to school). Since I had turned into such an ***hole, the kids are wary of me and I need some way of breaking the ice and making sure the 18 months of counseling aren't for nothing. So, as I'm passing through the store one evening I swing into the toy section since the only other things I collect are a variety of Martial Arts weapons and the now ex-wife is gonna freak if I start teaching the kids that stuff at such a young age. Anyway, I spot the Transformers and the lightbulb flashes. I'm thinking "Damn, I used to have a bunch of these. The boys will get a kick out of this and it might just help break the ice a bit".
It's been quite awhile since that first day I introduced them to the Transformers. Since then our combined collection has eclipsed what I once originally had. We are pushing close to 500 pieces betwen the 3 of us. Oh, and I gave my ex a '74 Camaro Bumblebee as well since she liked him from the first movie.
So I guess my first go-around was because I loved the toys. My second time around was because I loved my kids enough that I was willing to stick with it and find something that we could use as a common ground to start rebuilding our relationship and become a part of each others lives again. I started taking them to collectors stores, especially the one I sold my first collection to, to show them about the G1 stuff. We occasionally go to thrift stores, swap meets and garage sales looking for old Transformers, Hot Wheels, whatever interests all of us. When my oldest son got into Pokemon I started buying cards for myself so I could build decks to battle with him on our visitation days. I have done a complete 180 from the person I used to be during the whole divorce. I'm an active part of their lives now and I think the process would have been a lot slower in coming if I hadn't been able to use something I loved from my past as a launch point for the start of a healthy future.

hellkitty wrote:The only exception is Starscream. We must have him. All of him. As many as possible. Don't ask: I don't know why.

Well well, a fellow devotee of the legendary Backstabber. Since I just started collecting TF's at around 2007, I can't get my hands on some older starscream toys. Still, wouldn't buy Armada screamer even if I could find him. C'mon, a pink Starscream? Hasbro, I really don't think the Village People are into TF collecting, so don't bother developing a market there.

For me, it's simple--childhood nostalgia. That, and the fact that I'm no good with painting figures, so collecting model kit fighter jets and tanks are not much of an option.

In any case, I've always been fascinated by how anyone could come up with the idea of rearranging different parts of a vehicle to form a robot, and every new TF is a brand new discovery for me. In essence, machines just fascinate me. Which is why I also collect Yamato 1/60 Macross figures. they don't look too out of place, next to TF's since they ARE transforming robots, themselves.

Three things make or break a deal for me when it comes to TF purchasing. Aesthetics and articulation are the number one factor to me--if the design looks great and poses well, it'll be finding a new home in my display cabinet. I also have to like the character as it's presented in the movie/anime/cartoon/comic, and the toy itself needs to be reasonably accurate to it.

Though I fancy myself a "collector", I'm by no means a completist--can't afford the space all this plastic takes up, or else every wall in my house would be packed by robots of various sizes staring ominously as you pass by. I can't imagine bench-pressing in my garage while these little figures hold me at gunpoint with their nul rays and plasma canons.

While online shopping can make me a glutton sometimes, I tend to be minimalist most of the time. I almost never but a TF just for the sake of completing a collection.