The Energon Pub

Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:09 am

Hi, I am a Newbie but long time Transformers fan. I want to get back into collecting Transformers mostly just want to introduce myself and say Hi. Any coolecting advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

News Credits: 2 · Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:17 am

HI! Welcome!

Warning: Seibertron contains nuts!

News Credits: 4 · Sat Jan 17, 2009 11:19 am

Welcome to the boards Cohen. I have a few tips for ya...

-Set a budget
-Invest in a nice set of shelves
-Buy Universe Cyclonus
-Stay away from Minicons and Robot Heroes (those things are addicting)

News Credits: 4 · Sat Jan 17, 2009 12:24 pm

My advice is to jump on a City Commander Upgrade kit NOW because no collection should be without and it's only getting more expensive

Sat Jan 17, 2009 2:10 pm

welcome.it's always nice to meet someone new.

i have some tips for ya as well-

1.set a budget.you shouldn't constantly spend all your money on these things,save some every month specifically for your collection(or something like that).
2.find a design style you like.each line has it's own unique design style that is sometimes different than past lines
(ie:the movies intricate designs,or animated's superhero-ish design).
3.stay away from the following(they are terrible figs)-
armada smokescreen,sideswipe and hotshot
practically every energon toy
the titaniums(except for maybe cheetor,and rid prime)
energon and armada leader prime
and mini-cons and robot heroes(they are annoyingly addicting)
4.buy the city commander
(it is a must have for anyone with classics ultra magnus)

News Credits: 2 · Sat Jan 17, 2009 3:23 pm

I have two tips for yah.
1. Buy the Shadow Commander set! It comes with origanal face and Faceplate, A sword(Thats Pink! YAY!), and holes to cover them up.
2. Find a line that you like aka Animated, Universe, Rotf.
Ok maby 3 tips.
3. You can get like just the Autobots or Decpticons in each line which ever you like or you can collect them all.......Like me!

Sat Jan 17, 2009 7:42 pm

Welcome to the boards!

I too am a born-again-collector and have dove back into the fray a couple years back...only been hardcore again for about a year....Here's some quasi-tips that I tend to stick with:

1. BUDGET! and stick with it! Being a poor collector myself, this is paramount!

2. Research before you buy! There is nothing more annoying than being disappointed with a figure after paying good money for it! Sometimes the price alone gets that figure scratched off the "I Wanna" list! YouTube is invaluable for that....and so are message boards!

3. Get decent shelving. I fail here since I long since ran out of space! Sucks to have to chose amongst your figures as to who stays on display and who goes into storage pending space availability.

4. Get Universe Cyclonus.

Have fun!

News Credits: 4 · Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:29 am

The research thing is very important...Pictures on the box (even looking at it IN the box) don't always give you an accurate idea...

Youtube is AWESOME for finding out all the strengths and weaknesses of a figure and getting to see it from all angles as well as the transformation itself...Youtube has saved me from buying crappy figures several times...

I buy a lot of figures but I'm not a guy who buys ever single thing they put out just because I don't have it...I pick and choose based on what characters I like and how cool the actual toy is...I also don't like getting a bunch of repaints of the same mold...There a couple exceptions where I've gotten two of the same mold because I really wanted both characters, but usually I just pick the character I like best and I think LOOKS best for that mold and get it (ex. I skipped Blades but bought Springer)...Being a little choosey helps with the cost a bit...Again, I still get a lot of figures but there are several that have come out that I've simply left on the shelf...

And as cool as I thought Shadow Commander was, I stuck with just City Commander because Ultra Magnus (the TRUE Ultra Magnus in all his Super Mode glory) was a character I felt needed to be in my collection...There never actually was a "Nemesis Magnus" so even though the Shadow repaint was nice (with a couple new gimmicks), I didn't find it neccessary to spend another $100 or so on it...

I collect from different lines but I definately favor the Universe line (because G1 appeals to me more than anything) so I am MUCH pickier with the other lines and don't have near as many comparitvely from them...

And finally, I don't collect them as investment...I have no plans to resell them and they are purely for my own amusement...So boxes go straight in the trash (which also saves a lot of room) and I actually TRANSFORM my toys from time to time for fun...I'm still careful with them and I keep all their parts and instructions, but I want to ENJOY them...

That's just my personal collecting style...

News Credits: 129 · Sun Jan 18, 2009 12:40 am

1. Be open minded.

2. Failing Item #1, take my advise.

Sun Jan 18, 2009 3:24 pm

Welcome to the boards. Its hard to give collecting advice cause it depends on the person. Me personally i only buy the collectable ones now like anniversary editions etc