The Energon Pub

by **lGRIMLOCKl** » Wed May 14, 2008 4:34 pm

ME HAVE QUISTION HOW ME GET AVATAR :-x

News Credits: 1 · by **Primacron's Little Helper** » Wed May 14, 2008 4:58 pm

When I started collecting it was all ebay as I was only getting vintage G1 figures and the Takara collection reissues, since then I've 'discovered' new lines but it's been long after they've been available at retail so it's still been online.

I bought most of the Classics at retail so am planning to get Animated/Universe figures in the same way. I live in the city centre so can easily get to various shops and it's a lot more fun. Also you can control your spending more easily.

Having said that it is quite fun when a huge box containing Sky Lynx and Death Star Darth Vader turns up at work for you and all your colleagues are curious!

by **Skullcrunchberries** » Wed May 14, 2008 5:10 pm

Personally, I think it's a matter of how quickly you can get to the stores and how close they are. I've got a Walmart, Target and TRU pretty close to me but it doesn't mean jack if I spend the gas to drive there twice a week for two months looking for figures that've already sold out (damn you exclusives ;_; )

On the other hand, shipping costs aside there is, as many have already stated, the lack of pride that comes with tearing something off the shelf and knowing that one of these coveted pieces of plastic now belongs to you, and the sadistic pleasure in knowing you've robbed one more person of that same pleasure, that the internet offers. So, where does the line get drawn?

In my opinion, if it's rare, get it online. If you spend more than two weeks making regular trips to the store to be met with empty shelves, get it online. Otherwise, nothing beats making children cry

(as an aside, I actually had to wait months for a concept movie Bumblebee because the only one I could find was snatched before my eyes by a mother and her screaming child >_>;; )

News Credits: 5749 · by **El Duque** » Wed May 14, 2008 5:34 pm

I've started ordering more and more figures on-line. The shipping cost are usually offset by the fact that I'm not wasting gas driving all over God's creation. I do however enjoy hunting for figures.

News Credits: 3 · by **Kibble** » Wed May 14, 2008 5:43 pm

The hunt leaves you with a more gratifying feeling, no doubt...but the frustration of the hunt probably exceeds the warm feelings of when you finally score. Not to mention I'll take 20% off and free shipping over the "hunt score high" any day of the week. And it's a common enough offer on HTS.

And hey, you can still get your "hunting" fix off the store exclusives...

News Credits: 8 · by **Liege Evilmus** » Wed May 14, 2008 5:53 pm

If it's a good deal, or something rare, yeah there is a strong plus to ordering.

However, I love the hunt, the agony of coming home empty handed sucks.

But stalking the stores, searching end caps, talking with other fans, moms, and whoever, it's all fun. You're getting outside, seeing some sites, and hell, nothing beats the rush of finaly finding what you want.

When all you do is order, yeah it's great when that box shows up, but to me, it just lacks something.

Recently I ordered 2 Stealth BBs, got them cheap, right to my door. This weekend I went lurking, 7 stores and nada, the last one had 2 of the figure, and I was kinda sad that I wasn't excited to see them.

Ordering is nice, and sometimes the only way, but nothing beats the thrill of the chase

News Credits: 3 · by **Kibble** » Wed May 14, 2008 7:25 pm

Liege Evilmus wrote:Recently I ordered 2 Stealth BBs, got them cheap, right to my door. This weekend I went lurking, 7 stores and nada, the last one had 2 of the figure, and I was kinda sad that I wasn't excited to see them.

I was kinda sad after ordering a Stealth BB for 8.50 shipped thinking I got a sweet deal only to see it at Target for 6.99 a day after it showed up at my door...

News Credits: 1 · by **fnlrun** » Wed May 14, 2008 8:17 pm

I like to preorder when i have the %20 off and free shipping. BUt the hunt is in mans blood. Gotta love. I have also been hunting hot wheels for years, so now I just go over 1 aisle for the action figs.

News Credits: 3 · by **Autobot Jazz** » Wed May 14, 2008 8:42 pm

I always hunt first, then order. Overall I prefer the thrill of the hunt(sorry about the bad pun, I just had to).

News Credits: 8 · by **Liege Evilmus** » Wed May 14, 2008 8:59 pm

Hunting is awesome, again, I understand some people don't have time to, live in rural areas, and of course rare, import, and exclusives make ordering a very viable tool...

but I'm sorry, using only the ordering prosess, just cause you don't wanna go take a look(how nows what else you might find), well isn't that like collecting model ships, and paying someone else to build them?

I have and will continue to order, but I have to say, I apreciate opening and enjoy a figure more that I found then one that was handed to me.

But still, to each there own, we all do what we do as we like

News Credits: 9 · by **Zeds** » Wed May 14, 2008 9:14 pm

Can I say both. Fun hunting and finding them, but also easier to just order online and secure them. Painful being a completist that way.

News Credits: 4 · by **Firebird** » Wed May 14, 2008 9:30 pm

The hunt is my preferred method because I get to spend time with my buddy, the 2 of us usually have a set run of 10 stores that we can check in an afternoon.

However online ordering is easy and does save me alot of gas. Also I never come back empty handed...

News Credits: 1 · by **Menbailee** » Wed May 14, 2008 9:46 pm

If I could count on some amount of toys stocked at different stores, I'd hunt. Masterpiece Starscream and '08 Bumblebee changed my mind, so now I wait for a discount at HTS and order. I might not get a great paint job, but traveling out to the stores a dozen times without turning anything up is definitely a higher cost. And honestly, who wants to spend time in Wal-Mart who doesn't have to?

News Credits: 9 · by **Sowndwave76** » Wed May 14, 2008 9:49 pm

Menbailee wrote:If I could count on some amount of toys stocked at different stores, I'd hunt. Masterpiece Starscream and '08 Bumblebee changed my mind, so now I wait for a discount at HTS and order. I might not get a great paint job, but traveling out to the stores a dozen times without turning anything up is definitely a higher cost. And honestly, who wants to spend time in Wal-Mart who doesn't have to?

I freakin' hate being in Walmart.

by **j76t** » Wed May 14, 2008 10:20 pm

Y'know, I don't actively hunt and I never have. I always just ended up at a target/walmart/toys r us and decided to swing by the section that had transformers.

If I want something I typically will order it. At this point gas has gotten too expensive to drive from store to store anyway

by **Rhask** » Wed May 14, 2008 10:28 pm

I really enjoyed hunting until I realized how wack the distribution was. Finding a movie bumblebee was fun, an actual challenge, finding a US MP Starscream was a waste of gas as only about 40 hit the state of Minnesota and I never made it anywhere that had it before they sold out. Wound up having to buy it off BBTS (its real close so shipping offsets the cost).

Hunting can be exciting, but I have noticed that some areas don't get what they could use. For example no MP screamers here, but we were overloaded with movie primes when no other place had them. I have never seen any version of MP Prime at retail, 20th and DVD, and some places had them for $20 in store in other parts of the country.