The Energon Pub

by **skyblast** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:24 am

I was looking through my hard drive of old pics from a few years back and totally had forgotten about the trip my dad, brother and I had taken to TRU in March of 04. What's strange is that these days I have grown accustom to Movie Line prices. I had forgotten how expensive these commemoratives really were. What I found to be most special that day was the simple fact that these transformers were 95% the same as the ones I had when I was a kid!! Also that I was with my twin bro who loved them as much as I did growing up and of course that I was with my dad who was always the one who had to pay back then. The lucky part for me was that HE PAID AGAIN THAT DAY TOO...I could tell that he sorta enjoyed it...reliving the dad experience.?.? Anyway, enjoy a trip down memory lane. I had also taken video in the store with my camera that day and as I listen to it now I can hear myself say, "Hey man, I feel really weird right now...like I should be going back to buy way more of these"... as we walked up to the counter to pay. Damn, I wish I would have listened to my instincts on that one. :cry:

by **Deceptiwho?** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:26 am

Sweet!! Nice memory im sure..

News Credits: 3 · by **coolpop** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:38 am

OMG, I saw Alternator Smokescreen & Sideswipe on the shelf, and multiples of them, I can see myself grabbing 2 of each checking out at the cashier, at $20 retail each. SCORE!!!

In real life, I've only seen Ricochet, Skid, Rollbar & Sunstreaker in retail store shelves, I got into TF toy collecting too late *sigh*. Thanks for sharing these fond memories of yours, I believe those glory days will come once again, somday.

Cheers!

News Credits: 3 · by **Collector Maximus** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:44 am

That's awesome! I remember when the shelves looked like that!
I wish there were pictures like this from the G1 era.
Thanks for posting these.

News Credits: 972 · by **i_amtrunks** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:47 am

The Shelves never looked like that here!

Wish they would look like that now though, the Alts and Re-issues sure beat the snot out of the movie figures.

by **skyblast** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:58 am

Yeah, I wasn't that into TF back in 04 but now I have such regret about that day...especially about the Armada stuff...did you guys catch the Unicorns?

by **DorkimusPrime** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:00 am

This thread makes me sad because I am seeing what I missed by not being into the hobby pre-movie.

by **Unicron Singularity** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:03 am

skyblast wrote:Yeah, I wasn't that into TF back in 04 but now I have such regret about that day...especially about the Armada stuff...did you guys catch the Unicorns?

I saw a few Unicrons, but no Unicorns

by **SpacerAM2** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:20 am

When I saw you post this skyblast. 2004 came to mind immediately. That's how the shelves looked back in the Toys r us around my neighborhood from 2003 - 2005. They weren't selling too well. But that didn't stop me from almost getting all of them brand new g1 reissues. In exception of Ricochet and Sideswipe. I wish they were always full of g1 always. The barren shelves at Toysrus now make me miss the good ol days of g1 abundance for all the kids of the 80's. Cause most kids today care about the newer tf's of today. Which just don't compare.

News Credits: 127 · by **Counterpunch** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:22 am

Weeeeeee!

Razorclaw on the shelves! Unheard of!

by **Izanami** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:33 am

DorkimusPrime wrote:This thread makes me sad because I am seeing what I missed by not being into the hobby pre-movie.

Ugh...same here...and the movie wasn't even what really got me into Transformers. It was those Dr. Smoov videos (followed by clips from the show like the drunk Decepticons and whatnot, followed by the movie)!

Why couldn't I have been born earlier? Darn my brother/parents for getting GI Joes (and not letting me play with the good ones) and not getting Transformers instead! Darn them for selling them all in a garage sale not realizing that their 20 year old daughter would suddenly get into children's toys...it's everyone fault but my own!

by **Izanami** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:34 am

Edit: Ack, double post again...

by **DorkimusPrime** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:42 am

Izanami wrote:
DorkimusPrime wrote:This thread makes me sad because I am seeing what I missed by not being into the hobby pre-movie.

Ugh...same here...and the movie wasn't even what really got me into Transformers. It was those Dr. Smoov videos (followed by clips from the show like the drunk Decepticons and whatnot, followed by the movie)!

Why couldn't I have been born earlier? Darn my brother/parents for getting GI Joes (and not letting me play with the good ones) and not getting Transformers instead! Darn them for selling them all in a garage sale not realizing that their 20 year old daughter would suddenly get into children's toys...it's everyone fault but my own!

Ah, our problems are similar yet different...I was surrounded awash in a sea of G1 stuff that I just plain didn't take care of when I was 7-10 years old, so alot of priceless items on eBay were turned to near-dust by a hyper boy that lived in my bedroom. But there's a huge gap between the G1 stuff (some of which survives in loose-and-not-complete form) and my "oldest" new transformers, which come from the Cybertron and Classics lines. The TRU reissue pictures are particularly painful, because I had originals of some of those, and the reissues would be sufficient to bring me back to my childhood, but the prices they command today are kind of off-putting. Maybe some Takara Encores would soothe me. :lol:

by **SpacerAM2** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:51 am

Are you kidding me? Many of the toys r us exclusive g1 reissues are quite affordable still on ebay. Takaras are the ones that are more pricy.

by **DorkimusPrime** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:54 am

SpacerAM2 wrote:Are you kidding me? Many of the toys r us exclusive g1 reissues are quite affordable still on ebay.

Actually, now that I look, you're right. The one time I checked was in mid-July when everybody was playing Pokemon with Transformers (gotta catch 'em all!) and they were running for $70-80 each.

by **lanzajr26** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:02 am

Awesome pics! I still wish I had picked up that Grapple when I saw him back in the day. And another Tracks, just for the hell of it

by **Ultra Prime** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:23 am

Hee, Hee, Hee!! :grin:

Thank god I got back into collecting Transformers in Fall of 2001. Unfortunately I didn't own a computer and was not internet saavy with the computer I had access to. If I was more internet saavy when I got back into Transformers I'd have gotten the the various e-hobby reissues like Ironhide, Ratchet, Trailbreaker, Ramjet, Thrust etc. Of course if I had there may have been some recent Hasbro & Takara re-issues I would've skipped. Either way I got me a nice shiny decent G1 collection.

News Credits: 6 · by **City Commander** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:34 am

*sigh*

Why didn't TRU UK ever stock alternators.
I would've loved to walk into my local TRU and picked up Sideswipe and Smokescreen.

And all those reissues! I effin hate the UK!

by **skyblast** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:58 am

For me it's not so much the reissues but more the Armada TFs.

Can anyone else tell me what might have been on the shelves with the reissues..the ones out of the picture frame? I wish I would have stepped back a little more to take the pics. Well I guess I can't be too picky...I'm lucky to have the ones I have.

Also, what are those little legend sized white ones?

News Credits: 7 · by **shortround** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 12:08 pm

Yeah I have a unicron I wish I had gotten a power master prime when I had gotten the chance but stupid me I didn't.

by **Decatron** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:25 pm

Wow...they sure don't look like that anymore. Le sigh

by **prowlstreak** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:53 pm

i remember those days

i saw every single alternator on the shelfs only bought 2 and im still kickin myself

News Credits: 11 · by **kirbenvost** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 1:55 pm

Indeed, those were the days.

*sigh*

News Credits: 1 · by **Leonardo** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:21 pm

I want Hoist. Hasbro UK fails.

News Credits: 3 · by **muswp1** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 4:31 pm

skyblast wrote:For me it's not so much the reissues but more the Armada TFs.

Can anyone else tell me what might have been on the shelves with the reissues..the ones out of the picture frame? I wish I would have stepped back a little more to take the pics. Well I guess I can't be too picky...I'm lucky to have the ones I have.

From the pics, probably the Powerlinx repaint wave (Red Alert, Prime, Hot Shot, Cyclonus, Demolisher, etc...) and maybe Alt Silverstreak (I think he came out in a case with Smokescreen and Sideswipe).