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Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby galvatron00 » Thu Sep 21, 2017 6:52 am

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ArmadaPrime wrote:This is interesting though. I'm often much the same: get something, enjoy it, shelve it or box it when something else comes along. Recently though due both to being low on cash and to feeling kinda bad about storing so much away and ignoring it, I've taken to grabbing a random figure out and having it be my 'deskbot' for a while. Definitely recommend it to anyone, it's great to rediscover how much fun some figures that have sat in storage for ages can be!
Deskbot action has definitely re-lit the fire for some figures I would've parted ways with!! It's a double edged sword though, I'm happy that I like the figure again but mourn the loss of the extra funds that could be had by selling it!! :lol: :lol:
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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby Rysquad » Mon Sep 25, 2017 12:09 pm

My two-year old got me back into collecting.
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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby Throttlebotsrevenge » Sat Nov 18, 2017 9:56 pm

My collecting has really been minimal the last few years. Life changes, and all that. Still, I've added some pieces to my collection over the past year--more than I have in a long time!--and I'm looking forward to saving up and getting some more in my display cabinet.

While 2017 may look small to most collectors (I've only added in a five figures), this was a huge glut as compared to the past five years of collecting, in which I may have only added one or two.

For starters, I picked up a Scrounge on eBay. I know that he was part of a set of Technobots, but I don't care about that, as I'm perfectly happy with my G1 Computron. Scrounge is a character I fell in love with when I first picked up a back copy of Marvel US #17 when I was in my preteens, and finally seeing him get some toy love was enough for me to dust off my Paypal account.

Then, I saved my money and picked up a G1 Longtooth. I've mourned the fact that I sold off my original Longtooth back in 2010, and it was time to add him back to my collection. I love that stupid Moby Dick-quoting underwater car.

Up next was adding a Kiss Players Glit back into my collection. I had originally picked up the Kiss Players cassette set when it first came out, but--like Longtooth--I sold it off in 2010. I don't give a rip about Rosanna and Sundor, but letting go of Glit always ate at me. Maybe it was because he shared the Ravage mold--or maybe because he was an effeminate Decepticon medic who loved to get drunk and sing karaoke--but for whatever reason, letting go of Glit always felt wrong. Now Glit is back to being a celebrated part of my collection. Front row on my 'Con shelf! 8-)

Then I got myself an Oilmaster as a mid-summer present to myself. I've always loved Pretenders, and a brand-new Pretender that served as an homage to a never-produced G1 figure was too much for me to ignore.

Finally, I got myself a TFCC Impactor, because Impactor is awesome and the Fall of Cybertron version just doesn't cut it.

I'm socking aside money to continue to add to my collection. I'm hoping to add in an Encore Fort Max by next year. :-D
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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby Va'al » Sun Nov 19, 2017 11:28 pm

Motto: "Till All Are Pun!"
Collecting in general for me has died out, a lot, to the point where figures I thought I'd never give away or get rid of from the collection have been.. well, given away or gotten rid of.

There's just something not there that was there previously, other than money. BUT! I'm not actually complaining about it! It means that when I pick something up, I'm getting it because I really like and want it, rather than for impulse, guilt, completionism or any automatic process in my mind.

I can't see any Transformers in my future so far, but I did get a hankering this weekend as I was in Osaka. I poured over MP-32 and 38, for a good hour or so (between two shops), then I found something ENTIRELY different in a third shop - and I thought about it for the entire evening, discussed it with my partner (mostly to discern if it was worth getting, or if I was just scratching an expensive itch) and the following day we headed back to the same shop to pick it up. Haven't had new toy joy in a loooong while, but I'm happy with the one piece, and the hankering has gone. :D
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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby Ironhidensh » Sat Jan 06, 2018 12:28 pm

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I think I've said it before, but would just like to say it again: I rediscovered a huge joy in, not collecting for myself, but giving transformers to my sons.


Yeah, they break a lot of them, especially the newer and more cheaply made ones, but that is because they play with them, and have a whole hell of a lot of fun doing it.
Card carrying grumpy old man.


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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby Burn » Sun Nov 03, 2019 2:16 am

Motto: "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings to randomly click things in the Admin Panel to see what it breaks."
It's interesting how things change in two years ...

I was originally planning to write this up as a site article to trigger discussion, but after stumbling across this thread (that's a story in itself) I thought people might enjoy a read of how things have changed.

Two years ago, I'd rediscovered the joy of collecting. That joy is no more.

Just under a year ago, I bought a house with my fiance and we moved in. Suddenly my little collection had more than just a townhouse bedroom, it had a much larger room!

So for the last year or so I've slowly been unpacking and setting it up. This has brought me a little bit of joy because I've been able to rediscover figures from older lines, and there are honestly some bloody gems out there.

But that's the joy of the collection, the end result. The joy of actually collecting, the hunt, the waiting for a parcel to arrive, the thrill of walking into a store in search of new figures, the joy of new lines and figures being revealed, that joy just isn't there.

There's a couple of reasons why.

The retail landscape has changed a lot in the last two years, the biggest impact being the closure of Toys 'R Us. It's seen a change in how Hasbro gets their figures out there. Hasbro Selects is now a thing, and to me, (and this is strictly my opinion and I have no doubt that someone's going to come in here and try to disagree with me and try to tell me I'm wrong, so here's a tip, don't waste your time) there seem to be more and more store exclusives, combine that with Hasbro seemingly becoming more America centric, it's getting harder to get mainstream characters at retail.

MID-RANT DISCLAIMER: For those not aware, I live in Australia, it's important you remember that when telling me I'm talking out my arse, because chances are, you don't understand how hard it is for collectors outside of the US (and even Canada)

For example, Siege Skywarp. Getting Starscream is piss easy, Thundercracker is not as easy, but is still readily available. Skywarp however comes in a three pack and is hard to obtain outside of the US and will end up setting you back more than what you would pay for Starscream and Thundercracker.

Now, to me, if you're serious about your collection, if you're going to get one of the original Seeker trio, you're going to want the other two.

Hasbro knows this. So they milk it.

That's just one example. There's a slew of other figures that brick and mortar Australian retail aren't picking up. There are local online outlets, and bless their little hearts for going above and beyond for helping out Australian collectors like myself, but we still have to pay extra for these "exclusives".

It makes me feel like I'm being priced out of the market.

Now the other thing that has taken the joy out of collecting, and I'll be interested to see what people think of this.

The 84-85 time loop. When Siege was announced, I was pretty excited, we were going to get some pre-G1 Cybertronian forms, I liked the idea of this, even though it meant we'd be re-doing the original line up of characters, the majority of which have been done in varying forms over the last few years, some to the point they simply didn't need re-doing!

But, I found the Cybertronian forms were kinda limited. We had gems like the pyramid Seekers, a form fans have been clamouring for for years. But then we get Prowl who looks more Earth based than Cybertron based.

And then there's Micromasters! Characters that haven't been touched since the original line! HUZZAH! But wait, you only get two of a team that was originally four. da fuq?

WEAPONIZERS! Okay now these guys are cool, and they complement previous Titans, this is good! The majority of Siege isn't so bad! The next line can only get better with even more long forgotten characters right?

"MWAHAHAHAHA oh you foolish collector Burn" ~ Hasbro

And here's Earthrise ... with all your favourite characters like Optimus Prime and Starscream ... and even Wheeljack ... and here we go again.

Because to me, Starscream and Wheeljack, have fantastic Classics versions.

Micromaster bases are becoming Weaponizers, and I like that! I REALLY do!

Oh and hey, have another Astrotrain. Even though the Titans Return version, despite being a Headmaster (Titanmaster ... calm your tits folks) was still a **** awesome version!

(I do like the idea of a new Grapple utilising Masterpiece's crane magic, but do I really need a Classics Grapple when I already have the Masterpiece version?)

And this is what disappoints me most, we get a smattering of characters that haven't been seen in over 30 years, but we get stuck with characters that have been done again and again and again.

(I haven't even mentioned Stalker and the Predators and Turbomasters!)

How many ways can a truck transform to a robot?
How many ways can a jet fighter transform to a robot?

Just ... innovate Hasbro, come on ... you've worked out how to turn a sphere into a robot, give us something amazing instead of rehashing the same story, the same characters ...

Two years later, this is where I'm at. Retail offerings and recycled characters have essentially left me bored and disappointed with Transformers.
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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby STngAR » Sun Nov 03, 2019 3:02 pm

Weapon: No Weapon
So here's my collecting story along with the rediscovery I just had. First off I'm 45 so I'm probably one of the older collectors here. I was the prime (no pun intended) age when Transformers came out. I remember one Christmas getting the Superion gift set. It was one of the happiest moments when I was a kid. I spent countless hours having battles between Devastator and Superion. Fast forward a few years into teenage life, girls, and more. Then even further I was married and had two kids.
I remember hearing that they were making a Transformers movie and I started thinking how much I enjoyed them as a kid and how excited I was when the new episode came on tv. I started thinking " I wonder what the toys look like now." So the next trip to Walmart included a stop off at the toy section to check it out. I stumbled upon a Classics Jetfire on clearence. As I looked at it in the package I remembered how much fun I had playing with him and making sure all the parts to him were put back in the styrofoam tray when I was done playing with him so I wouldnt lose anything. At that point I was hooked with the collecting bug. I still have that Classics Jetfire sealed in his package in one of my totes. Keeping him that way as a reminder of that moment for me.
So I bought whatever was in the store, looked at countless of websites and pictures to see what I missed, and ebayed the hell out of ebay. The first movie toys came out and I was buy one to open and one to keep sealed. As the toys came out that eventually started to change because I really wasnt enjoying the look and feel of the movie toys. Dont get me wrong there are some gems in the early movie lines but in my opinion they pretty much suck. After ROTF I gave up on the movies all together. I sold off all my movie toys and kept only the ones I considered good toys (really wasnt that many if I'm honest). I believe the last toy I bought at that time was Generations Roadbuster. We also moved into a new house and there wasnt a room to display my bots anymore so they all sat in totes up in the attic. At this point the break started.
Fast forward about 5 years and my job has me moving. This time the house we move into has an extra room I can utilize. At first it wasnt intended for that but my wife suggested it. So I break the shelves out of storage and put all my totes in the room. Took me a few months before I started setting things up but the more I handled and messed with them I started getting curious as to what I missed. As far as I was concerned it was all movie crap and at this point the Bumblebee movie is out and thats what I envision. I started digging again just like when I first discoverd Jetfire. Disovered the Combiner Wars... there were some good ones that I felt I needed, but the combiners just didn't do it for me. They still had that stick look to me.
Discovered Titans Return....This line got me excited as hell and as of this typing I only need Arcee to complete what figures I wanted.
Discovered Power of the Primes.....again some good stuff that I wanted to get.
Discovered Seige.....This line was out for a little bit but I didnt have much to play catch up on.
So after this REDISCOVERY I found out I dont need everything that comes out, just the figures that appeal to me. I feel better buying something that I actually like not just because its a Transformer I should buy it because I collect them. I also found out black shelves look better than the wood grain look. I'm actually feeling good about my collection now and how I'm collecting. As soon as I convert everything on black shelves I'm looking forward to posting my collection pics.

Thanks for this Burn, I feel like I needed to tell this.



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ScottyP wrote:Kid 1 "What did you get for Christmas?"
Kid 2 "Steve.........What did you get?"
Kid 1 "John Cena!"




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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby Microbot » Sun Nov 03, 2019 5:14 pm

Hi, I'm 41yo. I love TF from my 8th, my first love war bumblebee....thanks to cartoon....I'mItlian, so I think here arrive a little late...but always collect not for all these years...but buy sometime some model I like...I have the 1st Omega Supreme with light, move and sound for example or The original Pentajet ( Superion, in original) but never really go to full series...always follow the Animated series and the Movies (....yes...even the Bay....and I DON'T LIKE THEM, but just wanna know how my heroes became...Bumblebee movie is the only one I appreciate)so for a long time I don't buy anything about....really don't in my taste some TF... but I must say last year, I found Optimus prime Siege version...well...I fall in love again...love all these WFC series and decide do buy all I like again! I have now a little new collection, I will continue to this way...so yes, Siege gave new life to the passion I hope will continue!
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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby Darth Trader » Wed Nov 06, 2019 4:08 am

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I'm also an 80s GenX-er, aging like a fine wine, who just rediscovered the joy of toys!

I was walking through Walmart a few weeks ago and stumbled onto a G1 Reissue Devastator set on clearance, and about fell over from the excitement! Naturally, that led me to buy their reissues of Starscream, Hot Rod, Soundwave, and the cassettes too!

I'm now semi-retired and work from home, so I finally decided to get a few display cases and free my G1 toys from their basement prison crates. I had nearly forgotten just how amazing and artistic the original line really is!

I definitely feel your pain though, Burn. Part of the reason I quit collecting, is Michael Bay. That Universe is dead to me. I think the figures are godawful and cheap looking. Don't own one, and never will. And, does the world really need 150 different re-paints of Optimus Prime?

I'm choosing to collect my favorite figures and the ones I always wanted. I searched around eBay for a G1 Shockwave, but don't have a spare $1000 laying around, so I decided to give a $60 KO one from China a shot. It just arrived yesterday, and the MISB vs Free The Toys battle is currently raging in my mind, lol.

It's a beautiful box and figure. I can't believe that Hasbro hasn't chosen to re-issue him. I suppose it's because he's a gun. (I'll add some pics later)

Anyway, in this troubled world where it's becoming increasingly difficult to find comfort, Transformers seems to be what the doctor ordered for me, so I'm just gonna Transform, and roll with it! :-D
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Re: Rediscovering The Joy of Collecting

Postby AllNewSuperRobot » Wed Nov 06, 2019 5:04 pm

Motto: "Guilty or Innocent?
Always Guilty..."
Weapon: Particle Beam Cannon
I have two good friends I find gaps in their collections for. They refer to me as 'The Bloodhound', because I find rare and seemingly unobtainable things for them. Along the way, over the past couple years, I decided to fill in some long time gaps of my own. I collect Sets. I don't buy into ongoing lines anymore. I like to see an end to a given collection. For example, I have the newest iterations of Metroplex, Trypticon and Fort Max. So when Scorponok drops next year, the City Bot set is complete.

A quick run down of some other sets I've completed:
Beast Wars Wolfang Mold - 4 of 4
Beast Machines Jetstorm Mold - 5 of 5
WFC/FoC Shockwave Mold - 3 of 3
Beast Wars Cybershark Mold - 6 of 7 (Hellwarp is a newly discovered Skybyte redeco I am sourcing)
Beast Wars TM Rhinox Mold - 3 of 3

I have divided these sets among the City Bots as displays. So I thought I was done. Until a random listing prompted my curiosity. The jets currently sit on Trypticon. There is one lone addition to that: RTS Cyclonus. Who I soon realised also has redecos. Two of which are immediately obtainable.

My "joy" comes from completion. I have no real affinity to nostalgia. I was born in the 80's, but raised in the 90's. From the above, growing up I only had BW K-9 and the default and TM 2 Cybershark. I was more than happy with those and pre-internet, we were grateful for what we could get hold of. Knowing full well that from those product shots on the back of the packaging, we were lucky to even see half of them. Now, the only reason I will continue with Cyclonus, as I did with the others previously, is I really like the design. After him, it is just Scorponok.

Now as noted elsewhere, I do collect MP Beast Wars. Which does seem counter intuitive to collecting fixed number sets. However, HasTak have said the line will only consist of Season One (plus some redecos) and at 14 figures, that is good enough for me. After it was finished and if they then went for a Season One 2.0, I wouldn't be interested.
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