The Energon Pub

We are all different types of collectors. A lot of factors come in when wanting to buy a new toy. Some people don't like redecos and would rather new molds while some people dont need to have the same character multiple times. So I have a question as to which you'd rather buy: a character you dont have that uses a mold you already have, or a character you already have that uses a brand new mold. That of course includes new versions of a character. Is it the character that matters most to you, or is it discovering a new mold?

For instance, if you already owned ROTF Lockdown



would you rather own animated lockdown (a different mold of a character you already have)



OR Timelines Circuit (the same mold again, but made for a character you dont have)

Well, I don't like too obvious use of the same molds to make "new" characters, but I also don't need the same guy multiple times...
But I guess I can live with how Combiner Wars is being done.

That was actually my problem with Combiner Wars and the reason I skipped it. It wasn't worth collecting the same toy over and over for "different" characters. It's like, "what's the point? This is the same crappy toy I bought last time with a new head....sometimes." I don't have huge problems with it when it's a few redecoes, but when it takes up the entire toyline...Jesus Christ. Out of the two choices here, I'd rather have a new mold of the same character. However, as Sjeng said, I'm not exactly in desperate need of ten billion molds of the same guy either.

PrymeStriker wrote:However, as Sjeng said, I'm not exactly in desperate need of ten billion molds of the same guy either.

It wouldnt be ten billion though, more like 3-10 depending the character. Megatron is a fun character to collect since, unlike Optimus, all his toys are vastly different from one to the next. I feel people would be missing out if they don't get DOTM voyager Megs or Generations WFC Deluxe megs if they already have the Classics voyager megs.

An easier example is lockdown, its interesting to see the different versions out there like animated, movie and an inbetween:


Transformers Age of Extinction: Generations Lockdown Gallery


Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Lockdown Gallery

Bit of both really - I collect Optimus toys I guess.
But I also really appreciate new characters - so no I don't disparage Alpha Bravo.

RAR wrote:Bit of both really - I collect Optimus toys I guess.
But I also really appreciate new characters - so no I don't disparage Alpha Bravo.

I didnt mean necessarily new as in never existed before, more like new to your collection.

william-james88 wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:However, as Sjeng said, I'm not exactly in desperate need of ten billion molds of the same guy either.

It wouldnt be ten billion though, more like 3-10 depending the character. Megatron is a fun character to collect since, unlike Optimus, all his toys are vastly different from one to the next. I feel people would be missing out if they don't get DOTM voyager Megs or Generations WFC Deluxe megs if they already have the Classics voyager megs.

An easier example is lockdown, its interesting to see the different versions out there like animated, movie and an inbetween:

Ah, if you're including different iterations of a namesake, then yes, I greatly prefer that.

PrymeStriker wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:However, as Sjeng said, I'm not exactly in desperate need of ten billion molds of the same guy either.

It wouldnt be ten billion though, more like 3-10 depending the character. Megatron is a fun character to collect since, unlike Optimus, all his toys are vastly different from one to the next. I feel people would be missing out if they don't get DOTM voyager Megs or Generations WFC Deluxe megs if they already have the Classics voyager megs.

An easier example is lockdown, its interesting to see the different versions out there like animated, movie and an inbetween:

Ah, if you're including different iterations of a namesake, then yes, I greatly prefer that.

Yes, most definitely, I didnt know if I was unclear.

william-james88 wrote:

RAR wrote:Bit of both really - I collect Optimus toys I guess.
But I also really appreciate new characters - so no I don't disparage Alpha Bravo.

I didn't mean necessarily new as in never existed before, more like new to your collection.

OK

Let me put it this way...

I have about 30 Classics seekers & Cone Heads including Offical, Knock Offs and CHMS ones.

I also have 'Crow' pretty high up my 3rd party wants list as he's the only Hearts of Steel Seeker I don't have yet.

I'd be happy to buy more seekers in multiple colours for any mould from any era. heck even if they wanted to to Thundercracker from TF Cybertron as part of a trio I'd buy all 3.

One F.

Known characters sell depending on the media they are given exposure to.

aw man, this is a tough one and I can't actually vote in the poll as I can't agree (nor disagree) with either statement.

If they want to give us new characters, then I'd like to see those characters get some inclusion in media. Lockdown is a perfect example, new character, got established via a cartoon.

Whereas if he'd just been a new character, new mold or a repaint, I'd have no interest.

My personal preference would be to give modern updates (preferencing new molds, but if they're to be repaints then at least be similar to their original incarnations) to older characters, and sorry Billy-Jim for bringing him up, but a good example is Stalker and the Predators, and their Autobot counterparts. Sure, aside from Thunder Clash there's been very little in the way of media exposure, but they're known to fans, they're not as obscure as some other characters (e.g. Stripes)

I tend to prefer new molds myself, but surprised to see the results split 50/50 on that note.

Burn wrote:Whereas if he'd just been a new character, new mold or a repaint, I'd have no interest.

I meant a new character in your collection. Like the Club stuff which uses all repaints but for characters we dont have yet as toys. Or how they turned Legends Optimus into Huffer and Pipes, which we didnt have in our colelctions yet.

Might have to be more clear next time whn askign this question again but I dont know how when people interpret questions so differently.

I get the sense that for most serious collectors, the answer is new molds. For the more casual collectors and kids (and parents who buy toys for their kids), the answer is new characters.

I prefer new character. Yes, I like my Optimi, but beyond him, I don't need a hundred Hot Rods.

It never even crossed my Mind that I didn't have a Huffer or Pipes in a specific category... when I already Have variations of the small igear ones and the X-Transbots ones and The G1 Originals.. I didn't think much about not having Huffer or Pipes - likely because they are Optimus repaints I would only be using them if playing with them with a Deluxe sized representation of a bigger Character, If I was playing with bigger toys I'd use the X Transbots ones.

The only Thing that meets that criteria that springs to mind is Scrounge as he's a genuinely New representation of a character from the 1980's so he's both "New to a collection" and a New Character.

I tend to give a lot of leway to G1 collectors edition repaints too.. like Astrotrain repaints or Road Rage... But they are things That I don't tend to chase with huge enthusiasm so much as I get them when I trip over them.

At first, I understood the question as "moar repaints or new molds?"
Then I read the poll and I was torn. Sure, I do collect Megatrons, Optimus Primes, Starscreams, and maybe Soundwaves and Bumblebees. However, I did skip on some of them. Because enough is enough. Like, I'm really happy with TR leader Blaster, but because I own it AND I already own MP Soundwave, I'll skip leader TR Soundwave. On the other hand, I went out of my way to get the TrU exclusive deluxe RID Starscream, but I did also buy the TrU exclusive Power Surge talking RID Starscream.

So, I guess I prefer new molds of the same character?
...
Hold on...
I notice that in my collection, I have SO MANY repaints and remolds! So, maybe I do prefer new characters... Enev though I already own the TrU exclusive deluxe RID Paralon, the RID Scorponok from Takara's TAV line is mighty tempting...

I *think* my answer is new characters. My criteria for Transformers collecting is usually get the characters I like first and then move on to the character designs I like. If it's a new mold great if not oh well. Granted I prefer the repaint to make sense, for example I'm not to thrilled about the Krok from Skullsmasher rumor.

Depends.

Hasbro keeps needing to cut back on money so I can entirely understand why they do this. My preferred approach would be - discounting characters that were always retools and repaints like the seekers and Trailbreaker/Hoist, I don't think there's any dispute that those should be mold re-uses - that they do retools and repaints for characters that make sense and have similarities so that there's more money towards a new mold for a character that needs it more. For instance, I'm sure there's some irritation towards TR Brainstorm being a retool of TR Blurr; but in terms of their proportions, alt-modes, where the vehicle mode parts go in robot mode... it works out very well, especially with the necessary retooling done. And at the end of the day, if anything had to be a retool... yeah, I'll take that. I look at it more like... I prefer Brainstorm being a retool of Blurr rather than Brainstorm getting a new mold so another character has to be a retool that's pretty unfitting, like Kup just being a redeco of Hot Rod for instance. It's also partly why I'm fine with mold re-uses most of the time but I really don't like TR Breakaway; that just... that just doesn't work. No question about it. It's just bad.

On another note, Combiner Wars in particular is something I consider a different case, at least in regards to the deluxes and voyagers. The way I see it I don't mind Ironhide being an Offroad retool and Wheeljack being a Breakdown retool (aside from the fact that the Breakdown mold just sucks), because these aren't supposed to be the definitive versions of the characters. These aren't replacements for your Universe 2.0 Prowl or your Classics Mirage. Now if they work out for that, cool - in particular I really want CW Mirage on his own and a lot of people have said they like Prowl, Trailbreaker and Hound. But they're just different versions of the characters that are there so you can have a friggin' Optimus combiner. That's why I'm fine with those guys being retools and such; as long as they sort of fit the body type and alt-mode, I'm fine with it. This is also why I can't stand people going on about how Sky Lynx isn't a Leader class that can separate into two pieces and yadda yadda... it's not supposed to be. It's supposed to be a version of Sky Lynx that can combine. And it doesn't mean we aren't going to get a new version later.
It can be frustrating if we don't already have an actual CHUG version of the character, or we do and that version sucks - like Ironhide - but at the same time, eh. Patience is a virtue. We'll get 'em eventually, and I'm just happy to have another version of them can do something really cool in the meantime.

This is tough to say. I got into this to get every character from Season 1 to the movie. And most of those have been done at a reasonable size by either official channels or 3P.

But most is not all. There are a handful of characters that I just feel haven't been done right (Chromia, Moonacer, I am looking at you).

I have to admit, however, to feeling somewhat ... meh about new characters that are coming out in Titan Wars. I didn't think that'd be the case, but as price increases I start to feel like I'm getting diminishing returns on characters I don't feel personally strong about.

So, I guess I prefer new moulds over new characters. The old characters just haven't been done well enough to me.