Re: Transformers War for Cybertron: Siege Discussion Thread
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 5:04 pm
i've noted in other threads (or maybe this one, they grow so fast) that I'm considering downsizing my Masterpiece collection for the WFC trilogy line. There are a few reasons:
1) My son is coming into the age where I can share the figures and the hobby with him. He knows who all the major characters are. He can play with them with - minimal - fear from me about whether he somehow breaks one or not.
2) The Masterpiece line, while not losing my business per se, is only becoming more expensive as time goes by. When I essentially traded out my CHUG collection for Masterpiece, I did a monetary comparison of figure selection and frequency of release vs. cost between CHUG and Masterpiece. At the previous time, I was actually saving money by buying Masterpiece figures at a lesser frequency than trying to keep up with the numerous CHUG releases I would inevitably want.
By downsizing my Masterpiece collection, I can keep my "hero versions" of my favorite/sentimental characters and the cost won't be as much of a factor.
3)Shelf space comes at a premium with Transformers. Especially Masterpiece. My son and I can get more figures to choose from for our "missions" with WFC figures.
There's a lot of pros to making this move, but there are some cons, as I've discovered in the act of (not) buying the figures when confronted with the possibility:
I purchased Ultra Magnus when I decided I was going to go through with this and found him in a Target in my area. That's the first step. Buying one. Not that I haven't bought this or that over the years since I've been concentrating on Masterpiece, but those were figures I just felt I had to have because I loved what they did with the figure (CW Ultra Magnus (Minimus Ambus), Titans Return Galvatron, Power of the Primes Optimus Prime, PotP Rodimus I didn't get but only because I simply never saw one in the store, Thrilling 30 Voyager Springer). I still appreciate the engineering as well as the characters, Masterpiece or no.
WFC S Magnus is a whole different decision making process, even if it overlaps with other areas. I'm a Magnus mark. But, the first thing that went "wrong" was the price tag. Fifty bucks is a lot of money for leader class. Seems like they just keep going up. I know about plastics and the cost of doing business. But it's fifty bucks. I paid forty for Optimus PotP from Walmart. Probably same for CW Magnus. Depending on the level of involvement I go with this with my son, that's going to add up quick. It colored my decision making on further figures immediately.
I was going for another figure just yesterday and WFC S Megatron was available. I had the money. I could have bought him. But I froze. Again, the price tag. 30 bucks. Did Voyagers go up? Weren't they less than 20 a few years ago? 20 tops? I KNOW all day long I didn't pay that for TR Galvatron - I wouldn't. I don't remember PotP Grimlock being 30 either, even though I never purchased him.
This isn't to say I simply won't pay 30 quid for Megatron. From everything I've seen, he's a phenomenal figure. However, would it perhaps be better to wait for the inevitable Leader Class Megatron? Or would it be better to get this one and skip the Leader when the time comes? I'm not interested in getting EVERY figure or every mold or any of that nonsense. I skipped several (although not enough) Masterpiece figures since 2012 or 2013. I'm just trying to balance the idea that my son will be playing with them, they're generally expensive toys even if not to the hilarious degree that Masterpeice is, and that there will be more than one version of several marquee level characters in this line. I froze, bottom line. But hunting down these guys I'm looking at almost 500 bucks if I wanted them all -
50/100 Ultra Magnus/Shockwave
30/120 Prime/Megatron/Soundwave/Starscream
10/80(?) 8 different micromasters/targetmasters
20/100 5 or 6 different deluxe class figures
Math isn't exact, but it's not all that far off. As a collector, I'm probably overthinking this, but there's no where else for me to let out this...angst.
Thoughts?
1) My son is coming into the age where I can share the figures and the hobby with him. He knows who all the major characters are. He can play with them with - minimal - fear from me about whether he somehow breaks one or not.
2) The Masterpiece line, while not losing my business per se, is only becoming more expensive as time goes by. When I essentially traded out my CHUG collection for Masterpiece, I did a monetary comparison of figure selection and frequency of release vs. cost between CHUG and Masterpiece. At the previous time, I was actually saving money by buying Masterpiece figures at a lesser frequency than trying to keep up with the numerous CHUG releases I would inevitably want.
By downsizing my Masterpiece collection, I can keep my "hero versions" of my favorite/sentimental characters and the cost won't be as much of a factor.
3)Shelf space comes at a premium with Transformers. Especially Masterpiece. My son and I can get more figures to choose from for our "missions" with WFC figures.
There's a lot of pros to making this move, but there are some cons, as I've discovered in the act of (not) buying the figures when confronted with the possibility:
I purchased Ultra Magnus when I decided I was going to go through with this and found him in a Target in my area. That's the first step. Buying one. Not that I haven't bought this or that over the years since I've been concentrating on Masterpiece, but those were figures I just felt I had to have because I loved what they did with the figure (CW Ultra Magnus (Minimus Ambus), Titans Return Galvatron, Power of the Primes Optimus Prime, PotP Rodimus I didn't get but only because I simply never saw one in the store, Thrilling 30 Voyager Springer). I still appreciate the engineering as well as the characters, Masterpiece or no.
WFC S Magnus is a whole different decision making process, even if it overlaps with other areas. I'm a Magnus mark. But, the first thing that went "wrong" was the price tag. Fifty bucks is a lot of money for leader class. Seems like they just keep going up. I know about plastics and the cost of doing business. But it's fifty bucks. I paid forty for Optimus PotP from Walmart. Probably same for CW Magnus. Depending on the level of involvement I go with this with my son, that's going to add up quick. It colored my decision making on further figures immediately.
I was going for another figure just yesterday and WFC S Megatron was available. I had the money. I could have bought him. But I froze. Again, the price tag. 30 bucks. Did Voyagers go up? Weren't they less than 20 a few years ago? 20 tops? I KNOW all day long I didn't pay that for TR Galvatron - I wouldn't. I don't remember PotP Grimlock being 30 either, even though I never purchased him.
This isn't to say I simply won't pay 30 quid for Megatron. From everything I've seen, he's a phenomenal figure. However, would it perhaps be better to wait for the inevitable Leader Class Megatron? Or would it be better to get this one and skip the Leader when the time comes? I'm not interested in getting EVERY figure or every mold or any of that nonsense. I skipped several (although not enough) Masterpiece figures since 2012 or 2013. I'm just trying to balance the idea that my son will be playing with them, they're generally expensive toys even if not to the hilarious degree that Masterpeice is, and that there will be more than one version of several marquee level characters in this line. I froze, bottom line. But hunting down these guys I'm looking at almost 500 bucks if I wanted them all -
50/100 Ultra Magnus/Shockwave
30/120 Prime/Megatron/Soundwave/Starscream
10/80(?) 8 different micromasters/targetmasters
20/100 5 or 6 different deluxe class figures
Math isn't exact, but it's not all that far off. As a collector, I'm probably overthinking this, but there's no where else for me to let out this...angst.
Thoughts?