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Every person in the Transformers fandom has that special piece that brought them into the fandom. For some, it might have been an episode of a cartoon. For others, it might have been a comic. Others a toy. Others a movie.

But no matter what that source is, every Transformers fan holds that piece near and dear to their hearts. Even when they've been in the fandom for 5 years, 10, 20, 30, or even 35, they still can remember that one thing that brought them here. And despite whatever else they experience and come to love, they still will always remember and hold dear that entry point.

For me, my introduction to the fandom was the 2007 Live Action Movie. The movie, while not the best and by no means the least controversial piece of media, is still very important to me, as are all of the followup movies. I enjoy the movies for what they are, and I love both the action and the designs that they have brought into the Transformers lore.

And that leads me to the primary subject of this article: my first and second ever Transformers toy.

After watching the movie sometime in August of 2007, 12 year old me wanted a Transformers toy badly. And on Christmas Eve, I got me first: the original Voyager Class Megatron toy. And then on Christmas morning, I got the 2007 Camaro Concept Deluxe Bumblebee. My first Decepticon and Autobot, within 24 hours of each other. And ever since, I have loved and held dear both designs and toys.



Looking back at these toys, the Megatron was a simple and not very accurate toy, but I loved the ice effects and the speed of which I could Transform him. And Bee is a bit limited, but he still has some great design cues, such as how the wheels and wings work, that have not been replicated but I still love.

Ever since these 2 toys, both designs have held a high place in my mind. My definitive Bumblebee design remains his movie design, specifically the 2007 Concept Camaro design, and while there have been many different Megatron designs that I have loved, this was the first, and is important for that reason.

That is where we come upon the present time, and more specifically the last 2 and a half years. About that time, we got word that a Generations line exclusively for Movie toys was in production, and the first new Movie Masterpiece figure was hitting shelves.

The first new Movie Masterpiece was the 2007 Bumblebee, and I got that toy as fast as I could. And I have loved that toy ever since. It brought the 2007 design to life in near perfect detail while also still transforming. It has the mask, the Bee face that I have come to know and love, the little mirrors on the collar, the wheels integrated into the heels, and even the proper wing locations. The only thing missing was the shoulder missile cannons, but that is a minor thing.

And then, in 2019, we got the announcement and release of the 2007 Movie Megatron toy. This was the first use of that design in forever, and it was a Masterpiece! I snagged that toy up, and holy crap was it fantastic. This was a huge, heavy, larger than life, and perfect update to his 2007 design. And that jet mode is huge and wonderful.

Both of the Masterpiece toys lived up to expectations, and they have filled my heart with so much joy, having these perfect replicas of my first 2 toys.



But we weren't done there! Not long after that, we got the reveals of the first wave of 2020 for Studio Series, and in that wave, side by side, were the 2007 figures updated! Unbelievable!

And those 2 figures were pre-ordered and accepted into my home with open arms. And just like the Masterpiece toys, they lived up to their expectations. The new deluxe Bumblebee also perfectly nails that original look, and it feels wonderful to have a 2007 and 2020 deluxe of the same character side by side. And then there is Megatron, the same thing, but at voyager scale. And while he traded in a fusion cannon for a giant mace, I love the mace, and I love seeing these 4 toys side by side. Sure Megatron has the wrong chest, but the paint work is so intricate and perfect, it can be excused.



Having these 6 toys, 3 for each different character, is such a huge deal to me. I can look at these 6, and I can see my adventures through the 13 years I have been in the fandom. I can see where I started, with the limited engineering of the 2007 line that still produced some great toys. I can see where I have gone with the Generations updates, expanding my Generations shelves in all forms, but most specifically for my movie toys. And in the Masterpieces, I can see how I have matured, from simple figures that were gifts or took a month to save up for if I bought my own, to high end collectible figures of my favorite characters.





These 6 have given me an incredible journey, a nice representation of my Transformers adventure. My favorite designs, some of my favorite characters, and my favorite Transformers universe.

It is a joy to have these toys, both original and different updates. They bring me incredible joy, but also strike that nostalgia bone just right. These toys make me feel things; I can feel my journey, my adventures, my life in the fandom.

When other fans get their updates to their original toys, whether they be Generation 1, Beast Wars, Armada, etc. I know exactly how they feel. I can see why they have such an overpowering nostalgia for their firsts and their updates. This is my MP-1, my Classics Prime, my Galaxy Force Optimus Prime, my Power of the Primes Optimal Optimus. The feeling is wonderful, and I could not be happier with where my journey has taken me.

The movies have been my introduction, my driving force, my favorite universe. And here, they have come full circle. My hope is that others who have not felt what I now feel will one day get to experience this nostalgia trip, that they can feel that satisfaction of that perfect update to their first.

Stop it.

Every time you talk about your movie Megs, you make me want to buy the SS or MPM version, and I hate movie megatron. I don't need this temptation in my life.

Fantastic article D-Max, and I just worked out you're 7-8 years younger then me I feel old.

Great read. I actually feel bad for the Unicron Trilogy kids out there. Their Generations updates have actually been a downgrade in every case I can think of. Especially that CW Armada Megatron. I actually regret spending the money on him.

Yeah, SS-54 is definitely a worthy purchase. D-Max this is a great article, the subject of which has come up for me recently as well. I've been a TF fan for over 30 years, since 1988. It was so long ago, that I can't actually remember which was my first toy, it was either G1 Prowl or Powermaster Prime. I know I got them both 1 right after another, and Prime wasn't complete, he was missing his big head, which made for an awkward figure to say the least. But I was a huge fan of the Marvel comics, so I knew exactly who the character was.

Anyway, the part of this that pertains to me is that recently I've had the urge to start collecting every iteration of G1 Prowl there is, starting with MP-17. This will be my next collection "project."

So I do share your nostalgia for 1st figures, except mine goes back 20 years earlier.

Oh, yeah. I fully get where you're coming from here, D-Max. This is a great article and reads from the heart.

This is very well written!

Ughhh....this old man's head hurts trying to remember his first Transformer. I narrowed it down to either the Constructicons or Jetfire, but I do remember the toy that got me back into Transformers. It was Classics Jetfire and I still have it sealed in the box somewhere in one of my totes. I now look at that toy and than at the New Siege Jetfire and I think to myself.. "Now that's a great update!"

That was a good read D-max, although I don't collect the movie toys. I appreciate the articles that make me think.

I'm in an odd spot here, I'm 27 and Armada was my "G1" as such I haven't had many "reliving my first" experiences, Starscream being the only exception. That said I'm young enough that a lot of studio series hits a somewhat nostalgic cord, but I've been part of the TF community long enough to have adopted some of the bayformer hate.

That said, this is a great article. I hope they end up releasing that Armada Optimus so I too can enjoy the nostalgia high.

First, thanks for the article! I love these kind opportunities for fans to come together and share their personal Transformers experiences. It's so much fun and I for one will be watching this thread for days, weeks even to see what everyone has to say!

That said, my personal faves that bring joy and nostalgia are my original G1 Galvatron and Rodimus Prime/Hot Rod (hey...they were interchangeable) figures.

In '84 and '85( I'm a young 45 years old) the demand for Transformers FAR EXCEEDED the supply. As a result my friends and I NEVER got our first, second or third choices for birthdays or Christmas. It was frustrating and caused many of us to move on to other awesome 80's franchises(Wheeled Warriors,Voltron,Robotech,Thundercats,and M.A.S.K. etc).

Then in the summer of 1986 Transformers: the Movie hit theaters.After hours of begging mom took me to see it and I immediately fell for Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime and Galvatron. The movie totally polarized fandom and I was one of few who actually looked forward to the third season which I never missed an episode.

By December of '87 I began listening to punk rock and reading independent comics so my interest in Transformers was waning. On a whim mom bought me Transformers :the Movie (VHS) for my birthday and asked for a Christmas list. After several viewings I asked for Galvatron, Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus knowing I'd never get them.

Christmas morning arrived and I snatched my three gifts from under the tree and scurried down into the basement. I turned on the tv, ripped open my gifts and lo and behold there was Galvatron, Rodimus Prime and Ultra Magnus.For the first time I actually got the Bots I wanted and it was AWESOME!!! My sister was a fashionista so as a bonus (mom always kept it fair and even) I got enough cash to get Hot Rod,Kup,Blurr and Cyclonus.

To this day Galvatron and Rodimus Prime/Hot Rod are time machines that teleport me back to those bygone days of awe and wonder!

This is a fun photo shoot!

Articles like this remind me why some communities are just pure awesome, and then makes me remember my weird history with Transformers.

I am a Beast Wars/Machines Kid, and remember waking up early on Saturday mornings to watch the new episodes. I have also perfected my Waspinator impression since then, and have used it for only the power of fun. Unfortunately, I never received any of the toys when I was a kid, but my older brother gave me the G1 survivors of his childhood. This not only helped set me upon my career path, but was a distraction from getting mostly Barbies and Beanie Babies. Then when I was in High School, the live action movies came out, and even then I didn't pay the first movie any attention. Revenge of the Fallen came out, and saw it on cable. I was drawn back in mainly due to Sideswipe the Corvette, and the CGI technology.

I will say that I might have since gone overboard, as I now have almost 200 Transformers since about 2010 and I've bought every Beast Wars toy I had wanted as a kid and then some.

Great read D-Max! Stepping into the waaay-back machine for me, my first 2 transformers were G1 Sideswipe and G1 Skywarp. And much like movie megs and bee for you, those 2 always held a special place in my heart.

That is the main reason Siege has been such an outstanding line for me. Not only did it cover my favorite 2 TF's, but it did a top notch job on the updates.

Good stuff D

Nostalgia can be a helluva drug and I mean that in a good way. Us G1 kids have been lucky with plenty of chances to chase that purple dragon. Now with Prime (my gateway into collecting) at it's 10 year anny, I need some of that sweet sweet leaf to chew on.

Lore Keeper wrote:Great read. I actually feel bad for the Unicron Trilogy kids out there. Their Generations updates have actually been a downgrade in every case I can think of. Especially that CW Armada Megatron. I actually regret spending the money on him.

My first transformer was RID landfill, and I remember Armada vividly. I still have my Armada megs and the CW megs, and it definitely is a downgrade from the original his accessory gun broke coming out of the package, and he just doesn't feel or look right. Collectors club dion as a "powerlinx hotshot" and generations armada starscream are decent stand-ins in the childhood survivor shelf. I'd really love for them to go back to Armada after WFC or something though. That new Armada Prime Takara teased needs to have a Jetfire too, because I cant get rid of my OG Super Optimus without having a replacement for his rocket pants.

Awesome article, I really enjoyed reading it! I likewise got started with the '07 movie, and the movies have remained my favorite part of Transformers; the part I really connect to. Studio Series and the MPMs are everything I've wanted from Transformers, it's just so cool to see all the characters and designs i'm so attached to get upgraded figures.

Awesome article, thanks for sharing your memories with us. My time with Transformers actually started from a life-long obsession with robots. I'll Be 50 this year, so my first TF precursors were Micronauts Acroyear, Baron Karza and any Shogun Warriors I could beg my Mom to buy. By the time Diaclone rolled around to the NOLA area, we were still coming to grips with the loss of our Dad. I was a Middle Schooler and comic book nerd when my younger brother was given a Browning figure, as well as a pre-Starscream. I was amazed; here were toys that expanded on ideas that had captured my imagination years before, and that my brother and I both came to love. A few months after, I began reading the Transformers comics and watching the cartoon with my brother, and making sure that I could scrape up enough money to help my brother keep up with all the toys he wanted. Transformers became something special for us; we bonded over it, a bond that would see us through some of our darkest days...
Now, decades later, our combined love of TFs has kept us close and is still a part of both our lives, as well as the lives of my children and grandchildren. To me, this fandom - this shared experience is what makes Transformers so special - the ability to touch so many of us regardless of gender, background, or generation, even an old Precursor like me.

There have been some very awesome stories and fun facts shown in this thread, thank you all for sharing and for telling all of us how and why this fandom is so important to you.

It's really heart warming to see all the great stuff here. And it's incredible to see just how diverse our paths have run

My first TF toy, on New Years Eve in 1984, was Sludge. When I think back, the strangest part is how vividly I remember every detail of his sword, despite losing less than 2 hours after he was out of the box.

So I had to wait until Power of the Primes for an official update. Dinobots are one area where I've never seriously thought about going 3P, though I did get the 4 Star winged Prontosaurus KO and 6-legged swamp monster (Prehistory Animal?) KO in the past few years.

For me, any updates that scream "1988" conjure childhood enthusiasm, not just because that was the first year with no western cartoon and so many characters that the comic skipped over at the time, but because that year's toyline devised the most potential that was foolishly squandered the following year. It's not that 1989's line was bad per se, but there was a totally unnecessary and avoidable disconnect. The previous 2 years' -master gimmicks could've meshed with the interchangeability of the Micromasters if they'd just made some of the bases and stations larger Transformers like the Powered Masters and Battlestars, instead of just nonsentient transforming things.

Well, the base play of Titans Return was a great first step, the current Battlemasters are meshing Targetmasters and Action Master partners with said interchangeability, and this year Earthrise is actually going to give some of those very stations robot modes! I'm right back in my later elementary school days, with the toys I should've had all along! Couldn't really ask for more.

I've been a casual fan of transformers for a good several years in my younger days so I don't have many of the figures still from that era, I got really into the series in 2007 but i saw the complex designs on screen and thought the toys would be really really bad and never be able to capture the onscreen designs, so fast forward to 2009 with the ROTF era of figures and I finally caved and bought some, my first one was a deluxe class bulldozer named Rampage, I've kept him all these years even though i was saddened by the fact he would never be able to combine, a decade latter my dream figure was made for such a character was made, one that could be that scary naga monster and a combiner part,

Great article!
I’ve been collecting Transformers off and on since they started. I totally get your passion in getting different iterations of characters. I have amassed close to 3000 Transformers, of all kinds and sizes. G1 Brawn and Huffer were my first back in ‘84. G1 has always been my primary focus. I also just love Transformers PERIOD. I have happy meal toys and plenty of Masterpiece figures.
Right now is a wonderful time to collect, there are so many available to choose from. Hasbro has realized nostalgia is important and they’ve tried to appease the collectors (while making money). Third party companies have went that extra step and have given us more options, many doing the best versions of old characters, the Fans Toys Dinobots are an example.
If you have your favorite character, see what’s available (I use tfwiki) and go for it.
Check my fan page Shockwave’s Army on Facebook! I post daily.

Great article! I love reading this kind of stuff.

The figure that got me into collecting was Classics Ramjet. When the 2007 movie was announced I was excited for it. I was walking through TRU one day and saw Ramjet on the shelf all by himself and bought him on a whim. Nostalgia. As soon as I got into the car I opened him up and could not put him down. From that point on I was hooked.

I got Seige Omega Supreme over Christmas. I can't believe how far the brand has come. The difference between those two figures is staggering. The advances in size, detail, and articulation just blow me away.

Great article, made me smile and think back to how much fun it was when I was really into collecting. Waiting for the release of the latest figure in my favourite line, wondering what the next one would be.

My first ever Transformer was a G1 Bumbleebee, this was back in the 80's when it was a new thing. I had a few more over the next couple of years but I wasn't into collecting.

My collecting habit was kick started by the the 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime which I bought on Ebay. I them discovered Binaltech and grabbed as many as I could. I have now all but stopped collecting as I have no more space! Though I have bought the odd Masterpiece and special edition here and there. Oh and the Haslab Unicron. I really do need to clear some space.

Fuhzimota wrote:Awesome article, thanks for sharing your memories with us. My time with Transformers actually started from a life-long obsession with robots. I'll Be 50 this year, so my first TF precursors were Micronauts Acroyear, Baron Karza and any Shogun Warriors I could beg my Mom to buy. By the time Diaclone rolled around to the NOLA area, we were still coming to grips with the loss of our Dad. I was a Middle Schooler and comic book nerd when my younger brother was given a Browning figure, as well as a pre-Starscream. I was amazed; here were toys that expanded on ideas that had captured my imagination years before, and that my brother and I both came to love. A few months after, I began reading the Transformers comics and watching the cartoon with my brother, and making sure that I could scrape up enough money to help my brother keep up with all the toys he wanted. Transformers became something special for us; we bonded over it, a bond that would see us through some of our darkest days...
Now, decades later, our combined love of TFs has kept us close and is still a part of both our lives, as well as the lives of my children and grandchildren. To me, this fandom - this shared experience is what makes Transformers so special - the ability to touch so many of us regardless of gender, background, or generation, even an old Precursor like me.

I'm with you friend. I remember getting a few diaclones early on but getting heckled because they weren't "official" Transformers. Man, if only I had them now! And yes...the bonding over these amazing bots is something that I share with my kids as even my wife. Thanks for bringing those pre-pre rubsign memories to the surface!