The Energon Pub

Here is something I have been turning over in my mind, I'll pose this issue and then look forward to the input of everyone else.

Like a few of the recent toy lines, I have essentially every US released toy. From Armada onward, that's how it's been.

Alternators are included in this. I have every release thus far. I went so far as to get Rodimus from the KP line.

Now, there is the SDCC Hot Rod. I'm cool with it. I'm glad people can get him (kind of get him...), but that's not my issue. See, I'm tempted to buy this Alt as well, though I have almost no need at all for it.

Difference wise, there are some changed paint apps and fewer accessories. However, I'm still tempted to get this version, simply because it's out there. The completist thing compels me. It’s almost an OCD thing, just to ‘not miss out’.

I know, that I am not the only one out there who goes through this kind of thing.

At what point do you, or have you, drawn the line and said, “Nope. I am not going to buy just for the sake of NOT ‘missing out’?

This doesn't have to just apply to those who spend lots on their TFs. It can apply to everyone really, it just depends on how and what you buy.

The only thing that stops me from collecting is money. If you want it, get it, however, don't hurt yourself finacially to get it.

Now, me, personaly, I only need one character in one paint scheme. However, if there is a different colour or mould change, even slightly, then I may count it as a new character and get it.

The real question is, will you loose sleep over it?

DJDrew&ScoobyDoo wrote:Now, me, personaly, I only need one character in one paint scheme. However, if there is a different colour or mould change, even slightly, then I may count it as a new character and get it.

So, KP Rodiums has racing stripes. SDCC Alt Rodimus has flames. (and this Malibu Stacey has a new hat!!!)

I find the flame deco to be cool and retro, but at the same time, the racing stripes go along with the Alt concept of realistic cars far, FAR better. Where do we (I?) draw the line? I feel like if I pursue such a small variation, I am dooming my self to buy any and everything. I'm just saying that I don't know if I like how that opens things up for me.

*raises hand*
i know how you feel.. however, i've limited myself to specific lines to complete.. and especially with the alternators, with it being "so close" to end, rodimus is a must have.
i even went so far as to get the menasor 6" tit repaint..
and it's the worst repaint/character that line has produced - next to optimal optimus.
so yea..
i stand there with ya.

I would have thought that being a completest would have compelled you to get, not only the SDCC Rodimus, but also the rest of the Kiss Play line. As long as you haven't hit that mark yet, you're fine.

Ohhh goodness, I am a completest as well, but not on your scale!

Lately I've been trying to figure out what movie bots I should get. I mean I could get them all, they arent to expensive (I have all the ones that were in the movie). but then I think, if I get say.. wreckage or arcee, or payload, am I really gona like them? I mean I want them because they are THERE, but, I don't think I'll appreciate them.. so what I've done is decided-- if the characters were not in the movie, I'm not buying them. I try to thikn of it as "wrecking my movie display"

But then comes another issue, Arcee was written out of the movie, so does that mean I should get her because she was possibly to be in the movie? Same as Wreckage! Now that's my dilema! I will probably get those two, becuase they were possibles for the movie. (What will realy tick me off is if Arcee comes in a movie in the future, with a different alt mode/model/colours, then I'll have to buy the *official* movie toy ad have this girly pink thing off my display!

I was also at a point a few months ago, where i spent about 2000$ on mostly G1 and alternators. I naively thought I was going to buy every G1 toy I wanted. HA. I did get a fair chunk, but I didn't get everyone I wanted, and i had that mentality again, "But he's on ebay.. so i should totally get him!" But luckly I got out of that! I just need Omega Supreme. And Superion, and finish off devastator, and get parts for Menasor, and i need 2-3 more autobot cars, see, I'm doing it agian, I HAVE TO FINISH iT! lol

This will be a problemf or me when I start collection Masterpiece! ALternators was hard to cut myself off with.. lol. I just preordered that SDCC rodimus though..

I bought some stuff that I wish I didn't. I intitialy bought classics jetfire and bumblebee, and prime, but then i thought "ok there is a grimlock and a rodimus" so i bought those two, evne though I didn't quite like them.. so now they are in the way, sort of! ALso bought some 6 inch titaniums which I never really cared for, but, they were there, so ib ought htem.. bad bad

Professor Smooth wrote:I would have thought that being a completest would have compelled you to get, not only the SDCC Rodimus, but also the rest of the Kiss Play line. As long as you haven't hit that mark yet, you're fine.

Well, that's the thing. I don't dip into the BT, Asterick, or KP line much at all.

What you said helps though. I didn't go after BT Sunstreaker, Prime, or some of the other oddities like Zoom Zoom. I suppose letting Alt Rodimus go wouldn't matter too much.

I'm an Alt completist as well, and I will be buying at least one SDCC Rodimus, but most likely to put with my sealed collection, since I have KP Rodimus already.

The Movie line has been the easiest to say "no" to, as far as completion is concerned. Not that I think the toys are bad, I just don't feel compelled to have every exclusive and repaint.

While I like having several various paint shemes on a mold, I'm starting to run out of space, and am selling off extras that I thought I liked, but don't really want anymore.

For example, I'm selling both Cybertron Clocker and Swerve, after grabbing the TGT Exclusive blue Clocker. He's the best paint scheme they have used with this mold, and I don't really need to have 5 versions of it(including BC Exclusives Cheetor and Tigatron). And he'll actually be displayed in my Cybertron collection as Clocker, not my movie collection.

It is the sheer amount of product that has been released over the past two years that is making me seriously rethink my completionism. I worry that I have developed a bit of a compulsion, and I need to reign it in alittle.

I can afford it, I just don't know whether I want to do it anymore.

I have probably gone certifiably crazy trying to complete G1, and to a lesser extent, Japanese G1. What stops me from completion are how current prices have been racing towards "you need to be locked up and the key thrown away" levels. I'm happy that I got back into collecting when I did ('93), because despite how much I like certain toys/characters, there's no way I could comprehend spending the money they commmand these days.

As for recent lines, the only complete one I have is Classics. They're the only characters I will go out of my way for to get. The AEC lines/the Movie line, I just pick and choose toys. Nowadays, it's not only about money, it's a space issue as well.

Counterpunch wrote:So, KP Rodiums has racing stripes. SDCC Alt Rodimus has flames. (and this Malibu Stacey has a new hat!!!)

"Hello. Smithers. You're quite good. At. Turning. Me. On."
"....you probably should ignore that."

PorQPine wrote:It is the sheer amount of product that has been released over the past two years that is making me seriously rethink my completionism. I worry that I have developed a bit of a compulsion, and I need to reign it in alittle.

I can afford it, I just don't know whether I want to do it anymore.

Exactly.

Dead f'ing on.

yea, there's been more lines out in the past few years that you can shake a stick at.
let's see:
classics
alternators
cybertron
titanium
kiss
bt
mp
swtf (if you count 'em)
2007 movie
robot heroes

quite a list. i'm feeling like you fellas

Counterpunch wrote:[Well, that's the thing. I don't dip into the BT, Asterick, or KP line much at all.

What you said helps though. I didn't go after BT Sunstreaker, Prime, or some of the other oddities like Zoom Zoom. I suppose letting Alt Rodimus go wouldn't matter too much.

I'm kinda half and half with you. I have the whole Alt line, as well as BT-06 Yellow Tracks. I would like to get Autotrooper, Broadblast and Alert, but don't want BTA Sunstreaker or Prime, as the paint apps don't mean anything to me. I'd take either Kiss Rodimus or Alt, whichever I could get for the best price.

As for Rodimus, as he is the only ALTERNATOR that you don't have, you will get it. If you had the BT nemisis Prime, you would want the Alt version too, just because.

All in all, just buy the damn toy while you can, because you will buy it later anyway.

Personally, I'll try to get what I consider to be the best version of the toy and complete my collection from there. In this instance, I'm shooting for the KP Rodimus since I feel he's the best all around version of the GT40 model, over Mirage and the SDCC Rodimus. I feel the Hasbro MP Starscream looks better than the Takara version so I'll probably try to pick up the former.

Right now, the only line I am trying to complete is Binaltech and I'm about 3/4 there. If I could get the cash for a KP Convoy I'd be a very happy camper

Counterpunch wrote:I find the flame deco to be cool and retro, but at the same time, the racing stripes go along with the Alt concept of realistic cars far, FAR better.

Sounds to me that you really dig the SDCC deco, maybe a little more than the KP deco. I can relate to wondering if you want a figure because you like it (sculpt, paint job, transformation, etc) and getting one becuase it is available and you feel like you have to keep up. I try to collect figures that I really like more so than trying to complete a toyline; and it is very hard for me. From Arm-Energon I have the entire US release (minus built to rule and other miscl tf) plus a few Japanese versions in each line. Universe and Cybertron I didn't complete eventhough Cybertron is my favorite TF toylines so far. Initially, I refused to buy a few figs for much of the same reasons you stated. Those figures were Cryo Scourge, GF Vector Prime (gold), Demolishor, GF Optumus Prime, and GF Bendy Prime. I told myself that there was really no reason to buy them as they were pretty much filler to complete the line. Today, well 3 out of 5 isn't too bad I guess: I found Cryo Scourge and GF Vector Prime very cheap and picked those two up. Of those 5, the two that I did pick up were ones that I really wanted because I really liked the new paint schemes and their sculpts. Since I wasn't really interested in the other figures as much, I passed on many opportunities of buying them up on deep discount. I'm actually really glad that I ended up buying those two figures (the lower prices was a nice bonus).

Personally, I think you should go for it. It seems to me that you really like the SDCC figure for its paint job and the mold itself and you've passed up many BTs and KPs. As long as you don't get to a point that you must have it or your TF collection will be worthless, you'll be fine.

snaptrap, you're a great arm wrangler. anytime i need to get talked into a toy, i'll have you talk me into. i've allready got the rodimus, but you've just convinced me to get another.
no, i liked what you said though. damned repaints and headsculpts

The completist in me died when money and room both started running out.

Now I try to get what I like including multiples if they are indeed cool enought to be a part of the collection.

Completist dead. Killed by too many repaints, movie toys, and lack of money. Try killing yours CP, you might enjoy collecting that way too, maybe even more.

To this day, I have only been a completist with two TF lines: Alternators and Classics. And, since Alts are dead (SDCC Rodimus on pre-order from BBTS right now), I look forward to being a bit more selective until Classics 2.0 comes out.

I feel your pain, though. Sometimes I'll buy a figure I don't necessarily like just because I don't have it. Thankfully, those urges are dying somewhat as my $$$ goes down and my # of children goes up.

As for the movie line, I've only purchased a select few thusfar--I'm committed to waiting until Clearance Time to see if I can score a few others, but no completing the line, I don't think. It's been a nice break, actually... The Botcon Iacon Package has kept me happy.

I think some of it has to do with OCD

If I had the money I more than likely would be a completist. Since I don't, I buy only the figures that appeal to me the most. The only lines I have tried to be a completist with are:

Classics
Armada
6 Inch Titaniums
Alts.
Robot Heroes

YEA , but dont you think alot of of it has to do with some kind obsession to have all of one series

massmachine wrote:YEA , but dont you think alot of of it has to do with some kind obsession to have all of one series

of course, some lines really click with some, others they jsut like parts.. most lines are like this.
i like cybertron, but i only like a few figures. i love alts, so i have them all.
a few armada, all the mp's.. and on and on

In a way, you create your own problem. It's all mental, but I know how you feel CP. I decided not to be a completist and be happy about it. I had all the alts up to the point Rollbar came out. I decided I did not want it, and would be happier without having to get them all. Then I sold Alt Swerve, since I never liked it anyway. I passed on a lot of Cybertron and thinned out my Energon collection.

I have found that smaller displays look better than the walls of clutter I used to have.

Lapse Of Reason wrote:

I have found that smaller displays look better than the walls of clutter I used to have.

Walls of clutter have their place...

Counterpunch I sympathize with your dilemma and question. I won't deny that I am a completist myself. I've collected every mainline that was released in the US since I started collecting again back in 01' with RID. I didn't finally start being selective until the end of Universe and with Energon. And even then my being selective didn't really reduce the number of figures I bought by much. Hell, I'm even a Classics line whore. I have every figure released in the Classics minus the fugly minicons, reissue Soundwave (because I own the Takara release) and most recent release of the 20th Ann OP (becaue I got the original 20th Anniversary release).

If I were to offer any advice being a completist myself I'd say just to way the importance of your TF purchase vs. what your sacrificing to get it. I LOVE my TF's and my TF collection. But if were talking about gas money to last until the next payday, paying a bill, groceries, or necessities for my twin sons vs. the TF toy I want guess what stays on the toy shelf.

tigertracks 24 wrote:

Lapse Of Reason wrote:

I have found that smaller displays look better than the walls of clutter I used to have.

Walls of clutter have their place...

No doubt they do! Although my walls of clutter were invading the hallway, a nearby bathroom, and our living room!