The Energon Pub

I never really got into the whole collecting aspect of the Transformers universe yet, but I want to start. I really want to get my hands on the Transformers Prime toys once they come out. Other then that, I'm not sure where else to start. Can you guys give me some advice on where to begin? Or what to look for? The last thing I collected was the original My Little Ponies back in the 80s/90s.

oh great primus......
You have got SO MUCH TO SEE!
Go here: http://www.tfu.info/alpha/index.htm And decide for yourself. Just be weary, some of these older ones will take quite a chunk out of your wallet.

Transformers Prime seems a good place to start,but if you dont wanna wait its comes out,i say to you get a character you like.
It also cool when yoiu can get a full cast EX:Transformers 1 Autobots,TF animated cast an etc...

just a little advice, the older you go the more expensive it will be. but some are really worth it. especially the classics if i were you i would start with the classics lines

TulioDude wrote:Transformers Prime seems a good place to start,but if you dont wanna wait its comes out,i say to you get a character you like.
It also cool when yoiu can get a full cast EX:Transformers 1 Autobots,TF animated cast an etc...

Do we have an exact date yet when the Prime toys will be out?

LadyBug wrote:

TulioDude wrote:Transformers Prime seems a good place to start,but if you dont wanna wait its comes out,i say to you get a character you like.
It also cool when yoiu can get a full cast EX:Transformers 1 Autobots,TF animated cast an etc...

Do we have an exact date yet when the Prime toys will be out?

no, but we believe it is near christmas, late fall.

Welcome to the fandom!

My first suggestion would be the opposite of what many of the posters are suggesting: start watching past series first instead of randomly looking up toys. There are a lot of past episodes on DVDs, youtube and other *ahem* legally questionable mediums. Find a series that draws you in, begin researching the main toys from that line, and go from there.

Alternatively The Seibertron.com Toy Galleries are some of the most detailed on the 'net.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like!

Where to start? Get a second job, possibly a third.

Mkall wrote:Welcome to the fandom!

My first suggestion would be the opposite of what many of the posters are suggesting: start watching past series first instead of randomly looking up toys. There are a lot of past episodes on DVDs, youtube and other *ahem* legally questionable mediums. Find a series that draws you in, begin researching the main toys from that line, and go from there.

Alternatively The Seibertron.com Toy Galleries are some of the most detailed on the 'net.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you like!

I gotta agree with my friend here.. before I got back into collecting I bought a little bit o' this and a lil bit' o that..After purchasing the g1 complete series, beast wars,the headmasters series, armada and energon series, I had a better understanding of Who and what I wanted to collect. Find a few characters you like and being the hunt!

El Duque wrote:Where to start? Get a second job, possibly a third.

So sad but so...so so so true

I personally think your best place to start after you find out what figures fit your particular tastes, is to start looking for large lots on eBay or Transformers forums. Essentially, what it comes down to is what your goal is in collecting. Mine was originally to purchase everything that came out, but that quickly became unmanageable. Currently I try to get everything that gets a domestic release and quite a few of the Japanese releases. It's a slippery slope, and after Armada Unicron I have quickly spent thousands upon thousands on what is essentially plastic crack. Embrace the madness, or quickly flee from this place, as it only gets worse from here.

LadyBug wrote:I never really got into the whole collecting aspect of the Transformers universe yet, but I want to start. I really want to get my hands on the Transformers Prime toys once they come out. Other then that, I'm not sure where else to start.

This question makes my head hurt.

Best advice I got is to pick your favorite character or series, and just go bananas.

These threads crop up from time to time. One should be stickyfied.

I suggest watching shows then checking out galleries of the figures.

If you like the aesthetic of TFP then TFA and Movieverse may also interest you as TFP combines elements of TFA and Movieverse.

Mykltron wrote:These threads crop up from time to time. One should be stickyfied.

News'd and stickied, yes, definitely.

i Say start with DOTM. Since its out on shelves and will go on sale soon. You might want to start with the bot/cons of DOTM you like (Surely you've seen DOTM) and then start from there, and if you really want to, you can collect the whole screen cast

That's what i did when i started collecting in 2007. (Althogh stuff was cheaper and there were less TFs in the 1st movie).

Seems like a better idea than starting to collect classics 3.0 (generations). At least with DOTM you can get all the essential characters (Prime, megs, bumblebee, ironhide ETC) But if you start with generations, you kinda too late for the whole "classics-verse" with the main characters like prime, megs, and BB all gone since 2006. So Basically you'll be getting all the "extra" characters of G1... And its really kinda ugly to have a classics collection missing out all the essential characters (Why on earth did i pass on prowl, hound, ratchet and ironhide seems so "bare" without them.)

Hope this helped... in some form or another

LadyBug wrote:

TulioDude wrote:Transformers Prime seems a good place to start,but if you dont wanna wait its comes out,i say to you get a character you like.
It also cool when yoiu can get a full cast EX:Transformers 1 Autobots,TF animated cast an etc...

Do we have an exact date yet when the Prime toys will be out?

Last time I checked the street date was December 1st.

I'd suggest picking up some figures you like from the movie line that's out now. Decide what sizes and types of figures you want to play with and display. Then once you know what you like, go get figures that fit your definion when the Prime line comes out.
When I collect, I try to only get G1 homages in deluxe size or larger. Now, I do own figures that don't fit that exaclty, but having some guidelines helps keep my collection focused.

Here's my two cents:

Save up for Prime. It's not going to be a short line by any stretch of the imagination. With no more Bay Movies for quite some time Prime is the new Hot Goss for Hasbro so you'll wanna get what you can while it comes out. I'd also recommend getting what 3rd party stuff you can while it's still cheap. Good examples are and will be the Casualty line. Thundershread, Stormbomb, & Backfirey are easy to get for the moment and are still under $50 whereas in a years time they'll go for $100-$150 depending on how rabid fans get.

Also hit up BBTS, TFsource, & RobotKingdom for any overstock sales on Classics/Henkei/United. Some are getting hard to track down without killing a single pay cheque.

LadyBug wrote:I never really got into the whole collecting aspect of the Transformers universe yet, but I want to start. I really want to get my hands on the Transformers Prime toys once they come out. Other then that, I'm not sure where else to start. Can you guys give me some advice on where to begin? Or what to look for? The last thing I collected was the original My Little Ponies back in the 80s/90s.

i say stick with your plan. if tf prime catches your fancy then get them and as your tastes and wants change and develop (they will) expand from there. as far as watching the originals go to youtube and watch some clips before you put down money on the dvd's
i personally dont own any of the video releases although ive got a few of the comics but that hasnt stopped me from getting a sizable collection. good luck finding the figures you really like and look forward to seeing which ones you find