The Energon Pub

News Credits: 1 · Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:03 pm

When you get a figure, what do you care about more: That it's a good-looking, well designed figure, or that it's of a character you really like? For me, it's nearly always far more important that the toy's good, although in some cases, I get/plan to get figures that aren't as good (Universe Ironhide and Ratchet, the latter of whom I haven't been able to get yet) because of the character. However, if I get an inferior figure for the character, I still have to like the figure at least a little bit, and it has to be a character from the G1 catroon.

News Credits: 37 · Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:08 pm

The toy mostly. But the character determines how I take care of the toy. Like if the character is like Kup, Optimus, or Animated Ultra Magnus and Ratchet who are supposed to be all beat up and worn out, I don't take much care of them. I can just call it "battle damaged". Like my Animated Ultra Magnus is missing an antenna, but I don't really care about it too much.

News Credits: 4 · Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:46 pm

Oh I take each as they come.
Drift was one toy that I wanted just from the initial designs, before really knowing what the character was like. There are others whom I've gotten because they've got good reviews.

With some, it's been a case of wanting an update to a G1 toy (or in many cases, never having had any version of the character) and there are those I will buy because I think of them as a good interpretation of the character.

On the other hand, there are some I've skipped, like the Animated Dinobots, because, no matter how much I want updated versions of them, they don't fit with the rest of my collection (I have no Animated figures) or because of the scale. Sometimes I just don't like the look of the toy, and decide to hold out for later updates. 3rd party stuff sometimes ends up making major improvements that bit me in the ass though, like Classics Ultra Magnus and City Commander, or the Combaticon Crossfire sets.

I do sometimes end up with duplicates of certain character this way (mostly Optimus Primes, and I have 2 more Jetfire types than I really need) but that's never the end of the world. I'll usually use these to represent a different character or an alternate universe version of the same guy.

News Credits: 7 · Sun Feb 20, 2011 3:50 pm

I like getting cool guys.

Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:01 pm

Character is more important to me. The hole TF universe is based on the unique personality of the individuals involved. That to me is far more interesting then the toys. Although i obviously like the toys but they in turn need to be equally as interesting as the characters. I really like a well thought out figure.

Character is what keeps the franchise going.IMO. Sure the toys are great but you need to identify with something emotionally or intellectually.

Transformers would be tantamount to Lego or something equally arbitrary without character.

News Credits: 4 · Sun Feb 20, 2011 4:40 pm

ah, but sometimes a nice toy can evoke character even if one is not present in other media.

During the Beast Wars era, there were more than a few toys that weren't showcased in the cartoon, yet they were fun toys and I could imagine how they would have been depicted in cartoons or comics.

Sun Feb 20, 2011 5:15 pm

hmmm at the end of the day i mostly buy for the toy. but i do have favorite characters. i will aalways give a megs a second look but if the toy is bad... well i wont get it. also i have no problem with instilling a toy with its own character. after all the whole transformers franchise started with the toys, fiction followed... however a cool character will make me consider the toy more actively and be more likely to buy it.

News Credits: 1 · Sun Feb 20, 2011 5:15 pm

When I was younger, I did tend to buy toys solely based on their characters persona. Now though I don't think its as important, however it's still nice to have a little emotional attachment.

Sun Feb 20, 2011 6:56 pm

For me it's primarily the toy, but the most enjoyable thing as a collector/big kid is when I'm fond of both the toy and the character. I would use Takara Classics Convoy or Reveal the Shield Tracks as some examples of that, and that's why I can't wait for Wheeljack, too.

I wouldn't buy a poor figure of a character I liked but I have bought toys of characters I knew nothing about. As someone else mentioned, I knew nothing about Drift but thought his toy was cool so I got it. Now he's one of my favorite figures and I still haven't read his Spotlight comic.

Cool discussion

Sun Feb 20, 2011 7:08 pm

Personally I have to enjoy the character, even if it is just what I can imagine them to be from the package bio (if they are/were not featured in the show). If I can get behind the character then I look at the toy, if the toy is just as impressive to me as the character, I'll buy it. As a Neo-G1 collector, it is pretty rare (and awesome) when I can take a character who has no "supporting" G1 fiction and add them into my collection display.

News Credits: 9 · Mon Feb 21, 2011 7:30 am

Toy design. I don't play with a character! If it's a character I like it's an added bonus but I've bought toys and loved them without any character information. I don't do role play games with them so character isn't really important to me.

Mon Feb 21, 2011 8:22 am

I take it individually. A good toy for a character I don't like (such as Drift) gets bought, as does a mediocre toy for a character I do like. When we get a great toy for one of my favorite characters (such as RTS Jazz), I'm over the moon.