Why are you a Transformers fan?

[Paulbot]

It seems to me that this forum has become very toy dominated (but so have most TF forums) so I was wondering where people feel they fit.

I know that personally in the last year my toy buying has dramatically increased, but I still think of myself as primarily a story-based fan, but I suspect most people are going to tend towards the toys?

[1orion2many]

:)Toys but comics and cartoons come a close second:D

[i_amtrunks]

I'm a Comics fan (though the are has been fairly lean of late) and Animated has suckered me in very nicely.

I am finding myself more of a toy fan than a story fan, but the lack of comics is not helping there.

[hound]

Toys but cartoons only apply mainly to G1

[Bartrim]

I voted for Story as thats what got me into Transformers originally and I only collect toys of characters I like.

[Gutsman Heavy]

I'm more down the middle.

[G1Optimal]

Although it is mostly the toys....:D

but, i went for toys and stories as i like some of the cartoons. :)

[kup]

The fiction and characters are mostly my primary motivator to collect the toys.

So far the only fiction that I have enjoyed enough to get me to buy the toys are G1 and Beast Wars. As a result I buy toys from those lines or directly related (Classics, Binaltech, MP, etc).

Even though I did not like the Animation style chosen, I had hoped that Animated would be a third fictional linw that I would collect from but that didn't happen.

[liegeprime]

Started as a cartoons (G1) fan but when I saw the toys, it took precedence. Then Im a comics fan, but then I collect a lot of different titles TFs and mostly DC, ok Vertigo only came of late- limited to Fables. But then, I didnt collect DC heroes figures , only TFs, I have MLs but I dont follow their comics as I find it boring and too complicated with all the versions and timetravelling stuff just knocks my interest out. So Im basically

Toys first, Cartoons second, Comics/fiction third....TFs wise:D

[Sam]

I picked mostly the story, but there are other factors that are behind my interest, such as:

- the overarching theme of good versus evil, that the way forward is not always clear, that it is not always easy to "fight the good fight" (e.g. sacrifice involved)
- the profiles and background / history of the characters, and of Cybertron itself
- and good art really helps (e.g. Don's stuff)

[Kyle]

I love the toys, however story and characters are not any less important. They can't really be mutually exclusive. For example, there were heaps of well designed and engineered toys in Transformers Energon and Cybertron, but I refused to buy any of them because I didn't like the story/characters. On the other hand, I like the War Within comics so much, I could tolerate the Titanium Optimus Prime toy with all his flaws.

Another example is the Binaltech series. There wasn't really any cartoon or comic behind it. However, I saw the Binaltechs as re-incarnations of the G1 characters I loved. If Takara released toys of the same quality but as completely different characters with different backgrounds, I don't think I would have bought so many.

An interesting question is: If someone likes Transformers for the toys only, does it make him less a "Transformers fan" than others? On the other hand, if someone likes the Transformers story, the characters, the universe and mytho but has no toy whatsoever, does it also make him less a fan? I reckon being a fan is about enjoying what you like, in your very own way.

[Pulse]

I luv the figures & various series equally! :D

Hell, Has there been any other 24-year long continuous animated/comic series that exists to primarily advertise a toy line? :p

[Paulbot]

An interesting question is: If someone likes Transformers for the toys only, does it make him less a "Transformers fan" than others? On the other hand, if someone likes the Transformers story, the characters, the universe and mytho but has no toy whatsoever, does it also make him less a fan? I reckon being a fan is about enjoying what you like, in your very own way.

I think it's unlikely there'd be anybody that would say they like toys or stories to the complete exclusion of the other. I don't think you have to be even actively buying, collecting, reading, watching to be a Transformers fan. I am curious though what got people into it and what keeps people going.

The responses coming through are what I pretty much what I expected, although I thought there'd be a bit more sway to mostly toys as a lot of converstation on the board is focussed on the toy collections, much more so than comic or dvd or merchandise collections.

[Paulbot]

Hell, Has there been any other 24-year long continuous animated/comic series that exists to primarily advertise a toy line? :p

The TF animated and comic series haven't really been continuous. Big gaps between G1 and G2 and Beast wars cartoons. Smaller gap between G1 and G2 comics and then big gap before the Dreamwave stuff. The toyline itself also has that little gap between G1 and G2 (not it wasn't as noticeable in the Australian)

In general though the only thing that comes close IMHO is the Star Wars toys but I think they even stopped selling SW toys for a while before the Special Edition movie rereleases.

[jaydisc]

I think it's unlikely there'd be anybody that would say they like toys or stories to the complete exclusion of the other.

I think I'm purely toys. I do keep up with watching Animated, but it's still due to toy interest (e.g what new characters might eventuate into toys). When I was a kid, maybe it was different. I dig the movies, both then and now.

Perhaps "purely" or "exclusion" are strong words. I'd put myself at 95% toys.

[Kyle]

I think it's unlikely there'd be anybody that would say they like toys or stories to the complete exclusion of the other. I don't think you have to be even actively buying, collecting, reading, watching to be a Transformers fan. I am curious though what got people into it and what keeps people going.

If someone has a good collection of toys then it's very hard to ignore the characters and their stories. If someone is so into the story, characters and the mythos then it's hard not to have any toy either. :p


The responses coming through are what I pretty much what I expected, although I thought there'd be a bit more sway to mostly toys as a lot of converstation on the board is focussed on the toy collections, much more so than comic or dvd or merchandise collections.

This is similar on the HK forum as well. Maybe people prefer to review a toy than to review an episode of cartoon or an issue of comic? But then we also have review threads of Animated episodes here.

[Paulbot]

Perhaps "purely" or "exclusion" are strong words. I'd put myself at 95% toys.


If someone has a good collection of toys then it's very hard to ignore the characters and their stories. If someone is so into the story, characters and the mythos then it's hard not to have any toy either.

Agree, that's why I used "mostly" in the poll options. The Animated episode discussions are kind of the odd ones out when a lot of other discussions are toy related. Maybe that's because it's so new/different people want to talk about them.

[SilverDragon]

I'm not actually sure. The fiction is nice, but the toys are also quite nice.

[Robzy]

I love the Transformers mainly because of the G1 characters (Cartoon and comics).

But, as an aside, I just LOVE "transforming" toys (ie, not just the Transformers brand)! I think they are the best action figure/toy ever created!!!

[dirge]

Toys. The rest is details.

Who the slag voted for Machine Men?!?!?

[Kyle]

Toys. The rest is details.

Who the slag voted for Machine Men?!?!?

Probably roller... :p

[autobreadticon]

i collect and watch transformers series i like, not a fan that just purchases something just because it has a t/f logo on it.
I enjoy the aspect of collecting and displaying, the main reason is i love transforming things in my hand ^^

[TheDirtyDigger]

I enjoy the G1 toys and the cartoon because of the nostalgia associated with them.

I enjoy the new toys for display purposes, their engineering and the fun factor and I really enjoy the IDW comic.

[roller]

definetly the g1 cartoon

the characters rocked!!!! I remember compared to other shows at the time, tfs were great, i still dont understand why people my age prefer super humans/superheroes to transforming robots.

I only had 3 g2 toys when i was growing up, and now that i have some g1s, i dont think the toys alone would have made me a fan.

[STL]

Probably roller... :p

Oi. Give a guy some credit, will you? :p

[dirge]

Note that Roller hasn't actually denied it...

[Golden Phoenix]

I am in it for both. It is good to see how a character develops in the story and it is also good to have a good figure. I won't buy a figure I don't like, but if the character is good I am usually willing to overlook some design flaws.

[roller]

Note that Roller hasn't actually denied it...

denial activated

[k.wong23]

Mainly the toys, just something about a deskfull of transformers that makes you feel good :D

Of course without the cartoon there are no toys...so I guess it's equivalent but I prefer playing then watching in a sense.

[STL]

Finally have more time for a reasoned response.

The reason I chose the Machine Men was... oh wait... :D

Anyways, more seriously, this was a topic I had floating around in my head for a column i'm hoping to start doing. I think that really what it comes down to is that most people who collect the toys base their collecting on already established mythos. They accept caricatures of Ironhide, Prowl etc. which are the basis of their affection for TFs. That's why most of us discuss the toys rather than the fiction. For the majority of us, we already have established feelings about the TFs themselves.

And given the priceand accessibility of comics, it makes it hard for those to make a meaningful impact. So generally we just stick to the cartoons - good or bad b/c they're utimately free and don't require us to devote time to read. So yeah, it short, most ppl talk toys b/c it continues their affection of the franchise which especially helps when new toy lines carry pre-existing names.

For me personally, I've developed from a purely character/fiction mindset to a broader universe of TF toys one. I'm pretty much after anything that transforms and looks good these days. But the stuff that really gets me is the Henkei/Classics stuff. I'll by doubles, triples, you name it. I think I have at least 2 of each figure from those lines and my enthusiasm comes purely from the fact that I'm G1 nutjob and it gives me a bundle of joy chasing them down .

Galaxy Force is probably the best example of where I've never even been exposed to an iota of the fiction yet am keenly pursuing the stuff. I think they're great toys and I enjoy hunting them down even tho I have the Cybertron versions already.

So yea, I think I have a more segmented collecting habit now. Different lines for different reasons which all have different priorities. But alas, I'll save that for another column.

[dirge]

Whilst I appreciate the fiction as representations of the toys - and it will often persuade me to buy a toy based on character (Sky-Byte was a great example), for me the engineering of the toys is what maintains my fascination with TFs.

For that reason I find (for example) Beast Machines a lesser line - as good as the show might be from a sci-fi POV, the Maximals really don't do much transforming. Most of them morph into quasi-animals, and in many cases (Nightscream, for example) are really badly engineered, with the various robot elements fitting together poorly if at all in beast mode.

There are some TF fictions which I love - G1 cartoon, Masterforce, RiD, Beast Wars - but ultimately the shows alone can't carry a toyline for me.

[Kyle]

2 have chosen Machine Men now... :o

[Pulse]

2 have chosen Machine Men now... :o

They were probably both Roller :) (One as himself & the second under a fake profile he signed up with :D)

[jaydisc]

Personally, I like public polls.

[Paulbot]

We can just ignore those Machine Men votes. I thought it fair to give people an option to choose none of the above. And there are some good things about Machine Men too but that's not what this topic's about.

Part of this was me wondering what would happen if the toyline stopped ala G1 again would people disappear. I think that eventually people would start to disappear without new toys.

If the comics/cartoons stopped though I don't think it would have as strong impact on fandom. For me, when the G1 comics ended back in 1991 I kept them going in my own imagination, same thing with G2, and even when Dreamwave abruptly ceased publishing. I could see my toy collecting going down to my old levels of roughly 10 a year or less again, but the TF universe(s) is as real to me as any other fictious universe and I don't think it would ever stop stirring my imagination.

[STL]

We can just ignore those Machine Men votes. I thought it fair to give people an option to choose none of the above.


:o

Stop making me feel bad!



Part of this was me wondering what would happen if the toyline stopped ala G1 again would people disappear. I think that eventually people would start to disappear without new toys.


I agree. I'm sure though that I'd still be collecting on the secondary market, chasing better versions or extras of what I already have. It'd be a sad day if that ever eventuated again. I'm too old now to stop buying toys. :cool:

I do think I'd probably get back into collecting Marvel Legends and the like again if that did happen. I'd probably be more heavy into comics like I used to be and I'd very likely start collecting those Brave and transforming kits that the Japanese make. The engineering appeals a lot to me too these days.



I don't think it would ever stop stirring my imagination.

Same here. But you obvious need to write more often. Or at least start a thread telling us what's stirring in that mind o' yours. I'm trying to get some of it to paper, well, word document, too. It's pretty hard but I'm pretty sure w/ no toys to occupy me, I'd find time.

[dirge]

Speaking from experience...

Back in the day - I'm talking 1996-1996 here - when there was only a single online Transformer community in alt.toys.transformers - there wasn't really much for the fandom to digest. There were no online stores, and few toy dealers even bothered with Transformers. eBay wasn't around. The G2 line had wound down, BW wasn't announced straight away. There was no comic, no cartoon - and nothing new in that regard since 1987 anyway.

The fandom was strong enough, despite its size, that we would discuss/argue/debate old comics & cartoons. There would be discussions of toys & trading between ourselves. BW really launched the fandom to a new level, but even without it there was still a pulse.

If the plug was pulled tomorrow, I believe that our local fandom _is_ strong enough to continue, which in itself would maintain interest for a lot of us. Yeah we'd lose some numbers, but the fandom here is mature, and there's enough of who have invested time/love/effort into the hobby to an extent that we wouldn't just give it away.

[kup]

I am the type who would buy a toy knowing its crap just because I like the character. However if I don't like a character/universe that has a good toy(s), I will not buy it. The fictional representation is my mayor motivator when buying toys. For example, many of the Marvel UK Wrecker character toys are absolute crap like Whirll, Roadbuster (due to accessories) and Broadside but I will search and buy them because I liked their appeareance in the comics.

On a few occations however I will buy an appalingly bad toy despite a complete lack of a propper fictional representation. I will have no idea why and complain about how crap it is but for some unknown reason it will sing to me. Quickswitch for me was such a toy.

[Kyle]

I'm old enough now to appreciate what I already have. So if there's no more new cartoon, movie, comic or toy I believe I'll still continue to be a fan. :) More time to re-watch my DVDs, re-read my comics and play with my old toys.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Whilst I appreciate the fiction as representations of the toys - and it will often persuade me to buy a toy based on character (Sky-Byte was a great example), for me the engineering of the toys is what maintains my fascination with TFs.

For that reason I find (for example) Beast Machines a lesser line - as good as the show might be from a sci-fi POV, the Maximals really don't do much transforming. Most of them morph into quasi-animals, and in many cases (Nightscream, for example) are really badly engineered, with the various robot elements fitting together poorly if at all in beast mode.

There are some TF fictions which I love - G1 cartoon, Masterforce, RiD, Beast Wars - but ultimately the shows alone can't carry a toyline for me.
Thats about the same for me too. I do find that the story will make me buy a toy that I think is poor if they are a good character or different(hence my love for BM toys).

If it stopped tomorrow? I would still hang around, I have a strong reminescence (spelling?) gene in me. Yes, its a gene now!:p That would keep my interest up.

[Bartrim]

If transformers stopped tomorrow I would still hang around as I am a major G1er!:D Plus if they stopped producing new toys I could save some money to pay the prices G1 toys usually go for these days.:p

[Pulse]

Once you've become a TF Person, there's no going back! It infects itself into your blood & you get corrupted by it for all of eternity... :o

[dirge]

Plus if they stopped producing new toys I could save some money to pay the prices G1 toys usually go for these days.:p

Hang in there, son. It only took me 13 years of buying TFs online to complete G1... :eek:

[TheDirtyDigger]

Wrecker character toys are absolute crap like Whirll, Roadbuster

Whirl and Roadbuster are two of my favourite figures.:(

IMO Whirl's alt mode is one of the slickest and meanest of all G1 toys and his accessories rock. Whirl himself was pretty much my favourite toy as a youngling and a good reason why I'm still a TF fan today.
My friends used to dis him..."aww he's not even in the cartoon!!"
Whiny little mofos. Just means I could use my imagination more to create stories for him.

[roller]

the title would be more interesting if it was "Why is your mum a tf fan" :D

[Bartrim]

Hang in there, son. It only took me 13 years of buying TFs online to complete G1... :eek:

Cool if I'm your son then I don't have to buy any. I'll just inherite yours:p

Seriously that reason is why I expect to be hanging around TF forums for plenty of years to come... so if you don't like me then too bad I'm here to stay:D :p (unless of course I upset a mod)

[GoktimusPrime]

Mostly the toys for me, although the fiction definitely sweetens things. :)

Oh yeah, I'm back. ;) *waves*

(PS: for some reason the board isn't letting me change my signature)

[Kyle]

*Waving*


(PS: for some reason the board isn't letting me change my signature)

We've been having some issues since the board was moved to a new server. Griffin is going to move it again, and hopefully the issues will be resolved by end of this week.

[dirge]

Mostly the toys for me, although the fiction definitely sweetens things. :)

Oh yeah, I'm back. ;) *waves*

(PS: for some reason the board isn't letting me change my signature)

It _is_ you. And it _is_ personal.

griffin has been having with the company hosting the forum, but has been going around solving them. By finding another company.

Welcome back :cool:

[Vector Sigma 13]

When i get a new G1 transformer it is just like when i was kid opening the wrapping on Optimus Prime at Christmas. It reminds me of one of the few happy times i had as a little kid. I remember it vividly like it was yesterday.

[Pulse]

Mostly the toys for me, although the fiction definitely sweetens things. :)

Oh yeah, I'm back. ;) *waves*

(PS: for some reason the board isn't letting me change my signature)

Hello Stranger :D!

Hold on, I think I've seen you somewhere before but I can't quite remember where? :confused::)
My memory must be playing tricks on me again ;)

[Paulbot]

The poll is moving towards more what I expected, with larger numbers for mainly toys than mainly story, but given the toys are the basis for Transformers it's not surprising.

I think many are making a good point that good fiction/characters can make us want substandard toys. Admit it we're buying Encore Ironhide more because we can hear his voice in our heads more than for the toy's own value.



Back in the day - I'm talking 1996-1996 here - when there was only a single online Transformer community in alt.toys.transformers - there wasn't really much for the fandom to digest. The fandom was strong enough, despite its size, that we would discuss/argue/debate old comics & cartoons.

If the plug was pulled tomorrow, I believe that our local fandom _is_ strong enough to continue, which in itself would maintain interest for a lot of us. Yeah we'd lose some numbers, but the fandom here is mature, and there's enough of who have invested time/love/effort into the hobby to an extent that we wouldn't just give it away.

A.T.T. was where I discovered in 1996 that I wasn't the only person who still thought about Transformers, and it was the defining moment of my fandom.

I think the local fandom would survive too without the toys. People have come and gone over the years but it continues to grow. I think transforming toys will likely always exist even if the Transformers brand falls away eventually.

In part I was inspired to ask the question because I'm thinking of cutting back my toy buying to my older much smaller levels. (It's got out of hand in the last year!) My main reason for being here has never been the toys so it shouldn't really make much difference.

[Kyle]

In part I was inspired to ask the question because I'm thinking of cutting back my toy buying to my older much smaller levels. (It's got out of hand in the last year!) My main reason for being here has never been the toys so it shouldn't really make much difference.

I initially thought I would be safe with Animated taking over as the main line. *Had* no interest in it other than planning to get only Prime and Bumblebee. I was so wrong... :o

[dirge]

My buying has cut back drastically in the last couple of months. The fact is I've finally managed to pick up the older stuff I'd always wanted - G1, mainly, but also various stuff I'd wanted but never found at an affordable price (thank you, US dollar in the cr4pper!) like Apelinq & Magmatron.

That's not to say it's over or anything, but I have a collection that I'm happy with. I like the fact that I don't look at the shelf and wish X or Y was there.

I've pretty much abandoned eBay now, since I just have no need for it - I found the last pie-in-the-sky TF I'd wanted last night (will reveal with pics when I get it!), and while I'll continue picking up eHobby toys, Classics, BTs etc, I like the fact that I can just focus on new stuff and not try to track down older stuff.

[Kyle]

Just trying to keep up with the new stuff is painful enough for me... :o

[Paulbot]

I'm going to continue to buy new toys, but I think the "buy it or miss out" that was needed for movie toys has left me with a lot of repaints and dodgy toys I don't really need. And that mass buying inspired me to start buying on the secondary market anything I could find cheap. I'm really happy to have got some things like Sixshot, Predaking, Doubledealer, but I've also bought a lot of Unicron Trilogy stuff I didn't really need or want and no room for it.

[STL]

I'm going to continue to buy new toys, but I think the "buy it or miss out" that was needed for movie toys has left me with a lot of repaints and dodgy toys I don't really need. And that mass buying inspired me to start buying on the secondary market anything I could find cheap. I'm really happy to have got some things like Sixshot, Predaking, Doubledealer, but I've also bought a lot of Unicron Trilogy stuff I didn't really need or want and no room for it.

Bah! You'll have room one day and you'll regret it then that you didn't grab it. :) And it's your fault for buying those crappy real gears. At least buy a toy that's a decent figure in the 1st place. (Well, that's my lame excuse for buying Offroad Ironhide :o)

And I'm appalled you failed to mention Optimal Optimus. I'm still in need of one. That should certainly count as something you're really happy with it.

And on the topic, Sifun and I were talking at the comic shop on Tuesday about art. How many people are fans because of the art? I think I'm in that category. When the Dreamwave stuff started coming out, that really invigorated my interest in Transformers. Sure, it would be years before i started collecting toys again but the art really did create that sense of wonder. I'm pretty sure I would never have collected Transformers again if it wasn't for the Dreamwave stuff.

If it had been done in the Marvel G1 style or UK, I think I seriously might not have gone onto buy TFs. The War Within was really inspirational especially. Just marvelling at how well Don translated the G1 forms to Cybertronian forms and trying to figure how Prime transformed into his alt mode were little delights. I remember the lenticular cover w/ WW Prime transforming. I couldn't afford that at the time (even though it was only $20) but I remembering drooling over it endlessly on the rack.

So yeah, I think the fiction is part of it but also for me personally was the art. It's why I hold Don in such high esteem. Without him, I don't think I'd have that spark for collecting as I do now. And Pat Lee too. Make no mistake. I don't like the guy but I did like the way he drew his TFs. Sure he couldn't tell a story for his life and he's an absolute $#@! but there was a life and energy that he gave them.

[turtle boy]

I like transformers :p

This is something I was talking about with a Mate (non TF Fan) today. He asked why I liked the TFs

I said Well, the concept is very good, you have 2 some times 3 toys in one, You have your Robot, then a Car. And in the case of a Triple Changer, a third function, lets say a Jet.
But then you throw a Cartoon, which I loved and still do love watching cartoons. You give them, minds, feelings, something to go off when your playing with your toys, IE: Names, Personality's, Functions(EI Starscream, Subgroup leader, Second in command) And then a story is chucked in, and with kids and the way a child's mind works. You can just think of some of the scenarios that you came up with as a kid playing with your figures.

The whole idea behind transformers is just wonderfully awesome awesomeness.
I like them:)

[GoktimusPrime]

My wife still loves the fact that she can walk into my Transformers room, point randomly at any toy and I can give her a background story on that character. Even though she's in no way a Transformer fan, she appreciates (and is still amazed at) how every figure has a story behind it. :)

[Pulse]

But she still does get a little sh#tty on occasions, right? :rolleyes::)

[Golden Phoenix]

My wife still loves the fact that she can walk into my Transformers room, point randomly at any toy and I can give her a background story on that character. Even though she's in no way a Transformer fan, she appreciates (and is still amazed at) how every figure has a story behind it. :)

That is one of the things I like about it. Just how comprehensive it can be.
It is like the Star Wars fiction, basically every character seen has some sort of back story.

[Geminii]

The toys, for me. I collected (probably "accumulated" would be more accurate) Machine Men back in the early 80s, and then moved on to Transformers when they came out. The cartoon was cool to watch on Saturday mornings, but the two never really occupied the same headspace.

There must have been some connection, though, as I almost never collected toys whose corresponding characters had a lot of screen time. Maybe I just preferred things that had a couple of surprises left.

These days I follow the cartoons a little more, but I still tend to collect stuff that I can't immediately grok just by seeing pictures of the toy. If the transformation is blindingly obvious, I'm less likely to pick something up.

[SilverDragon]

I've got it!

It's probably the toys and the fiction for me.

The toys are honestly amazing. They're two/three-plus toys in one, meaning that you can do anything with them. You can smash stuff with a tank and then make a giant robot stomp over the ruins without having to run back and get another toy. They're like a Rubik's cube, too, only solvable.

I like seeing what stories they can tell with the characters, and often they're amazing (Beast Wars and Animated spring to mind), and they're imaginative. Plus, how can you not love the fact that your favourite characters are guaranteed to have toy versions? :)