Transformers Busts = Useless?

[SkyWarp91]

http://www.entertainmentearth.com/images//AUTOIMAGES/DC64023lg.jpg

Do you think they're useless?

- They don't combine
- You don't even get a whole figure
- Isn't a tribute enough to the character owning their original figure, not just half their body?

[5FDP]

I like 'em. Probably not as much as Sharky :p I think that anyone buying them understands what they are getting so by that rationale how could you be disappointed.

If anyone thinks of collecting busts, it's best to get them when on sale as they tend to be quite expensive (hint: do not buy from the Comic Shop in Liverpool ;)).

[GoktimusPrime]

I have two busts in my collection -- one I bought (Soundwave). Not a fan. I wasn't expecting playability or anything, but I thought that maybe I'd enjoy the visual aesthetic of having it as a display item. Not really... at least, not for the price. I much prefer stuff like PVC figurines/busts - much smaller, but you pay pocket change. ;) I also have the SDCC Megatron bust which a friend of mine who attended the con bought for me as a souvenir/gift. :) But yeah, I have no intention of buying any more busts (I'll happily accept more for free though :D)

[1orion2many]

I voted yes they are useless, I do own the Grimlock T-Rex statue and yes I know it isn't a bust but it is similar in that it just sits there with no transformation abilities, I do like it but not to the point I'll get another;):)

[Cat]

What?

No way.

I own quite a few of the statues and busts, and they're among my favourite TF pieces.

I understand they're an acquired taste, but there's really a lot of non-transforming figures that have been done, from Action Masters to Robot Heroes.

The statues and busts are just a nice step up from the toys.

You can pry mine out of my cold dead hands! :p

[UltraMarginal]

I used to think they were a waste of money, especially when in a comic shop here they go for easily $140, why would I buy a bust for that sort of cash when I could get a masterpiece for that much or a little more?

However, <pause> I bought a few here and there from BBTS and other places at super cheap prices, < $30 including shipping. for that sort of money I think they are fantastic, highly detailed and a great addition to a display cabinet. I'd love some more, but there's no way I'm paying over $100 for something that I could potentially find for half as much if I am patient and careful.

My favorite at the moment would be Galvatron above unicron.

[Verno]

I know it's not exactly a Bust, but the Hard Hero Rhinox Statue is a thing of incredible beauty! Statues/Busts are a wonderful thing!

[kup]

The WW Grimlock and Shockwave busts that I have were dead cheap when a local store was closing down.

The Hard Hero Rhinox statue kicks ass and I bought it for the same reasons as Verno mentioned but mostly for being a character model accurate representation.

To answer the OP's question - They are not useless, they are collector items. How 'useful' they are is really up to the person buying it. They are display pieces so I guess if they are able to do that correctly, they have fulfilled their purpose.

When it comes to how I feel about them - I like them but wouldn't go out of my way to buy any. As mentioned, the two busts that I have were chance buys (cheap) and the Rhinox statue is a unique piece.

[llamatron]

The 86 movie "Reformatting Megatron" bust is one of my favourite TF items, it's way way way way way awesome.

[Paulbot]

They are not useless. I find them very handy when there's a breeze and I have some loose papers.

[Sharky]

They are not Useless, they are just a different medium to enjoy the Brand that is The Transformers, i have alot of the statues from full sized to the busts, and i still enjoy looking at the Hard Hero series the most which are on display in my lounge room. the simplistic blocky animation styled chunks or porcalain in a Glass Display unit is a nice sight indeed.

Transformers has grown so far past just being a toy or a cartoon anymore and the name appears on just about everything from food products to sporting equipment, even cars which as fans gives us a smorgasbored of choices to enjoy our childhood passions.

At the time i never hesitated at the prices, as it was something i enjoyed, there wasnt masterpieces or Binaltechs out in the numbers that they are today so this was on the higher end of collecting to a degree... the statue market these days is very hit and miss the dollar is stronger now and statues have never been cheap and there hasnt been a new transformer statue in a few years.. not sure if they ever will be (im still disapointed Hard Hero never got to Finish more Beast Wars Statues)

The Toys will forever be the dominating force in my collection but a statue on the shelf can tweak a memory and be enjoyed just the same as the room full of toys does and Like Cat Says its an aquired taste people like different things and they collect for different reasons,

Statues Statues Statues (http://atouchofsharky.blogspot.com.au/p/statues.html)

[GoktimusPrime]

They are not useless. I find them very handy when there's a breeze and I have some loose papers.
lol :D A brick or a rock can achieve the same result for a far lower price. ;)

[Cat]

I envy all you guys who got them at clearance prices.

But, I'm still happy with mine, even at full price. Some of them are beautiful. Even the Palisades statues had some good ones - Soundwave, Wheeljack, and War Within Prime are still among my favourites (even though the Titanium is a nicer War Within Prime. Ah well)


The DST stuff has been a lot more inconsistent, but there are some real gems.

[Trent]

I voted yes. However that is just my opinion, I personally view them as nothing more than dust collectors/paperweights and exespensive ones at that. The whole appeal of transformers to me is that they really are little engineering marvels. They change from a robot into a car/boat/plane/etc and they do it INCREDIBLY well! I have massive amounts of respect for the guys that come up with the transformations. So that's why I don't collect busts. There is no engineering 'magic' to them.

But I totally get it how others are into them and get enjoyment out of them. And to them I say "Party On!!!"

[Slag]

]They're just not for me.. love the detail, but i want legs on my robots.

Unless they didn't have legs originally. then it's fine

i'll sit on the fence for this one. each to their own

[Cat]

And it's not like it's an either/or situation.

I love normal TF's. Have a ton of them.

I love TF comics and novels. Have a ton of them too.

I also have a healthy collection of assorted non-transformable Transformers - statues, busts, Robot Heroes, Revoltechs, BOSS coffee promo set, Titaniums, PVC's, the list goes on and on.

I love them all for different reasons.

They're all Transformers, and I have a special fondness for all of them.

[Paul Agnew]

Skywarp91, for a moment I wasn't too sure exactly where you were going with this. :p (http://otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=268427&postcount=274)

[Deonasis]

Some look fantastic but as a whole they are not my cup of energon.

[SkyWarp91]

Some look fantastic but as a whole they are not my cup of energon.

I see what you did thar ;)


Skywarp91, for a moment I wasn't too sure exactly where you were going with this. :p (http://otca.com.au/boards/showpost.php?p=268427&postcount=274)

I'm impressed you manged to remember me saying that lol Don't think Transformers have actual breasts. G1 Arcee just has a chest bump...

...on another vote I wonder how many people voted 'maybe I don't know' because they got the Malcolm in the Middle reference.

[Spiritprime]

I think they're about as useless as the hairs on my face... Seriously! There's nothing a bust can do except sit there and look pretty on your shelf. Oiy...

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I think they're about as useless as the hairs on my face... Seriously! There's nothing a bust can do except sit there and look pretty on your shelf. Oiy...

That's pretty much what my Tf figures do though.

I'd go with a 'not useless, but not my cup of tea.'

I can see that they'd be good at conveying a certain scene (reformatting Megatron for examlpe), but personally I'd rather see them sculpted a bit more nicely. Half the time they look too fat/ugly.

hence my owning none.

[Jetfire in the sky]

When they started coming out all I wanted to do was get one!! But the prices were madness. Then when I finally got one I went Meh. So I can see the attraction but I don't think they have got a hold of collectors like so many other Transformers related items.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I love my Transformer busts! The first I got was from my girlfriend when we were backpacking in Europe, she bought me a giant Devastator bust from the collectors shop in Edinburgh and I loved it! And a few years ago she bought me a sweet Ravage one (No wonder I married her).


Personally, as long as they are not too expensive I think they are great. Yes, some of the earlier ones were too chunky but they have refined the process somewhat since then. I've got maybe near 20 all on one long shelf behind my computer and they look fantastic, the Arcee & Elita-1 ones look very good next to each other in particular (they look like they are standing back to back in the middle of a firefight)!

Would I buy any more? Probably not. I think I have enough, although the one of Grimlock in Dino mode I think is fantastic and I would love to get it and the WW version of him as well. But I guess it is all up to the individual collector whether they are considered worth getting at all. I've got half a doz TF Bobbleheads and a half doz TF Might Muggs and as much as I love them they pale in comparison to my giant Devastator bending a huge iron girder :)

[BigTransformerTrev]

Check it out - who would mess with these Fembots on the battlefield?!

http://i1294.photobucket.com/albums/b615/BigAngryTrev/c2_zpsd9498446.jpg

[GoktimusPrime]

"Dawn take you all, and be stone to you!" ;)

[Megatron]

In answer to the question, Transformers busts are about as useless as any painting, statue, sculpture, antique or work of art would be - in other words, they are meant to be enjoyed for their visual and intrinsic qualities.

[GoktimusPrime]

Fair enough, but to me the Transformers toys themselves are already aesthetically pleasing. In fact, I find them more aesthetically pleasing than a statue or bust -- I suppose because I enjoy the inherent engineering, design and fun behind each figure. When I look at a TF figurine, statue, bust etc., I don't get that.

But I think a big turn off for me when it comes to most TF statues/busts is the price. PVC figurines, decoys, MyClones etc. are just as inanimate, but they're cheap. Also they're small and don't take up that much shelf space. As I have a somewhat largish TF toy collection, I'd rather prioritise more space to toys than busts/statues. :) To each their own.

[Jetfire in the sky]

+1

OMG!! Are Gok and I agreeing on something here :p

[SharkyMcShark]

I find them useless in almost every way

[Bidoofdude]

+1

OMG!! Are Gok and I agreeing on something here :p

It's a miracle!!!!:eek::cool::p