How many Transformers do you have?

[GoktimusPrime]

It's time for the 2008 annual collection count survey!!

As always, remember that in order to participate in this survey you MUST adhere to the Universal Counting Method (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=217). You need to round off your collection count to the nearest hundred. e.g.: <150 = 100, =150 & >150 = 200. Pretty simple. :)

Righteo, so here's a brief rundown of the UCM. Please click on the UCM thread link to view each article in further detail.

1/ Only legit Transformers count. KOs, pre-TFs, customs etc. do NOT count.
2/ Nebulans, Pretender Shells and AM partners/vehicles do NOT count.
3/ Micromasters and Mini-Cons all count individually.
4/ Only the component members of a gestalt team count.
5/ Individual combiner robots count separately but multi-in-1 components do not.
6/ Bases do not count.
7/ "Peripheral" Transformers, drones and pilots do NOT count.
8/ Decoys, Statues, busts, PVCs, meal/candy toys etc. do NOT count.
9/ Variants count.
10/ Multiples count.
11/ Only the 15cm transformable Titanium Series Transformers count.
12/ TF Jrs and Choro-Q TFs count."Non-mainline" Transformers count.
13/ Microman Transformer humans count.
14/ Play Skool Transformers count.
15/ Quintessons, Beastformers and Build-figures count.
16/ Plushies count
17/ All transforming movie Transformers count but non-transforming movie Transformers do not.
18/ Loose and sealed Transformers are counted in the same way.
19/ Only Transformers in C-6 condition or above count

Here is a video explaining how to count your Transformers according to the UCM (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSBbzZWZofU)

Get counting and cast your vote! :)

===================================

Here are the results from last year's survey...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/chart.jpg

[liegeprime]

Done:D

[kup]

I haven't counted my TFs for well over a year.

[Borgeman]

Righteo, so here's a brief rundown of the UCM.
....
14/ Quintessons, Beastformers and Build-figures count.
15/ Plushies count
17/ All transforming movie Transformers count but non-transforming movie Transformers do not.
18/ Loose and sealed Transformers are counted in the same way.
....


so uh, where has article 16 gone? :D

George

[GoktimusPrime]

Oops! I forgot to include Article 1 there so the order was mixed up. Fixed now, thanks. :)

[Pulse]

My 365 gets rounded up to 400 :) (Whoa! Highschool Maths actually gets used for once :D)

[Golden Phoenix]

I have about 170-180 after I take out the revoltech and robot heroes. Rounded up to 200

EDIT: just read the UCM again, didn't realise that revoltech counted, doesn't change anything anyway, still would have been 200 anyway.
Do the Robot Heroes count though?

[roller]

the technique/s to count are too difficult for my simple mind, so ive never bothered to count my collection

[GoktimusPrime]

Do the Robot Heroes count though?
Robot Heroes are PVC figures, so no.

8/ Decoys, Statues, busts, PVCs, meal/candy toys etc. do NOT count.

[heroic_decepticon]

I haven't counted my TFs for well over a year.

I haven't counted mine in over 24 years... :D

[Krayt]

I think you should stick in a 1500 and over option..... having over 1600 loses a bit of the lustre if it's only a 100 and over option :p

[dirge]

You know, I think splitting the 1000 and over option is worth considering, since the numberof toys out there has increased greatly over the last few years. Maybe 1000-1500, 1500-2000 and 2000+ options?

Something for next year, I guess.

[GoktimusPrime]

That ship has sailed. The options have to be the same each year to make the results comparable.

[dirge]

Not so much in this case. It's easy enough to compare 1000+ with the newer options. You're not changing the data as much as going deeper into it.

I agree with you that there's no point going back and changing definitions and rules - that makes the data worthless between years. You have to track the same toys each year, otherwise the numbers will appear to bounce around and you can't actually track trends.

But as the number of Transformers released keeps increasing, you could conceivably end up with numbers like this:

>100 = 8
100-200 = 7
200-300 = 3
300-400 = 7
400-500 = 6
600-700 = 4
700-800 = 2
800-900 = 5
900-1000 = 2
1000+ = 37

In which case the categories make comparisons in the future hard to do. How many fans have over 2000? 1500? All you know is that most fans have more toys than your ranges were set to cater for.

On the other hand, the 1000-1500, 1500-2000 and 2000 numbers _can_ be combined when comparing to years past.

With the profusion of toys over the last few years - how many movie toys were there, to represent a dozen characters? - We have Movie, Universe and Animated lines all running concurrently - it's quite conceivable that we could end up with a median in your highest range. We're not there yet, but I think it's something which should be considered. If done right (ie retain existing ranges), there's no reason why you can't dig further into the 1000+ collections.

BTW, I don't want to derail from the poll itself, but I do think Krayt made a valid point.

[autobreadticon]

i reckon certain PVCs should count, i.e SHC ,HOC and Robot heroes

[Paulbot]

i reckon certain PVCs should count, i.e SHC ,HOC and Robot heroes

Remember this is just a poll based on pre-existing criteria (to get consistent survey results) not a place to debate what should and shouldn't count.

[dirge]

i reckon certain PVCs should count, i.e SHC ,HOC and Robot heroes

This one has been voted on, and they have been excluded from past polls. To keep year-to-year comparisons, the rules need to be set.

That's not to say I disagree with you (I do, but that's beside the point ;) ), but what you're suggesting goes beyond the point of annual polling - which is to look at collection sizes and see how they track from year to year.

[k.wong23]

I'm still colleting still under 100 :(

[GoktimusPrime]

A problem with introducing more poll options is that it would exceed the 10 poll option limit that some boards (like this one) impose. Unless I change the options for 2009 to be in larger increments instead of 100, like maybe in increments of 200 or 300, so in the case of the former it would be:

200 or less / 400 / 800 / 1000 / 1200 / 1400 / 1600 / 1800 / 2000 / 2200 or more

Now if I did that I would have to round off the data from this year and last year's polls to the nearest 200 for future comparisons. So the results for "100 or less" and "200" would be combined, meaning that the "200 or less" results for 2007 would be 50%.

Umm... how would I divide the 2007 "1000 or more" results into the "1000 / 1200 / 1400 / 1600 / 1800 / 2000 / 2200 or more" categories though? Or should I just leave that part alone?

[jaydisc]

I will be passing.

[DigDug]

Still in the 100s, but at least this time its rounded down :)

Gok, you could just hold a secondary poll for our largest categories, to indicate more accurately how many TFs are owned by those collectors in the current poll :cool:

[GoktimusPrime]

Okay... for people with over 1000 Transformers, please specify how many you have to the nearest hundred UCM. My current UCM count is 1199 so that rounds up to 1200.

[STL]

I abstained last year, not gonna change this year.

[TheDirtyDigger]

My collection count at the moment would be a massive guess. I estimate around 700 but it's been ages since I did a true count and with the shambolic state of our temporary residence I'm unable to even count if I wanted to.

I will say 700 but it could be higher than 750 or lower than 650 (but I don't think so).:confused::(

[roller]

do Chainmasters count?

[GoktimusPrime]

Unfortunately they're not licensed, so no. :( I count them personally but not in my UCM count. ;)

[GoktimusPrime]

*bumps thread* Remember to cast all your votes by the end of the month!!

[GoktimusPrime]

*bump* Only 15 days left. :)

[roller]

meh

if you people care you'll count them for me :D

my mum told me off today, it seems 90% of boxes that came from Sydney were my toys :o

I'd sell some but the postoffice idiots won't gimme a straight answer on how to mail stuff out to people

[GoktimusPrime]

The fact that junkers don't count under UCM should make things easier for you. :)

[SilverDragon]

I probably have the smallest collection here. Not that I mind, really.

Would there be any point in trying to assess more specific habits of collectors-like preferences for factions/price points/alt modes, etc?

[GoktimusPrime]

Feel free to conduct such surveys yourself if you want. ;)

[roller]

Would there be any point in trying to assess more specific habits of collectors-like preferences for factions/price points/alt modes, etc?

only if you were a complete nerd :D

[GoktimusPrime]

only if you were a complete nerd
This coming from a guy who does the following things in public while wearing an Optimus Prime helmet:

Hug strangers
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_13.jpg

Check out centrefolds
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_07.jpg

Practice religion
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_14.jpg

Hail taxis (rickshaw?)
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_09.jpg

Pose for tourists
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_11.jpg

Molest children
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_02.jpg

Pretend to be blackgangsta
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_15.jpg

Make outMale-bond with strangers
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_16.jpg

Impersonate mannequins
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_17.jpg

and writhe in pain
http://s6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_08.jpg

:D

[loophole]

This coming from a guy who does the following things in public while wearing an Optimus Prime helmet:

that sould be made into a Tshirt :p

[roller]

that sould be made into a Tshirt :p

the official ozformers shirt design has now been decided upon :D

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

meh

if you people care you'll count them for me :D

my mum told me off today, it seems 90% of boxes that came from Sydney were my toys :o

I'd sell some but the postoffice idiots won't gimme a straight answer on how to mail stuff out to people
Thats some nice work there roller! Do you have to pay for 90% of the transport costs?

The fact that junkers don't count under UCM should make things easier for you. :)
ROFL! I was thinking that too!!!:D


Added my vote. Last time I counted my actual toys was during the reign of Armada. Luckily my handy dandy spreadsheet was available for a quick assessment. Even That needs updating though......

I think I need a new hobby:p