Do you play with your Transformer toys?

[GoktimusPrime]

For the purposes of this poll we have:

+ Fantasy play: That's when you get down with your toys and live out adventures. You may even do voices and make sound effects (pew pew pew!)

+ Fiddle play: This is where you just occasionally pick the toy up, have a fiddle, transform it a few times. You may even make action poses or photocomics etc., but there is little (if any) actual creative fantasy play involved.

+ Don't play: You very rarely (if ever) play with your toys anymore.

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I'd like to also discuss your thoughts about playing with toys.

I have always enjoyed playing with my Transformer toys and I still try to play with them whenever I can get the chance (which unfortunately isn't nearly as often as I'd like). If I only have a little bit of time I might just fiddle with a toy, transform it back and forth - but when I do have the time I'll get down and make the sound effects (pew pew pew), voices, stories etc. :)

For me it's a form of escapism; much like watching movies, reading books etc., only that it offers more active imagination and creativity. Watching movies and reading books is a more passive imaginative or creative exercise because you're merely just spectating something that someone else has created, whereas with fantasy play I'm making the story up as I go along. Sure, the basic fiction is already established there for me with the Transformers mythos, so it's not as if I'm being completely original or anything, but I do find it a more active creative exercise because I still have to control the characters, their dialogue and interactions. I have to think of a complication for my protagonists etc etc.; none of which I can do when passively reading a book or watching a film where it's all pre-defined. Also, I very seldomly stay within official continuity when I play with my toys. ;p

[blackie]

i like to fiddle :D

[Paulbot]

I fiddle but I also may do voices and sound effects at the same time.

[d*r*j*]

Yeah I'm a fiddler as well.

I guess it's all relevant to the circumstances though. For example, when my nephews are older there is the possibility of more constructive play.

[1AZRAEL1]

I mostly just transform them a bit, then put them on display.
Every so often I may take one down and play again, but not like I used to.
I used to play with old Star Wars figures, made mini mountains out of blankets and pillows underneath them.

I do miss those times, and I dont know if I could ever do it again, or if I have lost my imagination. Really sad to think that.

[liegeprime]

As much as i do voices and wotnot... nowadays I end up just fiddle playing:(
I may take a figure or figures out from the room and keep posing them while watching TV or transform them back and forth while on the net. Like, right now I have Optimal optimus , TM cheetor, TM rattrap and TM rhinox next to me. Putiing them in some poses and imagining/posing them as if how they would be arranged on a shelf of their own. BUt making stories and mock battles with sound/dialogue for me has waned down severely much to my chagrin but with work an other chores and stuff has made it so less than i would prefer... I make up for it at time when I go on leaves where I stay in the room most of the time doing dioramas and battle poses til I get bored and fall asleep:D

[primatives]

My Transformers get transformed once put on display and isn't touch unless I clean out my cabinet or need to repack it to move somewhere else that way it stays stiff. :P I will pose them but after that I just stand there, stare at my cool G1/Universe collection and smile to my self :p I tend to look at the details on the figures and appreciate the little things that make these figures so cool :)

[Gutsman Heavy]

I fiddle.

[Robzy]

Hey diddle diddle, I like to fiddle!

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Fiddler.

[SOUNDBLASTER]

I tend to just transform them a few times then put them in their place .. but from time to time i will get a figure out and have a fiddle (that sounds so wrong) mainly if im searching the net and learn something new about a certain toy that i own... So would have to say FIDDLER . :D

[1orion2many]

I put other, I don't really make photocomics or the like but I do release my Transformers from their plastic cells and occassionally transform them which would by my opinion be fiddle play but you had a description and i didn't fit in so other it was:D

[Zippo]

I be a fiddler as well.

*That sounds SO wrong*

[Deonasis]

I fiddle with them but mostly I'm looking for ways to improve them.
I try and figure out how I could improve articulation, balance, detail, the transformation, and whether any kitbashes are screamin' out at me.

Figures that are nearly perfect, a.k.a Universe Cyclonus, I rarely touch.

[SilverDragon]

I fiddle with them. Usually I end up making little stories along the way. Once I had TFA Grimlock try to eat RotF Dirt Boss, and then Movie Wreckage came to his defense.

[TheHandsomeCrab]

http://inchinapinch.com/hab_pgs/marine/mangrove/images/f_crab.jpg


(If you don't get the reference, watch more nature documentaries)

[SentinelPrime]

i dont touch, its wrong.

[dirge]

(If you don't get the reference, watch more nature documentaries)

I get the reference... and love the double reference back your nick :D

[loophole]

Other. i do fiddle, but have been caught out fantasy playing too

[Lord_Zed]

Yeah, its hard to limit myself to one option in the poll I kinda move around between them.

I mostly fiddle, although when I do so I usualy imagine the toy in some sort of movie or comic like scenario and pose them as I imagine they would look in the scene, but its not quite the same as when I was a kid when I had to get all my Toys out seperate them into good guys and bad guys and have the bad guys come up with a plan to defeat the good guys whcih eventualy lead to a climactic battle, It's more about apprecation of said toys these days.

That said, last night while appreciating ROC Cobra Commander, Neo Viper and Shipwreck, I did kind of Imagine that the Neo Viper(s) had come to rescue Cobra Commander from an Underwater prison Shipwreck was guarding. :D

I also have a tendency to fly my MP Seekers and Valkyries around the house.

[willocrew]

Fiddle.

But I also make sounds too:p especially when the toy is a brand new;

CHk chk chk

or

pew pew pew.

I would invariably make some sound effects in order to provide an outlet for all that fanboy oopmh feeling you get when you hold a newly acquired toy in your hand!!

[GoktimusPrime]

What I sometimes do now is put my daughter in the bouncinette in the TF room so she plays with her dangling baby toys while I'm on the floor playing with my Transformers making voices and pew pew noises etc. ;) It's our shared playtime. :D (and I ended up building a Micromaster Autobot city at the end of it ;p)

[Sam]

If I had more space in my place, I'd play with the TFs more.

As things stand now, many of them are in boxes. A significant portion are in their original packaging (I know, no doubt crying out to be freed). When I make more space by tidying up the spare room, I may make those "pew pew pew" sound effects.

To those who play with their TFs - what sounds effects do you use for explosions? :)

[sanbot]

I likes me a fiddle but from time to time I let some "du du du's" and "pew pew pew's" go :D

hehe that sounded funny when I read it back to myself :o

[yukitora]

i used to get my brother to do the transforning noise... but now my partner does it. esp when playing with the kiddies. I miss my brick-sand-autobot-decpticon base!, sunstreakers lasers noises and the constent 'transform him again Glen!'. Somedays i just shuffle the toys, other times i make them storm barbies joint and bake cookies!

[jimsta]

I play ( i mean my son plays) with my (his) transformers in front of the TV acting out the scene's as i (he) watches it.
I have been told Im to old to play with them by son.
so now I just fiddle. (that sounds so bad)

[Black_Image]

Sometimes I'll get out Optimus (Armada) and transform him into robot mode and back to vehicle mode, without looking at the instructions booklet.

[GoktimusPrime]

To those who play with their TFs - what sounds effects do you use for explosions?
...I can't think of a way to express it in writing! Ask me at the next Sydney fan meet and I'll give you a demo. ;)

I use different sound effects depending on the type of weaponry, explosions, environment etc., e.g. explosions in air sound different than explosions underwater. I'll lower the tone of the sounds too if I'm doing slow-mo bullet time, which often happens say if shots are being fired or explosions going off while a character is transforming (because I just can't transform a toy quick enough so time "slows down" sometimes for characters to transform :p). So I'll use different sounds for different kinds of energy weapons (e.g.: laser blasts, energy pulses, sonic weapons etc.) or ballistic weapons (e.g.: automatic guns, cannons etc.) - I'll even make "tnktnktnktnktnktnk" sounds of spent shells falling onto the ground if a character is using something like a chain gun.

I obviously modify voices if they're under certain circumstances, e.g. being hit, torn apart, on fire etc. I also like experimenting with different voices, accents etc. with characters who've never appeared in a cartoon or movie.

[Jaisun]

I'm a pure fiddler =oP

At my age, I am certain the family would ship me off to a special hospital if I were to do the pews, zaps and kablaaams etc. But as a fiddler, I get the enjoyment I need from my collection, as I like to figure out cool poses for them and transform them occasionally because it just fascinates me how some of them change back and forth =o) On the subject of soundfx though, when Target had their big toy sale that started at midnight, I was bored and couldn't sleep, so I went down there around 1am, got Leader Prime plus a couple of others, went home, opened Prime and began trandforming him... My wife and son were asleep during this, and can you guess how many times he said "I am Optimus Prime!" while I struggled to understand the vague instructions? Alot! I'm amazed I didn't get divorce threats =oP

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I mostly Fiddle play now, just have a couple of Tfs on the coffee table and play whilst watching TV. If I see a slow day at work, and don't have much else planned, I like to take photos of my tfs in dynamic poses/macro shots on details etc etc.

Had a bit of an Action PLay when my Encore Omega Supreme arrived. Animated Autobots had to defend him from an attack from Blacarachnia! I did a few noises but Mrs Convoy looked like she was going to run away. It was her turn to cook dinner, so I thought it wise to stop.

Last time I had a really good play must have been about 5-6 years ago. No-one home, and I had just recovered from pulling my newly arrived RID (Korean version) from his box. Why recovered you ask? SO many damn twist ties! It was a nightmare and at that time, I didn't have any wire clippers. I am pretty certain it took me an hour to get him outta the box along. Once I had him out though.....
WOW was my first thought. Transformy into base mode and Needlenose had appeared for some socuting. Luckily the Minibots were inside Fort Max having a cup of tea and wondered what the noise was all about. Well things just escalated from there.

Much Pew pew and poor emulations of the laser noise from the cartoon. Along with a bit of chk chkbzzt chk. Although I prefer the Japanese verion of "Ki go ka go" depending on situation and size of robot...


Er right, I think I just proved that I can easily fall to my younger side there, I will be going now to do some adult stuff.... Although I haven't opened my encore cassettes yet....:o

[AussieJason]

I'll transform one every now and then, or occasionally check out the small details of the G1 toys, but that's about it.

Reading that so many of you do play with them, maybe I need to re-kindle the imagination I had as a kid :)

[GoktimusPrime]

It seems to me that we have three main kinds of collectors and while most of us probably have elements of all three in us, we tend to lean toward one. So it's more of a spectrum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spectrum) rather than just rigid boxes or pigeon holes.

So we have...

THE CURATOR
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/collector%20types/collectortype_curator.jpg
Your toys aren't just toys, perhaps you've long since grown out of playing with toys. You insist on keeping your toys in mint sealed condition or loose mint condition. Handling your toys isn't a priority for you, rather you gain pleasure from collecting Transformers for prosperity's sake. Your collection is like your own private museum and you collect Transformers to add more pieces to your museum. Currently 17% of OzFormers fall under this category.

THE FIDDLER
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/collector%20types/collectortype_fiddler.jpg
You enjoy handling your toys and fiddling around with them. You transform them back and forth, admiring the ingenuity of the creativity and engineering behind each figure in your collection. Your Transformers are much like three-dimensional puzzles in a way. A whopping 71% of us are fiddlers.

THE PLAYER
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/collector%20types/collectortype_player.jpg
You're just big kid who's never grown out of playing with your toys! You love nothing more than just getting down with your toys and inventing fantasy stories while you play with your toys. You provide voices and sound effects. Only 7% of us are players.

Other?
5% of us classify ourselves as being none of the above!

[turtle boy]

THE FIDDLER

Thats me :)

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm obviously "The Player." :) :D

kup pointed out another collector type:

THE ARTISAN
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/collector%20types/collectortype_artisan.jpg
You have a creative streak. You derive enjoyment from artistically modifying toys or restoring damaged toys. You look at junkers and tell yourself, "Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology." Hopefully none of your customs, kitbashes or restorations have ever cost you $6 million (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HofoK_QQxGc). :)

Now as for which option an artisan should vote for on this poll, I think it all depends on how they _play_ with their custom/restored toys (after all, playing is what this poll is about). If you make customs/restorations purely for display and don't play with them then you'd vote for "don't play," but if you like to fiddle with your customs then you'd vote for "fiddle play" and obviously if you like to include your customs into your fantasy play then vote on "fantasy play." :)

[kup]

When I restore a toy I try to make it as close as possible to its original out of the box/card condition. That includes its playability so I will go a long way to trying to get the gimmicks to work, restore his joints with the purpose of making him able to hold his weapons again and it bothers me lot if the restored toy is no longer able to do something it originally could.

[Lithium]

I like to fiddles with my TFs. I don't make sound effects or I'll just end up making myself feel like an idiot. lol

[GoktimusPrime]

Why? I don't see anything wrong with toy play. For me Transformers as a hobby is a form of escapism - and I like to get lost in the fantasy. What's the point of having all this rich and diverse lore and mythos if I can't dabble in it with my toys? It also allows me to exercise my imagination and creativy.

So I don't think playing with your toys is necessarily a sign of stupidity; to the contrary I think that creativity and imagination are signs of intelligence.

"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."
"Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere."
"Imagination...is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world."
- Albert Einstein (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Einstein)

"We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing."
- George Bernard Shaw (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bernard_Shaw)

"If you aren't playing well, the game isn't as much fun. When that happens I tell myself just to go out and play as I did when I was a kid."
- Thomas J Watson Sr. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_J._Watson)

"Creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity."
- Edwin Land (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_H._Land)

I'm proud to be a Player. :)

Playing with Transformers as a child in the 1980s
pew pew pew http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/G1%20toyplay/th_g1_1988.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/G1%20toyplay/g1_1988.jpg)

Playing with Transformers as a graduate student at UNSW's Keith Burrows Theatre
Pew Pew Pew! http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/G1%20toyplay/th_toyplay_unsw.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/G1%20toyplay/toyplay_unsw.jpg)

Playing with Transformers at Pizza Hut with Roller last year
PEW PEW PEW!! http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/th_sydmeet0209_04.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Transfan%20Meets/Sydney%20Meet%20February%202008/sydmeet0209_04.jpg)

References
Creativity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity)
Imagination (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imagination)
Play (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_%28activity%29): "Modern research in the field of 'affective neuroscience' has uncovered important links between role playing and neurogenesis in the brain."
Childish vs. Childlike (http://www.boloji.com/family/00149.htm)

[Lithium]

I didn't say anyone who plays with their TFs is stupid. I just feel silly doing it myself. I express my creativity through fanfics. Everyone has their own outlet of creativity. Yours is your toys, mine is my fanfics.

[SMHFConvoy]

Fiddler. I find that the best way to keep them dust free to handle them a bit.

[GoktimusPrime]

I didn't say anyone who plays with their TFs is stupid. I just feel silly doing it myself. I express my creativity through fanfics. Everyone has their own outlet of creativity. Yours is your toys, mine is my fanfics.
No worries. Excuse my somewhat over-the-top reply. Got overexcited. :p


Fiddler. I find that the best way to keep them dust free to handle them a bit.
+1 qft :)

[TypeTnT]

I buy em, unpack em, set them in a pose, get out my drawing pad, draw said pose and then stick em on the shelf.
I love the mechanical side of the robots and how they *could* work if real life, compared to the natural look of Beast Wars.

[Lord_Zed]

Ooops forgot to vote, had to go with fiddler
80% Fiddler
8% Player
8% Curator
8% Artisan

or something like that anyway.

[GoktimusPrime]

I think I'm like the opposite of Lithium in a way. Lithium said that playing with toys makes him feel silly, but for me I would feel silly if I didn't play with my toys.

To me buying a toy and not playing with it is akin to say buying a car and not driving it or buying food and not eating it. A toy is meant to be played with, so I see no point in buying a toy and not playing with it. I would hate to think that I've spent a quarter of a century and amounts of money that I don't even want to think about, building a big collection of Transformers only to not play with them! That's like collecting lots of books or comics and never reading them.

JMHO; this is of course just my own personal standards/values. I'm not saying that other people are silly for spending loads of time and money buying toys only to not play with them, but _I_ would feel silly if I didn't. :)

[Jetfire]

How about a new category - the obsessive compulsive!

You claim that you will only buy a couple of ROTF figures and then end up buying everything released. And keeping it MISB.

You check the plastic bubble of Deluxe figures to find the one with
A. No flap crease
B. Clearest plastic without scratches

You will sort through 10 figures on a rack to find the best MISB example.

You can't rest until you find that Ice Cream Truck.

You threw up and then swallowed a bit of vomit when you read the MISB opening thread.

Nothing like me at all! :rolleyes:

[GoktimusPrime]

That would be the "Curator." :)

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/collector%20types/th_collectortype_curator.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/collector%20types/collectortype_curator.jpg)

[Tommy K]

i guess im the player, but also fiddlish lol, but i like to fiddle at times, but definitaly player, lemme just find my players shot i took last year while looking for inspiration for my art thing lol

[TypeTnT]

I'm proud to be a Player. :)

Playing with Transformers as a child in the 1980s
pew pew pew http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/G1%20toyplay/th_g1_1988.jpg (http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/G1%20toyplay/g1_1988.jpg)



Is that the correct arm for Defensor? :o

Man, I've got similar photos as a kid. Just different people in the photo. :eek:

[GoktimusPrime]

Is that the correct arm for Defensor?
That's Afterburner from the Technobots. :p Half the fun of playing with the Scramble Gestalts was mix 'n' matching their limbs! :D

[TypeTnT]

I thought you were re-enacting the episode where First-Aid buggers off and Defensor's "Only got one arm". :p

[AussieJason]

How about a new category - the obsessive compulsive!

You claim that you will only buy a couple of ROTF figures and then end up buying everything released. And keeping it MISB.

You check the plastic bubble of Deluxe figures to find the one with
A. No flap crease
B. Clearest plastic without scratches

You will sort through 10 figures on a rack to find the best MISB example.

You can't rest until you find that Ice Cream Truck.

You threw up and then swallowed a bit of vomit when you read the MISB opening thread.

Nothing like me at all! :rolleyes:

From now on, whenever I feel like I'm getting a little obsessive compulsive with Transformers; I'll just re-read this post :eek:

[RagingBull]

im a fiddler. i'll transform and pose them when i get bored with assignments or study, break up the monotony of it....and im easily distracted when im bored...like now...suppose to be assignment-ing :P

[Tommy K]

To those who play with their TFs - what sounds effects do you use for explosions? :)

me being a player i think il fil in the gap for this one, those whom dont have the IMAGINATION or the FUN designed into their brains that dont KNOW the meaning of having a GOOD time PLAYING with their transformers, this may help you a little and may get the ball rolling for all the types of noises or sound affects you c an use when trying to get back into playing or whatever. NOW without FURTHER adue i show you the list of noise affects you can make when playing with your transformers

pew pew pew [pronounced pew pew pew or puew puew puew] (normal childish noises when pretending to do voices)

whoosh [pronouced with a small blowing sound continued with the oosh, can be used when you have one of the transformers fly in from above.

KABLAMOOOOooooo!!!!!!! [prounouced same as the way its said but with AN EPIC VOICE OF SOMESORTS] (when theres epic explosions)

BOOM!!!! [PROUNCED LIKE ABOVE but with a quiter voice of some sorts] (smaller explosions)

boom boom boom [prounced like its said but in a deaper voice and quiet like]( footsteps of something huge, like devastator or omega supreme)

reeeeeeeeeee [sound like a chainsaw] (for chainsaw things, i dont know whom exactly but well take it your own way)

[deranged coughing noise] (for the very old transformers)

[tishue noises] (for when you need to blow your nose)

[small scratchy noises] ( for when you need the impression of the toy climbing a rocky surface)

ytwquiryoiuqwrywjdkaysdjfhlsdkfjhsdkhfskdlhf [yell that out loud i dare you] (some alien gibberish that may be handy if you want the illusion of an allien race talking)

[robot voice] (self explanitory)
all we need now is the story line
squish [say it with all the oozyness you can muster] (for when some [people get squished or technorganics, you decide]
random characters, random scene and random moments


inferno {beastwars} was walking down the street when he heard omega supreme fly overhead [whoosh], transforming mid air the giant robot when [robot voice]" STOP PREDACON I MUST DESTROY YOU" so he started chasing him, [boom boom boom] when he came across a weird alien of some sorts ["ytwquiryoiuqwrywjdkaysdjfhlsdkfjhsdkhfskdlhf"] but omega supreme tripped, fell on the alien then exploded [boom[kinda louder]squish then KABLAMOOoooooo!!!!!]


simple

oh and yes i do have ALLOT of time on my hands lol

[snaketales]

I'm a fiddler... in the nicest possible way.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

inferno {beastwars} was walking down the street when he heard omega supreme fly overhead [whoosh], transforming mid air the giant robot when [robot voice]" STOP PREDACON I MUST DESTROY YOU" so he started chasing him, [boom boom boom] when he came across a weird alien of some sorts ["ytwquiryoiuqwrywjdkaysdjfhlsdkfjhsdkhfskdlhf"] but omega supreme tripped, fell on the alien then exploded [boom[kinda louder]squish then KABLAMOOoooooo!!!!!]Suddenly RotF Jetfire appeared [deranged coughing noise], transformed [chrk chrk chrk CHRK CHRK], and [pffft!] farted out his parachute...:rolleyes:

I'm so starting a chain story thread on this - to the creative stuff forum!:D
The story thread's here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?p=134775#post134775).

[LordCyrusOmega]

I play with mine. Mostly i take them all off the shelves and transform back and forth but sometimes i'll fantasy play.
The way i see it i collect toys and toys are supposed to be played with.

[GoktimusPrime]

The way i see it i collect toys and toys are supposed to be played with.
+1 QFT! :D Yeah! :cool:

[Starscream212]

Im a fiddler!

[Mixmaster]

Fiddle, with the ocassional vocal sound effect added.

[OrionPax]

I'm a fiddler.

Being a teen in today's society, I'd rather not make any sounds.
If any of my friends saw me doing that, they'll only have one question to ask; do i know you?

I know it's rather sad but that's how it is.:o

[Bartrim]

I'm a fiddler.

Being a teen in today's society, I'd rather not make any sounds.
If any of my friends saw me doing that, they'll only have one question to ask; do i know you?

I know it's rather sad but that's how it is.:o

I understand 100%

[GoktimusPrime]

My friends were like that all the way up until Year 9. It was weird... for my entire life up till then, I'd been ridiculed for liking toys; even in 1984 when I was in primary school, other primary schoolers would accuse me of being childish... like HELLO? We _are_ children?!? (-_-) Unfortunately my school was full of kids who pretended to be teenagers. Then in Year 9 a few other boys in my year, whom I never knew were comic or toy collectors, started crawling out of the woodwork. Suddenly I had classmates bringing TMNT toys and playing with them in class! And we'd read comics together in the playground!

But before year 9 it was horrible. When I was in year 7 a boy took my Skalor and scratched the paint off his nose. The same kid also tore up my Slog's tech specs card. Grraaaarrrrggghhhh!!

But by Year 12 I was having religious discussions with classmates; with the conversation entirely revolving around Transformers theology!! :D

[Tommy K]

But before year 9 it was horrible. When I was in year 7 a boy took my Skalor and scratched the paint off his nose. The same kid also tore up my Slog's tech specs card. Grraaaarrrrggghhhh!!




see highschool was much much worse for me

before i started enjoying transformers i was into things like bionicle, crash bandicoot etc, i was made fun of for all that stuff, i had things stolen from me and was eliminated from so many groups (even the nerdy groups) just because of what i liked, not the person i was. Sigh, then came beast wars, i got into it because i loved the times i had playing beastwars with friends from my old school ( i moved to the blue mountains at the start of highschool), and thats how i got back into transformers lol, ok before i spill anymore energon beans on what happened over the next 2 years, ill stop here so then i can collect myself and play with some more tfs lol

[dirge]

Kuzzy, you'll always be loved for who you are here.

(groug hug!)

[Bartrim]

(groug hug!)

Save it for the fair and we'll have a proper group hug:)

[Jetfire]

I understand 100%

200%

[OrionPax]

200%

haha this is not an auction :D

[GoktimusPrime]

You mean you play with them play with them?
Yup. That's what toys are for.


Like you play with them with your kids?
My daughter really isn't old enough for cooperative play yet.



One day I hope that I have kids that will have a FIELD day with my collection.
My daughter isn't allowed to touch any of my Transformers without my direct permission and supervision except for my PlaySkool and Plush Transformers. One of my former colleagues had an interesting policy with her boys -- never play with a toy that's older than you are. :)


But playing with them alone, as an adult, seems kinda creepy to me.

And yeah, I KNOW that some would argue that it's creepy to collect them in the first place.
To me, what's the point of collecting toys if I'm not going to play with them? Just as I collect books to read and food to eat, I collect toys to play.

And it's not as if I made a conscious decision to play with toys as an adult -- I've just never stopped playing with my toys since I was a kid. I started playing with and collecting Transformers in 1984 and I've been continually doing so ever since -- and I have no intention of stopping any time soon. :)

My play pattern has changed since I first started though -- during the 1980s it was all just action driven ("Let's fight!"); by the 1990s it changed to becoming more story and character driven; by time I was in senior high school I started playing out entire story arc-campaigns that would last weeks, sometimes even months! There was one time when I spent over a year playing out a single campaign (ahh, when I was young and had more free time).

Nowadays it's more or less still the same thing, only that my campaigns are shorter because I don't have as much time as I used to. Depending on how much time I have, I might revert back to just action-packed play campaigns (Michael Bay'd!), but if I have a bit more time, then I'll try to make it more character/story driven. This usually happens when I'm on holidays. :D

If I ever lost interest in playing with my Transformers, I'd sell 'em. Thankfully that's never happened and I don't imagine it ever will. I've stopped playing with some other toylines (mostly because I have little spare time to play with toys, and whenever I do get the time I almost always choose Transformers) -- and I have sold a lot of those toys that I don't play with anymore. Others I've clung onto, but I'm thinking about selling in the near future. I've never thought about selling off my Transformers collection.

[crankcase76]

like to fiddle and do the action poses.

[Magnus]

For me, it would have to be 'fiddle play' - every now and then I might reposition the limbs or transform a figure, but for the most part they're kept as static display figures.

[jena]

I'm a fiddler as well, I like to pick a figure up and play with poses. I like to find an image and try to copy the pose. For example, I tried my best to get my masterpiece Optimus into this (http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/thumb/3/37/Optimusg1.jpg/350px-Optimusg1.jpg) pose. I certainly don't get them all out and have an epic battle.

Though I wish I could create a display that illustrated parts of Transformers: The Movie. I'd love to have a couple of Gnaws giving Hot Rod and Kup a hard time. Stuff like that. Too bad I don't even have a single Gnaw, or Kup for that matter.

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm a fiddler as well, I like to pick a figure up and play with poses. I like to find an image and try to copy the pose. For example, I tried my best to get my masterpiece Optimus into this (http://tfwiki.net/w2/images2/thumb/3/37/Optimusg1.jpg/350px-Optimusg1.jpg) pose.
Like this?
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/famous%20poses/optimusprime_pose.jpg
:)


I certainly don't get them all out and have an epic battle.
I do! It's epic fun! :D :D


Though I wish I could create a display that illustrated parts of Transformers: The Movie. I'd love to have a couple of Gnaws giving Hot Rod and Kup a hard time. Stuff like that. Too bad I don't even have a single Gnaw, or Kup for that matter.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/gif_g1-bumblebeedance.gif
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=2800
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=2843
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=2922
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=3092
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/gif_g1-cliffjumperdance.gif

[GL-Sideswipe]

I love picking up a random transformer that I haven't transformed in a while, switch modes, switch it back then pose it back for display, and regularly change modes on some for display :) I find it so fun playing with them, I haven't started sealed collecting yet, don't know how I would cope. :P

[Megatron]

I'm not sure, should I vote Fiddler or Other?

The majority of my collection is MISB, but I do have lots of loose toys as well so that I don't miss out on the fun. I hate actually transforming them because most of the time, I find it too hard! Takes me too long and I always need the instructions so kinda takes the fun out of it. Unless it's a Maccas toy or one of those Legion class ones. :D I do love making Photo Comics with them, though, and displaying them around the house in various action poses.

In terms of what type of collector I am: 80% Curator, 20% Fiddler. I do have aspects of the Player, but not so much with toys. I would much rather immerse myself in fan art/fiction and RPGing as a way of expressing my creative side/need for escapism, though as I mentioned above I also do this with Photo Comics and the like where the toys can be used.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I used to play (and I spose I was a lot younger) but then a few years ago the hip broke on my Sludge, simply as he had been overused and not designed to last 20 years. So I tend to touch my G1's as little as possible, and have a fiddle with the rest

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm not sure, should I vote Fiddler or Other?

In terms of what type of collector I am: 80% Curator, 20% Fiddler. I do have aspects of the Player, but not so much with toys. I would much rather immerse myself in fan art/fiction and RPGing as a way of expressing my creative side/need for escapism, though as I mentioned above I also do this with Photo Comics and the like where the toys can be used.
From what you're telling me, I'd say vote for "Don't play." As I said in post #32, we're really looking at a spectrum, and as such I'd say most if not all of us have elements of all the different collector types in us.

I'm mostly a player, but I do also fiddle when I don't have time to play, and I do have a few sealed toys in my collection, and I have customised a few toys... but I most strongly identify myself as being a Player. So go with whichever you most strongly identify yourself as being -- what you "most" are. So as you said, if you feel that you're "80% Curator," then go with the "Don't Play" vote. :) But I don't think I've come across anyone who's 100% only one kind of collector -- I'm sure every sealed collector has at least one loose toy in their collection. ;)


The majority of my collection is MISB, but I do have lots of loose toys as well so that I don't miss out on the fun. I hate actually transforming them because most of the time, I find it too hard! Takes me too long and I always need the instructions so kinda takes the fun out of it. Unless it's a Maccas toy or one of those Legion class ones. :D
That's the fun of it! :D One of the core parts of the play pattern of Transformers is that it's both a toy and a puzzle. :) It's so much fun exploring how a Transformer changes from one mode to another, especially when it's well engineered and you can see all the clever things they do to make parts shift etc. The carded figures (Commander, Scout, Deluxe) are easy enough to transform. Even most Voyagers these days are getting simpler to transform too (many feel like oversized Deluxes). Leaders and above can get tricky ('cept Combiner Class Devastator who's simpler than some Maccas toys :rolleyes: :p).

A difficult transformation isn't too bad so long as it's still an intuitive transformation. The kinds of transformations I don't like are those that are either far too simple that it's just no fun at all (e.g. Supreme Cheetor), or those that are too complex in a counter-intuitive sort of way (e.g. BT/ALT Grimlock & Wheeljack).

As one of the TV commercial slogans said, "The challenge is in the change!" :D

[Megatron]

From what you're telling me, I'd say vote for "Don't play." As I said in post #32, we're really looking at a spectrum, and as such I'd say most if not all of us have elements of all the different collector types in us.

I'm mostly a player, but I do also fiddle when I don't have time to play, and I do have a few sealed toys in my collection, and I have customised a few toys... but I most strongly identify myself as being a Player. So go with whichever you most strongly identify yourself as being -- what you "most" are. So as you said, if you feel that you're "80% Curator," then go with the "Don't Play" vote. :) But I don't think I've come across anyone who's 100% only one kind of collector -- I'm sure every sealed collector has at least one loose toy in their collection. ;)

Sounds good. And yes, my collection wouldn't be complete without a few "escapees" in the mix. :D


That's the fun of it! :D One of the core parts of the play pattern of Transformers is that it's both a toy and a puzzle. :) It's so much fun exploring how a Transformer changes from one mode to another, especially when it's well engineered and you can see all the clever things they do to make parts shift etc. The carded figures (Commander, Scout, Deluxe) are easy enough to transform. Even most Voyagers these days are getting simpler to transform too (many feel like oversized Deluxes). Leaders and above can get tricky ('cept Combiner Class Devastator who's simpler than some Maccas toys :rolleyes: :p).

A difficult transformation isn't too bad so long as it's still an intuitive transformation. The kinds of transformations I don't like are those that are either far too simple that it's just no fun at all (e.g. Supreme Cheetor), or those that are too complex in a counter-intuitive sort of way (e.g. BT/ALT Grimlock & Wheeljack).

As one of the TV commercial slogans said, "The challenge is in the change!" :D

True enough... the first time transforming a toy is like sitting down to do a puzzle, but it can take time and a lot of patience, when sometimes I just want instant results! That's when I "hate" transforming them, but hate is probably the wrong word... it's more like, can't be bothered... I'm the type of Fiddler that once I've transformed a toy the first time (or two), I can't be bothered doing it again, and will usually leave them in robot mode. :p

[nofacej]

I tend to transform figures once, pose them and then stick them on a shelf.

[BigTransformerTrev]

True enough... the first time transforming a toy is like sitting down to do a puzzle, but it can take time and a lot of patience, when sometimes I just want instant results! That's when I "hate" transforming them, but hate is probably the wrong word... it's more like, can't be bothered... I'm the type of Fiddler that once I've transformed a toy the first time (or two), I can't be bothered doing it again, and will usually leave them in robot mode. :p


I tend to transform figures once, pose them and then stick them on a shelf.

That is what I'm like now. I suppose in part it's because we are adults (for the most part) and we have too many other demands on our time, and we probably also don't set up as many battles like we used to when young.

[Omega Metro]

I tend to transform figures once, pose them and then stick them on a shelf.

^This!:D

[Bidoofdude]

I fiddle with them a bit, but sometimes I like flying my seekers around with a WHOOOSH!!!!:p

[AJ_Prime]

I usually stare at them in admiration behind their dimensional windows (glass cabinet doors), contemplating whether or not I should fiddle with them or just leave them be and continue staring at them.

Usually about maybe 5 times a year (or less) they will all get transformed into one mode (you know, to make sure I don't forget how to do it:D) and eventually back again. Occasionally I might just transform one or two that appeal to me at the time. Usually when they are undergoing their quarterly transformation ;) I do it while watching tv or talking with the wife. Although I get told off for not listening to her when I do that. :p

I do sometimes "improve" the figures with minor paint apps and/or reprolabels, but usually only if they REALLY need it because the original is lacking in some way.

If I see a figure that would look great painted up properly I will have a go at a full on custom paint job makeover, but I've only really done that a handful of times. It only happens when I get a creative burst of energy, which doesn't happen often.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I contemplating whether or not I should fiddle with them or just leave them be and continue staring at them.

To fiddle, or not to fiddle.

That is the question...


Sorry, I couldn't resist:p

[Jetfire in the sky]

I only touch them to dust or rearrange as the collection grows. Transformation is almost non-existent.

[DarkHyren]

I have to say I mostly fit into the curator category since I mostly collect MISB, so I voted "don't play".
For me it's a bit of an OCD thing, I can definitely identify with the things Jetfire and Megatron said.

Though I do from time to time have a fiddle with the ones I have bought loose (or the rare escape artist) as well as pose them around the house.

[Kazza]

I tend to transform figures once, pose them and then stick them on a shelf.

+2

[UltraMarginal]

I voted Fiddler, there isn't a desk I sit at that doesn't have at least one transformer in reach at any time.

I cycle the ones I have at work, just for a change of scenery. they sometimes get transformed at once, other times, I'll gradually transform a figure throughout the day.

My display cabinet changes with current series or themes as I see fit. it's never static for very long. some are displayed as vehicles some as robots, I'm looking at getting some clear stands to display flyers more dynamically.

there are times when the cabinet is only looked at for a few weeks, but then i get an urge to grab something out and change it.

I like the characterisations of the robots but I really dig the engineering behind the transformations, which is hard to appreciate without transforming them. I also love a lot of the vehicle modes, which is why so many get changed back and forth.

like others have said though, this is often slowed down in frequency for not having the time to properly enjoy it, also why I sometimes go several weeks or a month without opening a new one.

I also much prefer to have them in a pose or formation rather than all just standing there shoulder to shoulder. but that's a personal preference and means there is less space to display as many at any one time.

[Paulbot]

I opened and fiddled with five transformers last year but haven't opened any this year. Somewhere along the line I became a "don't play" guy while I tried to sell off my surplus collection and haven't opened anything of my new purchases yet. Never feel like I have the time to really appreciate a new figure so I've been putting them aside for "later". Maybe when I finally get some sort of collection display going on things will change.

[UltraMarginal]

I opened and fiddled with five transformers last year but haven't opened any this year. Somewhere along the line I became a "don't play" guy while I tried to sell off my surplus collection and haven't opened anything of my new purchases yet. Never feel like I have the time to really appreciate a new figure so I've been putting them aside for "later". Maybe when I finally get some sort of collection display going on things will change.

Except for a splurge of opening in the last two months, I tend to collect them faster than I open them.

[Paulbot]

I'm totally collecting quicker. I've about 15 or more purchases from the past 12 months to open at the moment. Will have a big Prime Decepticons opening day eventually. I look at it as "getting what I want while I can" rather than risking after-market prices in the future.

[Jinto]

I like to fantasy play but that's something I seldom do these days. I usually have a few TF's on hand (bookshelf or desk display) but most are in storage. Most of the time I just fiddle. Although I imagine a lot :p.

[UltraMarginal]

I'm totally collecting quicker. I've about 15 or more purchases from the past 12 months to open at the moment. Will have a big Prime Decepticons opening day eventually. I look at it as "getting what I want while I can" rather than risking after-market prices in the future.

when you have your epic Prime decepticons opening day, are you going to make a plastic bubble fairy, akin to a snow fairy? :D
I have nearly enough plastic bubbles to achieve that myself at the moment.

[GoktimusPrime]

One thing that can happen if you open a lot of toys at once is that you may not get to enjoy or appreciate each toy individually as much. This often happens to me when I get a package from Japan, and impatient me goes and opens 'em bang bang bang, and it takes me a much longer time to really appreciate those toys than if I'd spaced them out -- which is what tends to happen with local purchases. :) It also happens when I get toys that are sold in a single box set, like many of the reissue gestalts.

We never had the G1 gift sets in Australia, and I remember when I first found out that they even existed after interacting with the online community, I initially felt that Australia got gipped by missing out... but after reflecting I think it was somewhat advantageous for us because by collecting say the G1 Constructicons one figure at a time over a span of months (or even years) you get to enjoy each individual toy for their own merit, rather than viewing it as just a "component" of a larger toy. They feel more like 6 Transformers in their own right who happen to combine, rather than 6 components of a 1 Transformer that happen to transform separately. I don't mind 2 packs or versus sets -- I think 2 is a number that's small enough to still let you appreciate the toys individually... but yeah, getting a lot at once can sometimes change the feeling of experiencing these toys as opposed to opening them en masse at once. :)

^JMHO.

[Omega Metro]

I used to open everyone of my new TF acquisitions and play with them in my bed when I wake up in the morning.:)
Now I can't bare to open them. It's a space issue I think.:p

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

One thing that can happen if you open a lot of toys at once is that you may not get to enjoy or appreciate each toy individually as much. This often happens to me when I get a package from Japan, and impatient me goes and opens 'em bang bang bang, and it takes me a much longer time to really appreciate those toys than if I'd spaced them out -- which is what tends to happen with local purchases. :) It also happens when I get toys that are sold in a single box set, like many of the reissue gestalts.

We never had the G1 gift sets in Australia, and I remember when I first found out that they even existed after interacting with the online community, I initially felt that Australia got gipped by missing out... but after reflecting I think it was somewhat advantageous for us because by collecting say the G1 Constructicons one figure at a time over a span of months (or even years) you get to enjoy each individual toy for their own merit, rather than viewing it as just a "component" of a larger toy. They feel more like 6 Transformers in their own right who happen to combine, rather than 6 components of a 1 Transformer that happen to transform separately. I don't mind 2 packs or versus sets -- I think 2 is a number that's small enough to still let you appreciate the toys individually... but yeah, getting a lot at once can sometimes change the feeling of experiencing these toys as opposed to opening them en masse at once. :)

^JMHO.
That's a good point. I found that as well, so now I don't mind not opening any toys if I have too many. I found that I have a set "Toy opening ritual (http://tetstoys.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/opening-figure.html)" of sorts that I like to follow and if I have too many at one time, it detracts from various figures.

Since I don't really 'play' with my figs any more, any new ones that I am interested in I leave on the couch and just kind of mess about with at my leisure. Sure the missus gets a bit annoyed when I should be 'watching' a tv show with her, but I am more engrossed my the sculpted detail in a 100mm head... Currently I have the FOC Sideswipe, Jazz and Starscream all hanging around somewhere in the lounger, Prime Vehicon, Thundertron and FOC Kickback sitting on the bedside table.

Transformers are a good alternative for helping me relax before bed if I don't have a good book handy :p

[Jinto]

Sure the missus gets a bit annoyed when I should be 'watching' a tv show with her

*sympathetic nod* :rolleyes:

There is a time and place for toys. So I'm told.

[GoktimusPrime]

The time is anytime.
The place is anyplace.

;)

[KalEl]

The time is anytime.
The place is anyplace.

;)

I have rarely taken a toy out with me, with the rare exception of when i'm super excited about one i've just picked up and then i'll fool around with it in the car park haha

[GoktimusPrime]

If I'm super excited about a toy I've just purchased and I can't wait to go home and open it, I'll find somewhere in the shopping centre to sit down and open it (e.g. food court, cafe, bench etc.) :) I see no need to be so cloak and dagger about it; TF pride ftw. :D

I just had lunch w/ the missus at a packed restaurant. I took Voyager TFPFE Optimus Prime with us. He was proudly standing on the table while we ate. 2 weeks ago I was with my family and friends at another restaurant -- I got there first, so while I was sitting there waiting for others to arrive I started playing with FoC Starscream; sound effects, voices etc. This one couple kept staring at me with this heaps dirty look, but I didn't care. This restaurant was big enough that my noises wouldn't have been disturbing their meal -- they just wanted to give me dirty looks. Naturally I care naught for the opinion of Mundaners (toy Muggles/Mud-bloods), so it this sort of thing doesn't bother me in the slightest. I haven't spent all this time and money collecting toys just to only exclusively with them behind closed doors! :rolleyes: :)

[transform]

I don't fiddle or play, just collect and display.

[5FDP]

I don't fiddle or play, just collect and display.

^ What he said.

[Deonasis]

I usually pack a recent deluxe with me on trips - Prime Vechicon, Scanning Ironhide, Nitro Bumblebee, Windcharger come to mind. Just something to fiddle with or take pics of if any downtime arises.

I am also playing with some of the flat bed trucks (DotM Megatron minus gun, Cyb Ldr OP minus jetpack) with my daughter. She uses them as cars for some GIJoe sized dolls she has. Every now and again I get to transform them but mostly the are driving around with princesses in the back.

[KalEl]

I usually pack a recent deluxe with me on trips - Prime Vechicon, Scanning Ironhide, Nitro Bumblebee, Windcharger come to mind. Just something to fiddle with or take pics of if any downtime arises.

I am also playing with some of the flat bed trucks (DotM Megatron minus gun, Cyb Ldr OP minus jetpack) with my daughter. She uses them as cars for some GIJoe sized dolls she has. Every now and again I get to transform them but mostly the are driving around with princesses in the back.

haha thats brilliant! princess transport!

[seespotrun]

I'm also in the desk-buddy camp. I'll usually have a rotating figure on my desk which I'll fiddle around with. It's a way of ensuring I get around to spending some quality time with all my figures (and helps keep the dust off them).

[Sinnertwin]

I'll have a fiddle, make a few pew-pew sounds, pretend one of them is dead, rebuild it and then stick it on my display stands

[KalEl]

I used to pop off my beast wars limbs and swap them all around :P

[lj7369]

I have quite a few misb that I can't bring myself to open.... So iI have a fiddler and a plastic prison.
E. G. Hasbro Masterpiece grimlock, prime vehicon Hasbro mp10 prime...
I still have to play with them. So I acquire a loose one to play with. In the case of grimlock I had to wait 18 months to get a loose one, so glad I did.
I guess I will have to make a choice someday, I can't afford to keep this up. :)

[GoktimusPrime]

Surely there must be more fellow players out there! :o

Just out of interest, for those of you who don't play but do toy reviews... do you factor in play value when appraising a toy? Cos some reviews I see just look at the toy in terms of visual aesthetics, design/engineering etc., which is all good, but fail to look at it from a play value POV. Cos you can have some toys that are really nicely designed and beautifully decorated... but rubbish to play with (i.e. nothing more than a transformable & poseable display piece). And the core function of a toy is to be played with -- a toy that just looks nice but isn't fun to play with is like having a car that looks stunning sitting in your garage or driveway, but performs/handles poorly on the road. :o

Whereas I know other collectors who are fiddlers, but they are still able to factor in the play value of the toy when reviewing them. e.g. how would a child (or adult player ;)) enjoy this toy? Those are the ones that I consider to be better toy reviewers, as they also delve into the performance and handling of the toy. :)

[Sinnertwin]

Very interesting points there, Goktimus. I'll.certainly be paying attention to reviewers more closely in that respect

[Bidoofdude]

I like to see if a car/truck/etc rolls well or if a jet is swooshable/aerodynamic, if that counts.:D

[GoktimusPrime]

I find quite a few of the fantasy/Cybertronian/futuristic jet modes aren't terribly aerodynamic. A lot of them would never be able to fly in atmosphere when I think about it... so... I just shut down that part of my brain and suspend disbelief. :p ;)

Having said that, there is something quite cool about the more realistic jet moded TFs - particularly the MP seekers. While the issues with the robot modes are widely known, I think they're bloody fantastic in jet mode. :)
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/mpstarscream.jpg
Even the original G1 Seekers are still pretty damn cool in that regard too. :)

[Sinnertwin]

Love F15's. 22's, not so much. That Greenscream... *drool*

[seespotrun]

...there is something quite cool about the more realistic jet moded TFs - particularly the MP seekers. While the issues with the robot modes are widely known, I think they're bloody fantastic in jet mode...

I completely agree. The best seeker mould for me would be the old MP seeker mould with the heel spurs, hip kibble mod, and improved head of the new MP mould. It'd be almost as good as the new MP seeker mould in robot mode, but far more realistic in alt mode. iGear should update their PP03 moulds already!