Does anyone have a method to the madness they call - TF collecting?

[kristofferrer]

can anybody point me to a thread that cheers members up for buying too many TFs (or expensive ones)?

I can't justify my addiction, i just want more and more and more and i don't know why?!

to compound matters - Fansproject keeps releasing cool items!

they're stealing my money i tell ya.

Does anyone have a method to this madness?

[kup]

Only buy good none repaint toys and you will notice that your buying will decrease by at least 50%, perhaps more.

I am in the boat in which I am paying premium prices for the last few but rare toys that I need to complete US G1. My morale in this regard has been shot down since 3 of these items have turned out to be dodgy and not worth the price that I paid. I am having a difficult time justifying buying more.

Retail has been dead to me, not much going on for the last couple of years further adding to the downed morale.

[Verno]

I guess it all boils down to that mystical 'Why'. And if you asked 10 different TF Fans, you'd get 10 different answers.

It was easy for me to draw a line in the sand. I grew up with Beast Wars. Its a limited number of characters and incarnation. So when it came to the toys, as Kup said, I ignored repaints like the Fox Kids junk, even the Mutants I can ignore because we all know they weren't designed for BW in the first place.

It must be more difficult for G1 fans, with such a huge pool of toys to sort through and with the same characters being rehashed everytime a new series in released.

For me its the connection to the characters. Others have been doing it for so long they simply can't stop. Some people only collect Primes.

There is perhaps a pressure on you when you read the aquisition threads on boards like these, seeing what other peple have got and suddenly wanting it too. But if you stop and think about it, the impulse dies away and those few items you really want stay with you, the rest you couldn't really bother with.

[GoktimusPrime]

I can't justify my addiction, i just want more and more and more and i don't know why?!
Perhaps the answer lies within your own words. It's interesting that you've chosen the word "addiction," which indicates to me that perhaps Transformer collecting has become more of an addiction rather than just a hobby for you.

As Verno said, you need to ask yourself why you're buying these toys - and we all have different reasons, but if you can't justify to yourself why you've purchased a toy, then perhaps it has reached the point of addiction rather than just being an intensely passionate hobby.

On Thursday I got word that new Transformers had been sighted at Big W Blacktown, so I went there to check it out. I saw NEST Ratchet and some other repaints. None of the repaints interested me, but previously I had been interested in a Deluxe size Ratchet. But when I held the toy in my hands at Big W, there was really nothing about the toy that appealed to me to want to buy it. It's just movie Ratchet in Deluxe size. It looks to be well done for a Deluxe, and if I didn't already have Voyager Ratchet then I probably would have bought it. But I thought to myself, "I already have Voyager Ratchet. And Legends Rescue Ratchet. Do I really need another Movie Ratchet?" ... so I walked out of Big W without buying any Transformers.

So yeah, when considering whether or not to buy a Transformer, ask yourself why you should buy that toy -- justify the purchase to yourself before proceeding. You don't want to be asking yourself later, "Why the hell did I buy that?!"

[snaketales]

I buy what I like and what I can afford... it's pretty rare when the two synch up :rolleyes:

[Kyle]

I wish the toy companies would slow down and release less items... :o:p

[kristofferrer]

Perhaps the answer lies within your own words. It's interesting that you've chosen the word "addiction," which indicates to me that perhaps Transformer collecting has become more of an addiction rather than just a hobby for you.

As Verno said, you need to ask yourself why you're buying these toys - and we all have different reasons, but if you can't justify to yourself why you've purchased a toy, then perhaps it has reached the point of addiction rather than just being an intensely passionate hobby.

On Thursday I got word that new Transformers had been sighted at Big W Blacktown, so I went there to check it out. I saw NEST Ratchet and some other repaints. None of the repaints interested me, but previously I had been interested in a Deluxe size Ratchet. But when I held the toy in my hands at Big W, there was really nothing about the toy that appealed to me to want to buy it. It's just movie Ratchet in Deluxe size. It looks to be well done for a Deluxe, and if I didn't already have Voyager Ratchet then I probably would have bought it. But I thought to myself, "I already have Voyager Ratchet. And Legends Rescue Ratchet. Do I really need another Movie Ratchet?" ... so I walked out of Big W without buying any Transformers.

So yeah, when considering whether or not to buy a Transformer, ask yourself why you should buy that toy -- justify the purchase to yourself before proceeding. You don't want to be asking yourself later, "Why the hell did I buy that?!"

I think i definitely need to re-evaluate my reasons for purchases.
having said that ....




I wish the toy companies would slow down and release less items... :o:p

i probably wouldn't feel like this if toy companies eased up a little on their release.


I'm loving these responses by the way ;)

[liegeprime]

Cuz, PLAY WITH YOUR TOYS! that way youll enjoy them, AFAIK you got doubles for that reason. I got plenty as you know but I dont get to play with all of em all the time due to work constraints, its mostly the G1s and Classics Im more likely to pick up fiddle, then put back. BUt yeah fiddle play or whatever play helps you get your mojo back - well it works for me.

OH and BTW you need to get your collection displayed! no sense keeping them boxed and in the closet that way you get that natural high always when you enter your room rather than trying to fix your "addiction feeling" by buying more. The shopping for shelves (IKEA IKEA!) and setting up helps keep out the doldrums and niggling need to buy more more more feeling. Well it works for me.

[5FDP]

The funny thing is I was just thinking about creating a poll the other day based on a topic like this. But as Verno said, you would get a least 10 different answers and perhaps then combinations as well.

There is a good read on the Transformers Variants (http://reocities.com/futuristgroup/tfadvicenew.html) site that I would encourage people to read. It kind of puts things into perspective and you may find some of the answers you seek :)

[GoktimusPrime]

I wish the toy companies would slow down and release less items...
We've been going through a dry spell lately which I don't really mind. I started doing my "1337" toy countdown after my collection hit 1330 and it took three months for me to acquire just _seven_ toys to hit that goal, and that was with both local and imported toys!


Cuz, PLAY WITH YOUR TOYS! that way youll enjoy them, AFAIK you got doubles for that reason. I got plenty as you know but I dont get to play with all of em all the time due to work constraints, its mostly the G1s and Classics Im more likely to pick up fiddle, then put back. BUt yeah fiddle play or whatever play helps you get your mojo back - well it works for me.

OH and BTW you need to get your collection displayed! no sense keeping them boxed and in the closet that way you get that natural high always when you enter your room rather than trying to fix your "addiction feeling" by buying more. The shopping for shelves (IKEA IKEA!) and setting up helps keep out the doldrums and niggling need to buy more more more feeling. Well it works for me.
Yeah, definitely display them and fiddle or play with them... do _something_ with them. Cos otherwise are you actually collecting Transformers or just hoarding them like squirrels hoard nuts for the winter. :p IMO it looks like an addiction if you're just buying toys and not doing anything with them (even if you only display them at least you'll have the pleasure of viewing them).

I thought the point of collecting doubles was either so you can have one to keep sealed for display and another to open to fiddle or play with. Or perhaps open both and display them in both modes like liegeprime and I like to do. :D Again as Verno said, ask yourself why.


I buy what I like and what I can afford... it's pretty rare when the two synch up
I find that after I started a family I needed to budget myself more carefully. For example, for months before Revenge of the Fallen came out I started putting money aside into a savings account separate from the account I normally use. Just put away a little at a time. I'd attempted to calculate which toys would be coming out and which ones I wanted and how much they'd cost. So by time ROTF came out I already had the money to buy all the toys - which meant that I went on spend-crazy shopping sprees. :D Felt pretty good to be able to just buy all those toys in such a short span of time instead of collecting them slowly and gradually, lest we subsist off instant noodles for the next few months. :p

[langzixinxin]

Well, I think buying TF is not that bad. Just look those car fans, motor fans, boat fans, antique fans etc, I am pretty sure lots of them finance their purchase.
:rolleyes:

[kup]

Yeah, display your toys. It adds to the satisfaction of your collection and makes it easy and more naturally to grab one to play or fiddle from time to time.

If you lack room for display then just display a few and rotate them.

[GoktimusPrime]

Well, I think buying TF is not that bad. Just look those car fans, motor fans, boat fans, antique fans etc, I am pretty sure lots of them finance their purchase.
:rolleyes:

In principle it's the same thing, just on a grander scale. :) But imagine say collecting boats and keeping them all in a storage shed. No intention to ever sail them (i.e.: play) or even set them up for display.

To me it seems a waste. And the same would go if someone had a cheap hobby like collecting bottle caps - and instead of creating a display for it, they just kept it in a box under the bed.

JMO.

[GoktimusPrime]

i probably wouldn't feel like this if toy companies eased up a little on their release.
We're all responsible for our own spending habits dude. :) Nobody from Hasbro's pointing a gun at our heads and forcing us to buy their toys. And AFAIK these toys don't contain any habit-forming substances. :p

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/sayno.jpg The power is yours! :D
Disclaimer: image is for humour/parody purposes only.

[snazzbot 101]

i probably wouldn't feel like this if toy companies eased up a little on their release.

But what are the odds of that?

Collecting - any collecting - is primarily about obtaining the next thing on the list. If you collect, say, pre-Depression Australia hand-blown glass vases (I'm sure someone does) obtaining something new might mean visiting libraries to do research, going to auctions, meeting other collectors, or travelling to far off antique shops.

To collect modern Transformers you can simply go online and press Buy Me Now.
Then look for the next bright, shiny thing.

The act of buying "things" is not fulfilling. Enjoyable - if fleeting - sure, but never fulfilling. Actually taking time to appreciate what you have, and having others to share it with, is.

Much like Life I suppose.

[kristofferrer]

I need to get the display shelves from IKEA!!! I've got a little plan to show them - at the moment i've got the ones in my apartment on display.
I need a "man cave" so i can just pose all my stuff.





Cuz, PLAY WITH YOUR TOYS! that way youll enjoy them, AFAIK you got doubles for that reason. I got plenty as you know but I dont get to play with all of em all the time due to work constraints, its mostly the G1s and Classics Im more likely to pick up fiddle, then put back. BUt yeah fiddle play or whatever play helps you get your mojo back - well it works for me.

OH and BTW you need to get your collection displayed! no sense keeping them boxed and in the closet that way you get that natural high always when you enter your room rather than trying to fix your "addiction feeling" by buying more. The shopping for shelves (IKEA IKEA!) and setting up helps keep out the doldrums and niggling need to buy more more more feeling. Well it works for me.

[kristofferrer]

The wise-men are speaking :D




I thought the point of collecting doubles was either so you can have one to keep sealed for display and another to open to fiddle or play with. Or perhaps open both and display them in both modes like liegeprime and I like to do. :D Again as Verno said, ask yourself why.

Yeah i think you make a good point - I hate it because i have no room to display my stuff.



I find that after I started a family I needed to budget myself more carefully. For example, for months before Revenge of the Fallen came out I started putting money aside into a savings account separate from the account I normally use. Just put away a little at a time. I'd attempted to calculate which toys would be coming out and which ones I wanted and how much they'd cost. So by time ROTF came out I already had the money to buy all the toys - which meant that I went on spend-crazy shopping sprees. :D Felt pretty good to be able to just buy all those toys in such a short span of time instead of collecting them slowly and gradually, lest we subsist off instant noodles for the next few months. :p

hrmm- i like this - i think i might try it.



Well, I think buying TF is not that bad. Just look those car fans, motor fans, boat fans, antique fans etc, I am pretty sure lots of them finance their purchase.
:rolleyes:

- ahhh thanks for this...this is soooo true -





Yeah, display your toys. It adds to the satisfaction of your collection and makes it easy and more naturally to grab one to play or fiddle from time to time.

If you lack room for display then just display a few and rotate them.

"Rotate them!" now why didn't i think of that?!

[GoktimusPrime]

It's what museums do. :) I think a rotating display is a neat idea. I can't bring myself to do it with my Transformers collection because I just love them too much and I'm just far too lazy (:p) But I am thinking about having a rotating display for some of my other toys which are currently all sitting in boxes in my garage. I recently rotated my Star Wars toy display.

[heroic_decepticon]

I'm only into G1 now.

My method of madness is (1) quality (ie: condition); (2) completeness; and (3) with box (or cardback).

The only other lines I collect are the MPs, BTs, TFC reissues, some Encore reissues and... erm, G1 Robot Heroes.

I like Beast Wars, but really cannot bring myself to handle any of the toys, I dunno, I feel they are 'icky' if i can use such a term. The Beast Wars comics were awesome, but the toys are... just not the same. Only one I have is Magmatron (discovered that the toy is nowhere near as awesome as Figuroa drew it). I used to collect RiD, Armada, some Galaxy Force, Movie 2007, Henkei and Classics, but have since sold most of them off.

As the result of the above, there's invariably nothing I want that I can buy from retail. So I guess, my expenditure is less than people who buy each new toy that is released, unless of course, I spend it on a really expensive G1 figure which I don't have.

[liegeprime]

It's what museums do. :) I think a rotating display is a neat idea. I can't bring myself to do it with my Transformers collection because I just love them too much and I'm just far too lazy (:p) But I am thinking about having a rotating display for some of my other toys which are currently all sitting in boxes in my garage. I recently rotated my Star Wars toy display.

buy a detolf put it in your living room area and have that as a rotating display shelf Gok. Im ythinking of saving up buy a detolf shelf or two and place it in the hallway and have my G1 doubles displayed there....in between paintings:p

[SilverDragon]

Here's a hint I picked up recently.

If you're on a toy hunt and see something which you feel an urge to buy, leave it on the shelf and wait three days. After that period of time, ask yourself, do you really want it? If you find you now have doubts about whether you actually want it, then don't buy it.

Also try to read toy reviews in the three days. You'll get a better idea of what the toy is like from them than from looking at the box.

[Paulbot]

I'm working on a few methods at the moment but my methodology is still not fully thought through.

1. Aim to have one of each toy mould and few duplicates
2. Wait for sales to purchase figures
3. Avoid any straight repaints when it's not a new character (Defender Optimus Prime, NEST Bumblebee for instance)
4. Only buy new character repaints when there's a good reason and consider selling on the original version (eg Buy ROTF Thrust and sell Breakaway)
5. If I've purchased something and several months later it is still MISB sell it on.

[SofaMan]

I'm working on a few methods at the moment but my methodology is still not fully thought through.

1. Aim to have one of each toy mould and few duplicates
2. Wait for sales to purchase figures
3. Avoid any straight repaints when it's not a new character (Defender Optimus Prime, NEST Bumblebee for instance)
4. Only buy new character repaints when there's a good reason and consider selling on the original version (eg Buy ROTF Thrust and sell Breakaway)
5. If I've purchased something and several months later it is still MISB sell it on.

Y'know, this is pretty close to my rules as well. I haven't done #5 in a decade or so, since I haven't bought multiples for resale.

And I only do the first half of #4 - once I've bought it, it stays mine. :D

[Mr Ed]

i just buy whatever i like.

nothing scientific about it :cool:

what hooked me back into TF was when the TF movie was released and I felt like I was 9 years old again!

[kristofferrer]

Hey I like this:


I'm working on a few methods at the moment but my methodology is still not fully thought through.

1. Aim to have one of each toy mould and few duplicates
2. Wait for sales to purchase figures






3. Avoid any straight repaints when it's not a new character (Defender Optimus Prime, NEST Bumblebee for instance)
4. Only buy new character repaints when there's a good reason and consider selling on the original version (eg Buy ROTF Thrust and sell Breakaway)


I like some repaints ... ill get them but i think i might start reducing doubles. and i did want to go ahead with collecting doubles, i'd probably wait for a sale. (it's equally as fun hunting toys and looking for bargains as owning them) kudos...





5. If I've purchased something and several months later it is still MISB sell it on.
i don't know what this means?

[Paulbot]

5. If I've purchased something and several months later it is still MISB sell it on.

i don't know what this means?

I have some toys sitting around my room that I've not opened and played with (still is their sealed packaging). I look at toys like that and think if I've not opened after several months I probably don't really need it. And since it's still sealed and in unused condition I'm better off to sell it and spend the money on something I want to open and play with.

[kup]

Recently I have bought a toy which I have no intention of opening just yet. It's Universe Hard Head.

The reason that he will remain unopened is because I don't really care for it in its 'out of factory' state and I am only buying it just in case the 'Hot Head' upgrade gets released. In that case I would open it and make it an official part of my collection after acquiring the upgrade.

If the Hot Head upgrade never happens then I will just sell it MISB and it will never enter my collection.

[loophole]

i mainly just get cast characters for example with beast wars i only get the toys that appeared in the show because thats what i like.

there are of course exceptions to this like with the classics line i just get what i think looks cool and dont worry about the rest with G1 its just the characters from the first 3 seasons thats it, i may get others but they arent a necessity to obtain like the rest of the characters are

[d*r*j*]

If you're on a toy hunt and see something which you feel an urge to buy, leave it on the shelf and wait three days.

Worst advice ever! If it's a good toy you probably will never see it again at retail. Just put it in a trolley and walk around the store for a while if you are so unsure.

I haven't really had a strong compulsion to buy a transformer for quite a while, maybe since the second movie came out with waves of Cybertron re-paints. I still buy toys all the time, got some nice GI Joes when they clearance and have picked up quite a bit of Masters of the Universe stuff, vintage and classics. I also collect certain music items when I am in the mood and like to collect a couple of authors' works.

I collect things, I pretty much always have. I'm lucky that my attention span is rather short so I don't get hung up on one thing most of the time.

[GoktimusPrime]

It depends on what the toy is. If you know it's going to be a popular toy that will sell quickly, then you probably shouldn't delay. But there's no need to say quickly buy a Combiner Class Devastator or Ultimate Bumblebee right now in fear if it selling out any time soon. :p

But there is some truth to "you snooze you lose." If you really desperately want a toy then you might want to buy it now or accept the chance that it may be really hard to find later (and you may have to pay expensive aftermarket prices on places like eBay because the toy has become rare). I'm glad I bought Monstructor from Kmart in 1989! :)

[d*r*j*]

It depends on what the toy is. If you know it's going to be a popular toy that will sell quickly, then you probably shouldn't delay. But there's no need to say quickly buy a Combiner Class Devastator or Ultimate Bumblebee right now in fear if it selling out any time soon. :p

Your examples are both hideously expensive toys aimed squarely at the children's market. Quite a few toys have been released and become rare overnight... almost literally. Sometimes you can feel the online hype reaching fever pitch before the toy is even released, sometimes not.



But there is some truth to "you snooze you lose." If you really desperately want a toy then you might want to buy it now or accept the chance that it may be really hard to find later (and you may have to pay expensive aftermarket prices on places like eBay because the toy has become rare). I'm glad I bought Monstructor from Kmart in 1989! :)

I guess if you really want a toy there is no reason to wait 3 days anyway. I remember buying a lot of football cards in 1989, no transformers though.

[bruticus]

This is my madness...err i mean my method:

1) Try to buy at least 2 of each G1 figures, 3 for triple changers, 6 for sixchangers etc so that you can display them in all the different modes all at the same time!!! fark yeah, whos with me??
2) Try to buy huge lots and then sell or trade off the unwanted items. Lots of big savings/deals to be made when buying in bulk.
3) Always try to buy up things you think are good deals at the time. Worse case you can sell them off later at cost price which is not bad.
4) Always display your figures to enjoy it. Buy or make cabinets whatever... just display them at the very least.
5) Try not to buy something new for full price at a retail store, (unless you need it or you are a MINT-in MINT SEALED BOX collector). Cos nothing is really "exclusive" these days (sales, KOs, re-issues, re-re-issues grrr) so dont worry about missing out.
6) Work your f'n ass off to pay for the bills!!!!

Justification for the madness?
You get to enjoy something you really like and provided you dont damage or break it, you can sell it off for a decent amount of cash when times are tough.

[langzixinxin]

I am going to put a fix term saving next week. Today I just bought reissue stepper for no logical reason. :mad:

I started buying just October last year, so far 5000AUD spent. Roughly 70 toys.

[kristofferrer]

If the Hot Head upgrade never happens then I will just sell it MISB and it will never enter my collection.

How long would you wait before you deem that the upgrade will not be released? what if it gets released the day you sell it?


This is my madness...err i mean my method:

1) Try to buy at least 2 of each G1 figures, 3 for triple changers, 6 for sixchangers etc so that you can display them in all the different modes all at the same time!!! fark yeah, whos with me??
2) Try to buy huge lots and then sell or trade off the unwanted items. Lots of big savings/deals to be made when buying in bulk.
3) Always try to buy up things you think are good deals at the time. Worse case you can sell them off later at cost price which is not bad.
4) Always display your figures to enjoy it. Buy or make cabinets whatever... just display them at the very least.
5) Try not to buy something new for full price at a retail store, (unless you need it or you are a MINT-in MINT SEALED BOX collector). Cos nothing is really "exclusive" these days (sales, KOs, re-issues, re-re-issues grrr) so dont worry about missing out.
6) Work your f'n ass off to pay for the bills!!!!

Justification for the madness?
You get to enjoy something you really like and provided you dont damage or break it, you can sell it off for a decent amount of cash when times are tough.

Hey i like this ... thanks bruticus.


I am going to put a fix term saving next week. Today I just bought reissue stepper for no logical reason. :mad:

I started buying just October last year, so far 5000AUD spent. Roughly 70 toys.

hehe ... this is how i started! :D

[GoktimusPrime]

Your examples are both hideously expensive toys aimed squarely at the children's market.
Transformers as a whole is aimed primarily at the children's market dude. :) We're just adults who refuse to grow up. :p

But there are cheaper toys who are peg warming too. Like Rollbar, Dirtboss etc. Naturally cheaper toys usually don't peg warm as long as larger expensive toys. But I remember that was this 1994 Robocop line, cheap and carded -- shelf warmed for nearly a decade or more before I stopped seeing them in stores!


Quite a few toys have been released and become rare overnight... almost literally.
This demand can sometimes be artificially effected by scalpers. e.g. Episode I Darth Maul -- that toy was horrifically scalped. Then Hasbro made more production runs at massive quantities and _flooded_ toy shelves! It peg warmed for quite some time before I stopped seeing them (sucked in to all the scalpers!!) :D That was one of Hasbro's finest moments for fans/collectors IMO. :)


Sometimes you can feel the online hype reaching fever pitch before the toy is even released, sometimes not.
I hate it when the hype leads to nothing. Like Transmetal 2 Cybershark. Man... people were fapping over that toy like crazy before it came out. I remember rabidly looking for it, then when I finally found one I snapped it up lickety-split... and after opening it I was like, "Oh..." TM2 Cybershark was a seriously overrated toy. (-_-)

[d*r*j*]

Transformers as a whole is aimed primarily at the children's market dude. :) We're just adults who refuse to grow up. :p

Really? Most of the toys have 5+ or something on them, not 13-.

My point is that for the movie (s) there were an incredible range of toys released. Most of the regular toys were a bit complicated for children and were a bit more like 3d puzzles.

[kup]

How long would you wait before you deem that the upgrade will not be released? what if it gets released the day you sell it?


I would wait for an official announcement from Headrobots saying that the project has been cancelled. I won't sell it if they just happen to take a bit long to release it.

We will know soon enough as its all dependent on how many units of the Cobra Headmaster they sell. Since the Hothead upgrade was announced, prices on Hardhead have gone up so it was better to buy one now than later.

[Seraphim Prime]

This demand can sometimes be artificially effected by scalpers. e.g. Episode I Darth Maul -- that toy was horrifically scalped. Then Hasbro made more production runs at massive quantities and _flooded_ toy shelves! It peg warmed for quite some time before I stopped seeing them (sucked in to all the scalpers!!) :D That was one of Hasbro's finest moments for fans/collectors IMO. :)

That and Movie 1 Camaro Bumblebee. If you were willing to wait, you'd get your Bumblebee.


I hate it when the hype leads to nothing. Like Transmetal 2 Cybershark. Man... people were fapping over that toy like crazy before it came out. I remember rabidly looking for it, then when I finally found one I snapped it up lickety-split... and after opening it I was like, "Oh..." TM2 Cybershark was a seriously overrated toy. (-_-)

Well I liked him...

[GoktimusPrime]

I probably would've liked TM2 Cybershark more if there wasn't so much hype about it. It's not a bad toy, but according to most reviews you'd think it was the best thing since rub stickers! :p

[Seraphim Prime]

That could be why.

I never even knew of Transformers on the Internet until about the days of RiD. 2001?

[TheHandsomeCrab]

I have what I perceive to be a flawless method to Transformer collecting.

1) Buy everything
2) He who dies with the most toys wins

[Geminii]

I just collect what appeals to me personally on an engineering level, without considering media appearances or character too much.

Of course, this means that in 25 years I've only just cracked three digits on the collection.

[Autocon]

I probably would've liked TM2 Cybershark more if there wasn't so much hype about it. It's not a bad toy, but according to most reviews you'd think it was the best thing since rub stickers! :p


apparently only the last realesed lots had a third conversion mode like mine lol it was only added in at last moment so not really impressive



I just collect what appeals to me personally on an engineering level, without considering media appearances or character too much.

Of course, this means that in 25 years I've only just cracked three digits on the collection.

how do u find the movie toys from an engineering perspective?

[GoktimusPrime]

apparently only the last realesed lots had a third conversion mode like mine lol it was only added in at last moment so not really impressive
Yeeessh... I'd forgotten about his tertiary mode. It's so fail!

[dirge]

Transmetal II Cybershark was a great idea, but the execution was really sloppy. RiD Sky Byte fixed most of the iffy joints and gave the mould the vibrant colour scheme & detailed paint job it needed first time around.

So yeah, the hype was justified, the execution led to dissappointment.

[Geminii]

how do u find the movie toys from an engineering perspective?

It took me a while to get used to their aesthetic, but they've grown on me. There's something interesting about having a very insectoid, hyperdetailed robot turn into a relatively plain vehicle.

[langzixinxin]

It took me a while to get used to their aesthetic, but they've grown on me. There's something interesting about having a very insectoid, hyperdetailed robot turn into a relatively plain vehicle.


I thought they just use panels to cover up. In robot mode, we usually see couple of panels hanging somewhere. Deluxe Brawn is typical one.

And another aspect is, they "no cover up", example is Leader megatron (tank mode is same "insectoid, hyperdetailed")

or half panel covered and half not: skyfire and starscream, upper side, plain vehicle looking, from down side, no cover at all.

[Hammerstorm]

I have what I perceive to be a flawless method to Transformer collecting.

1) Buy everything
2) He who dies with the most toys wins

I 2nd that fine sir!

[Geminii]

I thought they just use panels to cover up.

There is a bit of that, but they're not entirely shellformers - vehicle kibble is often integrated into them in ways which are even more intrusive than G1. They look like someone took a G1 robot and turned them inside-out.

[GoktimusPrime]

Then there's the TF plushies who literally turn inside out when transforming! :D

[langzixinxin]

This post just let me remember a guy I saw on the other forum.

He spent load of money on TF but not owning many figures. He collect TF in a very different way.

He would buy 10 bumblebees, or 20 rotf rampages, or 10 leader brawls, etc. He said he's building an army! :eek:

[christalcase]

I have what I perceive to be a flawless method to Transformer collecting.

1) Buy everything
2) He who dies with the most toys wins

I follow a slightly different version:

1) buy everything you really really absolutely just have to have (and cannot live without it) which you can afford (to spend the money)
2) he who dies with the best toys wins

of course by best toys this is entirely subjective, as everyone has their own idea of the best toys (ie my best toys are completely different to your best toys)

and with this, I am able to limit myself to buy ~10 toys per year :D

[griffin]

There's a new topic dedicated to fans like yourself, who are selective (by choice or because of limited funds) with what they collect:
http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=7459

[bruticus]

to curb this madness...i have just bought myself final fantasy 13 on PS3....
that should keep me away from buying TFs for at least a few good months....(*fingers crossed*)
should give my wallet a healthy breather :D

[SkyWarp91]

Challenge your addiction, go for a long amount of time without buying Transformers by convincing yourself you will not give into temptation and then you will have controlled your addiction, like a true Prime (you will also make many sacrifices, like a true Prime too).

I was once easy to tempt, like I would buy the toys at full price even if they were repaints or characters i didn't like. But now, I've controlled my addiction, I was able to walk away from the Universe Cybertron Prime and Crumplezone (MASSIVE BOX) that was on sale for only $56 at Target.

If you don't have the mentality to fight your TF urges, then perhaps go all out on one super-duper TF shopping spree that will harm your wallet so much you'd be filled with guilt never to buy a TF again for a very long time...

[langzixinxin]

I was once easy to tempt, like I would buy the toys at full price even if they were repaints or characters i didn't like. But now, I've controlled my addiction, I was able to walk away from the Universe Cybertron Prime and Crumplezone (MASSIVE BOX) that was on sale for only $56 at Target.



I walked away at $129 but failed to do the same thing at $99.

Now I feel that I am entering the stage that I can say no to repaint.

[Magnus]

With the exception of my two Classics and Universe 2.0 figures (Jetfire and Silverbolt), I generally don't buy a character unless I saw it on-screen.

In the case of my small G1 collection, for me, it's about getting the stuff I wanted as a child but never got the opportunity to own, such as Metroplex, Ultra Magnus and Omega Supreme.

I bought every on-screen character from the '07 movie, seemingly on a whim (although I've since sold Bonecrusher to free up a little space).

The only repaints I have are MP Starscream (Hasbro) and Skywarp, and G1 Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus; otherwise I generally avoid repaints.

I don't get more than one figure of a character from a particular series because I don't want to 'double up' - I only have one movie Bumblebee, one Ironhide, one Ratchet, no Grindor (although this one's debatable as to whether or not it's the same character)... In fact, I'm looking to sell my '07 Starscream, because I plan to buy the upcoming Leader-class figure. The exceptions are my purchase of '09 Optimus and Megatron, even though I already have the '07 versions.

[heroic_decepticon]

lately, I'm like Wreck Gar, collect and save, collect and save...