Suggestion: OTCA Collection Album

[SkyWarp91]

This post was also mentioned in the 'What are we missing as a community thread'.

We should publish/put together like an album that contains every single TF owned by OTCA members...

...imagine the front cover...

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/gc_xiahou_nguyen/otcabook.jpg

...in sexy Decepticon Purple...
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/gc_xiahou_nguyen/otcabookdeceppurple.jpg

...or rusted bronze...
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/gc_xiahou_nguyen/otcabookstoneyellow.jpg

[Paulbot]

I was thinking about this a little while ago when I was using the site Blurb. If people submitted good quality photographs and someone was willing to do some layout work, it could produce a nice looking book.

[SkyWarp91]

I was thinking about this a little while ago when I was using the site Blurb. If people submitted good quality photographs and someone was willing to do some layout work, it could produce a nice looking book.

I'll be willing to do the layout work, but it'd take some time though.

[liegeprime]

I was thinking about this a little while ago when I was using the site Blurb. If people submitted good quality photographs and someone was willing to do some layout work, it could produce a nice looking book.

:o:o:o hmmm need a NEW good SLR digi camera then... need to save hehehe

[Deceptic_Optic]

good idea i should start taking photos

[Sharky]

Would we be cataloguing just every toy, supplied by ”collector” or would we showcase people’s entire collections as a whole? Could add in a collector bio too

[GoktimusPrime]

Perhaps we could make our own version of Transformers Generations - but in English!

One problem with fan made projects like JE Alvarez's Guide and even TFU.info is that they have toys that aren't in pristine condition. Because very few of us have collections comprised of flawless toys -- I know I don't because I love playing with them and most of my G1 collection are my childhood toys. But there are a few which are in excellent condition worth photographing. With a collective effort we could have people submit photos of their best condition toys - and the editor could just take the best looking shots.

Some things we could also include that Generations doesn't do might be:
+ Pictures of accessories. TFU.info does it as does that series of books by Harold Tietjens, Doug Dlin etc.
+ Comparative pictures with variants (including reissues). Again, something that a collaborative effort would assist with (e.g. I could contribute images of lucky draw Chrome Bluestreak)
+ A chapter on how to ID counterfeits.

Now... would it be legally possible to publish this book for sale considering that we are dealing with Hasbro's property? Because obtaining a licence would cost $10k. Perhaps we should ask Alvarez, Dlin or Tietjens and see how they got around it... although they're Americans and Hasbro USA's interaction with Transfans seems quite different from Hasbro AU's in my observation and experience. (-_-)

[1orion2many]

:)I don't think the idea is to show pristine toys but to show each and every collection board members have here or did I read this wrong:confused::o

[Kyle]

I like the idea of an album showcasing members' displays more than members' entire collections.

[gamblor916]

I like the idea of excellent photography showcasing minty examples of toys, complete with all accessories.
Printing a book is taking it a bit far though. That requires a lot of work and mucho dinero. Maybe instead a high quality pdf or even make use of Jay's database.

[griffin]

Would we be cataloguing just every toy, supplied by ”collector” or would we showcase people’s entire collections as a whole? Could add in a collector bio too

I get the impression that it would be showcasing people's collections, rather than a guidebook/catalogue of individual toys. And as such, a collector bio with each collection would be a worthwhile inclusion.

I wonder if it would be something released every few years, for new members to be included, or older members to update their entries/photos?

[SkyWarp91]

Maybe we can start it off with a thread/gallery showcasing people's collections and as time passes by, if we get enough collector bio's and pictures we'll make it into a high-quality PDF.

[Paulbot]

Skywarp91 you might not have seen the Collections thread (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=638). That's the closest thing we currently have to showcasing everyone's collections.

I've been looking at a site/tool called Blurb which can make nice looking books for not too expensive prices. There are other sites like that too and even Target and Big W offer photobook printing nowadays.

[heroic_decepticon]

Agree with Paulbot that the board already has a section that caters to showcasing individual collections. It's also more flexible in that a member can update with shots of their collection at any time.

It would be worthwhile to do a book, provided that it is radically different from what Dlin/Tietjens and Transformers: Generations. Alvarez is easy enough to top, so I won't even bother mentioning that. I'm saying top/beat in a good sense and also because if this book is not better/different from what's on the market, then there's no point doing it (even if people have time to burn, it'd not really be worthwhile/satisfying).

The "flaw" with TF: Generations is that too many characters are cramped into each page. Dlin/Tienjens 1-upped that and had one character on one page (sometimes 2) with a head shot, parts, robot mode shot and vehicle mode shot. That's pretty tough to beat. However, the resolution of some of their shots are no great and in some cases, the toy photographed was less than pristine (or missing stickers, or some other thing like that).

I like the idea of us coming together and selecting the best toy for each individual listing of each character (eg: best condition, most well applied stickers, etc). Like Gok said, none of us have a 100% C9+ condition toy collection and none of us has the entire G1 (or Beast Wars; ok, maybe someone has all BWs). The other issue is that we still don't have the entire G1 as a community. (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=18)

This is how I imagine the book will look like:
+ 2 to 4 pages per character (ie: double page spread/s);
+ shots of robot mode front, side and back + head
+ shots of parts
+ shot of original box or shot of box art
+ shots of original character design art (1 to 2)
+ shots of character in cartoon (2 to 3)
+ commentary provided by members in the same vein as Dlin and Tietjens but in more depth.

Lastly, I think it'd only be worthwhile doing this for G1, BW series' and maybe RiD. The later series' are already well documented.

[JuzMel]

Hehe, how about making it an e-book? In that way, you can update anytime you like? But you also can print it out? :p

[1AZRAEL1]

Hehe, how about making it an e-book? In that way, you can update anytime you like? But you also can print it out? :p

Ding ding ding!!! Sounds like a great idea. How would it work though? Can anyone update it, or is there one central person who looks after it?

[5FDP]

Like Gok said, none of us have a 100% C9+ condition toy collection...

Speak for yourself :cool:

[1AZRAEL1]

(or Beast Wars; ok, maybe someone has all BWs)

Well I know Hursticon has pretty much all the US release figures (I know because I bought them for him :p)

But I think an e-book sounds like a good idea, and someone to take the photos could be Optics :D

[pizdets79]

What a AWESOME idea!
Well If you guys need pics of mint complete toys, I could proved those pictures. I'm a few G1 transformers away from having a complete collection(84-87) but would gladly submit pictures of those that I have and any boxed that I have.

[1AZRAEL1]

What a AWESOME idea!
Well If you guys need pics of mint complete toys, I could proved those pictures. I'm a few G1 transformers away from having a complete collection(84-87) but would gladly submit pictures of those that I have and any boxed that I have.

Cool as, you photos of your collection? If you want, throw them up in your own collection thread here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=15), we always enjoy looking at others collections. And I am envious if you have most of them :p

[pizdets79]

Ok...Give me a moment or two, I got some old pics that I can post....will take some new ones tomorrow after work.

[pizdets79]

Cool as, you photos of your collection? If you want, throw them up in your own collection thread here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/forumdisplay.php?f=15), we always enjoy looking at others collections. And I am envious if you have most of them :p
Well I can't attach anything for some reason. Is that because I just joined up?

[griffin]

New registrations can't add attachments, but you can still post up pics from an image hosting site (which is recommended, as it doesn't draw on resources here - attachments add to the server load, which costs the admin money).

[liegeprime]

So to be clear is this going to be a showcasing of member's collections shots OR showcasing a figure each ( photos provided by any member-thru selection process, who's figure is most pristine)?

Reading thru the comments we've so far mentioned Dlin and Tietjens book, Alvarez's efforts , but we forget there is another we forget which also very useful ( aside from the Jap/Chinese Generations) - Mark Bellomo's ID guide. Its what I based my collection - well G1 that is from.

My G1 collection is figure wise complete but accessories wise lacking a lot of stuff ( see sig) and not all figures really are in best condition as some I had since my first collecting years. I think this should be more of a OTCA members collections E-Book. Like what Paulbot has already documented but in a more savvy format to fit an e-book. Like some already suggested - Collector Bio, collector comments, shots of the collection, shot of fave figure, shot of least fave figure, Holy Grails shots ( if attained), shots of other TF related stuff in the collection -Posters, shirts, mugs, etc.

Other sites already have a per character/figure shots we can reasource on anyways. Making it an OTCA members collection E book would make it more personal and everyone can contribute without being left out coz if its about the most pristine among the10 figures submitted, might end up being a monopoly of shots contributed by only 1-2 members... and this needs OUR community' effort not a showcase of 1-2 collectors only.

[Paulbot]

My mention of the collections thread wasn't meant to say a collection book wasn't needed, I meant it to show the sort of photos people already have to offer to the book.

(I'd need to take new photos though of my collection!)

I agree a collectors book would be better than another guidebook, and as far as I know there isn't such a book out there like that for Transformers. Given the size and impressive nature of some of our member's collections, there actually could be a market for such book.

[Eruntalon]

It would be a Coffee Table Book (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_table_book) of transformer collectors collections.

[liegeprime]

It would be a Coffee Table Book (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_table_book) of transformer collectors collections.

Exactly! OTCA collectors Coffee table book of collections mebbe abouyt 5-7 shots of each collection, it would be a very tough call which shot to put in ( with the collectors input of course) but with our number its gonna be a telephone book thick one if we end up putting more pics in hehehe:D But we can start it by doing that e-book thing until we ( or someone who's the main editor) have fully edit it. This would be fun , we can even do catalogue-like diorama shots if someone doesn't like shooting their whole collection. Coz at times a whole wall shot of a collection doesnt really give as much impact ( prolly coz the figures are tiny in the shots) as dioramas and special focus shots of fave items/figure.

[optimus1]

I wouldn't mind showcasing some of my favourite bits of my collection :)

All this sounds promising :cool:

[Autocon]

could we do both?:p
some of those showcases on sibertron have missing figures and the layout is wrong. only see heads which can be confusing till u clik on it and see the full figure

[pizdets79]

The more and more I think about this...the more and more the whole idea is becoming very interesting and the end product, if it was to go ahead and become reality....well just think how AWESOME it would be! The book of transformer collections of Australia....Mmmmmmmm get that up you rest of the world!:D

[SkyWarp91]

Yeah, imagine sitting there, flipping through the pages of the awesome album - 'oh look, there's dirge's collection, and there's my collection, and then liegeprime's and then griffin's, and more of griffin's, and even more of griffin's! :D'

[GoktimusPrime]

Rather than showcasing entire collections, how about showcasing certain highlights from people's collections? The problem with showing entire collections is that most of our collections are constantly in flux. I photograph my collection once a year, but usually after I post the photos, soon afterwards it's already out of date because I've acquired new toys. A few months later I've rearranged things and it looks even more different.

So perhaps an e-Book might be better cos then people could update their collection pics. But if we were to showcase say certain portions - like say completed portions (that way they're not likely to change anytime soon) then that might be better?

Just an idea :)

[heroic_decepticon]

hmmm... maybe it can be an OTCA collectors' book. 4 pages to each member (who wants in). 1 page contains "fan-scannish" info of said member. 2 pages of photos selected by member him/herself. 1 page of the members' photos selected as favourites by other members.

[Sharky]

hmmm... maybe it can be an OTCA collectors' book. 4 pages to each member (who wants in). 1 page contains "fan-scannish" info of said member. 2 pages of photos selected by member him/herself. 1 page of the members' photos selected as favourites by other members.


i like this, you could probably getaway with a half page bio on the collector the second half perhaps a overall collection shot..

[SkyWarp91]

I am working on a few prototype page designs right now based on Heroic Decepticon's idea (which was basically what I had in mind at the start of the thread). I will be back later in the day with a few designs uploaded :D

Update: sorry guys, since my net is going really slow it's making photo uploading a NIGHTMARE and I've been very busy today I haven't really got that much time to work on many page designs, so I only created one. Right now I'm trying to upload it but photobucket ain't being so nice to me >_<

[SkyWarp91]

Behold, a G1-themed Bio Page with an example collector! :D:D

http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff245/gc_xiahou_nguyen/sampleotca.jpg

[liegeprime]

THAT... is awesome!!!:D:D

[Prime_217]

this sounds lie an awesome idea. i'm all for the collection book with profiles of all the members!

[Sky Shadow]

Heroic Decepticon's idea sounds like a good way to go. Skywarp's page is pretty, although readers would get bored if it's the same questions being answered by a different collector every four pages - people should be able to jazz up the content of their profile pages to make them more interesting, varied and personalised.

[SkyWarp91]

Heroic Decepticon's idea sounds like a good way to go. Skywarp's page is pretty, although readers would get bored if it's the same questions being answered by a different collector every four pages - people should be able to jazz up the content of their profile pages to make them more interesting, varied and personalised.

Oh yes these questions I had made were thought up on the spot within the duration of 2 minutes! :D May I have examples of what else to add onto profiles to make them more lively?

I was thinking of redecoing my above example in Deceipticon colours, making some G2 themes, some BW themes. universe/classics themes, movie themes and even animated. By jazzing up I suppose members, if they wanted to, deviate away from typical questions and write whatever they want...

[Sky Shadow]

Oh yes these questions I had made were thought up on the spot within the duration of 2 minutes! :D May I have examples of what else to add onto profiles to make them more lively?

I was thinking of redecoing my above example in Deceipticon colours, making some G2 themes, some BW themes. universe/classics themes, movie themes and even animated. By jazzing up I suppose members, if they wanted to, deviate away from typical questions and write whatever they want...

The good questions you have are definitely the ones about collecting in general. (I.e.what got you into collecting/how you got your first toy.) People would 'read' this because they want to see pretty pictures of toys and they also might be interested in people's interesting/funny/unusual anecdotes about collecting. Lists of one dude or another's least or most favourite toys only become interesting if there's some kind of story behind it, so people would need to explain why Optimus Prime is their most prized possession, the reason they only collect Beast Wars toys, what their greatest collecting experience has been, etc. Isolated facts are boring, but the stories behind them can be intriguing.

[swoop]

I was thinking of redecoing my above example in Deceipticon colours, making some G2 themes, some BW themes. universe/classics themes, movie themes and even animated. By jazzing up I suppose members, if they wanted to, deviate away from typical questions and write whatever they want...[/QUOTE]

You could give each member a themed bio for what they collect. I know most members collect from every series but there are some that only certain lines. For example if verno wanted to get in on this he could have a beast wars themed design for his bio.

Also I think its important to show off more than just G1, most collectors prize their G1 stuff over everything else and would want people to see them. But if the book wants to be more than just an album and also a resource it would have to show other lines in detail.

[GoktimusPrime]

Maybe you could also include a Beast Wars themed page with the red scales and reptilian eye as often seen on BW TF packaging. You could have a green or purple flare for a Maximal or Predacon theme.

e.g.
Maximal (http://cdn2.ioffer.com/img/item/117/663/627/kL0S.jpg)
Predacon (http://cdn1.ioffer.com/img/item/117/663/275/zbxg.jpg)

[SkyWarp91]

Maybe you could also include a Beast Wars themed page with the red scales and reptilian eye as often seen on BW TF packaging. You could have a green or purple flare for a Maximal or Predacon theme.

e.g.
Maximal (http://cdn2.ioffer.com/img/item/117/663/627/kL0S.jpg)
Predacon (http://cdn1.ioffer.com/img/item/117/663/275/zbxg.jpg)

Ooh, that'd be interesting to work on. Might take a while :) For now I'm taking a break and will get back later down the week with some more designs!

[Paulbot]

Digging this thread up. It's been on my mind again since that third party toys book started asking for crowd sourcing money. I still think this would be a great book to help put together. But I think you'd used a service like Blurb and print to order if you want a copy.

A project like this might help keep me busy (and distract me from those personal issues that are troubling me). So watch out Ozformers, I may be asking you for some digital photos soon.

[Sharky]

Digging this thread up. It's been on my mind again since that third party toys book started asking for crowd sourcing money. I still think this would be a great book to help put together. But I think you'd used a service like Blurb and print to order if you want a copy.

A project like this might help keep me busy (and distract me from those personal issues that are troubling me). So watch out Ozformers, I may be asking you for some digital photos soon.

it is always something i have wanted to see and try, glad your giving it another crack!

[GoktimusPrime]

So watch out Ozformers, I may be asking you for some digital photos soon.
Ask away. I'll help as best as I can. :)

[Paulbot]

Continued here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=14493)

[Yukitora]

could you post a link to your pics. they coming up as 'pic is deleted' in the threads here.

Also i think this will only work for those people that have a tf room set up, where things never move and you are able to watch the collection grow. For those that are on the hunt for every rare object in the universe. I don't think its really going to apply to small collections which have f'ck all in it, new collections and those that move around so much there is no special set up.