Does anyone else just not care anymore?

I understand your thoughts, I've had a major decline in interest in TF over the past few months as well.

I think the central part is the lack of media behind the brand at the moment. The stores are currently filled with figures from a movie that only had (as all movies do) a short run in cinemas, and is yet to get a home release. The stores overbought (and it would seem hasbro AU over-imported) wave 1 figures in numbers that they could never have sold unless every child bought one of each figure! :rolleyes:

For the past couple of years, we have had supplementry lines of figures and media to help support the main movie stuff, we've had Universe/Generations as well as Animated, which had an excellent television series that was actually aired in Australia. Right now there is Prime, which has not been seen on television screens in Australia yet, and a complete lack of any figures non-movie related (other than occassional restocks of generations). Kreo has helped a little to give us something aesthetically different (and not just from the movie designs!)

For a while, we also had a great little monthly comic release that really made some of the G1 and generations figures extra interesting, but of late the comic has returned to a core cast of already well known and released figures, so again interest from the media or story aspects of transformers is not being converted into toy sales.

In a way its good, it means I (and the general fandom) can focus on catching up with other older lines that pique our interest, or save or hard earned for future figures from lines we hope will interest us.

I've been a collector of Micronauts in the mid 70's(I was a kid:o) which was siphoned from Microman which was the precursour to Transformers I believe (Showing my age now:D) and have never really lost my passion, I did dissappear off the board for about 6 months at one stage but I was going through life issues as we all do on occassion;):)

I consider myself something of an outsider in the world of Transformers.

I haven't subscribed to a series since Beast Wars, and the main reason for that, I believe, as many have touched on, is accessibility.

Beast Wars was on Southern Cross TV Monday to Thursday at 3:30pm. Prime Time viewing as a kid in 1996.

It then got re-runs on Cheez TV in the morning, also Prime Time kids viewing.

I don't think a Transformers series has been on Tasmanian television on free-to-air since, even Beast Machines wasn't on.

My love of (addiction to) Beast Wars hasn't died in the 15 years since my 1st introduction, and not likely to do so any time soon.

But. In regards to Transformers at large...

I've not been re-captured by a series since. Beast Machines, RID, Armada, Energon, Cybertron... All had tv shows but none came down here and thus I missed the initial connection and then didn't like what I saw when I watched them anyway.

And the movies were... entertaining I guess... but didn't make me rush out and buy the toys.

For G1 fans it may be easier, as you constantly see the same characters getting rehashed over and over and over and over again... Prime, Megs, Starscream, Ironhide, Jazz, Soundwave... There is already a relatable essence to these characters. As someone who didn't grow up with Prime and Megs, there is no pre-conditioning towards these characters.

Transformers: Prime has the makings of being a good show from what I've seen, though they need to do away with the humans. But again, it's the same thing over and over - pandering to the older fans while trying to get in new ones who then become conditioned to Prime and his gang.

I don't care for Transformers as it stands at present, but am still a part of it all because Beast Wars will be there forever. My passion for Beast Wars won't go away, but the rest of the stuff is of no consequence to me.

Others have already said it and they're right. It's not all about collecting.
My interest in collecting is waning but not my interest in TF. I've recently, due to circumstance, Been focusing more on collecting media such as Comics and shows. This, in some ways, is much better then toys because you can see them interact, get in deep with who they are.
Always love for TF, not so much love when it comes to collecting.

Yes, my passion is fading. I thought all the Bay movies were crap and the only positive thing we got out of him was Buster Optimus Prime. I am slowly selling all of my doubles and when their done i will probably really thin out my collection to the point that i only keep my most treasured ones.

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Originally Posted by sideswipes brother

Yes, my passion is fading. I thought all the Bay movies were crap and the only positive thing we got out of him was Buster Optimus Prime. I am slowly selling all of my doubles and when their done i will probably really thin out my collection to the point that i only keep my most treasured ones.

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I think this is becoming the common practice. When a new line comes out fans go nuts and get everything they can. After the dust settles, that which has left it's mark, like Buster Prime, stay in the collection, but the rest gets offloaded.

I trawl through the seemingly endless threads on TFW2005's Sales section, and so much of it is current stuff - people who have bought all the DOTM and such and now are trying to offload it.

Collecting is changing it seems: Collect, try, sell.

I won't say I am jaded or anything but I am being far more selective with what I am buying these days & have not bought any for a month or so.

That said I have built up a lot of credit thanks to a certain someones shopping habits & last weekend after another "expidition" I stated that I now have free reign to buy whatever TF's I want without judgement from said someone.

Sometimes it is just fun to transform a toy & enjoy it's mechanics.

I've always been a selective collector, carefully choosing which figures make it into my collection. As a result, sometimes there are quiet periods where there isn't much out or on the horizon that interests me.
But like others have pointed out, that give me time to save some money, or look at other items on ebay, rediscover some of your current figures... the options go on.
Having said that, DOTM is a low point and for a long time I was not paying any attention to what was on the shelves or going to be on the shelves.
Slowly starting to see non-movieverse toys reappear in shops.
And I agree with most others: theres more to collecting that just buying whatever new stuff comes out.

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Originally Posted by davieanix

This might be a silly topic to post, especially because if you are here on this forum, you are obviously a Transfan. But ever since Dark of the Moon hit, I have really lost my passion for Transformers. Like, in every way, but mostly with collecting.

Even going into like a K-Mart or something, and heading into the toy section, it just doesn't do it for me anymore. Nothing even moves off the shelves either. I remember the rush of finding all the new waves of figures for ROTF, and they were always getting restocked, etc. But DOTM? Not even close! That's why I'm asking I guess, does anyone else feel the same? Has some of the spark gone?

Personally, I'm pretty sure I am done (I'll probably even sell most of my stuff), but does anyone else feel similar, to a degree?

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What you got and how much you want!:D

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Originally Posted by Prowl

I won't say I am jaded or anything but I am being far more selective with what I am buying these days & have not bought any for a month or so.

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Originally Posted by klystron

And I agree with most others: theres more to collecting that just buying whatever new stuff comes out.

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I think this is in direct response to Hasbro's marketing strategy of fleshing out lines and the duration of them being seen on shelves by the use of repaints. It's had the opposite effect from what they would have hoped, and collectors who were die-hard 'must have all' collectors, are now tighter with their money and expect a bit more from Hasbro.