What's with calling Transformers by their ID numbers?

[Sky Shadow]

Unless there's a good reason that I'm missing (other than laziness with typing) can people please stop calling Masterpiece toys solely by their ID numbers? It's getting ridiculous the number of entire posts (and even threads) where Ozformers are calling their toys MP-2/MP-4/MP-8 etc. without once referring to the toys by name. I think it's safe to say that most of us know our toys by their names rather than numbers and it's frustrating to look up ID numbers to work out what people are talking about. There's no precedent for this behaviour - if there was, then the various Ozformers forums would have looked like this for years:

"TRF-02 is just wrong. 16 is a gun, not a tank!"
"My X-2 arrived the other day - I had no idea it was a working waterfall!"
"Cool isn't it - maybe even better than VS-X1?"
"I wish my ex-girlfriend hadn't lost the missiles for S-3."
"X-8 is a fantastic recolour of the best Transformer ever (other than Lugnut)!"
"They finally released a MX-00 after all these years!"
'I would have bought 90 if they'd called it Spin-Out."
"Really? I just bought 64 - it was kind of pricey but inevitably its value will only go up."
"I can't believe the new reissue of 01 is pink. It's rubbish compared to C-001, MC-01, BR-01, TM-01, TRF-01, GC-01 or any C-01 ever. Heck, even SC-01 was better than this crap."
"Why would I need a MP-08 when I have a perfectly good 26?"

(And so on.) My point is that this ID number thing has never been prevalent before so I have no idea why it's flourishing now. Unless there's a good reason, please stop before my head explodes! Thank you for your time. (Comments and alternate POVs are, of course, welcome.)

[Pulse]

You don't know the MP numbers off by heart? & you call yourself a TF Person?

I just find it a force of habit to call MP Prime w/trailer as MP-4 and MP Megs as MP-5. Ok then, For the future - I'll try not to refer to MP's by their numbers.

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm not bothered by it. These are official designations for these toys.
X-9 = BW Ravage/Jaguar... and they're not as ambiguous as another fan-abbreviation which I shan't mention. Strangely enough Japanese fans don't usually refer to TFs by these codes though although they do have other odd abbreviations, like Starscream ("Sutaasukuriimu" in Japanese phonetics) is called "Sutasuku."

[Paulbot]

With the Masterpieces I never noticed is as a problem because there were so few of them. However you're right as the line's growing it is unclear. I've got no idea if MP08 is Thundercracker or Grimlock or someone else.

But on the otherhand there's also the problem that if person A says "Masterpiece Optimus Prime" there's going to be person B saying "You mean Convoy" and all that business, and MP04 removed that sort of thing.

I've seen some Galaxy Force numbers get mentioned a bit too which are much more obscure, but I can't remember if the names were included too.

[TheDirtyDigger]

It was better when Ozformers had identification numbers themselves on the old board.

Isn't that right 3047?

[Hereticpoo]

Woah man! Chill!
I say MP-1, MP-2, etc because I'm lazy. I used to wonder what RM- stood for....I know its Robot Masters now. So just have a guess or use google.

Also WE ARE Australian, abbreviation and slang is a cultural must for us!

[kup]

I only refer to the Japanese Masterpiece toys by number mainly to avoid confusion between MP1 and MP4.

....The lazy factor also has a lot to do with it

[dirge]

"I can't believe the new reissue of 01 is pink. It's rubbish compared to C-001, MC-01, BR-01, TM-01, TRF-01, GC-01 or any C-01 ever. Heck, even SC-01 was better than this crap."

Thanks man, that's the best laugh I've had in ages!

I agree, btw. I've never understood the fascination with calling Masterpiece toys by their number. In the case of Convoy who was released twice, I can deal with it, but otherwise it strikes me as needless jargon.

[Lint]

I find it totally acceptable for Masterpieces. Everything else is just silly.

Using code names for masterpieces will probably become silly after 12, especially if the majority of them are repaints. Though by that stage they'll probably have phased out masterpiece and replaced it with a 'fresh' line.

[jaydisc]

Hey man, don't get agro in the arvo about the abbros or I'll tell OP on you.