Highlights and Lowlights of 2012

[GoktimusPrime]

Name your 3 best and 3 worst Transformers memories of 2012.

For me...

-==Highlights==-

Osaka Fan Meet in January
My first time back to Japan in many years, and my first time ever to Osaka. Got to meet up with some Japanese fans and Ode To A Grasshopper. Spent the whole day roaming around Umeda and Den Den Town Transformers hunting and talking about Transformers in Japanese. Scored some pretty cheap deals thanks to group haggling at Hero Gangu, and I scored a free MISB United Frumble! Definitely one of the most memorable meets I've ever attended.


Meeting Transformers Voice Actors
Got to meet Miki Shinichirō at Smash!, and Garry Chalk and Steve Blum at Heroes and Villains, and naturally got autographs. Also finally got to meet OzFormer and epic TF Cosplayer Seishinkibou.


Fall of Cybertron
Really enjoy playing this game! Probably enjoying too much as I've gained some weight since I started playing it.


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-==Lowlights==-

Seeing Hasbro drop the ball with Dark of the Moon
Lucky for me I managed to get Dotm Deluxe Quejack, Leadfoot and Soundwave from Japan... but I can't believe Hasbro didn't take these already-existing moulds and release it for their market... instead choosing to give us more repaints of existing moulds. And neither Hasbro or TakaraTOMY bothered to give us a decent Dino/Mirage figure... only the crappy Legion Class repaint/retool of Legends ROTF Sideways. Boo.


Hasbro Australia not releasing TF Prime First Edition
...although according to at least Hasbro rep I spoke with, it was because none of the retailers showed interest in ordering this line, but Hasbro AU were willing to release it if they had orders. Either way, the Australian market missed out. I managed to get mine from Hong Kong and Japan as I suspected that they wouldn't come out here... times like this I hate being right.


No player mute function on Fall of Cybertron, PS3 version
The one thing that occasionally ruined the game for me -- talkers! Gah!! I just now refuse to play any games where there's someone talking into their mic.


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There have been a lot of other memorable moments, from the awesome fun of the Parramatta Barbecue/Picnic, to the frustrating disappointment of the Arms Micron toys with their stickers and craptastic Mini-Cons. But those would be my top and bottom 3.

[BigTransformerTrev]

No player mute function on Fall of Cybertron, PS3 version
The one thing that occasionally ruined the game for me -- talkers! Gah!! I just now refuse to play any games where there's someone talking into their mic.

Heh! I've been reading your comments over the last few months about your annoyance with the idiots that crap on into their mikes in FOC multiplayer - why am I not surprised this is a lowlight for you

My 3 Highlights:

1: Fall of Cybertron Game & Merchandice

A wonderful game, with an absolutely brilliant storyline which pays a lot of homage to G1. Great toys with a wide range of G1 characters in their Cybertronian forms, posters, shirts and getting the art book delivered within the next week!

2: G1 Fortress Maximus & Scorponok

After so many years I FINALLY bought a 100% complete G1 Fortress Maximus and G1 Scorponok. Both cost me an absolute fortune, but was happy to get them.

3: TBA within the next week


My 3 Lowlights

1: The 3 idiot women from messing with my collection.
Came to my house, took all my busts and statuettes off the shelves and put them in stupid postions - the result being that my Soundblaster statuette got damaged as well as 3 friendships.


2: Stocking of TF's in Swan Hill stores
The only places you can by Transformers in my town are in Toyworld, Target, and the tiny toys sections in Coles & Safeways. Last year these stores seemed to not do too badly (except Toyworld here - it has always sucked, they still have ROTF toys on the shelves) but this year they hardly ever get anything new in and I don't get to Melbourne anymore to do a shop. But then that's what online shopping is for I guess

3: Re-release of Fortress Maximus
I know it is very sour grapes on my part, but for so many years I wanted Fort Max, then I FINALLY buy him, then a few months later it's announced he is getting re-released for about a quarter of what I paid for him. Damn & blast!

[kup]

Highlights:

- Fall of Cybertron game
- G1 Fort Max (for those who now have an opportunity to get him)
- MP Soundwave
- Hasbro MP-10
- Lots of 3rd party goodness like Giant, Cyclops, Assaulter, Grind Rod, Screecher, etc.

Lowlights

- Most of Hasbro's/Tomy's stuff don't interest me at all (Prime line).
- The official mainstream stuff that did have some interest was mostly mediocre at best (FOC toys). FOC Bruticus was even more mediocre than I had feared.
- Still no 3rd party Presser, Hexatron, and FP Stunticons. The former too are almost vapor ware

[liegeprime]

3 highlights

1) Announcement and preorder placed for figures to be released that I like.

- Fort Max (yaay), MP Soundwave (yaaay)

2) Finally upgrading my collection room display shelves



3) TF and TF-related Purchases Ive made and was able to complete (certain collectives, groups, subgroup etc) - as simple as this may sound, I find it quite satisfying to finally complete a series or a set of figures, don't you?

- Marvel TF comics TPB
hmmm I need to take a photo of this actually
- TF Generations books

- BW mutants

- Myclones and Kreo ( I need a more updated pics with all of em there complete hehehe)


Third Party stuff

Giant

Letterbots and Alphabet bots- I have always wanted to have em since I was in grade school but the originals back then were too pricy for a grade 6 student



Lowlights

1) Delays in FortMax and Soundwave release dates
2) Still unable to find an affordable Overlord
3) TF toy release here in Australia sucks... we are sooooo delayed and we skip waves I know this is a rather constant thing happening here but man, overseas already has wave whatsoever and we are stuck still with wave 1 with tons of Bumblebees.

[Deonasis]

Highs
- Fall of Cybertron
- Images of Masterpiece Soundwave and minions
- News of Encore Fortress Maximus

Lows
- Cyberverse Optimus and Bumblebee mechsuits

[Trent]

Highlights:
1) Joining this forum and meeting some excellent people
2) Sheer numbers of TFs that I have acquired this year
3) The direction the 3rd party movement has taken by releasing some of the most awesome TF related toys available. (Green Giant, I'm looking at you).

Lowlights:
1) Fall of Cybertron. After WFC I expected great things from Escalation. It did not deliver them.
2) Quality/Availability of Official TFs in Australia. The only lines that interest me atm are MP and Generations. While the MP line delivered this year, Generations was a bit of a letdown. The best figure IMO was Shockwave. And he was by no means fantastic.
3) the space I have for TFs is pretty much non-existent, so where am I gonna put them!!!??!!?!?!?

[Bidoofdude]

High:
Getting my reissue Soundwave
Fall of Cybertron
Ace seeker pack
Low:
Not able to find Mp Optimus yet (hope I will soon)
Foc Combaticons
Availability- we don't get much, although normally it's all in one or two stores only. Disappointing.

[klystron]

HIGHS:
1. Transformers comics (esp MTMTE).
2. TF:Prime cartoon. Very enjoyable and keeps me coming back for more. FE TF:P Optimus was my toy of the year.
3. The Community. Without OzFormers, Botch, TFW2005, Sibertron, and a myrid others, I doubt I would enjoy the concept of collecting TFs as much as I do.

LOWS:
1. Limited range and releases of certain toys/lines/waves in Aust. This includes TF:P First Edition line not being picked up.
2. Crap DOTM toys. (And yet I am still chasing Air Raid. Which also covers point 1 as well...)
3. The price of some figures still bugs me a bit. Especially given the somewhat decreased levels of QC and plastics.

[GoktimusPrime]

Hmm... I should have qualified that by "2012" I meant things that have actually "occured" in 2012 and not stuff like announcements or pre-orders/purchases for stuff that will come out in 2013 (like MP Soundwave and Encore Fort Max). Ah well, the Catilla's already out of the Pretender Shell now I guess.

[liegeprime]

N But the announcement and pre ordering occurred in 2012. So its a highlight coz you hope you don't miss out