Transformer Collector Tech Specs

[jaydisc]

One of the benefits of our community is the shared knowledge that we have between us. One of the problems is that we don't have any shared framework for evaluating interpersonal opinions. There's been times where I think a figure's crap and someone else thinks it's great, and vice versa, and then we have good ol' rivalries like Movie Ironhide vs. Ratchet.

So, I'd like to put forward a proposal for how we can give ourselves, as collectors, technical specifications [of preferences]. If we then use similar criteria for the reviewing of figures, a collector can mathematically assess a figure's score based on another's review, even if their opinions aren't that similar. I'll give an example in a minute.

I think step 1 is to come up with 10 criteria with which to evaluate ourselves. Each criteria is assessed a score of 1 to 10, whereas 1 means that this criteria has NO effect on your enjoyment a figure and 10 means that this characteristic means everything for your enjoyment. I think we collectively need to decide what these 10 might be. I think the number needs to be 10 for clean mathematical purposes. So, let me present an example set:

Realism
Do you like it when a figure's alt mode is as realistic as possible? This might include coloring, design and penalize Cybertron modes.

Classic/Nostalgic
Do you like homages to G1 or references to older characters?

Complexity
Do you like it when transformations bake your noodle?

Simplicity
Do you like simple transformations?

Character Appeal
How important is fiction to you?

Fiction Accuracy
Does cartoon or movie accuracy affect you?

Scale
Are you one of those sticklers for proper scale?

Value
How annoyed do you get when you buy a voyager that should have been a deluxe?

Gimmicks/Play Value
Do you like electronics, sound effects, Cybertron Keys, bundled minicons?

Originality
Is this figure unique?

Now these are the first ten I could come up with. I'm sure collectively we can finesse and improve this list plenty.

Step 2 is to assign how important these criteria are to you personally, e.g. here's me:

7 Realism
8 Classic/Nostalgic
9 Complexity
3 Simplicity
5 Character Appeal
3 Fiction Accuracy
4 Scale
6 Value
5 Gimmicks/Play Value
7 Originality

Now, step 3, is that when doing a review or the rating of a figure, try to fairly evaluate how it scores in these areas. For example, Animated Voyager Bulkhead:

3 Realism (Few figures from Animated will score high here)
1 Classic/Nostalgic (He's not really a homage to an earlier character. Is he?)
7 Complexity (The transformation is clever, but not too complex. When done in the right order, the automorphs are awesome, e.g. flip out the top flaps will auto-release the arms, so there is engineering complexity)
7 Simplicity (This might seem paradoxical, but I think Bulkhead is the perfect balance between complexity and simplicity and appeals to fans of both, hence is great popularity)
8 Character Appeal (Now, this isn't really a rating of what I think of the character, but moreover how strong a reaction he will emote either positively or negatively. In other words, he's a predominant character)
8 Fiction Accuracy (His accuracy here is seemingly agreed on)
2 Scale (His failure here is seemingly agreed on)
4 Value (Many complain he's a bit small for a Voyager)
9 Gimmicks/Play Value (Great automorphs, the wrecking ball, super punch. He's got lots)
8 Originality (Where Animated will fail in realism, they'll usually make up for it here)

So, lastly, step 4, is the fun part, where we merge these statistics with OUR PERSONAL preferences to come up with a personalized score for this figure.

7 x 3 = 21 Realism
8 x 1 = 8 Classic/Nostalgic
9 x 6 = 54 Complexity
3 x 7 = 21 Simplicity
5 x 8 = 40 Character Appeal
3 x 8 = 21 Fiction Accuracy
4 x 2 = 8 Scale
6 x 4 = 24 Value
5 x 9 = 45 Gimmicks/Play Value
7 x 8 = 56 Originality
==========
298 is this figure's rating based on my collecting preferences.

Now, I can imagine some of you groaning at the idea of performing math, but try to suspend that fear for this discussion, as I'm sure I can brew a software solution aka calculator to make this super easy. For example, I could create a simple site for you to enter your 10 personal criteria and the site would remember you. I'd also make a wizard for review writers to input their 10 criteria which would return to them a link to include in the reivew, so that when each collector clicked it, it would give them their personal interpolated rating.

So, whaddya think?

I think there are two steps required in polishing and realising this idea:

1. We have to polish the 10 criteria.
2. We have to chuck some sample data at it to see if it works.

This thread is perfect for step 1, so please do comment. And as we get a few reviews in our review section, we'll see if the reviewers are happy to score the figure against our criteria, and then as collectors we can respond with our score and see if the resulting numbers are accurate!

EDIT: Please see post #9 for a living, breathing, functioning, proof-of-concept.