What is the Primary Motivation for the TF's you select to collect?

[Omega Metro]

I just collect 1 (the best interpretation of a 'classics') toy for each character as general rule. I really don't see the point in have 20 Optimuses, 100 Bumblebees and 5 Prowls. So I picked 'other'.

[Sharky]

I Picked Other,

im not limited to specifics or particulars if i like it ill get it. for the most part.

rare cheap expensive odd new old characters one and all.....

[GoktimusPrime]

The nearest match for me, generally speaking, would be "The figure is of sufficient quality and complexity" -- i.e. if the toy itself appeals to me. Considering that most Transformers toys come out as toys first, I would often make my decision to get or skip a toy before I'm exposed to it in other media like shows or comics.

Hence my disapproval when they have used G1 names willy-nilly (Beast Wars Inferno, Energon Mirage, Bayverse Bonecrusher etc).

Inferno was a pretty damn good reuse of a G1 name. G1 Inferno got his name because he loved extinguishing fires, BW Inferno because he loved making fires! (and he's just a lovable character in his own right )

"Burn in the fires of Inferno!"

To be fair, name reuses happened in G1 as well. We had two entirely unrelated Transformers who shared the same name such as:
+ Barrage (the Deluxe Insecticon rhino beetle)
+ Barrage (the Autobot lunar exploration vehicle fore)
- Lightspeed (the futuristic sports car Technobot)
- Lightspeed (the Ferrari F40 Autobot)
* Afterburner (the "Tron" bike Technobot)
* Afterburner (the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter Decepticon Skyscorcher)
etc.
So even keeping with just G1 itself, you do come across some name reuses amongst completely unrelated characters. It's almost as if Hasbro didn't think we'd notice!

•The quality/complexity of the figure. There were a LOT of movie toys I bypassed just because of their inferior nature or they were far too simplistic for my liking.

Simplistic can be okay if it's done well, and complexity can be not so good if the transformation isn't very intuitive and detracts from the fun of transforming the toy (e.g. MP Megatron, Big Convoy, BT/ALT Grimlock/Wheeljack etc. <---JMO). On the other hand you can have some really simple but incredibly fun transformations too. I really quite love Flipchangers.

•Wanting to complete a specific set. Hence why even though I hated the figure, I gave up this year and bought G1 Blot so I could finally complete my G1 Terrorcon set.

Yeah... I sometimes do this too. TFP Deluxe Smokescreen is an example of this. Only got him because he's a character on the show and I wanted a complete set of TFP show characters. At first I got the Arms Micron figure (redeco of Knockout), then I got the Beast Hunters (TakTOM) version. Both figures really aren't very good at all. (-_-) Thankfully I didn't pay above RRP for either of them (I actually got AM Smokescreen on sale ). But AM Frenzy and Rumble are among my favourite TFP figures and they don't even appear in the show... which is probably why they're better designed than most other TFP Deluxes since they're not encumbered by having to adhere to a pre-existing show design. FE Cliffjumper is probably the most impressive of the show-based TFP toys IMO.

My two most expensive "to complete a set" purchases I made were:
+ Supreme Cheetor ---> $100. The stupid thing was that I already had the smaller and cheaper Mega version! What a ridiculous purchase.
+ ROTF Combiner Class Devastator ---> $98. What a rip off. The stupid thing is that I already had the smaller and cheaper Legends figures. But I wanted a Devastator that was closer to scale w/ my larger movieverse toys.
Thankfully these kinds of purchases don't happen too often.

I have bought a Transformer once just for the alt mode -- Universe Overcharge. A repaint of an underwhelming Mini-Con, but he's a taxi! Fantastic alt mode concept which really deserves to be revisited and done properly. But it really appeals to that "robots in disguise" element of Transformers to me. It only cost me a few dollars though.

[Paulbot]

My primary would have to be "The figure is of sufficient quality and complexity" too. Secondary would be series. I tend to just get the main action figure lines - Beast Hunters and Generations this year - but only ones that meet the first reason or ones that are G1 homage (I got the Predacon Terrorcons I'd otherwise skip) and show cast.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Inferno was a pretty damn good reuse of a G1 name. G1 Inferno got his name because he loved extinguishing fires, BW Inferno because he loved making fires! (and he's just a lovable character in his own right )

"Burn in the fires of Inferno!"

To be fair, name reuses happened in G1 as well. We had two entirely unrelated Transformers who shared the same name such as:
+ Barrage (the Deluxe Insecticon rhino beetle)
+ Barrage (the Autobot lunar exploration vehicle fore)
- Lightspeed (the futuristic sports car Technobot)
- Lightspeed (the Ferrari F40 Autobot)
* Afterburner (the "Tron" bike Technobot)
* Afterburner (the Lockheed F-104G Starfighter Decepticon Skyscorcher)
etc.
So even keeping with just G1 itself, you do come across some name reuses amongst completely unrelated characters. It's almost as if Hasbro didn't think we'd notice!

Yeah, but as someone that had been introduced to Beast Wars by randomly flicking through Foxtel channels, I didn't know at the time they were other characters that just happened to have the same name. All I knew was that suddenly 'Optimus' was a hairy monkey, 'Silverbolt' was a dog-bird thing, 'Rampage' was a crab and 'Inferno' was an ant. A friggin ant instead of a Fire Truck?!? It made me see red I tells you! Of course now I know better, but I still think it wouldn't have been a massive undertaking to just think up some new, as-unyet trademarked names

Don't forget Skydive from your list. Back in the day that was the only name where I had two G1 bots that shared it. Of course IDW fixed that by just killing Predators Sky Dive and leaving him on a junk pile I only just got Technobots Lightspeed to fight it out with Motorvators Lightspeed last month - I'd love to see Gripper turn up in the comics, always liked the toys rubber tyres

[5FDP]

I voted 'The toy/character appears in comics/cartoons/movies/games' For me, how the character was portrayed in the cartoons was the biggest selling point. An example of this would be Rodimus Prime and how he came across in season 3 of G1. His character annoyed me to no end and because of this, I passed on the toy. It also helped that most of the season 3 / movie toys were based on their animation models

[GoktimusPrime]

When I first came across the toys, they hadn't appeared in canon yet... I actually didn't realise that Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime were the same character. But while Hot Rod always impressed me as a neat toy, Rodimus Prime was always underwhelming. I knew some friends who had Rodimus Prime and I played with theirs... but didn't get one for myself. I later ended up getting one for free as my friends started "growing out" of Transformers and giving me their toys for free, then later I got the reissue. But yeah, the lack of appeal of Rodimus Prime primarily came from the inherent lameness of the toy. Hot Rod has a more articulated and better looking robot mode... Rodimus Prime is more like "half" a Transformer (i.e. it's mostly the upper part of the robot that transforms). On the other hand I quite like Hubcap and he never had any canonical appearances in Anglophone continuity during the G1 period! So yeah, the appeal of a toy is usually/mostly down to the quality of the actual figure itself.

[Skullcruncher]

I voted 'The toy/character appears in comics/cartoons/movies/games' For me, how the character was portrayed in the cartoons was the biggest selling point. An example of this would be Rodimus Prime and how he came across in season 3 of G1. His character annoyed me to no end and because of this, I passed on the toy. It also helped that most of the season 3 / movie toys were based on their animation models

Most of the main autobot cast annoyed me in series 3. Rodimus, Kup, Grimlock who seemed even more of a dimwit - except when he made the technobots, that was something. But only Ultra Magnus still annoys me to this day - in fact I am going to sell my only remaining Magnus (myclone not counted) in my 2014 sales thread

Oh I voted era of the toy - G1 as my primary motivation.

[UltraMarginal]

This is a tough question, I've been thinking about this for a couple days.

I'd be happy to say

YEP.

thats my motivation, .

I'm honestly not sure what my "Primary" Motivation is?
I bought a lot of the prime stuff because it was in the show, I bought other prime stuff because it was a mold I didn't have yet even though it wasn't in the show.

I buy Masterpiece because it's G1 and interesting engineering and sexy alternate modes, especially the recent cars for their alt modes, and the early seeker molds.

I bought most of the movie stuff because it was on-screen but I bought other versions because they were molds that I didn't have, and in some cases it was a coincidence that it Homaged a G1 character. There was also a lot of Movie stuff that I didn't get because I didn't like the design of the robot mode (an example would be the drones that were in the first movie game.) I bought Skyhammer because of the awesome robot and vehicle mode.

Most Generations stuff that I buy is a G1 modernisation, I draw the line at repaints that are there more to re-use the mold than to represent the character. If they did 4 more repaints of wreck-gar with differnt heads, I'd buy them all though.

I bought Alternator/Binaltech that I thought was a nice modernisation of the G1 character. I didn't get Grimlock because I had Wheeljack and I thought the car and alt mode much better suited Wheeljack. I didn't get the Prime mold because I had MP-01 and I only bought the Nemesis Prime mold so I could experience the mold and I found it for $20.

I buy Encore/reissue G1 figures that I never had, or to be a handleable version of one of my original toys that has seen better days. Very rarely I buy a vintage G1 toy if I have the cash, and see it for a price that I am happy with. I would oneday like to have a full set of G1 but being that it's already been 30 years since I started collecting them, I'm not in that much of a hurry to get them all, I'd probably rather reissues over slightly worn originals for the remainder of that part of my collection.

I generally only buy Third party if it enhances some part of my existing collection. the Fansproject Headmasters look like being an exception to that rule though.

G1 was my introduction to Transformers and it does factor heavily into my collecting but it is often not a primary motivation for modern purchases.

Based on my above discussion it's looking like my purchase motivation is primarily media focussed with a high secondary motivation being toy engineering/design and G1 homage.

[GoktimusPrime]

Most of the main autobot cast annoyed me in series 3. Rodimus, Kup, Grimlock who seemed even more of a dimwit - except when he made the technobots, that was something. But only Ultra Magnus still annoys me to this day - in fact I am going to sell my only remaining Magnus (myclone not counted) in my 2014 sales thread

All these characters were so much better in the G1 comics.