2008 Acquisitions: Your best and worst?

[GoktimusPrime]

I changed my counting method late in 2008 from one that was close to the fan-voted method, to a more "official" Hasbro-perspective method I developed (as in, what would *Hasbro* class and count as an actual TFs toy product).

I have some questions about your "Hasbro" method which I've posted here

[Hereticpoo]

1 - What was the total number obtained for the year (roughly, if you don't know)?
25

2 - What was your best acquisition for the year?
Perfect G1 blitzwing with instructions, courtesy of JGON.

3 - What was your worst, or the thing you most regretted buying?
No regrets, I found if you buy a lot of 'meh' transformers they always remind you of the cash you wasted, adding a negative atmosphere to the collection. So I only buy the stuff I HAVE to have.

4 - Most difficult item to find?
A 100% complete G1 Darkwing that meets budget and condition preferences.

5 - Item you never found, but still want?
Legends Bumblebee, Brawl and Beachcomber. Have they been released here?

6 - Were the Animated toys in general good or bad?
Love them

7 - Were the Classics 2.0/Universe 2.0 toys in general good or bad?
I haven't come across any that I've had to have. They all look good in prototype forms and the end product always dissapoints me. However Henkei Cyclonus and Hound may be my first.

8 - Were the rest of the Movie toys in general good or bad?
The movies toy are incredibly ugly. Yuk Yuk Yuk. I feel ashamed and dirty to even look at them. Hopefully the ROTF toys are good.

9 - Did you think the Encores this year were good or bad?
Encores F#$%en ROCK!

10 - Did you think the Henkei was good or bad?
...cant comment, dont have any. They look good...

11 - Did you buy any non-transforming toys?
No, whats the point? Save those dollars for toys that transform.

12 - Did you buy any officially licensed (non-toy) merchandise?
Nope

13 - Did you buy the Animated DVDs?
Nope
14 - Did you buy any of the Madman DVDs?
In 2007
15 - Did you import the Cybertron boxset?
Push bamboo under my fingernails please.

14 - Are there any trends in your buying that you noticed?
I'm a fussy bastard

15 - Are there any changes to your buying habits that you're hoping to make?
No, I'm happy with my current habits. I hope I dont buy for the sake of buying, better the devil you know.

16 - What are you looking forward to most in 2009?
MP Grimlock and Alternity, and the new Movie. Oooh yeah

[STL]

Thanks to my new database, I have very detailed answers on a lot of this which is quite fun but at the same time very very scary.

1 - What was the total number obtained for the year (roughly, if you don't know)?

735 Transformers, 50 non-transforming toys: representing an 86.2% increase in how my collection has grown as of the end of last year.

My total expenditures though only increased by 51.33% so I spent less per figure but I a lot of 2007's costs were because of the Botcon set.

2 - What was your best acquisition for the year?
Has to be Crystal Convoy. Nothing could really top that this, this year but City Commander came very damned close. If that new head that's available in Singapore wast he head used, I'm pretty sure it would've come home first.

3 - What was your worst, or the thing you most regretted buying?
Have to be the recolour Real Gear. Pure impulse buy b/c there was nothing better to buy and tney were darned cheap. My sister plays with them now.

4 - Most difficult item to find?
Nothing at retail really. Online, SD-21 General Galvatron is the one toy I really really want but have failed to get. I missed out twice, the most recent time being last Friday morning when I lost a bid at 5am cos I slept through it after getting home at 4 despite slapping myself several times to stay awake. I woke up at 7 o'clock with my laptop on next to me to curse myself and then doze off back to sleep.

5 - Item you never found, but still want?
Same as above, really.

6 - Were the Animated toys in general good or bad?
I loved how their engineering was something some groundbreaking. It took the toys in an all new direction and opened up a lot of possibilities. The QC did mar the line though I suspect it has to do with the fact taht these are new styles they're trying out and will take them time to master.

The other aspect that I find strong about them is the way the toys resonate character so well. While Hasbro have gotten better at that with Classics 2.0/Universe 2.0 as well, it really shines in Animated where each mold is very unique and difficult to repaint without it being so out of place to repaint.

7 - Were the Classics 2.0/Universe 2.0 toys in general good or bad?
Mixed. The QC and paint applications were poor at times. The one good thing it did start was several ideas for QC related Soapboxes. In general though, I'm just happy to have the line back. I love modern toys.

8 - Were the rest of the Movie toys in general good or bad?
The Walmart Exclusives were generally a delight even though they belonged in the Classics line. Its very sad though that hte reason why I liked the rest of the Movie toys was b.c not of the molds but b/c of their adaptability to Classics.

Of the truly Movie toys, Stockade was mediocre at best, Incinerator was above average but hardly excellent.

9 - Did you think the Encores this year were good or bad?
Exceptional. They gave many a collector the opportunity to possess some vintage stuff that would be beyond the grasp of many fans and I hope it continues even though I've had all of the re-issues to date.

10 - Did you think the Henkei was good or bad?
Excellent. Its so still hard to believe it only started out this year in April. But I've loved every moment of it and even though I've stagnated b/c of financial reasons, I will complete Henkei in due course. The one exceptional repaint was definitely Optimus Prime in my mind. I liked the mold a lot before that but the Henkei paint applications took my love for the mold to a far higher level and now the mold is among my top 10 molds ever b/c of it.

That said, QC was an issue that has been quite prevalent and I'm very disappointed in that.

11 - Did you buy any non-transforming toys?
Robot Heroes, Revoltech Hot Rod and Starscream (among two of my favourite acquisitions of the year) and Diamond Select Battle Damaged Prime Bust, Jazz and Reformatted Megatron.

12 - Did you buy any officially licensed (non-toy) merchandise?
Nope

13 - Did you buy the Animated DVDs?
Nope

14 - Did you buy any of the Madman DVDs?
Nope.

15 - Did you import the Cybertron boxset?
Nope. Intend to though.

16 - Are there any trends in your buying that you noticed?

Japanese Flavours
- My spending on Japanese toys this year increased by 157.85% compared to my previous almost 3 years of collecting.
- This has been driven in large part due to the higher quality paint applications on toys that I love. For me, Superlink and Galaxy Force provided far better versions of Cybertron - a toy line I credit with bringing out my love for modern toys which is another trend that's been emerging. I've found I cannot simply pass up on better packaged and coloured toys. Henkei is the ultimate extension of this though I don't think the packaging is necessarily better.

Displayability
- The number of toys in my collection that are bought with displayability (ie. MIB or MISB) in mind has increased by 61.42%. This has comes about b/c of two reasons. The first was Jaydisc and theDamned who have quite iimpressive displays. The second was b/c of Hasbro's change in packaging - ie. Classics 2.0 and Animated. The side on views of boxes has just changed how space can be used for display.

Doubles
- My rate of doubles is only at 9% which was a staggering surprise to me. I had suspected I was armed with way more but I was wrong but I guess that as part of my overall collection, the doubles are veyr miniscule.
- That however is about to dramatically change, however. I'm nearing the end of everything I want to buy in terms of TFs. I'm not a completist by any stretch of the imagination and as such am far more likely to go back into buying doubles of vintage toys I already have or toys I love.

Modernisation
I'm moving away quickly from vintage toys. This is very new to me as when I started, G1 was everything. In about 2 years I amassed close to 80% of G1 and it formed the vast majority of my collection. Now, G1 has dwindled from 33.4% of my collection in 2007 to 23.71%. And its unlikely that I'll ever complete out many of the Japanese lines other than the big ones.

What's happened? I've developed a love for modern sensibiltiies. I love the modern engineering that gives us great poseability and playability. G1 is a fragile and nostalgic throwback, it lacks the play value of modern toys. So for me personally, this transformation has been rather dramatic as I progresed from a once "modern is inferior" to "modern is superior" mindset. And that's just b/c I enjoy everything that modern toys offer us. Better packaging, better toys, better artwork etc, etc.

17 - Are there any changes to your buying habits that you're hoping to make?
I hope to stop buying Legends altogether as well as useless repaints of characters and molds I do not like just b/c they're cheap. I shop frequently b/c its something my better half and I do a lot of and a lot of times i buy stuff b/c its just so cheap. *Looks at TFM Camshaft with a dirty stare*

18 - What are you looking forward to most in 2009?
The rest of Henkei. I'm uncertain of where the movie will take us so the toys are still an uncertainty to me but images of a certain G1 favourite car surfaced today and my hopes are being dashed.

But there's still one thing I'm definitely looking forward to and that is customs. I intend to get more done this year and I have some big ones in store that will be a delight for me personally.

[GoktimusPrime]

So for me personally, this transformation has been rather dramatic as I progresed from a once "modern is inferior" to "modern is superior" mindset.

You actually once thought "modern is inferior"? Wow... on the whole I totally agree that G1 is absolutely a fragile and nostalgic throwback - as much as I love it.

Having said that there are several toys which are poorly made by modern standards - like Animated Grimlock and Blitzwing, by 2008 standards I find them to be rather underwhelming toys whereas G1 Blitzwing and Grimlock are very good toys by 1985 standards.

But so long as a modern toy is made well by modern standards, then I agree that modern is superior. Take Henkei Hound for example... that toy is pure awesomesauce. Or to use examples from Animated, Blackarachnia and Prowl. Very well done figures..

[STL]

You actually once thought "modern is inferior"? Wow... on the whole I totally agree that G1 is absolutely a fragile and nostalgic throwback - as much as I love it.

Having said that there are several toys which are poorly made by modern standards - like Animated Grimlock and Blitzwing, by 2008 standards I find them to be rather underwhelming toys whereas G1 Blitzwing and Grimlock are very good toys by 1985 standards.

But so long as a modern toy is made well by modern standards, then I agree that modern is superior. Take Henkei Hound for example... that toy is pure awesomesauce. Or to use examples from Animated, Blackarachnia and Prowl. Very well done figures..

I'm surprised too, really. I always thought vintage US G1 was superior in my mind b/c it gave me exactly what I wanted, representations of the G1 characters I grew up on and drooled over in toy catalogues that I thought I would never have. Yet I think Classics/Henkei changed all that b/c I could get modern representations of the same characters and for me that substituted for G1. Of course, a lot of it is dependent on customs and Hasbro/Takara continuing with Classics (which I suspect they will) but G1 still does have a few things Classics still doesn't like the City Former, the combiner teams and the special teams.