Universal Counting Method Poll #20: Counting customs

[GoktimusPrime]

For the purposes of this poll:

+ The term "custom" refers to any Transformer toy that's been altered from it's original state.

+ The term "custom repaint" refers to a toy that has been repainted only with no other substantial physical alteration made.
e.g.: "Lexicon"

Lexicon was made by repainting a reissue Goldbug with the same colour scheme as Glyph (left) - Lexicon is supposed to be the Throttlebot upgrade of Glyph.

+ The term "kitbash" refers to a custom where a new toy has been created from the parts of other toys and may also include new original parts made from Sculpey etc.
e.g.: "Goktimus Primal"

Goktimus Primal was created from a junker Optimus Primal body with a bootleg Dragonball GT Baby head with the entire thing repainted. A lot of the toys I see KC99 showcasing are examples of kitbashing (e.g.: Masterpiece Inferno).

+ The term "slight retool" refers to a small physical modification, such as fixing Deluxe Animated Bumblebee's stinger weapons so that they can fit in flush. Anything much more substantial than that would fall under the definition of kitbashing.

+ "Cosmetic improvement" means that the toy's overall look has been improved but it's still the same toy-character.
e.g.: "Animé Optimus Prime"

I used mithral silver paint to touch up worn-chrome on an original G1 Optimus Prime toy. Orange paints added to the front bumper lights. Eyes painted blue (this was before Takara did their Goodbye Convoy reissue (New Year Special Convoy)). Autobot symbol stickers added to shoulders (originals were long gone).
loophole's Universe Sideswipe and Sunstreaker repaints count as "cosmetic improvements" albeit on a larger scale.

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I'm personally voting for the third option "Only repaints/retools for repair & cosmetic improvement count." - I don't think custom repaints or kitbashes should count but I think modifications made for repair and cosmetic improvement should.

[Adzma]

I think it would be good if all customs counted provided they are actual characters from the TF universe that are produced. I love to see what other people can come up with using a little paint here, a little reshaping there and it seems unfare that they can't call them part of their collection.

[GoktimusPrime]

I've changed the example for "custom repaint" from Sentinel Prime to Lexicon.

I think it would be good if all customs counted provided they are actual characters from the TF universe that are produced.

So would you count Lexicon? If you punch "Lexicon" into tfwiki you won't find any entries for a TF character, but Lexicon is supposed to be the Throttlebot upgrade of Glyph, who is an official character. Basically she's the same character with an "upgraded" name (much as Bumblebee got his name "upgraded" to Goldbug when he became a Throttlebot).


L: Glyph (official toy), R: Lexicon (custom repaint)

IMO Lexicon shouldn't count (as much as she is my favourite of the customs I've ever done).

[Adzma]

Hmm it's difficult to judge actually. I suppose it would be easier to say that if someone decided to invent their own character through kitbashing, lets call it Weapontron as a nod to Tripod , then it wouldn't be counted since it's not an official character. Bleh it's all too hard for me.

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah but Lexicon isn't a kitbash, she's just a repaint. Aside from giving her a new paintjob she is otherwise physically identical to reissue Goldbug... if you stripped the paint off you could restore it as Goldbug.

This isn't possible with a kitbash, like Goktimus Primal - if you stripped the paint off that you'd end up with the body of Optimus Primal, a neck made from Sculpey and the head of a knock-off Dragonball GT toy.

So would you count a custom repaint - one that is physically unaltered except for the paintjob?

Everyone ensure that your vote applies to how you feel about this. If you're unsure then it may be best to abstain from voting until you can make a decision rather than risk skewing the results.

[kup]

What about Restored toys?

Like say I buy a junker with major chrome wear and mostly chipped paint which I decide to restore back to something resembling its original condition. Obviously it will never be the same as if it was just out of the box but it would still requiere a lot of repainting and in some extreme cases, modifications like resculpted parts such as joints, electronic mechanisms and even something more notable like a 'prostetic' arm or a leg. However the aim of the whole project is not to kitbash or create a new character but to restore the toy to a playable/displayable condition.

For example, At the Megatron Club meet, one guy said he had a Jetfire without an arm (I think) and was thinking of resculpting the arm himself. If he had gone through the procedure, would it still count?

[iceburn]

i'm heading towards repaint and slight retool that keeps the figure still transformable at a reasonable state does count.

If the figure is customised in a unique way that has both an good alt and robot mode then i guess it counts.

If the figure is customised such that the figure is no longer transformable and for display purposes, then it should not be counted like a non-transforming figure e.g. Statues, Robot Heroes.

Question: Under our databases, do we still then give it the name of the original toy instead of categorising into the series that the repainted/retool figure is meant to be?

[GoktimusPrime]

What about Restored toys?

I'd classify that as "retooled for repair."

[Thanatos]

Customs should count, be they new characters, or anything similar. A lot of hard work and talent goes into them, if changing a "stock" toy to something new takes it out of a collection, I consider it unfair. The question should have the consideration "TF toys or not?". Does a Macross figure made into Jetfire (g1) count? Does turning a transformer into a different toy/character from another show still make it count? What about self crossovers in the vein of Marvel and Star Wars? The legit ones count as transformers products, but what if someone made say, a batman custom transformer? No brand name and a DC character perhaps might not count, unless it was made out of a transformer.

It's complex.

[iceburn]

Customs should count, be they new characters, or anything similar. A lot of hard work and talent goes into them, if changing a "stock" toy to something new takes it out of a collection, I consider it unfair. The question should have the consideration "TF toys or not?". Does a Macross figure made into Jetfire (g1) count? Does turning a transformer into a different toy/character from another show still make it count? What about self crossovers in the vein of Marvel and Star Wars? The legit ones count as transformers products, but what if someone made say, a batman custom transformer? No brand name and a DC character perhaps might not count, unless it was made out of a transformer.

It's complex.

e.g. Nintendo Crossover - Donkey Kong aka High Score 100 Real Gear