I was checking out Seibertron.com and noticed the (IMO great) news that FP are releasing a henkei version of the Powered Commander armor. While I'm only after the City Commander version myself, the fact that more fans (especially poorer fans like me) will be able to enjoy such an awesome TF struck me as something to be celebrated, not decried. Yet heaps of people seem really POed over this, most noticeably those who got it as a convention exclusive at rather more cost. I can understand being upset at paying a lot for something and then seeing a cheaper/similar/possibly better version come out (to which my response is Patience, grasshopper), but a lot of the anger seems to be over a perceived loss of 'exclusivity'. The comment that really made me do a double take was this:
Posted by Blurrz on May 11th, 2009 @ 1:50pm CDT
Booooooooooooooo. This is terrible. This is like releasing the Henkei seekers.
I think releasing the henkei seekers was great (as would be Hasbro versions) - now more people (i.e. me) can enjoy them without selling our internal organs. Ignoring that there is sufficient difference to tell the 2 similar versions of the PC armor apart & thus it still technically is an exclusive, and ignoring the hopefully isolated cries of overeager scalpers, I'm just not getting the attraction behind this 'exclusive' business.

Seriously, what's the deal? How on Earth does someone else having/not having a TF detract from your own enjoyment of it? Sure, there are some things I don't want being widely available - swine flu for example - but TFs aren't one of them. I wouldn't like Animated Wreck-Gar (cheers again Zippo) any less if every second fan in Oz had one - in fact it'd be better IMO inasmuch as he'd have been much easier to find, probably cheaper, and it'd increase our chances of getting more cool Animated TF stuff down the track. IMO the more widespread (good) TFs are the better, if only because it makes it easier for me to get my hands on them. Is this 'exclusive' emphasis common amongst collectors, or am I some kind of freak for enjoying my TFs for their own sake instead of how many other people don't own one?
All thoughts/opinions welcome of course.