Suggestion: OTCA Collection Album

[liegeprime]

I was thinking about this a little while ago when I was using the site Blurb. If people submitted good quality photographs and someone was willing to do some layout work, it could produce a nice looking book.

hmmm need a NEW good SLR digi camera then... need to save hehehe

[Deceptic_Optic]

good idea i should start taking photos

[Sharky]

Would we be cataloguing just every toy, supplied by ”collector” or would we showcase people’s entire collections as a whole? Could add in a collector bio too

[GoktimusPrime]

Perhaps we could make our own version of Transformers Generations - but in English!

One problem with fan made projects like JE Alvarez's Guide and even TFU.info is that they have toys that aren't in pristine condition. Because very few of us have collections comprised of flawless toys -- I know I don't because I love playing with them and most of my G1 collection are my childhood toys. But there are a few which are in excellent condition worth photographing. With a collective effort we could have people submit photos of their best condition toys - and the editor could just take the best looking shots.

Some things we could also include that Generations doesn't do might be:
+ Pictures of accessories. TFU.info does it as does that series of books by Harold Tietjens, Doug Dlin etc.
+ Comparative pictures with variants (including reissues). Again, something that a collaborative effort would assist with (e.g. I could contribute images of lucky draw Chrome Bluestreak)
+ A chapter on how to ID counterfeits.

Now... would it be legally possible to publish this book for sale considering that we are dealing with Hasbro's property? Because obtaining a licence would cost $10k. Perhaps we should ask Alvarez, Dlin or Tietjens and see how they got around it... although they're Americans and Hasbro USA's interaction with Transfans seems quite different from Hasbro AU's in my observation and experience. (-_-)

[1orion2many]

I don't think the idea is to show pristine toys but to show each and every collection board members have here or did I read this wrong

[Kyle]

I like the idea of an album showcasing members' displays more than members' entire collections.

[gamblor916]

I like the idea of excellent photography showcasing minty examples of toys, complete with all accessories.
Printing a book is taking it a bit far though. That requires a lot of work and mucho dinero. Maybe instead a high quality pdf or even make use of Jay's database.

[griffin]

Would we be cataloguing just every toy, supplied by ”collector” or would we showcase people’s entire collections as a whole? Could add in a collector bio too

I get the impression that it would be showcasing people's collections, rather than a guidebook/catalogue of individual toys. And as such, a collector bio with each collection would be a worthwhile inclusion.

I wonder if it would be something released every few years, for new members to be included, or older members to update their entries/photos?

[SkyWarp91]

Maybe we can start it off with a thread/gallery showcasing people's collections and as time passes by, if we get enough collector bio's and pictures we'll make it into a high-quality PDF.

[Paulbot]

Skywarp91 you might not have seen the Collections thread. That's the closest thing we currently have to showcasing everyone's collections.

I've been looking at a site/tool called Blurb which can make nice looking books for not too expensive prices. There are other sites like that too and even Target and Big W offer photobook printing nowadays.