Tales of Sleeve's Childhood Reclamation
Before I begin, I must credit Sky Shadow for the idea of this thread. I recently read his collection thread and was inspired by his capacity to do something a little different than the usual 'just post photos of my bookshelves' (not that there is anything wrong with that). Thus, similar to Sky Shadow's posting of his favourite figures, I will be chronicling my nostalgic adventure as I reclaim those lost items from my childhood. Firstly however, I must give a little background.
*Picture me as I sit in a luxurious leather armchair by the fire, the flickering shadows licking the walls and the tinkle of piano keys ringing through the silence of a moonless night. I spark a pipe and blow a wisp of smoke through pursed lips, and peer my striking blue eyes directly into yours. With but a whisper, I start....*
We all have one. A story of how we lost something dear to us, in this case one or many more Transformers, in our youth. If you don't have one, I feel you haven't experienced the true meaning of 'loss'. Looking back, almost twenty years later, the sense of regret is overwhelming as I picture my nine-year-old self standing behind a table covered in my entire Transformers collection, telling another child and his mother how much for each figure, only to watch them buy the lot. This was a day I will forever refer to as 'The Great Purge'.
It was my family's garage sale, as for the first of many times to come, we were moving house. Why was I selling not only my Transformers but also all the toys I owned, such as countless TMNT figures and playsets, you may ask? There are a few answers to this question. Firstly, I was growing up, and would soon be 'too old for kiddy toys'. Secondly, the money I gained would go to something more 'mature', like a six-wheel, triangular RC car that could drive at any angle! (For the life of me I can't find the name of it anywhere). Lastly, it would mean less stuff to pack.
In retrospect this moment is my one greatest failing in life, if only for the fact the RC car lasted a matter of three months.Long have I said if I could go back in time and change one thing, anything, it would be to stop myself selling those figures, or be the person who bought them. Well, I can't go back in time, but I can do the next best thing. Which brings us to where we are today.....
The Reclamation!
Now I have items already in my collection that I had as a child, such as my two favourite figures (Sludge and Blot) and the special guest appearing in this post, that I have recovered in the last few years, but recently I decided I no longer only want some of what I had, I want it all back. And thus, the tales begin.
First of the plate:
ROTORSTORM!
Rotorstorm was and still is by far one of my favourite figures. EVER. I cannot remember how or when exactly I came into possesion of him (originally of course, whereas the credit for that magnificent specimen above and below goes to kup), though I do remember he barely left my side. Even while in class at primary school Rotorstorm was never far, hidden in my desk beneath a stack of exercise books, and every morning tea and lunch he would emerge to take his place in some grand battle against an entire platoon of Army Men in the sandpit, or simply be grasped in my hand as I watched others played handball.
Though his origin to me is hazey, I do recall he was actually one of the last Transformers I ever came to have the honour of owning as a child. I remember this because a memory burned into my lobe for the past 18 years is as I sat at school, watching my friends play an aforementioned game of handball, I was ridiculed by these so-called 'friends' for still playing with toys. You see, by this stage the others had begun to 'grow up', and were more interested in the homoeroticism of contact sport than the joys of tapping the potential of one's imagination into bringing to life the sentient robotic aliens of a war-strewn world. Unfortunately, I took their words to heart and it was not long after that day that the Great Purge took place.
As you read this you may begin to formulate an idea why Rotorstorm means so much to me, particulary now as he is the first figure to come back into my life as part of the Reclamation - he is the embodiment of the very reason I lost everything, and conversely a veritable symbol of everything I will regain. He was there with me at the end, and now he is here with me at the beginning. I'll give you a second to wipe away that tear coursing its way down the lines of your cheek.
So you can imagine my absolute and unbridled delight when at roughly 7:50am last Thursday morning I was interrupted from my ponderings of who from 'Sunrise' was rocking the early-morning cleavage best as a knock rang from my front door, and I was greeted by a postal worker clutching one of the finest pieces of Generation One to be released to those not residing in the United States (take THAT, Yankees!). You can also imagine my glee as for the first time in almost two decades I was able to pit Rotorstorm against his (in my mind anways) mortal nemesis, fellow European release and fave-five member, Stalker.
There's a reason Transformers artist, scribe and downright God, Nick Roche included Rotorstorm in his masterpiece, 'Last Stand Of The Wreckers'. It's because Rotorstorm RULES.
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Originally Posted by Sleeve
