Transformers for Transformers sake

[Seraphim Prime]

I've been trying to develop a set of guiding principles rather than rules, particularly now that I am married and my financial choices / space choices are not my own anymore.

I think the best description is to say it's like a set of AFL goal posts - there are the 6 point goals - the "definites" and 1 point behinds - the "nice to haves". Although I'm only a couple of months into this process so the category definitions are blurry atm - moreso examples of what I have decided are not part of what I am getting.

Some things I have decided are out are

• the recent WFC Studio Series line - I got the WFC and FOC when they first came out and actually trying to work out how many are still relevant to my collection
• Earthspark (in general) - I got Cyberverse Deluxes and a few of the out of the ordinary releases (like Iaconus) but really find I'm not going back to them the way I do with the Generations stuff so trying to limit. Although I am tempted to support the new characters - Twitch / Thrash etc, but holding off on that atm as I don't want to go down a rabbit hole.
• Legacy adaptations of non-G1 figures - eg Animated Prowl and Prime Arcee - interesting figures, but I feel like the "G1 filter" actually removes some of what made the original concept interesting. I did get Prime Arcee, however she somewhat sits at the periphery of what I have decided I like and so I'm not quick to follow with Animated Prowl (although G1 versions of these characters are kinda in - Legacy Bulkhead and Legacy Knock-Out are both figures I like, and I'm feeling somewhat partial to Skyquake)
• Any Generations items after Armada - I don't feel like the new versions of Cybertron toys have really added anything that was lacking in Cybertron or Energon

Some things that I have decided are in my nice to haves

• Legacy Skyquake
• Core Dinobots
• Masterpiece
• Large Repaints - Omega Sentinel, Black Zarak
• Studio Series Rise of the Beasts - I'm trying to pursue the Terrorcons and new Autobots, but beasts are on the lower end until I actually see the movie

Some things that are in my definites

• Modern G1 (including Diaclone repaints)
• Modern BW

I think it was easier when Transformers was a single line - you knew what was in and what was out, and there was only one version of the line that you either embraced or didn't. Not everyone liked the Prime aesthetic, but it was the main line and the only thing going really. It seems like that with the advent of Cyberverse there became two Transformer teams - the "kid team" - looking after Cyberverse and was that mainstream generation of TFs (now Earthspark and the RotB movie) - and the "fan team" - looking after Generations and "shelf worthy" figures, which in many ways has diluted the essence of what is supposed to be a Transformer - is it the playable action figure, or is it the display piece.