The Random Transformers Thoughts Thread

[griffin]

If Optimus transformed into a sofa... ironically, it is the new name for the Sentinal sofa.
Well that's just Prime...

[GoktimusPrime]

Not sure if Amart are avoiding trademark issues, or if someone in their employ just didn't know how to spell "Sentinel" correctly. Or perhaps they're deliberately mocking fans who persistently misspell it. Hhmmm...

[techx]

Maybe it's Sentinel in Spanish 😁

[CHILENO20]

Maybe it's Sentinel in Spanish 😁

That's a no

[griffin]

It's probably just poor spelling by someone at Amart who didn't know that it is spelt with an E instead of an A... as their furniture names seem to be real words or names... spelt correctly.

[Galvatran]

Click bait! Where's a Mod or Admin. Oh wait...

If Optimus transformed into a sofa... ironically, it is the new name for the Sentinal sofa.
Well that's just Prime...

[FatalityPitt]

I've been watching video reviews of the new WFC Siege figures. So far the reviewers seem to like all the figures, and there's not been a single one that they've universally disliked. Which poses a bit of a problem for me. I initially planned to skip most of the WFC line, and try to be more selective with my purchase decisions moving forward, mainly because I'm running out of shelf-space, and my income has gotten smaller since I changed careers to a less stressful one. So I'm torn between buying the new WFC Siege figures when they come out, or wait for better versions of the featured characters in the near future. Maybe HasTak will retool the Sideswipe mould to look more like a realistic Earth-based Lamborghini. Or maybe they'll release the Optimus Prime and Megatron in a two-pack with clean decos without the weathering paint details. However there's always a chance that they won't do any of this.

I think I have a tendency to get stung by FOMO and Inverted-FOMO; which causes me to either buy figures I don't like, or skip ones that I should have bought. Examples:

FOMO (fear of missing out): I see Cyberverse Warrior class Shockwave at the store and think to myself "I don't like Cyberverse, but this is probably my only chance to have a Neo-G1 Shockwave that's in scale with my other Neo-G1 deluxes and voyagers. There's no way they'd release a proper deluxe/voyager class Shockwave under Generations." So I pay my $35 for Cyberverse Shockwave, and though the figure doesn't impress me, I'm still grateful to have a pseudo Neo-G1 Shockwave. A few months later, the WFC Siege Decepticons are unveiled at NYCC 2018 and I see photos of the upcoming Leader Shockwave. I think to myself "Man! Instead of buying the Cyberverse Shockwave, I should have waited for the Siege version! No worries, I'll sell the Cyberverse figure!" But alas, no one wants Cyberverse Shockwave, and the secondary market price has dropped because everyone else is trying to sell theirs to subsidize their purchase of the superior Siege toy.

Inverted-FOMO: I see Combiner Wars Leader class Starscream at the store and think to myself "It's too big. It's out of scale. It doesn't transform the way Starscream should. I'll wait for a better Starscream." Two or three years later, I see the PotP Voyager Starscream and think to myself "it's the right size, but the proportions are out of whack and it still doesn't transform the way Starscream should. Maybe the next Starscream will be better". About year later I see photos of the Siege Starscream and find the alt-mode visually underwhelming. I'm disappointed. I think to myself "I should have bought the CW Leader Starscream when it was still on retail ".

Problem is, unless you're a completist with enough funds to buy everything; you're stuck with the choice of either buying what's available now, or keeping your cash and waiting for better releases in the future that may not materialise. At the same time, it's so hard to predict what HasTak will release in the near future, and whether or not you'd like the upcoming release.

[GoktimusPrime]

I've been watching video reviews of the new WFC Siege figures. So far the reviewers seem to like all the figures, and there's not been a single one that they've universally disliked.

This is typical with a lot of video reviewers. Many of them like everything, often without providing reasons or a balanced critique. You know, actually reviewing the toy. Too many videos that claim to review toys are little more than just boastful showcasing videos. This is why I generally avoid video reviews and much prefer text reviews. For whatever reason, I find that text reviewers are less likely to be so blindly boastful about a toy and actually give a proper review. I don't mind if a reviewer says that a toy is the bee's knees, but it all lies in the justification of their opinion.

I definitely have FOMO. But I guess that my rationale is to get a toy first and then later if I regret it I can always sell it. And yeah, selling toys is usually at a loss, so it's a risk that I'm willing to accept. Unless you're willing to wait years and years and try to sell the toy off at as close to RRP as possible.

Admittedly I rarely feel that new toys supersede existing ones. e.g. Goldbug didn't supersede Bumblebee, and Pretender Bumblebee didn't supersede Goldbug etc. - they were just the latest version of that character and I was happy to have all of them. Siege Shockwave will fit into my CHUG universe, which is currently occupied by Generations FOC Shockwave (yeah, I know that it's officially Aligned, but in the Gokiverse FOC = Neo-G1). Siege Shockers won't supersede FOC Shockers, he'll just be the latest version. Both are very different toys with different alt modes, so I can enjoy both for different reasons.

I suppose a toy would have to be one that I never fully enjoyed or loved in order to be later superseded by another toy. e.g. I've already arranged a buyer for my ROTF Combiner Class Devastator which I'll be selling after the Studio Series Constructicons come out. But as you can see in my post about this toy on the review thread, even on the day that I got this toy, on discount, I still wasn't terribly enthused. So yeah, letting go of terrible toys like that is easy. Ditto ROTF Jetfire.

But yeah, if I actually like the toy then I'll still keep it even after getting a newer version. Studio Series Starscream prompted me to sell my other Voyager Bayformer Starscreams, but I've kept my original Bayformers Bumblebee, Jazz, Brawl, Blackout and Lockdown even after getting their Studio Series counterparts. I like the original versions of those toys enough to not want to part with them. Still haven't sold my ROTF Voyager Starscream though. I don't really get Inverted-FOMO as I rarely skip buying toys that I want. If a toy really means that much to me then I'll buy it ASAP. Skipping it means that it was never that big a deal to me; if I didn't want to buy it that badly back then, then why should I care about it now?

[TaZZerath]

I find your reviews very balanced Goktimus.

I sometimes get FOMO but it is counterbalanced by desk space, budgetary requirements, and life.

I'm down to my final Oxipay payment on Big Powered next week so once thats done I might weigh up my options but i DEFINITELY want Stege (not a typo ) Flywheels, Blowpipe for my Hasbro Triggerhappy, and 2/3 micromaster teams (the cars don't do anything for me, but I had the others as kids and they seem like awesome updates)

[SharkyMcShark]

You need to pick and choose reviewers. I generally find those that aren't racing to be the first to upload something can generally speak more frankly about a figure, and the reviews don't just amount to sticking the figure in front of a camera and going "yep the head turns, the arms swivel".