New Aquisitions and New Year

Having got back to Europe, I shipped my pile of loot from BBTS, it really was like several Christmases at once! I've opened most of the Transformers Universe and Marvel Universe (3.75") lines. Still a few more to go, which I'm spreading out over the festive period.

Anyway, it's almost the end of the year and indeed the end of the decade. There seems to be lots of 'best of's at the moment so I thought I'd join in, and give my own 'best of'. (Transformers naturally.)

It's a best of list from all time (not just the last year or decade) and I've gone for 15, no reason really other than that's how many I came up with when I made a list of my favourite figures. So here we go, in no particular order:

1). Henkei Dinobot - I should emphasise that this is the Henkei version, and not the Universe version for the simple reason of being the right colour. This figure is cartoon accurate, a dinosaur, has a sword and is doesn't fall over due to good size feet. Spot on.

2). Masterpiece Grimlock - Again, a dinosaur with a sword which is always a winning combination. Super detailed, and a faithful upgrade from G1. You can even change his visor from G1 toy accurate red to anime accurate blue, the ultimate Grimlock figure.

3). G1 Steeljaw - I'm a big fan of the cassette-formers and although Steeljaw may not be the best (I think Laserbeak takes that award due to being the least 2-dimensional), or even have done much in the fiction (take a bow Ravage or Rumble), I like him simply because he's a lion, and possibly because he's an Autobot. Oh, and he was the first cassette I got.

4). G1 Sixshot - A brick certainly, but in my opinion one of the best bricks. Granted as an adult collector posability is everything, but as a child that really wasn't a worry, and in fact the great thing was that they were some of the few toys that could actually stand up on carpet. Sixshot has a great colour scheme (much better than say Greatshot), and in the (Japanese) cartoon he killed Ultra Magnus, then ultimately switched sides. Brilliant! (Does anyone else find Ultra Magnus annoying!?) If I could the 10 year old me a present Sixshot would be the one. He also has 6 modes including a plane and puma. Hours and hours of fun.......

5). Universe Sunstreaker - Lamborghinis are one of my favourite cars, and yellow Lambos in particular. Universe Sunstreaker is anime accurate, and another fantastic update to a classic character. On a side note, I'm not such a fan of Universe Sideswipe; the head sculpt just isn't as good and I suspect the Sunstreaker aspect of the toy was designed first.

6). Cybertron Scourge - Well, Galaxy Force Flame Convoy really since I own the Japanese version. In my opinion, the best dragon transformer, bright colours and nicely posable. He also owns an axe, and is another one of those characters who switches allegiances. (Seems to be a reoccurring theme in this list.......)

7). RID Scourge - Again, actually Car Robots Black Convoy but the figure that started off the Nemesis Prime trend of repaints. Teal and black looks far better than the original Optimus Prime colours, and again, he has a sword which really seals the deal. He holds a unique place in my collection, the only G2 figure, the only RID figure and I got him because he's awesome, not because he fits in with my collection at all.

8). Beast Wars II Halfshell - G1 Snaptrap to you and me, I like this guy because he's a turtle, has a great colour scheme, and because has a sword. He also forms the body for one of my favourite G1 combiners. Enough said.

9). G1 Deszaras - Emperor of Destruction in the Victory series. One of my most expensive figures but one of my favourites. His dragon/bird monster head is all chrome, it's one of the few figures that chrome actually really works well on. For me, a big dragon with big wings, and a vicious looking face is always a winner.

10). G1 Smokescreen - not including Sideswipe who I had as a kid, Smokescreen was my first Autobot car and I was surprised how small he was. The diaclone line had some great figures, but the Datsun mold has to be one of the best (hence being used 3 times I guess), and I think Smokescreen has the best colours out of the 3, as well as being a sports model which always helps.

11). G1 Sixtrain - I've always had a soft spot for Micromasters, Trains and combiners, so Sixtrain is a winning (excuse the pun) combination. Good colour scheme as well.

12). G1 Sludge - I could have gone for any of the original Dinobots really, but I opted for Sludge. I remember as a kid being amazed how he formed such a long dinosaur whilst not being that tall a robot. He's the most posable out of the original dinobots, and one that needs an update.

13). Universe Onslaught - A superb example of how a bit of extra size can make for a much better toy (Galvatron, I'm looking at you). I think he also looks genuinely threatening, almost like he's wearing a gas mask (maybe more creepy than threatening). FansProject are making an upgrade kit for Universe Bruticus, which in the name of only having one version of a character means some sort of rotation system will be needed.

14). 10th Anniversary Beast Wars Megatron - You know, the retooled version of the original. Anime accurate, a dinosaur, etc. No sword, but a fine toy none the less.

15). Classics Bumblebee - Similarly to Onslaught I guess, bigger is better. The best G1 Bumblebee in my opinion, a simple but effective transformation. Maybe I just like yellow Transformers..... I also have the legends version, and so suffer with the dilemna of whether to go with the clearer superior deluxe version, or the legends version which makes more sense scale wise with the other (legends) minibots.

So there you go, my favourite 15 figures. Plenty of room for discussion (particularly if you're not a sword and dinosaur fan!). Happy New Year!!!

Back in Europe

Well, it's December, I'm back in Europe and desperately trying to fit all my figures on a small set of shelves. Something's got to give!

Over the course of moving, packing everything up and remembering how much stuff I gave other people to look after. I've got a lot, I reckon in 2 years I've almost doubled the number of figures I have. (Actually looking at how much I've spent, probably doubled and some.....)

Anyway, it's really sunk in now just how much I have. There's so much that frankly until my kids (which don't exist yet) leave home, I'm going to have to adopt some sort of rotation system.

First things first; prioritise; my must display toys are the Marvel Universe/Infinite Heroes figures, Classics/Universe Transformers and my animal themed G1 Transformers. I was originally going to go with the usual Autobot/Decepticon/Seasons 1 and 2/Movie split for my Transformers but upon re-reading my War Within comics, something better occurred to me:

In the second volume when Prime and Megatron are missing, the respective faction further sub-divide - Autobots, Wreckers, Lightning Strike Coalition, Decepticons, Predacons and Ultracons. Brilliant! I then realised that the characters featured are the usual Season 1 and 2 'formers supplemented by some of the later Decepticons. Which are mainly Animal Transformers. I had a figure of most of the characters featured - Classics/Universe for most of the early characters, and then G1 figures for the later characters. This was a much more interesting way of displaying my figures.

With the Chaos Trinity as an extra faction (with Movie Bludgeon when I get him), plus borrowing a bit from later comics, the Resistance (Hot Rod and co), and the Dead Universe (IDW), plus a bit of imagination, pretty much every character had a faction. Each faction would then get a shelf. I think there will still need to be some rotation but I think it'll work a treat. Photos soon!

3.75" Figures

I have finally got my hands on a couple of Infinite Heroes and Marvel Universe Figures, and I can't help feeling a little disappointed with Mattel. They have really dropped the ball with the articulation on the Infinite Heroes figures (I read this in many reviews but now I have them in hand it's really sunk in). The legs go up and down. That's it! And virtually no accessories, were it not for the fact I really want some Batman figures to go with the Marvel Universe line I think I'd leave it and wait a couple of years until they finally release something that you can actually pose - basically unless the legs are dead straight it's not going to stand.

I got the Universe (new) Punisher figure as well, annoyingly he's quite a bit bigger than the Wolverine Origins figures, and I'm not as happy with him as I was with Deadpool and Wolverine. (I think the Universe figures are 4" rather than 3.75".)

Still, minor irritations aside, it's quite amazing to be collecting something which is relatively cheap. With the second Transformers Movie in full swing, it's a good opportunity to save a bit of money. I'll pick up Ravage and that Bludgeon figure mentioned at Botcon, but other than it's cheap days. Takara will be releasing the Device Label Figures in a couple months, and presumably FansProject will start releasing some stuff, but other than that I'm concentrating on the 3.75/4" comic book figures.

It's not just about saving money though, it's about space. I'm moving back home this week (having been overseas for 2 years), and it's just dawned on me quite much stuff I've acquired. There are figures stashed absolutely everywhere, on my desk at work, in the living room, bedroom and in the garage. I've got a couple more G1 figures I want to pick up, and then that has to be it. There are a couple of figures I'm tempted by, but I have to draw the line. If they reissue a figure, I might get it, but otherwise I'm done with ebay. It's time to enjoy what I have.

Alternators, Binaltech and Masterpiece

So it was Botcon 2009 this week, not much for people who aren't fans of the Movie line but a couple of snippets of interesting news.

There's a Voyager Bludgeon with swords, I have a particular weakness for Transformers with swords, and a Movie inspired figure is no exception. (I also splashed out $100 on a Drift figure which is going to be released at a Singaporean convention, hope I don't regret that.) There's also going to be a couple more reissues - Perceptor and the Insecticons, I've already got a couple of sets of Insecticons but I'm sure you can never have too many....

Perhaps the most significant bit of news is that the Classics/Universe line will return in Autumn 2010. I'm particularly happy about that, I'm also quite grateful about the delay, I've almost got all the G1 figures I want, that means between now and then there will be a couple of 3rd party figures (FansProject mainly), Device Label, Marvel Universe and that's it. I'm sure my wallet will be extremely grateful if I can resist other temptations.

The other exciting thing about Botcon for me was the exclusive Razorclaw figure, I wasn't there so had to resort to ebay. Expensive but not too bad (compared to 2007). I was thinking he would look pretty sweet displayed next to Jazz ala the Jazz spotlight (see: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Image:Spotlight_Jazz_a.jpg). Given that Razorclaw is a voyager then perhaps Alternator Jazz would be the way to go.

I have Alternator Grimlock and I intend to get Masterpiece Grimlock. I'm considering getting Alternator Ravage (Jaguar version). I have thus far resisted all other Alternator/Binaltech and Masterpiece figures. Initially this was because the figures didn't really appeal to me - had they got a Lamborghini or Volkswagon license (you can see what figures I wanted) I would have gone for them. As it was, Smokescreen was nowhere near his G1 self and I don't really like the Sunstreaker/Sideswipe figures. Equally I couldn't quite convince myself on the Megatron and Starscream Masterpiece figures.

So far so good, combined with the massive cost of getting those figures (especially now), it's looking like quite a good decision. Additionally I didn't want to start collecting a 4th G1 set (after G1, WST and Classics/Universe). But somehow those figures are calling out to me, especially when you see some of the stuff Reprolabels have done......

And then there's also the issue of scale, the Alternator line fits in very nicely with the 3.75 inch scale figures. I'm not a fan of GI Joe but there are a few pieces of artwork which makes me think that human figures display well with bots, and so the Marvel Universe figures with Alternators would look pretty cool. (It's a shame the last Marvel/Transformers crossover was so lame.)

So I want some figures, but certainly not all of them. But where to draw the line? I think the best place to start is with the Masterpiece figures. It then follows that given the distinct lack of Decepticons in the Alternators line that any collection I start would be Autobot based. (I would have to make an exception should a Soundwave Masterpiece figure be created though.)

I used to display my sports car based G1 figures together (Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Jazz, Smokescreen, Tracks, Mirage, Stepper, Wheeljack and Hot Rod). All of those characters have Alternator figures, perhaps with a bit of customisation thrown in, that could work quite nicely.

Maybe I'll just pick up Jazz and see how it goes.

Knock Offs

When I started collecting I bought a job lot of those crappy combiner KOs, terrible plastic and in some cases the wrong colours. I quickly realised my mistake, and sold them on (on ebay and I clearly labelled them as KO).

I've since seen the Constructicon KOs in a local shop, and I can't help thinking that it seems quite harmless. Hasbro/Takara aren't producing them (except the Combaticons I admit), no one buys them thinking they're the real deal, and they're not decent replacements for the real thing. Dodgy possibly, but useful kitbashing material. Verdict: Harmless.

(Incidentally I later picked up a set of Trainbots made by the same company which I intend to kitbash into something a bit more decent.)

After that first brush with KOs I stayed well clear until the WST seekers started being produced. When Dirge and Ramjet were produced I quite happily snapped them up to complete my collection, that's fine perhaps since there are no official versions. Skywarp and Thundercracker on the other hand were officially produced, these can go for US$100 odd on ebay. Somehow though this didn't produce too much outrage, perhaps because the official figures were blind packed and so cost the same as the normal figures. I picked up these KO versions because I wasn't prepared to pay US$200 for the real thing. Then the WST Dinobots were produced, again, no official versions exist but still unofficial/unlicensed product. I suppose you could argue that because there was no attempt to pass them off as official that there no duping. Verdict: Widely accepted but I'd be pissed if I'd spent that US$200 on Skywarp/Thundercracker.

Then there are various 3rd party add-ons, and unlicensed models. I won't name any, but this would seem to be in the same category as the Dinobots. Personally I think they're great, but legally speaking I suspect there is some infringement. Perhaps, my wanting these items, means that in my mind at least, I'm prepared to ignore the legal ambiguity. Verdict: Dodgy ground.

So there seems to be a pattern here - low cost items which are clearly different from official products seem to be accepted, but if you've ever come across a discussion on KOs on a online forum, it gets pretty nasty pretty quickly. Typically some poster will suggest that KOs are a cheap way of getting the figures that he/she wants in brand new condition, and someone will then reply to this that they still don't have the figures they want and that they're damaging Hasbro/Takara.

The figures that people really feel strongly about are the ones that imitate the real thing, for people in the know (i.e. people who know what figures have been reissued), these are usually quite avoidable - if you see a MISB Wheeljack for US$50 then it's a knock-off. Now I've seen it theorised that people new to the hobby will buy these, find them to be terrible quality and give the hobby up. It's possible I suppose, but reissues form quite a small part of the Transformer market, and for people shopping in their local TRU or Walmart, they're not going to come across them. Also reputable online shops either don't sell them or clearly label them.

I think the problem lies with KOs of figures that have been reissued. No one in their right mind would buy a KO when a reissue is available, and this is where the deception comes in: Metroplex. Metroplex was KO'd and reissued around about the same time. I'm not defending the people who produced the KO, but I imagine what happened was that they set about producing the figure (and probably spending a fair amount of money), Takara then come along and reissue the figure. If that reissue hadn't been produced, people would have bought that KO - it's a large figure with lots of accessories and prone to yellowing. The reissue was produced and so no one cared about the KO. The people who produced the KO were set to lose a lot of money and so created a box which imitated the Takara Encore box and sold their figures that way (to online stores who were unaware of this). Again, I'm not defending them, their business practice is clearly undefendable, but presumably they decided that they didn't want a warehouse full of Metroplex figures. Verdict: Terrible situation.

I hope that experience means we won't get any KOs of large figures again (which presumably are higher risk than the likes of Sunstreaker, Mirage, etc). So figures that haven't reissued; tempting, but personally I'd rather have (and in fact do have) a slightly battered authentic Sunstreaker. The problem is when they produce a figure which is prone to breaking and the original is very expensive. Case in point: Shockwave. I can't deny I'm not tempted, he's one of the few G1 figures left I want, finding a complete one without a broken/cracked hose and/or gun arm for a decent price is impossible. A reissue looks extremely unlikely since no one seems to know who owns the rights to the mold.

I think a common discussion point about this is who gets hurt by this? I know what I'm getting (i.e. a KO), Hasbro and Takara aren't going to suffer since there is no rival product (I buy shed loads of their product and buying a KO Shockwave won't change that). The place where people get hurt by this is the second hand market - if I buy a KO Shockwave someone out there who is selling a authentic Shockwave will not get my money, the market for Shockwave will get a little bit smaller. Of course it's not just me, lots of people will buy/already have this KO, I could argue that I don't really change things in the same way that me recycling doesn't really make any difference to the environment.

Perhaps what it comes down to is conscience - do I want to support a group of people who are producing figures which will ultimately reduce the value of my (authentic) collection? My most expensive Transformers is Deszaras, if they create a KO of him then my Deszaras will be worth less. Do I care? Should I care? I have no intention of selling him so it's only potential money, perhaps I could be annoyed that I spent a certain amount of money which if I'd waited I could have spent less. But perhaps that's life, that's no different to what happens with lots of items.

At the moment it is quite easy to avoid KOs, if it's too good to be true, then it's likely to be a KO. But what about in 10 years time? At the moment all KO Shockwaves are in 'mint' condition, give it 10 years and they will have 'authentic' signs of age. You go to buy a Shockwave on ebay in 10 years time and people who are buying KO Shockwaves now might not want that figure anymore and so sell it. They might not be honest and sell it as authentic. Maybe people buying that non-authentic figure might never realise in which case do they suffer in anyway?

I think I've covered most of the arguments for and against KOs but one argument I haven't considered is the legal argument. KOs are illegal. I'm a good citizen so therefore I don't want to break the law. To me that would be a particularly poor argument, I am of the belief that people pick and choose which laws to obey, in any country. It is very common for people to break the law if they perceive that no-one gets hurt or it's a low cost item in question. I'll give an example, you have $1 in your hand, you go to a vending machine and there's $1 already there. You see a $2 item you want, do you really just buy a $1 item and leave the other dollar there? It would be stealing because the true owner of the dollar might come back and claim it, would you let that worry you? The question is where do you draw the line? Verdict: Down to your conscience.

So that KO Shockwave; I'm tempted, very very tempted.

Being a Completist

When you're utterly obsessed with collecting something it's very hard not to be a completist. I think I'm somewhere between the 2 extremes - I tend to be a bit completist about sub-groups.

For example, the Animated line. Quite a few of the figures look cool - Soundwave for instance. But I couldn't cope with just having a random figure, it would be okay if I collected Soundwave figures, it would be okay if there were several 'cassettes' to go with him. But there aren't so I didn't. Grimlock on the other hand (ignoring the fact that I collect Grimlocks), has his 2 dinobot chums to go with him and so isn't so random.

In the Energon line, I couldn't just get 1 or 2 of the Terrorcons, I had to get all of them. (Although I got the Cybertron 'Dark' Scorponok rather than the actual Energon release.) It is my philosophy to get the best deco of a particular mold, another example of this is the Seacons. I collect G1, and I collect animal transformers. The G1 Seacons you think would fit quite nicely into such a collection, but alas to me the colour scheme on the Beast Wars II versions is far superior and so I picked that up in preference (and so haven't got the Nautilator mold).

So I'm rambling a bit, what was my original point.......... oh yes, being completist. So one of my collecting aims is (was perhaps) to get all the Transformers I had as a child, I now have them all except Runabout, who I just can't bring myself to get. To make up for this non-completeness I have made a custom version, additionally I had (and so got) Triggerhappy, I then decided he needed his Targetmaster mates and so Slugslinger and Misfire as well. So now got all the Decepticon Headmasters and Powermasters (plus all the original/proper Targetmasters).

I try not to be completist but sometimes it just plays on my mind, like the Botcon seekers for instance, having Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker I could cope with, but Starscream, Skywarp and Ramjet!? Please, just have all my money.............

Thoughts for the Week

Another week and my magic number of figures still to get is down to 10. I'm gonna take a break for a few months now, but my G1 collection will be finished before the end of the year. (2010 New Years Resolution - spend less..........)

In the meantime there's Botcon at the end of May - I've got my eye on the exclusive Razorclaw figure, looks pretty awesome, could be a bit pricey on the secondary market though. It would be great to have Classics/Universe updates of the Predacons but for the time being a repaint of Leobreaker will do. It would be good to also have a Hun-Gurrr from Cybertron Scourge ala the Legends repaint, maybe, just maybe.......

Then there's the new 'Device Label' Transformers from Takara, Blaster looks like he'll fit in the Classics/Universe line nicely. There are also Grimlock and Ravage figures in the line, as two of the most well known 'Primatives' they tend to get the most figures/homages in new lines. I've subconsciously started collections of these characters and so when new figures come out I'm always tempted by them. Not sure about Grimlock, but Ravage works pretty well. Might have to pick him and Blaster up. Hopefully there might be a Steeljaw repaint too. (Tigatron - WTF!?)

So Grimlock and Ravage figures, here's as many as I can think of... Green I've got, red I want to get.

Grimlock

• G1
• G1 Pretender
• Action Master
• G2 Blue
• G2 Turquoise
• Beast Wars
• Armada (Beast Wars repaint)
• Energon
• WST G1
• WST G2 Blue
• WST G2 Turquoise
• Alternators/Binaltech
• Classics
• Robot Heroes
• Animated Voyager
• Animated Automorph
• Masterpiece
• Device Label
• Hybrid

Ravage

• G1
• Beast Wars
• Transmetal
• Transmetals 2
• Alternator/Binaltech Corvette
• Alternator/Binaltech Jaguar
• WST
• Robot Heroes
• Universe
• Movie
• Device Label

Movie Ravage looks a bit like it has a Alien/Predator influence, could be my one and only Movie figure. I'm thinking about about a G2 Blue Grimlock (so between original G2 and WST I've got both G2 colour variations). For Ravage I'm thinking of the Transmetals 2 and Jaguar Alternator figure. I think I'll see how my collections looking by the end of the year before I decide to add them to the 'To Get' list. Must finish G1.............

And in other news there seems to be a couple of nice looking figures coming soon in the Wolverine: Origins line - Cyclops, Iceman, and a Blob - Sabretooth two-pack. Hope to see them soon.

Whereas the Marvel Universe and Wolverine: Origins lines seem to be firing on all cyclinders, the DC Infinite Heroes line seems to be barely moving. BBTS still don't have Batman in stock, and with no sign of the Joker or Nightwing, I'm hoping to see them in shops here soon. Rumour has it they've been seen!

The End?

I've just looked at my list of G1 figures I still want to get (see last post), and I'm down from 26 to 16. I've decided just to get on with it and get all the figures I want. Figures are (reasonably) cheap on ebay at the moment, and long term, they're just going to get more expensive. I think it's time to go those few remaining ones I want and then just 'cherry pick' the ones I want from new releases (including reissues).

In some respects it feels a bit crazy - buying figures at this rate, but there's a part of me which feels it's time to give up ebay. Getting all those figures would actually mark a rather significant turning point in my collecting - I wouldn't be playing catch up anymore, a new figure comes out, I buy it, no more scanning ebay looking for bargains. Also, it's pretty exciting.

I will miss it, but it would be nice to think I'm not wasting money anymore, and I could concentrate my geekiness on custom figures, and how best to display the figures I do have. Also there'd be no more trying to explain to my partner why there's a constant stream of parcels arriving......

Anyway, I've also bought my final batch of Star Wars Miniature figures, so now I just need the Kit Fisto Transformer (should be out soon), and I'm done with all the Star Wars figures I want. That is in it's self quite a milestone. I also picked up the Japanese version of the Power Rangers Tigerzord, it looks the same as the Western releases but chromed up a bit. Pretty snazzy!

Other than G1, the only other figure I want to pick up is Dragonzord and that's it, then it's a matter of sitting back and keeping an eye on new releases! (Transformers, Marvel Universe and DC Infinite Heroes.) There's a new 'Device Label' Blaster figure coming out from Takara which looks pretty sweet.

I keep an Excel spreadsheet of all the figures I own, and all the figures I want to get (did I mention 16 figures more to get!?). The strange thing about this list is that it's the closest thing I have to an actual realisation of my collection. That is, my collection is spread around all over the place, and for the most part in boxes hidden away. On display at the moment I have the 3 animated Dinobots and that's it, it's hard to believe I have hundreds of toys, and I often look at the spreadsheet in utter disbelief that I own virtually everything I ever wanted as a child.

I'm getting to the point now where I can't wait to display my collection properly. By properly I mean in some sort of cabinet. I've always been pretty secretive about my collecting from most of my friends and it's time to be honest. I think having my collection on display in a cabinet just has a bit more maturity to it than a bookshelf collection does, also it doesn't require dusting. Ikea and middle age here I come..........

Giving In

Sometimes waiting for a figure to hit the shops just gets too frustrating; it was released months ago in other territories and there just doesn't seem to be any indication it might turn up.

Case in point: Animated Swoop, the signs seemed good when Jazz and Soundwave appeared, but since then no new figures. It seems that since Blackarachnia is shelf-warming so much, retailers are reluctant to order new stock of Animated Deluxes. I've finally given and ordered Swoop online with the TRU exclusive, Countdown.

The later Cybertron repaints in the Universe on the whole have been pretty good, and I rather like having micromaster homages. In the Dreamwave Micromaster mini-series Countdown was one of the transformers who had 'down-sized' in order to be more fuel efficient, so this larger form makes sense. It would be good have a Skystalker for him to face off against, perhaps if they did a Universe Nightbeat he could be a repaint (they could do Minerva as well).

I was looking over the list of Universe releases and it's the first large line where I've got virtually every new mold, out of all the Deluxe/Voyager/Ultra figures, I've got all of them except Hot Shot, Cheetor and Powerglide. Funny perhaps that I don't mind large Micromaster figures, but large Minibots I object to.

So it seems like Universe is coming to an end now, I think the only figures I want to get are Henkei; Red Alert and the Minibot 3-packs. Then we're on to the next Movie. The Movie styled figures aren't really for me and so I'll appreciate the break and try and save a few dollars. The rest of the year will be all about Marvel (Universe) and Batman (Infinite Heroes).......

.....and G1. Still. I'm not sure whether I ever want to stop collecting G1, I suspect my collecting life will seem a little empty once I get all the figures I want, but then again, I'm not sure I will ever get all of the ones I want until I have every single last one. It seems whenever I get close to getting all the ones I want that a couple more suddenly seem a bit more desirable.

My list of figures still to get are:

• Pretender Beasts
• (Decepticon) Headmaster Juniors
• Combiner Cassettes (Grandslam/Raindance/Beastbox/Squawktalk)
• Deluxe Insecticons
• Targetmasters (Misfire/Slugslinger/Triggerhappy)
• Combiners (Menasor/Abominus/Devastator/Dinoking)
• Powermasters (Darkwing/Dreadwind)
• Skyhopper
• Shockwave

Pretty much all Decepticons and Beast-Formers. 26 bots in total (if you count the Gestalts as one). Some of those should be pretty easy to get hold of at a decent price, some of the 'Master figures can be pretty pricey though (because of how easily the partner is lost I guess). The tricky thing will be not adding more figures to that list, already I'm considering in my mind that it would be good to get the Beast-Formers I don't have and or more Micromaster bases (particularly those expensive Japanese exclusives).

I think what I have to remember is 2 things; there's no point getting a figure for the sake of it, and I don't have room to set up a Micromaster City. (But if I did, that would be so awesome!!!) If they ever reissued Dai Atlas then I'm not sure I could resist but whilst he costs several hundred dollars it's reasonably easy.

Toy Hunting

It occurred to me yesterday to try an out of town shop to see if I could track down a Universe Superion. It was a 50 minute train journey up the coast, and unlikely as it seemed I came up trumps.

I have a feeling in the European and Australasian markets that hunting is generally pretty pointless, as you have no idea whether the figure in question will even get released (as a guide the first figures of a line are almost certain but the later ones are unpredictable). Hunting for a figure you saw several months back is better because you actually feel like you have a chance.

Feeling kinda crazy I picked up Special Edition Drag Strip as well. They both had 15% off so I couldn't really argue, and I think the experience has taught me that if I see something I think I might want, just to pick it up there and then, and if in a year's time I don't want it then I can sell it on ebay. This seems a far better strategy than risk buying for an inflated price on ebay in a year or so's time.

I'm not opening a lot of figures at the moment as I don't have the space to display them, ideal for such a 'I might change my mind in the future mentality'.........

So I was rather happy as I took the 50 minute journey back, it's very rewarding buying a figure in store but sadly it's just not possible in the majority of cases.

It occurred to me having bought the two Universe combiners that there was a fair amount of potential for customising a bit, with Universe Bruticus you have an easy Vortex and Brawl, perhaps throw in Astrotrain for Blast Off and Hound for Swindle and with Universe (Ultra) Onslaught there's a Bruticus. Equally for Menasor, Universe Drag Strip (this is why I bought him), perhaps Classics Hot Rod, Universe Prowl and Sunstreaker for Wildrider, Dead End and Breakdown. Maybe Onslaught from the Universe Bruticus as Motormaster and you're done. Not in scale of course, but just a thought.

I'm not sure why but I seem to prefer the post 1985 Decepticons to their Autobot equivalents, perhaps because they usually had animal or plane alt-modes but still, even with the scramble city combiners I don't have much time for Defensor or Superion. (Still a Universe Hot Spot would be pretty sweet, there's the Titanium option of course but then that would be quite small, and a repaint of Universe Inferno is always a possibility.)

Equally with the 'Master's (Head, Target and Power), all the Decepticon characters seem cooler, and it's these characters I'd like to see fleshed out a bit in the ongoing IDW comics. In the Japanese cartoons which featured these characters it was always the Autobots who got the characterisation (although Buster and Hydra did pretty well). Ah, here's to hoping.........

Other Stuff

So as I think I said in my first post, I'm a geek, I collect transformers but I also collect 'other stuff'. So what is this 'other stuff' of which I speak?

When I had just started collecting I couldn't resist picking up the NECA Brain Gremlin figure (I love Gremlins 2). He's completely out of scale but utterly cool. He also has the privilege of carrying the Autobot Matrix of leadership.......


















Star Wars Transformers (and later Star Wars miniatures) were my first toyline away from G1 that I started collecting but then I realised I was always being tempted by other figures and toys. I blame BBTS for this, you can see what other stuff is being released and so I got NECA's Stay Puft:














And also their TMNT figures. I don't have any particular loyalty to NECA (or in fact Hasbro) but they seem to make all the toys I'm interested in.

I decided therefore to try and some representative of all the characters I thought were cool from the various toylines I was (and had) been interested in.

I have a toy of pretty much every character of note from Transformers, I have a Stay Puft figure from Ghostbusters, the Ninja Turtles (not too bothered about other characters) and almost of all the Star Wars (film) characters and vehicles.

Computer games were a major part of my teenage years and I'm still rather fond of Sonic and Mario now so I picked up PVC versions of them (plus Luigi and Tails, etc). I have an almost complete set of Earthworm Jim figures from the early 90's and I've just picked up a Sub-Zero, Scorpion and Reptile figure from the relatively recent Shaolin Monks Mortal Kombat line. Those 4 games series were my favourite character wise (I've bought comics or watched cartoon series of all of them!).

I plan to get the Dragonzord and Tigerzord from Power Rangers (I guess I must have liked PR because of the similarity to a certain other robot based line.......), I have some rangers from the Micro Machines Power Rangers line which I reckon will work in scale with the Zords. There's supposed to be a Thundercats film in 2010 so there are sure to be figures released for that. I'll get that kidney on ebay now.......

I've been a fan of Marvel and DC (well Batman really) for ages as well so I spent some time looking for a line of figures to collect to get those characters. Miniatures was one option as they would fit in well with the Star Wars figures and indeed I got some Heroclix figures (available in both Marvel and DC flavours) but the quality of painting was terrible and not quite right anyway due to their bases.

Marvel Legends were another option, pretty much every character ever was represented but they just seemed a bit too large and expensive (I was a few years behind so ebay would have been pretty steep). I also considered figurines (the lead ones you get with a magazine) but they didn't seem toy like enough, a bit too serious for my taste.

Then the Marvel Universe figures were released, in the 3.75 scale, then I found out that there was also a DC Infinite Heroes line in the same scale. Perfect! I've been able to follow the lines from the start so have been able to get the figures at their retail price. It's been quite exciting following the news releases from SDCC and Comic Con, etc.

I'm being pretty strict with myself, so I'm only getting characters I'm familiar with (so basically any which have appeared in a film or have featured in any of the cartoons from the 90's). Hasbro are also doing a 3.75 scale line for the new Wolverine film which fits in with the Universe line. Most of the Universe figures are sitting in my pile of loot on BBTS but they weren't offering the individual figures from the Wolverine line so when I saw them in a shop yesterday I picked up Gambit and Deadpool. I'm not familiar with Deadpool but I figure he is appearing in a film and by all accounts sounds like a pretty cool character. Plus he has swords. (Transformers with swords are always a win as well.)

I opened Deadpool today and I'm pretty impressed; a nice level of detail. I wasn't so impressed with the actual Wolverine figures I saw - the traditional tan and brown costume one looks like he's constipated (I didn't make that observation myself but read it somewhere, but having looked at the figure I whole-heartedly agree) and the yellow and blue looks like it's lacking something. The X-Force Wolverine in the Universe line looks pretty sweet so when it gets an inevitable release in traditional colours I'll be picking it up.

Apparently there are going to be some exclusives where there's a normal sized figure with some super size character (Silver Surfer with Galactus for example), there's also supposed to be a Wolverine with Sentinel figure so that might be the best one to pick up.

I think that just about covers all the toylines I have/plan to get/want to get. My last thought is about scale; now admittedly as a Transformer collector this isn't too much of a concern but I have given it some thought and I reckon everything fits into 5 scale groups:

World's Smallest Transformers (this includes the various city bots such as Metroplex and Omega Supreme)

Rest of G1/Classics (pretty much all my transformers including the SWTF and Star Wars miniatures, I'd throw Stay Puft and the Power Ranger Zords in here as well.)

Masterpiece/Alternators (I don't actually have any of these (yet), but the 3.75 scale figures I think would work quite nicely, equally I don't have any GI Joe figures but Alts plus Joes would make for a good display. It would be quite nice if they released some Thundercats and Ghostbuster figures in this scale.)

Turtles/Computer Games Characters (6" scale, pretty much everything else I guess)

Gremlins (Brain Gremlin and Mohawk. It would be sweet if they released some of the others)

Classics/Universe

There had been various G1 homages throughout the Armada, Energon and Cybertron lines and Hasbro finally gave the fanbase what they wanted with Classics. Prior to Classics I had started to be tempted by non-G1 figures such as RID Scourge and Cybertron Scourge, and when Classics first came out I didn't really take too much notice but when I saw them in various shops I had a look but still didn't buy them.

It was Ramjet and Mirage which finally tempted me, Ramjet I think because I liked the idea of having a set of posable seekers and Mirage just because he seemed so cool. When I finally gave in I bought Mirage, Bumblebee, Starscream and Hot Rod in one go and Jetfire a few days later.

Not long after, the Botcon seekers were announced. This topic has been long argued about on TF boards so I'll briefly summarise my thoughts; I wanted them enough to splash out on them on ebay at top dollar. Was I 'gutted' when the Japanese versions were announced? No (as a side issue here I moved across to the other side of the world just before they arrived and they're still sitting in my parents' house unopened). It was a risk when bought them on ebay, and 2 years later I'm glad I bought them. I look forward to uniting my seekers collection!

I then picked up Ramjet and Prime. We then got Henkei and much improved versions of Astrotrain and Megatron. I also picked up the Henkei versions of Starscream and Bumblebee, obviously they weren't vastly different from the Hasbro versions, but I had plans to do a few customs. More about that at some point..........

So Classics then become Universe and the line has continued. I haven't got my hands on most of the figures (they're sitting in my Pile of Loot on BBTS) but bought Bluestreak and Sideswipe as they looked cool and were childhood favourites. I'm really impressed with them both.

As with the previous Universe line there have been new molds but also repaints of old (mainly Cybertron figures). I've got pretty much all the new G1 themed figures except Powerglide who I can't quite convince myself on. With the repaints it's a tougher decision, I've got the Cybertron Defense repaints (Dropshot and Countdown) and the target exclusive repaints (Springer, Ratbat, Dirge and Roadbuster). Oh and Leo Prime.

There have also been repaints of the Energon combiners (Devastator in Classics) and Superion and Bruticus in Universe. As if so often the case I ignored them initially, but then this happened:

http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/viewthread.php?tid=11055

For me that's the sort of awesomeness I can't ignore. I desperately hope that the kit gets released and also equivalent Devastator and Bruticus sets created. Annoyingly I saw Superion in shops and passed on him, but I managed to find Bruticus (today in fact!).

I'm the sort of anal collector who likes to have one version of each character and these sets muddy the water a little. Universe Onslaught and Silverbolt, or Universe Superion and Bruticus? I think whether these add-on sets get released will be the deciding factor. Although having said that there is a Titanium Hot Spot on the way, there's also a Menasor (Motormaster) Titanium figure (admittedly just a repaint of Rodimus Prime) so with these combiner torso versions of Onslaught and Silverbolt potentially you have all 4 scramble city leaders and in scale. But then again E-Onslaught looks a bit like Motormaster. Decisions decisions.............

Apart from Silverbolt and Onslaught there are also legends versions of Bumblebee and Hot Rod in addition to the original deluxe versions. I think I can pass on Hot Rod quite easily although given that Cybertron Optimus Prime is a homage to Star Convoy, I think he could work as a homage to Micromaster Hot Rod and so they could work well together. I don't have Cybertron Optimus Prime so it's not an issue but Bumblebee I am tempted by. Bumblebee was a minibot and some of the other minibots have been released as legends (Beachcomber, Brawn, Cosmos, Wheelie and Warpath). Apparently there's also going to be a Henkei legends Cliffjumper. Scale wise, the legends versions of Bumblebee and Cliffjumper would work quite nicely, but then what of the deluxe versions? Deluxe Bumblebee is possibly one of the finest Transformers ever, excellent homage, simple transformation and looks good in both modes. I'm torn to be honest. But then perhaps Deluxe Bumblebee would work well displayed with some alternators. I don't have any alternators though..........

So all up we've now got modern versions of most of the original series 1 and 2 bots, I think Jazz is the main exception and maybe Soundwave (if you don't count the Music Label version). Let's hope we get a third Classics incarnation!

Star Wars Transformers

Star Wars Transformers (SWTF) have been around for a couple of years now, we now also have Marvel Transformers and together they are known as Crossovers.

Despite growing up with Transformers I missed out on the Star Wars phenomenon by a few years. I saw the original films, I have a vague memory of watching the Empire Strikes Back at Christmas one year but I wasn't really a fan particularly.

I watched Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones and quite enjoyed them (perhaps because I never felt so attached to the original trilogy!), and over the course of having a couple of weeks off work ill, watched all of the other 5 films before watching Revenge of the Sith. Combined with watching the (original) Clone Wars cartoon I started really getting into Star Wars. By the time I saw ROTS I had then started thinking about getting some of the figures.

Then Hasbro announced that they were creating Star Wars Transformers. It couldn't have been better timing if they tried, it was a way of getting the vehicles and characters from the Star Wars universe without deviating from my Transformers only toy stance. In addition I wasn't too keen to get lots of figures of the exact same size. One of the things that I like about Transformers is the variety of figures, size, colour and bulk. I didn't perceive that other lines had that variety.

So the figures, Darth Vader, Obi-Wan Kenobi and General Grievous. The figures represented a couple of firsts in my collecting - the first time I bought figures in person and not on the internet and secondly Transformers that had nothing to do with G1. These figures were posable and highly detailed, something which I hadn't experienced before.

Reading various online views of these figures you'd think they were absolutely terrible. As I've said they came along at the right time for me. Granted they probably don't compare too well with the likes of say the Cybertron line figures but at the time for me they were cool. There seems to be a perception that Hasbro made these figures at the expense of other Transformer Universe figures. Given that these figures were Star Wars figures that happened to transform makes that highly unlikely.

Anyway, I really like these figures and was glad that the original three were followed up by Luke and Anakin Skywalker, Darth Maul and Boba Fett. Inevitable repaints followed, and now we're at the stage where most of the main characters in the films have a figure. (Leia and Padme are notable exceptions.) They also made Han Solo and Chewbacca into a combiner, and did another Darth Vader as a Death Star planet-former.

I really liked the little pilots that (originally) came with the figures and it occurred to me to get mini figures for the characters that didn't have any representation (such as Leia). After a bit of research I eventually came across Star Wars Miniatures created by Wizards of the Coast. The figures were non posable but were well designed with good levels of detail.

(Some are classified as rare and so are somewhat over priced but that aside the figures fitted the bill.)

I've got most of the figures so far but I think I'm almost done with the line, I don't particularly want multiples of each character (such as Episode II and III Obi-Wan) and so pick and choose (mainly getting the original). The Clone Troopers have repaints which I've largely ignored although I got rid of the Republic Gunship in favour of the Clone Wars cartoon redeco. The robot mode is pretty awful as it has tiny little legs but it's a cool vehicle.

The new AT-TE figure looks pretty cool so I'll pick that up but I'm not familiar with some of the new vehicles which are getting figures so I'm just getting some of the new Jedi figures (the Plo Koon and Kit Fisto Episode II Starfighter repaints) and that's it.

The Star Wars Transformers aren't my favourite bots but they represent an interesting idea and ultimately characters and vehicles I like and are an easy and relatively cheap way of collecting them. Collecting them led me to the idea that I should get some representation of all of the characters I like from various different franchises (outside of Transformers) and so were another step to having a serious plastic crack addiction!

I gave some thought to getting the Marvel Transformers, they seem to be viewed more favourably by Transformers fans but for me the thing about the Marvel Universe is the characters and I want toys which accurately represent them. By getting the Star Wars miniatures I was getting accurate representations of the characters, by getting the SWTF I was getting accurate representations of the vehicles. Marvel Transformers don't give me accurate representations of anything and so they're not for me. I might get a few for some customs though........

WST

World's Smallest Transformers. Not the official name for the line but an appropriate name and the one that has stuck.

I was a strict G1 person until I became aware of these figures just as the (official) line was dropped and so just managed to avoid the extortionate prices that the likes of Bluestreak and Ultra Magnus go for now ($100 anyone?!). I realised how well they'd display with Metroplex and co and so for the first time got a non-proper G1 figure, obviously not a million miles away from G1 as they're G1 characters but it was the start of my moving away from the figures of the 1980's.

So the official releases are Optimus Prime, Jazz, Prowl, Bluestreak, Sideswipe, Red Alert, Bumblebee (and Red Bumblebee), Ultra Magnus (Magnus really since there's no 'Ultra ' trailer/armour) and Hot Rod for the Autobots, Megatron, Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Thrust, Soundwave and Ravage for the Decepticons. I think this line is typical of how I see collecting going for me in that it's being kept alive by non-official figures. Non-official releases have added the remaining seekers (Dirge and Ramjet), the Dinobots, and various Wonderfest releases including Stepper, Springer, Goldbug, Arcee and Slugslinger. Oh and there's a Tracks figure coming from somewhere.

There are some WST Combiners and Fort Max as well but I suspect they're not such as good quality (as say the unofficial seekers) although I have no experience of them. Also a WST Fort Max doesn't really make sense for me as I want WST figures to display with the proper Fort Max not a scaled down unofficial figure.

Shockwave and Blaster are expected this year from Just Toys so the future seems pretty healthy (Wheeljack was hinted at as well.) I guess Smokescreen could also be easily done and a Skids prototype was shown before the line cancelled (as was the Tracks prototype).

I've got all of the official figures (not including Red Bumblebee) and the non-Wonderfest unofficial figures. I did manage to snag Arcee for a good price though. I'd love to get Springer and Magnus's Trailer but I think you have to draw a line somewhere and paying several hundred dollars for a single figure is crazy.

Here are a couple of pictures of my WSTs - Metroplex with the official Autobot official WSTs and Sky Lynx with the WST Dinobots. WSTs are awesome and I hope the line (unofficially) continues.

Reissues

Reissues. An ideal way for G1 fans to get the figures from their childhood without paying through the roof ebay prices and something that really kick started my collecting.

It was the Takara Collection reissues of Prime and Megatron in 2003 that did for me, when I got PM Prime as a kid I was acutely aware that he wasn't the proper one that I'd seen in a catalogue years before when I hadn't even learned to read and write. And Megatron, much like many of the animal-formers I wasn't even aware that he had a toy.

After some deliberation I got Prime and Megatron. And Jazz and Prowl, then Skids, Tracks and Smokescreen, Sideswipe, Inferno, Starscream and Soundwave. I was hooked on reissues and eagerly checked the Transformers websites for news of the latest reissue.

The Takara Collection reissues were brilliant, good packaging, great artwork and a few little extras such as Prime's energon axe.

Astrotrain, the Minibots, Hot Rod, Hound and Stepper then followed over the next few months, then I found out about some of the older reissues: God Ginrai, Sixshot, and Sixtrain and the other Micromaster combiners. I snapped these up as well, God Ginrai was particularly cool as I left the main figure in the box and used God Bomber to 'upgrade' my childhood PM Prime. Sixshot was and is one of my favourites, cool colour scheme, animal mode, a brick yes, but so much playability if I could send one figure back to the 10 year old version of me I think he'd get the nod.

By this time the reissues were coming thick and fast - even Hasbro got in on the act and so my reissue collection was boosted by the likes of Rodimus Prime, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Dirge, Bluestreak, Red Alert, Grapple and Hoist. That Christmas Takara really did something unexpected and released the Predacons one of the so called reissues that would never happen.

Then came the Insecticons, Blitzwing, Soundblaster, Kup, Wheelie and Blaster. Blaster and Soundblaster were particularly significant as I then started venturing on to ebay to get the animal cassettes that hadn't been reissued (Ramhorn, Overkill, Slugfest and Ratbat). Combined with the Dinobots I suddenly had most of the animal formers from the first few years (84-86). Galvatron got a surprise release as well in anime colours.

The release of Stepper and Soundblaster (and the e-hobby release of Twincast) were interesting releases as they fell into the category of rare outside of Japan and so ridiculously overpriced on ebay. The reissues of these meant that people who had forked out for them in some sense lost money overnight. Something is only worth what people are willing to pay and with the rare exception of people who want originals; if a reissue is available people will choose that over an expensive original.

Blaster was to be the last collection reissue, and the reissues went on hiatus until the Encore line which was a return to the original style boxing. Having got all the collection reissues meant that I wouldn't follow the Encore line too closely but Ironhide, Ratchet and Trailbreaker were all released and meant I had pretty much all of the 84 releases. Sky Lynx and Omega Supreme really shook up the potential of the line and with Metroplex proved Takara were happy to release some of the bigger bots.

I managed to get Trypticon for a really good price on ebay (with working electronics) and I picked up Mirage, Sunstreaker and Wheeljack. My collecting was really focused at this point - 1984 and 85 Transformers and the cast of Call of the Primatives.

I've picked up most of the figures that have been ever released, notable exceptions are Star Convoy whom I've given much thought to but eventually decided against since he doesn't feature in any fiction that I've ever read or watched. The only other reissued figures I don't have are the 1986 Minibots, I deliberately passed on these in my bid not to try and collect every figure ever. I know nothing of the characters of these figures, and since they're repaints of 84 and 85 figures which I do have I don't see the point in owning them. If I could just stick to that decision there may be some hope........

Reissues have really shaped how and what I collect, getting all of the 84 and 85 bots became an obvious goal (particularly those which featured in the anime) and collecting of all the leaders.

I think I've managed to mention every G1 figure which has been reissued (did I mention Landcross was released as a 'Micromaster' combiner?). I suppose you could also include various figures which have been recycled for other lines, particularly the Takara Brave series which used many of the Japanese exclusive figure from the tail-end of G1 and Brave Maximus in the Car Robots (RID) line, a recoloured release of Fortress Maximus. The Seacons and Trypticon got released in the Japanese Beast Wars line, missing a few accessories (and one team member for the Seacons) but otherwise complete. For me the Beast Wars Seacons have a superior colour scheme to the originals and so I picked these up instead of the G1 figures.

The Combaticons are also due for release along with some more of the cassettes. It will be interesting to see what the future brings.

Primacron's Little Helper

One of the few episodes I have on video from my childhood is 'Call of the Primatives' (the other episode on the tape is 'The Girl who Loved Powerglide', I'll say no more....). I ended up watching that episode rather a lot.

That episode combined with a childhood love of dinosaurs meant the Dinobots were my favourite characters, the Predacons were also really cool as they seemed to be the Decepticon equivalents of the Dinobots, then there was Sky Lynx and Trypticon, and various cassettes. So many cool characters, but funnily enough that the whole thing was one big advert escaped my innocent childish mind. It was a great surprise when thanks to the wonder of the internet I found that they had toys.

One of my collecting goals is to get all of the G1 animal-formers (Primatives if you will).

First Post

So I may as well get this out of the way; I'm a geek. I collect Transformers and other toys and dammit, I enjoy it!

My reason for starting this blog is to share my thoughts on this hobby with other such geeks, as well as various musings on all aspects of life.

So where did it all start? Well inevitably I suppose in childhood. My first Transformer was the dinobot Slag. I reckon I must have got him in about 1986 or so, he's long gone now but somehow I've managed to keep his sword and his successor proudly holds it as a reminder of that first bot.

I managed to accumulate a few over those childhood years but eventually they were almost all broken, thrown away or given away. Grimlock and Powermaster Optimus Prime are the only ones of note I have left and I consider them both to be among my most prized figures.

When I got to secondary school peer pressure meant that I couldn't really be seen to like Transformers anymore and G1 was pretty much dead so it just sort of fell by the wayside. Once in a while I'd watch a few of the videos I had, but pretty much it was just at the back of my mind.

When I was college I decided to venture back to the toy shop and found something new: Beast Wars, I picked up a few but it didn't really feel the same as those original childhood figures. Again a few years passed and then I saw the Transformers: The Movie had been released on DVD. It was all downhill from there, I decided to get more videos, then to collect the rest of the dinobot figures (I had Grimlock and a beaten up Sludge). Then came the Takara Collection reissues, Star Wars Transformers, WST, Classics and then non-Transformers toys. Oh dear......