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.........