Sort it out

I've made sense of my collecting, here goes: collect all characters such that I can make any team or group from favourite films/cartoons/comics (primarily Classics Transformers and 3.75" Marvel). For my important/favourite characters/teams get them in a larger more detailed scale (Masterpiece Transformers and Marvel Legends). For absolute favourite characters collect all figures (Grimlock, Ravage and Iron Man, plus auxiliary characters - the other Dinobots, cassettes and armour wearing characters). Collect micro sized figures to complete teams not available or too expensive (WST/Lego/Megabloks/Minimates). Here's a bit of Grimlock and Ravage appreciation as I'm just bagging them up.

I've also bagged up my Action Masters, they've really grown on me as characters since reading Lost Light, particularly Mainframe.

I realise what I find more troubling than not having a figure or team, is just having a couple of members. I think what's needed is a few box sets just to tidy things up from the smaller size classes from Prime Wars. So, what I would need is a boxset of the three remaining deluxe Insecticons with (legends) Eject, plus Toraizer and Hosehead Titanmasters, then another boxset of the five remaining Throttlebots with (Primemaster) Waverider and Stranglehold. Only a couple of the Throttlebots and one Insecticon would need new molds, and a bit of remolding for Stranglehold. Sort it out please Hasbro!

I’ve taken a picture of my Ark crew, not an easy picture to take. So I had started to change my mind on Earthrise Wheeljack and Sunstreaker, but now I’m starting to think Jazz and Tracks could also benefit from an update.

I'm working from home now and a new thing I've started doing is Transformer of the day, I pick a random figure to sit on my desk. Jetfire, IDW Fortress Maximus and Alternators Ravage have all had the nod. It's good to do a bit of appreciating. Ravage is a particularly great figure, and because of the size, one of the best headsculpts.

I opened up my final two 3.75" Marvel figures - Ulik and Whirlwind. They're both fairly minor villains, but since they both appeared in A:EMH are needed for my collection.

I've also opened Ptero (headmaster Swoop), would have been cool to get the whole Dinobot team, but he's pretty cool. I must admit I sort of forgot about it.

Earthrise Starscream has arrived. My first Earthrise figure! I’m so glad I made the decision ahead of its reveal that I needed Voyager seekers. It’s like a mini masterpiece. A scaled up version of the deluxe was just what I wanted, the transformation is slightly more complicated - the forearms took me a little while to get right. Looking forward to getting Skywarp and Thundercracker.

I'm thinking about what figures to keep at the moment. It occurs to me that it's no longer about keeping the best figures, I think I need to be more strict than that. I have got rid of great figures in the past though, Jetfire and Omega Supreme stand out from G1. Bumblebee from Classics, Onslaught from Universe. The Combaticons from Energon/Universe. The Cybertron Defence repaints from Cybertron (I still have Scattershot as Countdown). Third party wise I think Mastermind Creations Predacons. I'm about to add a lot more names to that list, but I think I'm more likely to keep a figure if it's an entirely different character.

Okay, I’m sold on a voyager Scourge now after taking these pictures. G1 Scourge needs to hold his own! I sort of like the idea of Scourge being smaller because (in my mind) he/they were created from the Insecticons, but really he should be the same sort of size as Cyclonus. In a few weeks I’ve gone from being entirely happy with my early Generations figures to thinking they pretty much all need replacing!

Deluxe Minibots?

I am trying to take all sentimentality out of the main part of my collection, so the question I am asking myself is if I was starting from scratch, what would I buy? Omega Supreme is a bit of a stumbling block. The Siege figure looks great, but he's almost the same size as Metroplex, I've always though he should be a bit smaller. The YOTS version transforms into a space train, and looks great, perhaps not quite cartoon accurate but recognisable at least. I'm okay with reimaginings. I also like the idea of having the best figures from the Unicron trilogy in my collection.

On a related note, I am determined not to get Earthrise coneheads. Somehow it makes more sense to me for them to be the same size as Scourge and the Decepticon Targetmasters. I kept my WST seekers in order to have a set where they're all the same size. I know the Earthrise figures are going to look amazing though. Skywarp and Thundercracker have been confirmed, they look great, which has resulted in me putting an order in for Starscream. He's on his way!

Thinking about other figures I didn’t upgrade/replace, several of the movie cast had new figures in Titans Return - Hot Rod, Kup, Blurr, Perceptor and Scourge. I’ve looked at them again and am happy with my decision, but a couple of the old figures could be better. Hot Rod especially. Siege Astrotrain is one I've looked at, l but I like having all three Decepticon triple changers as headmasters at exactly the same size so I’m good. Jetfire, I’ve given him some desk time and I’m okay with the Generations 30th one, he looks great and is the size I want.

I am going to pass on Jetfire and Omega despite their Siege toys being better. It preserves the ‘specialness’ of Metroplex, Trypticon, Fortress and Scorponok (I would make an exception for Black Zarak as the G1 figure is my holy grail, he has an animal altmode, he is the Destron leader from Masterforce once Devil Z inhabits him, and he would compete my set of demon generals from Zone). Their size counts against them and there’s nothing wrong with the versions I already have. No really.....

Dinobots and Constructicons aside, I think Cyclonus is the main figure I want to see in a different size - voyager rather than deluxe, despite it being the best Universe figure.  It would run the risk of an accompanying voyager Scourge which I don't (think I) want. The cassettes are a right old mess, is it too much to ask for a set in the same sort of size and style?! Whatever happened to Legends Eject? And I'm still using KFC versions of Steeljaw, Ramhorn, Ratbat, Overkill and Slugfest.

It looks like the minibots are sliding towards the small deluxe size (I haven't got Earthrise Cliffjumper yet). I think what I’ve got is pretty much there, a new deluxe Huffer would be good so he can pull Prime’s trailer. And Pipes. I’m still using my iGear figures for both of them. Assuming we get a Hubcap from Cliffjumper (I'm using a spare Legends Bumblebee as a stand in) then I'm all good. I have Titans Return Bumblebee on standby. A smaller Warpath might be good though I'd be pretty torn - the deluxe is fantastic.

In terms of future Titans, I think there is a case for redoing Metroplex. Beyond that, an Ark play set perhaps. I think they could do some of the Japanese characters - Galaxy Shuttle, Grandus, etc, but at the Commander price point perhaps?

No screw holes

Still going through boxes and bagging things up, I’ve got some great figures - Dinobots Snarl (repaint of BWM Sabreback), and Sixtrain and Sixliner stand out particularly. It’s good to rediscover them. Snarl is a funny figure in that I only became aware of it (and the others) when I first started collecting, and when I was searching on eBay for a G1 Snarl it came up on a few of the searches. Sixtrain I discovered by chance in a shop selling kitsch Japanese stuff, and I quite like having a pair of them.

I’ve put in an order for a (Mattel) Jurassic World T-Rex, the Hasbro one I had was wobbly and the rubber on the neck had started to disintegrate, however it had (I think) a better sculpt, particularly on the head. The Mattel one is much more stable and has no screw holes. Hope to start customising it!

Going through my boxes, I made a pile of instructions, another of parts, another of the actual figures, and another of figures all nicely bagged up. The nicely bagged figures made me feel much calmer so I think I’m on the right track. I’m almost done with the boxes and will start tackling the figures (sort of on display) on shelves. Still a heck of a lot to do though.

For a long time now I found myself almost fanticising about having one toy per character, whether the G1 figure or not. Once I got over the sentimentality, I think I’m okay with it. If I lost my entire collection, I realise I wouldn’t buy a lot of toys again - it was the memory associated with the toy that I was holding on to, but I realise now that I still can have the memory without owning the toy. More to the point, I have figures which I’ve got rid of with happy memories attached to them. The happy memories are still there, the Classics Dinobot minicons for instance - I replaced them with the DOTM G1 coloured versions, with no loss of memory.

Thinking about it I’ve got rid of lots of great figures over the years, and it’s fine. I think I do want a figure of almost every G1 and Beast Wars character - I like the idea of being able to replicate particular teams, and for certain teams it’s nice if the toys are of a similar style, but beyond that it’s a matter of getting the best version of a character (ignoring Masterpiece and third party for the most part).

Paid for my final two Seacons, think I will have them before the middle two which are supposed to be arriving from China at some point (they haven’t shipped yet). Combiner Wars (and the sequel Power of the Primes) was amazing, I wonder whether we’re done with combiners? Still hopeful for a deluxe based Devastator (maybe I should get the down sized KO), the remaining Lio Kaiser components and Road Caesar. Maybe Landcross and Dinoking/Monstructor? I’d be happy for Landcross to be reissued again.

Opened up Marvel 3.75" Quasar. He survived the cull as I love the (look of the) Annihilators team, it might have inspired me to get on with a Ronan custom, but instead I've found myself thinking about Dracula.......

I also opened Jessica Jones. It took me a few years to get round to watching her Netflix series (I enjoyed the Jewel costume cameo), and so a few years more to actually open her. My Netflix Defenders are complete!