Resist

Post by **Best First** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:26 pm

Saw the MicroMaster Devestator in TRU today.

Picked it up.

Thought about it.

Put it down again.

I think my wholesale TF buying days are done.

Strange.

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:49 pm

I have to admit, I worry about that happening to me, especially as I have no idea what I will do with the 100's of figures that I already own.

But I cant imagine myself being, say 30, and still wantiing to display such things....

worrying...

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 3:55 pm

I'm currently reorganising all my shelves (ran out of DVD space), and started packing a lot of my TFs away to make room for the reshuffle... and as I was doing it, I realised that for a lot of them it's probably the last time I'd see them (space, money, plus the fact that they get displayed in a room I barely bother going in)... and it didn't even bother me.

If only I had the motivation to actually sell stuff on eBay. It's far too much hassle for me...

Hound · Post by **Hound** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:16 pm

oh dear...

I like the new Galaxy force stuff, I really enjoyed Energon, Alternators are generallly good although I am losing interest.

I wonder if the problem is we are having no closure? At least g1 has ended and it gave fans a break until g2, and then Beast Wars after that, but its really been full steam ahead since Beast Wars.

Maybe us jaded fans need a break

Post by **Denyer** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 4:32 pm

Hound wrote:I cant imagine myself being, say 30, and still wantiing to display such things....

I can... I don't collect/display much, but it certainly beats ornaments that you can't pose.

Post by **Best First** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 5:17 pm

Hound wrote: But I cant imagine myself being, say 30, and still wantiing to display such things....

hmm, depends on how much space i have.

But having a massive colection, as i do, is rapidly becoming a pain in the arse. Masterpiece Prime will always have a home tho.

Agree about eBay - but may dip my foot at some point.

I've gon eoff Binaltech at present.

I'm still buyingh the G1 reissues, and thats it now. May get Galaxy force prime and Megs, for old times sake.

I think themian thing is the novelty of being able to afford it all has really worn off.

I'm not sure if its bad or good. It's def wierd. After you get a rep for collecting TFs its strange telling people you have stopped. Hmm...

Optimus Prime Rib · Post by **Optimus Prime Rib** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 6:15 pm

Still got that freakin SWAT team too lol.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Thu Mar 10, 2005 10:33 pm

The times that I've tried to resist buying the new TFs I see. I always say"This is the last one" - but it isn't. I think it's more out of habit now - unless I get rid of something totally, in all its forms, I just can't do it. We old fans are just not as engaged by TFs as we used to be. When we were kids we had to rely on parents for our 'bots - every new one was a treat. Now I can buy a set of new ones in a single transaction when they crop up in a shop, it's not as much fun.
Alternators are still good (except all those repaints), and MP Prime will be on my desk for as long as I have a desk - probably because he's more ornamental to me than toy. i don't display many TFs and most that can go back into the packaging and be resealed are in storage within a few weeks. I just don't have the room for hundreds of TFs I own (must be around 700) to be on display. I have all my collection packed away in about 30 boxes - I haven't seen my G1 stuff for about six years or more.
Thing is, if I was going to dispose of my collection, I'd want to do it all in one massive sale - a few here, a few there: I'd be at it forever.
I'm dreading 'Cybertron' almost as much as I'm looking forward to it - all those new figures - I'll need to buy a new cupboard.
We need a TF library - borrow for a few days and then return...

quintesson_judge · Post by **quintesson_judge** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 4:38 am

ah no way, I'd be 100 and still showing off Transformers. I love transformers, it's a part of who I am, and I'm not about to change who I am, not for anything. Playing video games, reading comics, etc etc. I'm going to die that way.

maximized · Post by **maximized** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:26 am

I know how you guys feel...I but little to NOTHING now...maybe one thing a month, or less.

I think I've just come to that point where it feels like enough is enough...practically all of what I've got is stored away, and I really need to go through and ebay things off, as I already with with a lot of ARMADA.

quintesson_judge · Post by **quintesson_judge** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:33 am

You people are pathetic. Come on, how is it now these days people just up and get tired of stuff, that you can't be honest with yourself and what you believe in what you enjoy. Just up and change it at will. I mean yes, it's a show, they are toys, yadda yadda, but that goes for anything.You loved every bit of it, and you can't deny it. What, are you trying to say that you have some image to maintain, or, new image to have, are ashamed at some certain age to admit you do enjoy Transformers? I can understand if you'd want to take a break from going out and buying the merchandise left and right, and that there is more out there to taste, to experience. But to deny what you have always enjoyed? ah well, maybe I'm alone on this matter, but that won't change my feelings any.

Brendocon · Post by **Brendocon** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 9:47 am

quintesson_judge wrote:You people are pathetic.

Thanks for the pep-talk, ma. All better now.

It's not about image, or suddenly deciding we don't want to do it anymore. It's just a case of... it stops. On its own. Things in people's lives change, and for whatever reason, things that used to give them pleasure no longer do.

Evidently it's something you can't empathise with unless it's happened to you. But calling somebody pathetic just because they've found that they no longer identify with a certain aspect of their life isn't really gonna win you friends.

Churchgoer: "I'm having a crisis of faith. I don't think I believe anymore."
Pope: "Quit your whining, bitch! Now pray!"

maximized · Post by **maximized** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 4:10 pm

Pathetic?

No one is saying that they don't enjoy transformers anymore...you can still enjoy something without owning every single piece of it...

Brendocon has it right...

It's just a case of... it stops. On its own. Things in people's lives change, and for whatever reason, things that used to give them pleasure no longer do.

Evidently it's something you can't empathise with unless it's happened to you. But calling somebody pathetic just because they've found that they no longer identify with a certain aspect of their life isn't really gonna win you friends.

[/quote]

Snowcat · Post by **Snowcat** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:11 pm

Well, I`m 28, and the compulsion to buy TFs has never been so strong. I don`t think it`s anything I`ll grow out of, and I hope it`s not, all it means is that the missus will have to put up with a lot of plastic action figures in her life, which to date, hasn`t bothered her in the slightest.

Post by **Denyer** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:30 pm

quintesson_judge wrote:You people are pathetic. Come on, how is it now these days people just up and get tired of stuff

That which does not change is dead.

And since we're doing rounds of insults: arsehole.

quintesson_judge · Post by **quintesson_judge** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 5:41 pm

so the choice of words wasnt great, so? If you haven't noticed that wasn't really the point.

so, pathetic? get over it, besides, this is a web-forum. Who in their right mind would've taken something so lame as a little oh "insult" as you put it, so seriously?

Not one person here has touched the point of my comment. Natural change is natural change, but to change for the sake of an image, concern of how you are met by society at a certain point in your life, that i dont agree with. That is exactly how previous comments would have come off, but given the reaction to MY comment, you people are far too slow to grasp that. It may not have been what they meant, but that's the feeling I got from it. and,as I will attempt to explain my point again, to change for those reasons, I dont agree with, but to change, because of yourself and no outside influence, that's obviously different, I suppose more natural. But whichever, I take it from the result of this disscussion you guys dont have to worry about all this as most of you seem to be about 11 or 12 years old. (of course that's a broad assumption but it seems 95% of society these days takes every little thing read online more serious than anything offline) but all in all proves how simple minded people can be, one flashy word grabs your attention and I'm sure you didnt even bother to read the rest.

My situation is remotely the same as Snowcat's there. My desire to experience TFs is stronger now than it was when I was younger, like its a chunk of childhood I missed out on, and refuse to let go of, my girlfriend has already come to terms with that. Infact, in alot of ways feels the same.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:40 pm

I'm not tired of Transformers at all. I started collecting back in 1984 when they first came to the UK and I'm still excited by TF stuff in whatever form - I even buy two copies of those tatty little Armada colouring books, even though I'll never colour in them (I'm 30 years old and perhaps a bit past colouring books).
It's not that I feel I have to stop for any social reasons or image - I have no image if I can help it: too much hassle - it's more the continual expense and storing of toys that I'll probably never see again for twenty years until I want to find something specific for some reason. Hell, I make my own TF t-shirts and wear them in the pub with pride.
The big boxes are piling up and I just need the room. I'd prefer NOT to sell my TF stuff - I'd only CONSIDER that option if I had a family to support and no cash when the bills roll in.
I'd love to show off all my TF collection, but I'd need a frickin' warehouse to do it - I just have to give each figure a short spell on the desk until I need the room for another more practical reason.
That said, I still got the Energon micro Constucticons fromTRU and the Kicker and bike set (I HATE Kicker!), so I guess I'll be buying TFs for the forseeable future. As long as I can afford it and have the room, I'll be happy to continue.

Post by **Kaylee** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 9:25 pm

quintesson_judge wrote:so the choice of words wasnt great, so? If you haven't noticed that wasn't really the point.

so, pathetic? get over it, besides, this is a web-forum. Who in their right mind would've taken something so lame as a little oh "insult" as you put it, so seriously?

Not one person here has touched the point of my comment. Natural change is natural change, but to change for the sake of an image, concern of how you are met by society at a certain point in your life, that i dont agree with. That is exactly how previous comments would have come off, but given the reaction to MY comment, you people are far too slow to grasp that. It may not have been what they meant, but that's the feeling I got from it. and,as I will attempt to explain my point again, to change for those reasons, I dont agree with, but to change, because of yourself and no outside influence, that's obviously different, I suppose more natural. But whichever, I take it from the result of this disscussion you guys dont have to worry about all this as most of you seem to be about 11 or 12 years old. (of course that's a broad assumption but it seems 95% of society these days takes every little thing read online more serious than anything offline) but all in all proves how simple minded people can be, one flashy word grabs your attention and I'm sure you didnt even bother to read the rest.

My situation is remotely the same as Snowcat's there. My desire to experience TFs is stronger now than it was when I was younger, like its a chunk of childhood I missed out on, and refuse to let go of, my girlfriend has already come to terms with that. Infact, in alot of ways feels the same.

Brend addressed your point exactly and raised an annoyance at being casually labelled pathetic. I fail to see the problem.

Darth Aux · Post by **Darth Aux** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 11:03 pm

I'm getting rid of some of my TF's, I don't even own a lot and you know what it is all about, IMAGE. Not because I worry about how people perceive me, but about the way I want to be.

Am I pathetic no, it's just who I am now right now.

I've decided to keep my BT Grimlock, Alt Smokescreen, try and finish off G1 Defensor and if I can get a cheap enough GF Starscream then that will be the last TF I buy.

That's it, no more. If a comic comes our way then I shall pick it up and I'm still gonna post here, but my collecting days are over.

We've all been through the loved these Tranformers as a child stage at one point or another. Some people stick with it, some people decide enough is enough for finance reasons, others because they don't like their image. Whatever the reason, it's their reason so like it or lump it, just keep your "pathetic" opinion to yourself.

maximized · Post by **maximized** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 5:00 am

I haven't abandoned collecting because of an image or how society views it. In fact, I could care less what society thinks...I grew out of worrying about that years ago.

I don't dabble so much in collecting because I have other things that my time and money must be directed to, such as spending the right amount of money to adequately take care of myself as I get older and to save for the future..and frankly, I have all of the older collectibles that I want and don't care for many of the things that are being produced now.

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 8:33 am

I'm 24. I only collect Alternators, Takara Bookstyle Reissues, and WSTs. When I'm not in college, and I happen to have a salaried job and time to collect, I look forward to being able to spend more money than I should on TF.

However, I completly understand that the romance with that concept may die out after awhile, ie Besties, our OP.

Post by **Best First** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 3:35 pm

quintesson_judge wrote:You people are pathetic.

Hey new guy! Nice to meet ya! Its good to see you will be contributing in a balanced and mature fashion. I can't wait to hear more from you! Oh look, here's some stuff right here. Lets take a look shall we?

Come on, how is it now these days people just up and get tired of stuff, that you can't be honest with yourself and what you believe in what you enjoy.

You do realise there is no logic in that sentence don't you? How does people getting tired of things – a perfectly natural process, have anything to do with people not being honest and 'believing in what they enjoy'?

Just up and change it at will.

If you would. Maybe a little less obnoxious? You should probably remove that penis from your forehead while you are at it.

I mean yes, it's a show, they are toys, yadda yadda, but that goes for anything.You loved every bit of it, and you can't deny it.

Actually I can. The show was crap. Some of the comic stories were lame. See? However where is anyone saying they didn't enjoy collecting previously? Anywhere? No. All that is being said is that that enjoyment has started to fade for certain people. So really your criticism is nonsensical and based only on attitudes you seem to have manufactured on behalf of people here. Are you following? Or are you just reading this and deciding on my behalf that I mean something else entirely.

What, are you trying to say that you have some image to maintain, or, new image to have, are ashamed at some certain age to admit you do enjoy Transformers?

And again – where does anyone say that? In fact when I said "After you get a rep for collecting TFs its strange telling people you have stopped." That rather implies that people readily know about me collecting TFs doesn't it? So once more it seems you are having a go at people you have essentially made up. Are we on medication perhaps?

I can understand if you'd want to take a break from going out and buying the merchandise left and right, and that there is more out there to taste, to experience.

How magnanimous of you. Heroic almost...

But to deny what you have always enjoyed?

Which no one is doing

ah well, maybe I'm alone on this matter

No, there are definitely other wankers out there.

so the choice of words wasnt great, so?

So... you have just announced yourself to the site as a bit of a bell end. Well done you.

If you haven't noticed that wasn't really the point.

Which, as we have now seen, was to have a go at people based on nothing whatsoever. Maybe you should have stuck with being rude, and then we could have just regarded you as insulting rather than deranged.

so, pathetic? get over it, besides, this is a web-forum. Who in their right mind would've taken something so lame as a little oh "insult" as you put it, so seriously?

Right. So you call people names and, because it’s the internet (oh! The internet!) they should let it go? But why would they when they are clearly all wittier and more intelligent than you? Surely they can have more fun dissecting your idiocy and pointing out what a prize plank you are being?

Besides which if we are talking about over reacting how exactly would you classify labelling people as pathetic because they have stopped collecting toys?

Not one person here has touched the point of my comment.

Because it doesn't exist?

Natural change is natural change, but to change for the sake of an image, concern of how you are met by society at a certain point in your life, that I don't agree with.

Good for you. Maybe you should raise this point in a topic where it is relevant.

That is exactly how previous comments would have come off

Show me where? Go on. Find me one comment above that implies people are losing their love for collecting based on image?

but given the reaction to MY comment, you people are far too slow to grasp that.

Oh my, that’s so cutting. Although it may be that people were in fact quick to recognise that you are quite annoying and somewhat afflicted by an inability to think logically and chose to ignore you.

It may not have been what they meant

...or wrote...

but that's the feeling I got from it.

Chemist was shut when you got there right? You need to restock on the pills before you run out man.

and,as I will attempt to explain my point again, to change for those reasons, I dont agree with, but to change, because of yourself and no outside influence, that's obviously different, I suppose more natural.

Ya think? Philosophy major, huh? Jesus...

But whichever, I take it from the result of this discussion you guys dont have to worry about all this

Uh, why does anyone have to worry about it?

as most of you seem to be about 11 or 12 years old.

Ooh! Good one! Your like the new Bill Hicks or something.

(of course that's a broad assumption but it seems 95% of society these days takes every little thing read online more serious than anything offline) but all in all proves how simple minded people can be, one flashy word grabs your attention and I'm sure you didn't even bother to read the rest.

Or to put it another way you want to be able to act like a tosser and not get called on it. Hmm... no. Oh, and I read the rest, it was baseless bollocks – a petulant reaction to something that wasn't there. So really they did well to stop where they did eh?

My situation is remotely the same as Snowcat's there. My desire to experience TFs is stronger now than it was when I was younger, like its a chunk of childhood I missed out on

No, I think that was probably school.

Now **** off you rancid mound of sputum*.

*please note that though this post was peppered with insults non of them can be considered insulting as they were made in the virtual realm.

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Mar 12, 2005 10:31 pm

quintesson_judge wrote:Natural change is natural change, but to change for the sake of an image, concern of how you are met by society at a certain point in your life, that i dont agree with.

If I gave a toss about how others perceived me, I probably wouldn't have a shelf of MOTU figures. And certainly wouldn't talk to students about my taste in music.

Now, you can either show a touch of maturity and quit throwing around phrases like "you people" or we can sit here and idly lay into you for your grade school social skills. We're easy. Making fun of trolls has been a popular pastime of the last few years.

I've never understood completism with toys. Picking up the handful of decent designs in each line, yes. Completism with fiction if it continues to be enjoyable, yes. The multitude of repaints, slight remolds and garishly half-finished designs that have comprised a lot of recent Transformers lines, no. I can entirely understand why people would decide not to bother completing a set, because the detail and engineering is a lot less consistent. A few alternative releases are fine—choice is good—but why anyone would want Tracks in yellow, Tracks in blue, Tracks with a limited edition sticker, Battle Ravage and Swerve... I'd say that borders on the obsessive.

Frankly, obsession is fine too as long as people don't treat it as a competition.

Post by **snarl** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 12:58 am

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...

The crazy Frog > Quintesson_*************

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 2:12 am

Ouch. Looks like Quintesson Judge has to go sit in the "Bad Side of Bestie" corner.

Tell Predabot "Hi." while you're over there.

Aaron Hong · Post by **Aaron Hong** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 4:12 am

Shanti418 wrote:Ouch. Looks like Quintesson Judge has to go sit in the "Bad Side of Bestie" corner.

Tell Predabot "Hi." while you're over there.

Pred's in a different corner, judge goes into what Sims 2 terminology would call the Ban Bin.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 10:49 pm

Denyer is right - it's the lazy way the repaints now make up half of the toy line that has probably put me off of wanting to complete the current set. I'm a total completist with most of the stuff I like, but I just can't justify buying something I've already got 'cos it's now blue instead if red (that said, Energon Starscream repaint is kinda nice).
The problem with all that is that once you don't complete one set, it knackers up your until recently complete set - and once that happens, the line is broken and the sheen goes off of the completist thing.
I was the same with Pokemon cards, having the first four complete sets, but then my shop stopped getting them for about six months and when they returned I'd lost track of where the sets had got to. I'd be lost if I tried to work out what I've missed over the last couple of years.
Still going to buy the new TF stuff while I can afford it though...

Shanti418 · Post by **Shanti418** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 2:18 am

Still, with repaints, it's all a matter of personal taste.

For example, I'm not going to buy Omega Sentinel, or Energon Unicron, or especially the upcoming MP UM. That's ridiculous.

On the other hand, I have no problem buying both original and repaint versions of Alternator molds because then when I display them, I can have them displayed together in opposite modes.

Same with completism. I plan to collect original G1 one day when I can seriously go after everything I want. But I'm not going to collect gestalts, because I can remember that even when I was a kid, I didn't like them because all the limbs on most gestalts were extremely basic figures with very similar transformations, nonexistant articulation, and little square heads. They weren't fun at all on their own: only in the context of being mashed together to form a bigger bugger. Apologies to Predaking, of course.

Remember, repainting isn't some new fad: I was raised on Hoist/Trailbreaker, Grapple/Inferno, Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker/Thrust/Dirge, etc.

Autobloke · Post by **Autobloke** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 7:23 pm

At least the G1 repaints were distinctly different characters, and although it was done back then for the same reasons as it is now (cost of new moulds), it's just become an excuse for easy money these days. Reading the mostly negative veiws on repaints, surely it can't be THAT much of a moneyspinner?
There are more gestalts without 'blocky head syndrome' now - the Energon ones aren't brickheaded - and the even back then, in the G1 days, there was Devastator.
It's just repainting half the line at the end of its run (as with Energon) - and then not even bothering to make them new characters - is a con of the largest order. I for one won't be taken in.
The displaying alt modes together is a good arguement though.

Post by **Denyer** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 8:47 pm

Shanti418 wrote:Remember, repainting isn't some new fad: I was raised on Hoist/Trailbreaker, Grapple/Inferno, Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker/Thrust/Dirge, etc.

How many kids had more than one of each mould? Parents don't tend to be any more keen on duplicating toys than their offspring usually are. Red Alert, Grapple, Bluestreak and Smokescreen usually wound up playing second string to Sideswipe, Inferno and Prowl. And how many kids completed more than one gestalt?

On a related note, I think not keeping 'regular' versions of characters on the shelves harms sales. Kids want toys of characters as they're depicted in the fiction, and there are limits to how much the fiction can adapt to A being reformatted as B or showing up in new colours—kids imprint colour schemes and designs. To the extent that supposedly grown fans are now whining their little heads off at the thought of Soundwave not being a tape player in the upcoming movie. They probably never noticed the character being reformatted into a tank in Machine Wars, or a mini car in G2, or being a Cybertronian lamppost in the first episode of the original show.