My primary focus- up to now- has been CHUG, mainly Deluxe and Voyager. Despite having a few legends sized figures, I don’t like that size class. I have also passed on some leader sized figures- like Inferno and Grapple. No reason for them to be so big while Optimus was a Voy, or a Deluxe.

However, I’ve lost my focus on that. CW got old, fast... and the TR line has all but killed my interest.
I guess it was inevitable; since 2006 aesthetics have changed, parts counts have changed, philosophies have changed- and I’ve rode it out since 2006. But (1)- literally (1)- TR figure turned it all around for me and completely changed my outlook on collecting CHUG. All the figures in the TR Line that I initially thought was fine then became sour disappointments. And, looking ahead to the PotP line I can’t really see anything to get excited for. Maybe the Dinobots; but I have to take a wait and see if the combining gimmick comprises them too much.

So, concluding that there is no decent future for CHUG I have decided to collect excellence. I have indulged in 3P and have gotten WJ’s os Evasion Optimus- possibly the finest Figure ever made. I also got their os Hound- with mixed feelings. I am even replacing my MP Grimlock with a cheap $20 osko Warbotron Grimlock. Why? Because for $20 it can do what MP Grimmy, maybe better. So my MP Grimmy is f/s. I have also gotten Leonidas, and fixing up my Official Takara Ginrai with 3P add one to make him more of what they should have. Plus, the aforementioned MPM BB with plans to get Battle Hornet, and now Striker Noir.

Like I said- I am in a weird collecting place.

 

I have buyers remorse for not buying apollyon when he was $80

 

Have you considered going MP only? There are a ton of official and 3P options at that style and scale.

I really like the MMC Reformatted, Maketoys Cross Dimension, and MAAS Toys figures. They are all I collect from 3P.

 

As soon as I pay for something I have remorse. But then the item lands on my doorstep and the remorse goes away extremely quickly!

 

This, so much this. I used to collect whatever I could get my hands on if it was a character I even vaguely liked. Made weekly trips to TRU and all when new stuff came out but after a while it just sucked the life (and money) out of me. Cut myself off cold turkey for about a year or two before finally deciding that it was MP only or nothing at all. It made such a huge difference for me! My purchases are much further apart now, but I enjoy each new figure far more than I ever did. My only regrets now are waiting too long on a figure and seeing it sell out. I am a much happier collector now that I've focused down on one thing.

 

Actually, I did.
I started down a path to gradually replace my CHUG with MP.
It started with a KO MP Sideswipe. That’s what got me into collecting Takara MP’s.
I have Wheeljack, Prowl, Grimlock, YOTH MP Optimus, and Bumblebee. But then... I got Tracks... which marked the beginning of the end of my MP collecting.   I saw Shockwave and knew I wanted none of that. I honestly don’t get the love for that figure. I also saw and passed on Hot Rod.
Then I got Ironhide... which marked the end of my MP collecting.

I have been considering going the KO route.

 

Maybe I need another hobby...

 

I regret purchasing 3rd Party combiners. I think Warbotron and ToyWorld/Zeta kind of ruined the experience for me because I was actually okay with the scale TFC and MMC were working with. Even with UT and their Ordin: I knew the scale wasn’t accurate, but it was at least consistent. I hate feeling like I have to press the damn reset button in my combiner collection. Its the only part of my collection I’m not satisfied with. It’s to the point that I’ve considered selling all of my 3rd Party combiners and just waiting until Takara finally decides to tackle them at the MP scale. At least they’ll remain consistent from a scale standpoint.

 

I regret a huge chunk of my 3P purchases. When CW/UW came out I realized how bad my FP/MT combiners are because they're unfun to transform and barely even resemble the characters. I wasted like $500 buying 2/3 of FP Dinoking and its shells, but now I don't even care enough to buy the remaining figures. The only 3P combiner I still sort of like is MT Giant. Then TR came out and released better looking toys than the ugly Function-X crap for a fraction of the price. And even if you DO like the Function-X aesthetic, good luck getting all the characters in the same style when Fansproject is being slow as hell even showing finished prototypes.

Honestly I would probably be better off if I never bought any 3P figures except for some Perfect Effect and MMC stuff. And there's still some MMC stuff I regret too, like those Elita-One and Solus Prime fembots with finnicky as fuck transformations.

 

I don't mean to disparage anybody here but I've never thought of my transformers collection as my "hobby." I buy things I like and I put them in a display that I can look at and enjoy but to me a hobby is something you actually do. I mean unless you're customizing or building dioramas, or doing nice photos or something, collecting isn't really doing much of anything.
My hobbies are drawing, painting, 3d printing, occasionally customizing a transformer figure, and playing video games. My collection just sits there while I do my hobbies. I've given thought to painting some backdrops for them or building dioramas (aka playsets) but just collecting itself isn't a hobby in my book.

 

All of the titans returns figures that I bought. After the new toy smell wore off now I find myself with three incredibly underwhelming figures that don't fit anywhere else in my collection.

 

You’re still technically doing things when you’re collecting. Many collectors will mess around with their figures: transforming between modes, combining/assembling, and posing them. Hell, many will share those experiences while playing with their kids, which is another involved activity. Sure, it can be a passive interest for some, where nothing else is done beyond display. But a lot of collectors are more hands-on than others, so this should still be considered a hobby. The level of involvement is ultimately what varies.

 

I think any Mp from Mp10 to Mp22 are great, maybe with the exception of Mp11 mold which have the already known issues, which doesn't botter me but a lot of poeple does. That said there are a lot of repaints of those molds which may no interest you.

And as others said it is a "hobby" in my opinion only if you do something with them like making a bunch of pictures, if not you may need a "proper"hobby to fill your mind. Any hobby at some point it is based on how much money you can throw in, and that sucks, at least in my experience..

And if you still are on the Tf collecting train, i say try some 3p combiners which give you the extra gimmick between going from bot to alt.

Im not too deep in the collecting transformers because i dont have much cash but anyone can tell you sometimes it is a bit frustrating occupation.

Good luck to you, do whatever makes you happy if it doesnt hurt you in any sense and peace.

*Drops mic*

 

I don't get this pov tbh. You've got a near complete set of combiners at the MMC/Warbo/tfc/ut scale, all CHUG and I bet TFC will finish off the later stuff at that scale anyway. The others are just following the money and going bigger for the mp crowd now.

Regards the original question? No regrets on anything. If I don't want it after buying I'll just sell, no harm, no foul.

 

You can have mine for $80.

 

I don’t see what’s so difficult to understand about it.

 

If stamp collecting and coin collecting are considered hobbies then I dunno why Transformers collecting can’t be a hobby

 

I just bought the Grinder head replacement and now am thinking why tf did I do that? I think I prefer the standard one and despite it not being G1 accurate, actually rather the version crests on the brows.

Once it arrives I'll see what I think, but I suspect I'll be on-selling it.

I think the other issue is that I paid more than original retail for it as I waited too long.

 

Maketoys Despotron (only kinda... great toy but the things that bothered me in pics bother me in hand... still displayed prominently though. i guess not so much a regret as a "coulda lived without it")
Maketoys Hellfire (great toy, but not "my" Inferno)
FT Insection (overpriced, kibbleicious, and I dont like the way the limbs break up for articulation... IMO the badcube bugs were just better)
If I do decide to get Cesium, either that or Scoria is going to be one, depending on which I like better
oversized KO stunticons
Tanaka OS Starscream (I should have gone the Robot Hero route)
Warbotron Bruticus (not really though... i had mp scale combaticons i was happy with for several years, they've only recently been replaced)
Generation Toy Stunticons (I got the first 2 and decided not to get any more)
TFC Seacons (only never got past the first 3. Great toys but just too much bare plastic. i also dont like the idea of having to knock out a pin to mod the neck. but i admit, if i do find a good deal on the last 3 id get them)
XTB Stax... looking back, it never really fit in that well with the rest of my masterpiece collection. Plus its hips are just Unforgivable.

 

Once you accept that not everybody likes the same thing, it hardly registers anymore