I transform them back and forth. Right now, I am in the middle of getting them all into Altmode (it takes a few evenings!) but I don't really play with them. I might fire missles at my wife or drive them over her or just poke her with them until she smacks them away and threatens to withhold "fun time".
I play with my tfs I dont play with them like I did when I was 10 but yeah I play with them. what would be the point of haveing them if not to have fun with them.
I play with them (I'm 28). I basically do a combination of the above two quotes (the top one is kind of taken out of context, lol). I do "random battles." I randomly grab a 'bot and 'con and have them battle including one transformation each. Once I get through all of them in this fashion, I start over, but transform them the other way. I don't get to do it too often, so it might take me a couple weeks to get through my relatively modest collection. That being said, I am much more careful with them than when I was little. They generally fight in slo-mo rather than hitting each other at full speed like they used to (my gf does play rough with them though which can make me cringe, lol, probably because she often is conscripted into playing TFs with her 4 yr old nephew who plays that way). They also don't go in the flower bed, shrubs, sand box, He-Man slime, or anything else like that anymore.
I will usually pose them and transform them every once and awhile......but if I get the urge to play I just go jump on xbox360 Transformers Rotf Multiplayer and have some fun.
I'm currently 21 yrs of age and have been collecting since the first live action movie came out (been on a Beast Wars binge as of late). I was a little embarrassed whenever I first started collecting again but as of late I could really get two shits. Besides I find imagination to be a valuable asset and I'll never let that go. I'll be like Ray Harryhausen and treasure my imagination. As for whether I play with my figures, I mostly just fiddle around with them, pose them in action stances while listening to videogame music (yes I'm a freaking geek and proud). If I ever get off my lazy ass I wouldn't mind taking up stop-motion photography, just like the ones up on Youtube.
Not had a toy battle since I was 7 I don't shoot missiles at toys either. I pick the toy up while watching TV - switch it's mode push the car about a bit or pose the creature mode if it has one. then I fiddle with the figure mode. then I repeat with something else. They are Fiddleformers. If I 'play' with anything I suppose it's Gi Joe as I might make a little set up with them for a laugh... Mainly I photograph my toys outside or play with them one or two at a time. I don't shelve them by type either they are all mixed up (more or less a combination of what i'm using and what is a similar size). So looking at what's close by.... Universe Bruticus, standing astride a couple of BTS Trailers, Leader Bulkhead, Alternity (silver) Megatron, Bumblebee & (Red) Convoy.Vity Commander, [Iron Man 3.75" Iron Monger], Yellow Rampage, Red Rampage, T-600, and a couple of other endoskeletons, assorted rise of Cobra toys, Legends Devastator, Classic Optimus, Henkei Optimus, Superlink Laswerwave, 10th Anniversary DX Megatron (purple), Henkei Ramjet, Henkei Bumblebee, Sports Label Convoy & Megatron, a selection of Star Wars Transformers Episode II Jedi Starfighter types. ROTF DX Ravage, TRU Crane Mudflap, Galaxy Force Meglo-Convoy, 5 Gravity bots, 4 RPMs, Universe Prowl, Oilslick, some Spy Troops Gi Joes, Energon Treadbolt, Landquake, Animated Oilslick. Two Energon Rodimus combined together, Marvel Crossovers Thor and Indy & Mutt Williams [is mostly what I'm playing with at the moment] And on another shelf Botcon Banzai-Tron, Transscanning Optimus (in truck mode), Universe Ironhide, Henkei Astrotrain, Galaxy Force Soundwave, Henkei Grimlock, a G2 Helicopter rotorbot, Henkei Ratchet, Acid Storm, Movie Premium Jazz, Marvel Crossovers Ironman Fox Kids Transmetal Cheetor (red), Titanium 6" The Fallen, Henkei Skywarp, MP3 Soundwave, Henkei Starscream, Henkei Thundercracker, 6" Titanium Megatron. Few Microman (including Supergirl). Titanium 6" Optimal Optimus, Megabolt (green), (clear Orange) ProtoformStarscream, Transcanning Bumblebee, The Animated Allspark & a 2" Movie Allspark, ROTF Ransack (plane mode), RID Prowl, Quintesson Executioner, Animated Swoop & Snarl, Titanium 6" Skywarp, Achardis & a Star Wars Transformers Mana-guard starfighter (vehicle mode). Scattered about randomly is Leader Nightwatch Optimus, Classics Astrotrain, Incinerator, Armada Starscream. And more else where... take to long to list... but anyway it's all a mix. If you'd asked me a month ago the place I'd got all that was full of junk and I only recently cleared it to make a shelf for items I'm playing with at the moment.... and last month I was into playing with Legends toys.
I stopped playing with them when I was 13 or 14. I realized I still love Transformers, but you just cannot play with them anymore, it's not the same like when you're a child. It's not entertaining, just stupid. It was a sad moment somehow. You know your childhood finally is really over.
I'm a 31 year old collector. No, I don't tend to 'play' with my figures, really. I collect them, love to look at them, and every couple days I take one or two off of the shelf and transform it or them. I also have a Star Wars collection that I look at while it collects dust and a MASK collection that mostly collects dust but I fiddle with them every once in a while too.
I think what I do is just an evolved version of what playing meant when I was 6/7. Back then it meant constructing my own fictions and lying about the room pretending it was a battle field. Now..play means that I fiddle with them, put them into neat poses, and take photographs. Though there is one common thread. Mom used to find TFs lying all around the house. Now my gf finds them. Of course now it's things like having Prime/Megs fighting on top of the television set instead of missiles/whatnot in the floor. Childish? Yes. Fun? Most definitely.
I think I'd like to say that there is probably a better place on the board to discuss the social and psychological development of the collectors/enthusiasts/etc. on this board than this thread. I think the discussion would be much better served on a broader scale. The presupposition that those who "play" with Transformers have a ******ed social and mental development would not be given a fair discussion without discussing "play" with a much larger variety of toys and other aspects of that discussion. Even toys such as basketballs and board games would need to be thrown into the mix. As for this thread, I am 30 and still "play" with my TFs. The differences for me are: Actual time spent: As a kid, I didn't have anything else to do much other than a little bit of homework and playing with toys. As an adult, I have more things that demand my time. Displays: I didn't have a set display as a kid. As a matter of fact, this has served my collection very well now, as I was taught to put my toys after usage. This made me very particular with keeping up with my accessories and such. Spending: Obviously now, actually buying toys is dependent on myself versus asking Mom or Dad to purchase. I still confer with my wife, but that's much different, of course. Repairs/Kitbashing: As a kid, one of the things that happened to me was the infamous broken roof. My Dad tried to help me repair it, but the repair was unsuccessful. Fast forward to last year where I successfully repaired it. I am confident now if I have a figure break or whatnot, that I can probably repair it. As far as kitbashes go, take a trip to Radicons and the Customs Gallery and look me up. I'll let others judge there Longevity of interest: Granted, I was actually into Transformers for quite a while as a kid (G1 Bludgeon was probably my last figure I got), my interest level was shorter overall. I've been into Transformers now since 2000, and its pretty much solidified as "my hobby" in that regard. Complexity of interest: This can be attributed to Hasbro and the way things are now a bit more as well, simply by there being much more product out now. However, it's just a much more complex hobby than it was when it first came out. Conventions, message boards, eBay, online stores, brick stores, toys, comics, fan art, etc. That's not comprehensive, but I think that's a good robust answer to the op here. That being said, I have to go mow the lawn for the first time this year. After that, I may end up playing with some toys before work
I only "Play" with my Masterpieces. I bust out Grimlock lines with his voice all the time. Everything else is displayed in my cases.
I rarely touch mine, anymore. Once in a blue moon I'll get the urge to transform one, but that's about all. If I do it's usually a G1 toy, not anything newer.
I tend to leave my figures on display alone, displayed. These are the figures kept in my room, on the bookshelf or on my computer desk. Off limits, unless a figure is getting replaced or simply taken off the display. The figures in my garage however, are another story. They're either kitbash fodder, WIPs, or just figures that I have no desire to display. And those will get brought inside or up into the room as I watch tv or youtube videos and be fiddled with and transformed and such. Often this is how I come up with ideas to kitbash and such anyways. All I need to do now is work on finishing kitbashes and repaints... Now while I technically am "playing" with the figure, there's decidedly less storyline, action, and interaction than when I was playing with my toys as a kid. And for the record, I'm 26.
