it really sucks to have a hobby you need a butt load of money for. it's sucks even more when all you can do is read about it and not really partake. then again, i suppose that is the nature of a hobby; buy, display, buy, display. maybe i should look at it as just toy collecting. either way, something i love is getting further and further away. it's gotten to the point where there's no meaning to it anymore. how can i look at this and still enjoy it? i'm trying to not let this little bit of happiness fade.

 

If you only like collecting the toys, its kind of hard to do without money. There are other things to enjoy though, if you like this message board. Read the fiction, look at the pictures, talk with people.

 

i disagree that to be a TF fan you need a butt load of money. a basic TF figure isnt that expensive in the 1st place, and its not like u gotta collect everything to be a fan.

theres also the comics, cartoons and other stuff to geek out from.

toy collecting isnt the be all and end all of being a TF fan...

...bitching abt it, is.

 

It just depends on how big of a TF geek you want to be. If you are one of the real dedicated people out there you buy for your collection before you pay your bills.  

 

or it can be about the thrill of the hunt. Looking for great bargains, deals, and the like.

 

Enjoy the ones you have if money's tight. That's what I did when I was in school.

 

For TF fans/collectors on a budget, I recommend buying loose and pre-owned. I bought all my TF G1 DVD sets and BW pre-owned for 50% and more off retail. I rented BM through Netflix since I wasn't sure I'd even like it--turns out I did like it, but I easily saved myself $20 or more not buying it at all.

More than half my 300+ TF collection is loose stuff I've either gotten through trades or buying lots. I never buy imports. And I only buy vintage TFs loose (what's the point of buying them MIP if I'm going to take them out of the package anyway?).

I don't believe fans who collect only for monetary value truly deserve to call themselves "fans." And besides, toys really aren't a very good investment when you consider the long-term variables (like storage space, market price fluctuations, and if you ever have to move...god help you).

If you're burned out on collecting, go through your collection and see if there's any stuff you don't really care to hang onto. Trade or sell that off and focus on buying the ones you really truly want, not just buying for the sake of having.

I know personally that nostalgia can really take hold of you when you see new stuff on the shelves/pegs. I remember all the ones I wanted to buy 20 years ago but didn't for one reason or another. Now I want those, and it's not cheap to try recapturing your childhood. And then I constantly see the new stuff and have this dilemma: is this going to be something I might later regret not buying? So I end up buying toys that I don't necessarily want.

So, yeah, it can be an expensive hobby if one allows it to be. Just focus on what you love about it and maybe consider some of these less expensive alternatives to collecting.

 

I disagree (like the others) on the needing a buttload of money aspect. It's free to watch the shows on TV. And free to enjoy any TF DVDs or VHS tapes you've previously bough. Posting on the boards and reading news cost nothing except time. And if one limts themselves to 1)Only mainline and 2)Don't buy 4-5 of the larger size class figs. Then collecting as a whole in not too costly.

*EDIT* Like Kickback said above me, you don't have to buy them all. Just buy what you like  

I'm not sure you want to go there Voiceroy. Comments like that tend to be slippery slop as everyone gets into it or any hobby for differing reasons. Hell I even pay attention to what some of my G1 pieces are worth. It's just another aspect of the hobby I find interesting, the financial aspect

 

i only care about the toys right now since there hasn't been a show worth watching since beast wars. you all bring up good points. even KA with his kicking me while i'm down attitude. way to go bro! truly, fosterlagger is the clearest voice. thanks guys.

 

i kick you down because i care dude  

seriously, hobbies are the last thing you wanna get worked up with. if it comes down to that, whats the point?

 

I ended up selling most of mine. I went through ALL of my collection, not just Tf's, but EVERYTHING to see what I no longer wanted. I ended up finding myself just playing with the same ones. Most of them were from childhood with a few mixed from newer lines here and there. I 'm actually happier now. It's eaiser to see my collection and take care of it.

 

Yeah, see I don't collect the vintage stuff on a basis for resale later or anything like that, but I do enjoy seeing what stuff is worth. Also, if worse came to worse, and you were out financially... you could technically get your hobby to support you until you were back on your feet. I happen to have an uncle whom did just that with a vintage Batman collection and eBay... killed him to do it, but family first and all...

Psychrome... it's like everyone says man. You don't have to buy everything to participate in the hobby. DVDs and VHSs *if you already have them* are free to enjoy and you obviously have Internet so you can come here and enjoy time with your fellow fans too. Having fun with the toys you've already got is also free. A lot of the guys here seem to enjoy posting funnies and stuff too with their toys. Also, if you're into the fiction more than the toys... the comics are a cheaper alternative to collecting the toys.

As for the toys, the basics and deluxe aren't really that expensive, six or ten dollars respectively apiece. Voyagers are moderate for a person's budget at twenty. While Ultras, Leader's and Supremes are pricey... they tend to only actually get a small amount of releases per lines and their ranks are filled mainly with repaints sporadically. I mean, out of the five Leaders released in Cybertron only three of them were new molds. And the Ultras had a lot this time, but at least half of them were repaints from either this line or a previous one. And sense we usually know about what's getting a release ahead of time... well, you can do as my wife and I do and budget and save for what you really know you want and get other stuff as you have the extra money. Which is what I'm doing right now for the movie line.

As for collecting... get only what you want and don't let the completist bug bite you in the arse. Don't import *or at least limit it* and don't buy every freakin' repaint that Hasbro throws at us. Finally, don't ever ever get to a point where it feels like you're suffering from OCD when it comes to your collection. I know a few on these boards have and it's never a pretty sight.

Basically, buy what you like and don't ever feel like you're obligated to buy it just because you "collect" it.

 

I'm a total cheapskate collector.

It's really all about the toys for me, not the "collection"... I buy the ones I think are cool, and I leave the rest. MOSC, MISB, etc etc... that's crazy talk from my point of view. If I can get a figure out of package, missing his missles and with a little bit of playwear for a fraction of the price of a boxed new version, I'm all over it.  

There are lots of TF toys I'd like to own, but they're either pricey because they are rare, or pricey because they are "fancy"... so I wait. Almost every TF I have larger than a Voyager was bought second-hand or on clearance... and even a lot of the smaller ones came from lots or sales. Usually my personal limit for any TF purchase is $30 (canadian). That's just the way I roll.

(though my Soul of Chogokin Dancougar would beg to differ... that pricey, seductive rascal!)

However, while I control my flow of money that way, there is a trade off... time! For fans who have a sizable disposable income (I know there must be SOME of you out there), obtaining a sought-after figure can be as easy as ordering online, buying something as soon as hit hits shelves, or clicking Buy-it-Now on Ebay. I envy this sometimes, when I stop to consider just how much time I spend in my daily life trolling Ebay, watching auctions, and popping into stores hunting for clearance items. I mean, after all... isn't our personal time the most valuable currency of all?

Sometimes the thrill of the hunt (and "kill") is part of the appeal. Other times though, it's just a drag, and feels like I'm wasting way too much of my time.

Of course, getting stuff online is awesome... because when a package arrives, I get that little "Christmas Morning" buzz opening it. Capturing that little bit of childlike thrill is really one of the selling points of the whole hobby for me.

To each their own I guess.  

zmog

 

Glad I could help dude.

 

I'm broke and unemployed right now, so obviously I can't buy TFs. But I have hope because I am signed up with multiple staffing agencies and am waiting on several to get back to me with jobs. So while I can't collect now, I can look forward to picking up a new toy or two when I am working and my finances are back under control.

In the meantime, I think after reading some of the posts above, it's probably high time I went through my collection and downsized it a bit more. I've got bots collecting dust on dark corners of my shelves that I haven't picked up in months, so I don't see the point of keeping them. I know a used toy store in my area that I can bring them to, so someone who might want them will be able to enjoy them. And there's always Goodwill.

Kickback had the right of it: collect what you want, leave or get rid of the rest. I was almost a completeist with Energon; but I don't have money or space to do that again.

What keeps me happy during these trying times is coming to the fansites, and to the message boards and seeing other fans enjoying and talking about their collections. I need to get around to reading some of the fanfics on this site and others to get ideas for my own fics. I also enjoy checking out folks' TF artwork, since I have no talent in the visual mediums myself.

Furthermore, I bet you can find episodes of everything from G1 to Cybertron up on YouTube. So you don't need the DVDs to watch the cartoons anymore.

Am I buying movie toys, assuming I'm working? Not likely. Beyond Cl. Ramjet, Reissue Soundwave, Alts Rumble and Jaguar Ravage, I don't see myself purchasing many TF toys this year. Too many other things need money spent on them, like my computer and my car.

But will I still be in the hobby? Yes. TFs are one of the few remaining happy connections to my childhood that I still have access to.

 

I can kind of understand. I mean I want both Masterpiece and reissue Megatron that are coming out. I just bought a primal prime for $60. This hobby does get expensive, but really if you cannot enjoy what you already have then you need to rethink why you are collecting in the first place.

 

I find if there is a piece I feel like I'm longing for I go up to the collection forum and look at some of the collections up there. For me the joy comes from either a cool/good designed toy or a toy that has personally meaning for me from my childhood.

 

I sold off all new stuff and keept the G1, and now Im in the way of Upgrading to MIB, but I wont upgrade all of it but the cars,seekers,dinos OP, Megs ,Blitzwing, Astrotrain, Perceptor and Blaster are the only ones I will get MIB. The rest will stay loose and the ones I still miss Ill get loose.

I have almost stoped buying much other stuff, I buy the occasionally SW statue from Kotobukiya or perhapps some Bust from GG,

 

Frankly, I prefer collecting on a budget. I am by no means a completest, and I couldn't be happier. When collecting on a budget, one must buy the figures they truly want rather than simply buying everything. This actually gives me a greater appreciation of my collection as it is made up largely of figures that truly appeal to me, rather than a pile of toys I never truly wanted to begin with.

Completists may love Transformers, and they certainly have collections that put mine to shame, but it doesn't make me any less happy with what I have. Sometimes a small budget can be a good thing.