Not me, I just spotted them. I don't have FAB Ratchet nor FAB Brawl, I'll wait until they're released.
I'll wait until I can pay $10. I bought some movie LoCs and only payed $5 each. That's pretty much retail.
Speding that much on toys that are coming out in a few months is kinda...dumb? I don't know, to me it isn't worth it.
Gnaw, what's really dumb is buying twice the same figure, leaving figures MISB, buying all variations (even just PACKAGING variations) of the same mold, etc.. You're overpaying to get something that's super common or that you won't be able to enjoy or that you already have while I'm overpaying to get a figure nobody has and won't have for the next 4 months. And when you finally buy the figures I will have had for months, I'll probably be enjoying Transformers from the next series. It's like buying tickets to see AC/DC. 10th row is cool, but drinking a beer backstage with the guys is even better. Plus, I save tons of money not visiting all the stores several times a week like a bunch of people here do in hope of finding certains figures. Heck, some people here are probably spending $8 worth of gas trying to find $5 Minicons. Plus I don't waste money on crappy figures as I'm not a completist. I know what I want and that's why my collection has about 250 bots and not 1500. Should I call dumb every person who actually paid to get G1 Megatron when I got mine for free? Onesock, have you received your LOCs yet? I'm curious about Ratchet.
To be honest, I hold your Movie Toy view, just with games. I don't care what the price is, if there's a new game I'll buy it. Screw waiting 5 months to get it slightly cheaper. I pay the extra money to play with it now.
I respond not because I disagree or have a better way, but to demonstrate the wonderful variety of the fandom and our indvidual, unique approaches to collecting. I'm actually quite down with some of megatroptimus' thinking, and love the movie items so much that I'd probably be trying to grab a few early release items as well, had I not had bad experiences with a couple of test shots I purchased in the past. Not always - when the Energon Terrorcons were being clearanced, I was picking up as many of those suckers as I could - sometimes at less than $2 apiece. I also bought a couple of lots of them on eBay. I have over thirty each, plus a half dozen each of their Japanese counterparts. Those guys really seemed to lend themselves to troop building, and are some of my favorite basics of all time... so it makes sense to me. I bought three sets each of all the Minicons in Cybertron and Classics for the same reasons. Don't get me wrong, I am 99.5% into opening everything, but there are some vintage items that make sense to keep sealed. I have a MISB Raiden giftset, and even though I'm not into collecting for the money, opening it just doesn't feel like the right thing to do. Not only would take a major hit in value, but there are probably only a handful left in the world and it seems like I'd be contributing to the destruction of an endangered species. Plus I occasionally enjoy seeing a giant sealed collection like the Hartmans used to have. It's staggering to think about the amount of work that goes into that kind of collecting. I definitely do this - to me it's an entirely different toy and an entirely different character altogether. Convoy is not Optimus Prime, Jazz is not Meister, Cheetor is not Cheetas, etc... Now that I don't get, but we each have our niche. I think the argument some would make in response to that is that the same figures people are buying at a premium now will be absolutely clogging the shelves by August. I have to admit, paying ten times retail for a toy that will be in everyone's hands in four months is hard for me to understand personally, but if someone has the money to do it, then kudos. Frankly, I applaud the people that do, as I think it's a service to the fandom to provide a look at things early. And as long as people don't get a god complex over it, as if that way of collecting is better than any other, then great. And that's great - please post pics! Yeah, my toy hunting days are behind me for those reasons. If I happen to find something I need on the weekly family trips to WM and Target, then great. I have an overwhelmingly positive view of the TF brand - I'm predisposed to liking just about everything, and accepting what I don't really care for. Armada Sideswipe isn't exactly my favorite TF, but I do have about half a dozen different versions of him, and I appreciate him for the (few) good points - his Minicon gimmick is pretty darn brilliant, for instance. And that's totally cool. Sometimes I wish I had planned to be a little more limited in scope when I started collecting, but all the bills are paid and I enjoy TFs like mad, so I go all out. Personally, I would congratulate you on your free one, and celebrate my 3 vintage, D-16 reissue, black version, Megaplex, and TFC#6 reissues. If we're both satisfied with what we've got, I'd say we're both on the right track. Oh, and on topic, Barricade is one of the most beautiful deluxes on the face of the planet! Can't wait!
Well, actually, it's not THAT bad. I got DLX Bumblebee for $35 and the first one sold for close to $160 if I remember well, and the one on Ebay right now is already at $91 and the auction is not even over. I got Brawl for $31, Barricade for $66 (one sold for $107 today and the other is at $73 right now, and I'm sure the other guy who has the other Barricade here paid $75+). Got Voyager Ironhide for roughly $120, but that one is rarer than the others, so that's understandable. Ratchet was $40. Protoform Prime was $40. Cyber Slammer Prime was $30 and FAB Prime $120 (but it was the very first one auctionned). Also, you gotta think that I paid all those TFs with money I got from selling TFs and CDs I didn't want anymore. If I hadn't been interested, I would have just kept them. If I really want something, I always try to "trade" something I don't need for something instead of using my own money. So, in my wallet, I don't see much difference; but on the shelves, instead of seeing a stack of rare R.E.M. promo cd singles I don't even listen to, I will see Voyager Ironhide. I know it'll be sold for $30 and even $20 on sale here at some point, but I don't care : when I will look on my shelves, I will be knowing that THIS particular Ironhide, I got before everyone else. That's what will make it worth its $120 to me. I'm not trying to be king of anything; I'm impatient by nature, and chasing all those protos is quite a thrill... Plus, I'd personally rather invest my money into a $120 Ironhide than into twenty-four $5 Insecticons, I don't have room for that! PS : I just found out tonight that not only Barricade's thumbs move, but the other fingers (as a whole) as well, they're independant from the car frame, I never noticed the pivot before.
