Just wondering what sorts of reactions everyone gets from others (i.e. friends, relatives, etc) when they know/find out about your interest in Transformers, including collecting them and related memorabilia.

I am new to collecting and since the 2007 movie has been out I've acquired quite a bit of stuff + a couple of the figures themselves (and more to come). Anyway, I had just gotten a couple of Robot Replicas, and I had them displayed on a table in my bedroom. In addition, I have a few posters, trading cards and other stuff displayed in my home office.

So one night I'm in my room watching tv and my mom comes in to ask me about something. Well, she looks down at my night table and this is the reaction I got:

mom: "What's THAT thing?!?!" (as she sees Megatron leaning up against a potted plant on the table)

me: "Ah, nothing....."

mom: "That's a Transformer, isn't it?!!!"

me: "Uh, not really, it's...."

mom: "It IS a Transformer.....I just don't believe it (meaning she can't believe I actually acquired it at all)!"

me: "Well it sort of is, it's a Robot Replica.....you know, a scale model of the ones in the movie."

mom: "I can't believe it - you're a 37 year old woman and you're playing with Transformers!!!!" (she rolls her eyes)

me: "Uh, it's just a model of the ones in the movie, you know."

mom: Yeah, I know....I've seen all the other stuff you have, the cards, posters, yeah, I know."

And with that, she just shook her head and left.

Anyone else ever get such interesting reactions to your collection or just being a TF fan?

 

Well, im still in high school, and when I visited my cousin's in Canada, my uncle asked me if I wanted anything, so I asked if we could go to toys'r us. He asked:
"oh, what video game are you getting?"
i say "oh, im getting a toy..."
he says "really?" *walks away*

then I show him a pic of my collection on myspace, and (although he doesn't collect anything) after seeing the word "collection" subtitling the picture, then he stopped worrying about me.

but, as for my friends, besides 1 who likes gundams, and the other who is another fellow transfan, they still can't believe I would spend $50 on a toy. which makes me wonder where I get all my money... (I don't work yet)

 

Not too different from my parents, except they're more amused than in disbelief. Then all I have to do is transform my MP Skywarp from plane to robot mode, and their jaws drop despite the toy line's name being 'Transformers'.  

 

The general reaction is one of awkward surprise and genuine bemusement. It's not like anyone ever said," Wow!!!! That is sooooo cooollllllllllll!!!" Family members think it's quite a waste of money so I have tried to severly reduce the ranks of my collection.

I think how you display it also matters greatly. I intend to get some glass cabinets and shelves to house the figures in eventually, to give the collection a more "museum" feel. Also helps to space them out and emphasize the quality in each piece.

But everyone remembers the original transformers cartoon!!!

 

I have most of my collection in boxes, so I only display few pieces, but when some one sees my boxes and cases I feel a little embarrased.

 

I'm sorry to here this  . I been collecting TFs for quite sometime. I have a lot the G1 originals and quite a collection of the new movie toys. A few weeks ago I was visiting my parents and I went to Target with my mother. While we were there I saw a few new TFS that I still didn't have  . While I was looking at them my mom came up to me and noticed I was looking at some of the new Tfs. She told that I still had some G1s left at their house. She also thought it was pretty cool  that I still liked and collected them eventhough I'm 32. Before we left she went to the toy aisle and picked up the ones that I didn't have and bought them to for me. 

I guess some people don't realize that there is a kid in all of us. And some of us don't mind letting the kid in us out to have some fun. Everyone needs to have something that makes them happy and if its collecting TFs then good for you. I hope this doesn't make you change your mind in being a TFs fan

 

Mostly "Wow.", "Awesome!", or "Oh s#!t!!"

Sometimes someone will be able to name all of them, and I'll hear "I remember that one." and/or "I used to have that one." when people look at the G1 area.

The family thought I was going through a phase when I first started. That was ten years ago.

Now, Mom's cool with it. My brother still thinks I'm wasting my time and money.  Oh well, sucks to be him.... 

 

All the people that I know collect something else, so we're all good.

I've just happened to know this loser back in high school - whenever we were together he acted like he was fascinated by Transformers, but actually knew very little about TFs. Then one day I've spotted G2 Constructicons at a mall and asked him to come with me. When we got to the store he started to act like a 'grown up' and embarrassing me for buying Transformers at that age (14 or so) in front of the employees.

I also thought that my mom would freak, but she was really nice about my +200 boxed TFs that I brought with me when I got back from Japan to Brazil.

Finally, I had this friend who was married and came to visit me when I came back from Japan. His wife came too, and at a certain moment I giggled at them trying to transform some of the toys.

Other than that... whenever a strange comes to my house (insect prevention, mail, delivery) they be like 'whoa, do you own a toy store or something?'  

 

my buddies and i are in our early 20s, i've lived in the same room for almost ten years and i've had the same three shelves devoted to transformers since i moved here and they always ask me when i'm going to put them away and grow up. kind of sad. i thought growing up was a career, marriage, and kids.

 

"Whaaaat the fuuuHeey, I remember that!"

 

'wow, you have a lot of toys...are you a pedophile?'

 

I usually display them in alt mode. A friend came over one time & asked "are ALL those Transformers?" he thought they were just model cars. I was like "hell yeah they're ALL Transformers, you actually think I'm gonna waste my money on something other than Transformers??? As if!   "

 

I try to display tfs on bookshelfs, computer tops,and around old non tf action figure bases (battlevision, computer warriors etc.) As for the reaction my family is ok with it since its something I enjoy and get into. Been heavily collecting since last november when I found classics grimlock and joined the local toys r us as sales associate for the "action" section   I'm 23 by the way.

 

Although I have a VERY extensive comic book collection, my Transformers are what get peoples attention when they enter my entertainment room.

Most of the people who have seen my collection up close are the actual people who used to play with the original G1 toys with me when I was a child.

A friend of mine that owned a G1 Thundercracker back in 1984(which I vividly remember) saw my 2007 Botcon Thundercracker and his jaw literally dropped. He said "DAMN, Hasbro is making these things a HELL of a lot better now!!". "You couldn't even move the legs on my old one(G1), this thing is freaking awesome!" He instantly wanted to know where he could buy one, I had to explain to him it was a rare Botcon exclusive. He is currently looking for one on Ebay.  

The first ones people notice are the big ones: Unicron and Primus(I have them hanging from the ceiling) and Brave Maximus. People are just blown away by the immense size of Brave Maximus.

I can't say I have ever had a negative reaction to my TF collection. My Father and Brother-in-law think they are great and so does everyone else that sees them.

 

I just turned 33 and still collects TFs and Joes and McFarlane figs. Everyone's got a interest/hobby and mine just happens to be toys and games. It's no different than stamps, baseball cards, or model trains.

I remember last year around the time I was getting married my in laws came into my room and saw bunch of my TFs on display and they immediately wanted me to get rid of them because they are childish. I simply told them it's my hobby and leave it at that. They didn't give me any trouble after that. I am proud of my collection and I'll be the one who decides when I will sell them, if ever. If my family ever moves to a house for ourselves I'll get some shelves and display cases to make my collection looking good.

But because of the baby's arrival I've put away majority of the TFs and only leaving PVC, Tit, and few others that don't take up too much room.

 

I have most of my stuff in a separate room so I don't have to flaunt it to anyone who comes to visit. But all my friends have seen it and most of them (I think) think it's cool.

 

The only TF's that I have out on "public" display are MP Prime & MP Megatron. The rest are in my office - Classics, Alternators, a few select G1's, Robot Heroes, a Palisades Devastator statue with some HOC, the G1 & WW Titaniums, and the 2007 movie Autobots.

The MP's out in the living room ALWAYS get immediate attention since everyone & their dog knows who Prime & Megatron are. People first can't believe the sheer size to them, then don't believe that they also transform. They think because of the size and near perfect robot modes that they must be statues. After they're done drooling over those two, remembering how shitty the G1 versions were and trying to pick them up (which I don't allow), they of course ask where my other TF's are - knowing full well that I must have another stash hidden somewhere.

When they walk into my office (after passing my DVD collection boasting all the G1 boxsets), it's the usual gasps and reactions of "wow!" & "holeee shit!" followed by the expected "oh my god, you have <insert name here>!!!" as they walk over to pick it up - 9 times out of 10 being Classics Bumblebee, one of the Classics Seekers or G1 Soundwave. More recently, I've been blowing minds with Music Label Soundwave showing people that it's a functional MP3 player as well. No one really pays much attention to the Titaniums, but they always recognize WW Prime & WW Megatron and ask why they look like that. When it comes to the Alternators, which are displayed in alt mode, most people don't believe they're Transformers. Once I point out a few Autobot logos and show them hands hiding underneath, I'm immediately asked to transform one of them. And once I do, the reaction is the same ol' same ol' - everyone points out how much cooler these look now compared to the 80's. And like others have said, it's then a barrage of "where can I get this?" questions as they point to each character they recognize from their childhood.

I'm kind of a closet collector and don't actively talk about TF with friends, so no one has ever busted my balls about it. If anything, everyone respects (then envies) the collection and gives me kudos that I don't ooze geek the way many toy/comic/game people do. It's a home hobby, and I most certainly leave it at home.

 

Despite the fact that I've written 9 books on Transformers, I still get friends who I show my collection to who are floored by the vast amount of plastic/die-cast that I own.

One guy actually dropped to his knees and proclaimed that he wasn't worthy.  

 

My collection is my own dirty lil' secret that nobody knows about offline.

 

LOL, LOL and LOL!

It be even funnier, if I thought I didn't get that sort of shit in toy aisles.

No, when people come to my house, unknowing about my robot fetish their reaction tends to be 'OMG! WTF!' but in a good way, because my Living room has a nice display up.

Actually the best way to win people over is simply have a nice display, where the toys look best. I mean, my top shelf is pretty much just Optimus Prime, and large figures (Unicron, UBB and Primus) with charater/series sections in little glass sections.