I guess as far as what class of collector I consider myself, I should really mention that I really don't (and never have) really considered myself a toy collector. Not for any kind of steriotype or stigma that came with the term, but because I always felt the term "collector" in itself implied the hardcore nature of the hobby.

And I just don't see myself as that. "Casual collector" is close, but not quite it either. I buy what I like. I don't necessarily need to have everything, but I need a lot. LOL

Toy collecting didn't start with TFs for me though. This goes back to when I was a kid with Ninja Turtles and X-Men. Back then it was just toys, but in my teens I got more into the characters (particularly Marvel Comics characters). Reading the comics, buying the figures- but I didn't care to have so many Wolverines or anything, I wanted one toy of each character.

Later on, I started falling out of favor with Marvel's comics (yeah, not a fan of Joey Q), and jumped ship to DC. Now that I was older too, I could go for higher priced and more collectible toys. So I started picking up DCDirect figures here and there.

I had stints with TFs, buying a few Armada and Energon figures. It just wasn't the same though. Those weren't the characters I cared about. They weren't the characters I watched every day.

So yeah, like many others it was the Classics line that hooked me. Though I didn't get to own that many in the line's initial run (financial issues, topic for another time). Cut to a year ago and to my amazement find Sunstreaker on the toy shelf. I picked up with Universe pretty much exactly where I had left off on all toy collecting.

I think now since I've found this board, it's been tough times- what with the having to eat and the having to buy the latest Henkei or figure I need for a kitbash.

I'm just glad my girlfriend understands.

 

What kind of collector?

I collect anything that is Transformers, other than the little kids stuff. (i.e. Robot Heroes, FABs, etc.) I check my local toy stores at least once a week, and I spend between 100-200 dollars a paycheck on the stuff. Just love it all, and it gives me a euphoric feeling when I buy a new figure. I also love keeping them MISB or MOSC. There's just something about knowing that the toy has never been touched before.

How long have you been collecting?

I've been collecting my TFs for about thirteen years.

When did you start?

My first figure (or should I say figures) was the original two-pack of Alligator Megatron and Bat Optimus Primal. I got it on my Ninth Birthday, and ever since, I've been hooked. There was a period of time that I stopped while I was courting my soon-to-be wife, and then I picked it up again after we split. Been going strong ever since.

Transformers brought joy into my life. Got me through some tough times.

 

I had alot when i was a kid but got thrown out when we moved around. Got back into them around the end of armada and found ebay which is the devil i think G1 ultra magnus was my first purchase on there. Now i collect everything that has transformers on it. I collect every line but trying to complete the g1.

 

-I'm an advanced collector, I collect what I want, though nowadays it's more of characters I really like (G1, Beast Era, Animated) that I spend money on. I also have a repo of the Cybertron/ Destron Heroes poster that was orginally part of the Goodbye, Convoy/ Megatron sets. I have the Song Universe import CD set.
- I have been collecting since the beginning, 1984. I started when my parents got me my first Transformer, Starscream (though it was before the cartoon started, so I didn't know Starscream's traits. Give me a break, I was 6 years old then)

 

Not sure what class I'd be considered.

I've been a little over a year now.

I started last year with the screen battles "First Encounter" set given to me as a gift from my best friend. It went to a cute little five bot collection to a two hundred plus collection is under a year.

I was a huge fan of Beast Wars as a child, and had some of the toys, but I didn't collect them like I do now. I got back into Transformers through the live action movie. I'm glad I did.  

 

Hmmmm..

I'd consider myself a Hardcore/Serious Collector.

I've been seriously collecting for over 11 years , but if you call getting toys as a kid before you even considered collecting,"Collecting" ... then I've atually been collecting since 1984.....


I take Transformers very seriously.

 

I got back into Transformers due to the Masterpiece line. I saw some pics of MP Megatron back in early 07' and had to have Prime and Starscream as well. I traded a whole bunch of POTF and Spawn Figures to BBTS for store credit(was pretty shocked they gave me retail value for all that junk). I used all the credit to pay off those three MP figures.

I'm a pretty selective buyer though, as I tend to go for the import stuff. I also like to purge my collection if I get bored of the figures or lose interest in them. After 2+ years of collecting, I have around 40 figures.

 

I'm a bit of a back and forth collector myself, with years of hardcore collecting followed by selling it off and then starting up again. My first Transformer was Megatron in 1984 when I was 10. That was followed by several more figures(including G.I.Joes and Heman of course). Unfortunately, those were all lost to the ravages of childhood, time, or parent's stupidity. I got hooked on collecting Star Wars figures in 1995 when they started bringing them back out, and collected nearly 500-600 figures, playsets, vehicles, and Lego sets over a 10 year period. Slowly got bored with it and finally ended up selling the whole lot.

One day, however, like 2 1/2 years ago, I saw Cybertron Blurr and Optimus Prime(deluxe) and had to have them. Those two became even more Cybertron figures, then I bought every Classics figure I could, then I bought movie figures, then I bought many different Armada and Energon figures. Suddenly it was a 200+ collection. Then I decided to sell it all. Sold off everything except for like 6 figures(MP Starscream, 2008 Botcon Noble Megatron, Cybertron Galvatron & Nemesis Breaker, & Cybertron Optimus Prime & Wingsaber).


Of course a few months later, I decided to start up again, and started collecting Starscream, Megatron, & Galvatron(my favorite characters). Of course, that didn't last long and it has gone from 6 figs to 100+ again in like 9 months lol. I think it's a serious addiction, and I have a problem. I wonder if they have a PCA(Plastic Crack Anonymous) meeting anywhere?

 

This is how I feel. Getting toys is just something I never grew out of. Transformers has been one of my favorite toy lines and media for nearly 22 years. It's not a collection to me. It's fun stuff in my toy box. I open them all (except doubles, which I have ended up with at times), fiddle with them, and play around with them (though not as a child would anymore).

I started back a year or so after the G1 movie was released. I got what I could find (and what my parents would allow me) at the time. This went into the G2 releases, which I loved and gobbled up since it was of figures I could never get at the tail end of the 80s. Those came and went and then there wasn't much left, and my interest drifted to mostly TMNT, Power Rangers, and other toy lines. I began seeing Beast Wars in stores but did not at first like what I saw. It seemed stupid to me. But I eventually saw the show, followed it, and got back into the Transformers line. I stuck with it up to RiD.

I did take another break from Transformers after Armada. After getting several Armada toys, and being disappointed with the shows, I just gave up on them. I bought a few Energon and Cybertron figures too, but never bothered with the shows. I bought two Alternators but didn't really feel them (even though now I think they are great). Classics and TRU reissues roped me back in a bit with all the nostalgia goodness, and the 2007 movie brought me back on board full time. Since then I have been living off of Animated and Universe, which I nearly have all of.

Unfortunately, Movie 2009 toys do not interest me anywhere near as much as the 2007 movie line did. I have been spoiled with the Animated show and design of the toys to go with it, and the excellent Universe line. From what I've seen, I will only be picking up three or four figures so far. I'd rather stick to more new Animated and Universe stuff.

I don't foresee myself losing almost complete interest in the Transformers like I almost did in the early 90s and after RiD. I think the franchise has a bright future.

 

I'm pretty much an 80s hardcore collector, when I was young I kept everything (super packrat) from orignal star wars to heman to transformers and beyond. When all my friends and relaitves would move onto the next big thing, I'd buy or trade for thier whole collections, so I began to amass large quantities of everyting (multiples of most figures) and I just kept everyting, I ended up with 5-10 primes...then 15 primes.....same with jetfires soundwaves starscreams etc etc.

got into power rangers and tmnt as well.and so many other lines, I like to collect in bulk and almost never turn down any g1's even if i already have em.


now i'm trying to collect all the obscure 80s era bootlegs/knockoffs and i'm enjoying every minute of it!

 

I consider myself a casual collector. What I mean by this is that I only collect what I like, so I am not a completionist.

I love G1, RiD, Classics, Universe, Alternators, the Movie, and MP lines.

I love Transformers, but I don't live for it; it is a hoby for me, not a lifestyle.

 

I guess i fade in and out of TF collecting....

As a Kid I played with G1 transformers, and I'm just a total 80's kid I love TF's, Star Wars, GI Joe, Thundercats, MOTU, ghostbuster, etc etc... and it reflects with what i collect today. Pretty much the same stuff....

None of my stuff i had as a kid was salvaged it was pretty much all destroyed. But i did get a few orginal g1 figures in my collection.

The thing that got me back into transformers was Beast Wars, I loved that line and had a pretty big collection of those. Didn't like beast machines so iI didn't collect those.

Then i also really dug RID, cause at the time it was the first time we had realistic vehicle modes in a long time.

Then i didn't collect anything till the MP Prime figures came out and I Liked Alternators. But then my house burned down and i lost all my old TF figures.

I decided to start collecting Classics after that, at first i thought the MP/alternators would be the best updated g1 representation, but with the advent of henkei figures, they totally fixed so much i didn't like about the intial classics figures. I now think the classics line is the ultimate g1 representation for me, and it's the only thing i have any intrest in. I also try to only focus on g1 accurate stuff based on new classics tooling, i don't want old figure repaints from other lines for the most part.

But like i said i fade in and out when something intrest me, i totally faded out with all the unicron trilogy stuff, and i have no desire for movie figures.

 

I am a serious but not hardcore collector. Hardcore would be someone who is willing to lay down hundreds to get exclusive toys on the secondary market (like botcon exclusives). I instead focus on getting everything that is available through normal retail channels in shops and online.

I feel a compulsion to have a representation of each character from each series. I play with toys, but not like a kid would do. My kind of play is when I look at the figures and admire their aesthetic and engineering. I open everything I buy because I like to be able to display the figures. Because of this I quite often buy doubles to keep misb. The misb is not for the sake of having it but rather with the intention of opening it in the future when the first copy has been worn out.

My first TF was Soundwave back in 1984. Since that time I have used whatever resources are available to me to get more TF. There has never been a time since 1984 that I did not collect and buy TF (although where I live beasts were almost non-existent in shops). My collection is massive but sadly it does not fit well in my unit. Most figures are sealed in zip lock bags in plastic crates. One day I hope to have a room to dedicate to this hobby so all the toys can be put on display.

 

I used to collect everything and now I don't. This year I'm collecting even less.

 

Thanks.  

 

im a semi picky collector i guess ya'd say. I got back into collecting TFs in BW, was forced to sale all my TFs and other robot toys by my mom then got back into TFs with the unicron trilogy then quit and started back up with Classics/Universe with no plans to stop.

 

I have a couple of hundred G1 and G2 figures -- all of whom are loose and are in varying states of repair. They were bought exclusively from car boot sales in the Midlands during my youth. About three years ago I started buying again and these are all mint but are displayed out of their boxes. I have a few Movie figures, some Masterpieces, Universe special edition Megatron, and the Superlink paintjob of Megatron/Galvatron. I watched the G1 cartoons as a kid and bought said cartoons on DVD. Waited in-line for the movie in 2007 and got the weird (slightly pants) transforming DVD box that HMV did. What type of collector this makes me, I'm unsusre. I don't buy entire lines. I buy things that are cool/please me. Though I do want every Starscream...

 

I started off my collecting at about three years old.I was just getting outta Gobots.

My G1 collection is still in pretty good condition.
My Beast Wars collection is pretty decent.
My RID toys aint bad(I got most of the major guys from the show except Skybite,which I still regret)

I didnt get alot of Armada stuff cuz I really didnt like them but Energon had some good ones and Cybertron was even better so I have quite a few of those.

Im currently collecting the Masterpiece figures and the Beast Wars Neo toys(ive only got Heinlad and Magmatron so far but Big Convoy is coming soon)

But so far the most exstensivly collected series I own today is the Animated line which I love.

I dont think im hardcore,im not super meticulous but im not a casule guy either.

 

I'm a casual collector, only really buy the figures that I really like or characters I really like.

I restarted back in... I don't remember the year but it was Transmetal Optimus Primal who started me off down the adult path of geekdom.

Animated is the last main toon-supported line I will be bothering with.

I'll still get the live action movies stuff I like and some Universe if it comes back but other than that I think its time to stop buying the main lines for me.

 

Started collecting with the movie and I only buy what I like. Moved on to animated last august and now anticipating ROTF. I have 24 transformers so far, 14 movie, 10 animated.