As people put better and better points for either side, it gets harder and harder for me too choose one!

 

If it's harder and harder to choose doesn't that show that either choice is the right one? Or to phrase it another way, isn't the fact this question is even difficult and debatable fantastic?

 

although the fiction is what makes the toys, the line was originally invented as toys, so i'd have to say toys

 

Toys. Past Beast Machines I completely ignore the shitty fiction that go along with them.

 

My first Transformers love was the G1 cartoon... then G1 comics. Most of my toys are Gobots, Estrela sold only some Transformers toys here. At 80's my answer of course would be "Fiction". Then I watch Beast Wars, then some Beast Machines, read DreamWave G1 Comics... my TF life was almost about Fiction.

But now? What brings me back to Transformers are Animated toys hanging on Carrefour toy shelves. Then I begin a "toy hunt" for the other toys... And only after that I saw the Cartoon, buy the comics, AllSpark Almanacs... so, this time, "Toys" are the correct answer  

 

By fiction, I'm including characterisation too.


For me, its about equal. I want the characters in the comics and TV shows to get toys and am disappointed when they don't, and I want the toys I see on shelves to be in the comics and TV shows and am disappointed when they're not.

The easiest solution to please me is to not include any generics in fiction since its easier to include an existing toy in fiction than to get a toy created off a character who originated in fiction.

The toys mean little to me without a decent representation in fiction and I want to own my favorite characters in fiction as toys.

 

The Story. With so many continuities, it's friggin frustrating. Energon, Cybertron and Armada had some good figures, but I wouldn't touch the cartoons with a 10-foot pole. (Nothing's wrong with them, I'm just not a fan). Whereas "Prime" and "DOTM" were, IMO, really good, even though I only bought a total of 2 toys from the movie (both Leader Primes). So yeah, to sum up my rambling, as a kid, the toys, now as an adult, the fiction.

 

The fiction.

More importantly, a series or movie. The situations that arise create the foundation while the voice actors carry the personality of the character. Without that, they really have no life.

 

The kid zone in my head likes both the g1 figures and the cartoon story. However the story is the general and not the details. Autobots vs. Decepticons in a battle of epic proportions.

 

The fiction brings the toys to life. So they're both equally important in my opinion.

 

The fiction definitely. The story of mechanical brother against brother is what interests me most.

I did also find this very similar thread.

 

Depends on which series. I got into TFs (at the tender age of three) through the toys before the cartoon came out and long before I could read the comics, so that has always been the core of it for me. I was happy to get characters I didn't know from the fiction as long as the toy was cool. On the other hand, the fiction (Sunbow, Marvel, Dreamwave, and IDW alike) has given me a reason to keep caring about G1 long after those particular toys have become outdated and clumsy to me, so I think there's been a reversal for me with that era.

Beast Wars was more about the show for me. A lot of the toys used an aesthetic that I still don't care for, but I end up buying them because the characters were so great.

I'm evidently one of the only people who thought the Animated cartoon was mostly crap. I absolutely adore those toys though. Completely the opposite of Beast Wars for me. Similarly, while I enjoyed the Unicron trilogy shows somewhat, those three lines were all about the toys for me.

Prime looks like it's going to be equal parts for me. The toys and the show are both stunning. However, with the toys unreleased for so long and still mostly unavailable, for now it's still just about the show.

 

They are both equally as important to me. One being the story and characters.the other for great resprsentations in figure forms of our favourite characters.

 

Both for me.

 

Fiction first, toys second.

 

Both. With toys you can create physical interpretations of your own story line creating things like or stop motion videos. With the fiction you can enjoy what hopefully will be written well and enjoyable.

 

What do you mean by characterization? The toys have character, too. For example I could look at Animated Ratchet and guess his character easily without ever knowing what it was.

For me it's both, leaning towards the toys. I can overlook bad fiction (Arm,Eng,Cyb) if I like the toys, but few times can I overlook a bad toy because I like the fiction. (few exceptions exist)

 

Toys.

 

Fiction, since I can't buy the toys due my ever-lasting lack of funds. Bloody hell.

 

Can you guess the characterisation for G1 Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Thrust, Dirge, Ramjet, Sunstorm and Acid Storm just by looking at their toys?

Animated is different since the personality is intentionally sculpted into the toy itself. With other lines, not so much.