This extends to outside Transformers as well, but would you buy an awesome toy of a character that is just really unlikeable in the show itself? Or, would you buy fantastic toys from a lousy show?

Of course, "bad" Transformers shows are subjective, so I cannot give examples.

 

Maybe is my answer as I judge each figure/character separately.

 

Absolutely, 100% definitely yes.

 

I give no heed to characterization when collecting.

All that matters is a nicely engineered figure.

 

Although I would prefer an awesome toy of an awesome character, an awesome toy of whatever character is still an awesome toy. And all things said, I'm mostly in it for the toys.

 

Better that than buying poor toys of popular characters.

(see several Classics and Universe molds)

I don't give a flying *expletive deleted* about the character, all characters are is a marketing device designed to sell the toys.

If there was no show, no character bio, no advertising, i would still buy TFs in exactly the same way as before, based on whether
or not the TOY looked interesting.

 

Yes I would.

 

this

 

No. Human Alliance BB? Looks awesome but it's BB, not really a fan of the character.......Reveal the Shield Tracks has numerous problems but, it's Tracks therefore he was bought, regardless of how good the toy is!

Character plays a big part for me, luckily it more often makes toys more awesome for being a character that I like, rather than making me not want a toy due to a character I do not like (from time to time).

 

Why not, i buy crappy figures based on character so why not the other way around??

 

This.

 

Yes. An awesome toy is more preferable than a crappy one because even if I don't like the character, I can always buy the awesome toy and pretend the character is totally different.

For example: I am not a fan of Rodimus' character from the old G1 series (I understand WHY, but it was a bit over the heads of the younger audience), but I still think the BiS Classics-mold Rodimus I picked up the other day is awesome even with its limitations. I just pretend he's like Captain Lennox from the Bay films.

 

Nah, I don't think I would.  

 

Considering I mostly buy Movie Decepticons, yes!

Great character is fine and all, but it has little to no affect on the actual toys.

 

I own Armada Sideswipe and Energon Ironhide. you tell me lol

 

I can always fix the problem of a badly written character by just ignoring the fiction they came from. I can't really fix a figure that just looks unappealing to me unless something like a bit of paint would fix the problem.

With someone like Drift I had never read the comic books he was in so all I really knew about him was what the bio on the back of the card said about him. I still purchased the figure though because I liked the look of his bot mode.

If Hasbro can make the figure look cool to me then there isn't really any era or character I'm going to say no on.

 

Yes, as others have mentioned. If you don't like the character you don't have to think of him as that character. You can substitute official plot with whatever you like in your head.

 

Definitely. In a strange way, the toys and the literature/shows are almost a separate thing in my head.

 

While I'm very much toy-centric in my collecting, I'd do this, but I've also bought "poor" toys of good characters, and "poor" toys of "poor" characters, and awesome toys of awesome characters.

There is a lot more to my collection and my enjoyment of this hobby than is X a good or bad toy or not.

 

I'm not necessarily anti-movie, but most of the movie cast are barely characters at all.