We were poor in the '80s and had to settle for a pathetic G1 toy TF collection. I noticed the flaws of the few toys that we got at first, but it was the fact that I had to do without so many others that drove me to really nitpick the flaws with all of them, in order to psyche myself into believing that I was better off without them anyway. But now with MP and 3P MP, I can have the best possible quality, articulation, and nostalgia all at once. Just gotta be patient and know how to shop around.
For CHUG, I get everything Hasbro releases and any Takara releases that look cool (it does mean I have two Kups, Blurs, and Windblades but whatever). I honestly just like the engineering and am excited when they announce a new character that hasn't been seen in decades. I don't mind owning multiple copies of the same mold or multiple of the same character with different molds. Though I am running out of room to put them all. I'm finished collected Animated figures since I have them all now (thank you TFCC sale for Minerva). The Movie line and MP, I just pick and choose. The price doesn't bother me so much as the fact the MPs usually are a pain to transform (except for Wheeljack funnily enough) and also they feel cheap for what I am paying. I'm not talking about engineering or design, I just want a better plastic if I have to pay more anyways. Prime I got most of them but skipped most of the beast hunters versions. Just never really got into the show as they never went far enough (it's like they had a great idea and weren't imaginative enough to execute it in a way that truly would have made a great series instead of a good to middling one). NuRiD I have all of the warrior class expect a few repaints. I don't collect G1 or G2 stuff anymore since I appreciate the redesigns that CHUG does for the characters.
To be honest I usually just buy the ones I think look cool (Like Nitro Zeus) or of the characters I like (Like the entire Lost Light crew) I'm like that with everything.
I collect Classics through Generations versions of characters that I like. I have a few MPs, but won't be buying any more because they are too expensive and are not fun to convert. I won't buy any third party figures because of price, and because to me they are fakes that stick out in my collection, and that bugs me. I will buy third party accessories for Hasbro figures when I can find and afford them, though, because the accessories improve the base figures and can fix shortcomings like a lack of weapons.
I have an MP scale collection for the original 18 Autobots (got 15 so far) and Season one and Season 2 Deceptions (still need Menasor and the 2 triple changers). For CHUG, I am doing the Autobot characters introduced in the '86 movie.
Nostalgia. And triggers for nostalgia, in the off chance I get a mainline toy to go with the original I own (or even MP). But nostalgia is the biggest driver. G1 exclusive.
It's either transformers or crack. Seriously tho, I buy tfs because I have a problem.....I hate having money.
Because they look cool and I want them. I care little if it's official or not. If it relates to Beast Wars closely enough, I'll probably find a way to obtain it.
First, because I like Transformers... both HasTak and 3P. Second criteria being since my collection is CHUG and centered more or less to Classics Prime, how my prospective purchases look in relation to him, or what's acceptable enough of a difference to me... with what options are available. For example, a leader class Rodimus wouldn't work for me so I'm skipping the PotP one. Deluxe Dinobots are also a no-no.
Grew up with G1, that continuity has the closest place to my heart. I buy CHUG and those adorable Legion/Legends that started in Universe 2.0, and G1 is pretty much my guideline for what to purchase. And Gobots, especially if it gives me ammunition to name a random repaint. I USED to collect the WFC/FOC stuff, but it just seemed a redundancy in my collection. I also am a Diaclone/Microchange/Pre-TF whore, and will get whatever bone they throw as long as it's a mold I collect. Which is a major issue for me. I swear I don't collect MP, as it's a massive redundancy in my collection. They made, like, 8 or more Diaclone/Microchange repaints/remolds, including my grail of grails, blue Bluestreak. But I don't collect MP. Last year, or the year before, my wife got me MP Prowl. I keep telling myself I don't collect MP, especially with all the KO stuff floating around. MP Sunstreaker is a thing, and there's a distinct possibility of Spin-Out (red) and Checkpoint (police) repaints. God damn it...
I collect the figures I like, plain and simple. I am not a completionist (but more power to those that are), but I ended up with almost the ehtire TR line... I have some figures from almost every line, and have no real direct focus on a certain character.
I started collecting when work and studies were seriously getting me down, so getting a Transformer was a nice bit of passive online retail therapy. I started off getting MP stuff, thinking there were so few of them that I wouldn't fall too far down the rabit hole. Of course they came out so infrequently that like any junkie I started looking for a more regular fix. I'll buy the Jumpstarters. Topspin was my first ever TF when I was a kid. That'll be nice. Maybe I'll just buy the minibots. Hm, I could get Cliffjumper in that lot and he comes with Sandstorm. Oh well, I could get the Wreckers? I mean, I've got three of them already. Well, I'd better get the Cybertron Seven too. All the future dudes from Target:2006. Oh god, they just re-released Predaking! I've always wanted him. Oh! Special Teams! Suppose I should get the Arc and Nemesis crews now. Ok, I'll just get everything up to 1987. That's not too far down the rabbithole. Cut to me having four detolfs of G1 bots, including nearly all the Euro G1.5 Around the time Combiner Wars was midway through I'm nearly finished getting all the G1 bots. What next? I'd already started getting significant characters from the IDW stories in CHUG form, like the Lost Light chars who were getting releases, like Whirl and Skids. Then I'm in Jenners in Edinburgh and there's wave 1 of Combiner Wars. I do a quick bit of budget calculation and figure I can afford to buy a full combiner each month if I want to. Suddenly, and somewhat inevitably, I'm building up a pretty big CHUG collection. I'm not even just buying characters for my IDW shelf because things like the Titan Masters are so much fun. The Generations line is the main focus of my collecting these days. It's a good fit for me. I get a regular and predictable fix (like methradone?) and get to arrange the casts of my favourite comics. I'm now paring my collection down to pretty much just G1 and CHUG (I'm keeping my Transformers:Animated collection because it's my favourite TF cartoon and the toyline does a remarkable job of being screen accurate, a few scale issues aside). All the MP and 3P MP scale stuff is getting flogged as I've fallen out of love with the line.
I collect what I want (and can afford) which is about 99.9% inspired by childhood nostalgia. I collect a ton of vintage 80's toys and new lines inspired by those 80's lines. Yeah, I don't collect MP either. But I had to pick up blue Bluestreak.
