Preface: Been meaning to do this for seven months--that's when I took the pictures! But life has been an ever-stressful whirlwind and I never got to sitting down and making it happen. In the time that has passed since I took the pictures, the collection has grown in size, and what's missing, whether by me forgetting in the first place that I had it or being actually new, is this: nearly the entire Studio Series line, Big Powered, Grand Maximus, Ectotron, almost all of Siege, assorted BotBots, a tiny bit of Cyberverse, all of the more recent G1 reissues, every Dreamwave comic (except for the few Energon issues), assorted G1 single issues, the Marvel G2 run, the Transformers Legends anthology book, the Irvine Aligned continuity novels, and the Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook. I think. There might be a movie novelization in there. I'll do this again, and see a change of location with probably more room and a new arrangement in the next year. What I will present in the posts that follow is the collection when it looked its prettiest. I simply haven't the space right now to incorporate anything new in a way that suits what I was going for. I typed the above slightly before the time of posting this, but will leave you with what I wrote months ago before I start making posts with pictures: So I’ve decided to include everything Transformers that I have. Mostly this is toys, but there’s DVDs, books, comics, and merchandise. My ground rules for my toy collection are to generally keep figures in the same line together, aside from where I have the odd one that fits in another line in some way or another; generally by aesthetics. I try to avoid having the same character on the same shelf, aside from faction leaders. So on my CHUG shelves, which is the bulk of my collection, you probably won’t catch duplicate characters on the same shelf aside from Optimus, Megatron, Hot Rod, and Galvatron. I have a CHUG shelf dedicated to duplicate versions of the same characters who aren’t faction leaders. I do make an exception to my very general rule for combiner characters that had a pre-CW incarnation or aren’t otherwise on the same shelf. My interest with CHUG is to build a cast. My hopes for the line are getting updates of every G1, G2, and JG1 character there is, and I’ll be happy to continue through the Beast era, the Unicron triology, and whatever else so long as it continues to create a massive cast. We have an Armada Red Alert? Cool. I rationalize him as a dude from a different colony world who has the same name. I try to create some dynamics and energy on my shelves, which they’re all the better for, but it will and has created a space problem. I don’t want a lineup, I want a scene. Come on in.
Welcome again! I'll start with the larger fellows and...smaller ones across both the Autobot and Decepticon shelves, by convenience, just as much the Titans are on the top shelves by necessity of space. Love the Siege Omega, but the YOTD one will always have a place, especially since I fanned up a base-mode.
And here starts the proper shelves. I tried to lump the G1 Autobots together by way of introduction in the cartoon. Couldn't resist an Ironhide/Chromia couple deal. As importantly, here's the initial post's guidelines in action: Superion is on the second shelf, but I got Universe Silverbolt still standing here proud, as I dig the figure (and hardly thought CW was remotely realistic when I got him). More importantly, Optmi unconcerned with standing by their doppelgangers. Finally, those data-discs from the video game WFC figures that everyone hated (I am actually fond of those discs) had those nice little faction cases, and I've used those across continuities for identifying what group we are looking at. Shelf 2: I dig having supplemental gestalt members, but Alpha Bravo was always my least favorite, being Vortex in Autobot cosplay. Buuuut I did actually incorporate him into the gestalt's body, unlike the others, who either stand beside the gestalt, or, with Bruticus, become a weapon. Third shelf. I do struggle with the new Micromaster cassette guys, as Rewind and his humanoid counterparts really enforced me wanting them at legends scale. But if it's the only way we'll get a full set... Anyway, it was rare that I ever went for Takara versions of characters Hasbro offered (shelf 1's Ironhide being a rare exception), I found Hasbro's Computron abominable, and even Takara's leaves me wishing there was more new tooling, as I almost had the full G1 set as a kid and they are toyetic as hell. Still needed a Scrounge from the Hasbro set and was happy to pay about five dollars less than I did. Gave Outback either Huffer or Pipes' gun. As much as people complain about legends-sized characters being sold at deluxe prices, it annoyed me terribly that so many did not come with weapons. They're not GoBots; they should not be vulnerable.
Shelf four! The movie era. Tried to keep the principle cast and adjacent weirdos here.As a 37-year-old, this era most suits my youth--stylish, occasionally garish, unconcerned with reality, and loving it. Poor Wheelie got gifted his GDO counterpart's weapon. Oh, Shelf five! The BASTARD shelf. Wreckers, Dinobots, and Monsterbots. I imagine them all working together as Wreckers. I'll be up for bigger Dinobots eventually but I love the POTP team.
More Autobots of the same CHUG spirit to come, but let's venture to the 'Con shelves. I love the deluxe Seeker crew, and Henkei Skywarp is another rare example where I had to go Takara. But I guess I'll do the Earthrise lads and incorporate Siege Soundwave, Megs, and the cassettes because I will admit scale is never more inane in my collection than it is on this shelf, and I am NOT a scale nut. But this is the high command of evil, as of April. Shelf 2! CW Menasor will never be playable, but if you just straighten his legs out, he looks so much better. The following pics will show how I put that quarter-hearted CW Blastoff to use as part of the team: he should be a weapon that other weapons plug into, not the least of which is a mini-Shockwave. And while I love the Runabout/Runamuck exclusives I drunk- bought, oh boy does it hurt to look at them knowing we have mainline new molds coming. Shelf 3! Had to cheat a bit here as far as maintaining continuity between my side-by-side Autobot/Decepticon shelves: Rebirth, Headmasters, and beyond stuff is represented because I wanted the movie Decepticons to be to the side of their Autobot shelf 4 counterparts. That said, weirdos like these represent what I love most about G1 and I want more of. Preordered the Seacons. Give me Squeezeplay or piss off. No wonder my dates end abruptly.
Shelf 4! The movie era and beyond. I never considered Galvatronus' slave limbs to be my CHUG representations of the Autobot characters they represent, so I was happy to buy them just to make gestalts. My CW Sky Lynx will give them a new home I suspect. Also pictured is my only actual instance of troop-building: the TR Sharkticons. I may keep multiple Scourge's as Sweeps if they are unique molds or colors, but this is the only time I have bought the exact same thing just for that purpose, at least at ten dollars or more. Shelf 5, or, THIS F******G shelf. Other continuity explosion, put in with the CHUG crew. A lot of people want new Lockdown and Bludgeon figures, but the ROTF ones are brilliant and feel CHUG enough to me. Prime Wheeljack Dark Energon version is my Slicer, and the Knock Out...he's just Knock Out I guess. I threw the Throne POTP Primal with POTP Nemesis and Unicronus as the Dark Prime Counsel, because I think they look splendid together. Shelf is a bit full. But full of greatness.
Back to the CHUG Autobots, we have JG1/any proper Autobot 'Master. First shelf of the one facing American G1. I keep Powermaster Optimus Prime here even though Ginrai is coming right below. I'd go all in on a proper Pretenders revival but if I could have little Primemaster shells alongside decent robot representations like we do with with Metalhawk here, I'd be happy. I was also happy with CHUG Skullgrin as a synthesis of the shell and robot. Sound off with your opinions on the existing speculation threads! Here's Ginrai, shelf five, and some figures I might have to start making up new names for now that we have an actual Micromaster Countdown and perhaps one day a proper Tread Bolt. The new characters/other continuities shelf. Let's get a Studio Series styled Beast Wars line, eh? I intend to collect the old Beast line regardless, you'll see. And yeah, AOE Hound is there; I just repurposed him as a generic Auto-guy. Maybe G1 Bulkhead until we actually get one. See Scorn as well. The original WFC; the only FOC. Some of the first modern figures I bought, and I love them dearly despite their flaws. The WFC crew is exemplary and WFC Air Raid is just a vengeful hellangel by way of ROM's crew. And finally, the shelf of truly redundant figures. But are they? I love T30 Brainstorm. With the exception of TR Arcee, I love the setup of the movie crew with earth-modes (CW Battlecore Prime being naked Ultra Magnus). A good mold is a good mold. Transformers do what any other line can't: make the same character desirable simply because it does the essential thing it's supposed to--transform--in a way its other incarnations can't.
Moving onto another bookcase, we have Prime! I haven't watched the show yet and never intended to collect the line. But lord they kept showing up for half-price at one store or another and I couldn't help myself. The engineering and sculpts impressed me; this was stunning stuff. I wound up getting most of the earlier stuff, and then Beast Hunters came along. And I loved it. Dragons and Cobra-La Decepticons and Mad Max Autobots; it made me forget everything that was a remold was a remold. And it was the first time I thought about how to display my figures: can I pair pre-BH Autobots on the same shelf mimicking their later counterparts, and vice versa? With a character missing from BH substituted with one that was there later on? I liked the results. And indeed, this is maybe my favorite shelf of my entire collection. Demonic beauty.
Movies! I largely didn't enjoy them but liked some designs and was somewhat fascinated with the toys. Collected AOE onward because the Power Ranger Dinobots were just a blast and the more traditional characters started to become more humanoid in robot mode. Picked up some offscreen characters along the way and at a point I decided maybe I would do a movie collection. Studio Series came along and said the main cast would be done better, so thankfully I didn't go too deep before then. I still intend to go full-blast with offscreen characters on the preceding lines. They all seem to have some redeeming qualities, even if it's just the alt-mode. I mean, I got Blazemaster knowing he'd be a nightmare. And he is, but he's also an actually lovely news-chopper. But really, it's the likes of Dirt Boss that keep me interested. A forklift? Some more of that GoBots experimentation, please.
The proudest shelf; the most expensive shelf. Some Masterpiece, some G1 reissues made prior to to the Wal-Mart era. A place for Unicron, who I have infinite time for (guess what that means...sigh). The Dead End showcase. I identify with that character all too much, and decided to get every iteration I could think of. All are represented here, sans the CW version who serves as Menasor's arm. G1 stumpy version stands in for him. I might complete my fan-fic about this one day.
Almost done. But for the chaos of the legion/legends/old cyberverse display. I love this size class. It lets kids of little means build a cast. It lets adults of means build obnoxious displays, all the better when they had vehicles and playsets to build it. The below is a mix of old CHUG, Prime, Movie, RID2015, and a little bit of Cybertron. Just a multiversal melee. Handbooks. I like the image of poor G1 Bumblebee being surrounded by manipulative shitheads like his company, whispering in his ear. blu tack is magic Still have yet to watch RID 15, but what a wonderful bunch of expressive new bots. Depicted below: Groundpounder raising hell on MP-10's cab. Skirmish at the Spacebridge My favorite part of the whole setup: Cliffjumper and Bumblebee about to do the Road Warrior's Doomsday Device on Cutthroat. RID Red Alert (Snow bullshit Sideswipe, whatever) having a panic attack, RID 2015 Fixit being a twisted and enthusiastic host. Flamewar thwarting rescue efforts Earth Day Optimus devastating the individual Terrorcons while Wheeljack jumps on Abominus behind him, pictured abobe and below. Bottom corner mini-Evac, the guy assigned to no continuity, trying to jump to the CHUG shelf, followed by RID Blurr Proper Evac makes the jump. I bought that figure just to make this scene, and the figure is not without flaws. I don't know why I kept the above shot but so be it.
Ejector! He remains docile during all but the month of October. A gift from a friend. Cufflinks. I've yet to find the right occasion but that friend may have been the right girl for me. G1 guy dedicated to consume all TF media. I really dig Beats Wars figures but am holding myself back; these few just showed up at my mom's old antique place at a decent price. In the back is the Prime BH $60 Optimus which I got tipped off to being only $10 one week (store discount plus Cartwheel special) via being on the TWF Boards. Already liked the Board to begin with... Also, I obviously like misc Primes. Hook me up with the sneaker one or the PS1 one at a decent price? So I'm really never going to read UK G1 in its entirety in the trades, am I? That's abysmal. AAAAAAAND that's it, other than maybe some grammatical edits. I'll update some time in the far future, otherwise.
