Hey, how/when did you all discover 3rd party transformers? I see a lot of people asking for rereleases and I used to think I was late to the party lol! When did you all find out these toys geared to adults existed?

Anyway, I discovered 3rd party transformers in 2014/2015. My cable went out and I put on Transformers the Movie (1986), and I saw Ultra Magnus in Autobot City. Ultra Magnus was one of my first toys that belonged to me when I was a child and I wanted to see him again, so I went to google and typed in "Transformers Ultra Magnus toy" and I saw the official Takara version. Mind was blown! I searched more toys and saw Warbotron Bruticus and I bought it, and the rest is history. What about you all?

 

A couple of years ago I had a very small collection of official Hasbro stuff, when I was browsing Ebay and stumbled across a MFT Sixshot for about £15, I thought "why the hell not" and took a punt, and I would say the majority of my collection is now TP or KO, and I've never looked back! ( I currently have a wishlist and out of about 20 figures, I think 18 of them are TP!

 

I was collecting the official MP line and was at work one day wondering why they never did the other Dinobots other than Grimlock who I had. I went online and typed in Masterpiece Dinobot and found this site with articles about, "Woah!" MP Dinobots...but FT 3rd party ones. They had Slag (Scoria) and Swoop was on pre-order and coming soon. I couldn't believe how good it looked and how it wasn't official.

That was the beginning and thousands of dollars later, here we are.   That's also how I found this site by the way. Lurked for a while and my wife talked me into signing up actually. Nice to find other people who liked these and that I wasn't just the weird closet Transformer collector and no one else did it LOL!

I'm glad I found them and got to have my collection. They remind me of watching the show as a kid and feeling like I was part of something fun and exciting. I loved how each bot was really a character with his own personality and quirks (30 minute toy commercial be damned). When I go into my display room, it's a room of old friends and good memories, most 3rd party at this point really.

 

2005 - Justitoys non-transforming trailer for MP-1
2008 - City Commander parts for Classics Ultra Magnus
2010 - Impossible Toys Delicate Warrior Valkyrie
2012 - FT Quakewave original run preorder

 

I'm not sure when exactly I became aware of 3P. I remember seeing Fansproject's City Commander and thinking it was awesome, but I couldn't afford it.

Sometime later I picked up Universe Galvatron and was super disappointed. So, in 2014-ish I saved up and ordered Mania King. While I was at it I ordered Hegemon to replace Nerf gun Classics Megatron. But at that point I still want really into 3P.

Sometime later, when combiner wars was winding down, I really wanted a Predaking so I picked up Feral Rex. Then Ordin. Then Warbotron. Pretty soon I had a bunch of 3P figures. And then I switched from CHUG to MP, and I picked up a ton more 3P figures.

 

Unicron.com's Beast Machines accessory kit, around 2003 I think.

 

DX9's Salmoore began my journey.  

 

I found 3p around the time I got back into collecting, when I stumbled across the Stunticons in WalMart. I thought the CW legends were the perfect size to go with the combiners, and wanted more than just the minibots and Insecticons at that size. I soon found the Thrilling 30 Prime, wasn't satisfied, and kept looking. From there I ran across GT Prime, and the rest is history.

 

Back in 2011 I was searching ebay for the Target exclusive Classics Ultra Magnus and Skywarp 2-pack and stumbled upon City Commander. Did a search for FP on Google after that and discovered TFW2005 and the glorious world of 3P. My wallet has never forgiven me...

 

I had zero interest in Transformers toys after the end of G1. I had vague memories of Victory (I had a Victory Leo toy, my brother had Deathsaurus), not interested in Beast Wars and never knew the existence of the later Unicron series. Yes, I've seen the live action movies but it simply didn't occur to me to check what merchandise was available, I had no idea Hasbro was even still making modern TF toys (I don't watch TV, I downloaded everything: manga, anime, Asian tv shows). It had been years since I actually look at the toy aisles, since I was more than occupied with computer games and consoles.

I think, one day in 2017 I was looking up 80s cartoons on Youtube, and later Benscollectables' review of the Wei Jiang M01 Commander popped up as a viewing suggestion and that thumbnail of it doing the Iron Man pose blew me away. It transforms? How did this enormously tall robot compress down into a truck? What sorcery is this? And it's a KO? What?? I'm in Asia, pirated stuff is supposed to be crappier than the originals! What the hell was this Wei Jiang doing?

Next thing I know I was ordering the M01B Nemesis version from Oh My Primus.

Then I discovered something called 'Masterpiece'. Oh my, that's expensive. Wonder if there are KO- nvm, THF Sonicwave it is! Ooo, KBB Obsidian Tank!

So yeah... my first foray back into TF and I bought 3 things at once.

Then I realized I was being stupid for ordering from a foreign country when I should have checked locally. Hmm. What is this Fans Toys Quakewave? Hey, someone is selling a used one for USD50. Maybe I should try and see what's the fuss is about... OOooooooo so this is 3rd party....

 

I remember picking up stuff for Beast Wars way back in the day, not sure when that started, I think the Unicron.com items were the first ones that were not garage kits. I know I was searching for the Action Master Megatron Fusion cannon when it came out, and I am still looking for to this day. That I think might have been back in 92 or so

 

This but I only picked up delicate warrior. Also I missed on original QW cause I was who the fuck is Quakewave lol. The G1 box for Mgt1 sold me though. Paid way too much for her

 

I believe my first experience with third party was at botcon 2009, I was in middle school at the time and my mom bought tickets for her and I, and she got me a Classics cliffjumper with the fans project upgrade kit. After that I cruised YouTube, and eventually found Vangelus' review for the explorer and munitioner kits, drooled over those for a year or two, then got Flamecry and... Whatever the munitioner repaint's name was. It was all downhill from there. Then I turned 18, got a job, and after about six months of that it was straight off a cliff. Still falling to this day, no regrets.  

 

About a week after joining the boards.

 

I wish I could remember. I think my first ever 3p toy was Titanium Saint Alpha Trion. I remember being wowed by the cool alt mode and making the decision to buy him based on that and thinking at the time that Hasbro will never make toys of characters like him  

 

Back when I was originally collecting Binaltech in the early 2000’s the only third party I knew of was the Ultra Magnus add on kit for classics Magnus.

I didn’t realize how far third party had come until this summer when I heard there was a cool set of Stunticons available.

I searched out the XTB Stunticons and was blown away. I assumed they’d all be janky thrown together mess because they weren’t official but once I got them in hand and saw the paint, die cast heft and quality, it was on. Then I got into Fans Toys, Make Toys etc and I’m mostly 3rd party now with a little Takara on the side.

 

2015, read an article on some site like Engadget about MakeToys Green Giant / TFC Hercules and having always had a desire to own Devastator since I was a kid, that sent me down this dark trail going on six years now lol

Transformers wasn't even my first love as far as cartoons or toys went as a kid in the 80s. But I did have a bunch of the toys and watched some of the cartoon. Hadn't really paid it any mind since then, yet about 25 years later a website article was all it took to start what became a new hobby and collection.

 

FP City Commander kit - couldn't believe there was actual armor for Magnus in a world where it seemed like all Magnus would ever be again was a white Prime. When I saw the first prototype pictures I immediately knew I had to have it.

 

I was there, sonny. I was there /old man voice


Heard about em here on tfw. Fansproject was one of the pioneers and I think city commander, too, was my first

 

Found Mp line at toys r us. Bought thunder cracker, Loved it. Bought yotg prime, loved it. but, I knew thundercracker wasn’t Deco’ed properly. I was ok with the prime because I understand it was a special thing for the Chinese New Year but look no further into it.


So I continue to stalk toys r us in anticipation of next figure. I see acid storm. I’m enraged. Wtf. Why no original cast G1!

Go to internet. Find out about Mp line and hasbro’s treachery just as the datsuns are coming out, pre order my first Mp prowl with upgrade kit Then I see the 3p stuff. Got scoria and warbotron leg bots fall in love