I just realized something tonight... Suppose you wanna offer your kid Energon Optimus Prime ($60CAN). But then you realize it combines with Wing Saber ($40CAN). And Omega Sentinel ($80CAN). $180CAN of Prime fun? That's a lot of money... The toys are great, but sometimes they forget about the parents it seems. Or take Cybertron Optimus Prime ($60CAN), Leobreaker ($40) and Wing Saber ($40). That's another good chunk of money. Or the Armada Prime/Overload/Jetfire trio.
Toys are expensive... It's been that way for quite a while... It's unfortunate but at least as a parent you can make the best of it if you can somehow teach your kid to keep his toys in great condition and make them last as long as possible... Unlike my ungrateful nephew who loses the TFs I buy him left and right...
Buy him Barbies, instead. They're cheaper. Yeah, toys are expensive. Just buying for me, I can't afford all the ones I want. Energon wasn't that bad, but Cybertron's gonna kill me.
Forget random, go for the absolute bottom of the barrel ugly and crappy ones. Tell him this is what happens when he doesn't take care of his stuff. Or throw him out the upstairs window. ....what? Oh alright...cover him in glue, throw feathers on him, then toss him out the window and ask him to fly.
One word. Two syllables. BOOT-LEG! I remember getting plenty of them when I was a kid, just let them use their imagination. Kids nowadays are lacking plenty of it.
Being from a family without a whole lot of money is why I never got anything above a deluxe as a kid, and those deluxes were really rare.
Could always make him play with Pretenders, then he would'nt want to mess with TF's at all. Or a buttload of Spychangers. Nah, I'd probaby want to get him the cool stuff. The big Primes and badass Megatrons so when he's old he'll have some cool memories like we have. Was cool when you can get Supreme Cheetor for $10. You can always get him a Supreme Starscream for cheap now
It's an expenssive hobby, but if you teach them the value of a dollar then they'll learn to take care of their stuff and not be careless with it. To this day I still have some of my old toys from back in the day and they're in pristine condition. I'm glad my mom kept them after I moved out.
Kids are kids and will accidentally break their stuff from time to time, but when they willingly go and destroy what you gave them, then they no longer deserve to have what they have and must learn a lesson. When I finally do have kids, the instant they start breaking things, I'm taking ALL of their stuff out of their room until they apologize and really mean it, and actually learn "Ooh. Dad said he'd take my stuff, he means it! This stinks!"
Who said the kids had to have all of the ones that combine w/ each other. Growing up I only got new toys when I brought home a good report card, birthday, Christmas. There were many of the G1 gestalt teams that I never completed and it wasn't because of the prices...it was b/c my parents thought I had enough toys as is so why did I need (fill in the blank) too.
Growing up I remember going to the store every week to get a Star Wars, Gijoe or Dungeons and Dragons for a DOLLAR. That's right $1.00. Oh the good o days.
There should be a case study on those of use with this "circumstance..." And it should be published on Psycology Today... The voices inside my head tell me that you're a grade A ninny!!!
