TF Hunts - What makes them so fun ?

[Xtreme987]

I guess sometimes if you can't find anything they might be more of a pain then fun.

Anyway for me it's the element of surprise. You just never know what your going to find on the pegs & shelves.

I want to hear from you all. Why are TF hunts so much fun for you (or not) ?

[sarmick01]

They aren't for me. I get frustrated when I go and still the same old stuff.

[Tonestar]

That's the thing about hunts...most of the time you're not successful. It's the few times that you find what you're looking for out there that make it worth while. At least, that's the way it is for me. I am still checking Winners and Marshalls stores for a $19.99 AOE Leader Optimus. Seen a few of Grimmys just no Primes yet and so I continue.

[Vorahk]

Let me tell you a story. It was the age of the first live action movie. That 2007 camero bee was going for like 100 dollars. I was wanting to find dropkick so I planned a entire night of looking. First my plan called me to go to both zellars on the east side of town, hit up the walmarts and then finish at the last zellars on the west side. First zellars I went to had both that bee and dropkick so I had nothing to do for the rest of the night. I was actually bummed out for the rest of the night cause I found them first go. I like going to multiple places to find what I'm looking for but if I can't find anything I feel like I wasted time.

[elburrito]

Getting out of the house. Away from the spouse and kids. The joyful exuberance of finding what you wanted or finding something else that you didn't know you wanted until you saw it.

The drive-thru meal you ate in the car in between stores.

There are many things to love about transformer hunts.

[The7thParallel]

I came across a Revenge of the Fallen Bruticus set for $10 at a Zellers that was in the final day of liquidation. It was found on the floor or behind a shelving unit or something.

'Twas glorious.

[Mega-Prime 316]

When I first started collecting, I was all about the hunt. I would plan how I was going to travel from store to store so I could hit em all and not have to double back. Basically make a big loop around the city. Then as time went on I began to get frustrated with empty hunts, so began the online shopping with Automaton and BBTS. Now the transformers I want come to me. ;)

[Echotransformer]

It's the surgical strike. It starts (typically) with a US sighting. You know it's possibly a couple weeks away--but you still don't go to retail. Then you end up seeing a few people spot a figure on the boards, so you know there's at least a few days to wait...then, you start hitting the stores, you start with the ones you know stock efficiently...you hit them earliest. Still nada...You keep an eye on other sightings in your area...you hope someone else spots them but at the same time you want to be first...still nada

Then, one day, you just say "why not, I'm going to try this store instead" and BOOSH, there's the figure your looking for.

Like others have said, you can't have the satisfaction of the hunt without the failures.

That said, I don't think I'd enjoy this part of the hobby AT ALL without:

1. Knowing "roughly" when Hasbro is releasing
2. Knowing "approximately" where it's showing up in the USA and worldwide
3. Knowing "reasonably" when the item is in Canada
4. Knowing "with reasonable certainty" it's in my area--which is why the sightings board RAWK ... they would SUCK without all you guys participating!!!

[Xtreme987]

When I first started collecting, I was all about the hunt. I would plan how I was going to travel from store to store so I could hit em all and not have to double back. Basically make a big loop around the city. Then as time went on I began to get frustrated with empty hunts, so began the online shopping with Automaton and BBTS. Now the transformers I want come to me. ;)

Ya I try to do the same. I try to order most of mine online but the thrill of the hunt runs deep in my veins so I end up doing both. Cue OP Laugh - Muh Hah Hah. :primelaugh:

[Deception]

if you've ever played diablo 2 or 3 its the same feeling you get when you find a legendary item :)

[Chigimus]

Like others have said, you can't have the satisfaction of the hunt without the failures.

That said, I don't think I'd enjoy this part of the hobby AT ALL without:

1. Knowing "roughly" when Hasbro is releasing
2. Knowing "approximately" where it's showing up in the USA and worldwide
3. Knowing "reasonably" when the item is in Canada
4. Knowing "with reasonable certainty" it's in my area--which is why the sightings board RAWK ... they would SUCK without all you guys participating!!!

I concur, knowing where to look is half the battle and victory is all the more satisfying by the time you finally obtain your goal. It's really even not so much about the goal. Sure, keep your eyes on the prize and all that good stuff, but along the way, there is a certain sense of thrill to be had by going through that grind. It's the excitement and anticipation that you feel before you actually get your hands on it. Hell, sometimes along the way you stumble across a gem that you didn't even have in mind and all of a sudden you get a surprise for yourself. Those are pretty fun moments too. :)

The only times when the hunt isn't fun anymore is when you've been unsuccessful for even longer than what is probably expected because you know others around you have had success much sooner. The more time that passes, and nobody else reports sightings, that's when you start to lose hope that replenishment for that item might have reached the end of its shelf life because the next wave is around the corner. Desperate times call for desperate measures at that point....

if you've ever played diablo 2 or 3 its the same feeling you get when you find a legendary item :)

:rofl: Hahahahaha!!! Nice analogy!

[chovner]

Nothing... nothing makes them fun..... I get excited when Walmart or TRU, or anywhere has them on sale online so they can show up at my door... THAT'S fun.

[Undrave]

I get my must haves online nowadays, but it's mostly because it feels like there's just NOWHERE for me to hunt! especially with Target gone :/

Like there's Laurier with a Toys 'R' Us, then there's Gallerie de la Capitale where I can walk to Wal-Mart from there and they have a Toys 'R' Us...and that's it... sometimes I can go out of my way to get to Winners but that doesn't often wield results so I only do that once in a while... Sears and The Bay have not carried toys in years really so who else is there to shop for toys?

Still it's fun to go into a toy store or toy section and seeing something in person that might catch your fancy. There's also toys that I wanted when seeing them in pictures but I could never get around to buying... DOTM Megatron and AOE Strafe for exemple. There was something almost intengible about them once I got to the store that made me put them back.

But sometimes I also get a Tankor or a Legend Acid Storm that catches my eyes. Or I see that the LEGO Movie Double Decker Couch set is out, or a Pokémon I like got a toy... I also do sightings for a friend of mine who collects Monster High dolls and TMNT toys so it's nice to have some new stock you can be happy to see, even if you're not buying anything.

[joshimus]

I'm starting to be an online fan. So many lines don't even make it to us. I mean we finally got the Rattrap/Tankor waves and now tons of em, but will we see Arcee? I'll be surprised, but I am glad I got her online from BBTS at the time.
I also preordered Magnus from Automaton so I don't have to look for him. I am honestly getting tired of the searches. I did manage to find the entire Thanos wave, but that's part of the problem. I nabbed the set so now who knows when a full set shows up for someone else. Same with Groot BAF. I found all those figs (on my b-day no less) but I haven't found those figs since, so I feel bad for those that didn't collect the set.
If we got things in less than half assed waves, things would be better. We end up with too much of the previous wave and they stick like the wall of yellow did during ROTF.
Hell I won't even bother with 6" SW Black figs. I want to, but screw it. It's just not fun anymore.

[Undrave]

I'm starting to be an online fan. So many lines don't even make it to us. I mean we finally got the Rattrap/Tankor waves and now tons of em, but will we see Arcee? I'll be surprised, but I am glad I got her online from BBTS at the time.
I also preordered Magnus from Automaton so I don't have to look for him. I am honestly getting tired of the searches. I did manage to find the entire Thanos wave, but that's part of the problem. I nabbed the set so now who knows when a full set shows up for someone else. Same with Groot BAF. I found all those figs (on my b-day no less) but I haven't found those figs since, so I feel bad for those that didn't collect the set.
If we got things in less than half assed waves, things would be better. We end up with too much of the previous wave and they stick like the wall of yellow did during ROTF.
Hell I won't even bother with 6" SW Black figs. I want to, but screw it. It's just not fun anymore.

It used to be you could walk into a store and see like twenty or so different characters, now it's always the same four guys or so...

And is it just me or it feels like there's less toys in general than there used to be? And less variety?

[DesertDog]

As my municipality has "laws" against hunting and butchering wild game within city limits, plus gardeners constantly complaining about "trespassing", whatever that is, I can only satisfy my Hunter-Gatherer urges hunting down plastic Unicorns(or is it Unicrons?). Finding what I believe to be the only FoC Kickback in town after hitting 4 Walmarts was one of the best days of hunting ever.

As soon as society collapses though, I'm eating everyone's carrots and all the Canada geese. :canada:

[Supernova]

Honestly, these days, my hunting tends to take place online more than actual retail. In the past few years, this city has lost Zellers, TRU (Express), and now Target, leaving Walmart as the only game in town (the next major city is an hour and a half from here).

That said, Walmart here often lags behind when it comes to stocking Transformers, and it's always been that way since I started collecting again in 2007. Plus, these days, they're the more expensive option. So, at this stage, I pin my hopes on finding TF's via TRU.ca, or Amazon, rather than venture out to find more disappointment.

[alternatorfan]

if you've ever played diablo 2 or 3 its the same feeling you get when you find a legendary item :)

Yeah what he said! !

[alternatorfan]

Thrill of the hunt!!

[jjwankenobi]

To quote the late Blues Legend B.B King, when it comes to hunting for TFs, "The Thrill Is Gone". 5 years ago it was exhilarating to see TFA, DOTM, and CHUGS on the pegs. Now I'd gladly pay premium to skip the hunt. Blame it on fatherhood, impatience or exasperation. The last time I was thrilled at finding and buying something from a brick and mortar store was Hasbro TRU MP-10 which frankly was a great way to end my in-store hunting days.

[Darth Cylon]

I stopped hunting. Guess what stopped me?

THE GREAT FRAKKING WALL OF BEES

Thanks Hasbro.

My last great hunt was for Hasbro MP-02 Soundwave.

[Watari]

This is how I feel during my hunt when I am able to find the TF that I want. The feeling of accomplishment xD
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_r-c5tRmOco/hqdefault.jpg

[Sun Swipe Prime]

if you've ever played diablo 2 or 3 its the same feeling you get when you find a legendary item :)

I played hundreds and hundreds of hours on D2, but now, Homey don't play dat any more. Hours adjusting magic find gear and doing Diablo runs in the hopes of getting something good, I don't know. I don't have a desire to do that any more. Too many other things in life calling.

When I first started collecting TFs again when I spotted a Universe Sideswipe and Sunstreaker in TRU, and fell in love. I'd go hunting. I'd pretty much hit up every TRU, Walmart and Zellers in the Lower Mainland trying to get all the Classics and Universe toys I could get my hands on. Had a route that I could do in six to eight hours.

Now that I've filled out my collection, the thought of spending hours and hours in my car with no guarantee of getting anything at all, not so appealing. Not when I understand how waves and release schedules work now. Not when I know I can order online if I'm desperate. Not that I know there's nothing that can't be had if you have patience.

Instead of spending hours in my car and wasting a $50 tank of gas, I'd rather stay at home and play with the toys I have, and still have time scan the net for stuff I want.

[Sureshot22]

i check the toy section where ever i am and of course i love it when i find something im looking for but i dont enjoy the hunt at all. Would rather find them right away and be done.

[Sideswipe]

Yup. With the exception of Winners.

P.S. I found the other gears at Winners!

Honestly, these days, my hunting tends to take place online more than actual retail. In the past few years, this city has lost Zellers, TRU (Express), and now Target, leaving Walmart as the only game in town (the next major city is an hour and a half from here).

That said, Walmart here often lags behind when it comes to stocking Transformers, and it's always been that way since I started collecting again in 2007. Plus, these days, they're the more expensive option. So, at this stage, I pin my hopes on finding TF's via TRU.ca, or Amazon, rather than venture out to find more disappointment.

[Supernova]

Yup. With the exception of Winners.

P.S. I found the other gears at Winners!

Good stuff! :)

I do consider Winners as a secondary channel, personally, since items that show up at one don't necessarily show up here (recent examples being YOTG MP-10, the 2014 Generations Voyagers, and so on).

But, you can't beat the prices when things do show up there!

[BoNKerS]

if you've ever played diablo 2 or 3 its the same feeling you get when you find a legendary item :)

HAHAHA best response yet!!

[Xtreme987]

... I did manage to find the entire Thanos wave, but that's part of the problem. I nabbed the set so now who knows when a full set shows up for someone else. Same with Groot BAF. I found all those figs (on my b-day no less) but I haven't found those figs since, so I feel bad for those that didn't collect the set.

This is one generous collector ... thinks of the next collector/child looking for figures as well. :highfive:

[positivelyken]

I hate the hunt. It's beyond tedious making the rounds with only occasional success, and even those rare "jackpot" moments don't necessarily make up for all the times I come away empty-handed. I would rather order what I want online and have it shipped to me.

[Shockwave 75]

Getting out of the house. Away from the spouse and kids. The joyful exuberance of finding what you wanted or finding something else that you didn't know you wanted until you saw it.
This. A lot.

Granted, if I had the means I'd probably order online, but I think I'd always check locally first.

If I didn't check locally I wouldn't have been one of the lucky few who got in on that first freak shipment of CW wave 2 at the beginning of February. Which was both elating, and frustrating, mostly because when I found the 3 Stunticons I didn't find Air Raid, and there were no voyagers. So I had to wait till just a few weeks ago to finally complete both sets when wave 2 started showing up in force.

[timcrook]

I know sometimes it is frustrating when you end up empty handed after a toy hunt but finding stuff on the first try isn't fun either.

Yesterday I saw someone mention in the BC sightings thread they saw combiner wars wave 3 voyagers at tru. I happened to be at a3u to buy toyworld orionvil and I saw hotspot and cyclonus.

On my first try I found them locally. I didn't pick them up cause it felt too easy. I felt like one of those pro fishermen that catch and release Hahaha.

Yeah I'll be wasting gas to get them later but I just consider that the price of admission for this thrill ride I enjoy.

[positivelyken]

I know sometimes it is frustrating when you end up empty handed after a toy hunt but finding stuff on the first try isn't fun either.

Yesterday I saw someone mention in the BC sightings thread they saw combiner wars wave 3 voyagers at tru. I happened to be at a3u to buy toyworld orionvil and I saw hotspot and cyclonus.

On my first try I found them locally. I didn't pick them up cause it felt too easy. I felt like one of those pro fishermen that catch and release Hahaha.

Yeah I'll be wasting gas to get them later but I just consider that the price of admission for this thrill ride I enjoy.

This is clearly English and yet I don't understand any of it. :confused:

[MULTIPLEX]

This is clearly English and yet I don't understand any of it. :confused:

Lol :primelaugh:

What he's getting at is, the hunt Is half the fun! I enjoy the hunt too.

Find what you're looking for and it's like winning the lottery, ok maybe not, more like 21 in Blackjack :p

[jjwankenobi]

Find what you're looking for and it's like winning the lottery, ok maybe not, more like 21 in Blackjack :p

Actually it is more like the bottle pointing to a butterface rather than a dude as you're playing spin the bottle.

Even in a hollow victory there is still defeat :p.

[Shockwave 75]

Yesterday I saw someone mention in the BC sightings thread they saw combiner wars wave 3 voyagers at tru. I happened to be at a3u to buy toyworld orionvil and I saw hotspot and cyclonus.

On my first try I found them locally. I didn't pick them up cause it felt too easy. I felt like one of those pro fishermen that catch and release Hahaha.

This is clearly English and yet I don't understand any of it. :confused:
This ↑↑↑↑

I don't know why, but reading this made me really angry!

Dude, I'm all for the hunt, but if you happen to stumble upon something you want, and you have the means, GET IT!!! Because you never know when or IF you'll ever see it again.

This is like a treasure hunter falling through a hole and landing in the middle of King Solomon's Mines, but then deciding not to report or claim it because the way he found it was "too easy".

Your fishing metaphor doesn't even make sense! They don't catch & release because it was "too easy", they do it because they just enjoy the "hunt". So if you went out looking for stuff, found it, and then NEVER bought it, then your metaphor would make sense.

Just clicking and buying online is the very definition of "too easy". Because it's not hunting.

[The 12th Prime]

The last time I enjoyed "hunting" and considered it fun was when there was TF Prime Cyberverse Vehicons at Dollarama for $3 each, I'd say that was the last time I went out of my way for something I wanted and enjoyed getting it. Plus hunting for the Kreo mini fig's was fun until it was killed with this new abomination.

The hunt isn't what it use to be with MP's and Independent Party offerings and most of it being available online or "through a guy" Also my penchant for import offerings leaves domestic hunting a little dry for me except for the oddball CW characters like Alpha Bravo, Offroad and soon Rook. I've had enough of the movie stuff for the most part outside of new characters, most times I'll check out the toy aisle while out shopping or somewhere to go when I'm with my son but not really going out of my way much.

These days I like going to out of the way shops and places to see TF's. There's a couple of vintage shops in town here that have older TF's so it's nice to backtrack a little and see if there's anything older I might find cool, interesting, passed or missed and pick up.

[Grimtron]

What makes the hunt fun is when you tell future generations or your children about the great hunt for MotorMaster! Lol.

Honestly, the hunt is all about the thrill of victory when you find that figure that is so rare or hardly in stock. It does have it sad times when you can't find anything no matter how far and wide you look.

[Prime Sinister]

The recent Motormaster hunt was fun but some what pointless. We knew more would be shipped out, clog shelves and then go on sale but we all wanted a piece of the limited initial run to complete Menasor first.

[CanBot]

I have to admit the thrill of finding stuff on the shelves is great. But when you can't find what you're looking for?...then it just adds to frustration and cost when you have to use other means.

What this means to me is I order stuff online, but still pick up things at Walmart when I find them. I tend to leave them in boxes so I can either return them when the shipment comes in, or just keep them for trading. That's the concept, anyway.

The first thing I couldn't find locally was movie Leader Sentinel Prime. I ended up getting him through a deal here. He's...not my favorite :D so in the end, it was probably for the best.

Combiner Wars has been a lot of fun but still tricky. I'm just not used to 'not' finding stuff from these types of lines on shelves.

[Prime Sinister]

What also adds to the fun of the hunt is the timing of the Toys R Us sale at the time. I recall racing against fellow collectors to beat them to the last Hasbro MP Grimlock or recently to the last Combiner Wars deluxes.

[Pascal]

This weekend, I experienced both a 1.0-type hunt and a 2.0-type hunt.

Went to Walmart Sunday morning, surprise, they had the new RID Legion class figures. That was unexpected, like the good old times. 1.0-type hunt.

Friday night, downshift PM'd me through Facebook to tell me he had found online the last wave of Power Battlers I was after, and at a darn good price (only 1 of each figure left). Ordered the toys on the spot. 2.0-type hunt.