Too many TF toy lines? Which do you collect?

[UsernamePrime]

Studio series, mainline/generations/crossovers, cyberverse, master piece, 3rd party lines... the list of toy lines/makers covering Transformer in all their various scales and styles is pretty big.



Few questions below, just curious, answer as many or as few as you please. I like other collectors insights.



Which line(s) do you collect? and why that/those over the other lines?

Huge collection or carefully curated selection?


If you collect multiple lines does it ever get overwhelming?


Have you ever stopped collecting a line as a result?


Do you feel the market is over-saturated with all these options?

[TNG]

If I had to specify specifically which lines I hunt down, I say Generations, Studio Series, and older TV lines prior to RID 2.0. I have strayed away from the TV lines since RID 2.0 simply because of the style of Transformers. I love the concepts and designs(Mainly in RID), just the execution is personally not my jam. Every now and then I do invest in a 3rd Party figure if it catches my attention. (Note: I say invest not because I view as a money-making opportunity but because they are typically not as cheap as a 'mainline' figure) I tend to stay away from MP style figs just cause of 'scaling' and due to them typically not being fun toys and more so replicas(Yes play with my Transformers people, sue me)

My collection is definitely not too big in comparison to others. I can't remember the exact number but I believe last time I checked I was getting close to 300 maybe 400 figures. I don't really buy everything in a line, typically only the figs I like or feel an attachment to. If I were to buy a line regardless of my feelings of the figures, typically Id limits it to a size class or teams, such as the Prime Masters or the Scavengers. Though I'm thinking of trying to collect all of the original Beast Wars line, but time will tell how achievable that is.

It only gets overwhelming to manage multiple lines when deciding between which figures to buy at a given moment. To clarify I'm a uni student so the dough ain't exactly rolling in. So when I happen to find a couple of figures I do want to get, especially when it comes to older figures that I buy loose, choosing over getting a complete, older figure loose and complete, or a new release can be kind of stressful.

The only time a stopped collecting a line just cause it was too tedious was Kreo. I did enjoy the little blind bags and combiners, but finding the IDs and then it being canceled made way to hard to keep up with all the stuff I collected at the time which I believe was Pokemon cards, Transformers, and Beyblades.

As for whether the market is oversaturated with options, I don't think so personally. Unless you are mainly a MP/3rd Party MP collector, cause there are definitely so many options there and I can only imagine that having all the different stylistic takes on the same characters and on top of that all the 'MP' takes on the same characters, that just having to evaluate all the pros, cons, prices, general aesthetic, and QC can be stressful and overwhelming. On the other hand, the Hasbro lines have such niche and broad range in terms of characters and types of figures that, say if you want your classic modern reimaginings of classic characters you go to Generations. If you want your cool, slick movieverse figures with little to no interpretation you got Studio Series. Maybe your more of a gimmick and fun style type of peep, the current Cyberverse seems to cover that. And if you just like to maybe pick up some cheap but fun and funky figures, Bot Bots has got that covered. Probably over-explained it there, but what I'm getting at is that the lines are such that you don't really have to worry about which version is better(aside from exclusive repaints) or which is more bang for your buck, whereas 3rd Party is more about getting that fan-catering, higher-quality figures(Def not all the time tho, not to name names but Impossible Toys)

So yeah I say that if you're not in the 3rd Party/MP realm of things, everything is pretty well defined and accessible, mainly just being a do I like it or not. And for a final note, I know it wasn't a question but there is also that manufacturer factor in collecting, not so much in mainline series(At least not so much anymore), def in 3rd Party, but personally, it's not much of determining factor unless there are clearly design differences like exclusives or style approaches.

Sorry for the ramble. Too much time on my hands as of late.

[jaymagnus2011]

i just do the studio series

[Alliniere]

I collect largely based on characters. I collect female characters, I collect ones based on weird things that it's like 'how did this get a toy?'. Like Rack N Ruin, it's bonkers that they have a toy now.

[evenstaves]

> Which line(s) do you collect? and why that/those over the other lines?
*current Generations line*
also may dabble in G1, BW, Animated, but I mostly already have all the figs I wanted from the latter two

> Huge collection or carefully curated selection?
Certainly not huge compared to some I've seen on here, but working on it - once I get enough detolfs it could be considered "carefully curated"

> If you collect multiple lines does it ever get overwhelming?
More like, enough interests to usually be able to find something I'd like
I'm never at a con like "welp, I don't like any of this"
I'm always at a con like "welp, there goes all my money"

> Have you ever stopped collecting a line as a result?
Hm - BotBots maybe? I only want a few of them, but the distribution after 2nd wave has been so brutal, a bit discouraging to continue

> Do you feel the market is over-saturated with all these options?
Hey I love having options, but it IS annoying to see all this Dollarama-tier Cyberverse crap over-represented
And I got real upset when Bayformers started edging out Generations to the point that it became difficult to find (Generations would never be overstocked again)

[steamwhistle]

Which line(s) do you collect? and why that/those over the other lines?

G1 & Masterpiece.
I grew up in the G1 era, so the Sunbow cartoons and the Marvel comics are my stories. I will collect characters from those G1 storylines -- could be from any line, but I'm now really focussed on G1 and Masterpiece (or decent enough size-comparison with great articulation - if ER Cliffjumper was 15% bigger, he would do).

For me, I take to a transformer if it is a "robot in disguise", with an alt-mode which looks like an Earth-style vehicle. Yes, Trukk not Munky. Munky? Who are you fooling?

So, give me a truck, jet, tank, helicopter, racecar, and even a jaguar that fits inside a walkman. Though many of the characters were fun, I cared less for the likes of the Dinobots, Terrorcons, Predacons, etc. Did Trypticon and SkyLynx even have a real robot mode? I say "no". Still getting EarthRise SkyLynx though. He looks pretty.

Huge collection or carefully curated selection?

Unfortunately, too huge for my liking. I bought (CHUG) toys of G1 characters figuring I wouldn't be able to acquire the G1 toys I wanted, and that we wouldn't get anything much better. Example: Generations Blitzwing & Titans Return Blitzwing. I've gotten better in recent years with defining my collection. I want G1 (pre-movie and select post-movie), and MP (or very good articulating figures) of the G1 North America (NA) characters.

If you collect multiple lines does it ever get overwhelming?

I am not looking to buy up complete lines, but yes, it is very whelming. Why did every Transformer become a combiner? Why did every Transformer become a Headmaster? So weird.

Have you ever stopped collecting a line as a result?

As said, I'm not looking to buy up complete lines -- I just want to collect a great articulating representation of G1 NA.

Do you feel the market is over-saturated with all these options?

Yes. Why all the different sizing/classes? Why would anyone want both Siege and Earthrise figures, if they are effectively the same thing?

[Alexander Quinn]

Oooohhh. Fun. Let’s see...

Which line(s) do you collect? and why that/those over the other lines?
I collect Generations, cause it scratches my “G1 but better” itch. I like seeing my childhood heroes and villains but updated. I also collect Studio Series, cause even though I feel like the movies started out kinda blah and did not improve over time, I generally like the designs. They’re interesting to me. Not a fan of Cyberverse cause, to me, it’s too simplistic or lazily designed. Also no to MP and 3rd Party stuff, cause they tend to be too pricey for me.

Huge collection or carefully curated selection?
Careful. I only have a smaller apartment and only 5 bookshelves to display stuff. I have 1 for TFs, 1 for Marvel Legends, 1 for Power Rangers, 1 for Star Wars and 1 for miscellaneous or overflow.


If you collect multiple lines does it ever get overwhelming?
Yes. TF not so much, but Marvel Legends was averaging a new wave of figures (usually 7 figures per wave), every 3 weeks in 2019. It was insane.


Have you ever stopped collecting a line as a result?
No, but it has caused me to scale back and only go after figures I really want. In the case of TFs, I try to only have 1 or 2 of each character, and even then only if they are wildly different (like Combiner Wars Devastator and Studio Devastator).


Do you feel the market is over-saturated with all these options?
For TFs, yes. There are like a dozen G1-esque Optimus Prime toys on the shelves right now. Between Siege, Earthrise, Cyberverse, and even some of the Studio stuff it seems like there’s a ton of stock but not a ton of options. I feel like it wouldn’t be so cluttered if they would stop releasing so many versions of the same 6 characters in every single line. Taking a break from Optimus, Grimlock, Hot Rod, Megatron, Starscream, and Shockwave for a while could do the brand some good I feel.

[The Nemesis]

Which line(s) do you collect? and why that/those over the other lines?


Mostly the mainline stuff (I started in earnest a couple years ago with Power of the Primes and some holdover Titans Return/Combiner Wars stuff. And have continued with the WFC stuff). I have a smattering of mid-00s anime stuff and some original G1 holdovers and reissues, but for now it's pretty much entirely the core CHUG-type lines.


I have a Masterpiece Optimus that was the original one released in the west, but I haven't kept up on Masterpiece since then simply because it's way too expensive especially considering so many would potentially require importing from Japan and whatnot.



Huge collection or carefully curated selection?

With PotP it was basically complete. But since then I've done my best to more carefully curate it, avoiding buying repeats of characters that I'm happy with in the version I already have and not getting too sucked into repaints and special editions. Like with Siege I got the Refraktor 3-pack because of the camera stuff, but I have no interest in scrapface or most of the other WFC Netflix bots out so far. I imagine as we move along I might become even more selective towards intriguing characters or really cool designs.


The biggest reason besides cost (it's shocking to sit back and consider that collecting a whole single CHUG line at retail can cost a couple thousand dollars) is limited space. Right now I have a single broad shelf that I display my stuff on, which means that I either can cram everything together in tight, orderly lines standing shoulder-to-shoulder to see most of what I have, or I can rotate in and out smaller sets of figures more dynamically laid out and keep the rest in storage bins. And the problem gets worse the more stuff I buy given that my display space doesn't grow to match.


Also I'm helped by the fact that I don't have much interest in the other wide-release lines. Cyberverse doesn't appeal to me and while there are a couple of fun Botbots characters I might like, distribution is so borked up that I've never seen them and don't much care anymore.



If you collect multiple lines does it ever get overwhelming?

I don't collect multiple lines simultaneously, but now being on my 3rd-5th CHUG line in the last few years it is starting to dawn on me how ridiculous it's going to get within a couple of years if my collection keeps expanding at the rate it has since about 2017/2018 when I got back into collecting full-time



Have you ever stopped collecting a line as a result?


Not stopped outright, but with each successive line I feel like I have less of a drive to collect it to completion for the above reasons


Do you feel the market is over-saturated with all these options?

From the perspective of someone who might feel compelled to go after all the varied lines, yeah it's probably a lot more daunting.



Personally I feel like even each single line ends up being over-saturated. I look at the distribution problems that happen at the end of each line as stores segue into the next and stop paying attention to the previous one. The 4th and 5th waves always feel like they end up far too hard to find and have led to situations where I had to pay a premium on PotP Novastar or have failed to find Singe and Rung from Siege (or hadn't seen the likes of Rumble/Ratbat or Direct-Hit/Powerpunch until the last couple months)

[Constructicons]

MPs and MPMs

[ssjgoku22]

MP's, 3P, and WFC. Trying to phase out of Studio Series.