okay so have you guys ever seen anyone else buy transformers?

heres mine I was returning my movie $100 bumblebee and got concept comaro bb and final battle jazz I was lucky because the second after I got bb off the shelf a guy came and was looking through the transformers he seemingly got all bbs there (there was only like 3 left when I got mine)

I've spotted quite a few others people buying toys for themselves and thier collections. We dorks stick out like a sore thumb.

sure have, this latest time i was lucky enough that he was a fellow fan and not a scalper.

really nice fellow too, if he sees this i was the guy you gave a universe tankor to @ the huntington TRU

i got there before it was open looking for universe tfs. by the time i got there tankor was gone so i grabbed a prowl and headed over the joe section where i promptly picked up an armadillo vs air chariot pack. here i ran into a fellow joe collector. i don't think he was a scalper even though he had multiples as he left product on the shelf so i think he was just picking some up for a friend. we talked about how distro sucks and he asked if i open them or keep them misb. he was an misb collector. after talking to him i started to second guess my choice on prowl and went over to contemplate sunstreaker. the guy saw me and started talking to me and then offered me a tankor, i guess because he saw me shuffling through the pegs. the joe guy then came over empty handed and looked at some other stuff. i looked at him sort of puzzled due to him being empty handed and he said they'd cut the packages with the box cutter upon opening them. he had lodged a complaint. whoever stocked the joe stuff that morning needed their coffee, all the joes that where on the shelves had their cards bent all to shot, like crazy bad. then the vehicles being cut... that guy got a stern talking to from the manager lol.

i have seen other adults looking at transformers, but it's very rare and thats the first time i've ever conversed with one. thats the first time i've ever seen anybody looking for joes. i have seen quite a bit looking at hot wheels and star wars stuff though.

I run into people every so often. Different types too...

First we have The Mom, I love these cause they always believe that I have an Ebay store, and are easy for some flirty fun. They like the attention, I like the game. It's a win-win

Next we have The Couple, They're always alittle chunky, but happy to talk transformers. I like seeing these people to a point, cause they support eachother in the hobby, and thats cool. However the point is when they keep following you after alls said and done. I've been followed to diners and such by these people.

Then there's The Helper, this guy(or gal) is somewhat knowledgable, but looking for someone else. You can pic them out by the cell conversation which lists everything on the shelf. Often I hear them say "yeah they have it but this guy got to it before me"

Elite Hunting , it's called that for a reason besides killing tourist, deal with it cell phone guy

After that we have The Weirdo, I feel bad for these people. You can tell that they're there for themselves. You can also tell that they've mustered alot to get up the courage to get out of their parents basement to buy the figs by their pail pasty skin. You can't talk with these people cause they're so unuse to human contact that the slightest nudge of human conact or conversation causes their frail forms to clench up, mutter something, than run off.

My favorite though are The Kindered Spirits, these are guys you can tell are cool, buying beers and bots. Like me, they're always ready to talk about whats new on the shelf, the hot clerk working isle 3, and will share and listen to your "top of the head want list" and share tips on local hunting grounds. Best part is, they know when enough is enough, that is of course unless you see them at the next spot...

Then it's game friggin on!!!

Least favorite is Dad, I respect the bread winner. My dad worked hard to keep dinner on the table every night, and used money for biils instead of toys. My dad was hard working and awesome. So why is The Dad my least favorite? Well, Dads impatient, rushes the kid, and causes a tantrum.

I don't care what kind of shopper you are, nobody likes looking in a isle full of Cranky Pants!

Thats my short answer to the question.

i've ran into a few different collectors.

at tru i primarily run into gi-joe and wwe action figure collectors.

at walmart it's the hot wheels collectors... some of those guys are scary geeky

i did run into a guy at walmart not to long ago before they had animated out on shelves... i could see that same hungry look in his eye i had. i managed to find someone willing to go to the back for me but i never found that guy again to tell him who to ask.

odd

most hot wheels collectors i see are middle aged or older.

Many times.

Yes, and I run into them at WW most of the time.

Oddly enough I run into a lot of Hasbro reps. I know they are not a collectors but when I ask them if they know when the next wave is going to hit they seem to know nothing. The tell me that these are it. It is funny how they work for Hasbro and it seems that Hasbro does not educate their reps or miss inform them or that is what Hasbro makes them say.

Yep. I always like seeing the little kid who doesn't quite know what he's talking about. They just pick up anything and go WHOA!!!! And when mom asks if they got what they wanted they just run off with whatever they have in hand.

Interesting. This is the first time since Animated and Universe came out that I have even seen this word used.

It was all SKALPUR SKALPUR SKALPUR OMG a year ago.


I can't wait for TF2

i know it's shocking isn't it? there wasn't even that many crys of scalping when the animated toys where only released in the cincinnati area.

also, distro on universe has actually been quite good. i expected to be waiting a good month to two months before finding them.

Still haven't found Universe in my area. Most stores JUST re-stocked figs since first putting them out about a month and a half ago. Lucky for me, I was in Destin last week when I found Sunstreaker and Prowl.

The only time I ever see people buying TFs is when parents are doing it with their kids standing next to them.

I've met one member from this board. Ironicly I didn't know it was him until he sent me a PM asking. Now it seems we sort of tag team sightings and hold stuff for each other which is cool. If he sees this he can name himself but I'm not going to point him out

A MYSTERY?????

A tryst????

it differs depending on the store... I've only seen a collector in TRU once and we just nodded at each other. In the comic stores I find other fans but I never really talk to them apart from the guys at the counter they are cool

Yep....... MANY SCALPERS! Sometimes there at the hobby store Sneaking out all the concept camaros bumble bee (11 of them!) Some times at the toys'rus Buying some universe 2.0 toys.

for the small amount of universe they put on the pegs at the huntington tru they lasted quite a long while. i don't think they're scalper bait in this area.

See my signature. Though I've moved to a different state and from a rural town to a city, so that likely won't last.

Hmmm. There are a few stories I could share...


My fiancée and I were looking at premium concept Bumblebee at an endcap in Walmart once and a lady pushed her cart halfway into the isle by us and cheerfully warned, "If you're wanting to buy one of those for your kid, don't."

We barely had time to look up when she went on, "They're just impossible to transform."

I'd never had something like this happen, so as I prepared to half assed stammer something about being a collector, my fiancée dealt with the annoyance and tersely lied, "Well our boy has no trouble with them. Thanks."

Before moving on down the isle the lady shook her head and said, "Well my husband tried forever, and he couldn't do it."

Soccer mom? o_0

I didn't pick up the premium bee... I hope that lady didn't think I was taking her advice.




I'm also reminded of an encounter with a non-collector who thought he'd happened upon some rare holy grail of transformers.

I was helping a friend move, and he had a friend along that I hadn't met before. During a lull in the heavy lifting, he saw the decepticon logo on my shirt and asked if I liked transformers.

I said I was a collector, and he said he had one that was better than any I'd ever seen... 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime.

"That's an awesome figure! Is it the dvd edition or the straight up 20th?"

He looked at my puzzled, so I explained the difference in color. He said his came with a talking stand that had "Optimus Prime's voice."

He seemed defensive, so I didn't bother telling him the bad news about the crappy voice chip, and instead told him about how in Japan they have MP04 that comes with an actual trailer.

He didn't want any 'japan shot' and asked if I was sure I knew what he was talking about...

This guy was really teetering on being a jerk, so I let it drop there and got back to lugging a lazyboy up three flights of stairs.

I don't have mp04, but at least my 20th Prime has chrome.




I have seen a couple of hotwheels collectors in a walmart, though. Just once, and not in my local store. I was the next isle over and heard them discussing the intricacies of what was on the shelves vs. what they'd like to see in a hotwheel. Freaked me out. VERY nerdy.

Still, I had to take a peek around the corner. I saw two plump trainwrecks of personal hygene, hairy as wooly muppets, greasy jowled, and draped in more black than the gothiest of all goths.

And yet they still stood out as nerds.

They plucked through the pegs with practiced precision, sausages tipped in black nail polish snatching some overlooked rarity only to have it derided by the other of the two.

Then I felt bad for being friggin superficial. They could be nice guys, even if they sounded bitter and cynical about their toy cars.

Shock clutched me for a moment. Was I that different?

I looked back at my future Mrs. and myself. Aside from the logo on my decepticon shirt*, we made a pass at being normal. Deodorant and everything. *phew*

But it did make me think twice about going on and on about repaints while in public.

~Matt Booker

*The same shirt as mentioned previously. I do have non-tf shirts. Really.

Yep many times.

How do you see yourself buying toys.

ummm with a mirror? hows that?

i'm getting geekier by the day myself - but personal hygiene is (and always will be) paramount to me

i think that's the line so we're still safe

I have yet to ever meet a toy collector who forgot a shower but anime and video game nerds that's another story

but some times I do look at what I do on a toy hunt and ask myself is it a bit much? like this saturday the new universe stuff will be in and I know I will be going to get it ASAP sad it seems to base a morning around getting 3 or 4 toys but saying that its not like TF's do chase stuff and I never take more then one of any given toy so I guess I'm ok so long as I shower

Well besides parents getting them for their kids and stuff like that once I saw this fat kid with glasses getting movie voyager Starscream. And once *non Star Wars* I saw this guy looked to be in his 20s or 30s walking out of the action figure isle with almost all the Star Wars Saga figures. Both at Wal-Mart. Other than that never saw any collectors around here. But once there was these two old people looking at Transformers, there was 3 TFA deluxes and I picked up Bumblebee and left Prowl & Lockdown, they picked up Lockdown but must have not gotten him cause I went to the same Target later and saw him again, but got Prowl.

I had seen a 7 yr old pick up an animated starscream but he left it to get a power rangers jungle fury megazord

HeHe!!!

I love ringing up a cart full of toys. People behind me are always like "lucky kid" to which my obvious response is "Screw them". Try it, you'll always get a chuckel out of the casher.

And yes, before any hunting(or anything for that matter) begins, 2.5 cups of coffee and a shower are needed before leaving the house.

when ni was choosing animated this younger kid was looking at it with his older brother older bro stared at me ..... he hut my feelings....

Lil bastards.

I always get that when I try the promo games. I'm only trying them cause I may be intrested, and $50 is alot to drop on something that may be crap. So little kid, put your puppy dog eyes away, that don't even work from the kids I know. And if you go get your mom to rush me...

Well, I simply explain it to her the way I stated it here. Time and again, Junior gets dragged away.

If I don't care about the game, I'll give the controler right over. Otherwise, I'm gonna buy it, your gonna beg for it. Till you get a job, I win!!!

You take a mirror with you just to see yourself buy something I'm about to try that.

Oh I know what your talking about. Thats funny. It's a good way to play the games without paying for em at the time. But they only have sports games for those things. And other crap...

I've actually had a couple good experiences with meeting other collectors. In some cases they weren't as serious as I am, but last July, I was on the hunt for Concept Bumblebee in Wal-Mart when a guy ran into me looking for Robot Heroes. Then he told me the nearby Zellers had a bunch of BB's, and that he hid a few so scalpers wouldn't get them, as well as the place he put them. Lo and behold, still found one left when I got there.

its me i saw hellscream at a k-mart a while back.

I rarely see anyone buying Transformers, specifically...usually one kid or something. I seriously don't know of anyone in my area who collects TFs regularly! I do see Hasbro reps in my Wal-Mart, but never bother 'em too much...it's not like they tell you big top secret stuff anyhow. I've seen lot's of collector types 'cause I work at Wally World (though, not in toys). Hot Wheels guys seem to be the most brazen and enduring lot! They are just hella dedicated!

Anybody else out there a Transformer collector near Hazleton PA? Just curious!!!

Where I live(south eastern WA), we have the aggressive Hotwheels collectors. I worked at TRU just after a twelve day hospital stay(pneumonia in both lungs is a real bee-yotch) because it was easy and laid-back work. I had already known about certain "faction" of the die cast collectors who were difficult to say the least. These guys would literally crowd parents and children out(I saw it myself) if they knew there was a new wave of cars out. They would also come in on freight days to pick through the new cases, and if you didn't oblige them they would get totally pissed and ask for the management. It got to a point where I would actually hide the new cases until an off day to put them out. Or, I would open the cases, and remove the rare/short packed cars, replace them with any old car from the shelf, and re-tape the box. I have a buddy who works at Fred Meyer that does the exact same thing to these guys.
Anyway, aside from them, all of the other collectors I've met have been really cool. I genuinely enjoy seeing other people in the hobby, who don't fit the stereo types.






Where I live(south eastern WA), we have the aggressive Hotwheels collectors. I worked at TRU just after a twelve day hospital stay(pneumonia in both lungs is a real bee-yotch) because it was easy and laid-back work. I had already known about certain "faction" of the die cast collectors who were difficult to say the least. These guys would literally crowd parents and children out(I saw it myself) if they knew there was a new wave of cars out. They would also come in on freight days to pick through the new cases, and if you didn't oblige them they would get totally pissed and ask for the management. It got to a point where I would actually hide the new cases until an off day to put them out. Or, I would open the cases, and remove the rare/short packed cars, replace them with any old car from the shelf, and re-tape the box. I have a buddy who works at Fred Meyer that does the exact same thing to these guys.
Anyway, aside from them, all of the other collectors I've met have been really cool. I genuinely enjoy seeing other people in the hobby, who don't fit the stereo types.

Same here. The only time I see people buying TFs is either when there are 2 sibling fighting over which one they'll ask mommy for or a parent or grandparent asking me what their kids will want for their birthday.


IS THERE ANYONE ON THIS BOARD THAT LIVES IN (SUMMERVILLE) SOUTH CAROLINA?!?!?!?!?!?!?






just askin.

Oh hell yeah. I love helpin out moms looking for things for kids. And I kid you not, I could open up a booth at the TF aisle around Christmas time. I think that moms come towards me for help since I am still a young teenager, but yeah I get a huge sense of satisfaction from helping moms out with what their children might want.


Collector wise...I seem to scare off all older men in the aisle. It's always sorta been that way, but uh...Still no clue why.

does anyone here live in huntsville alabama if so we can go to the local hampton cove walmart and get the new waves.

I think I have only ran into collectors once in my life.
I was a the local target with my mom, and I was just skimming through the TF area, when I saw two 20-year-olds. They were looking at the new Armada stuff.



Same here Krig. It definitely gives you a sense of accomplishment, knowing you might have helped some kid become a collector And I also agree that us teens are prime targets for parents around Christmas.

i always ask the age of the child and their other interests then stear them toward what i think would be best.

usually fast action battlers for 4-6 year olds
robot heroes for younger

A lady i work with saw alternators shockblast and said her son drove one of those and asked if it came in black. I said no but the white one is a pretty good substitute. showed her how to order off ebay via buyi tinow and pay through paypal. she was so proud of herself for doing it she gave it to him exactly the way it came to her house.. she said he loved it, he was 28 at the time.

I normally only see dudes ravaging through the Star Wars toys. I rarely ever see adults buying TFs for themselves. When I try to talk to them, they are shy and skidish and.....dont wanna talk.

NO! ...i dunno lol?

man, i wish ppl around here collected TFormers. i live in york, sc....and as far as i know, I AM the fanbase in my area. and when i do see ppl buying them, there all old, and look at me like im a freak for buying toys for myself. very sad.

Very rarely will I see other collectors. Australia is a very large place, and the size of the fandom is nothing like what it appears to be in America.

I will often though see parents looking through things with their kids or looking for a particular toy for their kids. And again - like others have said helping them find things or to suggest what might be a good purchase for a particular child. I remember a few months ago - I think it was just before Christmas - I was in one of my local Targets and a father and son were looking at the movie figures, but there were no deluxe figures available - so i mentioned to him that the Uncle Pete's (Austaralian toy store chain) had just restocked their movie figs. And I even work at Target!!!

Speaking of which, working at Target - I work in the games & DVDs department, which is right next to the toys department - it brings a smile to my face to see kids looking for figures or coming up to you with the figure that their Mum has agreed to get them. It may not necessarily even be a great figure, but the kids are just so happy to have this extra guy for their collection. Which I think helps me to not get complacent with the number of figures in my collection, and how I have pretty much been able to get any of the recent releases that I've wanted.

One kid I met a number of years ago now was particularly cool. This was back in the Energon days, and I was in the TF section of a local K-Mart, and he saw me take an Energon Starscream from the peg, and so he started talking to me about Transformers. He asked me which one I liked, which one's he liked. We talked about his favourite figure he owned (PM Overlord, btw. ) which guys were cool, which guys weren't, etc. Was really cool. I wonder if he still likes and collects TFs. :hmm

I'm a collector from Old Forge PA

I was at KB today looking at GI Joes and the manager was putting up new TF stock. Some old lady came up to him and said her grandson liked Transformers but didn't know which one to get him. So the manager says "well Bumblebee seems to be really popular..." and then he's putting the Classics 2.0 on the shelf when saying this, then says "and this guy... uh... Sunstreaker... I never heard of him. He must be a new guy or something." I was like WTF so after the old lady left with Bumblebee, I went over there and said... uh... Sunstreaker is way old. Then he was telling me about how back in the day (like Beast Wars or something) employees were whording TFs and they never made it to the shelves and in this day and age none of the employees care about TFs so they have way too many.

Since i am a kid , sometimes when I go to my nearest Target, I shop for TF's kids and their moms (most of the time) I see them walk in the lane, I see them looking at the transformers, but they change their minds and go to spider man for example, and get it. Transformers aren't thatr famous now a days

I once tried to educated a family on TF's once. I think they were chosing between Energon Hotshot and Starscream I told them screamer was the better toy but the kid was sold on hot shot

I know exactly what it's like to be sold on a figure. It's the reason why I have so many awesome figures.

But I rarely see other collectors, just kids who don't see transformers as the timeless toys they are.

i know it's not got anything to do with your story, but thats what went through my head when i read the part about sunstreaker being new.

Roffles