Intro and welcome thread

[Mirage]

*re-materializes*

<GASP> Oh, thank God. My cloaking chip's been stuck "on" forever. Didn't you hear me screaming?

So... how are things?

[Gomess]

So THAT's what that screaming was. Phew! Welcome back, Mirage.

"We knew you were anxious to get back home, but at least you could've waited for us...."

oh wait wrong mirage sorry

[138 Scourge]

*re-materializes*

<GASP> Oh, thank God. My cloaking chip's been stuck "on" forever. Didn't you hear me screaming?

So... how are things?

Heh, man, you take your signature line seriously, huh?

Glad you're back around, man.

[Shockwave]

*re-materializes*

<GASP> Oh, thank God. My cloaking chip's been stuck "on" forever. Didn't you hear me screaming?

So... how are things?

Hey welcome back!

Pretty standard around here. Getting into our usual ten page long philosophical debates. Recent highlights include author intent, and the significant differences between sci-fi and fantasy as separate genres.

[Mirage]

Thanks for bringing me up to speed.

[JediTricks]

Welcome back, Mirage!

Speaking of which, welcome back, me. I've been MIA for a month, it's been a pretty weird time for me. My cat developed a huge tumor on his tongue last month and I spent most of my time with him in his last few weeks. I ended up putting him to sleep after 3 weeks, that sucked, but he was suffering unable to eat. During that time, I've been working on moving into my grandmother's condo across town, which is starting to come together now. And all this Transformers 3 and Prime news comes down the pike, and it's all head-scratching at best, then there's a bunch of current figures I can't find, and Hasbro seems to have quietly shelved Q&A, so I've been struggling to find inspiration for TF in 2011.

[StriderNeko]

Hello, all, just wanted to formally post here and introduce myself, I was recommended to come here by my IRL buddy of several years, OnslaughtSix, and it seems like a really nice community I've been collecting since I was a kid when my dad would bring me one by one, each of the Construticons, every week (along with every original TMNT figure, and so, so many Go-Bots) while he went to his interstate construction work, every week, lol.
I used to collect a ton at yard-sales and flea markets, but that's obviously tapered off over the years, and I wasn't one of the fans at the time, of Beast Wars or BM. (In later years now I can appreciate the story, and have many of the figures, though). My renewed interest came around RID/Car Robots, and I was like "Wow, OMGZ", and ran to the store every day at work, grabbing every single figure of the toyline, imported things like Black Convoy, Brave Maximus, etc... Then, I became active in 2002 on the TFW forums, though I was never much of an active member, just a lurker, (which I still just look at for Customizations and such, I don't really post there though, and while the inner-politics of forums don't usually interest me much, I've heard they've had all kinds of drama and such, but I never paid attention to that kinda stuff). I got idle there, but still collected about every figure made during Armada/Energon, and it was only during Cybertron as I started becoming more money-conscious that I stopped my silly mentality of "Must get every figure", and sadly, I stopped *right at* Cybertron Metroplex, which I'm kicking myself for now, LOL.

I was also collecting other figures at the time, anything from Medabots to the 2002 MOTU reboot (have entire collections of 'em), so my money got divided, and obviously, some things lapsed, lol! I still have resisted touching the MOTU Classics just because of how expensive they are and how much I'd spend on 'em, lol! Same with GIJoe, though I've not been a huge GIJoe fan in the past, some of these new figures interest me. It's actually fortunate I'm not too impressed initially at the 4" Thundercats line right now, or I'd be rabidly hunting them down. (They're nice, but the visible pins in the arms and all, enhhhh. I'm more after a classics Lion-O now!)

Anywho, since then, I passed on a lot, including several of the classics which I'm kicking myself for... I got rid of my Alternators, MP megatron, starscream, etc... which I admittedly don't regret, as while I loved the Binaltech storyline, I'm still a "classic" mentality person who likes simple, 2-3 minute top transformations generally, and they were always too complicated for me. Since then, I've rediscovered my love of the Classics/Henkei, Universe, and Generations/United, and started collecting again.

Nowadays, I've overall become more conservative about what I get, generally, I only get G1 (original or reissues), or Classics/Generations/etc... With the occasional Movie or other characters that are either G1-tribute characters that fit right in with generations, or else are just neat-looking figures, like movie Crankcase, or Hatchet, because I love the concept of these Dreads, a Decepticon assassination squad, for example. Other toylines lately haven't really interested me, Animated, while I loved the show, had too cartoony-toys for my liking, and Prime, while the show's also interesting, is a little too spindly and CGI-looking for my likes.

So sorry for the Wall of Text, but I wanted to post a proper introduction, and say hi, all Feel free to say hi, throw fruit, throw minicons, or anything else. (Though I've got too many minicons as is, actually... I got tired of keeping track of my Armada ones and wound up just putting them all in one huge box)!
~StriderNeko

[Gomess]

it seems like a really nice community

That's because there's only, like, ten of us. =p We basically mod ourselves.

[BWprowl]

Hey, welcome aboard, Stridercat! I hope you find it fun here!

I was also collecting other figures at the time, anything from Medabots...

You seen the SH Figuarts Metabee? Thing's looking swank.

It's actually fortunate I'm not too impressed initially at the 4" Thundercats line right now, or I'd be rabidly hunting them down. (They're nice, but the visible pins in the arms and all, enhhhh. I'm more after a classics Lion-O now!)

I ain't crazy about the 4" line either, but no love for the 6" new Thundercats? I've only got Lion-O so far, and yeah, visible joints blah, but he's a really good toy otherwise!

while I loved the Binaltech storyline,

I was about to say something, but then I remembered that I'm the guy who likes Energon.

[JediTricks]

Welcome aboard! Ah, flea markets. I used to get the BEST knockoffs from those, before KB started carrying KOs and then Pic-n-Sav (now Big Lots). Your story sounds fairly similar to m'self. I totally agree on the Thundercats line from Bandai, had Lion-O in my hands last night and just left it on the shelf due to dodgy hinge pins and thick paint and other issues.