Yes, it has been a little bit and I apoligize. Firstly I want to apoligize for the long lag between posts, but I will try to post a little bit more frequently, but it will become a bit harder because since my last post my wife and I found out that she is pregnant. That is the main reason for the lack of posts as of late because I am just working away at the house and getting it ready for my daugher to enter the world.
Now I wll start with the nerdy stuff. As of late I feel like the fandom has somewhat taken a turn for the negative. There has a been a whole buch of finger pointing and I feel that I just wanted to voice my opinion and possibly air some dirty laundry, but let it go.
Firstly this is a hobby. Transformers should be a passion, an escape. It should bring enjoyment, lately I feel like people have forgotten about this. For me it seems like the passion has somewhat dwindled from time to time, but I feel the vigor has returned.
Thefirst thing that I feel has been a major bitching point since December has been the Transformers Collectors Club. Personally I agree with many of the fan feelings. I was one of the people who were affected by the security breaches, and I agree it was assinine. In todays day and age companies should protect our info and keep us happy customers. I feel that as of late the club has forgotten that we keep them in business. They are here because we exist. They are the COLLECTORS' Club.... if we didn't exist they wouldn't. One thing that is easeier said than done is simply stop the continued support of them.... I am just as guilty as anyone... but Ive said it.
On the other hand the Hasbro bashing HAS TO STOP PEOPLE. I think we have completely gotten things mixed up here people. We allow the Club to do whatever they want and then bitch wine and moan because Hasbro doesn't do everything we want. People keep screaming... you want to fight the third party comanines... then produce product that can! People Hasbo has multiple lines and as much as we like to think Transformers is their end all be all, its not... they have to cater to a broader audience... and not everyone wants a 100$ Devestator... that is why Hercules and Giant exist... the compaines focus on us... and limit their runs... thats why they sell us a 3-6 hundred dollar devy.... and we praise them.
Right now I think we fail to notice just how innundated with formers product we are. I realize that a few years ago everything was great becasue we had a collector centric product line... and what happened? We bitched about repaints... now we scream when a repaint is only in Japan? Why do you think these things happen.
Folks, the states have been in a recession. Most budgets cant handle the Cybertron/Classics product overhaul, and simply most kids can't talk their mommies and daddies into a 40-60 dollar Optimus Prime actoin figure. Lately I have been recollecting my boyhood years with my action figure habit... in those days my main line was Xmen by Toybiz. I remember with 7 bucks I could get a figure, comic and a coke... now with 7 bucks I am lucky to walk out with a candy bar and a 2 liter. This has affected everyone and if you look at the prices of everything else versus transformers, formers has been amazinly consistant. Now a marvel legend figure or a DCU fig is close to 20 bucks... thats 400% greater than my boyhood price. Star Wars figures have doubled in price, even joes have been affected by the times. Unlike Formers.... Joe and Wars really take a hit when scale is concerned... that is why our sizes have started to shrink. Hasbro have raised our price point 50% and sclaed down the amount of plastic used, but that is to be expected these days.
Also as far a the product line, they now launced the Cyberverse scale to increase the amout of product that partents can by their kiddies. I feel like poeple dont respect this as much. I dont collect the Cyberverse line, I do pick up some ships and stuff for my displays, but I feel that they have been dummed down transformations, but that is what they are for.. younger kids to get into transformers!
Im sorry I am on my soap box guys but I really am getting tired of all the bashing. Hasbro is doing thier best for us... and they are doing a great job. Right now we have 3 monthly comics, an amazing series on TV with Prime, TF4 and even a great video game on the way. Thanks Hasbro... I am in total support (but please dont try to take away my hercules).
