AcademyofDrX wrote:I blame myself for buying the earlier ones insofar as I blame myself for collecting at all, pretending that some future day will arrive when my collection is perfect and complete, that the beast may someday finally be sated and demand no more from me, that a time exists when my suffering will end....
Yeah, I get this... Although I'm getting past an ideal of "perfect collection"... Not trying to make it more than what it is, but it has taken time and experience to get to this place of, "I chose to pass on certain figures, and it may just work out that I don't have those characters on a shelf".
Siege Astrotrain is a perfect example. Refraktor is another. I was against Sunstreaker at first, then changed my mind around the time ER Sideswipe was announced, but never saw him or almost anything else from that ER wave. Sure, I can go back for these on the secondary market... But I'm not going to force anything, pay a stupid amount, or stress at all about this stuff.
Probably a very unpopular opinion around here, but these are TOYS... Imo, this "hobby" is the most materialistic part of my life.
It's getting more and more difficult to justify for multiple reasons.
Increased prices are a really firm nudge to get out of the game.
It's still pretty crazy to me that 3 Sharkticons were $75... And at that time, that included tax.
Anyway... Dinobots, Insecticons, and Blitzwing... That's it for me in terms of getting over the finish line. And sure, Perceptor is on the way, I'm planning on Blaster, the Stunticons, and probably Core Class Rumble.
But even those are just icing and not "must have's".
About the only thing that would pull me back in would be a new set of Constructicons.
Of course appearance, cost, a possibly stupid play gimmick would all factor in.
I also wouldn't actually label that as being "pulled back in" even though it'd be 6 figures.
sol magnus wrote:I mean, I blame me for buying it again - not being happy with what I already have. Hastak makes toys to sell them. But no one says we have to buy everything they make. I'm supposed to be cutting back this year, but it's not really even slated to start until Legacy comes out. I think I've gotten everything except Black Zarak released this year for Generations.
Plus I bought a Unicron.
I do see how that Unicron purchase alone could make almost any other one dicey...
The vast majority of the time I agree with you both-- of course no one ever has to buy any of this stuff.
But these repaints specifically, are an exception imo.
These aren't characters that I would say are
that popular. Meaning, first, they didn't seem super likely to get this sort of attention. Second, who knows how long it will be before these characters get another version. And third, these new versions are going to be difficult to top.
It may happen someday, but I'm really betting the next versions of these characters will be so heavily tied to some play gimmick that appearances will be just as heavily compromised.
And at this point, Hastak probably feels like they now have the greenlight to get away from screen-accurate appearances and do something really different.
So bottom line, I don't blame anyone for getting these guys even having their first releases.