COLLECTORS SPOTLIGHT: Transformers Generation 1 to Masterpiece and Everything in Between with Michael Vella from Sydney

 

Q. Who are you, where are you from and what do you collect?

My name is Michael Vella, I’m from Sydney and I collect pre-TF, G1,
Masterpiece, Generations, RID 2001 and Beast era figures.

Q. Do you collect anything other than Transformers?

Not particularly. I have a bit of Powers Rangers stuff, bit of Lego, few
Digimon tamagotchis, but really my passion is Transformers.

Q. How does collecting fit with your lifestyle, family, friends etc?

My family and friends have all accepted my obsession with collecting.

 

Q. Do you ever go to conventions, are you involved in any social groups or collector clubs etc?

I don’t go to conventions, but I have been to plenty of Transformer meetups which is something I really enjoy. Having a conversation in real life is so much nicer than behind a computer. I am a member of TCCA and former NSW rep. I also admin a group called
Transformers BST Down Under which is going really well so far.

Q. When did you start collecting, and do you remember your first ever Transformer toys? Was it something you bought yourself, or a gift from family etc?

I had a few Transforming toys beforehand, but I want to say I started really collecting around Beast Machines, and my older brother was showing me episodes of G1 around that time as well which is why I love the older series despite those toys not being on shelves when I was a kid. The Commemorative reissues that came out a couple years later were great for me though. I have very vague recollections of G2 toys, but the first Transformers I remember ever buying were Beast Wars Scarem and Air Hammer.

Q. Do you have any specific collection goals in your lifetime, or any specific “exit strategy” eg a point where you can see yourself stopping?

I’d love to own a Diaclone PC DX set one day, but I can’t see that happening without winning the lotto. Ha! My biggest goal for right now is getting a Milton Bradley red Tracks. I keep saying after this or that I’ll stop collecting or take a break, but I don’t think it will happen for a long time realistically.

Q. Do you have an all time favourite line of Transformers toys, what makes this line so special for you? And what line do you like the least out of everything we have had so far?

My favourite line is easily G1. I find the aesthetic of those vintage toys so wonderful to look at even though they have the articulation of a brick, but there is just a certain charm about them. It’s hard for me to say what I like the least out of all the different lines as I tend to not buy stuff that doesn’t look appealing. I can say that the Titanium line is the worst I’ve actually gotten into, thankfully I no longer own anything from that line.

Q. Favourite Transformer characters and favourite Transformers toys? 

Favourite characters are G1 Bumblebee, G1 Starscream and Beast Wars Blackarachnia. One of my favourite toys is the G1 Bumblebee mold of which I have a few variations, I think it’s well designed for it’s era and fun. My most favourite toy above all is my Diaclone Powered Convoy as that is something I have wanted for a very long time.

Q. Of all the Transformers fiction out there, what is your favourite?

In terms of fiction I have to say Beast Wars is incredibly well written and put together for its time. I do love the G1 toys more than BW toys, but the BW show beats G1 show quite easily.

Q. What would you like to see for the foreseeable future of the brand eg more toys, comics, cartoons, films, games, media etc? And what would you like NOT to see for the brand?

This answer may be odd as I feel we aren’t getting enough G1 Masterpeices quick enough, but in terms of Generations I am starting to want something a bit different than the same G1 characters over and over. After POTP finishes I would like to give Generations collecting a break unless they heavily focus on other eras like BW or RID 2001.

Q. Any unique, rare or special items in your collection?

Yeah I have a few rarities. At the moment I’m focusing on Prime variants
and I collect pre-TF as mentioned previously. I’d say my rarest figures
are Diaclone blue Fairlady and G2 Breakdown.

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS MICHAEL, MUCH APPRECIATED. I HOPE FOLKS HAVE ENJOYED HEARING ABOUT YOU AND YOUR COLLECTION AS MUCH AS I HAVE.

 

 

 

TAKARA Leader Class Jetfire / Ye Olde Ebay Bargain / SCIENCE – BITCH!

Turning up in today’s mail straight from dodgy old China was Leader Class Takara Jetfire.

He’s a tidy piece of kit, with lots of robo-kibble, a giant backpack and wings that make him rather topple heavy, and a swanky color scheme that I love to pieces. Best of all I got him for $40 AUD delivered to my sandy door in West Australia.

In Jet mode he’s shonking gigantic and pretty cool if you like jets and shit that flies. Which I don’t – don’t care about Seekers, or Jets or Top gun or any of that shit. Fuck off with all of it. But I do love Jetfire. He’s the exception and fuck you if you disagree.

Like the front of the box says “JET TO ROBOT”. That’s the kind of pants wetting box copy excitement I live for man.

Jetfire comes with a crap ton of accessories including modular weapons that can be pegged to each other, or on his arms, legs and hands in a heap of different combinations.

I love modular weapons of all types. Call it a fetish if you like, so bonus points for Jet Captain Sciencepants in my book for all those robo-kibbling extras.

It’s all the cool stuff you used to get (remember Roadbuster?) with Transformers before the lines were massively cost-cutty-costed-fuck-costed as the prices of Oil and plastics and keeping it real went skyrocketing upward to infinity and beyond.

Weird and wacky combinations are the order of the day, you can mix in shit from your ever deadly Box ‘o Weapons if you like into even weirder more stupid combinations. BAM!

The back of the box looks like this, it’s got Japanese writing so makes the toy and whole shebang at least 20% cooler in any fanboys book. Some Takara fan literally just spontaneously came in their pants seeing the back of this box, you know they did! It’s even got yellow fucking arrows that rotate or something and weird robo-former-chibi-animals in the corner for fuck knows what promotional reasons.  Priceless!

What’s this, an obscure color pack in comic, the likes of which we never see in the West, starring my favourite Roboformer Scientist Extremus that I will never understand a word of?

But relax, I’ve done me own dodgy fan translation of the only part worth reading below. It’s all 100% accurate.

Yeah you can find actual translations online of various TF pack in comics – but why bother when most of the “stories” are absolute meaningless shit and it’s way more fun to make up your own story when you get bored.

Making it up as I go along…oh yeah..that’s why I sing this song…

If you’re good at Transforming and Jetfiring Out with toys like I am, you’ll end up with something like this and be tempted to smash the fucker to pieces when you can’t get the bits to go where you want them to when you want. Yeah I’m useless at Transforming toys.

Jetfire’s backpack is detachable, and you can angle his derpy fat nose cone up or down. Hide it in the up position and he falls over with his robo-backpack and kibble heavy wings (which are at least part of his irresistibly charming sweet Swanky Science Fighter 3000 good looks).

Or angle that nosecone section down and use it like a third leg to stop him falling over like a drunken Robert Cop at 80’s parties then hastily hide it behind your other smaller TF figures in a frenzy of drunken shame.

Did we cover the front of the box? I mean fuck, boxes are the only reason I buy toys, we better put that in there or Zombie Jesus will steal our souls.

Shit, it’s got more Japanese writing, that makes it better than anything Hasbro could ever shit out right? Also his weapons don’t have chrome, that’s like major brownie points for no-chrome Takara loving fetishists or people unintentionally blinded by overly reflective Chrome is it not?

Let’s see those sweet modular weapons again. Now excuse me I must jet off and go have dinner.

ALSO: BATTLE MASK!!! Totally nothing to do with MACROSS for legal reasons and stuff. Shut up about it or you’ll get sued.