2014 Transformers added to the collection

Time for the annual update of Transformers toys added to the collection.
And it was a record year this year, with 606 more toys than last year, plus figurines and non-toy merchandise.
The full list and photos can be found here.

The year was supposed to end up with a smaller number of toys than recent years, as I was cutting back, but some how the number exploded to almost 50 more than last year.  I guess having a Movie in the year meant a lot of gimmick toys to pad out the collection.
And to think that it could have been even more, as about 20 toys are currently in transit, but didn't get here before today.

Highlights...
- European Motorvators (completed my collection of European Gen1 toys that I wanted)
- All six Japanese Choro-Q toys found and bought (including a replacement for one I broke)
- Japanese Gen1 expensive splurge in May (Metrotitan, Sixknight, Dai Atlas, Roadfire)
- Toyland book (documents the toy industry during the late 20th century, including the history of Hasbro)
- 1992 Marvel UK Gen1 annual (the last one they released, which is very hard to find, and completes my set)
- Unreleased sample of 2010 Movie boxset of Sideways and 3 female bikes (a lucky find from an ex-employee of Hasbro)
- 2014 Generations toys (caught up on all the ones I had on pre-order for ages, just missing Arcee)
- Gen1 3D jigsaw puzzles (bought all three in November, but only Starscream and Bluestreak have arrived)
- Animated Season 3 on DVD (after many years waiting, the lost season was finally released)
- Beast Hunters 2014 (tracking down all of them, which were very rare)
- Construct-Bots Beast Hunters (also very hard to track down)
- Kreo 2014 items that were not given much release, so were very hard to track down
- Built to Rule (all but one found, as they are very rare)
- Tonka 1-2-3 Transformers from 2002 (found the last two I was missing)
- Movie Platinum Edition packs (managed to get them all, without paying full price on any)
- A great year for Masterpiece toys from Japan (buying all of them, but still waiting on Ultra Magnus to arrive)
- Comic Book version Masterpiece Grimlock (it may have been the reissue, but even that was still a bit too expensive)
- Japanese Gen1 Micromaster 4-pack (from a friend)
- Hong Kong convention version Generations Metroplex (from another friend)
- SDCC fold-out Ark set
- Movie Stinger One-Step toy (it's the only Stinger toy that isn't a redeco, so was a priority)
- Universal Studios California (more for the Fan Experience than the merchandise)
- BotCon in California (also more for the experience than merchandise)
- Gen1 Combiners (started buying up duplicates, so that I could have their combined modes as well as their separate forms)
- Several free items to promote on the toy-collector site, including toys and licensed merchandise.
- Marvel Death's Head (an honorary Transformers character, finally getting a toy this year)
- Masters of the Universe Original series and Classics (not Transformers, but worth a mention, especially the two Imp toys)

Regrets...
- Missing out on the Japanese Convention Nemesis Optimus and Grimlock (I regret not going to the convention too)
- Not being able to get the BAPE and EVA Masterpiece Optimus (first-hand prices were way too high)
- Not being able to get the Kreo 2014 Movie Customs and second series blind-bags (are ToysRUs exclusive in America, which limits options).
- Not getting Arcee before the end of the year, as it is still in the mail.


I really want to get back into the routine of reviewing the toys as I get them... sigh... maybe in 2015 I can get back into the habit.


Yeah right...

Shut up Dispensor!

Anyway, let's see if I can get back into more reviews, otherwise, I might as well just stop posting here.

So Christmas and New Years greetings from me...

And from me, Dispensor...

And see you next year, hopefully.

2013 Transformers tally

Time for the annual tally of Transformers toys I obtained... and the grand total is - 519 (a new record for me), bringing the total collection count to 4,363. (according to my current counting method)

To view this year's toys, go to this page, as I started keeping a separate page for each year on my collection site. (I haven't uploaded the photo of today's toys yet)
(it also makes it quicker to post up this tally too)

$120 burger in Sydney - for one week only in May

Back on May 14th, I went down to Sydney (for a Collector Fair), and had my most expensive burger ever... at least, one that I hadn't made myself (if you haven't seen my 11kg burgers, check them out here)

First of all, a week before I went, I came across this article after seeing it mentioned on the News - $120 burger as part of Bacon week...

Okay, I'd never even heard of Bacon week, but the expensive burger caught my eye on the news on Sunday.
I remember that there was a $100+ burger in New York once, but it was a proper burger with beef in it. This one has bacon and egg as its core ingredients.

What makes it so expensive, you may ask?
Truffles.
No, not the chocolate kind.
The mushroom kind... which are priced at about $1000 per kilo!

I'm not much of a fan of mushrooms, and the burger itself sounds a bit weird with all the other stuff in it (caviar, duck egg, foie gras), but I thought it would be fun to try out as a novelty item... not to mention the shock value when telling others how expensive that one burger cost.

Unfortunately it was only available for one week at a Sydney restaurant called "Fourteen" (which some might recognise as being the "comeback kitchen" from the recent My Kitchen Rules series... for those who watch reality cooking shows), ending this week.

So I booked a flight, and was going to be in Sydney the coming Saturday to try it out...

Okay, okay.... calm down.
I didn't just book a trip to Sydney for this burger. I was already going to be in Sydney that weekend for the quarterly Parramatta Collector Fair, so it timed perfectly to give me something interesting to do.

I was to arrive Saturday at 1pm, and would head straight to the restaurant (at Surrey Hills) by train, which was to Central
I expected to be there by about 2pm, so made myself a booking at the restaurant, just in case it would be busy for the promotion.
The kitchen stops serving lunch at 3pm, so I just have to hope that my flight wasn’t delayed by much.

Naturally, the flight WAS delayed, by 30 minutes out of Brisbane, due to something technical.

The plane ended up arriving in Sydney at about 1.20pm, so I was worried that I might have to wait about half an hour for the next train... AND I had no idea how long it would take to walk to the Restaurant from Central Station. If taxis weren’t so expensive in this country, I would have just grabbed one at the airport. But I chanced the train anyway, and fortunately one arrived within 5 minutes of me getting to the platform at the Airport station.

It was only 3 stops to Central. I was there at about 1.40pm, giving me plenty of time to FIND the restaurant. Yes, find it... because I forgot to take note of the street name it was on, or exactly which route to take from the trainstation. I just remembered it being on one of the streets that went east from the trainstation. So I picked a street and started walking east. While I was walking, I tried accessing their website on my phone, but each time it went to the location page, it wouldn’t show the map (it mustn’t be a phone-friendly website).

Fortunately, within 10 minutes I saw the restaurant ahead of me, and I was actually inside just minutes before 2pm...

They gave me a choice of table or bench at the kitchen, and I chose the bench so I could watch the chefs working, and maybe see my lunch being prepared. Lucky I did have something to watch, because the person serving me kept taking ages coming back to take my orders.
After all, I knew what I wanted, but still wanted to have a quick look at the menu anyway, to see what else they serve.
I ordered and appetizer and the Burger at the same time, as I expected the appetizer wouldn't take more than a couple minutes, while the Burger would be at least 10 minutes to prepare.

It was actually quite fascinating watching the hierarchy of the cooking staff... watching who jumps out of the way of certain people, no matter how difficult it was for them to do it.

I started with an appetizer, to get a taste of this restaurant, as appetizers are supposed to be a bite-size sample of an establishment.
It was a toasted bread with anchovy and pickled pepper.

It was about $5.  It was nice and surprisingly mild for anchovy, but wasn't too spectacular.


And now, the moment you’ve been waiting for... the $120 burger...

 Mine was a bit of a mess because it collapsed before they brought it to me (I was watching the Head Chef putting it together on the Pass and then have to rebuild it when it fell apart).

It was my first time eating Truffles, Foie Gras, duck egg and Caviar. I tried each before chomping into the burger. None of them tasted all that spectacular or interesting enough to want to waste a lot of money to intentionally eat it (as it was, this was just for the novelty of it being a $120 burger, not for the contents themselves).
It was very messy to eat, as the egg was kept very runny (classy places always have their eggs un-cooked for some reason).

The major flaw to the burger was that it had a really strong vintage cheese on it, which was the dominant (musty) flavour... I think it should have had a more milder cheese, so you could taste the other elements. After all, if you are paying for expensive ingredients like truffles, foie gras and caviar, you want to be able to taste it. 

I think the cheese may have only been chosen for its expense, rather than being a compliment to the other elements.

A news article had the chef/creator saying that she'd never eat one herself, as experienced chefs know what combinations of ingredients should taste like. But maybe she should have tried one first anyway to see beforehand that this might have been the wrong cheese to use.

Apparently they only made about a dozen during that promo week... and while I was there someone else ordered one. 

The people sitting near me were impressed, and asked me how it was, so the novelty was definitely there.

As unappealing as it was, I didn’t waste any...

 

Of course, I couldn’t just have the burger on it’s own. I had to have desert too...

A couple deserts actually. :p

Each one was about $10.  Small but very tasty.

Now to find that $100 burger in New York....

Transformers Toys added to the collection during 2012

I did this for last year, detailing all the Transformers toys acquired during the 2011 calendar year, so figured I'd do it again for 2012... as a reflection of what I got this year, as well as catching up on things here (as I haven't been too motivated in the last four months).

I started the year with 3,465 Transformers toys in the collection, and ended up with 3,844.  A total of 379 for the year.
After a very slow start to the year, and one of the smallest BotCon hauls in 8 years, I was surprised to find that this year just managed to sneak into third-highest annual amount, behind 2008 (479 toys) and 2011 (454 toys)... beating 2010 by just 1.
No milestones this year to mention... but I should make the 4,000 mark by midway next year. 


January
The year started off with chasing up loose ends from the Third Transformers Movie toyline, which were either not released here (stores over-stocked first wave in May 2011, with almost no new stock coming into the country for the rest of the year in that series.  Of the toys that did make it here, they were so over-priced, it was cheaper buying from American or Asian sources and having them Express posted. (thanks to anti-parallel-importing laws in this country, the foreign-owned toy companies charge more than twice what they charge in some other countries - as such, less than 10% of my purchases this year were at Australian stores)
This was my first shipment of the year, from Ebay.

Gen Sky Shadow, Junkheap
DotM Darksteel, Air Raid, Armor Topspin, Rescue Ratchet, Leg Soundwave, Speedstars Leadfoot
United Jazz, Tracks  (these have the better, shiny decos)
Junior 3-pack (Chromedome, optimus, fortmax) - this was a loose end from about 15 years ago.  It was released in the mid 80s in Japan, but when I first found out about it in the mid 90s, I wanted it. But since it was so cheap (often selling for little more than $20), I never got around to buying it. Then in recent years, it was difficult to find one for less than $200. 
The items in the top right of the photo were freebies by the person I bought most of these items from.
3,478

This was my first order from the Hasbro America online store - it doesn't ship to non-American addresses, so I had to use a shipping forwarder.

NYCC Prime Bee & Arcee, Bee deco Nerf, TF Cuponk   
DotM Voy orange Ironhide
Rescue Bots Boulder, Cleveland, Cody 
3,486


February

Disney Label Donald (Halloween colours)
EZ Chronicle series 2 (Gen2 Optimus, Gen2 Megatron, Silverstreak, Prowl, Hound, Starscream, Skywarp, Rodimus)
DotM Dragon Ultimate Optimus
United Stepper
3,497

 
Disney Label Mickey (Mickey colours)
Disney Label Mickey (Christmas colours)
JP DotM Neo-scanning Bumblebee
Alternity Gold Bug
DotM DLX Soundwave
JP wheeljack/que, Leadfoot
United Windcharger & Wipeout
JP TFPrime Vehicon
3,507

TFPrime DLX W1 (Bumblebee V2, Wheeljack, Soundwave, Cliffjumper V2)
TFPrime Voy W1 (Optimus Prime V2, Megatron)
JP Black MP Rodimus Prime
SWTF Class 1 W3 (Y-wing, Anakin, OB1)
3,517


March

CC Drift, CC Over-Run/Runabout

TFPrime Legion Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, Arcee, Ratchet, Vehicon
3,524


April

RPMs MV 2-pack 06 of 06: Enforcer Ironhide (red) vs Mixmaster (white)
TFPrime Cmdr w1 (Optimus, Megatron, Bulkhead, Starscream)
TFprime 2-pack Bbee Vs Starscream, with Silas, MECH soldier.
3,532

Trilogy Optimus w/ Trailer
BotShots Wave 1 single-packs (Bumblebee, Barricade, Optimus, Starscream, Chase Sentinel + 7 spares)
Botshots launcher Optimus, Megatron
3,540

BOTCON (in Dallas, Texas this year)

Wed 25/4
DotM Cmdr Dark Sentinel
(TFPrime electronic Mission Mask)
BC Soundwave, Gigatron, Roadrage, Ultramagnus, Metalhawk, Treadshot, Straxus
Thu 26/4
BC Kickoff, Optimus, Octopunch, Spinister, Wreckgar, Junkheap, Scrapheap
Fri 27/4
TFPrime Ratchet, Arcee, JP Skywarp w/ Bulo
JP United Wheeljack
JP Micron/Targetmaster (??), (??)
JP Kero Starscream
JP Movie translucent EZ Optimus, Nemesis Prime
JP WST Bumblebee (carded varient)
(JP Movie Swords for Optimus)
SCF 9 - Chase Seibertronian Ratchet (Red Alert)
Device Label Cheetus/Cheetor
SDCC GIJoe Starscream
Sun 29/4
Kabaya WFC Optimus, Hotspot, Deathsaurus, (Protectobots - x6)
3,576


May

BotShots 3-pack (Bbee, Prowl, Sentinel)
BotShots 3-pack (Megatron, Nemesis Prime, Acidstorm)
BotShots Wave 2 (Mirage, Brawl, jetfire, chase bbee)
JP United Axalon & Gen2 Megatron
3,588

CC Runamuck
3,589


June

MP11 Starscream
Device label Soundwave (white)
JP GF Dark Nitro Convoy
3,592
 

 RPMs Remote Control (NEST) Bumblebee (big)
DotM Capsule figurines (6 of 12)
3,593

JP terrorcon cliffjumper w/??
Shadow Microns (Shadow Ciel/ Shadow Arue / Shadow Gora /Shadow Baro)
Jetwing Optimus Nightwatch version
3x BotCon prints
JP Gen1 Kabaya models (Convoy, Sideswipe, Prowl, Starscream - the bright coloured things at the front, released in the mid 80s)
3,603

Camaro (yellow Windcharger - Argentina)
Carrera (green cliffjumper - Argentina)
Radio AM Robot (blue version)
(Robot Heroes Ironhide v Dispensor)
TFPrime Weaponizer Optimus, Bumblebee
3,608

TFPrime Vehicles - Wheeljack/Starhammer, Knock Out/Energon Driller
TFPrime Remote Control - Bumblebee, Optimus
3,612

(TF1 Robot Fighters game - not counted in the collection)

Activator Ironhide
Tokyo Toy Show United Optimus, Crystal TFP Optimus, Shining B2 Micron
Capsule Microns W1 (OPtimus, Bbee, Cobra x2, Gecko x2)
3,622

July

DotM Capsule figurines (4 of 12)
Playskool Big Adventures/Gobots (the Optimus and Megatron in the middle, and the Ratchet toy on the far right were just there for scale)
- - Series 1 (2002) (5)
-Basic - Cheetor (cheetah), Gorillabot (gorilla), Mototron (sportscar), Speedbot (sportscar)
-Mega - Aerobot (jet)
- - Series 2 (2003) (6)
-Basic - Beast-Bot II (panther), Buzzer-Bot (wasp), Dino-Bot (Velociraptor), Reptron (Velociraptor), Fire-Bot (fire chief car)
-Deluxe - Mirage-Bot (Formula 1 racer) w/ Kid-Bot & Doggie
3,633

 

TFPrime FE Bumblebee Blaster
TFPrime Cmdr Ironhide
3,635

This was my first order from Amazon America, which started shipping to Australia on a number of items... The shipping was so cheap, it was less than if I had posted it to somewhere in Australia.

TFPrime Cmdr Ultra Magnus, Nightwatch Optimus,D readwing
Rescue Bots Police HQ  
TFPrime DLX Hot Shot, Knock Out, Dead End, Shadow Strike Bumblebee  
TFPrime VOY Bulkhead V2, Starscream 
TFPrime Optimus Maximus  

Soundblaster, Enemy & Wingthing
Twincast, Stripes & Nightstalker
Generations DeluxeTF1 Ultimate Guide
HK Gen Legends - Motorbreath, Thundercracker, Bluestreak, Hoist
FOC Gen - Optimus, Jazz, Shockwave
Kissplay Convoy
JP AM Breakdown
3,661

August

Marvel Avengers Ironman, Thor  
Kreo Destruction Site Devastator (1)
Kreo Stealth Bumblebee  
SDCC Bruticus, Cliffjumper, HISS Tank
3,672

More Stuff from Amazon, at rediculously cheap prices. (including several comics, and squishy balls)

Kreo Battle for Energon (Op Vs Meg) (1)
Kreo Street Showdown (Wheeljack Vs Knockout) (1)
Kreo Rotor Rage (Vortex)
3,675
 

JP Translucent Dual Model Kit Optimus
Kreo preview wave (Spinister, Galvatron, Sunstorm, Crankcase, Scorponok, Waspinator)
(Fall of Cybertron Game + pre-order poster)
3,681


September

Speed Stars 03 of 06: Optimus Prime (red windscreen) vs. Bonecrusher (green)
Asia Generations Springer, Wheelie, Swerve, Cliffjumper
JP Arms Microns AMW1-6
JP AM Terrorcon Bumblebee
Gari-Kun Robo Cola, Soda
Device Label Tigatron
3,697
 

 

 (Fall of Cybertron Game promo materials - from EB Games Sunnybank)

 From my Trip to Universal Studios in California.

Universal Studios DLX Evac, Bbee, Optimus, Leg Evac
Universal Studios Bazooka, Bumblebee Fazer
 

Kreo Autobot Assault Devastator & Ironhide (1)
TFPrime Leg Wheeljack
BotShots Wave 4 (Ironhide, Powerglide, Jazz, Movie Leadfoot)
BotShots Wave 5 (TF2 Megatron, G1 Bumblebee)
BotShots Launcher Ironhide, Starscream
Robo Fighter Nightwatch Optimus, Elite Guard Bumblebee
TFPrime RC Knock Out
BotShots 3-packs Wave 2 (Shockwave, Brawl, Ironhide) (Jetfire, Powerglide, Skyquake)
Rescue Bots Mobile Headquarters
3,723

(non-toy merchandise from Universal Studios)

More toys from Hasbro Online store.

JP Micron red Optimus
Kreo Decepticon Ambush (Cliffjumper/Vehicons) (1)
Kreo Cycle Chase (Barricade/Autobot Troopers) (1)
Botshots 4-pack Battle Pack (Bumblebee, Brawl, Optimus Launcher, Megatron Launcher)
(Unit-E comic)
Marvel Avengers Captain America
BotShots Wave 3 (Lockdown, Mirage, Topspin, Jetfire, clear Megatron)
3,736

Gari-Kun Robo Grape
3,737


October

Kabaya Fort Max (incl Powerglide & Windcharger - but counts as just one)
MP Sunstorm
JP AM Swerve, Ironhide
JP AMW 7,8,9,10,11,12
JP Alternity galvatron & Banzaitron
Masterpiece Optimus Prime
TFPrime Legion Evac, Soundwave 

TFPrime Legion Breakdown
BotShots W4 Clear Optimus
Advent calendar
Keyring torch
DOTM capsule figurines
3,754
 

Grand Maximus (a day trip to Sydney, just to get this... the biggest general release Transformers toy ever)
TFprime Legion Mirage
3,756


November

.

 Ultimate Gift set (Jazz, Optimus, Motorbreath, Thundercracker)
AM Thundercracker, Orion Pax, Gaia Unicron
MP Sideswipe/Lambor
Gen Hotspot, Megatron, Powerdive
3,767

Gen1 Train set (from the mid 80s).  A non-toy item I have wanted for almost 15 years, and I find one on ebay... only to end up with a severly water-damaged box. It was very disappointing.  I can't use the trainset in this country without buying new (compatible) electrical bits, so having the big beautiful box was half the reason I wanted this.
 

AM Jet Vehicon, Darkness Megatron
Capsule Micron Wave 2 (Bulkhead, Arcee, Megatron, Dado grey, Dado orange)
Gen1 Trainset
FOC VOY Soundwave w/ Laserbeak
3,776
 

Gen Scout Laserbeak, Sandstorm
Masterpiece Thundercracker (TRU)
FOC Combaticons (Brawl, Blastoff, Onslaught, Vortex, Swindle)
JP Lawsons VOY Darkside Optimus Prime
Rescue Bots Hoist, Medix
(FOC strategy guide, Rescue Bots DVD)
3,787

From the trip to Universal Studios Singapore

TFPrime DLX Vehicon V2, Sergeant Kup, Rumble
TFPrime Cmdr Skyquake
3,791

BotShots Wave 5 (Roadbuster, Skywarp, clear Shockwave)
Asian Gen Scout Deadend, Brawl
Speedstars bike Dirt Rocket

Universal Studios Optimus w/ Trailer, Voy Optimus, Voy Megatron, DLX Evac (2nd), Bumblebee Quantum Enforcer.
3,802

TFPrime DLX Airachnid (not in photo)
Asian Gen Lead Starscream, Ironhide
(BotShots play-mat)
Kreo Microchangers Wave 1 (Springer, Blast Off, Rampage, Bludgeon, Hook, Airachnid, Quickslinger, Inferno, Warpath, Singe, Insecticon, Dirge)
  

(JP KT figurines - Rumble, Frenzy, Optimus bust, 86-movie Devastator, AI & Fire Convoy)
JP AM Smokescrean, Nemesis Prime, Silas Breakdown
3,820


The total Singapore toy haul.

Waiting for me at the post office when I got home from Singapore...

TFPrime Cmdr Battle Tactics Bulkhead
TFPrime Leg Flamewar, Quickblade Bbee
Rescue Bots Blades
TFPrime Vehicle Bumblebee Battlesuit
Gen2 FOC Combaticons (Brawl, Blastoff, Onslaught, Vortex, Swindle)
3,831


December

FOC Voy Soundblaster w/ Buzzsaw
FOC Leg Frenzy & Ratbat
FOC Leg Rumble & Ravage
3,837

 Jetwing Optimus (Amazon excl - the one in front with the blue stripes on the wings)
3,838
 

Dark Energon - Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Knockout, Starscream
3,842

2011 (green) BAPE Prime
2012 (grey) BAPE Prime
3,844

A rainbow of Optimus Primes.

2012 was an eventful year for me, Transformers-wise.
I travelled to two countries (America & Singapore) for the two Transformers Rides, in addition to the annual Transformers convention in April (in Dallas, Texas). I managed to tie up a few (mostly insignificant) loose ends with the collection, plus obtain the biggest, most expensive Transformers toy released in retail stores (the Japanese Grand Maximus).
The year saw some new lines start up, but also prompted me to focus on some old lines that I had little interest in before - Playskool Gobots (from the early 2000s) and the South American original toys from the 80s and 90s.
In 2013, I am hoping to obtain more of the South American figures, plus more of the Japanese Gen1 toys from the 80s... hopefully with a trip to Japan and Hong Kong sometime during the year.
And more importantly, I hope to find some other items from my top 10.
BotCon in 2013 is in San Diego in June, and if the third Transformers Ride (in Florida) is open by then, I'd like to include a detour to that as well, in case they have some new exclusives.

I gotta update my collection page too... I'm so lazy. :(