Do you play with your Transformer toys?

[Deonasis]

I usually pack a recent deluxe with me on trips - Prime Vechicon, Scanning Ironhide, Nitro Bumblebee, Windcharger come to mind. Just something to fiddle with or take pics of if any downtime arises.

I am also playing with some of the flat bed trucks (DotM Megatron minus gun, Cyb Ldr OP minus jetpack) with my daughter. She uses them as cars for some GIJoe sized dolls she has. Every now and again I get to transform them but mostly the are driving around with princesses in the back.

[KalEl]

I usually pack a recent deluxe with me on trips - Prime Vechicon, Scanning Ironhide, Nitro Bumblebee, Windcharger come to mind. Just something to fiddle with or take pics of if any downtime arises.

I am also playing with some of the flat bed trucks (DotM Megatron minus gun, Cyb Ldr OP minus jetpack) with my daughter. She uses them as cars for some GIJoe sized dolls she has. Every now and again I get to transform them but mostly the are driving around with princesses in the back.

haha thats brilliant! princess transport!

[seespotrun]

I'm also in the desk-buddy camp. I'll usually have a rotating figure on my desk which I'll fiddle around with. It's a way of ensuring I get around to spending some quality time with all my figures (and helps keep the dust off them).

[Sinnertwin]

I'll have a fiddle, make a few pew-pew sounds, pretend one of them is dead, rebuild it and then stick it on my display stands

[KalEl]

I used to pop off my beast wars limbs and swap them all around :P

[lj7369]

I have quite a few misb that I can't bring myself to open.... So iI have a fiddler and a plastic prison.
E. G. Hasbro Masterpiece grimlock, prime vehicon Hasbro mp10 prime...
I still have to play with them. So I acquire a loose one to play with. In the case of grimlock I had to wait 18 months to get a loose one, so glad I did.
I guess I will have to make a choice someday, I can't afford to keep this up.

[GoktimusPrime]

Surely there must be more fellow players out there!

Just out of interest, for those of you who don't play but do toy reviews... do you factor in play value when appraising a toy? Cos some reviews I see just look at the toy in terms of visual aesthetics, design/engineering etc., which is all good, but fail to look at it from a play value POV. Cos you can have some toys that are really nicely designed and beautifully decorated... but rubbish to play with (i.e. nothing more than a transformable & poseable display piece). And the core function of a toy is to be played with -- a toy that just looks nice but isn't fun to play with is like having a car that looks stunning sitting in your garage or driveway, but performs/handles poorly on the road.

Whereas I know other collectors who are fiddlers, but they are still able to factor in the play value of the toy when reviewing them. e.g. how would a child (or adult player ) enjoy this toy? Those are the ones that I consider to be better toy reviewers, as they also delve into the performance and handling of the toy.

[Sinnertwin]

Very interesting points there, Goktimus. I'll.certainly be paying attention to reviewers more closely in that respect

[Bidoofdude]

I like to see if a car/truck/etc rolls well or if a jet is swooshable/aerodynamic, if that counts.

[GoktimusPrime]

I find quite a few of the fantasy/Cybertronian/futuristic jet modes aren't terribly aerodynamic. A lot of them would never be able to fly in atmosphere when I think about it... so... I just shut down that part of my brain and suspend disbelief.

Having said that, there is something quite cool about the more realistic jet moded TFs - particularly the MP seekers. While the issues with the robot modes are widely known, I think they're bloody fantastic in jet mode.

Even the original G1 Seekers are still pretty damn cool in that regard too.