Collector Intent

 - Dorian MacQuarrie

Behind every collection lies some sort of intent. Whether that's... intentional... or not won't always be the case but underneath every purchase lies some driving force making you, the collector buy that toy. For some that intent could just be "buy the fun new toys" but for others, it might be a far more specific, far more refined direction. With that said, let's get to it. 


Now, I'm not saying there needs to be some highbrow, overly cerebral driving force behind every collector. There are plenty of people out there buying fun toys for just that, fun toys. But scratch the surface even a little and you'll find an intent to give yourself some good feelings and a dash of excitement as you hold that shiny new Siege toy and get to show it off among friends. Question it further still and I'm sure plenty of people are currently collecting a certain line, putting together a certain cast from a show or comic or even on a quest to buy every Megatron...

I wouldn't be myself if I didn't have several intents and directions ongoing with my collection. A lot of these just crop up without much forethought. One purchase informs another and suddenly I'm keen on completing the entire Fansproject back catalogue. Maybe I've just read a particularly exciting comic and now I'm tracking down suitable toys to bulk out my Lost Light crew. These are examples of the sort of intent I'm getting at. A purpose, something that it is driving your collecting and buying habits. It can be fairly vague, just a plan to buy the recent releases and enjoy them or it can be particular, specific, exact, such as looking to buy a Diaclone Powered Convoy (literally, in my dreams). Currently I'm sitting somewhere in the middle, with an eye to picking up 1987/88 G1 Decepticons. Quite often they are some of the best Transformers toys of the waning years of G1, bringing together a plethora of gimmicks of the age, all decked out in the single greatest colour palette ever to grace transforming robot toys. It's a fairly narrow spectrum to buy from but at the same time, I'm being quite casual about it. I'm not looking on eBay or scouring selling pages on Facebook but I'm definitely walking into TFNation this year looking to pick up some Decepticon Clones.

Personally, I think having some sort of intent or direction is absolutely vital to maintaining a healthy balance between appreciating what you have and looking towards your next purchase. It has seen me possibly buy toys that I would have otherwise passed over for some small sense of completion but it has also seen me sell toys as I move my interests to another part of the vast range of Transformers lines. With the end of MTMTE/Lost Light, I definitely feel less need to have a shelf with all of my favourite crew members. It was a fun experience at the time, to have my collection align with a piece of media, (truly a core pillar of the childhood play experience), but now that we are all said and done, it's time to move on and find a new venture with which to fill my time whilst keeping in touch with my collection. 

Previously I've written an abundance of material on my waning collecting habits and now, as I sit here writing my first article after eight whole months (jings!) I'm fast realising that it is not just a lack of new toys which has seen my interest in Transformers wane but a lack of direction. For the most part I have many of the toys I want and it takes a new collecting direction for me to keep my interests engaged. Thankfully there are all manner of lines/cartoons/subsets for me to turn my gaze to in order to keep myself entertained. 

Even now I know that once I've assembled some more late G1 Decepticons, I have an eye to putting together a G1 Bruticus, maybe not piece by piece but definitely not as one large purchase as where's the fun in that? 

If you're currently indulging in a piece of collecting intent then please, sound off. I'd love to know what sort of factors drive other collectors, the more particular the better. 

As always, keep it #Refined.