It’s time for another Transformer Fan Interview, and once again this one comes from overseas, the good ol’ US of A. Bobby has some of the most awesome looking Transformers displays I have seen, and he’s sharing photos of it, as well sharing the history of his hobby, with us today.
Name and/or nicknames:
Hi everyone, my name is Bobby and I’m a Transformers addict
***waits for the applause to stop at the TFs Anonymous meeting***
I’m Bobby Allen on Facebook and Turbine027 on TFW2005.com … those are the main places I interact with other nerds 🙂
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Family?
Married, 2 dogs, and some awesome nephews! Took them both to see the new Transformers One movie the other day! Recently, one of them has been showing particular interest in Transformers and has been asking lots of questions every time he comes over… He was quizzing me to see if I “actually” had every vintage figure! Maybe if he learns all their names he can be put in the will!
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Career?
High school mathematics teacher.
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Website/Fan-pages?
I’m really active on TFW2005 and I’m an admin for the Facebook group “Transformers Displays.” Back in the early days of the internet I had a website called “Make Your Own Transformers” … as a kid I had no budget for toys so I used to make Transformers out of paper… and not just drawing them on a sheet and cutting them out, like full on (designed in MS Paint) pieces that were folded and strategically put together so that they could transform! Based on how young I was, they objectively started out pretty awful… but over time I got really good and would have people emailing me their requests. I remember staring at the catalogs for hours and admiring figures I didn’t own and trying to figure out how they would have transformed so I could design them.
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How would you rate yourself on a C scale, C10 being MISB Mint perfection, to the lowest C1 ‘junker not worth it even for parts’?
Compared to /most/ other collectors I see out in the wild? Lol I don’t think people would automatically assume I live in a basement and collect toys or anything haha so I’d say maybe a C7.5 All my parts are there, a few joints are a little loose or stiff, and I’ve had some of my stickers replaced with Reprolabels! Thankfully no GPS!
Fan/Collector since (year)?
My very first toys (the Technobots) were gifted to me back in November of 1988 and I haven’t stopped since! In fact, I recently built a shadowbox to showcase the ones that started it all and commissioned Dan Khanna to create a HUGE piece featuring the Technobots for over the couch in my display room.
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Transformers Allegiance, if you had one?
I feel like the Decepticons are cooler overall, but I think I would have been an Autobot.
Your Techspec motto if you had one?
“YAAAAAAAS” or anything else with a gay undertone that could be shouted while playing loud music with the convertible top down.
What existing, official Transformers character best describes you?
Probably Tracks or Sunstreaker. A cool sporty car that’s a little obsessed with being pretty sounds about right 😉
Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself?
Hmmm, can’t say that I’ve ever thought about this … The ability to fly seems pretty cool but honestly I’d have to say the ability to combine! Maybe that’s something subconscious from my very first figure being Computron, but either way I imagine being bullied by a bigger robot then all of a sudden “my friends show up” lol
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What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector?
I was born in 1984, so I grew up mostly with G2 and Beast Wars, living my G1 dreams through 1987-90 catalogs and syndicated reruns. I’ve always been a huge fan of puzzles, everything from jigsaw to Rubik’s cubes, so my affinity for Transformers has always stemmed from the engineering and transformations. I think that’s why they survived all my other interests (GI Joe, Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, girls … wait, what?).
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Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?
At this point I’ve got a very specific vision for when I’ll consider my collection “done” but I think I’ll always be present in the community. I’m a vintage collector at heart, and I display MPs and 3PMPs side by side the vintage toys, so there’s only so many more I need to be considered finished. I’m a few accessories away from a complete vintage collection (I won’t lie though, many figures are reissues and a few of them are actually customs (like my Artfire) or high quality KOs (the 6 headmaster heads, the dino cassettes etc) and I don’t plan on swapping them out). So “complete” is kinda relative here… but complete for me!
As far as MPs, I’m looking for the rest of the Head/Targetmasters and main combiners to be made so I still have several more years to go! When I did my room overhaul last year, I made sure to plan and create space for all the future MP figures I want to exist, so it’s both cool and frustrating to see the obvious gaps on the shelves. It does help me stay focused and not just buy stuff to buy it and it helps my husband and friends who see the room understand my end game. Being asked “are you done” is pretty common when someone comes over and being able to point to the obvious gaps helps them see what’s missing!
During “The Great Purge of November 2023” I completely redesigned my room layout from scratch and forced myself to admit that I would never be able to properly display all the lines I had collected over the years. I streamlined my focus to G1 Vintage and MPs, but I still wanted to honor my personal journey with the other lines I used to collect. I sold my entire CHUG collection, all my Alternators, and paired down everything from the Beast Era, AEC, Animated, Prime, 2007 movie, etc down to about 5-6 figures per faction.
I found that being able to display a curated sample of the lines gave me enough nostalgia to work with. I don’t regret buying all the figures originally… even though they’re sold now for a loss (mostly) I certainly enjoyed the ride. I remember the watch parties for new episodes and all the discussions surrounding the figure reveals so seeing a mini display still brings back those memories and for me that makes it all worth it!
So will I be collecting new toy lines until I die? Probably not, but I’m gonna finish out my personal goal and then admire from the sidelines!
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Do people outside of the hobby know you collect TFs (like at work/school)?
I feel like everyone knows hahaha My students and coworkers know, and every friend (online or in person) has seen photos or physically visited the space at some point. It also means that every time a TF meme makes the rounds in the “regular part of the internet” that I get tagged in it by people lol
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Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends?
Always supportive. Even as a kid I was obsessed with G1 figures that were clearly long out of print. My parents would help me hunt down figures for my birthdays, xmas etc. I remember when eBay first started and you could search “Transformers” and find 253 results. The forums were predated by alt.toys.transformers newsgroups that you had to access through your email. I was too young to buy/sell at that time with “mysterious strangers on the internet” but I remember finding websites like Snarl’s Homepage (Todd) and Robozone (Gerry Bunker) to give my parents places to shop!
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What does your partner think of your hobby?
My husband will also always ask me for a preorder link for the holidays so he can support my addiction haha He’s not specifically into Transformers the way I am, but he does appreciate the way I have curated my display over the years and how passionate I am toward the hobby. He’s also super into cars so for a brief while there we had a shared interest in the Binaltech/Alternators line! The great compromise when we built our home was that I got the windowless media room for my display and he got to take over the garage as his chill spot.
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Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions, Special Events?
Not as often as you would think for someone as active in the collecting world as I am and with a collection my size… but I’ve been to a few. I remember going to OTFCC the first year the name changed. It was the very first time being in a place specifically for Transformers and I remember being in total awe of the dealer room area. This January I went to a Fans Expo convention and splurged on a private Meet and Greet with both Peter Cullen and Frank Welker! We each got about 5 minutes alone with them (and their handlers) to just talk, ask questions etc. I was able to briefly show them my display, get a few autographs, photos … and then they each did a voice recording for me as Prime and Megatron. It was truly an amazing experience and the items I got signed will be cherished forever!
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Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)?
I would say the Make Your Own Transformers website was my main creative outlet as a teenager, but I’ve done a few customs like my Artfire over the years. Most I’ve slowly replaced with vintage pieces though.
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Favourite series/era/year, and why?
Gosh, that has to be vintage… it’s the one thing that always feels special to me. Even the parts of the line that don’t get a lot of love like the Pretenders, Action Masters, etc all have a certain charm to them. I have to say that the catalogs from G1 have the biggest nostalgic pull for me, and it’s the reason I display the way that I do… There’s just something about seeing the best representation of the robot form I fell in love with from the cartoon (MP) side by side with the alt mode (vintage) that just reminds me of those old catalogs and it makes my inner child smile!
Even though I don’t collect modern lines (by my own restrictions) there is still a lot of cool stuff out there for fans! I love the Studio Series 86 line even if I don’t own many and I will say I’ve been breaking my own rules with Missing Link 🙂
I gave Prime and Megatron their own specific G1 shelves so it’s also been a place for me to dabble in Blokees, Legends scale, etc!
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Collect any comics?
Up until very recently, no not really. I had a few random Marvel TF comics that I came across at a young age… As far as modern comics I always felt like I became aware of them too far in and I was too lazy to go back and try to catch up. I always enjoy the discussions that go along with new episodes and new issues, so when SkyBound started the Energon Universe I finally jumped at the chance to actually follow along from issue #1. I’ve fallen in love with the series and even made little setups to represent the first 6 titles.
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Favourite Comic issue/story, and why?
Can’t say that I have an absolute favorite yet. I feel like I would just pick something cliché… I did very much enjoy the end of the first arc of the Energon Universe when Prime starts kicking butt with the whole “You Know The Song” in the background!
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Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why?
I always enjoyed the episodes that dove into the origins of the characters like War Dawn and the flashbacks in Five Faces of Darkness.
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Favourite Character, and why?
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Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character?
I can’t say that I’ve ever actually thought about this… but I guess I’ll say Springer lol But if he and Hotrod want to fight over me, I’ll be glad to marry one and see the other on the side!
Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?
If it was like a personal best friend and side kick, then Hot Rod all the way! Sexy ride and seemed to enjoy hanging out with humans.
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Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, 2000s etc):
After MASSIVELY downsizing last year during the room refresh, I still have over 1,000 but I want to say I sold off 600 or so to make the display exactly how I wanted… Part of it was admitting that I would never have the space to properly showcase them all so I went with a “less is more” approach if you can call 1000+ toys “less” lol
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Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector?
Out of box for sure! If I were to ever run into a vintage figure, I wouldn’t open it… but I collected loose complete since the boxes had no value for me. I am often impressed with vintage boxed collections but modern stuff… meh … recycle that! I think Transformers are one of the few collectables where having access to fiddling with them makes the most sense. I do have sealed reissue Megatron and Optimus Prime figures but that’s just because I go a little more crazy with those two! I personally do not collect as an investment and I’d rather give it all away when I’m older.
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How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit?
We do NOT ask this question lol
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Any rare/expensive figures in your collection?
Probably all my vintage Japanese G1. Things like Grandus, Battle Gaia, Grand Maximus etc would be considered grails for a lot of vintage collectors. Haslab Unicron is probably one of the most impressive pieces just for its sheer size! I love having him as a centerpiece in the room and having a little Skywarp is Cyclonus controversy front and center makes me happy!
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What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have?
I mostly just collect figures, but I did grab the Prime and Megatron helmets to be signed and think that those make really cool display pieces.
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First Transformers toy?
The Technobots.
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One toy you most want?
Unicron Prototype (come on Missing Link, I’m counting on you!).
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The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)?
Favorite toy is hard to say, but I’ve always been a huge fan of Powermaster Optimus Prime! The 2 visual centerpieces of the room though are the Unicron coffee table and Skybound Comics display over the couch.
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Favourite toy in your early years of collecting?
Astrotrain! I picked up a junker at a garage sale and always thought it was so cool to show off. “Look at this robot… you can clearly tell he turns into a space shuttle ChhhChrrrgChrrrChrrrChhh … which he does! But then ChhhChrrrgChrrrChrrrChhh … this train just comes out of nowhere!”
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Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion?
God, it has to be one of the firecons lol.
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Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them?
Probably all the foreign recolors of the firecons lol I already hated them, but then I had to spend like $100 a pop to finish the collection just to have the same terrible toys in green, red, and translucent haha.
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Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertible Transformers toys?
I thoroughly enjoyed the various “Master” gimmicks. Generally, I don’t think toys “need” them but when the play pattern feels intuitive then it works great! I mostly stay away from non-transforming figures, even when I hardly transform my MPs as it is … I still need to know that they CAN transform lol. But clearly I own a bunch of Action Masters and I did pick up the Yolopark G1 Prime and Megatron to add to my Skybound Display.
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Which single TFs toy should every fan own?
Vintage G1 Optimus mold… it can be a reissue or the amazing Missing Link figure… but I think everyone should own one!
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Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present?
Unless someone was a super fan, I don’t know why that would happen lol. However, as a kid my sister used to steal my G2 Beachcomber and hide it in her room. So at one point as an adult I found a MOSC G2 Beachcomber and bought it as part of her Christmas gift that year!
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Do you collect other toys?
Not really… but I did get into vintage Joes while curating the Skybound displays and it was fun messing with a franchise I had never collected before. It was also really interesting to experience how media (comics in this case) give figures life. Until this year I couldn’t tell you anything about a single Joe figure outside of Cobra Commander and now I’ve started wanting to add new characters as they show up in each series!
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What is your favourite TF themed post on this website?
Well now, I can’t lie! I found this website through interactions over at Transformers Displays and following your own interviewsand video showcases! But it seems like as a good a time as ever to dive into all the content! I also always enjoyed reading the Collector Interviews that Maz used to do, so going back and reading some of the other interviews here has been fun. Especially when I recognize a name!
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Thanks so much to Bobby for his in depth and thoughtful answers to our questions, and the photos are simply amazing! You can also see his collection in the following video:
Do you have any more questions for Bobby about his collection? Then pop them in the comments section below!
