It’s been over two years since the last installment, but we have another entry in the ever popular Transformer Fan Interviews! In this latest interview with Aussie TF collectors we are talking to Michael Vella, a young bloke who in recent years has become well known to many fans of Transformers down under.
Name and/or nicknames:
Michael Vella but I also go by Tha_Phantom online.
Family?
Married to my hobby:
Career?
I rearrange things out of order they happened so that they make sense. What I’m trying to say is that I do video editing for a living.
Website/Fan-pages?
I help admin a Facebook group called Transformers Down Under with fellow collectors Ben Keenan, Adam Templeton and Justin Masaru.
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’?
Probably a C6. Acceptable at a glance, but definitely some many issues present…
Do you accept into your life Big Angry Trev as your toy collecting savior and the Alpha (Trion) & Omega (Supreme) of all things?
Yes.
Fan/Collector since (year)?
I started getting into collecting and watching Transformers around 1999. I know I was aware of Transformers earlier than that, though. They’ve sort of always been around because of my older brother being a fan. If memory serves correctly, 2005 is the only year since 1999 that I didn’t purchase at least one Transformer. I’ve taken a step back from collecting at certain times here and there, but ever since Combiner Wars I’ve been constantly buying and haven’t slowed down.
Transformers Allegiance, if you had one?
Maximal, because who doesn’t want to yell “maximise” as they transform?
Your Techspec motto if you had one?
“Prime’s death was an inside job.”
What existing, official Transformers character best describes you?
Probably Starscream. Always ambitious, but never getting there.
Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself?
Skywarp’s teleporting sure would come in handy.
What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector?
I think it’s the obvious aspect that you get two (or sometimes more) toys in one. I love that each toy is a unique experience and they have covered so many different alt modes now – especially since Bot Bots! I quite often will buy a figure based on the alt mode if I don’t already have a connection to the character and quite often the alt mode is why I will pay attention to a character.
Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die?
Yes, definitely. There’s always something to add or replace in the display. It’s never finished.
Do people outside of the hobby know you collect TFs (like at work/school)?
Most people I interact with do know I collect. I don’t try to hide it but I also don’t go out of my way to bring it up unless it’s somehow relevant.
Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends?
There was a bit of disapproval in my teenage years but now everyone in my family has accepted that’s what I do. I think they also like seeing that I’ve made a lot of new friends because of it since joining the online fandom.
Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions, Special Events?
Yes, I’ve not only attended but organised plenty of Sydney and even Melbourne fan meets over the years and helped run Transformer-related stands at a couple of Supernovas. As far as special events go, I was there for the POTP reveal at Hasbro Australia headquarters in 2017. I also contributed some of my own figures to the More Than Meets The Eye exhibition at Kings Comics earlier this year and I most recently was at the Sydney premiere of the Rise Of The Beasts film thanks to Hasbro Australia!
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – Special Preview Screening Event!
Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)?
I’ve mildly dabbled with customisation, but nothing worth showing off. I usually get someone else to do it.
Favourite series/era/year, and why?
G1 era for sure. Those characters and designs always stuck with me from watching the cartoon, even though I grew up at a time when Beast Machines, RID and Armada toys were on shelves. As a kid I would often pretend that the current toys of the time were those G1 characters if they vaguely resembled them in some way! The vintage G1 toys have a such unique charm to them as well, despite the lack of articulation. So I’m thankful to be a part of online communities where I can back-collect them and learn more about the different variants and such.
Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why?
My favourite cartoon episode is War Dawn from G1.I felt it had a good message and it was really cool to see the origin of Optimus Prime.
Favourite Character, and why?
Gee, that one’s a mystery:
Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character?
Blackarachnia, easily.
Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real?
G1 Jazz.
Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, 2000s etc):
Currently at around 1200.
Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector?
Out of packaging for the most part. I am the type of person who has to transform everything at least once. I do have some sealed items, but in most cases those are doubles or variants of loose figures I have, because curiosity would get the better of me otherwise.
How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit?
I wouldn’t be able to guess, but it’d be an insane amount.
Any rare/expensive figures in your collection?
Yeah, I’ve always had a focus on the rarer items so I won’t go through them all. Some highlights would be a set of MOSC G2 Stunticon limbs, G1 Battle Gaia, a couple of test shots/prototypes etc.
What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have?
An employee-only Happy Holidays RPM Bumblebee and 5/6 colour variants of the 1985 McDonalds Bumblebee toys (these toys were released only in a test market in the US).
First Transformers toy?
The first Transformers I ever bought were Beast Wars Scarem and Air Hammer at the same time with some confirmation money.
One toy you most want?
A Powered Convoy DX set, but realistically that’s never going to happen and it’s not technically a Transformer anyway. My current Transformer grail is a lucky draw Armada Prime, which I mostly want for the Sparkplug as I have all of his other colour variants. Sparkplug was a very special toy to me as a kid because of the obvious similarities to Bumblebee.
The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)?
Probably my proudest acquisition would be my Diaclone red Mirage, but again that’s not technically a Transformer. So let’s go with my 1991 reissue Bumblebee as it was the first Bumblebee I ever got and I will never part with it even if I got out of collecting.
Favourite toy in your early years of collecting?
I can remember being so over the moon when I got Beast Machines Jetstorm and that is a big part of why I got so into collecting Transformers as a kid despite the lack of G1 on the shelves at the time. The metallic deco and overall aesthetic just grabbed me.
Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion?
Not that I owned them, but I got to mess with a few of the first year Cyberverse toys and they were pretty bad especially for the price. Thankfully the line improved after that.
Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them?
It’s not something I tend to think about a lot, but Earthrise Bluestreak disappointed me so much so that I reverted back to the Siege version. Titanium War Within Optimus didn’t impress me much either because of the poorly thought out use of die cast.
Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertible Transformers toys?
I think that we as fans (but more so Hasbro) often forget that the most important gimmick for a Transformer should be that it converts from one thing to another, so generally I don’t care for other gimmicks that get in the way of that. I also have very little time for non-converting toys for that reason too, since that downgrades Transformers to being just like any other toyline. All that said, I do have exceptions to this rule. Especially from the 1987 G1 year as a few of those gimmicks were pretty cool.
Which single TFs toy should every fan own?
G1 Bumblebee! Such a timeless conversion that I’ll never get tired of and it’s easy to carry around with no accessories to lose. I may be a tad biased there, though.
Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present?
Probably some Transformer themed cufflinks or a watch.
Do you collect other toys?
I do have interests in other toylines and collectables, but none come close to the extent of my Transformers collecting. My non-Transformer interests are Digimon cards and tamagotchis, Beyblades, McDonalds toys, Power Rangers, Star Wars, Tazos and DBZ anime cels.
What is your favourite TF themed post on this website?
Since you mention Transformers in it, I’m going with your 12 days of Xmas song!
How did you find out about www.bigangrytrev.com?
I remember seeing your posts on TCCA when I was fairly new to the online community. Because of that, I already knew who you were when we met in person for the first time at the POTP reveal.
Many thanks to Michael for his excellent interview. Got any more questions for Mr. Vella? Pop them into the comments section below!
