The differences in fan bases- a travelers opinion

One of the weirdest things that you get to experience in toy collecting, is the ego of other collectors. If you spend some time diving between a few brands you will actually experience fans who judge you completely on what you own. It is an interesting thing. Most toy collectors understand that they collect toys. For the select few who believe they are better than others, they are in for a harsh reality. Toy collecting is not a hobby that is bragged about with others. Most individuals collect so they can experience a thrill or to remember their childhood. Some collect for a profit and others collect to have a fun hobby. We are all in this game for different reasons. Now one of the things that I learned while under my alias of Transmuseum on TFW2005.com is this feeling of a hierachy amoung their ranks. The moderators as well as fellow fans actually talk down to you for not liking certain things and you get judged for not liking individuals like Maz, Brr-icy and the likes.

It is an interesting thing but from what I have dug out of it, it is the age groups. Transformer fan groups tend to be more judging their their G. I. Joe or Gundam counter parts. Reasoning? Age. The average age of a Transformer fan is usually in the early thirties and below. Now they have three main age groups for three seperate generations. The first generation is the fans of the original Transformers cartoon. The second generation is the Beast Wars fans. The last generation is the live action movie fans. There is some variation here and there but the age groups revolve around those three. That being the case, we have ages from 35 and down in the group. Now from the way most fan bases operate, the general chaos created by younger fans dies down when the older collectors are in their 40s. That would make the younger collectors either in the late 20s or early 30s. This actually gives the franchise some good life. People become more respectful and the more chaotic members either quit collecting or become more mature. It is an interesting thing but it has happened in various communities like Star Wars, Gundam and G. I. Joe.

Now, I do believe that once this starts to happen, some of the more egotistical collectors will either slowly stop collecting or become more silent. Thus, the true golden age of Transformers collectors will begin.

Just an opinion based off of what I have experienced.