[quote name='blandstalker']Define "play".
Do I stage little robot battles and reenact TV episodes? No.
Do I transform them? Yeah. Back and forth. One of the things I find interesting about them is that they are 2 (or more) toys in one, and once you've put it in one mode, it kind of begs you to go back to the other.
I look at them as little 3D puzzles (I rarely if ever read the instructions) or marvels of engineering. I have a little display area, and when it fills up, I box them up and put them in the attic.
My son (7) will sometimes play with them. He generally likes them better as vehicles than as robots.
I simply...like them. Besides videogames, I really don't have anything I collect or expensive habits to maintain. I don't look at it as much different than trading cards, or action figures, or cars or models or other things that others collect.
I have, lately, wondered when it will be enough. I really don't go for re-issues or buying things I had years ago because I already experienced that and don't get anything new out of it. And, while I'm very fond of where the line has gone recently, how many Starscreams and Rodiumuses and Primes do I need, anyway?[/QUOTE]
I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm an engineer, and to me, it's all about marveling at the engineering going into making a toy that can be a robot, and a few twists and turns later is a dinosaur/car.
I also do not use the instructions, as ever since I was a kid I preferred the puzzle solving aspect (why RID/Car Robots is a fave line, for their insane puzzle box figures). I do however look at manuals after I figure it out, because I will occasionally not notice something (like a peg that can be connected to add stability, etc).
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