A Firefly's Prose

It's kinda funny to look at my collection and think how much of it I wouldn't have now if I'd had my goals and preferences figured out earlier. And yet a lot of things I wouldn't have bought have found a home on my shelves now and I have no intentions (as of yet) to move them along.

What's got me thinking about this is that Hasbro has announced the first box set to be released in celebration of the Beast Wars 35th anniversary-- the entire S1 Predacon team .

Here's the thing. The molds used in the box set are all from the Kingdom and Legacy lines, put out a few years ago. It's hardly unheard of for old toys in new, premium decos to be released for celebratory purposes, of course. But here's another thing. This is actually just a collection of the Beast Wars Again two-pack releases put out by Takara. Which, okay, it's actually pretty cool to get them in the US since they were an Asian market exclusive and, well. We all know what importing has been like these last couple years, yeah? There are always going to be people who are new to collecting; people who didn't want something when it came out but have developed an appreciation for it later; people who didn't have the means when they needed it.

This isn't really about people, though, it's about me and my collection and my collecting. I managed to get a few of the Takara two-packs for a good price not very long ago, so I know how impressive these things look in-hand. I also have plenty of gaps to fill, so a box set wouldn't be too egregious of a double-dip. But one of the reasons I haven't yet gotten the rest of those Takara sets is that I decided to reconsider and reprioritize after getting the handful I have now. Those molds are generally good and the updated decos elevate even the weakest of them. But even so, they're a touch... off. Whether or not they're too off is a question I've been able to avoid having to think too much about since I've not yet found comparable deals on the figures I still need to finish out the lot.

My main rule for myself these days, at least as far as modern toys go, is that I give a pass to anything I can't imagine as The Definitive [Character] in my collection. No picking something up just because I think it's cool or even because it's a favorite character. Even if it means having gaps in the lineup, some things are best appreciated from a distance. There are exceptions to this rule, don't get me wrong-- gimmick lines that I want as their own display group (Missing Link), small things that made for good desk toys (Blokees, Yolopark, Auldey), anything I need to make a "shrine" display (proto-Arcee, WheelRatch), toys that do better to represent different versions of characters (Animated). None of those exceptions really apply here, though. These toys have a theme, sure, but they're bereft of gimmicks. They're not desk toys. I don't have any shrine plans (Dinobot and Blackarachnia would be contenders here but I don't like enough of their toys, lol). And they don't do a great job of representing the version of the characters that I care about, even if the redecos do make a stronger showing, because their alt modes are molded to look more like the "realistic" animals seen in WfC: Kingdom than like the original cartoon models Takara's retooling is minimal. Not to mention some of them are egregiously out of scale, though, surprisingly enough, that's not something I've ever paid much attention to with them.

On the other hand... I really, really want the show cast in my collection with modern articulation. And I could just hold out for a full lineup of MPs to scratch that itch, I guess. But do I want to? A CHUG lineup already stands out from my vintage BW but that's in a way that I find visally appealing. For the whole lot of them to be wildly too big, Idk. The Beasts are important to me and I have to admit that the show cast is one lineup I'd prefer to have in every scale. But then again, that's a preference. It's a thing I want, not a necessity. And having a lineup of toys that represent buyer's remorse as much as they represent my favorite characters isn't better, imo, than leaving that want unfulfilled.

This is a really good box set, something Hasbro can't usually boast. The corresponding Maximal set, not yet formally announced but known to be coming, will be too. The prices are even decent. And if they doesn't sell well, Hasbro could take entirely the wrong idea from that and we just don't get another shot. We might not get another shot anyway, since Hasbro has only fairly recently paid attention to the love there still is for this series and have mostly capitalized on it by homogenizing the Beasts with the more standard mechformers in whatever G1-adjacent thing is new. So, I find myself pinging between "are these the toys I want representing these characters in my collection?" and "do I think we're getting anything better?" And, I mean. It's hard to guess about these things even at the best of times but let's be real. New toys of these characters could be off the table for a slew of reasons unrelated to whatever direction Hasbro decides it wants to take the property. And their being off the table will be among the least of the concerns related to those reasons. There's an element of escapism vs reality here and once I make myself be a grown-up and confront that, admittedly, it hardly feels worth even worrying about.

So, uh. I wasn't sure where I was going with this when I started, really, and I wasn't expecting to Get Real about it. But I guess this was a lot of words to eventually say, "maybe if they go on sale."

I'll still have a wrap-up post to do on Tuesday but this is the last curriculum accountability post of the quarter already... I did not have the strong finish I'd hoped for, alas. Gonna keep this brief and say more during the Tuesday post.

Clarinet: Possibly the biggest fall-off since my trip, definitely the biggest fall-off of the month. The hour-long practices, largely because of my sleep schedule struggles, ended up feeling a lot more like a chore than a hobby and I haven't been consistent with them like I was previously. I even did some experimenting with the timing, either splitting half hours before and after work or waiting until after work altogether. Awful idea, lol, I should've listened to myself. Forty-five minutes really seems to have been the sweet spot. I'm not exactly dreading my little recital for my sister and niblings tomorrow but I'm not excited about it like I was either. I never ended up buying another music book and I didn't remember to print anything off at work Friday and as I may or may not have mentioned, most of the book is beyond my current skill level. I'm going to end up doing a selection from my exercise books, making an honest effort at two of the planned songs from the music book and finish strong with "Never Smile at a Crocodile" because I have that one nailed even if I have nothing else :,) I also didn't take the time to get a music stand, so that's gonna be fun to figure out, haha.

Korean: Okay, this is probably actually the biggest drop-off, lol. I do an amount of Korean practice each day but I never really picked up in force after the disruption of my trip. Something to reflect on, I guess. I'm gonna finish out the first quarter of the program but it's gonna take some cramming. I don't like the idea of doing that but I know my brain and if I don't at least technically finish a ninety-day course in ninety days, I might as well give up on ever moving on to the next levels.

Coding: Probably the one I'm still having the most fun with at this point. I'm not quite where I want to be, mostly because I'm at a point where the structure of the assignments is very tedious, but I know I can get through it within the next few days. I am considering, at this last stage, dropping the "final project" I assigned myself. If you don't remember, that was to publish a website. I still intend to do that, don't get me wrong, but in hindsight, it feels like something I should've been breaking into, like, weekly assignments. Y'know, putting up a site in progress and then fleshing it out each week or something like that. At the very least, I probably should've been doing more prep before now. I just had it categorized in my head as the thing I would do at the end and so I kinda sabotaged myself there. I still could do it, probably, but it would be rushed to an extent that it wouldn't really be a reflection of what I've learned. Besides which, this course ends with a certification exam and that feels like a more fitting way to finish. I know, I know, Actual Real School has final projects and final exams. Doesn't mean the fake school I'm doing for fun has to, though.

Algebra: ... Oh, yeah, I was supposed to be doing math, wasn't I |D Okay, fine, this was the biggest drop-off. I was supposed to switch to a weekday schedule this past week to catch up after my vacation but, uh. Well, frankly, I forgot. So, I'll be cramming for this one, too, at least a little. I've got a lot more confidence here, though, funny as it is to think about. I still need to find a free exam that suits what I learned but I didn't have any trouble finding quizzes or assignments, so I'm fairly confident in that regard too. Y'know, this is making me realize that I never came up with A Plan for what happens if I fail... I'll cross that bridge if I come to it, I guess!

Coming up on the last weekend of the month and I'm having to hold myself back from over-committing to things I want to get done. Writing up a to-do list/schedule is hit or miss for me but I might do it anyway to try to get my priorities in order...

Well, I checked out the Blokees model kits that my officemate gave me. Did five of them. I'm not sure if I'll do the others or give them to my niblings or what. The kits are pretty satisfying to put together and the final models are cute. I just don't really have a spot for most of them. I can only keep so many on my desk, after all.

I did the Starscream and Thundercracker alt mode kits because they're only like six pieces and I'm considering turning them into keychains or charms. I've been brainstorming itabag ideas and a seeker-themed bag is on my list of maybes; they could work for that. She also gave me two versions of Wheeljack; one robot mode and one alt. I've got a Wheeljack on my desk from her already but it's a larger scale than these. The alt mode would made for a good keychain or bag charm, too, I think. The 'bot mode model would be cute but I'd be worried about the integrity of it unless I glued a couple pieces, which I'd rather not. Though I guess whenever they get around to releasing corresponding Ratchets-- they've done Ironhide in this scale, so it's surely only a matter of time-- I can add them to the WheelRatch shelf display I'm going to put together. The last kit I did was Long Haul at the larger scale. I'm not sure what compelled me, tbh. I do love the G1 Constructicon colors, though, and he is, strictly speaking, my second favorite of the group. I'm tempted to finish off the team, just I'm not sure what I'd do with them then.