Vintage modern and 3rd party transformers

Awesome!  I used to watch GI Joe and Transformers (they aired back-to-back) growing up as I babysat my little brother and his friend.  I also took interest in the toys, although they were always purchased for my brother, not for me.  I was never into dolls — thank goodness for my little brother. :)

We were raised to take care of our toys (because our parents couldn’t afford to replace them), so all his GI Joe and Transformers toys are in mint condition, worth a fortune now, no doubt.   Ironically, I think I remain more of a fan now than he is, haha.

My parents discouraged super hero shows and toys because they involved godlike powers (conflicted with our Baptist religion).  But they were cool with patriotism (GI Joe) and robotics (Transformers).  :p

The movies released years later were mostly disappointing; maybe I had just grown up too much to enjoy them, but I didn’t like them nearly as much as the TV series.

G1 Optimus is the one that eludes me. I don’t have any of the Transformers when I was a kid (Soundwave and his cassette bots, Ultra Magnus, Blitzwing, Kickback, Bombshell and Prowl) but I’ve purchased a few over the years. I have several MP transformers but they are in the office in lock and key. I also have Titans Return Trypticon who sits  on a topshelf on my cubicle. Just about everyone gives him a look when they walk past my desk.