I would instead take this opportunity to evaluate your collecting as a whole. You could still get the best of both worlds if you simply cut back the number of figures you get overall. I don't want to make assumptions but the collectors who run into this kind of dilemma are typically completionists or nearly completionists. Instead of arbitrarily stopping with one line or the other, take a good hard look at what you've been buying and why you bought it. If you really can't make a decision then maybe that's a sign you should refocus and reassess how you collect. It's supposed to be fun and a stress relief. If you're asking others which line is "better" to cut out it sounds more like you're just looking for something to pump money into every month, no offense meant.

It's absolutely possible that you genuinely just want a lot or most figures from both lines, but the impression I get is that you're not really certain of what you want to get out of collecting anymore. Instead of just snapping and saying "alright, no more of this line, ever" take it on a case by case basis and ask yourself if you really want and care about a given figure.

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Congratulations on the baby news! That's very exciting and is a perfectly legitimate reason to be reevaluating your collection.

See my thoughts in the responses below.



As this is the movie thread and I myself only collect the movie toys, I would have to agree with this statement that if you have to keep collecting one line, Studio Series would be my pick.

The movie designs are more unique and engaging to play with than the War for Cybertron/Earthrise toys. Again, I'm biased as I grew up with the Bay films and have much more of an attachment to those characters than anything from G1 so it really depends on you and what you want out of your collection.

Which leads me to my next point.



This is a really great and thoughtful response and I think gets a little bit closer to the heart of the issue. I don't necessarily think you need to drop one of the lines but you should look at your collection and see what things you truly care about or what things you want to see represented in plastic form on your shelves.

For me, even though I love all of the Bay films, I know that my favorite is DOTM so I have been very specific in my Studio Series purchases and have only bought characters from that film.

Maybe you only care about Season 1 of the G1 cartoon and your favorite Bay film is the 2007 one. From there you can start picking and choosing your purchases so that you can have a more cohesive and focused display.

And maybe as you reevaluate your collection you will realize you only care about one "universe" over the other. Maybe you have more nostalgia for G1 than you do for Bayverse so you want to spend more of your money and energy buying toys from Earthrise.

I know a couple members here in this thread take the approach that they buy any figure they think looks interesting so they don't miss out on it, and once they've had their fun with it and got to experience it, and it no longer fits in with their collection, they sell it. Maybe that's too much work for you at this current stage with a baby on the way but that's another approach you can take if you truly feel like you want to experience everything that is coming out from both lines.


Ultimately, as AutobotAvalanche said above, it really just comes down to you and what your own personal tastes are. As cheesy as it sounds and even if became kind of a joke, take the advice of Marie Kondo and figure out what sparks joy in you when you look at your collection. Figure out what characters or what specific moments or films from this franchise you truly enjoy and want to see represented on your shelf. All of this is meant to be a hobby and something that makes you happy. If it doesn't feel that way right now, take the time to find the right balance of buying the right toys and the right spending budget to make it fun again.

We all go through these similar moments during our time collecting, so don't feel like your alone or get too discouraged. You'll find the balance you need eventually  

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Congrats!

Honestly, the only way to really answer this is to ask yourself which line brings you the most joy? I've had this same dilemma (minus the baby) for a while and have been trying to curb my spending. It's hard, especially if you're a completionist like me. If not, that's a bit easier, because you can just pick and choose what looks good to you. If you end up not enjoying it as much, sell it on eBay or to a fellow board member.

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First, congrats on the kid. I’m sure you’ll make a great parent. Second, I love SS (I’m all in for this line) But Id be lying if I said Siege wasn’t good. I own a few siege figures, and I know since this is the movieverse thread everybody shits on WFC/ER. But after owning figures from both lines, I’ve noticed some things. One being quality. The quality of Siege is impressive, these figures feel really good in hand. Now, I’m not saying SS isn’t as solid as Siege but sometimes it’s a mixed bag. Figures like SS Ironhide are highlights for SS but theirs also a lot of mediocre/low QC figures that really bring the line down. Now Siege has its duds too, but overall from every figure I’ve gotten it’s for the most part pretty solid, it rarely suffers from being loose. And most notably, SS figures tend to have really high aftermarket prices. If you miss the figure right after it’s release it’s pretty rare you’ll ever see it at retail price again. Siege doesn’t really suffer from this issue. In contrast, the biggest thing SS has over Siege is how damn unique the figures are, Sieges figures are blocky as hell. You don’t really see crazy designs like Rampage or Bonecrusher in that line.

TL:TR
These are two great lines that I’ve come to enjoy but if I really had to drop a line it’s a hard pick, but it’s going to be SS. Siege just edges it out it a lot of categories. My two  .

hope this post helps with your decision.

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It's a tough decision. I have figures from Siege/ER and SS and I find SS figures to be better overall. Most Siege/ER figures are really good because of their sturdiness, quality and articulation however after collecting a few, they do seem slightly boring to play with. Siege Hound is great but I don't like ER Wheeljack as much as I like Hound. Why? They feel the same. ER Wheeljack can be boring to play around with because it's like I already have him. Sure, their articulation is different in some places and they all look nothing like each other but they still feel the same. SS figures all feel different and unique. SS Roadbuster doesn't feel like SS Sideswipe. SS Bonecrusher is nothing like SS Jazz.

SS figures have more interesting transformations and designs. G1 figures are cool too but their transformation seems really basic. Same goes for their design.

The aftermarket prices for SS figures are absurdly high. If you wait a few months after they release, it'll be really hard to get them. I can easily buy Siege Starscream for retail price online. Same with all the other Siege figures who released in 2019. It took me 11 months to get SS helicopter Drift and SS Hightower. That tells you something. Do think about it carefully though. You may be better off just taking a break from collecting. Maybe collecting both lines, just slower, could possibly an option? Good luck deciding and I wish you the best for everything else to come!

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Congrats on the kid.

Now onto your main concern. As someone who collects the movie line recently... you don't need to collect everything.

From 2016-2018 I didn't collect many Transformers figures. I had one goal, collect Optimus and Megatron figures from different lines. Mostly brcause I was living in a college apartment and didn't want the collection to take up too much space. 2018- now That was my main goal but with the unveil of Studio Series it became increasingly frustrating seeing sooo many awesome SS figures and I only let myself collect the 3 Optimus and 3 Megatrons from the first trilogy. When COVID struck and I had to move back home, I had WAY more space and a higher budget since I wasn't paying for rent so I began collecting Studio Series in May and I love them. My main thing throughout the process was to only get the figures I genuinely want and now I have 24, 12 for each faction (I may have gone overboard) and I plan to get the wreckers and 3 more decepticons to round out 2020. While I am glad I came in late because I can get everyone I want all at once, it is also very annoying as some like Sideswipe, Ratchet, Jazz, and Lockdown were near impossible to get for a good price. Heck Lockdown is still really hard to find and I wish I got into the scene sooner. Now this is to say that you can still cut back on your collection and still have fun. Don't cut out one line because then you'll regret it when you see the aftermarket value. Just really think twice or 3 times of you really want that figure or if you just have mild interest and can wait when another opportunity arises.

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