Just what is a reasonable amount of money to spend on collectibles? It's a question that I imagine most every collector must ponder at some point or another, and it's a difficult one for me to answer. By their very nature, collectibles are not necessary items. Whoever recently bought Action Comics #1 for $1,500,000 did not need to do so any more so than the collector who drops $10 at Walmart for the latest Star Wars figure. Toys seem to be considered important, if not essential, for children -- "play" is an important part of development -- but while that impulse transitions for most adults into sports or video games or fishing, some of us never outgrow our love of childish things. But even that explanation is too simplistic, since few adult collectors "play" with their collections; I don't know any adult Transformers fans that spend hours rolling cars and jets around making "vroom! vroom!" and "ptchoo! ptchoo!" noises. No, there are other psychological factors in play, like perhaps hoarding, or reclaiming lost childhood. Who can say? Everyone is different. But whatever reason compels a grown man (or woman) to continue buying toys (or stamps or coins or Elvis memorabilia), there remains for each one the simple question: How much money am I willing to spend on this?

Is there such a thing as a "reasonable" amount? If so, how do you calculate that? A percentage of one's income? Speculation on resale value (assuming one ever actually plans on selling one's collection)? How "in control" are you as a collector? The truth is I don't think that any collector can answer these questions completely, and the motivations behind toy collecting are especially nebulous. The reasonability of a superfluous purchase does seem to scale up or down based on one's amount of disposable cash, but that's a no-brainer: the more money you make, the more frivolous expenditures that you (and those who observe you) can justify.

Which all brings us to FORTRESS MAXIMUS: the largest Transformer ever made, and the most expensive vintage US-released toy. Depending on condition and completeness, he can go for anywhere from $500 to $1500. Discounting Japanese imports, if you're a vintage Transformers collector, this is the figure that sets the price ceiling.

It's been about 13 years since I started recollecting vintage Transformers, and I can tell you that it was not long before I had snatched up all the $10 and $20 figures. Then all the $30 and $40 ones were acquired. These days, if I want a new G1 Transformers I will probably have to pay at least $60. (Mindwipe Mindwipe) As such I make these purchases less and less frequently. In the past, if I was talking about spending money on Transformers, I would occasionally mention Fortress Maximus as the ultimate expenditure, and people would ask if I ever really intended to spend half a grand (at a minimum) on a fucking toy. I couldn't deny that I wanted to, but I also couldn't rationalize the purchase.

I mean, half-a-grand is a significant chunk of rent. It's a couple car payments. It's food for many weeks. And half-a-grand would be a cheap price for a Fort Max.

So I ended up making a promise to myself (and whomever was listening): if I reached 35 years old, I would buy him for myself. It sounds ridiculous now, but to a 27-year-old, 35 still seems eons away, an eternity distant.

Well, guess what? Eternity is not so long after all.

This is FORTRESS MAXIMUS. He stands 22" tall.
He is heavy: if you hit someone with him, it will hurt.

He has lots of deployable weaponry. In addition to his hand-held blasters,
he has hidden weaponry on his forearms, on the backs of his hands,
on his legs, and two massive cannons at his waist.

Fort Max is the leader of the Autobot Headmasters.
Like all the Headmasters, his head detaches...

... and transforms into a robot. This is CEREBROS.
(He even has his own gun)

But Fortress Maximus is so big, that even Cerebros' head detaches...

... and becomes a robot. This is SPIKE.
In essence, this little guy is who Fortress Maximus really is.

And here's the money shot...

This is Fortress Maximus, the city.
This is how he sits, even now, beside my desk.
The city has lots of little compartments, including a jail,
an elevator, a launch ramp, and a nice Greek diner.

I actually got a really good deal on this guy. The eBay auction had very few photos, which typically makes buyers wary, but the seller assured me that all the little pieces were there, and he wasn't lying. In the end I got Fort Max, with all stickers expertly applied and in great condition, complete including the instruction booklet and his tech spec, for about $600. There's no question this was a great deal considering that I saw another one (with the box and styrofoam) go for $1,100 a couple of days before. To put it in perspective, the instructions alone can fetch $35, and either Spike or Cerebros can fetch up to $100 each.

So I did it. How do I feel about this exorbitant purchase now that it's happened?

I feel awesome. I was worried I would be disappointed, but in fact he's even cooler than I expected. I love looking over and seeing him there on the edge of my desk. He's my little buddy. Every now and then I pat it and say, "You're like the son I'll never have."

And my friends have been cool and happy for me as well. Certainly the majority of them are probably thinking that there are about a million more important things that $600 could buy, but in the context of my life as a Transformers collector, they totally understand.

What's left for me? Oh, I think when I turn 40 I'll start collecting the Japanese Decepticon Brestforce one-by-one. (That's six $100 figures that will eventually combine into Liokaiser.) And I want Deszaras, another Japanese exclusive. Maybe he'll be my 45th birthday present to myself.

But for now, and for at least a few years to come, I'm very content with Fortress Maximus, the new gem of my collection. :)