heres how it started.....

i was about 4 and a half to five years old. i loved toys, mainly lego at that point. action figures were cool, but a bit bland. then one day, an amazing cartoon was shown and my eyes lit up in much intrigue. here i could see cars, guns, aeroplanes and even a ghettoblaster morph into robots and back. transformers. seeing this cartoon i instantly wanted to know if there were toys available, and imagine my excitement when my parents gave me this.



huffer, in all his blue and orange glory, was my first ever transfromer. he may not look impressive to many, but to me, he represents a huge part of my childhood. actually being able to transform him from a robot to a lory and back again was something i found exhilerating, and then i begged my parents for more. and being the angel that i was(am) i was soon rewarded with what i regard as the greatest toy i've ever owned.

three words can describe optimus prime for me.

best. christmas. ever.

that xmas my dad made a point of how difficult opeimus prime was to get, he was the '84 buzz liughtyear if you may. apparantly, i promised i'd get him one of his own. foralmost 20 years xmas would come and whatever gift i got for my father would be met by "well this isnt optimus prime" followed by much mirth. however, a few years ago i gave my gift to old pops on xmas morning and it was met with the usual "well this isnt optimus prime"... i giggled innocently as he started unwrapping the paper. "jesus christ, it IS optimus prime!".

best. christmas. ever.

my dads face was so priceless seeing that i'd actually managed to get hold of one so many years later that having optimus prime origianlly now paled in comparison as in to giving him to my father. see, transformers for me isnt just about how they're exceedingly good toys and cool cartoons, they're about important parts of my life, things that i will remember and associate with parts of my life in a very happy way. everytime i see a transformer it makes me smile. it makes me smile about being young and carefree, thinking up wondrous adventures and using my imagination as a child should.

best. toys. ever.