COLLECTOR INTERVIEW #95: James Marsh

We’re back for another Transformers collector interview!

James Marsh — commonly known online as Jamesotron — is a published Transformers artist and an always-friendly presence at TFNation every year. He also has some wise words to share, so over to you, James…

Who are you and what do you collect?

Hi! I’m James, a Transformers fan and a published cover artist, with one of my covers being IDW’s Beast Wars issue 15! I was a big fan of the G1 cartoon in my early years, dropped in and out of knowing what was going on in both the media and toyline, but always had a soft spot for those robots in disguise.

I mostly collect Generations stuff. I’m not a completionist, so I originally set out to go for the characters I care about (Optimus, Megatron, Soundwave, Starscream etc) or anything that looks particularly nice or cool looking. I have a few Masterpiece toys and a few original G1 figures and re-releases.

What do you love most about Transformers and the hobby?

I enjoy the characters. When I look at Transformers, I don’t look at the alt modes. I have no knowledge of cars or know the specific brand name or history of real-world vehicles, because I’m all about the robots and their designs and personalities. If you removed the personalities from the characters, I don’t think I’d care as much. Would Starscream be as interesting if he was just another henchman without his treacherous aspirations, for example?

As for the hobby itself, I enjoy the community it’s created and the friends it’s given me. Before I went all in on the fandom, I didn’t know anyone, but gradually I started to engage more and become friends with people, and they gave me the confidence to push my art. I eventually tabled at a convention for the first time in my life at TFNation, and a few years after that I got my cover art opportunity. I don’t think any of that would have happened without the community cheering me on.

How has the collecting scene changed since you joined the fandom?

I’m not sure I’ve noticed much change, other than new blood always joining the collecting scene looking for the favourite character they’ve newly discovered. New toylines get added into the mix like Earthrise etc. I’m surprised G1 stuff is still readily available considering it’s older than I am, and a lot of it is still in good condition. I think Toy-Fu has really helped with keeping a variety of toys in circulation in the UK, as well as doing tremendous charity work, so as long as people keep donating, I don’t think we’ll run dry of anything.

How do you see, or hope to see the scene changing over the next 5 years?

I’d like to see more people enjoying collecting. The scene lives or dies by the community, so as long as we have people buying Transformers, engaging with the media, making art of the characters etc, it’s going to keep going.

How I see it going is that things will keep getting pricier, and I worry that will stop some people from being able to enjoy collecting like they previously did. I’ve seen a few instances online of a new toy being released and people posting that they’ll need to be choosy with what they get in that wave, or that they’ll wait until it’s on sale. It can be an expensive hobby, but it should also be an accessible hobby.

What is the most surprising or outrageous collecting story you have heard?

One of my friends bought something for £800 this year at TFN. It’s not surprising, but it is outrageous!

What has been your single biggest success as a collector, or your greatest ever find?

I think my greatest find was a Transformers Prime Beast Fire Predaking I got from Toy-Fu one year at TFNation. He was one of my favourite Prime characters, it came with all its accessories and the light-up gimmick still worked. It was one of the coolest things I’d ever seen, and it’s the only Prime figure I own.

My biggest success was finally buying a G1 Scorponok, again from Toy-Fu. I shopped around for years, but I could never justify buying one from one of the dealers at TFN because a lot of them were priced at around £200–£400, depending on the condition. I had it as a kid and it was my favourite toy. It had so much playability, all these gimmicks and bits you could open and turn into ramps. He’s a Headmaster, so of course, he has Zarak, the little guy that can be easily lost and is the reason most eBay listings say “body only”. But it was all there — a little sun-damaged, the stickers had seen better days, but you could tell whoever owned it previously had loved it and played with it to the fullest.

So I took my shot and I went home with my childhood favourite, my one grail. I found out that the next day they had another one in better condition, but Andy from TFN snapped that up. On the plus side, two people got a Scorponok, and Mary’s Meals got to help some kids.

If you could pick one item from your collection to keep, what would it be?

Don’t make me choose! It’s either going to be G1 Scorponok, or the MP Optimus Prime I picked up from Argos back in around 2007 when I saw it advertised in the catalogue on a break at work one day. I can’t remember which version it is, but it comes with a stand with voice lines that are not Peter Cullen, and his diecast body makes him so heavy he could be a murder mystery weapon.

He, as well as the PS2 Armada game, is what got me back into Transformers, and he’s a great reminder of the time I spent living with my two university mates, spending over an hour trying to transform him like three apes trying to understand a laptop.

If you could have one item out of someone else’s collection, what would that be?

I think I would want a Transmetal Tarantulas from my mate Lee, because he loves Tarantulas, so you know he’s going to have one in the best condition, and chances are he has more than one — so I wouldn’t feel bad for taking it!

Other than that, I think I’d like to get some of the older stuff, like a proper G1 Optimus, and maybe a complete Menasor. I had them all as a kid from a neighbour who didn’t want them anymore. I didn’t know they combined, I just thought they were cool cars and a cool evil truck guy.

What advice would you give a new collector starting out today?

I would advise that you first of all enjoy it. If it’s not fun and it’s making you feel bad or stressed, then maybe change up how you’re approaching the hobby. Ask other collectors about where good places are to hunt for certain toys, which dealers are trustworthy etc. Always check eBay listings and read specifically what they say, because there are people out there that will literally sell you a box and make you think you’re also getting the contents of that box.

But in general: have fun, spend wisely, and buy shelves — you’re gonna need them!

Special thanks to Jamesotron for the words & photos! Be sure to give them a shout on Bluesky, Ko-fi, and check out their website!