More than Meets the Mouse

[shmax]

[wrap=left:16kr7wgc][thumb=400,389:16kr7wgc]http://www.shmax.com/img/transformers/large/3000/3696.jpg[/thumb:16kr7wgc][/wrap:16kr7wgc]  A lot of us thought they were kidding when we heard that Takara was going to produce a Transformer toy in the shape of Mickey Mouse, but now that it's here and we get a good look at it--we're still not sure. I for one am still baffled, so how about this: I'm going to give this toy to the person who bids the most photos, and let them figure it out.

I'm starting the bidding at 100 photos. Not sure you can even come up with that many photos? Worry not, you probably can. You'll find a link on the main page (under "Special Features") called Photos we're missing. It'll take you to a page with a list of every part, figure (we need two photos per transforming figure) and package that we need photos for. See what I mean? More than 16,000 missing photos. I'm going to have to get a whole crate of Mickeys. And if you're already a member of the site and have entered your collection, you can use the "Photos You can Provide" link in the "Membership" box. That will show you a similar list, but limited to toys in your collection. Actually submitting a photo is a matter of browsing your way to the details page for a part/package and clicking on the "Contribute Photo" link.

Photographing Transformers is a lot of fun once you know what you're doing, but don't enter into this too lightly. Be warned that we are downright nuts about enforcing our photo guidelines, and while we did let some folks slide on the quality for the last photo contest, the bar has since been raised and we're not the same lovable pushovers we once were. And I suggest you try taking a photo or two before you bid, so you know how long it takes and what you're in for.

Some brief rules:
1. You don't have to actually HAVE the photos to bid. You only need to be sure that you can provide as many as you're promising.
2. Anything we need a photo for is fair game. A photo of an instruction booklet is just as valuable to us as a shot of a rare transforming muskrat that they only made 5 of before launching the original molds into the sun.
3. You MUST agree to meet the photo guidelines, and take direction from our photo judges, if need be. If your photos clearly need help our moderators will hassle you to death with instructions for tweaking lighting, fiddling with camera controls, fussing with Photoshop, etc. If this sounds frustrating to you, then this activity is not for you.
4. Only photos that are approved count towards your bid. If you take 99 bad photos and 1 good one, then you still owe us 99 photos.
5. You can only submit photos that you took. Don't try to harvest them off eBay, or anywhere else. We'll know, and we won't like it.
6. When bidding closes, you have to get busy with the photos. You'll have an entire month to cough 'em up, but if you haven't made much progress by then, then you forfeit and the deal is off.
7. If you wind up bidding thousands of photos, but lose interest halfway through and decide to forget the whole thing, then we hate you, and not only are you not getting the toy, but I'm going to take it outside and drag it around behind my bicycle. Any photos you have submitted will remain our property.

And that's about it. If I get a positive response to this, there will be more Mickeys and other toys to go around. Let the bidding begin! Reply to this post with your bids. Remember, bidding starts at 100 photos!

[romorini]

Curse my lack of camera! I can give you scans of instruction sheets after I pick up my binders from home. Do you also want images of the backs of cards? I open all my toys, so the fronts aren't of use to you, but I could at least put that info up.  Barring my going nuts and getting a camera this month, the 'photos you can provide' puts me at 14, though I think that's a major low-ball figure. I'll meet your bid of 200, if nothing else, it'll give me the push I need to buy something nice that isn't a robot.

[engledogg]

Scans of the instruction booklets should be okay, as long as you have a white background behind each, making sure not to cut off any part of the instruction booklet in the scan.

Card back scans, at this time, are not needed.  Perhaps at some other point in time, but for now, we're only interested photos of the fronts (unopened packages, of course).  

Now, if from your cardback scans you're able to provide some missing UPC information for any of the packages in the database, that would also help the site (although, of course UPC numbers wouldn't count towards the promotion ).

Good luck!

MIKE
engledogg

[KidTDragon]

I can provide assorted photos for 615 figures (which will probably come out to a lot more than 615), but I can't start taking pictures for a few months since I'm in school right now, and that has to take priority. Obviously, you can discount this bid if that's longer than you want to wait.

[shmax]

First a guy with no camera, and now a guy with no time. If only you two could combine forces. I should mention that because this is a bid, you don't have to right away put forth your whole potential stock of photos. You could have bid, say, 250 photos. Is that something you could come up with in a month? Otherwise, I can't say the idea of turning this into a protracted "one of these days I'll get you the photos" thing fills me with a lot of enthusiasm. The rules say 1-month from acceptance of the winning bid, so one month it is.

If we don't see some real movement, I think Engledogg and I are ready to scrap the whole deal and just do another conventional photo contest. I've already collected some cool prizes (Alternity Convoy, a pair of Mickey's, and two of those exclusive translucent "Ligier" figures from the Transformers Generations book). More on that later.

I can provide assorted photos for 615 figures (which will probably come out to a lot more than 615), but I can't start taking pictures for a few months since I'm in school right now, and that has to take priority. Obviously, you can discount this bid if that's longer than you want to wait.

[KidTDragon]

I should mention that because this is a bid, you don't have to right away put forth your whole potential stock of photos. You could have bid, say, 250 photos. Is that something you could come up with in a month? Otherwise, I can't say the idea of turning this into a protracted "one of these days I'll get you the photos" thing fills me with a lot of enthusiasm. The rules say 1-month from acceptance of the winning bid, so one month it is.

I could shoot 250 photos in a month, I just can't get started for a few months. If you're not accepting a winning bid until May or June, I'll bid 250, otherwise I'll have to bow out of the contest.

[romorini]

I've recently realized we didn't include the little catalogs and/or promotional inserts that come with the boxed figures. I have a sizable number of those in good enough condition to scan, this will require some updates to the contents of theses figures too...

 I'll raise my bid to 300. I should start scanning what I've got at my apartment, just so I don't hit a nasty backlog.

[shmax]

So far, we haven't been logging the filler fluff. I think the consensus is that they're so general, it's sort of pointless to catalog them, and would be nearly impossible to research even if there were any interest. We do however document things like Tech Spec cards. But you did say you were thinking about getting a camera, didn't you? Can you still back up that 300 bid?

I've recently realized we didn't include the little catalogs and/or promotional inserts that come with the boxed figures. I have a sizable number of those in good enough condition to scan, this will require some updates to the contents of theses figures too...

 I'll raise my bid to 300. I should start scanning what I've got at my apartment, just so I don't hit a nasty backlog.

[romorini]

It's hard to say, the "photos you can provide" isn't excluding anything from my collection anymore, (I know, wrong board, just noticed the problem). I can certainly back up the two hundred, the 300 would depend on what you need from my collection. I'll start with some booklet scans Wednesday. And you guys can tell me if everything's up to par.

[Encore_Prime]

So if I submit 100 photos, then 250, now 300? I'm confused.

For an alternity convoy I could get you 150-200 photos within a week, lol. Assuming I've got enough items in my collection that you actually need.

Mickey? Eh, not interested in. But Convoy? Hell yeah, I'll spend the next 3 days straight taking pictures. I've got time and a good camera. Who needs sleep when a Convoys calling?

[shmax]

Tell ya what, guys, let's put this thing on hold until I can see if I can improve the "Photos you can provide" link such that it's a little more informative. I'll see if I can come up with a solid number that tells you exactly how many photos your collection can provide. Give me a day or so on this, and we'll get the bidding going again.

So if I submit 100 photos, then 250, now 300? I'm confused.

For an alternity convoy I could get you 150-200 photos within a week, lol. Assuming I've got enough items in my collection that you actually need.

Mickey? Eh, not interested in. But Convoy? Hell yeah, I'll spend the next 3 days straight taking pictures. I've got time and a good camera. Who needs sleep when a Convoys calling?

[engledogg]

I bid 400...

MIKE
engledogg

[shmax]

Now that's what I like to see! We have a bid of 400 photos for Mickey. Do I hear 450? I'll give you guys 24 hours to top it, and if we get no takers, 400 it is...

I bid 400...

MIKE
engledogg

[shmax]

Okay, auction over. Engledogg has won with his bid of 400 photos, and he's already gotten busy submitting them. We'll be doing a regular photo contest soon, so watch for that.

Max

Now that's what I like to see! We have a bid of 400 photos for Mickey. Do I hear 450? I'll give you guys 24 hours to top it, and if we get no takers, 400 it is...

I bid 400...

MIKE
engledogg