Collecting Transformers can be a serious hobby

Somebody ring the geek alarm.

In fact, ring it full blast. Today is an unofficial high holiday for folks like Pruitt, children of the 1980s reared on a steady diet of Transformers toys, comics and Saturday morning toons. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen," the sequel to the 2007 blockbuster "Transformers," officially opens in theaters.

It's another reason for Pruitt and fellow Transformers collectors to cite relevance for their obsession.

When defending his hobby, you can almost imagine the mild-mannered Pruitt, who owns about 600 Transformers action figures, converting into a defender of the toy robot cause.

"People become geeks, nerds or obsessed with a bunch of different things," Pruitt said. "And how is having some robots in the living room really objectively different from having season passes to all the UGA games? ... It's more of a socially acceptable thing to be nuts about, whereas this is seen as kind of a strange and silly thing."

Fellow collector Chris Templeman, 29, of Fairburn appreciates what some may deem absurd. When he, Pruitt and über Transformers collector Robert Springer recently gathered to compare toys, Templeman had to laugh.

"You had these big burly dudes playing with toys," he said. "And that's the humor in it."

But for Templeman, the nostalgia factor is key.

"It's about reliving your childhood, but also sharing new experiences," Templeman said, "because it allows me to connect to other like-minded people."

Templeman, who started weening off Transformers by age 12, revived his hobby in 1999. He began buying new Transformers off the shelf and hunting for vintage toys from his wee years. After a decade of collecting, he estimates he's spent $6,000 to $7,000 on a collection now consisting of about 1,200 Transformers figures.

This weekend he'll be sharing his love for Transformers when he ties the knot with fiancée Kellie Burns. No, Optimus Prime won't be presiding over the ceremony. But as Templeman moves into Burns' Fairburn home, so will the Transformers.

At first, Templeman thought Burns might be apprehensive about having a relationship with a guy who has robotic baggage. But he said Burns "thought it was kind of cute and accepted it."

Last year, the couple attended BotCon, a Transformers collectors' convention in Cincinnati.

Templeman was surprised to find his fiancée having an "absolute blast." Among the highlights, he said, was meeting a pair of guys from Israel who traveled across the globe to simply talk robots.

These days Templeman says he doesn't buy as many toys as he used to. Instead of bringing home a bag of plastic every time he visits a department store, Templeman says he shops for toys about every two months. Although he says his significant other doesn't forbid him to buy Transformers, an objective voice helps him keep a reasonable handle on the hobby.

But if it ever gets out of hand, Templeman can try placing the blame on Springer, a former roommate and Transformers fan who helped inspire Templeman's collecting.

Springer, 31, of Jonesboro has about 3,000 Transformers figures spanning from 1984 to today. His most valued piece is an original Fortress Maximus from 1987, a 2½-foot robot figure that transforms into a city, valued at $700 to $800.

Although Springer, who most recently worked for a cabinet company, was laid off in November, he hasn't had to resort to selling parts of his collection. It's actually something he says he hasn't really thought about. Ever since watching a Transformers comic book commercial in 1984, he's been "transfixed."

"It's kind of part of my everyday life," he said.

So how does a toy make this kind of impact? Pruitt thinks the answer may be because of the nature of Transformers, which are three toys in one.

Each begins as a robot. Then there's the puzzlelike transforming element, which changes the robot into something else entirely.

"At the beginning of the day and at the end of the day, GI Joe is an Army man," Pruitt said. "But the core of Transformers is something that can be changed."

As far as the childhood passions of these men, it looks like they're here to stay.