In today’s interview, we sit down with Randall Nash Hartdegen. He’s a guy who has just as impressive of an outlook on life as he does a collection and it was a real honor to have him take the time to talk with me!
KS: Alright Randall, so tell us a bit about yourself: where are you from? What do you do?
RNH: I was born in Idaho. Born and raised actually. For high school I graduated from the Army and Navy academy, then went off to college to become an officer… I’ve switched back and forth from army to navy for the last 6 years but now I’m going back to college to go to law school to become an Army JAG.
KS: That’s awesome and thank you for your service… you definitely lead a busy life! What got you into collecting?
RNH: I always loved transformers as a kid. I played with them with my dad and my brother… And then about 7 years ago, my dad and brother got sick… My dad got a rare type of cancer and my brother got a disease that paralyzed him and left him mentally retarded. Both are still alive, but they are not the people I knew. So when they got sick, I clung to the only thing that really reminded me of them and made me happy. So I dug out our old toy boxes and found my love for transformers buried inside.
KS: Wow. Even though the circumstances aren’t anything I’m sure anyone would ever ask for, it’s always great to see that kind of sentimental bond with the hobby. So what lines do you collect nowadays?
RNH: I quite literally collect anything that says “Transformers” on the box. But the thing I tend to stay away from the most is the beast era… What I collect the most is anything G1. But if I see it for a good price and I got the cash on me, I’ll probably pick it up.
KS: That’s awesome! So with all of those lines you’re collecting, how many are you at now??
RNH: Last time I counted I was just at 5,000… Months have since passed, so I’m sure it’s at about 5,200-5,300 now.
KS: Well, I think I speak for myself and others when I say holy shit! Now that I’ve taken a moment to stop being jealous I’ve got to ask: How do you store or display SO MANY figures?
RNH: Well I live on base. So I have a few hundred figures here. And whenever I go home to visit my family, I take as many as I can fit in a duffle bag and take them home. And then comes my room back home. I’ve got a couple thousand out in my room… Lot of toys haha and the rest are stored under my house. Truthfully, I’m just waiting to get a new permanent house with my girlfriend once I’m done with college, where I then plan to build a museum display for my transformers.
KS: Oh absolutely! Your man cave will be 20 sorts of epic! So, are you an MISB collector, then?
RNH: That, sir, is a negative! The only thing I have sealed is a G2 Seaspray. My father got me him back when he came out, and I didn’t bother opening him because I already had a loose one. But I think toys are meant to be played with. Especially transformers.
KS: I definitely agree man! So, I know you’ve been collecting for some time, but do you have any suggestions or tips for newer collectors?
RNH: Don’t listen to people. Don’t think you’re weird. Get connected with a community of collectors whether it be online or local. You will find a family in these people. Just collect. Be you. There are so many things to collect that it sometimes gets overwhelming. But, toys aren’t meant to stress you out! The absolute opposite actually. So have fun with it and just be yourself! If you’re smiling about something, you’ve gotta be doing something right.
KS: I absolutely love that advice. Especially about collecting not being something that should stress you out! I’d like to thank you for your time and pictures showing your collection. Do you have a site or blog or anything that you’d like to share?
RNH: Nope! Truthfully this is the first time I’ve been interviewed. Feel free to ask for pictures or anything. I’ll try to get some. I have pictures of me with my Optimus prime collection on here. I always buy from TFsource if that’s any kind of reference for people! Haha
KS: Ha, for sure! Well thanks again for your time and e look forward to seeing your collection get even bigger!
This was a fun interview, and I really appreciate Randall taking the time to talk to us. This will definitely be a more regular thing, so if you have some involvement with the collecting community whether it be collecting, to photography, to customizing and want to be interview: let me know! Email me at tj@kumastyledesigns.com and we’ll set up a time!
