By Katie Bell, Staff Reporter.
At age seven Adam, Chartier gathered up his birthday money and purchased his first “Transformers” toy. It was a helicopter named Cyclonus and despite it now being broken, it is one of Chartier’s most valued possessions. Cyclonus was more than just the first thing Chartier bought himself, it was also the beginning of his love for all things pop culture and the first item in his ever growing collection.
Chartier owns roughly 100-130 Transformers”action figures, 40 of which are the character Optimus Prime. This collection is valued at around $1,700 dollars and growing, says Chartier.
The crown jewel of his collection is an “Optimus Prime,” he purchased on Ebay for $50. This particular figure was released as part of a masterpiece line of Transformers figures that are as accurate to the original show as possible.
“It’s valued around $300, if not more now,” Chartier says, “The man had no idea what he had.”
Besides collecting Transformers action figures, Chartier also has a collection of “Game of Thrones” Pop Funko brand figures, “Star Wars” Boba Fett memorabilia and “Magic the Gathering” playing cards.
Chartier himself is unsure of the exact reason he started building his collection. Aside from his general love for the things he collects, he thinks it’s connected to a nerd popular culture. In this culture, the bigger and cooler your collection is, the more impressive you appear to your peers. For him, it’s exciting to share something he love with others.
When trying to classify him as either a geek or a nerd, Chartier says he is, “more of a hybrid.”
Chartier belives geek is someone who is super into a certain type of pop culture versus a nerd who is very interested in computers and has great book smarts.
“I kind of blend the two because I have such a love of pop culture and things,” Chartier says, “But I also love my computer and I’m a chemical technology major, so books smarts is a very big part of my life as well.”
Chartier doesn’t just display his love for pop culture in glass cabinets at home; he expresses it with his clothing choices too. His style is very casual – jeans, t-shirt, hat, but it’s not like these items are chosen lightly.
Chartier’s entire ensemble is thought through and coincides with his passions. You’ll find him wearing a Star Wars hat, paired with a matching Boba Fett shirt,and a Mandalorian necklace.
When it comes to Chartier’s style, he believes people respond positively.
Almost on a daily basis at Delta, he receives compliments “Oh that’s a cool shirt, bro” or “That’s an awesome hat.”
His clothing does give him a sense of pride. When leaving his house, he takes the time to make sure every piece of his outfit is put together to his approval.
“I’m very proud of my look and I like to broadcast that. This is what I’m into and I don’t necessarily care what you think or what your opinion is because I love this and I’m going to show the world.”
