The Energon Pub

Anyone else feel like this? I've bought a few on ebay and every single one is a disappointment. C9 means peeling stickers and transforms so stiffly it nearly breaks? UGH!

Missing parts, small breaks, mislabeled conditions. It makes me want to buy MISB when I just want them to display but I can't justify spending that kind of crazy cash. I've bought quite a few of the commemoratives and have all the classics so thats nice but even the commemoratives are a bit pricey.

It does suck sometimes. I've bought three of the sam figure and taken the best parts of each to make a good one. Plus once you get close to finishing G1, you can wait over a year to find some figures.

Oh man do I know what you mean. I have been able to collect my G1 figs since 2001 thanks to the various reissues. Since the reissues have stopped I've been left with no choice but to rely on Ebay.

I got the two G1 Jumpstarters last year MIB. At least that was what the auction said. They were not MIB. They have complete but peeling stickers. And the arm on one of them was loose. I've had better luck getting top condition stuff with getting some Beast Wars figures. And have had even better luck getting the Machine Wars line. Got it all MISB in fact.

But what really sucks is that you'll have a harder time after the movie debuts. G1 figures, especially true MIB and certainly MISB figures will be unaffordable to most collectors. You'll have to eventually pony up even more cash then you already do to now.

Aahh, the fun of TF collecting!

You really think things will go up after the movie (I don't)?

But it would be nice to make a huge profit on my MIB G1 Optimus Prime.

I hear you. I've been searching for a G1 Reflector I can trust FOREVER. I can never tell the quality of the lens, and you always worry about loose parts...ugh.

pittsburg_22_m wrote:You really think things will go up after the movie (I don't)?

But it would be nice to make a huge profit on my MIB G1 Optimus Prime.

Reissues are where it's at. The person that just saw the TF movie and want a child hood toy is going to see the reissue MISB and jump on that versus a used figure.

I guess for me I'd be looking at reissues. The fact that it was made in the 80's or today doesn't matter to me if its the same mold and color.

On display they look the same to me but if you are a purist then this may not be an option.

When I started collecting two or three years ago, I had no intention of buying anything that wasnt the G1, G2, the alts/bts or 20th/mp.

After a while I began to realise that actully, some of the newer toys were conciderably cooler than some of the G1 tfs, and conciderably cheaper, and almost always in better nick (even the reissues are often far from perfect in my experiance).

Odly enough, my first none G1/G2/Alt tfs were Universe Prowl (white with big bot logo) and Sideburn (red n black). Apart from possibly BW/BM, you cant get much further from G1 n G2 than that, lol.

Re-issues would be a bit better I think, since most likely they won't break apart or have bad labels. Heck of alot cheaper, too.

You really think things will go up after the movie (I don't)?

But it would be nice to make a huge profit on my MIB G1 Optimus Prime.

Based on all the positive buzz from the movie sites, and non-Transfans talking about the movie three months out, I think it's likely to add value to any of the G1 figures/ Reissues in good shape.

I mean, it might do to TF values what Phantom Menace did to vintage SW value, but as long as the movie is marginally good, there will be noticeable price increases in the older stuff. Beast Wars and any of the AEC figures not directly related to G1 homages, on the other hand, should be easier to get. That's my guess, anyway.

Like the prices for collecting various vintage toys always seems to work, when something happens (like a movie or a re-surgence based on new comics or tv shows) the prices go up. I really think the price of vintage TF's will go some up as sellers will use the movie and raise prices and new fans may want to experience "where it all started from".

It happened when Star Wars EP1 first hit the theaters, the price of vintage toys skyrocketed.

It happened when the first X-Men movie came out, the original 90's Toy Biz toys got a slight price hike.

So get what you want now before the price hike hits!

It'll depend on how good the movie is as to where the value fluctuation finally shakes out. Phantom Menace did raise the prices for SW vintage initially; by Christmas of the same year, the prices had fallen through the floor. I should know; I lost over $4K on my vintage investment selling out that year. So many people had trashed Jar-Jar and Co., that no one wanted the things anymore.

If the movie is good, we can expect a price spike in the summer, and a steady increase on 'cornerstone' pieces like Optimus and Megs. If the movie is very bad, then we'll see a summer price hike, followed by a glut of collectors selling out over the remainder of the year.

I've been disappoitned with the quality of some figures I bought off e-bay (especially when it comes to G1). People saying the figures are basically perfect and you get them and they're totally all loose except for the parts that have screws (which were obviously tightened) that barely move at all (because they were tightened too much).

I love reissues as they are basically the same figure for all intents and purposes and don't have these same problems (for the most part).

So, yeah, it can be frustrating, but I usually can find a pose or stance to put even the loosest transformer in on my shelf that I like. Somtimes I have to cheat a bit and use some hidden item to keep it 100% (even though the auction said it was perfect condition).

I guess the other part is it's hard to give negative feedback as in most cases they did send what they said they would and especially if they used C9 or something, it's all kind of open to interpretation...

Asderiphel wrote:It'll depend on how good the movie is as to where the value fluctuation finally shakes out. Phantom Menace did raise the prices for SW vintage initially; by Christmas of the same year, the prices had fallen through the floor. I should know; I lost over $4K on my vintage investment selling out that year. So many people had trashed Jar-Jar and Co., that no one wanted the things anymore.

If the movie is good, we can expect a price spike in the summer, and a steady increase on 'cornerstone' pieces like Optimus and Megs. If the movie is very bad, then we'll see a summer price hike, followed by a glut of collectors selling out over the remainder of the year.

Oh I am not saying that the price hike would stay, as always it weens off after time (I should have added that in my original post... mybad).

It's starting to get harder and harder to find G1s that are in good condition. I have a couple that I wish I could sell back (one I REALLY want to). So I've decided to stick with the more recent lines and and as many reissues as I can.

I've been quite lucky with G1 condition, but buying the G1 PARTS is what's been killer lately... Nothing better than scoring a great deal on a 'bot only to find that you'll need to shell out another $24 for a leg clip (I'm lookin' at YOU, G1 Jetfire...)

Oh I am not saying that the price hike would stay, as always it weens off after time (I should have added that in my original post... mybad).

I agree with you. I do think that since TF collecting has always been more niche than Star Wars, if the movie breaks out bigtime, the collector base will increase dramatically, and it may be awhile before things settle down. So there are a couple guys I intend to get before the movie, just in case.

As for how hard it is to get (I guess that's where this thread was going), buying stuff off the forums seems to be infinitely better than getting things off ebay. The prices are generally lower, and guys are pretty straightforward and honest about condition.

And that's why I will never buy a G1 toy in my life. And I really really want a G1 optimus prime just to have it. But I know I will be like, "hmm, let's get megatron..." and then "oh, why don't we get the seekers..." and then you can imagine what's next. Besides, I like everything MIB and I cant imagine the fortune I would need for that.

Right now all my energies are focused on Beast Wars, GF/Cybertron and classics (Yeah, my arm and leg were already given in exchange for the box set :/

I sold my entire (unboxed, vintage) G1 collection to BBTS about 4 years ago, and don't regret it.

I much prefer TFC and Hasbro reissues because I can keep the figure and all the pieces in a nice, safe box - this especially goes for TFC, which have really sturdy boxes.

Since I'm really in love with characters and not so much a particular toy version of the character, I am also very open to classics, homages, etc etc....

For instance, having ALT Hound, I just see no reason to shell out for TFC Hound...

So I dunno... this isn't a problem for me... I just don't need to buy old G1 toys when there are so many reissues out there, not to mention the new stuff.

Skids

Foallen wrote:I've been disappoitned with the quality of some figures I bought off e-bay (especially when it comes to G1). People saying the figures are basically perfect and you get them and they're totally all loose except for the parts that have screws (which were obviously tightened) that barely move at all (because they were tightened too much).

I love reissues as they are basically the same figure for all intents and purposes and don't have these same problems (for the most part).

So, yeah, it can be frustrating, but I usually can find a pose or stance to put even the loosest transformer in on my shelf that I like. Somtimes I have to cheat a bit and use some hidden item to keep it 100% (even though the auction said it was perfect condition).

I guess the other part is it's hard to give negative feedback as in most cases they did send what they said they would and especially if they used C9 or something, it's all kind of open to interpretation...

I'm a big fan of neutral feedback. I'm sorry but if I expect a C-9 and get anything minutely less, I'll leave neutral feedback.

On topic though, collecting loose G1s is a matter of buying the same figure a few times over till you get one you like. In that way its kinda fun as you are always on the lookout for an upgrade.

Me, I wish I had my original G1's, still. I'm too broke to actually buy any from Ebay, so the only ones I have are the keychain Minibots (sans Brawn, hated the mold) and Reissue Smokescreen. Oh, and the knockoff combiners, but hey.

Bonger wrote:I'm a big fan of neutral feedback. I'm sorry but if I expect a C-9 and get anything minutely less, I'll leave neutral feedback.

Yeah me too, If I get something, and it dosnt seem to fit the discription (I ALWAYS check back incase I misread it), neutral you get. What is annoying is the number of sellers that go 'you gave a neutral! Here have a Negatrive, come again!.

The fecking bastards....

Heh, I never understood that. I paid within 10 seconds of the auction ending. How can you give me a negative. Umm, hello ebay management. I fosmeone pays via paypal within an hour of auction end, it should be an auto positive, period.

Collecting 20 year old toys is not easy as supplies are limited and it takes a large amount of disposable income. Unless you are going to buy sealed items, you'll have to expect that some of the plastic and metal has given out over the years. Not to mention that quite a few molds were almost designed to break (insert conspiracy theory here) and not really expected to last for more than a couple of years.

If you are looking for figures that feel like new then you'll have to dish out major coin for unused or sealed items. Getter recommended my personal favorite way to obtain a near mint specimine. Get out you mini screwdrivers and hunt for toys that have broken pieces but also have an area of potential.

If you can rebuild a G1 Mirage then you can tackle any Transformers out there. Take a look at Ryan's Scorponok tech-spec swap to get an idea of how simple things can be.