The Energon Pub

Sorry gang, but I'm gonna rant and sputter for a moment.

This weekend, I attended the Jackson ComicCon in Jackson, MS. It's a small convention, only in its second year, and I had high hopes that it would be enjoyable, and perhaps grow in future years. The convention was held by a group called Heroes & Dreams, who also run a local comic shop in Flowood, MS. Overall, I'd say the con was fun. Small, simple, but nice, and with great potential. I had a great time talking with the H&D guys (one of whom, surprisingly, turned out to be an old friend of mine from years gone by).

Despite being slightly overpriced, I decided to buy two Diamond Select busts from the H&D booth to show my support. Starscream and Shockwave to be specific. Upon returning home, I opened them to admire my new prizes. Starscream was quite dusty; obviously he had been displayed at their store for a while, but was in perfect condition so I didn't really care.

The same cannot be said for Shockwave. Upon opening him, I noticed that his gun barrel seemed crooked. At first I thought it might have been some flaw in the design or molding. Then I noticed the small crack. These guys actually superglued the gun barrel back on and sold it to me at full price! A slight brush against his own packaging and it snapped right off again, leaving the flakes of superglue plainly visible. I suppose the upside is that I can now glue to back on myself in the correct position so it won't be crooked anymore.

Still, it really bothers me that they would sell a broken figure for a marked-up pricetag. Especially since I had already introduced myself, and they had been very appreciative of my posting info about their convention here on Seibertron.Com. Where's the loyalty? All the guy had to do was say, "You probably don't want that one, it's been broken," or maybe drop the price to something more reasonable. Sure, I suppose it's partially my fault since I didn't open and inspect the product prior to purchase, but still!

At the least, this was the dishonest representation of collectible products, and I'll be damned if I buy anything else from Heroes & Dreams or attend/promote any convention they try to hold in the future. When you're a smalltown comic shop in the backwoods of Mississippi, and you're trying to start up an annual convention, your reputation ought to be one of your highest priorities. In this case, it obviously wasn't.


However, I did have fun meeting and hanging out with Seibertron's own Forgotten. Hopefully, we'll be able to get together again sometime and geek out over TFs.

I guess you really have to inspect everything before you leave but you shouldn't have to. Can you contact them and ask for money back?

Were they selling it as "New"?

Damn Savage I hate to hear that about your bust. Especially after us running all through Pearl to find an ATM just so you could pick it up. I'm glad that we got to get together and walk around a 150 yard radius for a few hours though. It was honestly the most fun I had all weekend. And once more I do wish we could have went out for some grub and adult beverages but the drive back to Madison and then back to Kemper wiped me out. I didn't make it back till around 2100. Suffice to say I would revel at the chance to get together again if nothing else other than go to Hooters and then Jackson TRU to see if they have any hidden jewels.

On a side note: That Azrael Batman I picked up, after inspecting turned out to be 15 years old and the box was flawless aside from one bent corner. That lasted 3 minutes, now it's head has been gone over with touch-up paint and he sits beside my Original(early 90s KayBee exclusive)Iron Man & War Machine. So in short I think they should refund your money for sure, I'm sure Minimus Prime will come across this and get in touch with you and sort it out. At least I hope so. But I enjoyed the comradry(i'm sure I misspelled that) and the convention.

GuyIncognito wrote:Were they selling it as "New"?

It should have been labelled 'broken and repaired'.

Buyer beware!

I have gone to Flea Markets and Yard Sales all my life. The one thing you ALWAYS have to do is open the package before you buy it. Now if it's MISB, then there is no excuse. However, MIB and everything else is fair game.

People are always looking for suckers to sell stuff to. As a buyer, you have the right to inspect the item before you buy it. If it's MISB and you can't open it without destroying the value, you can at least shake it to hear any loose pieces flying around.

Sorry to hear about you getting ripped off, but at least it can be used as a learning experience.

That's messed up.

You should call the dealers and ask for a return if you haven't already. You never know, they might take Shockwave back.

I am happy to report I was contacted by minimus, and they are in fact going to replace the Shockwave bust. In the midst of a crazy week (broke up with girlfriend, other crazy personal stuff), this news is a ray of sunshine.

Savage wrote:I am happy to report I was contacted by minimus, and they are in fact going to replace the Shockwave bust. In the midst of a crazy week (broke up with girlfriend, other crazy personal stuff), this news is a ray of sunshine.

glad to hear about the bust being replaced, sorry to hear about the closing of the nookie train(it's to early for me to be too serious).

Forgotten wrote:

Savage wrote:I am happy to report I was contacted by minimus, and they are in fact going to replace the Shockwave bust. In the midst of a crazy week (broke up with girlfriend, other crazy personal stuff), this news is a ray of sunshine.

glad to hear about the bust being replaced, sorry to hear about the closing of the nookie train(it's to early for me to be too serious).

that is excellent news about the replacement of your Bust..

On the sad note, I am sorry for your relationship woes..

But I can say with certainty.. Transformers, buying and collecting, among other activities got me through some serious hard times..

breaking up with my Daughter's Mother, and child custody hearings, and so on.. so it's not always easy life is.. but when you have some thing that makes you smile even just for a bit, it gives you hope that one day things will be better.. and you can find happiness again..

That is why some of my transformers give me more value then what they are worth..they helped me through some downright depressing situations..

Savage wrote:I am happy to report I was contacted by minimus, and they are in fact going to replace the Shockwave bust. In the midst of a crazy week (broke up with girlfriend, other crazy personal stuff), this news is a ray of sunshine.

Good to hear about Shockwave, and good luck with everything else!

Duuude, real sorry to hear about the breakup. Seriously, that's sucky. Hope you're good man.