The Energon Pub

Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:51 pm

I paid the 2 bucks extra to get the collector grade from BBTS for Thundercracker, so he will stay in his package. I have never had a figure graded before but this one is in such beautiful condition I really want to. Who is the best to do grading and how much does it usually cost to have it done?

Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:02 am

OK, I founf AFA but how do I know what tier my figure fits into?

News Credits: 12 · Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:03 am

AFA is your go to. It is expensive. I think it's in the $80 range to grade. It also depends on what you're doing for the grading. Custom cases cost a pretty penny. They have standard cases for stuff like Star Wars and GI Joe, but stuff gets intricate after that.

To be honest, I find grading figures to be strange. I've never been one to keep a figure in a hard plastic case let alone it's package. The only time I leave things in the package is if it's signed. Like my Transmetal Megatron that is signed by David Kaye.

Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:19 am

Yeah I never felt the need grade or even buy grade stuff before but this on is in exquisite shape s I thought it could be cool to have it done.

News Credits: 12 · Tue Mar 08, 2011 12:46 am

One thing you'll want to consider is if this is worth grading in the first place.

Some figures can be graded, but won't be worth as much as you might think.

If it's for your personal collection without any desire to sell it then I say go for it.

News Credits: 7 · Tue Mar 08, 2011 3:50 am

Are we talking about the Masterpiece Thundercracker here or about the Generations TC (I'm suspecting the latter)? If you are really seriously thinking of having Generations Thundercracker graded, I wouldn't do it for any other reason than being a huge fan of the figure and character and like having it 'entombed' in your own collection, because frankly, for future resale purposes it won't be worth it.
Too many of these will be stored away by people for 'rainy days' and the current generations of Transformers (especially deluxe size) will most probably never gain value like the MISB / MOSC G1 toys did. Even in the future, someone who wants a pristine AFA'd Generations TC for his collection will probably prefer buying a (cheaper) non-AFA'd MOSC TC and having it AFA'd himself.

Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:54 am

i never thought about that. the figure is going to remain in my collection but times do arise when i'm forced to sell so i'll skip the grading on this one. thanks guys.