I must confess something.
I was robbed some months ago.
Back near the end of March, my step-brother was down on his luck and in need of a place to live. My mother took pity on him and allowed him to come live with us. He used to live here when he was younger, as it was as much his home back then as it was ours as well. He eventually moved out when he became an adult, but more recent times had become hard for him and he needed a new place to stay, so we opened up our home to him to let him get back on his feet. Little did we (those of us already living in the house) know at the time that this act of mercy would come back to bite us in the rear, for no sooner than within the first week of his coming to live with us did he proceed to steal from us.
We didn't notice much missing at first. Some dollar bills were missing from my wallet, my mother's change case grew empty, but nothing more subtle than that. We confronted him about it, and of course he denied it. We gave him a warning that he'd be kicked out if he were caught stealing from us again, as he'd previously had a history of stealing from the family before. He assured us that he understood, but we'd later learn that that wasn't true at all.
Over time, I began to notice more things missing from my room, namely figures from my Transformers collection. One night during the last week of March, I came home from work to find a piece from one of my figures lying on the floor where it shouldn't have been. Looking towards the shelf where the piece's figure should have been, I saw that the figure was not there, along with two other figures missing from the shelves. After a further look around the room, I noticed a few more holes in my collection as well.
I informed my mother and we confronted the step-brother again, and he once again denied any knowledge of the missing figures. What's worse is that, over time, I began to believe him since he's the kind of person who has zero interest in toys and/or toy collecting. He was never a fan like I was and always looked down upon my collection as something dumb and childish. What's more is that the figures taken were very specific ones that didn't make sense for someone like him to want to take (or so I thought at the time). I began to suspect that it was someone from outside our house who took them; someone who knew exactly what those figures were and who had wanted those specific ones over all the others that I had in my room, especially since the thief had left many more rare and valuable ones (i.e. – Japanese and BotCon ones) behind.
I had rationalized that if one had simply wanted to take whatever figures from my collection to make money off of them, any uninformed thief would have just arbitrarily grabbed as many figures off of the shelves as they could, rather than carefully pick and choose the specific few that were taken.
To further my stupidity, I inadvertently aided my step-brother in his stealing from me by not only letting him know that I had switched from suspecting him to suspecting an external intruder, but also by naively indicating to him which figures in my collection had more value to them than the ones that were taken. And eventually, this came back to haunt me as some of those very ones would later turn up missing from my collection as well.
The step-brother had continued his stealing from my collection throughout the next two months. Since the first theft, I began to keep my door under lock and key, but apparently, the step-brother had a means of his own to enter my room at times when I was out of the house, particular when I was out of town over two separate weekends (BotCon in April, and another vacation in May). My room lies next to the garage, which he had access to. From the garage, we suspect that he accessed the attic and entered my room from the attic via the entry hatch in the ceiling of my room, and climbed down to make each of his subsequent raids on my collection. While I did notice more and more pieces missing from my collection, I felt powerless to stop them from going missing and didn't know what to do without the proper means to convict the true culprit.
We eventually found him out one night late in May, when my mother got a text message from the step-brother's ex-girlfriend, who revealed to us that he was indeed stealing from me and selling my figures to a store in the next town over. We contacted the store and its staff confirmed his having sold Transformers toys there. We then found a video on the store's Facebook and YouTube in which the step-brother was fully visible selling figures that I immediately recognized as ones I owned and were presently missing from my collection. His ex-girlfriend had been in a feud with him for a while and we suspect that she gave him away to get him in trouble. She knew about his thefts because she had driven him over to the store in next town on one of his trips over there (she claims to have had no knowledge of what he was up to at the time until after she'd taken him to the store, but the fact that she knew about his thefts and didn't tell us until she did bothers me more than anything).
Having finally gotten the evidence we needed for a full conviction, we filed a police report immediately and got him arrested almost a week later. With help from the police detective and three of the shops we tracked his having gone to, I was able to get back some of my figures (and some DVD sets that had also been taken from me), but all of which I had to buy back with my own money (and for which I am going to demand restitution).
With the police's help, we also learned that he had not only stolen some of my figures, but also some of my mother's jewelry, some of which she had had since she was a baby, some of which had even been custom-made, and some of which had even once belonged to
her mother (my grandmother). All of that is long gone, unfortunately, and it devastated her to learn that he had stolen all of that from her as well, after she had been so gracious in taking him back in and giving him a home in his time of need.
After several thorough examinations of my collection, I've compiled lists of all of the items that I can tell to be missing from my collection, and am now looking to acquire replacements, which is going to take some time to do thanks to the sheer amount of items taken and the prices that each of them go for on the secondary market. Some of them I see are still currently available from their original venues (i.e. – some of the Fun Pub figures), but many of the rest are going to be much harder to find on the secondary market for reasonable prices.
Thus, I make this post with a request to all who see it. If any of you ever come across any of the following figures available for sale, and preferably in a condition similar to or even better than those given below, please do not hesitate to let me know, as I am very much looking to reacquire them.
Here is a list of every figure that was taken from me, and which I have not yet recovered as of this typing (July 26, 2016) along with descriptions of the condition that each figure was in when they were taken from me, as well as other notes:
Hasbro | Transformers: Generation One Commemorative SeriesItem Descriptor: Ultra Magnus
Condition: Loose, Complete
Other notes: The figure's extra accessories were stored sticking out of the figure's back
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Takara | Henkei! Henkei! TransformersItem Descriptor: D-07 Cyclonus
Condition: Loose, Complete
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Hasbro | Transformers (The 2010-2011 line that came between the Revenge of the Fallen and Dark of the Moon lines)Item Descriptor: Masterpiece Grimlock
Condition: Mint in Opened Box, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging
END OF FIRST LISTAs mentioned above, I was able to recover some of the items stolen from me (by having to buy them back from the stores they were sold to, unfortunately). For those curious, these are the items I was able to recover:
Hasbro | Beast Wars: TransformersItem Descriptor: Mega class Transmetals 2 Blackarachnia
Condition: Loose, Incomplete, Broken
Other notes: The weapon accessory was broken; The right shoulder was broken and left behind; Bought a MIB replacement at RoboCon 2019
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Takara | Beast Wars MetalsItem Descriptor: X-9 Metals Jaguar
Condition: Mint in Opened Box, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging; Some sticker decals had been applied to the figure's shoulders in robot mode; Bought a replacement from eBay
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Hasbro | Beast Machines: TransformersItem Descriptor: Ultra class Nightscream
Condition: Loose, Complete, Broken (repaired)
Other notes: Wing had been superglued to repair a crack
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Takara | Transformers: Car RobotsItem Descriptor: D-011 Baldigus
Condition: Loose, Complete; Bought a mint in opened box replacement from eBay
Item Descriptor: D-012 Black Convoy
Condition: Mint in Opened Box, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging
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Hasbro | Transformers: CybertronItem Descriptor: Leader class Galvatron
Condition: Loose, Incomplete
Other notes: One of two missiles was left behind, and the other missile was missing from the figure when it was bought back
Item Descriptor: Supreme class Cybertron Primus
Condition: Loose, Incomplete
Other notes: Unicron Head, Omega Lock, and Cyber Planet Key accessories left behind
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Hasbro | Transformers: ClassicsItem Descriptor: Voyager class Jetfire
Condition: Loose, Complete
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Takara | Transformers: Beast Wars Telemocha SeriesItem Descriptor: TM-03 Cheetus
Condition: Loose, Incomplete
Other notes: Water-squirting gun accessory left behind
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Hasbro | Transformers: Universe (2008-2009)Item Descriptor: Deluxe class Starscream
Condition: Loose, Complete
Other notes: Bought a loose complete Henkei! Henkei! Starscream from a local comic/toy store as a replacement
Item Descriptor: Commemorative Edition Perceptor
Condition: Mint in Opened Box, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging; Sticker decals had been applied to figure
Item Descriptor: Commemorative Edition Insecticons (Hardshell, Kickback, Sharpshot)
Condition: Mint in Opened Box, Complete
Other notes: Figures had been removed from and put back into their original packaging; Sticker decals had been applied to figures; Bought a MISB replacement from TFSource
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Hasbro | Transformers: GenerationsItem Descriptor: Thrilling 30 Legends class Optimus Prime
Condition: Loose, Incomplete
Other notes: Gun and Roller accessories left behind; Received a replacement as a 2016 Christmas present
Item Descriptor: Thrilling 30 Deluxe class Rattrap
Condition: Loose, Complete
Other notes: A generous donation has granted me a brand new replacement
Item Descriptor: Combiner Wars Deluxe class Offroad
Condition: Loose, Complete
Other notes: Received a replacement as a 2016 Christmas present
Item Descriptor: Combiner Wars Voyager class Battle Core Optimus Prime
Condition: Mint in Sealed Box, Complete
Other notes: The one I recovered was a replacement for the one that was taken from me, rather than the exact same one that was taken from me
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TakaraTomy | Transformers: Legend Commander CollectionItem Descriptor: LC-03 Lio Convoy
Condition: Loose, Complete
Other notes: Same mold as the 2005 RobotMasters toy; Received a replacement as a 2016 Christmas present
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TakaraTomy | Transformers: Generations e-HOBBY exclusiveItem Descriptor: Magnificus
Condition: Mint in Opened Box, Complete
Other notes: The outer box had been opened, but the inner bag containing the figure was still sealed; Received a replacement as a 2016 Christmas present
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Hasbro | San Diego Comic-Con exclusivesItem Descriptor: Combiner Hunters Deluxe class Windblade
Condition: Loose, Incomplete
Other notes: Giant weapon accessory was left behind; Received a replacement as a 2018 Christmas present
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Hasbro | Fun Publications BotCon and Transformers Collectors Club Transformers: Timelines exclusivesItem Descriptor: BotCon 2006 Timelines "Dawn of Future's Past" (Axalon Optimus Primal, Darksyde Dinobot, Axalon Cheetor, Axalon Rattrap, Axalon Rhinox)
Condition: Mint in Box, Complete
Other notes: Bought a replacement from the Club Store
Item Descriptor: Collectors Club 2007 Timelines Airazor
Condition: Mint in Box, Complete
Item Descriptor: Collectors Club 2011 Timelines G2 Ramjet
Condition: Mint in Box, Complete; Bought a replacement from the guy my original one was sold to
Item Descriptor: Collectors Club 2011 Timelines Side Burn
Condition: Mint in Opened Bag, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging; Bought a replacement from the guy my original one was sold to
Item Descriptor: Collectors Club 2012 Timelines Over-Run and Runamuck
Condition: Mint in Box, Complete
Other notes: Runamuck figure was placed into the extra shot in Over-Run's box; Bought replacements at Pete's Robot Convention
Item Descriptor: Collectors Club 2012 Timelines Shattered Glass Drift
Condition: Mint in Box, Complete
Other notes: Bought a replacement from the Club Store
Item Descriptor: BotCon 2012 Timelines "Transformers: Invasion" (Gigatron, Turbo Tracks, Soundwave, Treadshot, Ultra Magnus, Metalhawk)
Condition: Mint in Box, Complete
Other notes: Also included was a separately bagged Soundwave headband accessory and card that had been placed inside the box; Bought a replacement set (including the headband) from eBay
Item Descriptor: Collectors Club 2013 Timelines Depth Charge
Condition: Loose, Complete; Bought a replacement from the Club Store
Item Descriptor: TCC Figure Subscription Service 2013 Timelines Ultra Mammoth
Condition: Mint in Opened Box, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging; Received two(!) replacements as 2016 Christmas presents
Item Descriptor: BotCon 2013 Timelines Bitstream
Condition: Loose, Complete
Other notes: Received a replacement as a 2016 Christmas present
Item Descriptor: TCC Figure Subscription Service 2014 Timelines Thrustinator
Condition: Loose, Complete
Other notes: Bought a replacement from the Club Store
Item Descriptor: BotCon 2014 Timelines Alpha Trizer
Condition: Loose, Incomplete
Other notes: Two small swords and one big sword accessory were left behind; Bought a replacement at Pete's Robot Convention
Item Descriptor: BotCon 2014 Timelines Dread Pirate Crew (x4)
Condition: Mint in Sealed Bags, Complete, x4
Other notes: Yes, there were
four of these sets taken from me; Bought four replacement sets from the Club Store
Item Descriptor: BotCon 2015 Timelines "Cybertron's Most Wanted" (Packrat, Battletrap, Autobot Stepper, Megatron, Oilmaster)
Condition: Mint in Box, Complete; Bought a replacement set from the Club Store
Item Descriptor: BotCon 2015 Timelines Waruders (Parasite, Mudfighter, Storm Rider, Paralyzer)
Condition: Mint in Opened Bags, Complete
Other notes: Figures had been removed from and put back into their original packaging; Bought a replacement set from the Club Store
Item Descriptor: TCC Figure Subscription Service 2015 Timelines Serpent O.R
Condition: Mint in Opened Box, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging; Bought a replacement at Pete's Robot Convention
Item Descriptor: TCC Figure Subscription Service 2015 Timelines G2 Starscream
Condition: Mint in Opened Box, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging; Bought a replacement from the Club Store
Item Descriptor: BotCon 2016 Combiner Wars Unit-3 (A.K.A. "Under-3")
Condition: Mint in Opened Bag, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging; Bought a replacement from the Club Store
Item Descriptor: BotCon 2016 Megatron
Condition: Mint in Opened Bag, Complete
Other notes: Figure had been removed from and put back into its original packaging
Other items I've recovered but weren't Transformers are my Bandai of America S.H. Figuarts Shinken Red and Shinken Gold figures (both Mint in Opened Box and Complete) from Samurai Sentai Shinkenger (the Japanese equivalent of Power Rangers: Samurai) and all seven of my FUNimation Dragon Ball Z Dragon Box DVD sets (Volumes 1-5 opened and Volumes 6-7 still factory sealed).
The reason it has taken me so long to post this, this many months after it all happened, is because of how hard it was for me to do so. Typing up all of those missing figures, and which were stolen by a family member I had grown up with no less, was difficult to do. It pains me to think of how I've lost all of the figures in the first section above, some of which I had only even just gotten at BotCon this year. It stings me every time I think about how I'd just gotten the BotCon 2006 set this year, having wanting it for an entire decade, only for it to have been snatched away from me under my nose in the short time I was able to own it.
That "Dawn of Future's Past" set is my Number 1 priority, the one item that I want to recover the most. But no one on eBay seems to have it (only three loose pieces of it), nor am I able to find it for sale anywhere else I've looked.
To anyone who sees this post, please, I implore that you keep an eye out for any of the ones listed in the unrecovered figures list and let me know what you find. But above all, my primarily objective is recovering the BotCon 2006 set.