I remember it all too well. 1985, and there I am, a boy of no more than 3 who owns such beloved TFs as Hound, Optimus, Ol' Powerglide, Ramjet and 3/4 of the Constructicons. At a later point I'd frequently play "Hunt the GI Joe" using Runabout and Runamuck (if I recall, this is how I broke Shipwreck). I had a small collection, as my family was pretty poor at that time, and I knew I'd never own them all, but I'd sworn that I'd have my favorite TF before he disappeared from stores.
I only saw him once, in a Woolco, but at the time my mom hadn't the money to buy him. I cried and screamed and raised a hell of a fuss, but there was nothing for it. She promised we'd come back next week, but by that point he was gone.
Christmas came around, and my dad made a big deal out of handing me my present, telling me he'd had to go to five stores to find him. I tore it open like a ravenous wolf...it was a pretty awesome gift in retrospect, and I was happy to own him, but as much as I loved Soundwave, that wasn't who I wanted.
I never saw "him" in stores again. Years passed, and even though my fascination for TFs had all but disappeared after Beast Wars ended, eventually I begun to discover the marvels of EBay, during that point where everything cost a ridiculous amount. Unwilling to own one broken, but not being rich either, I bided my time...and patience and a bit of saving has finally paid off.
Yes, folks, after twenty years, as of last week, I'm the proud owner of a nigh-perfect G1 Shockwave.
For not much more than 200 bucks, either. He has everything. His box is somewhat beaten up and faded, but having his foam, instructions, robot points, red tech spec sheet thingy, not to mention that his tube, battery case, and gun are in pristine condition more than make up for that.
G1 fans, I say to you now, if for some reason you don't own your fave character by this point like I did for so long, and he hasn't been reissued yet, save up and shoot for it. Because I swear, there is no feeling better than finally having him in your hands. His gun form is a perfect match.
I'm not sure what's scarier, the fact that I knew how to transform him from start to finish without ever having held one or looking at the instructions, or that I'm considering nabbing a second loose one to fool around with while I keep this bad boy in his box.
I'll post some pics of him and my slowly building Decepticon army once I get me a camera and a display case!
I'd like to hear anyone else's tale of finally owning their fave if it took them awhile. Lord knows I can relate!
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