The Energon Pub

xyl360 wrote:

kirbenvost wrote:I've obtained many of my grails over the years, but my biggest remaining one is Victory Saber. I doubt I will ever own them, but man, would I ever like to.

Wow, I hope you're able to find and afford one someday. That's a very hard to find grail (and I use the term universally to apply to that figure in particular because that's a 'grail' for a LOT of people).

Not really my taste so you won't need to worry about me snapping it up should I come across one, but I sure hope you can procure one at some point.

Thanks. My chances of finding them are probably slightly higher because I'm happy to buy loose figures, so it doesn't have to be the giftset or even boxed as long as both Victory Leo and Star Saber are in good condition. So that aspect helps, but then my main reason I doubt I'll ever get them is the cost. That and the fact that I'm probably going to get married in the next couple years and possibly have kids awhile after that. Several hundred dollars (at least) to spend on vintage Japanese Transformers doesn't seem like it will ever be in the cards.

kirbenvost wrote:

xyl360 wrote:

kirbenvost wrote:I've obtained many of my grails over the years, but my biggest remaining one is Victory Saber. I doubt I will ever own them, but man, would I ever like to.

Wow, I hope you're able to find and afford one someday. That's a very hard to find grail (and I use the term universally to apply to that figure in particular because that's a 'grail' for a LOT of people).

Not really my taste so you won't need to worry about me snapping it up should I come across one, but I sure hope you can procure one at some point.

Thanks. My chances of finding them are probably slightly higher because I'm happy to buy loose figures, so it doesn't have to be the giftset or even boxed as long as both Victory Leo and Star Saber are in good condition. So that aspect helps, but then my main reason I doubt I'll ever get them is the cost. That and the fact that I'm probably going to get married in the next couple years and possibly have kids awhile after that. Several hundred dollars (at least) to spend on vintage Japanese Transformers doesn't seem like it will ever be in the cards.

Yep, I'm the same way. I don't need MIB/MISB. I just want the figures and I take everything out of the box. In fact, when I'm hunting on ebay, if I see a rare figure I want loose vs one MISB, as long as the condition is good for the loose one, I'll go with the loose one, not so much to save on cost, but primarily because I know that it would be one less MISB out there if I bought it, and I don't want to hurt some other collector's chances at getting one if they're a MISB collector.

That being said, if MISB is all that's available, then I'll take it. I just try to avoid hurting other collectors' chances of getting an item in that condition if that's what they're after.

As a G1 collector I've got several 'grails' but sadly I doubt I'll ever get to own most of them.

If I had to choose only one, it would have to be G1 Jetfire (MISB).

Although my modern grail is the DOTM Buster Prime and Jetfire twin pack.

MightyMagnus78 wrote:As a G1 collector I've got several 'grails' but sadly I doubt I'll ever get to own most of them.

If I had to choose only one, it would have to be G1 Jetfire (MISB).

Although my modern grail is the DOTM Buster Prime and Jetfire twin pack.

A complete G1 Jetfire in decent (non-yellowed) condition is something I'd like, but it's not one of my grails (I could afford to pay the $1000+ he often goes for in that condition). I just don't want him badly enough.

Botcon 1998 Antagony on the other hand...I don't know how much I'd pay for her at this point. She never shows up on ebay any more.

My wife bought me one of my grails for Christmas last year: Fortress Maximus. She got me the body and I've been piecing the rest together since. A few more (expensive) pieces and it'll be complete.

My number one remaining grail is Overlord. As much as I do want him I have a hard time shelling out $700+ for a toy. I've done it in the past for comic books though so I guess I just need to get over it and pull the trigger one of these days.

Congrats on the Fort Max!

xyl360 wrote:Yep, I'm the same way. I don't need MIB/MISB. I just want the figures and I take everything out of the box. In fact, when I'm hunting on ebay, if I see a rare figure I want loose vs one MISB, as long as the condition is good for the loose one, I'll go with the loose one, not so much to save on cost, but primarily because I know that it would be one less MISB out there if I bought it, and I don't want to hurt some other collector's chances at getting one if they're a MISB collector.

That being said, if MISB is all that's available, then I'll take it. I just try to avoid hurting other collectors' chances of getting an item in that condition if that's what they're after.

That's one way of looking at it, I hadn't thought of it that way. If I came across a vintage MISB TF (gift/won it, etc) I'd probably just sell it and buy a cheaper loose version. Conserving the amount of MISB ones on the market and saving money at the same time!

SkyWarpt wrote:Congrats on the Fort Max!

Thanks. Hopefully I can finish it by the end of the year. It all depends on finding the missing pieces at a somewhat reasonable price.

kirbenvost wrote:

xyl360 wrote:Yep, I'm the same way. I don't need MIB/MISB. I just want the figures and I take everything out of the box. In fact, when I'm hunting on ebay, if I see a rare figure I want loose vs one MISB, as long as the condition is good for the loose one, I'll go with the loose one, not so much to save on cost, but primarily because I know that it would be one less MISB out there if I bought it, and I don't want to hurt some other collector's chances at getting one if they're a MISB collector.

That being said, if MISB is all that's available, then I'll take it. I just try to avoid hurting other collectors' chances of getting an item in that condition if that's what they're after.

That's one way of looking at it, I hadn't thought of it that way. If I came across a vintage MISB TF (gift/won it, etc) I'd probably just sell it and buy a cheaper loose version. Conserving the amount of MISB ones on the market and saving money at the same time!

Hehe, true. I don't sell on ebay though, so that's not for me, but I seldom bid either unless it's the only one of something I want. Generally I prefer Buy It Now vs bidding.

That being said, I seldom get a deal on anything that's so rare that I have no choice but to bid on it. The Japanese Botcon Double Punch I mentioned ealier in this thread is one example. I had bid it up to around $500 when I was finally outbid. That's definitely not cheap. I got lucky that the buyer backed out and the seller was very kind to actually give me a private Buy It Now auction and for cheaper than my max bid when it was up for auction previously (something I didn't even ask for, it's just what he quoted me and I accepted).

Yikes, that must've been some bidding war. Nice of the seller to give you a better deal though.

kirbenvost wrote:Yikes, that must've been some bidding war. Nice of the seller to give you a better deal though.

Yep, it was. He gave it to me for $450 including shipping from Malaysia. The auction had gotten up to around $600+shipping before it closed. That figure never shows up on ebay these days and hadn't for months when he originally posted it up for auction, so I've no doubt that there were some high rollers bidding on it, either collectors desperate for one like myself or sellers trying to pick it up to turn around and sell it for a mint.

I got really lucky on that one and that seller was awesome about the whole thing. I've got a Japanese TrU exclusive Black Big Convoy and Henkei Jetfire on their way from him now (he did the same kind of private Buy It Now auction for those for me as he did for the Double Punch figure so that I could pay with PayPal).

He's a great seller and has some really rare stuff. Pricey, but he's helping me to fill in some big holes in my collection. All 3 of those figures have become very hard to find on ebay these days and now I've got one in hand and the other two on the way.

Double Punch took about 2 and a half weeks to get to me so I figure these two will take about the same.

Grail hunting definitely requires a LOT of patience. Patience to save the money that it costs, patience to wait for one to show up in an online shop, private sale (forums, Craigs List, garage sales etc.) or on ebay, and in this case, patience to wait on the shipping as well. It's very satisfying to get it in hand though, and I grin every time I look up at my shelf and see him standing there next to Sandstorm (a Botcon repaint of the same mold).

xyl360 wrote:OK, here's the info on the seller I was referring to earlier. His username is babeconvoy and he's a seller on ebay.com.my (the Malaysian ebay).

His store can be found here.

The same seller has a US account, username mosquitobite and his store (for US auctions) can be found here.

He's got tons more stuff for sale under his Malaysian account, and that's where I purchased Double Punch from.

I'm also now getting a Japanese Toys R' Us exclusive Black Big Convoy and Henkei Skyfire/Jetfire from him.

He was kind enough (both for Double Punch which I've already received, and now for these two new figures) to set up a *private* Buy It Now auction for me so that I may use PayPal (since PayPal from the US to Malaysia is a bit tricky due to conversion rates etc., so by default, he does not accept PayPal for items in his Malaysian store).

His communication is excellent, and every step of the way when I had a question or concern, he responded immediately to keep me informed.

I'm buying some pricey stuff from him, very rare stuff that never seems to pop up on ebay any more and I could not be happier. I highly recommend him.

On this same point…I forgot to give credit where credit is due…The Ebay seller that I received my grail from was Optimus74. I must say the condition of the Valkyrie exceeded my expectations. These figures have been known to have an issue with yellowing plastic…the figure I bought is pearly white and the box is in perfect shape.http://myworld.ebay.com/optimus74/&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2754

kirbenvost wrote:Thanks. My chances of finding them are probably slightly higher because I'm happy to buy loose figures, so it doesn't have to be the giftset or even boxed as long as both Victory Leo and Star Saber are in good condition. So that aspect helps, but then my main reason I doubt I'll ever get them is the cost. That and the fact that I'm probably going to get married in the next couple years and possibly have kids awhile after that. Several hundred dollars (at least) to spend on vintage Japanese Transformers doesn't seem like it will ever be in the cards.

It's likely outside of your price range, but I did just find a Buy It Now auction for one that looks like it's in GREAT shape.

The listing can be found here.

The price is $600+$50 for S&H. A bit pricier than a Hercules, but if it's a grail, it may be worth that to you, assuming you can afford it.

I just won a Japanese TrU exclusive Black Lio Convoy for $125 shipped on ebay.

My Beast Wars collection is nearly complete ! (at least for the ones I actually want, thank goodness I'm not a Lucky Draw kinda guy ).

Since I just recently acquired a Masterpiece Starscream... I think my only grail is a G1 Shockwave. So far I just haven't decided to splurge and spend the money on one of the ones for sale on eBay. I'm hoping that one day I'll just stumble across one at a yard sale and the person will sell it to me for the original price. XDDDD

I know, I know... keep on dreaming. Xp

This guy right here is my grail.



I do like the mold but I find that these are the only colors that work well with it. When I think about the fact that some people own multiple of this figure, my heart ache.

xyl360 wrote:

kirbenvost wrote:Thanks. My chances of finding them are probably slightly higher because I'm happy to buy loose figures, so it doesn't have to be the giftset or even boxed as long as both Victory Leo and Star Saber are in good condition. So that aspect helps, but then my main reason I doubt I'll ever get them is the cost. That and the fact that I'm probably going to get married in the next couple years and possibly have kids awhile after that. Several hundred dollars (at least) to spend on vintage Japanese Transformers doesn't seem like it will ever be in the cards.

It's likely outside of your price range, but I did just find a Buy It Now auction for one that looks like it's in GREAT shape.

The listing can be found here.

The price is $600+$50 for S&H. A bit pricier than a Hercules, but if it's a grail, it may be worth that to you, assuming you can afford it.

Thanks, but I definitely don't have the money right now. I can only dream.

Really awesome that you found such a great seller for your items though. It's nice when people help out on the internet.

kirbenvost wrote:

xyl360 wrote:

kirbenvost wrote:Thanks. My chances of finding them are probably slightly higher because I'm happy to buy loose figures, so it doesn't have to be the giftset or even boxed as long as both Victory Leo and Star Saber are in good condition. So that aspect helps, but then my main reason I doubt I'll ever get them is the cost. That and the fact that I'm probably going to get married in the next couple years and possibly have kids awhile after that. Several hundred dollars (at least) to spend on vintage Japanese Transformers doesn't seem like it will ever be in the cards.

It's likely outside of your price range, but I did just find a Buy It Now auction for one that looks like it's in GREAT shape.

The listing can be found here.

The price is $600+$50 for S&H. A bit pricier than a Hercules, but if it's a grail, it may be worth that to you, assuming you can afford it.

Thanks, but I definitely don't have the money right now. I can only dream.

Really awesome that you found such a great seller for your items though. It's nice when people help out on the internet.

Yep, and on that note, today I received my Black Big Convoy along with my Henkei Skyfire/Jetfire. Yesterday I got my Black Lio Convoy.

So aside from Lucky Draws, I now have every version of Big Convoy (one of my fav molds of all time, I'm looking forward to the blue one from TFCC).

I don't have Flash Lio Convoy yet, but I don't think I want it. That gold/clear deco on him just doesn't appeal to me.

_shaddow_ wrote:This guy right here is my grail.

I do like the mold but I find that these are the only colors that work well with it. When I think about the fact that some people own multiple of this figure, my heart ache.

I salute you and wish you well aon your army-building.