The Energon Pub

Hey guys, I've only been collecting for about a year now. I don't have a lot of crazy stuff, but I have pretty much the whole generations line, a couple masterpiece items, the SDCC DOTM Ultimate Prime, pretty much the whole DOTM line, and my personal g1 stuff that I can find lying around the house. My question is, so far everything I have is MISB and I can't bring myself to open anything no matter how much I may want to. Maybe this stems from wishing I still had all my old toys in mint condition, who knows? What do you guys think? I don't know if anyone would make me actually open everything, but who knows? I'd appreciate any comments on who else does this and who opens everything and some reasoning behind both options.

Thanks guys!

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The Open vs. MISB debate turns up every once in a good while and while the opinions and motives vary from collector to collector, there is some form of consensus. In my case, I open everything to fully enjoy the toy within, however I do keep the packaging whenever possible. That depends on the kind:

Pre-RiD: loose or MIB only, if possible. Intact
Post-BM US cards and boxes: keeping the other package and inserts, toss the bubble.
Japanese cards and boxes: everything intact

I still have a sense of collector's value, and i'd hate to diminish it in any way

The answer is simple: do what makes you happy as a collector. There will be calls from both sides to open them or keep them sealed but really it's no one's collection but your own.

Yea, I understand that people will have their opinions and try to make me do one or the other, but I just want to hear what people think and WHY. I want stuff to hold value, but I also like to enjoy it. For the most part I only open things that I can't display otherwise, ie the box is all black and no window.

IMO, MISB = selling at a later date.

Other than that, I can't really think of a reason you're better off keeping your collection MISB. If you don't care about the reason above, open them. If you do, then you need to weigh the results of those actions. No doubt they'll be worth more kept sealed. But also no doubt there's more enjoyment to be had opening them. What's that enjoyment worth to you?

*Also, my feeling is if you're collecting primarily for the sake of investment, there are much better ways available to make much better money and take up far less space, but to each their own.

Kibble wrote:IMO, MISB = selling at a later date.

...with, except in some extreme cases, hardly any profit or even losses.

Right now I don't have a ton of room, so ALL of my walls are COVERED in blister packs of transformers, Halo, and various video game figures. My boxed TF stuff, like my DOTM larger (I guess voyager class?) figures are up on top of my bureau, and loose stuff is on shelves. My biggest problem is space. I've bought more than I have room for right now, so until I move into a bigger place, I'm gonna keep everything sealed. Maybe once I have a room just for my TF stuff I will display everything and open everything. We'll see. For now I'm mostly buying and putting in storage for later.

There are some toys that just look good in package. Animated Roddy comes to mind. I don't know, it reminds me of my dads basketball card collection; one card in particular. He has MJ's rookie card, and it's just the most iconic piece in his collection.



I saw the review, and understand the engineering and color design of the toy. I appreciate its complexity, attention to articulation, and fanwank homage. The packaging is remarkable in its artwork and successful in presentation to its intended audience. I know it really belongs in a 5 year old's hands, and not stuck inside it's packaged prison. I don't intend to resell it ever. I just admire the aesthetic of the overall product and marketing scheme. To me, it deserved to sell out because the effort that was put into it yielded a successful output.

I generally only open those boxes which can be resealed again, regardless of there age, or rarity. Those that can't be resealed, for example G1 carded plastic bubbles, stay MISB/MOSC.

I will never see the point in keeping a whole collection boxed.

I have a few things still in the box but its mainly the figures that are already transformed or a repaint from the movies i could never keep a new mould or a churg boxed unless i was buying two of each one which to me is a waste of another figure or if you just realy like that one figure so much you have to have another sealed.

what gets me is when you here someone who keeps all misb say" yeah i got it that figure its awsome" am just thinking how do you know its still in alt youv'e never touched it transformed it youv'e never even seen the back of it.

But each to there own.

Really old OR (generally looks good in box AND rare) OR you allready have one opened OR rare => keep in box
anything else: Open, dammit!

Encore#20 (Singapore/HK/Asia edition) 'nuff said!

Yes...... to each his or her own...........but, personally, out of box rules!

Can't keep any of mine in the package to save my life.

Someone in this forum once said (sorry I don't remember who):

unknown wrote:Do you collect transformers or do you collect boxes and packages?

That there pretty much made me realize I collected transformers because they transform, and I get to play with them. Not because of how they look in package. So I open everything I don't have anything MISB. Though I do keep the package to certain items since I may want to put things back in the package if it allows for it.

Personally the new blister types, and Hasbro boxes used now are a one way trip. So opening almost always means throwing the package away. It gets that mangled.

25th Anniversary Optimus Prime is a perfect example, great looking packaging that really forces you to destroy it to get everything out.

To each his own, but as far as I am concerned I open mine. It doesn't matter if it's a 5 dollar figure or a 500 dollar figure, because I buy them to enjoy, as well as collect. I just treat them with care, as I would anything I enjoy.

Normally I only keep my exclusive or hard to find figures MISB..Mostly because I like to have a portion of my collection that I know I will never lose a peice or it will get broken and it will keep a nice re sell value if I ever deicde to part with it..

Now movie figures, generations and such I open because they display nicely and don't cost me a fortune..My 3rd party stuff gets opened as well because it is just so damn epic, Case in point, TFC Hercules..Oh he'll have his own shelf LoL

If you're going to keep it MISB rather than take it out and play with it, is it really worth buying it? Surely you may as well save your money and just look at the galleries of him. That way the corners of the box won't get worn.

I'm glad you made this post. Now, when the recession started, I had a good bit of old Botcon figures and some Alternators/Binaltech figs that were still fresh and minty in their respective boxes. I aspired to take them out one day when I had the space for proper display. But, there came a time when I needed some extra income and sold them to make some extra money.

While I do like the figures and whatnot, they are an investment in my mind. I want to keep them in the best condition possible. In a world where a MISB or complete with box Fort Max goes for a decent amount of change, I think the idea is a sound one.

Lately, I only open a figure if I have another one, I feel that it will not likely go up in value, or I simply want to. I just received my POL from BBTS. Felt like a kid at Christmas opening that box, let me tell you. I'm working on Hercules, and I'm going to open them, but keep the boxes. Gonna be careful too, what with QC probs and all.

With that in mind,I'd say MISB if you want to resell later. Take them suckers outta the package if you wanna display or play. They are toys after all...

i could never keep anything in the box. if i am in the same room as a toy still in the box i WILL open it. toys are meant to be played with, that be my philosophy. i dont plan on selling them any time soon so why keep them in the box? but, i did keep music label soundwaves box. thats a sexy box.