The Energon Pub

I was talking with my dad today about my Transformers collection and he made an interesting point.

Bear with me a moment as I explain...

My collection is reaching a point where I'm running out of room. It's a fact I've been aware of for a while now but, well, I've been choosing to mostly ignore it. I live with my folks at the moment, so my collection is largely limited to my bedroom. I've spread a little into the hall, since I'm in the attic and no one comes up here on a regular basis but me, but I try to keep everything confined to my chambers.

I've never had a focused taste, if you will. I've just bought what figures I've liked and could afford over the past few years. Had fun with the movie lines until I got burnt out with their aesthetics and, since I love the show, have been slowly catching up on what Animated figures I missed out on, having not had the money to collect with any dedication until the line was being phased out. Add in the Prime and Generations lines, Revoltech and a few (cheaply found) statues, my collection really sprawls through a mass of continuities & sidelines (that goes without mentioning the other, older lines I have 1-5 figures in too, most of which were picked up for dirt cheap at yard sales - Beast Wars, G1, G2, etc). No biggy, I realize, seems pretty normal from what I've seen on these boards. But as I mentioned before, I'm running out of display room.

The simple solution would be to replace my two-tier bookcase with something larger, but my dad got me thinking about focusing on one or two particular areas, instead of a broadband view that's just filling my shelves at a seemingly rapid pace.

I mentioned to him that there were MP figures coming out this year that I liked, but were expensive. So he suggested, rather than buying all these cheaper figures, I save up for the MP's. Fair enough, I suppose, just have to beat my frugal side into submission (I'm the sort that could spend an entire year saving for something, but still cringes when the actual purchase comes around. Not because I have doubts about making the purchase, I'm just not accustomed to spending over a certain amount in a month, never mind a single moment. Lol).

But that brought up a few concerns too. I've never bought a MP figure. I was tempted with Rodimus, but between the price and all the complaints I was hearing about him I decided not to bother (made my wallet happy at any rate). With the slew of MP's coming out this year, I was wondering what those of you who collect them thought about the line. Are there things a collector should look out for? Is it advisable to buy them online or is it better to stick to brick and mortar stores? Are the Takara versions better / more worthwhile than Hasbro's (more noting the new Optimus with this, but I realize there are other MP’s who get both Hasbro & Takara treatment)?

My dad also asked the question of – do the MP’s go up in value over time? He collects object that, while you should first and foremost love the thing, you also want to be cautious of value. Things fluctuate, that’s standard in any collecting market, but if something has a tendency to tank in value over time it might *not* be worthwhile to pick up while in stores. He also mentioned that with my collection where it is, I should think about buying items that might gain value over time rather than sticking to the things every 6 year old owns.

Basically his thing was, if I like the MP’s and they’re going to add value to my collection, it’s a no brainer to collect them over the cheaper things right now.

Knowing how MP’s work would help me judge what I should do because, quite frankly, I would love to own MP Optimus, Sideswipe and Soundwave, but there are also mainline toys I’d like to have too, but I don’t have a lot of room. I could store mainline figures until I get my own place, but…

This circular motion of “guh! What do I do D; “ is why I made this thread. I can’t collect both, but I like both.

So if anyone could offer advice, that’d be awesome.

Those mp are out soon and it seems you realy want them and every body should have at least one mp and were better to start then a mp soundwave or sideswipe being a lot cheaper, i say get saving the sooner you get them the sooner you can get back on track with deluxe figures .

If you managed to save enough at the end of the month you could always treat your self to a deluxe to keep the edge off and save a lot of room

I confess I didn't read your whole post, just skimmed it to get the gist of it. Here's something to think about:

I was watching that new SyFy series "Collection Intervention" (awesome show, BTW - Transformer episode coming up next week!) and last week there was a woman with a huge Barbie collection that was overtaking the entire house. They encourage her to think about selling some of the bulk of her collection, the less valuable stuff, and using the money to buy just a few really special pieces that she would enjoy more. It made me re-think my collecting strategy.

GuyIncognito wrote:I confess I didn't read your whole post, just skimmed it to get the gist of it. Here's something to think about:

I was watching that new SyFy series "Collection Intervention" (awesome show, BTW - Transformer episode coming up next week!) and last week there was a woman with a huge Barbie collection that was overtaking the entire house. They encourage her to think about selling some of the bulk of her collection, the less valuable stuff, and using the money to buy just a few really special pieces that she would enjoy more. It made me re-think my collecting strategy.

It's a good idea but I'm definitely no where even close to being overrun by Transformers. Lol. Literally speaking I have four small-to-medium sized shelves filled with figures (two of which sit above the window and the other two are actually the tops of bookcases) and a small handful of others are scattered on different surfaces simply for decorative purposes. 95% MSIB fit in a single tote and are safely tucked away until I have a better place to display them (dad keeps talking about building something but neither of us have gotten around to it). So my room, despite its small size, has retained it's Victorian feel, rather than a neo-plastic-Cybertron. Lol. Trust me, if it got that bad my parents would get on my case big time xD

There are a small handful of figures I've been thinking of selling, ones I really was not all that impressed with, but they're movie-verse so what funds they bring in will be minimal (useful, but minimal) and they won't clear up all that much room.

Autobot Genocide wrote:Those mp are out soon and it seems you realy want them and every body should have at least one mp and were better to start then a mp soundwave or sideswipe being a lot cheaper, i say get saving the sooner you get them the sooner you can get back on track with deluxe figures .

If you managed to save enough at the end of the month you could always treat your self to a deluxe to keep the edge off and save a lot of room

Not a bad idea. Means I'll have to be far more strict to a month to month plan rather than having concept and playing in and around it, but's never a bad idea.

It's hard to predict which figures are going to be worth what down the line. My advice is don't buy TFs as an investment, though, if kept MISB most will retain their value or go up some. However, after eBay and Paypal fees plus shipping, it may or may not be worth your while. And if you don't open them, what enjoyment are you really getting out of them?

As for MPs, they're definitely the most impressive figures, and they'll probably at least retain their retail value. Question is are they as much cooler as they are expensive? To me, seeing where the mainlines tend to be heading, I would say probably... I'm also at a point where I'm running out of space, and have long passed having enough space to display my entire collection. As it is, I try to keep my focus primarily on Classics and MPs, but get closer everyday to focusing only on MPs to save space and money.

Otherwise my advice would be to buy my Animated figures.

I'm kind of going through the same thing myself. I, at one time, was just buying it when I saw I saw it, but going through Walmart and Target all the time was taking a bit of a toll on gas and my wife. That coupled with the fact that I'm getting more and more disappointed with Hasbro's take on the smaller toys (shrinking them and uping the price), I finally convinced my wife to let me put x amount of money back a week to save up for the more expensive TFs,such as the MP line, etc. Now I can save alittle space, control my buying impulses, and keep my wife from getting pissed when I buy a $150 and up transformer........ yeah, she really hit the roof back in the day when I bought the MP Megs and add on kit......

Kibble wrote:It's hard to predict which figures are going to be worth what down the line. My advice is don't buy TFs as an investment, though, if kept MISB most will retain their value or go up some. However, after eBay and Paypal fees plus shipping, it may or may not be worth your while. And if you don't open them, what enjoyment are you really getting out of them?

As for MPs, they're definitely the most impressive figures, and they'll probably at least retain their retail value. Question is are they as much cooler as they are expensive? To me, seeing where the mainlines tend to be heading, I would say probably... I'm also at a point where I'm running out of space, and have long passed having enough space to display my entire collection. As it is, I try to keep my focus primarily on Classics and MPs, but get closer everyday to focusing only on MPs to save space and money.

Otherwise my advice would be to buy my Animated figures.

Thanks for your advice!

Wasn't planning on buying one solely for an investment though. haha. I grew up learning that was a no-no. I still hear the rant every now an again. My dad's comment about toys with increasing value stemmed from the fact that I mentioned I liked the MP's and he was wondering if they were like some other toy collections that tend to go up over time (ex: tin toys he grew up with can go for a nice shiny penny if they were taken care of). So his whole point was, if I liked the MP's and they had a history/chance to go up in value, rather than crashing, why not go that route with my limited space. That's all.

Good luck with your Animated figures xD I'm pulling off that hunt for a while, I think. Want to finish it up but I've bought a few figures already this year <3 And if I go the MP route I'm really going to be crunched for cash. It's sounding more and more favorable...

This decision would be so much easier if TF4 toys were out and not PRID & FoC >.< Even with all the distribution issues.

I decided a while back that I'd focus on Classics-verse stuff. I'd only get those, and use the movie-era drought of new stuff to get all the stuff I missed when it first came out. I'm sitting here looking at a shelf of PRID Megs, United Beast Wars Megs, PRID Ratchet and a bunch of Human Alliance Basics and PCCs. Oops.
I'd considered going down the MP only route myself, but I like having a large cast of characters I can display in lots of different ways. I've certainly tried to focus on particular things though. I don't tend to pre-order stuff much, since I never know when it will come out, and if I'll have the money then, or, ordering through other places, I have to pay up front, and can then be in a situation where I've spent my month's worth of my TF budget and not got anything to show for it...and then think "oh, well this deluxe isn't too expensive, I'll just get him to tide me over...oh, and this one..." I'm pretty weak willed that way.

It's helped me to make up a list of the stuff I've wanted. Really wanted. And then mark them out of 5 or so, in order of how important they are to you to get. Work out the likely costs of these things, and see what you can afford at any given time. Shopping on ebay a lot, I've seen a few bargains, but also a lot of stuff I would really like, but going for more than I can afford, or would feel comfortable paying.

As far as space, yeah, I'd definitely think it a good idea, if you're running out of space, to have a look through your things and see what you've got that you're maybe not too bothered about. Again, rating stuff as Absolute Must Haves, down to the stuff you bought because it was there in front of you but you're otherwise not concerned about...that's a start. You might have some pieces that you can sell for more than they're worth to you, or have some stuff that's maybe easily replaceable if you decide you want it back.

Display space is something you cannot control. The issue is differentiating between compulsion and collecting. I used to be a "gotta catch 'em all" kind of person. I got back into the hobby when Armada came out. One of my coworkers left a Perceptor three pack on my desk one day and I found it cool. RID was easy to find at the time so I picked up quite a bit of that from BBTS at the same time.

Once the movies came out I realized that I didn't need them all. Same with the new FOC stuff. The only two lines I have felt passionate about have been Animated and Prime. The movie stuff was really pick and choose (I still want a leader DOTM Megatron dammit!).

Understand that the MP stuff is great, but the only one I feel that I could really "play with" on a regular basis is OP and maybe Grimlock. OP is solid and I don't feel like I am going to break him just by touching him like I would with Starscream or Rodimus. Don't get me started on Megatron. For those things that I want to mess with, I get a mainline figure.

I agree that they will at least hold their value, but that isn't really the point. You get them if you want them. I have no intention of selling anything I own, even Backstop. Hell there are conversations around the dinner table where my kids argue over who gets what when I assume room temperature.

You should really look into Alternators as well. I own all of them except for a couple and from an engineering standpoint they are amazing.

Long and short, buy what you want and understand that you do not need all of them (especially if money is an issue.) Yes the MP's are going to be more expensive. I have none of the new ones, last one I bought was Grimlock so I do not know about their playability. Just understand that they are really display pieces. Not something that should be fiddled with all of the time like you can with a mass retail figure.

I say sell off all that you have and collect the masterpiece line.
Reasons being:

They come out at an extremely moderate pace, and allow you time to save for the next one.

They are based on the G1 series, which about a good 70% of other TF lines borrow characteristics from.

They are ultra detailed.

You can pick and choose between Takara an Hasbro release. (I usually make this choice based on color scheme. Cases in point- Rodimus and Starscream V1)


Before you get your masterpieces, watch review videos on youtube to learn from other peoples mistakes and triumphs.



I hope this helps.