Thanks everyone for the constructive input, I do have an activators ratchet and Starscream, they are quite neat but I don't feel a need to get any others.
I'm going to have a look at those toy of the year threads for sure. there are some great deals on ebay at the moment for both the Aus and Japanese releases. I guess our dollar helps.:D
Are there any stinkers that anyone would definitely steer clear of? not counting loose joints, I'm not afraid of applying a bit of nail varnish to ball joints to tighten them up.