... I would have waited an eternity for these...

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25th June 2011, 11:30 AM
Verno

Wow

I don't know jack about G1 stuff, but even I know they are something you don't see every day.

Those cassettes are incredible!

What's left to buy now? Are there any Holy Grails left out there?

Congrats Man!
25th June 2011, 01:17 PM
kup

That is some amazing stuff, HD. Congratulations!

The stuff you got here is not just expensive but very hard to find. It must have been one hell of a feat to track them down.
25th June 2011, 01:50 PM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by swoop

Of all the stunning pieces you have posted in this thread battle Gaia is the only one that in jealouse of. It's my personal grail and I've only ever seen 2 besides the one you posted above that I'd actually buy. The 2 I found, both on eBay I bidded on and lost and they were 4 years apart. Congratulations on your acquisition it's gorgeous

With Battle Gaia, I don't recommend looking on eBay - the prices and competition there is just too extreme.

Recommend that you look on Yahoo Japan. Pieces do come up from time to time. The condition is usually very good (comparable to mine) but could end at about 100,000 yen or more.

Also, keep your eyes peeled on TFW toy selling section. And try to join these 2 groups on TFW (invite only):

1. G1 Holy Grail Owners Group
2. I own a lucky draw or something Uber rare

Lots of sales happen there and these power buyers would have snapped them up before they even hit the 'open market' if at all.

I know that there were 2 Battle Gaia transactions on Group (1) that I mentioned above sometime late last year.

I can recommend your entry into the groups, but you need to have something rare or 'grail worthy' (whatever that means). It's snobbish I know, but I didn't make the rules :D

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordCyrusOmega

Nice one HD, you truly are the king of the hunt.
Though if I'm really honest (and this is just my opinion) it doesn't do as much for me as the others in this thread. Not a fan of the colours.
Still, for such a rare toy (I didn't even know it exissted) it's an amazing find.

hey LCO, I tend to agree with you. While Battle Gaia is a great milestone, it actually does less for me than the dino-cassettes. But that doesn't mean I haven't been quietly on the hunt for it and grab it if it surfaces... heh.

Re the issue of colours. I think this is a good attempt. Usually fans have an issue with the colours because they have Bruticus imprinted in their minds. Had this been "Bruticus", I think the colours would still have been very acceptable and in fact considered nice. The one combiner with weird colours is Monstructor.
25th June 2011, 02:31 PM
swoop

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

With Battle Gaia, I don't recommend looking on eBay - the prices and competition there is just too extreme.

Recommend that you look on Yahoo Japan. Pieces do come up from time to time. The condition is usually very good (comparable to mine) but could end at about 100,000 yen or more.

Also, keep your eyes peeled on TFW toy selling section. And try to join these 2 groups on TFW (invite only):

1. G1 Holy Grail Owners Group
2. I own a lucky draw or something Uber rare

Lots of sales happen there and these power buyers would have snapped them up before they even hit the 'open market' if at all.

I know that there were 2 Battle Gaia transactions on Group (1) that I mentioned above sometime late last year.

I can recommend your entry into the groups, but you need to have something rare or 'grail worthy' (whatever that means). It's snobbish I know, but I didn't make the rules :D

Thanks for the advice I'll remember to check yahoo japan, I'd pay $1200 for the set.

As for tfw I'm a member and I considered trying to join the group when I first heard about it with my mib stepper but I never go on their forums so I didn't bother. I'm moving early next year and planning a holiday so my cash is pretty much spoken for but when I do get all that sorted and I go after it again I'll remembre to check tfw as well.
25th June 2011, 08:29 PM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by gamblor916

Amazing again HD! The bots look kind of naked though I don't think you'd be applying the stickers :D

I'm actually really tempted to apply the stickers. I think the stickers for this set is so so important, it's really what sets it apart from all other releases of this mold. I don't really care about resale value because it's unlikely, but even. If I did want to resell, doesn't mean I can't have some fun applying the stickers first.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theheretic

How o you find such (seemingly) perfect toys and packaging of all these?

it's lots of hard work actually! =)

But a lot easier here in HK than it was in Sydney. Here I just make it a point to visit the shops on a weekly basis. There is this shop here that specializes in G1. They have a massive ops budget and have people trawling Japan every other week (it's a 6 man operation and they have apartments all over Japan and at least 2 ppl are in Japan every week). I get a lot of my stuff from this shop. Also when I'm here, I don't buy online anymore. No point when I can just cash and carry.... Heh.

But for dinos I did get them online, no other choice, just too hard to find.
25th June 2011, 08:54 PM
Hursticon

Well... I tip my hat to you Heroic - This is yet another multi-faceted display of astonishment! :eek:

As LSO has also identified, you've clearly shown how crazy good you are at the hunt - You may be a Heroic - Decepticon but you sure show a lot of qualities akin to Predaking. :D
Also like LSO, I too am not all too taken back by the colours but I think that this may be due to what you've suggested about Bruticus' colour scheme - Interesting to note though, could this of been where the G2 Bruticus colour scheme borrowed it's head layout from? ;)
I think you should have some fun as well and apply his stickers man, it'll help him a lot IMO but it'll be a nice change for you to I think. :cool:

Congratulations on yet another incredible acquisition dude, these recent purchases of yours have to be some sort of historical event or milestone, both in your collecting and this forum - surely. :)
25th June 2011, 09:31 PM
valkyrie_76

Dammit......havent seen this thread for awhile and when you talked about a second epilogue, the first thing I thought was Battle Gaia (due to you having Guard City).

Oh well nice one there HD, I think you have melted down this forum in the past week or so :D
25th June 2011, 11:13 PM
LordCyrusOmega

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

Re the issue of colours. I think this is a good attempt. Usually fans have an issue with the colours because they have Bruticus imprinted in their minds. Had this been "Bruticus", I think the colours would still have been very acceptable and in fact considered nice. The one combiner with weird colours is Monstructor.

It's not that I have Bruticus imprinted in my mind, I own universe Ruination (Desert Camo repaint) so that could be why, haven't seen many images of bruticus though I own G1 Swindle.

It's just the first thought I had when I saw it was 'Candy'
26th June 2011, 06:55 AM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Verno

Wow

I don't know jack about G1 stuff, but even I know they are something you don't see every day.

Those cassettes are incredible!

What's left to buy now? Are there any Holy Grails left out there?

Congrats Man!

Like I mentioned in an answer to griffin earlier in this thread, there are no more holy grails - the blue Bluestreak has been the holy grail for years and years. Now that I have it, there are no more grails. The throne is empty, long live the king!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kup

That is some amazing stuff, HD. Congratulations!

The stuff you got here is not just expensive but very hard to find. It must have been one hell of a feat to track them down.

Thanks kup!

Tracking down this lot was a lot of effort. I detailed it more in my blog... read it and you will see the pain I went through... heh
26th June 2011, 01:03 PM
1AZRAEL1

Totally freakin awsome dude. HD, you are one lucky SOB to have a a missus that lets you spens this kind of money of Transformers, the the ability to find them :p
26th June 2011, 02:06 PM
GoktimusPrime

heroic_decepticon: before applying the stickers, may I suggest that you do hi-res scans of them and donate them to reprolabels? Maybe you can ask if they'd be willing to give you a set of those reprolabels at a discount price in return for your services.

That way you'd still be able to apply the stickers, and keep the originals unapplied too. Or if you really want to go ahead and apply the originals, at least reprolabels would have a set of them for other collectors.

Just a suggestion. :)
26th June 2011, 07:17 PM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hursticon

Well... I tip my hat to you Heroic - This is yet another multi-faceted display of astonishment! :eek:

As LSO has also identified, you've clearly shown how crazy good you are at the hunt - You may be a Heroic - Decepticon but you sure show a lot of qualities akin to Predaking. :D

Also like LSO, I too am not all too taken back by the colours but I think that this may be due to what you've suggested about Bruticus' colour scheme - Interesting to note though, could this of been where the G2 Bruticus colour scheme borrowed it's head layout from? ;)

I think you should have some fun as well and apply his stickers man, it'll help him a lot IMO but it'll be a nice change for you to I think. :cool:

Congratulations on yet another incredible acquisition dude, these recent purchases of yours have to be some sort of historical event or milestone, both in your collecting and this forum - surely. :)

Thanks sir!

I like the Predaking comparison... them being hunters and all. heh. Like I previously mentioned, its not hard to hunt for stuff when I'm in HK. When I'm bored, I can quickly fly to Japan over a weekend and hunt for stuff there. It's all good.

Also like I mentioned, I think the stickers are really what sets Battle Gaia apart from all other incarnations of the Bruticus mold. The stickers for each individual member are radically different from the any other release. I mean, even the chest piece for Battle Gaia has tons of stickers and an awesome Decepticon insignia on it (which even the G1 Bruticus didn't have).

Good to know its pretty historic for the forum, but I always keep in mind that I'm not the only one making history and there are more than a handful of members that has very powerful collections!

Quote:

Originally Posted by valkyrie_76

Dammit......havent seen this thread for awhile and when you talked about a second epilogue, the first thing I thought was Battle Gaia (due to you having Guard City).

Oh well nice one there HD, I think you have melted down this forum in the past week or so :D

Bill, you just know me too well. Not surprised that you would have guessed right! Hahaha...

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1AZRAEL1

Totally freakin awsome dude. HD, you are one lucky SOB to have a a missus that lets you spens this kind of money of Transformers, the the ability to find them :p

My missus is awesome. heh. I think I mentioned it before but she sees collecting from a different perspective. To her its not about 'tolerating' what I do within some set limits of money or that its stupid buying toys but she will accept me the way I am. It's not that at all. To her, its important and encouraged that I do what I love to do - whatever I love to do, she will encourage it. Just so happens that I like collecting TFs.

Besides, the money I spend on TFs is chump change compared to her stuff. Trading in Battle Gaia wouldn't even be enough to buy her a single BV bag (which I did buy for her). (Not a typo, I did mean "BV", not "LV". I understand that BV is in the Hermes league of branded stuff and enough rungs up the ladder to make LV look like commoner fare... but that's just hearsay. I don't know jackshit about these branded stuff).

I think different families just have different ways of managing it. For example, a close friend of mine and a member here as well has a deal with his wife that what ever amount of money he spends on toys, she is entitled to spend on jewellery or diamonds. :D
26th June 2011, 07:46 PM
gdmetro

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

There is this shop here that specializes in G1. They have a massive ops budget and have people trawling Japan every other week (it's a 6 man operation and they have apartments all over Japan and at least 2 ppl are in Japan every week). I get a lot of my stuff from this shop. Also when I'm here, I don't buy online anymore. No point when I can just cash and carry.... Heh.

But for dinos I did get them online, no other choice, just too hard to find.

Holy :eek: This boggles my mind... that such an enterprise can exist on such an operation of scouring japan for g1s and hocking them back in HK...

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

My missus is awesome. heh. I think I mentioned it before but she sees collecting from a different perspective. To her its not about 'tolerating' what I do within some set limits of money or that its stupid buying toys but she will accept me the way I am. It's not that at all. To her, its important and encouraged that I do what I love to do - whatever I love to do, she will encourage it. Just so happens that I like collecting TFs.

Besides, the money I spend on TFs is chump change compared to her stuff. Trading in Battle Gaia wouldn't even be enough to buy her a single BV bag (which I did buy for her). (Not a typo, I did mean "BV", not "LV". I understand that BV is in the Hermes league of branded stuff and enough rungs up the ladder to make LV look like commoner fare... but that's just hearsay. I don't know jackshit about these branded stuff).

I think different families just have different ways of managing it. For example, a close friend of mine and a member here as well has a deal with his wife that what ever amount of money he spends on toys, she is entitled to spend on jewellery or diamonds. :D

I like that perspective! :D
30th June 2011, 08:13 PM
Prowl

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

heroic_decepticon: before applying the stickers, may I suggest that you do hi-res scans of them and donate them to reprolabels? Maybe you can ask if they'd be willing to give you a set of those reprolabels at a discount price in return for your services.

Maybe they should give HD those labels & any others he so desires if they are so rare for free.
1st July 2011, 01:48 PM
GoktimusPrime

I dunno about unlimited freebies, but I think at least asking for free or discounted samples of the ones he's scanned would be within reason. :) And even without freebies or discounted, I would scan them as a service to the fandom anyway - as I said, there may be other collectors with these toys who might be adverse to applying the original stickers who would appreciate having repros to use.
1st July 2011, 07:56 PM
Prowl

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

I dunno about unlimited freebies, but I think at least asking for free or discounted samples of the ones he's scanned would be within reason. :) And even without freebies or discounted, I would scan them as a service to the fandom anyway - as I said, there may be other collectors with these toys who might be adverse to applying the original stickers who would appreciate having repros to use.

I agree with the fandom part but when you have a rare item the least a business like reprolables could do is give HD a full set of the repro labels + X amount of sets of his chosing for providing them with this rare scan. I was joking about the unlimited freebies of course.

Reprolabels is a business & they make money from it. Out of their sale price they would be making at least 100% markup & likely 200% due to the cost of producing lables being relatively cheap. These guys don't do this out of kindness they do it for money.
1st July 2011, 08:09 PM
Hursticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prowl

Reprolabels is a business & they make money from it. Out of their sale price they would be making at least 100% markup & likely 200% due to the cost of producing lables being relatively cheap. These guys don't do this out of kindness they do it for money.

I dunno, I don't think they make as much money as some may think they do and it's my personal belief that they don't produce these reproductions purely for profiteering means. ;)
1st July 2011, 08:39 PM
Prowl

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hursticon

I dunno, I don't think they make as much money as some may think they do and it's my personal belief that they don't produce these reproductions purely for profiteering means. ;)

I don't disagree as they are providing fans with a service they otherwise would not have access to. But they would make a profit on every sheet they sell & for it to be a viable business they would need to make at least 100% mark up to even bother with it otherwise they would lose money on every transaction.

The most expensive label sheets would be the metallic G1 replica ones & even of they bought from a company like Staples at retail the quantity they consume would mean their actual cost pre production would be minimal & more than likely they buy them under a contract price arrangement. Add in the cost of printing & it still won't add up to a fraction of what they sell them for in the marketplace.

I don't know how they "cut" the labels but i would assume it would be using a die & that would be the most expensive part if they do it that way.
1st July 2011, 09:04 PM
kup

In once sent Reprolabels scans of Thunderclash stickers well over a year ago - They are yet to use them :(
2nd July 2011, 01:15 PM
rampagesss

So does this mean this thread is now over :(
Again so much awesomeness in this thread! And looking at your signature now can't help but laugh at how small the list has gotten :D
Can't wait till you post up Pictures of the last few when you get them.
Also i think we need updated pictures of your collection, as it must look incredible now :D
3rd July 2011, 02:34 AM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by rampagesss

So does this mean this thread is now over :(
Again so much awesomeness in this thread! And looking at your signature now can't help but laugh at how small the list has gotten :D
*snip*:D

No, it's not over!

I managed to pick up another 11 pieces of rare Transformers today!

(okay, it's not really that awesome, its actually 10 + 1).

I picked up a complete set of Japanese exclusive Suntory Coffee "BOSS Transformers", all sealed, unused and at bargain basement prices. (check my blog here).

http://inlinethumb58.webshots.com/48...600x600Q85.jpg

Very happy. I been chasing this set on Yahoo Japan for the better part of a year. Most that were on sale were either incomplete or quite expensive. I saw about 4 of the 10 figures at a shop when I was in Osaka in May, but the owner refused to sell them.

I was completely taken aback to find them here in HK, and all sealed and never assembled to boot.

No idea what these are? I didn't either, until I saw Bermuda Mohawk's site which talks about them in detail. Check it out here - Transformers BOSS - Original G1 Figures

This is what the inside looks like.
http://inlinethumb01.webshots.com/47...600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb17.webshots.com/47...600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/45...600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb63.webshots.com/48...600x600Q85.jpg

These are actually tiny. I like it that way. Lots of display possibility for bases. See comparison with KISS Player Ravage and FP Sidearm
http://inlinethumb06.webshots.com/21...600x600Q85.jpg
3rd July 2011, 09:35 AM
Sky Shadow

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

No, it's not over!

I managed to pick up another 11 pieces of rare Transformers today!

I love those coffee figures. Particularly for their size, those are some of the most character-model-accurate 3D representations of Transformers ever released.
3rd July 2011, 04:06 PM
Hursticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sky Shadow

those are some of the most character-model-accurate 3D representations of Transformers ever released.

I'd have to agree with you there thoroughly SS, as they are indeed damn G1 animation model accurate! :eek:

Now those are some cool acquisitions HD, tiny yet cool. ;):cool:
I have this kidney that I found hanging back in my abdomen, would you like it in exchange for that Suntory Boss Transformers Soundwave by any chance? :p:D
3rd July 2011, 06:58 PM
rampagesss

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

Notably:

01: Optimus Prime MIB
C-324: Star Saber MIB (not sure of condition, didn't ask)
C-328: Victory Saber giftset (very near C10 box, completely unused)
D-307: Overlord MIB (also very near C10 box, completely unused)
D-***, which I was so stoked to find and I bought (you won't see it in the photos!)

I looked at it and told E, "Oh my gosh, I must buy that!"

And buy it I did. More to be revealed later.

First, some photos of the 'new' glass display cabinets...

Can't wait to see what this turns out to be :D
3rd July 2011, 08:49 PM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sky Shadow

I love those coffee figures. Particularly for their size, those are some of the most character-model-accurate 3D representations of Transformers ever released.

Yeah, really like their accuracy and their size. They are slightly different and in a way more accurate than their SCF/ Heroes of Cybetron counterparts, which usually have very exaggerated lower legs.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hursticon

I'd have to agree with you there thoroughly SS, as they are indeed damn G1 animation model accurate! :eek:

Now those are some cool acquisitions HD, tiny yet cool. ;):cool:
I have this kidney that I found hanging back in my abdomen, would you like it in exchange for that Suntory Boss Transformers Soundwave by any chance? :p:D

Hey Hursti, can't oblige you there because E has claimed Soundwave. In fact, she claimed the entire set after I bought it and declared it as hers.... In the end, she agreed to revert title in Shockwave to me because I told her I absolutely must have the BOSS Shockwave figure!

Quote:

Originally Posted by rampagesss

Can't wait to see what this turns out to be :D

I'll see what I can do after tonight's Wimbledon men's final..... Heh....
3rd July 2011, 09:23 PM
Hursticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

Hey Hursti, can't oblige you there because E has claimed Soundwave. In fact, she claimed the entire set after I bought it and declared it as hers.... In the end, she agreed to revert title in Shockwave to me because I told her I absolutely must have the BOSS Shockwave figure!

Ah bugger, E is quite swift in her conquering of figures - I tip my hat to her, at least you owned the lot for a time though eh? :p:D
7th July 2011, 02:16 AM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by rampagesss

Can't wait to see what this turns out to be :D

Dedicated to rampagesss, my other mystery acquisition on 2 July 2011 is unveiled....

ta-da... very fortuitous and lucky find... another one off the list...

D-309: Black Shadow MIB

http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/48...600x600Q85.jpg http://inlinethumb41.webshots.com/48...600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb23.webshots.com/47...600x600Q85.jpg http://inlinethumb42.webshots.com/45...600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb35.webshots.com/48...600x600Q85.jpg http://inlinethumb31.webshots.com/49...600x600Q85.jpg

http://inlinethumb22.webshots.com/77...600x600Q85.jpg http://inlinethumb28.webshots.com/49...600x600Q85.jpg

Write up and more photos on my blog here.
7th July 2011, 05:55 AM
valkyrie_76

Very nice there HD.

I have been looking for one as well but I wont pay for what some people want for it. Plus I think Ill be holding off on purchasing the more expensive items until after October......for my holiday :D
7th July 2011, 11:50 AM
rampagesss

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

Dedicated to rampagesss, my other mystery acquisition on 2 July 2011 is unveiled....

ta-da... very fortuitous and lucky find... another one off the list...

D-309: Black Shadow MIB

:eek: Oh very nice! Was wondering which one is was going to be from your list, can't believe that your just down to 2 now! are you going to start collecting the Japanese Jr transformers?
Again never ceases to amaze me how you find all this incredibly rare stuff! Can't wait to see the next find :D
7th July 2011, 12:56 PM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by valkyrie_76

Very nice there HD.

I have been looking for one as well but I wont pay for what some people want for it. Plus I think Ill be holding off on purchasing the more expensive items until after October......for my holiday :D

You are right about what people are asking. I think between 8 months ago and now, the prices for Black Shadow must have doubled, when it comes to online auctions. Sometime last year in Aug, there was an Australian selling auctioning it for AU$650 BIN, which I thought was excessive. Then a UK seller auctioned another one for US$999, and it sold. Since then, people have started asking for between US$850 to $1200 for a piece.

My sources at BotCon tried to get me a piece and the price quoted was US$750, with a box that is almost entirely sun-faded. It's just mad.

I don't know whether its because of its correlation with the Thunderwing mold or whether because in LSOTW we discovered that Black Shadow is one of Megatron's "Phase Six-ers" alongside Sixshot and Overlord.

Oh, I'm sure you will be spending on expensive stuff on your holiday if you are TF shopping! (just remember to look out for my final 2 for me :D)

Quote:

Originally Posted by rampagesss

:eek: Oh very nice! Was wondering which one is was going to be from your list, can't believe that your just down to 2 now! are you going to start collecting the Japanese Jr transformers?
Again never ceases to amaze me how you find all this incredibly rare stuff! Can't wait to see the next find :D

hey Mike, yeah, its unbelievable. I just could not believe it when I saw it at the shop. I was so excited my wife kept teasing me afterward.

As usual, she wanted to buy it for me as well. It's strange, if she buys it, it stays as mine; but if I buy it, she will declare its hers. heh.

Also very glad that the shop didn't think this piece is worth too much, perhaps because the stickers were applied (unused, stickers unapplied stuff they usually sell for a premium).

So, I'm very happy to say that I got this for US$400, which is US$250 cheaper than what I would have been willing to pay anyway...! Yipeee!
7th July 2011, 01:08 PM
1AZRAEL1

:eek::eek::eek:

Damn, that is a great score then.

I'm gonna have to get you to hunt down an Overlord for me I think... :p
8th July 2011, 12:57 AM
Hursticon

Oh man HD - This is awesome dude, congratulations! :eek::D

I'll have to head over to your blog for the full story but man, he is one curiously cool looking figure and looks quite powerful in his black colour scheme - I think I can see why Megatron chose him as a Phase 6er, there's this sort of Elite-Warrior come Regal-ness to him. :cool:

What a great deal you got on him too, that is what I think makes this acquisition so good in a way as it's a bit of a 'flipping the bird' to the ridiculous asking prices that get applied to figures these days. ;)
It's just really cool man to see you so unbelievably close to knocking off every figure you're after! :D

He's got quite a large amount of retooling to him though doesn't he?
9th July 2011, 03:30 AM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

heroic_decepticon: before applying the stickers, may I suggest that you do hi-res scans of them and donate them to reprolabels? Maybe you can ask if they'd be willing to give you a set of those reprolabels at a discount price in return for your services.

That way you'd still be able to apply the stickers, and keep the originals unapplied too. Or if you really want to go ahead and apply the originals, at least reprolabels would have a set of them for other collectors.

Just a suggestion. :)

Hey Gok, I thought about this a lot. And have also talked to other 'holy grail' type collectors (for lack of a better term), to get their view.

* What I'm going to say might sound controversial or even evil. I'm not trying to be obnoxious, but have for a week or 2 discussed these issues with other fellow collectors who have the 'rare' Jap stuff and lots of unused sticker sheets which Reprolabels do not have * :D

No, I won't be 'donating' scans to Reprolabels. However, if I were to donate, I also won't be interested in getting back a 'repro' sheet based on what I donated - it'd be of very little value to me, and frankly borders on insulting. If I were to donate, I won't be expecting anything back from them.

These are my reasons for not donating:

1. If I have the genuine thing (which in Battle Gaia's case I do), I don't want or need the genuine articles to be stickered with repros. If I were to sticker them, I'd sticker them with the real stuff.

2. A good few collectors from TFW and myself really loathe the Gen-Y type sense of entitlement - ie: why are Transformers so expensive, they should be accessible, I am entitled to own it. There is an expectation from them that the community owes them the right to own 'rare' Transformers and that its the community that is at fault if Transformers are too expensive for them to buy. I (and a good many collectors) have no inclination of facilitating this (unjustified) sense of self entitlement - eg: I don't wish to provide a scanned Minelba sticker sheet to be repro-ed so people out there can repaint their Nightbeats into Minelba and have the stickers for it because 'everybody is entitled to a Minelba'.

3. I have no desire to help KO producers along. Imagine if Reprolabels have some of the rarer sticker sheets in stock (eg: Minelba, Battle Gaia, Guard City, etc). What's to prevent KO-ers from just buying from Reprolabels and then putting the sheets in KOs of Defensor and Bruticus (which they have the molds for) and repainting them in GC, BG colours and sell them as KO GCs and BGs. It'd be a cold day in hell before I facilitate this sort of thing.

4. For the amount of money that Reprolabels will make off it, they are terribly stingy when it comes to rewarding contributors - a sticker sheet here and there, some rub-sign stickers etc. It's such an insult, I don't even want it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

I dunno about unlimited freebies, but I think at least asking for free or discounted samples of the ones he's scanned would be within reason. :) And even without freebies or discounted, I would scan them as a service to the fandom anyway - as I said, there may be other collectors with these toys who might be adverse to applying the original stickers who would appreciate having repros to use.

Like I mentioned above, I think it'd actually be a disservice to the fandom.

I also don't see the point of buying a thousand dollar toy only to apply repros on it? What would I do with the original sticker sheet then? Don't see the sense in it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prowl

I agree with the fandom part but when you have a rare item the least a business like reprolables could do is give HD a full set of the repro labels + X amount of sets of his chosing for providing them with this rare scan. I was joking about the unlimited freebies of course.

Reprolabels is a business & they make money from it. Out of their sale price they would be making at least 100% markup & likely 200% due to the cost of producing lables being relatively cheap. These guys don't do this out of kindness they do it for money.

Prowl, I completely agree with you. I have businesses myself and its a general rule that if you don't make at least 100% on any product that you are selling, its not a worthwhile business to do. I completely agree with you.

I can bet my bottom dollar that with economies of scale and it being an infinitely replicable product, once someone donates a scan to Reprolabels, that they are making a killing on each sheet. Any sticker sheet they are selling is unlikely to cost more than US$2 to make - hell, they could even outsource printing to India or China and get a bulk discount.

As the Joker said in the Dark Knight, "if you are good at doing something, never do it for free".

Sticker sheets are not like products that have to be put together or have multiple parts or other forms of intellectual property attached to them, they just print them off.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kup

In once sent Reprolabels scans of Thunderclash stickers well over a year ago - They are yet to use them :(

Another reason for not donating.
9th July 2011, 02:46 PM
Prowl

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

A good few collectors from TFW and myself really loathe the Gen-Y type sense of entitlement - ie: why are Transformers so expensive, they should be accessible, I am entitled to own it. There is an expectation from them that the community owes them the right to own 'rare' Transformers and that its the community that is at fault if Transformers are too expensive for them to buy. I (and a good many collectors) have no inclination of facilitating this (unjustified) sense of self entitlement - eg: I don't wish to provide a scanned Minelba sticker sheet to be repro-ed so people out there can repaint their Nightbeats into Minelba and have the stickers for it because 'everybody is entitled to a Minelba'.

I agree with this. Everyone is entitled to own whatever Transformers they desire. The thing is that like all hobbies it can not only be a expensive pastime but also like all hobbies it can take time to find the things you want & I am not taking about days or weeks but months & years in some cases.

Patience is a virtue many of the younger generation do not possess. I remember how cool it was to find a CD or VHS or whatever as a teenager/young man by lucking out in a store whereas today you can hop online & get instant gratification.

I have been incredibly lucky since I started collecting a few months ago with a combination of ebay, generous fellow travellers & lucking out at stores to have built a collection I am happy with & willing to grow.

I only focus on a few selected lines that float my boat. I want "it all" & I want it "right now" but that said I am realistic enough to know that due to financial limitations, common sense & a sound grounding in reality that is simply not going to happen. My collection will be built over time & selectively as I made the mistake of buying a few TF's impulsively & whilst not huge financial mistakes they are ones I do regret buying. A cheap lesson in reality I say.
9th July 2011, 08:44 PM
LordCyrusOmega

I agree HD. Why hand over the things you had to work hard to get?
I myself eant it all and want it all now and this drives me crazy sometimes. I do however work towards what I want and expect to have to pay the asking price for it.
MP-05 was my grail for a long time and one I thought I would never own. When I eventually did get him it was for far cheaper then I ever expected. I'm still not entirely certain why people mark up the prices of things. eg if I pay $30 for something whenever then I'll sell it for $30. However people are entitled to set their prices and th majority of the time they are reasonable.
I've completely forgotten the point I was trying to make...
9th July 2011, 11:26 PM
GoktimusPrime

HD: they're your toys and your stickers. You can do whatever you want. You're under no obligation to scan the stickers for anyone if you don't want to really -- it's not like you owe the fandom anything... I just thought it might be a nice thing to do if you wanted to. But if you don't, then that's up to you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

These are my reasons for not donating:

1. If I have the genuine thing (which in Battle Gaia's case I do), I don't want or need the genuine articles to be stickered with repros. If I were to sticker them, I'd sticker them with the real stuff.

Okay, but sometimes stickers wear out or peel or fall off. For example, one of my Sunstorm stickers fell off and so have all the leg stickers on my 1986 Cyclonus. I'm not going to buy new MISB ones just to replace those stickers! In such cases I would find reprolabels most useful.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

2. A good few collectors from TFW and myself really loathe the Gen-Y type sense of entitlement - ie: why are Transformers so expensive, they should be accessible, I am entitled to own it. There is an expectation from them that the community owes them the right to own 'rare' Transformers and that its the community that is at fault if Transformers are too expensive for them to buy. I (and a good many collectors) have no inclination of facilitating this (unjustified) sense of self entitlement - eg: I don't wish to provide a scanned Minelba sticker sheet to be repro-ed so people out there can repaint their Nightbeats into Minelba and have the stickers for it because 'everybody is entitled to a Minelba'.

You know my personal policy... if I want a Transformer toy (G1 or otherwise), then I'll get it from a local retailer while it's current. ;) That's what I did with Cyclonus - got him in 1986 (got a 2nd one in 1988, but I've since traded that one off yonks ago :p), but after 25 years the stickers on that toy have faded, which doesn't bother me too much, but the leg stickers have lost all adhesion and have fallen off. I've tried gluing them back on, but they keep falling off.

Now I know someone who has Sky Garry and Grandus from their childhood... if the stickers on those toys started falling off simply due to age -- then I think they would appreciate being able to access reprolabels to replace them rather than paying the ridiculous (IMO) inflated aftermarket prices for some G1 toys these days... just for the sake of new stickers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

3. I have no desire to help KO producers along. Imagine if Reprolabels have some of the rarer sticker sheets in stock (eg: Minelba, Battle Gaia, Guard City, etc). What's to prevent KO-ers from just buying from Reprolabels and then putting the sheets in KOs of Defensor and Bruticus (which they have the molds for) and repainting them in GC, BG colours and sell them as KO GCs and BGs. It'd be a cold day in hell before I facilitate this sort of thing.

Yeah alright, I can understand this argument.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

4. For the amount of money that Reprolabels will make off it, they are terribly stingy when it comes to rewarding contributors - a sticker sheet here and there, some rub-sign stickers etc. It's such an insult, I don't even want it.

Well... it depends how much of a reward you want. I'd be satisfied with the knowledge that I'd helped fellow fans. Although the notion of helping bootleggers is something I hadn't considered and that would bug me.

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

I also don't see the point of buying a thousand dollar toy only to apply repros on it? What would I do with the original sticker sheet then? Don't see the sense in it.

Again, what if the original stickers have deteriorated?

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

Prowl, I completely agree with you. I have businesses myself and its a general rule that if you don't make at least 100% on any product that you are selling, its not a worthwhile business to do. I completely agree with you.

I can bet my bottom dollar that with economies of scale and it being an infinitely replicable product, once someone donates a scan to Reprolabels, that they are making a killing on each sheet. Any sticker sheet they are selling is unlikely to cost more than US$2 to make - hell, they could even outsource printing to India or China and get a bulk discount.

As the Joker said in the Dark Knight, "if you are good at doing something, never do it for free".

Well, I was suggesting doing it as an act of charity for the benefit of fellow fans. But it was just a suggestion. Maybe I'm just naive.

But anyway, it was only a suggestion -- what you choose to do with your stickers is entirely up to you. I appreciate that you at least gave it consideration. :)
11th July 2011, 01:45 AM
heroic_decepticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

HD: they're your toys and your stickers. You can do whatever you want. You're under no obligation to scan the stickers for anyone if you don't want to really -- it's not like you owe the fandom anything... I just thought it might be a nice thing to do if you wanted to. But if you don't, then that's up to you.

Hey Gok, first off, I need to apologise for perhaps phrasing my response stronger that I should.

For one thing, I love to help the fandom and have been doing so since '99 and even more so after I set up my site in 2007. It's just that I'm becoming frustrated with the way people abuse the material other people have given for free and out of the good of their hearts. Or when people use them to rip other people off or profit in an unscrupulous manner.

KO-ers using things like instruction scans, box art or sticker sheets from what is readily available online is becoming more and more real (and in fact has happened).

It's difficult to describe the rage that (perhaps a relatively small group) of G1-purists felt when we learnt the dino-casettes were being KO-ed. Like many desirable pieces, like even G1 Reflector, there goes many people's chance owning one of these pieces, with the peace of mind. There will always by some measure of doubt, and searching for the 'creme among the crap' would be so taxing and doubly difficult.

Have no illusion that the KO-ers cobble stuff together from online sources. If not the Zhong Jin KOs won't have boxes with misaligned lines, text placement and all that - ie: if all they did were scan the original boxes/cards, then there won't be such discrepancies like "Dinobot Bommander".

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

You know my personal policy... if I want a Transformer toy (G1 or otherwise), then I'll get it from a local retailer while it's current. ;) *snip*

Hmmm... like mentioned many times, can't argue with this one way or another. Like I said, not many people are fortunate enough to have their childhood collection intact. I think more people fall into the "I didn't have this when young, I want to buy it back now" category.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Now I know someone who has Sky Garry and Grandus from their childhood... if the stickers on those toys started falling off simply due to age -- then I think they would appreciate being able to access reprolabels to replace them rather than paying the ridiculous (IMO) inflated aftermarket prices for some G1 toys these days... just for the sake of new stickers.

Hmmm... I don't know. If I had something left over from my childhood, it'd be in pretty bad condition because I kept playing with them and crashing them around, would have loose joints too. Chances are I would buy another piece in better condition (but still keep my original one)... then, same sticker rules applies I guess.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Yeah alright, I can understand this argument.
*snip*
Although the notion of helping bootleggers is something I hadn't considered and that would bug me.

At the risk of repeating myself above, it's pretty valid. I get quite a large volume of emails on my site either asking for advise on how to distinguish between KOs or telling me that they have been duped into buying KOs.

These things are insidious I tell you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Well... it depends how much of a reward you want. I'd be satisfied with the knowledge that I'd helped fellow fans.

No, my point is that I don't want a reward. But if they were to offer a reward (and I know Reprolabels to be stingy in that aspect), I think it'd be an insult to suggest that for my contribution, I get a reproduction print of the sheet I just contributed and few generic faction symbol sheets.

Just check out Botch's site. Many of the key pieces of box art in high resolution and sharp as a needle, never before available unobstructed, were scanned, edited and contributed by me. I don't want a reward and have never gotten one.

But it still pains me when people abuse the stuff I have contributed to the detriment of community.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Again, what if the original stickers have deteriorated?

same answer as a few paragraphs above I guess.

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Well, I was suggesting doing it as an act of charity for the benefit of fellow fans. But it was just a suggestion. Maybe I'm just naive.

But anyway, it was only a suggestion -- what you choose to do with your stickers is entirely up to you. I appreciate that you at least gave it consideration. :)

Gok, I think you have a good heart and have the community's interest in your mind.

It's just that I'm getting more and more disillusioned with how people abuse the stuff we provide.

To be honest, there are still lots of stuff I have that I believe bar a few people on TFW, the community has not even seen (or knows exists). Rare pieces of art, character designs, prototypes and all that. I also have lots of high resolution unobstructed box art of Japanese exclusives that I am holding back from Botch's... all these because I am becoming disillusioned and that it would break my heart to see people abuse it after I have given it free for fans to enjoy.

I am not alone in so holding back. There are a small group of us that have these stuff (or other rare unseen stuff), but really not providing to the community because we are just sick of it being abused.
11th July 2011, 09:41 AM
GoktimusPrime

Grrr, it's always frustrating to see a small number of people abuse a resource and spoil it for everyone else. I've never been fond of bootleggers, but now that's given me a reason to ~~hate~~^despise them even more. :mad:
11th July 2011, 12:46 PM
Hursticon

Quote:

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Grrr, it's always frustrating to see a small number of people abuse a resource and spoil it for everyone else. I've never been fond of bootleggers, but now that's given me a reason to ~~hate~~^despise them even more. :mad:

I completely agree with you Goki as I've had a discussion with HD along similar lines with regards to the Dino Cassettes on his Blog. ;)

I love G1 Box-art myself and have acquired a number of images from Botch's site purely for my own enjoyment and I think that was always the intention of both Botch and HD, as well as all the others that have contributed to that site and the rest of the community, but I've often thought recently that unfortunately the site could also quite easily be used by KOers/Bootleggers do make better looking fakes and this is quite saddening. :(

It does not surprise me in the slightest that HD and others are now choosing to hold back and second guess certain contributions as it would be thoroughly disheartening to learn that something you've done for the fandom has vicariously been used to it's detriment. :(

I myself quite appreciate what Reprolabels provides for the fandom, especially as one who purely can't afford to buy multiples of the same figure but then I certainly don't hold it against those who can as I'm often green with envy in that respect :p, but I can now also see a little bit more from some of the contributors side and think that, should the contributor want it, they could be better appreciated by Reprolabels but I guess a business is a business and some are better than others. :(

At the end of the day though, so long as you continue to take your photos and scribe your write-ups HD, I'll be happy. ;):)
11th July 2011, 05:05 PM
UltraMagnus

Quote:

Originally Posted by heroic_decepticon

2. A good few collectors from TFW and myself really loathe the Gen-Y type sense of entitlement - ie: why are Transformers so expensive, they should be accessible, I am entitled to own it. There is an expectation from them that the community owes them the right to own 'rare' Transformers and that its the community that is at fault if Transformers are too expensive for them to buy. I (and a good many collectors) have no inclination of facilitating this (unjustified) sense of self entitlement -
.

Excellent reason to not do it. If people complain, do one thing. Get a better job, or save more money, buy it and you will appreciate how much these things cost.
Not doing this also keeps the value of the expensive item you bought :)

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