The Decision Thread

[DarkHyren]

Hi everyone. After another long hiatus I am getting back into collecting again.
I'm humming and harring over a few things at the moment, trying to decide if I should go after G1 goodnessy reissues, acquire some Masterpieces (which then begs the question, Hasbro or TakTomy), or continue trying to finish off my Classics/Universe/Generations sets?

The news about the Encore Fortress Maximus has sort of started a fire in me to want to collect more G1 reissues, sort of relive the old days of my childhood.
But then I think, well Masterpiece toys are like having those childhood toys back just in a more awesome form.
But then the collector in me really wants to try and finish what I've started (ie. CHUG).

So yeah, opinions are most welcome, what should I blow a load of cash on first?

[GoktimusPrime]

I just gets 'em all. I dunno, it's up to you dude. In terms of MPs, I'd recommend Hasbro.

[GoktimusPrime]

RE: This vent about my recent Movieverse Ramjet acquisition

-----------------------

So technically this toy should still be able to transform, but the jet mode would be missing the stabiliser wings and nosecone. Is this enough to warrant this toy as a "junker"?

The reason why I never got this toy when it came out was because:
1) It was expensive
2) I was never that much a fan of the TF1 Voyager Starscream mould to get any of the repaints/retools

"So why did you buy this toy now?"
Since 2007 I've acquired movieverse Dirge, movieverse Thrust (for heaps cheap), DotM Thundercracker and DotM Skywarp. So Ramjet has since become the only G1 seeker character from the movieverse that I didn't have. So I just want one to complete the set.

Given this reason, I'm wondering if I should:
+ just accept it and include this toy in my collection (even in its damaged and incomplete state, I paid $15 for a Voyager), or
+ take it back to the next Fair and ask for an exchange/refund, or
+ perhaps offload it to someone else as customising fodder

[lancalot]

RE: This vent about my recent Movieverse Ramjet acquisition

-----------------------

So technically this toy should still be able to transform, but the jet mode would be missing the stabiliser wings and nosecone. Is this enough to warrant this toy as a "junker"?

The reason why I never got this toy when it came out was because:
1) It was expensive
2) I was never that much a fan of the TF1 Voyager Starscream mould to get any of the repaints/retools

"So why did you buy this toy now?"
Since 2007 I've acquired movieverse Dirge, movieverse Thrust (for heaps cheap), DotM Thundercracker and DotM Skywarp. So Ramjet has since become the only G1 seeker character from the movieverse that I didn't have. So I just want one to complete the set.

Given this reason, I'm wondering if I should:
+ just accept it and include this toy in my collection (even in its damaged and incomplete state, I paid $15 for a Voyager), or
+ take it back to the next Fair and ask for an exchange/refund, or
+ perhaps offload it to someone else as customising fodder

i think you should keep him , cause he got a good story with him now...the last seeker that happen to be fuked up , battle damage from the long acquisition time of 5yr?! lol and a fair bargain that turn lemon

[SuspectimusPrime]

RE: This vent about my recent Movieverse Ramjet acquisition

-----------------------

So technically this toy should still be able to transform, but the jet mode would be missing the stabiliser wings and nosecone. Is this enough to warrant this toy as a "junker"?

The reason why I never got this toy when it came out was because:
1) It was expensive
2) I was never that much a fan of the TF1 Voyager Starscream mould to get any of the repaints/retools

"So why did you buy this toy now?"
Since 2007 I've acquired movieverse Dirge, movieverse Thrust (for heaps cheap), DotM Thundercracker and DotM Skywarp. So Ramjet has since become the only G1 seeker character from the movieverse that I didn't have. So I just want one to complete the set.

Given this reason, I'm wondering if I should:
+ just accept it and include this toy in my collection (even in its damaged and incomplete state, I paid $15 for a Voyager), or
+ take it back to the next Fair and ask for an exchange/refund, or
+ perhaps offload it to someone else as customising fodder

He's a Ramjet that has lost the capacity for future ramming-related endeavours, so I'd consider it a junker.

* Would you be content on displaying him only in robot mode?
* The seller's service does not sound great, but if you believe that there's a good chance he's returning, and that you can extract a refund from him, then bring it back in May(?).

[Ae-Evolution]

My MISB/NIB stuff, should I open them? I have some older figures and new figures. I have a really odd mind set when it comes to collecting. In my room I have the following collections; Lego, Halo figures, Transformers, Nerf, Gundam, Games and various other cool toys.

My parents recently had a chat to me about all.my nib stuff in my room and some floating around the house, they asked me why don't I open them and I said to hold value. And it got me thinking, is it really worth it keeping single figures nib without having a collection of the series. I got my first masterpiece ever and it sits nib on a speaker, is it really worth keeping for value or just opening and played with and displayed as pleased?

Another problem they addressed was my closet, half Nerf armoury, half empty boxes, bubbles and backing cards. I'm curious to why I even keep them and my 'rents keep trying to throw them out and i keep stopping them. I do have this issue about all.my items maintaining value. What do you guys do with all the following items?

[Kazza]

My NIB stuff, should I open them? I have some older figures and new figures. I have a really odd mind set when it comes to collecting. In my room I have the following collections; Lego, Halo figures, Transformers, Nerf, Gundam, Games and various other cool toys.

My parents recently had a chat to me about all.my nib stuff in my room and some floating around the house, they asked me why don't I open them and I said to hold value. And it got me thinking, is it really worth it keeping single figures nib without having a collection of the series. I got my first masterpiece ever and it sits nib on a speaker, is it really worth keeping for value or just opening and played with and displayed as pleased?

Another problem they addressed was my closet, half Nerf armoury, half empty boxes, bubbles and backing cards. I'm curious to why I even keep them and my 'rents keep trying to throw them out and i keep stopping them. I do have this issue about all.my items maintaining value. What do you guys do with all the following items?

I personally open everything i buy, even expensive stuff that i paid for will be opened, e.g. 2010 Unicron/Primus which set me back $500 and all the masterpieces i have (26) are opened and on display. To me these are toys and should be played with and transformed at least one. They will still keep their value as long as you keep everything belonging to them (box, instructions, inserts). The question is are you keeping them NIB so you can sell it in the future? Otherwise if you dont plan on selling them, then open them and play around with them.
Also i have a problem not knowing if there may be a QC issue with a toy that is sealed unless i open them up and check it myself.

This is just my opinion, obviously MISB collectors will advise differently.

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm confused... are your toys MIB/MISB (Mint In Box/Mint In Sealed Box) or NMIB (Near Mint In Box)??? Cos a NMIB and MISB toy are two distinctly different things! e.g. I bought an Alternity Convoy (Vibrant Red) last year for about thirty-something bucks because it was NMIB -- the box had been opened, but the toy had never been transformed or played with). That made it about $20 cheaper than previous MISB Alternity TFs that I've purchased.

Another thing to keep in mind is that - generally speaking - toy collecting is a poor form of investing money. Some toys are worth collecting as investments, but most appreciate very poorly, and many toys go the other way and depreciate in value. e.g. 1985 Jumpstarters are notorious for being among the most depreciated early G1 figures. You can still find them loose for a few dollars (I bought a spare loose Topspin last year for eight bucks). Just yesterday I found Rescue Force 2 - a toy that was released exclusively in 1992 in European and Australasian markets; the seller had marked it for $5 and ended up giving it to me for free. I also saw a MISB Voyager Bulkhead for $30 -- $10 cheaper than its original RRP, and a MISB MP Rodimus for $60, $20 below its original RRP. Most toys depreciate in value, not appreciate.

Toy collecting should be something that you do for the enjoyment, and not because you see it as an investment. If you happen to genuinely enjoy collecting toys and keeping them sealed, then by all means do it. But if you're keeping them sealed contrary to what you find enjoyable, then I don't recommend that at all, and I reckon you should absolutely crack those babies open and play with them!!

If you want to invest your money, you're better off buying shares or blue chips on the stock market. Toys are a relatively poor form of investment.

Another problem they addressed was my closet, half Nerf armoury, half empty boxes, bubbles and backing cards. I'm curious to why I even keep them and my 'rents keep trying to throw them out and i keep stopping them. I do have this issue about all.my items maintaining value. What do you guys do with all the following items?

Packaging wastes a LOT of space. I chuck most of my boxes and bubbles out. I keep my cards, but without bubbles. I have some boxes on display, but others that aren't discarded are flattened and put into flat-storage. I throw the inside trays away. But guys like griffin also flatten the inside trays and keep them in flat-storage too.

Another issue to consider is, if you're living with your parents, it's their house - and frankly any space outside your room is shared living space. I don't know why you'd have any Transformers there. When I was living at home I kept all my toys in my room (and I had about 300-odd Transformers at the time I moved out of home). Yes, my room was incredibly cramped... If your parents have allowed you a study/home office, then I could understand having toys there too. But surely they wouldn't be in any room that isn't designated as your personal space. Because otherwise they have every right to demand that you move it out of shared living space.

Ask yourself if you're actually collecting or are you hoarding toys? Because some of the symptoms of hoarding include:
+ The collected items take up a significant amount of living space, making it extremely cluttered to the point that the use of that space becomes impeded. e.g. unable to properly walk through places because the floor is messy, or unable to sit on chairs or use tables because they're cluttered with toys etc. - in extreme cases entire rooms may be rendered unusable (e.g. kitchens, corridors, bedrooms, bathrooms etc.)
+ Items may affect the maintenance of a safe home environment. e.g. If you've run out of storage/display space and your toys are now occupying floor space, then that presents a potential tripping hazard (if you did that in a workplace, you'd get busted for violating WH&S (formerly known as OH&S) regulations)
+ Are all of your sealed toys regarded as highly valuable to you? Keeping say a limited exclusive toy sealed is one thing... but if you're keeping everything sealed like say Bot Shots or Happy Meal toys and telling yourself that they're all for investments' sake, then it may be more hoarding over collecting... cos as I said, a LOT of toys actually go down in value, not up. If you're keeping toys sealed that are likely to appreciate (like say a ltd exclusive), then that's understandable -- limited exclusives usually appreciate (but not always, just look at MP Sunstorm! That sucker's depreciating something chronic! (which sucks for me as I bought it at full RRP - although thankfully I didn't keep it sealed... I'd feel even more foolish if I had)). If monetary investment is your primary reason for keeping toys sealed, then you ought to sort out which toys are WORTH keeping sealed. You'll find that most are not (unless you've been primarily collecting limited exclusive stuff).

In the mean time, I'd advise moving all your toys into YOUR living area(s) like your bedroom and/or study. None of your toys should be cluttering any shared living space IMHO.

[Megatron]

My NIB stuff, should I open them? I have some older figures and new figures. I have a really odd mind set when it comes to collecting. In my room I have the following collections; Lego, Halo figures, Transformers, Nerf, Gundam, Games and various other cool toys.

My parents recently had a chat to me about all.my nib stuff in my room and some floating around the house, they asked me why don't I open them and I said to hold value. And it got me thinking, is it really worth it keeping single figures nib without having a collection of the series. I got my first masterpiece ever and it sits nib on a speaker, is it really worth keeping for value or just opening and played with and displayed as pleased?

Another problem they addressed was my closet, half Nerf armoury, half empty boxes, bubbles and backing cards. I'm curious to why I even keep them and my 'rents keep trying to throw them out and i keep stopping them. I do have this issue about all.my items maintaining value. What do you guys do with all the following items?

I am a MISB collector, and whilst keeping them MISB will always hold the highest possible value especially in the long term, it is really up to you whether you keep them MISB or not. Of course, they will still have high value if they are opened, especially if you keep them mint and complete, but not as much as MISB (this is contestable for toys that come with batteries and/or have known problems with yellowing or deteriorating faster whilst sealed in packaging, but overall MISB will always fetch the highest prices compared to MIB or loose). Of course, certain toys will keep their value far better than others. So it really depends on what's most important to you as a collector, long term value/immediate resale value, or playability and display. There's no right or wrong answer.

My advice is that if you do decide to open them, just be absolutely sure you want to do this, or you may regret it in future, especially if you are uncertain and already have some reservations about opening them now.

[1orion2many]

I could never understand MISB collectors, You might as well as own an empty cardboard box with some of the TF's as you can't see them. Sort of defeats the purpose of owning a Transformer. You might as well collect the Statues instead but that's just my opinion