Maz's Articles & Reviews

[xlojnr]

yeah,... I took it as he meant Exhaust and couldn't mention him due to the trademark issues surrounding the toy.

[zzyss]

yeah,... I took it as he meant Exhaust and couldn't mention him due to the trademark issues surrounding the toy.

Ah, OK didn't think of that. But still, it's not as if saying the name (heck, or even showing pictures) would breach the trademark. Not even sure it's an issue outside of USA where the trademark resides. Maz is in the UK right?

[griffin]

Is he actually talking about Exhaust? If it is, that's odd... the name is not a problem, just the images or at worst talking about cigarettes with toys.
It should be possible to briefly talk about Exhaust without photos, by noting what it homages and what mould it is using... and why it is/was so controversial.

[xlojnr]

I agree with you guys - I could be wrong, but when I was reading, however, I just took it as he was adding humour by taking the fact that the toy is controversial, and just ramping it up heaps to the realms of it being "unmentionable".

Anyways.... didn't really bother me too much though.

[Maz]

Nothing beyond the fact that TFSource is a US-based website so I was asked, obligated actually, to not make direct reference to MP-23 Exhaust. It's a shame because that's the Masterpiece I'm looking forward to the most and the one I had the most to say about.

I usually run my article content plan by TFSource before starting to avoid any conflicts of interest or to see if there are any opportunities for a themed piece or tie-in etc, so I asked if I could go ahead with my plan this week and they requested that I make no reference to Exhaust.

I understand why TFSource made that decision, though. As a retailer they've had to deal directly with PMI over their initial offering of Exhaust and have undoubtedly had untold amount of inconvenience and headache over it. If I were to feature it in a TFSource badged article, in addition to the barrage of Facebook customer questions like "Does this mean you are selling it now?" and any legally binding agreement they've had to make with PMI, why risk further inconvenience, time-swallowing communication and headaches? They may have had to agree with PMI that they cannot make any reference on their websites or affiliated pages to the figure because of any implications discussed ad nauseum about selling what amounts to a cigarette branded toy that was not altered enough for PMI's liking.

Nevertheless, if my MP-23 comes through ok I'll be writing about it in detail on Transformers Square One blog

All the best
Maz

[rodent]

Thanks for taking the time to explain the issues there Maz, I had no idea this whole situation with PMI was such a mess and it's unfortunate that TFSource were dragged directly into it.

For a formerly non-existent character this guy is starting to look quite attractive to me as well.

[Maz]

I should probably apologise for that click-bait title, but it does represent the topic of this article quite well. It’s impossible to go one year on an active Transformers forum without seeing at least one discussion about the rarest Transformers of all time. Rarity, however, comes in many shapes and sizes, some of which I respect and others that I don’t. The very definition of rare is hard to pin down in a collecting context, does it refer to elusive sightings? How many people own a particular toy? How few were produced? Rarity that was contrived or circumstantial? The discussion always ends the same, with a rainbow of differing opinions and disagreements.

Fifty Shades of Rare | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ





All the best
Maz

[zzyss]

Shouldn't rarity also possess some consideration for desirability? What good is some obscure country variant if nobody actually cares? Wonderfest BT-18 Black Convoy is all very well and good but as you note yourself in your review the toy wasn't particularly good...

Price is usually a good metric to use to determine rarity, but not always. I sold a BT-17 Rijie here and I priced it at what it I thought was a reasonable value to help a fellow BT fan to own one and which somebody would actually be willing to pay, rather than the ridiculously high "market price" that eBay scalpers seem to think it's worth without actually moving a single unit (I would know; I have watched the same auctions for BT-17 and BT-18 for years)

[Maz]

Shouldn't rarity also possess some consideration for desirability? What good is some obscure country variant if nobody actually cares? Wonderfest BT-18 Black Convoy is all very well and good but as you note yourself in your review the toy wasn't particularly good...

Price is usually a good metric to use to determine rarity, but not always. I sold a BT-17 Rijie here and I priced it at what it I thought was a reasonable value to help a fellow BT fan to own one and which somebody would actually be willing to pay, rather than the ridiculously high "market price" that eBay scalpers seem to think it's worth without actually moving a single unit (I would know; I have watched the same auctions for BT-17 and BT-18 for years)

I think I sometimes think of rarity not just in terms of how available something is to buy at a given period of time but also how many specimens are known to exist in collections, or how easy it is to find one in a collection. Desirability can affect availability, but I would like to think of rarity as a concept and property unaffected by how often an item moves between collections.

Whether someone wants it or not, whether someone cares about it or not, a rare variant should be considered a rare variant if they are impossible to find. It just may be that the only person who is aware of that rarity is the one person who cares and tries to find it. A lack of desirability upon release in the vintage era and down the years could be the result of its modern day scarcity though...

Am I making any sense? :P

All the best
Maz

[Maz]

I would normally take issue with interviewing a Transformers collector who won't reveal his full name, but if you've spent any time around G1 Transformers forums in recent years or TFW2005 generally, you'll know Brad "Th0r4z1n3" B from his legendary seeker-focused collecting or his status as an ex-moderator of that gigantic Transformers forum, so I've no doubt you'll be able to put a face to a name and personality. Brad's collecting and displays represents a direction that my collection could easily have taken on many occasions during my time in the hobby, so it's fascinating to see someone actually achieve the dream, and then tell you what comes next. Over to Brad...

Collector Interview 35 – Brad B | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ



All the best
Maz