The Decision Thread

[KalEl]

I have a mint on card Takara animated rodimus, should i open it?

[Bidoofdude]

Hmm, its a TRU exclusive (or was it target), so maybe but maybe not. Hard decision. Do you have any particular use for it. If most of your other animated are opened, open it. Or you could wait and see how much it goes for over time.
EDIT: wait, its takara. Makes it even harder.

[Bidoofdude]

Classicsverse _are_ G1 styled toys. They're arguably superior to G1 toys in the following ways:
+ More durable. G1 toys break much easier.
+ Superior detailing in sculpts and colour/paint apps. G1 toys are more blocky and you have to apply stickers.
+ Greater articulation. Most G1 toys have poor articulation, they were designed to transform and wield weapons, and that was pretty much it. Classicsverse toys can do all kinds of neat and exciting action poses.
+ Greater cartoon likeness, which I suspect may be a factor for you as someone who got into G1 through the cartoon.
+ MUCH cheaper compared to buying G1 off the secondary market. A MOSC Generations Wheeljack sold at Kmart for $25 but a MISB G1 Wheeljack - that originally sold for less than $20 - I dread to think about how much they'd sell for now. Even a loose (second hand) complete G1 Wheeljack might cost over $50-60... compared to paying $25 for a new minty fresh Generations Wheeljack you can see which deal offers superior value for money. With G1 collecting you're really more paying for the scarcity rather than for the value of the toy.
+ More convenient/easier to collect. Even if you were filthy rich and could afford to buy G1 off the secondary market, you'd still need to find a considerable amount of time and effort to track all those toys down. Then you run the risk of dodgy sellers, or maybe there's a problem with the toy etc. - with Classicsverse toys you can always bring them back to the shop for an exchange/refund if anything goes wrong (like my first Generations Drift that had two of the same hand!), but I don't know if the same can be done with G1 toys bought off the secondary market.
+ No (or much lesser) risk of unknowingly buying fakes. How bad would it be if you spent hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on G1 toys believing they were real, only to discover that they were fakes? That's not going to happen if you buy Classicsverse toys from your local shops.

Ultimately what you want to collect is up to you, but if I were you I'd stick to Classicsverse. Cheaper, easier, better. Anyway, feel free to have a look through the G1 & Classicsverse comparison thread. Reissues is another option you might like to consider if you're really keen on collecting G1 - they're perfectly legit and are also cheaper and easier -- and also better because they won't have physically aged as much as vintage G1 toys. And in many cases they've made improvements on G1 moulds with the reissues (e.g. full powered missile launchers - original G1 launchers can barely shoot if at all).

I already kind of knew ALL of that. But thanks anyway!! I am very aware of all these and I think, (depending on the situation) I will get Prime. Its vehicle will fit well with my autobot cars. (basically only rts Rodimus. (btw i got battle in space- looks great) an I have always wanted a g1 esque prime, so thats my option. I think I know what I'm talking about.(so don't try tempting me ) thanks for helping with the decision, its final (i think :?) (btw, I should really post my collection, shouldn't I?)

[M-bot]

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool TF liberator, so I say: Free that Rodimus.

The argument goes something like this: It's not really a Transformer until it is taken from its plastic and cardboard prison and is Transformed. Until then, it is merely a plastic robot or vehicle (or whatever alt mode it happens to have) yearning to break free...

[KalEl]

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool TF liberator, so I say: Free that Rodimus.

The argument goes something like this: It's not really a Transformer until it is taken from its plastic and cardboard prison and is Transformed. Until then, it is merely a plastic robot or vehicle (or whatever alt mode it happens to have) yearning to break free...

is it valuable though? put if this way im in the same boat i have probably less than five bots mint in package still so its a tough one.

[M-bot]

No doubt it loses value, but for me... I love TF's rather than the money value of those TF's but I can see the opposing viewpoint.

[GoktimusPrime]

I have a mint on card Takara animated rodimus, should i open it?

Hell yes. What good's a toy if you can't play with it?

The argument goes something like this: It's not really a Transformer until it is taken from its plastic and cardboard prison and is Transformed. Until then, it is merely a plastic robot or vehicle (or whatever alt mode it happens to have) yearning to break free...

Another way to see it: when it's opened it's a toy, while it's sealed it's stock. Also, we all know that opened toys are happy, friendly and loving, while sealed toys are just bitter and evil (because they've never been loved and don't know how to love).

Happy--><--Evil

[KalEl]

Hell yes. What good's a toy if you can't play with it?




Another way to see it: when it's opened it's a toy, while it's sealed it's stock. Also, we all know that opened toys are happy, friendly and loving, while sealed toys are just bitter and evil (because they've never been loved and don't know how to love).

Happy--><--Evil

Ima likin da way ya thinkin brah
(Edit: can't believe i said brah....)

[Kazza]

Hell yes. What good's a toy if you can't play with it?




Another way to see it: when it's opened it's a toy, while it's sealed it's stock. Also, we all know that opened toys are happy, friendly and loving, while sealed toys are just bitter and evil (because they've never been loved and don't know how to love).

Happy--><--Evil

Exactly the way I feel about transformers or any toys in general. They're toys and are meant to be opened and played with, sure you can collect them and store them MISB, but thats not far away from just having a still photo, and i think people only keep things sealed if they think they'll be in a financial strain some time in the future. No point worrying about the value of a toy and how much they will grow if kept sealed unless you are going to 100% sell it.

[GoktimusPrime]

Most toys don't appreciate very well, if at all. And of those who do, they usually have an extremely slow rate of appreciation (unless it's something special like a limited exclusive of course). IMO it's better to collect toys because it's something you enjoy rather than as a form of investment. If people want to invest their money, they're better off buying stockmarket shares, blue chips or just opening a long term savings account at a bank.

Anyway, here's my decision dilemma:
I have a contact in Japan who's gradually getting me various toys and is holding them at his place until everything's done and send them off to me in one package. This is what I'd initially asked him to do because with Japan Post, the cost of shipping gets relatively cheaper per kg with larger and bulkier boxes. But the wait is frustrating. So far he's gotten me Arms Micron Skywarp, Arms Micron Breakdown and TF Generations 2012. Masterpiece Sunstorm should be coming out for me later this month. Then there's nothing until December when United Artfire comes out, then later Amazon MP Lambor and Amazon MP Soundwave... so it may be early to mid 2013 by time everything arrives at my friend's place and he ends off shipping it all off to me!

As I said, the wait is frustrating... but also part of me is kinda fearful that I may be putting all my eggs in one basket, if you take my meaning... i.e. if anything should happen to that one box during transit, then an entire year's worth of TF purchases could be compromised. So... should I:
a) Ask my friend to send me the Arms Micron toys, book and MP Sunstorm first in one package, then United Artfire and the MPs in a second box later on (and pay for two shipments), or...
b) Stick to my original plan and just be patient. Possibly pay extra for registered or insured postage since it's a single shipment. Although that can get really expensive which would probably negate any savings made from a single shipment... might be cheaper to get them sent to me in 2-3 shipments.

I'm already getting most of these toys relatively cheap because they have earlybird discounts for preorders... and AM Skywarp was purchased during a toy sale from local retail. AM Breakdown and the TF Gen book may be the only 2 items that I'm paying full RRP for, so considering that I'm already making a saving on the price of the items, maybe I shouldn't be so tight with the cost of postage. Thoughts/advice?