Missing Heads

[Cat]

It's funny that some of us are advocating for fully enclosed boxes, meanwhile Marvel Legends collectors are rioting because they've got.... fully enclosed boxes. Shows how weird all our collecting segments are, doesn't it?

[GoktimusPrime]

It's funny that some of us are advocating for fully enclosed boxes, meanwhile Marvel Legends collectors are rioting because they've got.... fully enclosed boxes. Shows how weird all our collecting segments are, doesn't it?

It may be because there are more sealed collectors in other toy collecting fandoms. We don't have that many sealed TF collectors, at least not compared to other toy fandoms. And I'm talking about people collecting current toys to keep sealed, not people retroactively buying second hand unopened toys; because it would be sealed collectors of current toys who are complaining about Hasbro's recent decision to go with enclosed boxes.

It's relatively harder to find sealed Transformers, especially G1 TFs, compared to say finding sealed vintage Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Masters of the Universe etc. When I visited Lobos Collectibles in Melbourne on New Year's Eve, I saw walls lined up with sealed vintage MOTU figures, and only a handful of sealed TFs (a few of which were counterfeits and KOs). This is likely due to the fact that most Transformers collectors want to open our toys and play with them. With other toys like Marvel Legends, what you see is pretty much what you get; they all follow the same basic core body design. But with Transformers, we want to experience how these different toys transform. It's not good enough to just look at images of the robot and alt modes, the transformation in itself is a key part of the experience of owning that toy. And as such, we don't get too many sealed collectors in our fandom compared to others.

How many of us were collecting sealed toys in the 20th Century? I didn't start collecting spares of toys to keep sealed until 1997; before then I always opened every toy that I got. But in the 90s I already met collectors of other toylines like Star Wars and DC etc. who never opened their toys. Because every vintage Star Wars action figure more or less does the same thing; they have the same body plan with the same 5 points of articulation. Now that's not to say that it's not fun to open and play with these toys; I think the majority of toy collectors regardless of franchise opens their toys. But what I'm saying is that you're more likely to find more sealed collectors among non-TF franchises.

Disclaimer: Yes, I am very very much generalising here. I know that there are plenty of TF collectors who purposefully collect TF toys for the express purpose of keeping them sealed. What I am saying is that I think that sealed TF collectors are a smaller minority than sealed collectors of other action figure lines. And again, how many of them started collecting TFs sealed in the 80s? I knew a guy when I was a uni student in the 90s who already had a room full of sealed Star Wars toys which he bought in the late 70s, 80s & 90s (we watched The Phantom Menace together at the midnight premiere in 1999 ). He was the very first person I'd ever met who was a sealed collector, and also the first person I'd ever met who had a dedicated collection room. I still keep in touch with him today. But yeah, the number of people that I know who started collecting toys sealed in the 20th Century I can count on one finger. I have yet to meet a single Transformers collector who started collecting TFs sealed during G1 (1984-93).

[JJJ]

How many of us were collecting sealed toys in the 20th Century? I didn't start collecting spares of toys to keep sealed until 1997; before then I always opened every toy that I got. But in the 90s I already met collectors of other toylines like Star Wars and DC etc. who never opened their toys. Because every vintage Star Wars action figure more or less does the same thing; they have the same body plan with the same 5 points of articulation. Now that's not to say that it's not fun to open and play with these toys; I think the majority of toy collectors regardless of franchise opens their toys. But what I'm saying is that you're more likely to find more sealed collectors among non-TF franchises.

Funny you should ask. I was only this week thinking of the person I went to TAFE with in 1996. He was collecting sealed Star Wars stuff even then (and had been doing so for years, and he was only 18 or 19 at that time), with the explicit aim of keeping their value for later. I met him again 10 or 15 years later, and he funded his wedding with part of that collection. I certainly would have opened them and played with them

Anyway, that was my sole encounter with anyone who didn't open their toys until the last few years. Still don't understand the point (I mean, sure, I know why he did it, but plenty of other people don't seem to be doing it for the supposed investment, and I really don't get what they're doing it for), but then I don't need to; doesn't involve or affect me in any way, except for threads like this one

[KELPIE]

It's funny that some of us are advocating for fully enclosed boxes, meanwhile Marvel Legends collectors are rioting because they've got.... fully enclosed boxes. Shows how weird all our collecting segments are, doesn't it?

I think the main issue for Marvel Legends collectors is that they get a CAD drawing of the figure on the box as opposed to excellent artwork. I've noticed it on some of latest wave of Joe classified releases too. The CAD of the figure is stupid. Artwork is great.

Reading up on it, apparently Walmart (or one of the big US retailers) want a representation of the toy on the box instead of artwork.

e.g.
Artwork:

vs CAD



I'd take the artwork every day.

Sealed collector <snip>

Sealed collector here

[GoktimusPrime]

I'd rather take the toy photography, like MP. But Titan Class, Commander Class and Kingdom/Legacy Voyager and Leader Class toys all have artwork.

Ultimately it doesn't really matter. Just release the damn toy and I'll buy it. Heck, Gens Selects gives us boring plain packaging and we still lap 'em up.
But I guess the purpose of packaging design is really more to appeal to children and more casual enthusiasts. I guess packaging design is a lot like political ads; more to persuade voters who don't have any fixed loyalty to a party vs those who do. If you're a die-hard voter for the Make Action Figures Tax Exempt Party, then they don't need to do anything to win your vote; they already have it. The same holds true for toys with us fans; they already have our brand loyalty.

[snaketales]

Kind of related.. dunno if there's a repack thread. Spotted in Kmart Morley a few weeks ago

[DELTAprime]

We still have a couple of older Legacy Deluxes on the shelf at work. When I walked past them today I saw a Skullgrin with his head missing. I was like it's going to happen eventually. Fortunately while the head was ripped off, it was thrown back in the box. So I took it back to my register and fixed it up. Now if I could just find a customer for these old Legacy Deluxes...

[Skyfire]

I haven't seen a toy swap before. It doesn't seem to be a big issue and I shop in-store a lot. I wonder if that Megatron in the Ironhide box is a ripped out Ironhide and then some kid just put the Megatron inside. As for headless Skullgrins, I've seen several, as well as SS86 Arcees. I wonder what it is about Skullgrin and Arcee.

[DELTAprime]

I haven't seen a toy swap before. It doesn't seem to be a big issue and I shop in-store a lot. I wonder if that Megatron in the Ironhide box is a ripped out Ironhide and then some kid just put the Megatron inside. As for headless Skullgrins, I've seen several, as well as SS86 Arcees. I wonder what it is about Skullgrin and Arcee.

I did notice the clear rubber ties around Skullgrin's head didn't exact do a great job stopping who ever decided to decapitate him. I wonder if they just didn't have a great point to secure the ties to on the body. Also I have noticed there are fewer figures over the last couple of years with ball joint heads. Skullgrin has a ball joint, so that will contribute to the number of headless Skullgrins.