Goki's Collection

[GoktimusPrime]

Thanks Trent.

[Senor_2]

Whoa that's an epic collection! Especially liking all the G1 stuff, amazing

[SuspectimusPrime]

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Eehh... most toys were easily found in most retail outlets back in those days. Typically my mum would take my brother and I along shopping once a week, and she'd dump us off at a toy store (and when we were a bit older, we would wander off to different toy and dept. stores in the same shopping centre, we just had to be back at a certain rendezvous point (a busy area near the lifts) by a specific time.

Carded toys were pretty cheap, like a mini Autobot was $1.99? I remember the Constructicons being $9 each and thinking that they were "expensive" for carded TFs. So it usually wasn't too hard to convince mum to buy us carded toys most times. As for boxed toys, opportunities for them came about either because:
+ Mum had some extra money (like maybe she won an instant scratchie or either she or dad got a generous bonus from work).
+ Birthday or Xmas (including gifts from family friends, uncles, aunts etc.)
+ We had been especially good at school and/or around the home. We'd often be doing all sorts of mad chores leading up to a shopping trip to earn "reward points" for toys.
(

Which year was that when Constructicons went for $9?

I seem to remember my dad telling me he bought Blurr and Kup for maybe $4 at Franklins, and Ultra Magnus for some ridiculously cheap price.

I also have some very vague and fuzzy memories of going Toyworld/Toys R Us Bankstown and finding a HUGE wall (maybe one shelf nowadays) of G1 Dinobots and Autobot cars - can't remember the exact figs as I couldn't read at that age (might have been 4-5 years old). Those memories have been mixed with actual dreams of mythological Transformers stores in the last few years (this sounds very deprived), where I found myself in a huge Toys R Us/David Jones type complex, with isles and isles of Japanese never-before-seen G1's/Beast Wars on clearance.

[GoktimusPrime]

Originally Posted by SuspectimusPrime

Which year was that when Constructicons went for $9?

1985. But despite that "hefty" price, Devastator was the first gestalt team that I managed to complete -- I found it easier than other G1 gestalts that required at least one more expensive boxed TF. Defensor was the first of those that I completed because I got Hot Spot as a bday gift.

Originally Posted by SuspectimusPrime

I seem to remember my dad telling me he bought Blurr and Kup for maybe $4 at Franklins, and Ultra Magnus for some ridiculously cheap price.

Wow, I don't remember seeing Ultra Magnus going for such low prices -- but I do remember seeing Kup slashed down to $5 at Grace Bros. He was pretty bad shelfwarmer... Blurr probably would've been too - they've got such poor alt modes for Autobot cars.

Originally Posted by SuspectimusPrime

I also have some very vague and fuzzy memories of going Toyworld/Toys R Us Bankstown and finding a HUGE wall (maybe one shelf nowadays) of G1 Dinobots and Autobot cars - can't remember the exact figs as I couldn't read at that age (might have been 4-5 years old).

Did we have Toys R Us in the 1980s?!? I know we definitely did have Toyworld though (which still exists in other places outside NSW). A good chunk of my G1 collection came from Toyworld Roselands.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

1985. But despite that "hefty" price, Devastator was the first gestalt team that I managed to complete -- I found it easier than other G1 gestalts that required at least one more expensive boxed TF. Defensor was the first of those that I completed because I got Hot Spot as a bday gift.

1985 I was still 0 year(s) old I don't recall seeing the original G1 Devastator on shelves (maybe I was too young), but did remember seeing G2 Yellow Constructicons and thinking 'Huh?! they're THAT small?!'. By that stage my collection was more Micromasters, a few Season 3 Autobots (including Aerialbots and Throttlebots), and Season 4 Japanese Decepticons. I never selected them, and didn't understand the order my dad randomly bought them at.

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Wow, I don't remember seeing Ultra Magnus going for such low prices -- but I do remember seeing Kup slashed down to $5 at Grace Bros. He was pretty bad shelfwarmer... Blurr probably would've been too - they've got such poor alt modes for Autobot cars.

I'm sure my dad would've thought the same thing when he first saw Headmasters. He did manage to get me Skullcruncher, which was great fun when you have an army of Micromaster Autobots

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Did we have Toys R Us in the 1980s?!? I know we definitely did have Toyworld though (which still exists in other places outside NSW). A good chunk of my G1 collection came from Toyworld Roselands.

By the time I was 5 it was 1990 already, so maybe TRU just came in? I definitely recall Geoffrey the Giraffe.
Also seem to remember a giant Lego playground in Bankstown?
Quite like Toyworld Roselands, I worked in an office there two years ago, and would always check them out during my lunch break (was previously based at a Parramatta Westfields office before that, and enjoyed a more diverser range of retailers during lunch breaks).

[GoktimusPrime]

Originally Posted by SuspectimusPrime

but did remember seeing G2 Yellow Constructicons and thinking 'Huh?! they're THAT small?!'.

T'would've been 1993 by then.

Originally Posted by SuspectimusPrime

By the time I was 5 it was 1990 already, so maybe TRU just came in? I definitely recall Geoffrey the Giraffe.

Yeah, it was around then that I noticed TRU coming in. Just don't remember seeing any during the 80s though.

[Trent]

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Wow, I don't remember seeing Ultra Magnus going for such low prices -- but I do remember seeing Kup slashed down to $5 at Grace Bros. He was pretty bad shelfwarmer... Blurr probably would've been too - they've got such poor alt modes for Autobot cars.

Despite that Kup was one of my 'go everywhere toys'. He definitely did some kilometres.

Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Did we have Toys R Us in the 1980s?!? I know we definitely did have Toyworld though (which still exists in other places outside NSW). A good chunk of my G1 collection came from Toyworld Roselands.

Toyworld Engadine was my major source I reckon my collection alone kept them in business.

[Slag]

What version of G1 Optimus is that in the pic with the 2 omega supremes?

[GoktimusPrime]

Pepsi Convoy. Shwaaaaa!

[GoktimusPrime]

*bump* New collection pics added!