Transformers questions by newbies, and not-so-newbies

[iceburn]

Hey guys/gals, anyone know if there are different versions of movie incinerator? Most pics that I've seen show that it is mostly grey and then the one that I got is mostly black. Have I gotten myself some fake one that fell off the back of the truck?

You've got the "Dark" Incinerator that should come with a small allspark cube and is by Takara. The other normal release by Hasbro is the Incinerator that wasn't sold locally here in Australia.

So both Incinerators are considered "valuable" here
hope that helps

[GoktimusPrime]

ftr the Japanese version of Incinerator is just called "Incinerator," not "Dark Incinerator." (Reference)

[sanbot]

Thanks for clarifying that!

Another question.

Normally, I just open all my TF's and play with them till the cows come home. But recently (i.e. whilst in Singapore and Japan) I've seen so many old TF's which I used to have and are now worth heaps and even some that I don't remember having until I actually saw it!

So I've been asking myself should I leave some of them unopened in the hopes that they would be worth a lot in however many years later? How do I know which ones to open and which ones not to? Is there some good "TF 101" website that can school me in the art of TF collecting?

BTW the TF that I saw and only remembered having after I saw it, was this spaceship which was blue and whitish I think (or purplish and whitish). It didn't transform into a robot, I think it was one of those ones that is like some kinda spaceship/base? I don't even remember when I got it. Anyone know which one I'm talking about (despite how vague I am)?

[loophole]

This one is aimed at Gok in your sig it reads as this: Transformers collection: 1198 (UCM), 1091 (SR) what does the SR mean?

[Paulbot]

i am unsure whether the universe voyagers (wave 2 onwards) will be re-released again under the 25th anniversary logo, right now some inferno boxs are released without the 25th logo, i seen the offical images with the 25th logo. it made me think whether they will re-release previous waves so the entire universe 2.0 set will have the logo. can any1 give me more details on this

It's unlikely that all of the Universe 2.0 toys will be rereleased in 25th Anniversary packaging. Some early wave toys do pop up again in later waves but we don't know yet, it's too early.

The recolours are being used to space out the line so that the same toys aren't on the shelf. The early ones like Sunstreaker and Prowl aren't likely to be repackaged as new toys like Smokescreen will be out instead (and hypothetically Red Alert??).

So I've been asking myself should I leave some of them unopened in the hopes that they would be worth a lot in however many years later? How do I know which ones to open and which ones not to? Is there some good "TF 101" website that can school me in the art of TF collecting?

I don't know of a good site, but if you want to keep some MISB for investment purposes look for popular/important characters and rare toys: eg Movie Bumblebee, Primes/Megatrons or Botcon toys.

[Pulse]

<snip>

So I've been asking myself should I leave some of them unopened in the hopes that they would be worth a lot in however many years later? How do I know which ones to open and which ones not to? Is there some good "TF 101" website that can school me in the art of TF collecting?

<snip>

Please don't be one of those collectors! IMO, All TF's are meant to be played with here & now (not sealed for all of eternity ).

[GoktimusPrime]

This one is aimed at Gok in your sig it reads as this: Transformers collection: 1198 (UCM), 1091 (SR) what does the SR mean?

SR stands for "Substitution Rationale" which is a different method of counting Transformers. It's relatively similar to the UCM except for two criticial differences:
1. Multiples do not count
2. Substitutable variants do not count

Now rule #2 is where the system becomes quite controversial which makes it ill-suited as a "Universal" method of counting. A "substitutable" variant is a variant that you would consider a fair straight substitute. For example, most people would consider Classics and Henkei Grimlock to be substitutable variants of each other, that is to say that most people would be satisfied to own one or the other. If you owned both, they would count as one Transformer, not two.

It's called a subtitutable variant because you could buy one as a substitute for not having the other. e.g.: If you don't have an original G1 Megatron you could buy a reissue and consider it as part of your G1 collection, i.e.: as far as you're concerned, you don't need a G1 Megatron anymore even though what you have is a reissue. An example of a non-substitutable variant would be say black G1 Megatron. People do not buy the limited black variant of G1 Megatron as an accepted substitute for the original G1 Megatron (or its reissues) or vice versa. I have reissue Megatron - it satiates my need for a G1 Megatron (which I also used to have but was stolen)... but it does not satiate my wanting for a black G1 Megatron. Therefore black Megatron is not a substitutable variant. I got the 2001 reissue of Megatron. I skipped the TFC and Encore reissues because they are too similar to the 2001 reissue. To me, they are substitutable variants. I'm sure most people with TFC or Encore Megatron don't go out seeking to get the other reissues.

Confused? Yeah. I ran the 2005 collection survey with the substitution rationale rule and it was baaaaaaaaaad. Everyone got confused because we all have different definitions of what we accept as substitutable or not. What is substitutable to me may not be so for you and vice versa. It was too subjective and people got mad. So that's why in 2006-7 I decided to create the Universal Counting Method which works well for its intended purpose of conducting surveys because unlike the Substitution Rationale rule the UCM is very explicit in defining what does and doesn't count.

I personally prefer the SR rule because I personally don't believe that multiples should count, nor should certain variants (e.g.: Classics and Henkei Skywarp count as 1 Transformer under SR but 2 under UCM). But I find that SR is not a good system when it comes to comparing my collection with other people because it's not explicit enough and everyone has a different definition of what counts as substitutable or not. So in terms of making any kind of comparison I prefer UCM.

In short, my SR count is the same as my UCM count minus all multiples and 'simple' variants (e.g.: all my original G1s and their reissues count as 1, not 2).

[sanbot]

Paulbot, how do i know what would be considered rare?

Pulse, yes my inner child is telling me to open and play play play and make transformer noises but adult shazam is thinking $$$

[Paulbot]

Paulbot, how do i know what would be considered rare?

Best way to know is to check what's selling out. Eg If a store has 4 Prowls, 4 Sunstreakers but only 1 Tankor then Tankor is the rare/popular toy. However any current toys aren't really going to be worth a lot for years. Another tip would be to check what toys get good reviews because those are the ones that people will want 10-15 years later.

[sanbot]

Best way to know is to check what's selling out. Eg If a store has 4 Prowls, 4 Sunstreakers but only 1 Tankor then Tankor is the rare/popular toy. However any current toys aren't really going to be worth a lot for years. Another tip would be to check what toys get good reviews because those are the ones that people will want 10-15 years later.

How about with the encore series or other TF's that are not sold in Australia? I spotted so many of them whilst in Japan and many of them seem to be the same as another one but then they'd be a completely different price like for example Galvatron, the only difference I could see was that one had a yellow all spark and the other had a green (I ended up getting the green one). Plus they are not really sold in retail stores in Australia so it be hard for me to determine which is selling out more quickly? Oh and Alternators was another one, two seemingly similar alternators at two different prices?