Without revealing my former occupation, allow me to say this: A toy in reality is only worth what you, the consumer, are willing to pay for it. Regardless of what the AFA or anyone else says.

If a figure is older, in mint condition, and scarce, then it will generally cost more. However, that's no reason to rip people off, either.

For example: the movie verse line is actually only valued at retail price; anything above this is purely a profit margin for the seller.

 

I don't trust AFA. Or sealed items at all, to be quite honest.

Not sure about TFs so much, but I've opened up a LOT of vintage GI Joe items. Often, they're not mint. Missing parts, parts rubbing up against eachother creating scratches, sticker sheets are sticky, gooey, and often completely unusuable, etc.

I think TFs were generally packed better than GI Joe vehicles. But still.

 

As a collector who displays his figures loose, I have no reason to get AFA toys. My wife got an AFA Reissue Dirge which more money was spent on than I would have agreed to. Especially since the packaging is currently recycled somewhere. The only plus I could see is that it guarantees that you won't have to pay scads of money tracing down shit like accessories.

 

Did she get it for you or is she a collector too?

 

wow, is that true? I better get on this if so!

 

She doesn't collect. At all. She knew I wanted Dirge, which what I was babbling about was Generations Dirge, but as it turns out, I didn't have G1 Dirge either, so it worked out great that she doesn't really know the difference. Nowadays, though, she just goes in my ebay account and looks at my watch list and snipes anything she feels like on the list.


She does have all the Svarovski (SP?!?!?!) Care Bears. I guess that's a collection.

 

I agree. Some of these go for what would be a down payment on a car.

 

Don't see the point of AFA sorry. I prefer my stuff to be transformed and out of it's prison on a shelf.

I don't collect because TFs are worth anything, they are purely for sentiment and to fill my childhood void.

 

As for me I personally wouldn't spend a dime for AFA for these reasons:

1. It totally defeats the purpose of releasing it from its prison.
2. As much money you spend for an AFA'd Grand Max or Lord Zarak you could buy a ton more figures for that price.
3. I just think for me its just a waste of money pure and simple,but I am not gonna judge people who spend money getting there's graded or even buying them if that's what they wanna do.

 

whoamidri- yes man, get on it!

Cax6ton, well put.

Funny how the arguments for AFA are succinct, to the point, and well constructed.

For the millionth time, to anyone who feels the need to come down on someone for their collecting habits - no one cares if you open your toys. Enjoy playing with yourself.

 

The only time I'd get behind AFA was if I were the one using/doing it. I like to display my stuff loose or boxed, doesn't matter... so I like to be able to open them. But if I had something REALLY special, I might consider getting it sealed and AFA'd, not even to grade it but just to protect it. Like - just an example, let's say I got a sealed G1 Ultra Magnus and the box was signed by the entire cast of the 86 movie - THAT I'd maybe get sealed, to protect it. I can display another loose one just fine. Or something else that's like "one of a kind" - that kind of stuff would get AFA'd.

Failing that, I don't dig AFA much. I see the appeal, but it's just not for me.

 

While the grading process is interesting I have to admit I too don't really see the appeal for it. Why pay that much money for a figure you can never experience or enjoy? I open everything, I play with everything in certain respects, toys are meant to be played with, not just sit in a box collecting dust.

MISBers and AFAers just don't make sense to me. Sure it's great to have figures MISB so you can show it off I suppose, but in the end run... Even if you keep them sealed toys weren't meant to last forever. Anything can happen, you think all those MISB collections will remain MISB once you're gone and burried? I highly doubt it, eventually they'll be all opened up by younger collectors or collectors who just want to open their toys.

 

I actually have already hired a guy to watch over my sealed transformers after my demise...his trust fund kicks in the second I die, but its only good as long as the tape holds.

He will make sure nobody opens them, so I can eternally rest in peace. Now that thats off my mind, I can get back to the rest of my will...

 

I'm not trying to single you out directly, but since you summarize a few of the same opinions that pop up in these threads....

Who says that they don't enjoy having them? It's no different than having a comic book or baseball card sealed to protect it, and the owners enjoy it every bit as much.

I'm not sure why one simple fact seems so hard for people to grasp:
AFA owners have loose versions of the same toy
Seriously - they're not missing out on the toy. Really. They're not. I checked.

Does anyone seriously think that DL2W doesn't have a single loose Soundwave sitting around somewhere? I'd bet that he has far more of those than he does AFA 80+ versions. OMG he probably has a bunch of different Soundwave toys across different lines!

But no, let us all pity the one poor Soundwave trapped in an acrylic prison, keeping DL2W from ever enjoying the toy.
 

I know a lot of people didn't bother to read my previous post, but really: think about it. Some people have every toy they want. I collect 2 specific characters, and there are only so many versions of those to get before I'll have them all. Then what? For me, the next step is a few MISB examples of the same toys. I like their packaging. I like the artwork. It's all part of the things that established the characters that I love, so I'll have a few examples of that to keep. The logic of that isn't all that difficult to see.

 

I collect MISB TF but also have loose versions of most of them. For me, MISB figures are works of art that need to be preserved and kept in the best condition possible, so AFA is best way to do so. I don't have any AFA figures yet, just because my budget at present does not permit me to aquire them, but I would jump the chance have them once I have the funds.

To those who say that toys are meant to be played with, well, that's to the discretion of the buyer, to keep them in pristine, factory sealed condition or open them or get multiples to play with. Some say they don't understand MISB collectors, but it's really pretty simple, it's like having an art collection that you display or keep in storage to be admired at leisure.

 

The way some MISB collectors talk about their collections, for most of them, it always seems that they have no loose figures at all. It's the way they talk I guess that makes me seem to have this preconcieved notion of them only collecting MISB and then not doing anything with the toys they spend money on.

For me, Toys are a Tactile Experience, touch is something I've always been extremely impressed by. I want to feel the figure, examine it, find new ways to enjoy it. I can't do that if I keep my figures MISB/MOSC.

This is my collector mentality, even if I tried to keep a duplicate of a figure MISB/MOSC it wouldn't take me long to feel an overwhelming urge to rip open the package. It's just the way I am.

The type of collecting I guess I can understand, to a degree, but I could never be that collector. It isn't in my DNA.  

 

And what if you dont have a loose figure? Are you the Transformer collection police?

I have news for you...most collectors who are adults dont have little battles and shit with their toys. If you enjoy it, congratulations.

 

I cant afford doubles of AFA-ed stuff much less G1 originals.    

 

I don't know if that was directed at me, that being said, there are many ways to play with your toys. Changing up the display every couple of months can be considered playing with them. It doesn't have to just be having little battles and shit with their toys as you put it.

Just transforming one or two Transformers every few days can be considered playing with them.

Go check out the Fan Funnies section, that's playing with your toys as well. Taking your collection and making photo stories out of them some consider playing with.

Just because I enjoy playing with my toys doesn't mean I'm running around the house in my jammies every Saturday morning re-enacting battles from my favorite childhood cartoons. We do all grow up after all, some of us just happen to not lose that child-like innocence and wonder when it comes to the toys we collect. We just choose to express it differently.

 

AFAd items might be of interest for museums sometime in the future maybe?