No collection is 100% perfect. Unless perhaps you are into the whole AFA grading thing. So I'm wondering, what figures do you own and love to have yet live with overlooking imperfections? It can be very minimal things to heavy wear and tear. How much are you willing to overlook? Do you ever replace figures that aren't really broken in a futile attempt to achieve perfection? My United Megatron has a couple of paint chips. But I still love the figure and he proudly stands amongst my other Megatrons. My reveal Tracks has loose joints in his arms; the ball joints are kind of worn down. Hasbro MP 20th Optimus has a a couple tiny paint chips, and the lights look rushed and were sloppily painted. G2 Optimus is missing everything but his trailer and voicebox and suffers moderate wear but I love it and got him at Botcon 2002!! Keychain Cliffjumper is missing the rubber on one of his back tires. FE Bulkhead has a paint chip on his helmet and he has a stress mark on his leg. I'm sure there are a few more but that is what I can think of at the moment. Overall I have only replaced a couple of figures simply because they were broken. So what about the rest of you? Lets hear of those cool TFs you love and proudly display despite imperfections. Another thing as well... Ever look at your TF's and come across something new and be like when and how the f*** did that get there? That just happened today with my TF collection Megatron. Thought he was dead mint until today. Turns out there is a chrome chip on his arm. Never noticed it before. But I still love the toy anyway.
Mostly things like places where they missed applying paint, or where some of the plastic has that stressed look to it.
I've mentioned it before, but my Generations Thundercracker is missing the silver paint on his face, but has a blotch of black under the red eyes, making him look like he's wearing a domino mask. It's a little bit of uniqueness that I like having in my collection.
My RID Optimus Prime, Big Convoy and Lio Convoy all have some chrome wear, not actively trying to look for some good pieces to replace them, but I would if I found some with good prices.
I usually try to replace broken ones, but only if you can see it's broken when it's displayed. I leave all my "factory blemishes" alone because if it came out of the package that way it's OK by me. I don't mind some wear on older figures, because that means it was played with and enjoyed. There are stories to the scratches and I think it gives the figures character... My best example is my G1 Prime. His bumper is busted, he stacks have no chrome on them, and his right arm is broken off at the ratchet joint. But he still transforms, hooks to his trailer, and can "roll out" anytime my son and I play on the floor. I replaced him years ago with a much nicer cab, but he'll always be my first Transformer. Plus, like I said, there are good stories as to how he was damaged.
I have some scratches on the die-case parts of my Hasbro 20th anniversary MP Optimus and slight paint scratches on my Animated Wingblade Optimus.
My RTS Jazz's paint kind of...slid? It was in a box, pushing against something, and the roof paint moved around. I'm okay with it, it's an awesome figure. That same Jazz is the one with a scar on his face. It's pretty awesome—this little factory error looks exactly like a scar and gives him a bit of a smirk at the same time.
I discovered the same thing on my 20th anniversary Optimus when I removed him to take the batteries out of his chest. I really didn't want to open this figure, because he's just too nice to touch or play with. I thought the scratches on his paint job were something that I did.
My G1 Deszarus Gold chrome... well lets just say it's not so much Gold as it is Brown I will gladly pay 100+ just to get it nice and shiny again. My G1 Star Saber is very slightly off-white but not noticeable unless you stare at it. Despite this I have been looking for another Minty complete Star Saber because I guess I am a perfectionist
The pins on Powermaster that keep transformations locked seem to be very vulnerable to getting forced open when (inpatient) people are missing the Powermaster engine or when they don't bother to push the Powermaster engines in properly onto the pegs. I own PM Darkwing, PM Dreadwind and PM Doubledealer, all bought loose, and all with one or two broken locking pins. However, because they are so invisible in any mode, I can just about accept those inperfections.
My Classics Skywarp arrived yesterday. I realized why he was only $25. All of his silver and purple on his wings were colored black with a marker. I smiled. He was definitely played with. I smiled even more after I removed all the black markings. He looks great now.
I'm a Quality Assurance Inspector in my professional life so every little paint blemish or manufacturing defect drives me insane. Defects that wouldn't bother most people bother me. I usually end up getting two of each figure so that I can part them out and create a perfect (or near perfect copy) I've noticed small defects on figures that I didn't notice before years after I got them and then had to replace the figure because of it. It's either the QA Inspector coming out in me or I'm OCD. (Probably a little of both)
Lets see: My Transmetal Rattrap from when I was a kid has suffered MAJOR chrome wear... as in he's almost got none left. Replaced him with the 10th anniversary version... but I still keep my original one around. In a plastic bag, of course (so what little chrome that remains doesn't get on anything else) My Transmetal Optimus Primal has a big thumbprint in the chrome of his right pec, just under the "Optimus".
As I've complained multiple times before (it just bugs me that much...), my PRID Voyager Starscream has a series of smear marks on his face that look terrible when lit from above. If there were just one, I might be able to pass it off as his facial scars from the show, but not when they're all over his face. Which they are. Aside from that, my RTS G2 Optimus has stress marks around his legs that make me wary of transforming him, and one of my two PRID Vehicons has an inexplicable purple stress mark on his vehicle mode grille. The latter baffles me because that particular part doesn't even have to bend or anything like that.
