Hey guys, this was actually something that came up in conversation with my fiancee last night, and I thought I might see how the rest of you all feel about it.

I'm a loose collector. I don't keep things MISB, half because I'll always be a child at heart, and half because I just don't have the room to store full sealed boxes. So when I get a TF from the store, I just tear into it, trash/recycle the package, and give it a new place on my shelf. Bing, bang, boom, right?

So I had netted this amazing deal on eBay for a lot of four Cybertron scout-class toys, MOSC, and the package arrived yesterday. As my fiancee and I were pulling the figures out, we were both really impressed - these were perfectly cared for. There were no bubble dents, no card creases, nothing but case-fresh goodness, like the package had been from Hasbro circa 2006 and not a private collection. And yeah, we still opened them and added them to the collection, but there was a moment of hesitation. These toys were around 5-6 years old, and looked like they had just been pulled out of the Target back room to get put on the pegs. Someone who obviously cared for their collection had these.

So, my question is, if you're a loose collector (or primarily loose), do you ever feel bad when you get older MISB/MOSC pieces with the intent to open them up? Even if it's a split-second feeling, is it ever there? Or am I just the weird one?

 

Nope.

Though the oldest I've bought MOSC were G2 Cyberjets for under $20.

 

part of me did when i went through my henkei bug phase, but i still refuse to bash from a henkei or takara fig

 

I've opened MISB Laser Optimus, G2 Smokescreen & Dreadwing, Hero Megatron, both laser cycles, and more. While I'm thankful that there are MISB collectors who eventually sell, these were made to be opened. The only way I'd feel bad is if it was a vintage G1 toy with a readily available reissue.

 

I could care less, it's not staying in the box.  

 

It's your property, you can do want you want. If someone is going to judge you for it,i pity them.

 

Pretty much the same here. I actively avoid adding more G1 to my collection than what I already have, so for me this moment of guilt or hesitation never really crosses my mind. I prefer my toys out and displayed rather than MISB anyways. I collect for enjoyment, and I can't really enjoy a Transformer if it's in package, can I?  

 

Nope. Toys are meant to be played with. If a collector wants to keep they're stuff MISB, then fine, but I won't feel bad about wanting to play with something that was technically made for kids anyway.

 

Fight the guilt by buying new legends class figures in double. One to open and one to tack up on the wall ala hotwheels collections. Works for me.

 

It's Shrodinger's MISB Toy conundrum.

Let us say that Shrodinger has an original G1 Fort Max MISB. Is the toy fun to play with? Is it boring? The Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics implies that after a while, the toy is simultaneously boring and fun. Yet when we open the box...it completely devalues the toy.

 

I do not feel any remorse for tearing into the packaging. If it were a G1 or something like that, possibly, but anything else is fair game. I do keep a few boxes here and there if they're cool looking and not going to take up a ton of space.

 

Never open them! Nooooooooooooooo!










Just kidding...

 

Depends on how recent and rare the item is. I'd open a MISB Classics Optimus Prime in a heartbeat, but anything G1 that's MISB would stay MISB. There's enough loose figures of pretty much every G1 figure ever released that I could get a loose sample much easier and restore it for much cheaper than getting a MISB version*.

*Unless it's a re-issue from that TFC book series or the Commemerative TRU run. Then it's fair game.

 

There is some level at which a sealed example of a toy is valuable enough that you should maybe think about leaving it as is.

Those four Cybertron scouts fall far short of that level, wherever it is.

It's rare that i've ever opened a true vintage, valuable toy. If i have it's becasue i've already rationalised the potential monetary loss against the enjoyment of opening said toy.

So no. No guilt.

 

I open my figures' box regarless if old or new. The toys are made to be play with, and as such I will play! If someone wants to keep them inside the box thats fine different things for different people.

 

This happened to me too. When I received my Buster Optimus Prime, I saw how beautiful he was in his box, and thought about leaving him that way, so nothing bad would ever happen to him. The problem was, I forgot he still had batteries in him, so I needed to extricate him from his package anyway.

More recently, I received a BW Transmetal Optimus Primal. Not MISB, but still MIB. It appeared as though he'd never been out of the package itself, and his weapons were still sealed. It took me a few minutes, but I finally decided that I needed to take him out, since I had waited 16 or so years to play with him again.

 

This unless it's something really really special.

 

I don't feel bad, but I'm usually a bit in awe when I see buy stuff mosc/misb that hasn't been on shelves for years and it's still in perfect condition. Then comes my favorite part of opening the box  

It's cool to see that someone took care of them for a period of time in the box, now I just figure it's my time to care for them as well, just to be enjoyed outside the box.

 

I figured this might be the general consensus  

I thought about it for a while, and came to the theory that opening them and putting them in my collection would be the exact same thing for me as when the previous owner had kept them in such good condition and added them to his MISB collection. So, really, it was different ways of enjoying the same toys.