I was talking with a friend the other night and the subject of owning the complete G1 lineup came up. While some of us have succeeded even as others have aspirations (I'm in this category), I'm curious to get some opinions about what makes a complete G1. For instance, I have all the US reissues and some of the Takara book reissues and Ehobby releases filling holes for vintage bots that I don't own. Because they're the original toy molds, do you think the reissues should count toward completion? Or, do you think a collection needs to be made from only the vintage toys because they're geniune and sometimes harder (and more costly) to find?
SW: The answer depends on what you want to do. Some people want to collect the whole cartoon cast. No need for, say, Whirl. Others want to recreate the entire 1985 catalog (I think that's Crazysteve's ambition). If you want the originals, then get the originals. If you want the reissues, then get those. Nobody will have any reason to criticize you for violating rules that don't exist. Heck, you could own Bumblebee and leave it at that, if Bumblebee represents everything you find valuable in G1. Why not? You could make a case for it.
A collection is a personal, subjective thing. We each make our own rules, such as counting reissues, re-releases or even repaints. Some would argue that to be truly complete, not only would you have to have all of the characters, but all of their variations as well. Point is, you determine whether your collection is complete or not, no one else. For me, I count reissues until I can get an original to replace it.
Words of wisdom, my friend. I think that - to me - a complete G1 collection is owning figures made from the molds of G1 toys (not KO... that ain't a Transformer, whatever it looks like) that appeared in G1 media during the "age" of G1. To me, I don't care if they are reissues.
To me a G1 collection is all original release vintage stuff. It's much more impressive and expensive. The way you word your collection you have a G1 lineup which I would take to mean reissues. Bootlegs and knockoffs have no business being included in a "G1 Collection"
For the US, this would be the most offical guide to go by: http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/default.cfm?page=Collectors/Checklist Other than that it's up to you.
Yeah, I'd say this is toooootally subjective. For example, I have a "complete" set of the 1984 Autobots. Are they all originally from 1984? No, some of them are the Commemorative Series reissues. Do I feel bad or misleading because I call it a complete set of '84 Autobots? Absolutely not. I'm not selling it to anyone, so, as far as I care about these guys, I'm not misleading anyone and I'm mighty happy to have all of my favorite old cartoon buddies.
I agree with the majority - especially because I only collect G1. I have some reissues mixed in and some of the alternate versions (like Clear Hotrod and Black Starscream). However, it's what you make of it. Do I consider my collection incomplete because I have reissues? Of course not. I consider them to be wise spending. Why pay $80 for Bluestreak when I spent $25 for him at TRU, got a box, stickers, instructions, and I know what condition he's in. For me it's about the look, I have the 80s looks and that's all I care about. Besides, unless you plan on spending bookoo bucks, you aren't going to be able to get ALL originals. If you're like me you only want C9 or better condition and you're picky so not every original is going to be to your liking. At the same time, there are some reissues that will never happen because the molds are lost. A mixed bunch is how I'm going and it may take years to finish but that's what makes collecting worthwhile.
Absolutely true. My own view is that once I get everything from '84 and '85, including boxes and paperwork, I'll consider G1 complete. I count reissues because I like my stuff in good condition.