I should probably apologise for that click-bait title, but it does represent the topic of this article quite well. It’s impossible to go one year on an active Transformers forum without seeing at least one discussion about the rarest Transformers of all time. Rarity, however, comes in many shapes and sizes, some of which I respect and others that I don’t. The very definition of rare is hard to pin down in a collecting context, does it refer to elusive sightings? How many people own a particular toy? How few were produced? Rarity that was contrived or circumstantial? The discussion always ends the same, with a rainbow of differing opinions and disagreements. Fifty Shades of Rare | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ All the best Maz
Lol, someone noticed there were like three separate thread in the last few months about the same thing, that all regurgitated the same points ad nauseam, and ultimately deduced nothing Thanks for sharing your more broad and measured perspective on this subject Maz
Man I remember wanting one of those watches you pictured in that article Maz. When I finally got one, I kept wearing it everywhere and played with it in class. Needless to say, I got in trouble for not paying any attention and ended up losing the toy off of the band one day. Never did find it, and I never did replace the thing either. Good memories though.
I really don't know which is the rarest TF is,but I think it probably would be one of those Japanese Lucky Draw figures,between that Green Unicron,or one of those solid gold chromed Optimus Primes.I read some years back that one was limited to like 10 pieces,now that is truly mind blowing if you found one at a garage sale or something. If I did I would post it on here for no less than one of my Holiest of Grails,a Beast Machines Target Exclusive Magmatron or the Japanese equivalent or a fully complete Fortress Maximus of any kind. Lastly but I would also consider something like a Masterpiece Thundercracker either version from Takara or Hasbro in the new remold.Later all.
The one diffrence Maz is that ppl need to see the diffrence between expensiv and rare. Many items ppl say are rare are in most cases not rare but just expensiv. If we take away Luckey draws then a list of rare TFs should be much easier. Lucky draws are for me in their own category as they are made in such low numbers that they cant really be mesured to mass produced toys. I would categorise them like this Rarest pre-transformers Rarest G1 84-93 ( here you can argue to use sub categories for MISB Us/ Japan etc etc. ) Rarest Luckey draw most thing that dont fit into the above 3 categories does not deserve imo to be called rare, grail etc etc because msot of those things are just in some cases expensiv but they exsis on ebay several times during a year. just my two cents
Indeed. I have also found that "rare" does not mean the exact same thing as "expensive". While there are some things that are expensive because there are not many of them to be found, there are a few things I've had to track down over the years that were quite rare but not expensive - they were just things that people didn't really care about or things that were not popular enough to preserve, and didn't automatically command high prices just because they're hard to find. Just as there are expensive things that aren't necessarily rare, there are also (at least a few) things that are rare but not expensive.
Thanks for the kind words, I actually didn't foresee that discussion threads for this article might turn into the same sort of discussions I was writing about in the article, but it's almost happened in here. I actually unsealed one of my Joustra Diaclone "Kronoform" watch robos in the early 2000s as they weren't expensive or rare or desirable at the time and wore it for a while, it flew off the strap quite regularly I recall. I admit to wearing it out a few times Not really, no. They pop up regularly enough to not be considered among the rarest of the rare in my opinion. Sealed, yes I think they are tough, but I know a few people with sealed specimens, there are things mentioned int he article that have never been seen or number less than 5 discovered specimens in decades. Bumblejumper isn't in that category. Make me a stupid offer and it could be yours! You've seen my sales list, nothing is safe from sale... I think that pretty much agrees with how I see things, I like to think of rarity in a categorised way, and I don;t usually take deliberately low-run figures into account when someone asks me what the rarest Transformers are. All the best Maz
I think the rarest tf out there may be a MISB/MIB MB red tracks-the complete package(box, toy/accessories, paperwork).
Honestly, other MB figures are tougher like a carded MB Ravage or a boxed MB Jazz. Even moreso a boxed "Sunswipe" and "Thunderscream" in MB packaging. All the best Maz
But Maz, you can easily get a loose ravage, starscream, sunstreaker. How easliy can you get a legit MB loose red tracks? Hes along the lines of bumblejumper, he's not even really supposed to be there.
Honestly, if something turns up more than 5 to 10 times a year for sale, I can't think of it in the rarest category. And Red Tracks - whether it's the MB TF, GiG Diaclone, Takara Diaclone, Joustra Diaclone... appears regularly enough for me to be confident I can grab one whenever I feel the need to chase it. Here's one right now, although it isn't a Milton Bradley Transformers release: Diaclone Red Corvette Takara Very RARE | eBay The MB Ravage, Sunswipe and Thunderscream do have more subtle distinguishing features, but they're not as obviously a variant as a fully red Tracks, I agree there. If you mean a Transformers red Tracks, same thing, I don't class that or Bumblejumper... (Bumblejumper Prerub Mint G1 Vintage Transformer Original | eBay Bumblejumper 100 Complete Minivehicles 1984 Vintage Hasbro G1 Transformers | eBay) ... as particularly hard to find loose. Sorry mate, that's just my personal experience. If someone wanted to take it to another level and say the Transformers packaging and Transformers stickers are the main thing and that's what defines "Red Tracks", in terms of rarity I'd say that person just brought MB Sunswipe and MB Thundersrceam back into the same category, and they are both far rarer than Tracks. All the best Maz
Maz, not sure why you didn't include Topspin and Twintwist in the article; they are impossible to find. Like to reinforce the rarity vs expensive thing. I've probably had a few dozen Bumblejumpers over the years; loose they are not rare, just expensive. Same thing with a lot of the Japanese figures, they are just expensive and a little harder to find over in the US. I can honestly say there hasn't been a single Japanese figure that I couldn't buy at one point or another. This includes lucky draws as they always pop up on YJA. European variants, at least for me, have been a lot harder to track down, like the Italian version of Galaxy Shuttle. I think I've only seen 5 or 6 boxed ones since I started collecting. I know one changed hands to a few people, so it might be rarer than that.
A Gumpshot that doesn't suck is so rare it doesn't even exist. As you and others have said, "rare" and "expensive" aren't always correlated, especially considering desirability of certain figures. Also, as we all know too well, markets fluctuate. I still remember nearly jumping through hoops to get a BT-17 without having to pay an exorbitant amount, yet today as long as a collector has the cash, a nice one can be found relatively easily. It's still "rare" and even "valuable", but the demand for it has bottomed, much like the rest of one of my favorite lines. One thing that still amazes me ever since you've returned to collecting some time ago is that there are still vintage pieces that are mythical being unearthed. I think many of us hope for a case find of blue Bluestreaks at some point. While the odds are certainly against that, I really think we're at a point where nearly anything is possible.
I was going to say the whole package, but were back to square one with the debate. Fair enough, but you gotta cut me some slack, I have been out of collecting for some time now.
You did actually make a good point which is to actually look at the base item you are getting, irrespective of the package it comes in. That's a whole different discussion about rarity... All the best Maz
Great read Maz. As far as minibots go, the standard Hasbro Bumblejumper is very far from rare. In any given month, there are at least a half dozen available on eBay. Seeing them mixed in with lots is very common as well. I think the whole "never came with his own packaging" aspect confuses some collectors into thinking it's an impossible piece to find. An original Takara version with the circle stamp is a much more difficult piece to locate, not to mention the blue and red color variants, and their South American brethren.
I just saw your lovely group shot of the Estrela bots, there are a few there I never was able to get when I was looking, but the yellow Estrela Sedan I did have and sold. These days South American minibots on eBay are not uncommon, I never thought I'd see the day where multiple Lynsaformers would find their way onto eBay, I must admit. All the best Maz
