When I started recollecting Transformers (During the end of classics, beginning of movie) I was diehard MISBer. But lately I feel the need to open them. My universe Sunstreaker, Prowl, and Tankor are now opened. My movie premium leaders Optimus Prime and Megatron were next. Now I open every thing (except for Encore and reissues, they suck posability wise anyway). I love to handle them, transform them, pose them. Of course opening them destrys the value, but I thought what the heck, I dont want to be on my death bed thinking I should have opened Animated Jazz. Anybody else like this. Started of as a MISBer and turned into an opener?
I only kept my e-hobbys (when I still collected them) MISB because they were limited in numbers. I definately appreciated it when I sold them, especially some of the harder to find characters like the repainted Blitzwing and Sunstorm. Now I have a few that are still MISB (you can see them in my collection link, below my sig) but those have a kind of sentimental value (SDCC Prime was a gift and the first three TFU reissues were the first TFs I bought when I started collecting again). I can understand keeping some MISB and it's always going to be the collector's personal choice. However, sometimes it goes too far (IMHO). If you look at the collection thread you'll see people who buy every single toy from every single line and keeping them MISB not only takes up space, it keeps them from being displayed in all their glory - it's somewhat self defeating: to buy a toy because it looks good then display the packaging by the side because there's no room to face it forward. I think a mix of MISB, MIB, and loose is best.
I don't plan to resell my collection, I enjoy fiddling with them, actually transforming them (they are transformers, no?), displaying them, hell even playing with them from time to time. I open mine. I can understand why some keep them MISB (I have some figures, both TF and not that I have MISB), but for the most part...I rather open my toys.
I'm all for opening the toys. Transformers are fun, they're not like Star Wars crap that doesn't have alt modes. Unless it's something like a Botcon toy I have duplicates of or plan to resell quickly, I open that packaging. Life's too short! If I'm going to buy something with the intent of making money from it, it's going to be a mutual fund.
I've never been a MISBer and I never will, because if you buy toys and don't open them to play with them? You're not a fan, you're not a collector, you're a prospector. A speculating capitalist. And you're no better than Scalpers, Domain Squatters, Puppy Mills or AFA goons. Toys are meant to be played with, handled and enjoyed, not kept MINT-IN-BOX or locked away in acrylic prisons in the hopes that one day you can sell it for more than you bought it for. There's no love there, and if you don't love the toys, why are you bothering? I've always opened my toys -- Value and worth can have more meanings than just what you see in price guides.
When it comes to leaving toys in th ebox, I believe Ratchet said it best... "It's PRIMITIVE! It's BARBARIC! THERE OUGHTA BE A LAW AGAINST IT!"
I keep 2/3 of my collections opened, while the 1/3 MISB, like Commemorative Soundwave, Takara Collection #6 Megatron, Classics Devastator, etc. So, I'm in-between.
I'm a die-hard opener. I've been one since childhood, and I plan on being one when I'm old and bedridden.
This can be a decent discussion without the insults. This topic is brought up on occasion and more often than not it gets locked. Keep the tones down and the posts civilized please. I digress, you said it yourself - value and meanings go beyond a price guide. My MIB and MISB toys have the same value to me on a personal level as, I'm sure, your loose toys do. I keep MIB and MISB toys because they look good in their boxes; not because I'm some "fake" collector or because I plan on reselling; they are aesthetically pleasing. Everyone collects differently and for different reasons, even reasons you may not agree with. Nonetheless, nobody has the right to dictate how they treat their investments. It's personal choice.
I keep my Encores and reissue MISB because they look good that way. My G1's are MIB because I wont buy MISB, not that I would open them anyway. But anything modern I am know opening. They are just too much fun.
If, at the end of your life, your biggest regret is not playing with a toy, I'd say you've come out pretty far ahead anyway. I always open my toys. I figure if I just want to look at a toy but not fiddle with it, I can just save the money and download a picture of it off the net.
The only MISB that I have are the ones that I bought an extra of... And I have an extra of an item because I over-bought, or got it in a lot. I open EVERYTHING !!!
Some I open, some I keep MISB (very rarely though), and some I rebox MIB once I come to need some space to display new TF. I never know if I may be in deseperate need of cash later in life and something in the original box would be worth more. That's not to say I do it just to make a quick quid or two down the line as I intend to keep my TF forever. I'm certainly not a 'fake collector' - I have hundreds of TFs happily kicking about without their boxes.
Looking to turn a profit is not the only reason to keep MISB, its not even really a good reason to. You would have to buy tons of duplicates, hope they don't get constantly re-painted and re-issued, and store them in dark dry places for years to maybe make double, if your lucky 3x your original price. Woot, I could make $30 off my MISB TFA Jazz in 5 years! Doubt it. There are so many people buying TF these days because of the movies, only a handful of rare toys are ever going to see the kinds of profits people make of MISB G1 stuff. Personally I like having my boxes nicely displayed. I enjoy the toy store effect it can have on a room. And I look forward to one day passing that collection on to my children. I know I would have loved to inherrited a room full of MISB toys from the 50's from my father.
Im an inbetweener I guess. I normally open 90% of my toys but there are a few that are stuck in their boxes either cuz I havent gotten around to opening them, they were doubles or I just dont want to open them. Like Backstop.
