You present a sound argument, tikgnat. Unfortunately, you're still gonna die!

 

I get the feeling that they know their market with this shot:



 

And, there is no way that I am going to judge. I have spent crazy money - not quite that total, but getting close at times - on my Macross obsession. It's a hobby where value is really on set by the fan. So, enjoy it.

 

I can't talk much. Just spent £60 for a WST Micky Mouse  

 

Wait... The TF/Micky Prime? I have a KO of that one, and while it's OK as a novelty, I didn't even know if had been WST'ed. You must LOVE WST!

 

I've only ever seen a couple on eBay and them only recently, am half regretting spending that much, though I've spend similar on WST Thundercracker before. I've got most of the standard ones now so the only spend I do on them is the unusual ones. On which note, anyone got a spare WST Tracks?  

 

See, I just can't understand the pleasure of just ordering something online and having it rock up at my door one day (or, more likely, go back to a depot because I'm at work, then sit there until the next available rainy morning I have to cycle over to get it).

Collecting TFs is all about rekindling the childhood thrill of running in to a toyshop, scouring the shelves, finding the thing I've saved up for and buying it, there, in person, in notes and coins and Garbage Pail Kids stickers.

Plus, it gives me a good reason to go on an expidition around London. Plus, there's the anticipation of cooperation / competition with others (meeting tikgnat for the first time in Asda, beating Barry Kaid to the last Scourge and Kup in a TRU (sorry), picking up a Space Case for simond). Plus, it limits me going crazy and paying £60 for WST Mickey Mouse Prime.

Plus, it's great fun to lay out a basket of milk, gin, loo roll and TFs in front of a bemused check-out girl (while wearing my cycling flourescents). I look like I'm tooling up for the weirdest shit rave she can imagine.

If you could see me punch the air in TRU on finding Salvage and Undertow one cold December night and bellow "you fucking be-a-yooty" at a nearby child, you would understand.

"Only if I can find it in person" is a great way to keep a collecting habit sensible.

Now that I've seen some pics of RiD Arcee, I'm quite willing for Wave Two to get skipped. Bring me the Vehicon and Knock Out toys. My bike is ready, I am ready, I will fight you in the seasonal aisles of any major supermarket. And I fight dirty.

 

True, but i think that's heavily offset by the unfortunate fact that there often isn't much to be found on the shelves.

 

I've never opened my optimash prime because a.) I like the look of him in the box and b.) I can't imagine he offers the kind of play value that I'm into (transforming, good poseability, intricate design etc.). I'd imagine id foster a similar attitude with mighty muggs.

Reminds me of the awkward moment I realised I'd just presented a check out girl with a HftD Sideswipe, a bag of jelly beans and a roll of duct tape.

 

Ahhh, Garbage Pail Kids. Was there a child of the 80's that wasn't into them?

Good to see that you have the same view as me. Although, when your basket consists of a pack of mixed sweets, a six pack of coke cans, a couple of cheap Transformers and a budget pack of loo roll, you get entirely different looks.

Maybe. But, to me that's another way of saying 'I wont get the ones I want, only the ones that I see, and if there is one that I really want, I am prepared to travel the equivalent of the length on the UK on a bike in the a search that is likely to be fruitless, and therefore never actually hold that one figure in my hand'. If you want a figure, why not just buy it, instead of limiting yourself? I would probably spend more if I did that, anyway. I would buy almost anything I saw on the shelf as each sighting would be an event.

Post. Of. The. Year!

 

Duct tape has many uses. I buy in bulk  

I quite enjoy the pursuit of the hunt too. i remember swooping on a Voyager figure (can't remember which one) in TK Maxx when a kid was told he couldn't have it and tootling to the check out with a big smile on my mush.

 

I wasn't allowed them!   Think I was a bit young for them, but I remember coveting them when my older brother took me round his friends house. They were so awesomely vile!! (He also had an orange truck transformer which I think was grapple. I loved it!).

Also, in my head, Ironichide now looks like this.






(Tyres from Spaced)

 

I sometimes wonder if Ironichide actually exists, or if we're all just part of some extended social experiment involving (stereotypical) grown men who play with toys...

 

A quick lesson in how to avoid customs fees;

Anyone remember this post i made about not paying the Parcel Farce "handling" fee?

I have this morning been stung for £20 on my TFCC Over-Run (like it wasn't pricey enough in the first place!).

You will be suprised to know that the legislation ahs changed, spookily enough the Government are shareholders in Royal Mail...

The short version is that they are now allowed to detain a packet after an amendment was made to section 104A; which now reads -

104APower to detain packets in respect of unpaid or underpaid postage

(1)A postal operator—

(a)may detain any postal packet in respect of which there has been no payment, or an underpayment, for postage, and

(b)may impose a surcharge in respect of that non-payment or underpayment.

(2)A postal operator may detain the packet until the correct postage and any surcharge have been paid.

(3)OFCOM may give a direction to a postal operator—

(a)limiting the amount of any surcharge, and

(b)limiting the length of time for which a postal packet may be detained under subsection (2) (and, if a direction is given under this paragraph, that subsection has effect subject to the direction).

(4)Where a direction is given to an operator limiting the amount of a surcharge, subsection (2) has effect in relation to the operator (in any case where the surcharge would otherwise exceed the amount specified in the direction) as if the surcharge were equal to the amount specified in the direction.

(5)Before giving a direction to a postal operator under this section, OFCOM must—

(a)inform the operator that they propose to give it a direction, and

(b)allow the operator an opportunity to make representations about the proposal.”

36In section 105 (application of customs and excise enactments to certain postal packets), after subsection (4) insert—

“(4A)A postal operator may detain a postal packet to which this section applies until any duties and charges in respect of the packet that are recoverable by virtue of subsection (3) have been paid.”

From Postal Services Act 2011

Section 104A(2) states "any surcharge", without a legal challenge, I would suggest that the customs fees will fall here.

So what to do? The £7 VAT on my Over-Run wasn't the end of the world, however the £13.50 "handling fee" was taken the p1$$ IMO.

So get your seller/vendor/e-tailer to mark the package, on the customs label, up as "TO BE CUSTOMS CLEARED BY IMPORTER ONLY", HMRC *should* then contact you (as they already have your address!) requesting monies owed.

See this link

This will delay things, but assuming you aren't in a rush (which most of us aren't) it should avoid Parcel Farce getting involved.

I haven't tried it myself yet, but will be sure to post back if I do as I will be asking all sellers to do this for me.


And now you know.....

 

Dammit. Operation Pariah is rumbled. Abort. Abort. Commence scrubbing to restart....

 

I have Optimash prime somewhere in my loft, MISB, but only until such time as my little'un is old enough to enjoy him without ingesting any of his parts. Likewise for the stash of MISB ROTF toys, of which I have almost all the screen characters in one form or another.

Do checkout girls have those little panic buttons they can push to have you followed home by huge men in a van..?

 

Does anyone here need a junker G1-Mixmaster?

He's missing his barrel and has no weapons. I bought him should my reissue Devasator come with no head, since it did he is surplus. He only cost me £3, so is freebie to anyone that can make use of/restore or strip him for parts.

 

See, I love the thrill of the hunt too, except in this case preordering off the interwebs the Baroness has saved me moola, getting her in a shop (assuming I ever find her in brick and mortar) would probably cost me over an extra hundred squid...

 

I've noticed recently my toy habits have changed... in the last 10 years (10 years! Its been that long!) its gone from

i) Ordering mainline and Takara stuff off the internet because you never see it in the UK (RID/Armada) to
ii) Mainly getting stuff I see in the UK (Energon/Cybertron) with the occasional interweb purchase to
iii) More expensive but sparse rare interweb stuff with little mainline in store.

Basically during stage 2 I picked up a lot of stuff from the Energon to ROTF which now just sits in storage, and also picking up practically anything new you see works out more expensive. Nowadays I pick up very little from mainline (DOTM toys helped me considerably there) and only pick up Cyberverse/Legends, which has freed up the cash to go toward (the thankfully relatively rare) Bishoujos and other pervy expensive items.

Even the Bishoujos I'm being quite picky about, only characters that I actually like and mean something to me.

And actually my interwebs purchases from OUTSIDE the country has dropped significantly too, to practically zero. Mainly because of all the extra fees I was paying for MP's and shit from HLJ. I think most the last few things I grabbed were all from Kapow, to avoid getting stung... and the last item I got from overseas was DOTM Jetwing Optimus Prime... I still remember the huge extra cost I had to pay...

OMG. It still hurts.

 

You'll be pleased to know that I got them both in the end - Kup from a real life, thrilling Toy R Us shop, Scourge from ebay for double the price. Being extorted out of a few extra quid made that considerably less thrilling. But yes, it was exciting finding Kup in a real life toy shop, only slightly behind record shops in my list of top shops. Oh, and coffee shops. But Scourge, in all his spaceship with a pop-up goatee head glory is so cool that I'm happy to have him by any means necessary. Your offer to cycle around London, with or without comedy yellow cap, on my behalf looking for another one was much appreciated though.

 

I like going hunting, it feels so much better and gives feelings of nostalgia when you actually get to the till to pay for it. Buying online is great for garunteing you get what you want though.

Tomorrow I'm going on a hunt and if I don't find Ratchet or Soundwave then I'm gonig to buy some Lego   Kiddy weekend for me when I'm not at work.

 

Good luck finding Ratchet, given that he isn't out in the UK yet, at least not the Deluxe anyway. Also, Soundwave is pretty damn sparse, i've only seen one and I snaffled that. Bumblebee on the other hand..