I have collected TF and other toys off and on for years. I had not bought anything in ~5 years since the house burned down and what I had was lost. I found out about tfcon a few months back and went there over the weekend and had a blast. This sort of rekindled my desire to collect. I picked up a MP figure and a few parts to try to finish off a g1 devastator I have on my shelf. But, I was really overwhelmed by all the new stuff that was out there. I had no idea about these 3rd party companies producing toys. I didn't know about the mp line and don't really care about anything past G1 anyway (I went trying to find a MISB G1 Mirage). So, for those who have been collecting for a while, what is a good resource to try to sift through some of the new product (mp, 3rd parties, etc)? Also, what is a good place to find older G1 items? I have listened to podcasts, looked at transformers wiki, and looked at various retailers. Thanks for any advice. Also, if this is in the wrong place I apologize. As a side note I thought the dealers at tfcon were really great. Is there a list of dealers that were at the con? I could not find it.Still kicking myself for not buying the mp18b from tf source. But, I did not know I wanted it until I left and did not have the opportunity to buy it.
Welcome to TFW, and welcome back to Transformers collecting I really think your best resources are going to be this site (TFW) and places like TFwiki. The third party forum is where you want to go for all of the unofficial / unlicensed products. Since that forum moves REALLY fast, you can use our index of all the third party products to look through. ^ Since there's a lot of third party figures out there, go to a site like TFsource or BigBadToyStore and look through their third party section for what is currently out / on preorder. Our news and rumors forum is where you'll mostly see upcoming official product first announced, such as Masterpiece figures. You can also look through our resources and TFwiki's database for comprehensive coverage of what toy lines consist of, including past and current product (like the Masterpiece line). G1 figures? The most abundant place is probably eBay. You can also search for Facebook groups where they specifically will have G1 only buying / selling groups. Hope this helps man, enjoy your time here.
The best advice is probably: Get out now before it's too late! Otherwise, accept that you will spend thousands of dollars and listen to what Matty said. Either way, welcome and good luck.
Sorry to hear of the house fire a few years back that destroyed your collection (and a lot of other stuff, I'd guess). A house fire is one of the most devastating and emotionally-draining events that can hit a family. If that happened to me, I'm not sure where I'd start back collecting TF's, if at all. MP and especially third party will drain your wallet fast, so make sure that you and your family understand the costs involved. I highly recommend that you have realistic boundaries, set up a budget and stick with it. I was largely ignoring MP until I went to BotCon earlier this year, and after picking up Wheeljack and being highly impressed, I'm now refocusing my new TF collecting around MP (as well as other G1 homages), but still not trying to be a completionist. For example, do I want to get the MP Diaclone characters in addition to the MP G1 characters too? What about the MP G2 figures that are also offered? I still love my G1's, and they'll always have a special place in my collection, so I'm always on the lookout for adding or upgrading a G1 figure or accessory. Some fans (myself included) save some $ on MP figures by purchasing from websites that sell directly from Japan, like HobbyLinkJapan (HLJ) and others. Many websites hold figures for you as they come in stock and are paid so you can save on shipping charges. BigBadToyStore (BBTS) calls this a Pile of Loot, TF Source (TFS) calls this an Order Stack, HLJ calls this a Private Warehouse, etc. However, each store has different terms and conditions about using such services, including how long stuff can sit in there before it has to ship out. They also use different shipping methods (and speeds). So far I've managed to largely avoid third party figures, except for some Combiner Wars upgrade sets from Perfect Effect. However, the Fans Toys Dinobots and Insecticons are tempting me greatly...
My experience is the same as yours. I missed all the MP hasbro releases. Never seen a MP SS at TRU. Never seen a bluestreak either. Starting to get into it and just discovered about 3rd party toys. I can't believe they can be better than the official releases. This is a great hobby.
If G1 is your passion and are just now reentering the hobby, Masterpiece is probably where it's at. It's not too difficult to obtain most of the figures and the most popular ones get reissued on a fairly regular basis. Just prepare yourself for a budget of about $75 per month. If that budget is too high, then I'd recommend the Generations line. Hasbro is releasing G1 Autobot cars as part of the Scramble City concept, so you can acquire a quick "Ark Crew" on a budget and feel like your getting a good representation.
what I would do... buy stuff you like in retail stores 1st. Get used to the new hasbro. Pick up a TRU MP Bluestreak. Then..as you buy cheap things from hasbro at store..you will find out what you like, and dont like..then you decide if you want to get into MPs. After learning the "new" tf model..start doing research on the 3rd party stuff. I would not recommend just busting out tons of cash just because something looks good without lots of research. But thats me..Im a pretty careful collector. You can always collect vintage lines too. The market is VERY soft on some GREAT older lines..Im looking at you Alternators.
Thanks everyone for the kind words and advice. I really like the MP sideswipe I picked up at the show. Though I will never open it, it seems to be high quality and nice to look at in the box. I am interested in preordering the tracks and hot rod mp items that are currently at pre-order. Others I am actively persuing are Bluestreak (MP-18b), wheeljack, and grimlock. Maybe MP-10 in the future. I have used ebay in the past and will likely continue. Now, as far as 3rd party stuff goes, I was having a conversation about it with a buddy. Since it is not licensed, will it retain value over something that is Hasbro/Takara licensed? If not is it better to sink money in to G1 stuff rather than go that route. This is probably what I will do either way, but I wanted the opinion of others. Also, what would you think is a good price for misb Mirage G1? I think $600 is max I am willing to spend based on what I have seen on the bay. But, I saw one this weekend with a sticker of $975. Should I have pulled the trigger on that one or am I correct that that price was a tad high?
I almost picked him up yesterday. The problem is that the Hasbro versions are larger (box-wise) and take up more space. For this reason I am leaning toward the Takara/Tomy side of things for these smaller vehicles. For the larger ones it does not seem to matter.
Welcome back! If you are into G1, then the Masterpiece line is probably what you will enjoy. The official MP line has had a lot of good releases and is picking up steam with more frequent releases. Sticking with official product, the Generations line and Combiner Wars have given us some nice updates to G1 characters as well. If you like combiners, you may want to check out Superion, Menasor and Defensor. Those guys are already out at retail. Bruticus is next up. There have also been some very good updates recently on Jetfire, Ultra Magnus, Whirl, Roadbuster, Springer, Sandstorm, and a few others. There are a good number of domestic e-tailers. BBTS, TFSource, and Captured Prey are ones that many of us frequent. For MP releases, you may also want to consider pre-ordering from overseas e-tailers such as HLJ, Anime Export, or Robot Kingdom. The overseas e-tailers frequently have better prices, but you do have to pay extra for shipping and customer service can be inconsistent. Third party figures are all around, and there have been some very well made figures put together by unofficial companies. The third party forum will help fill you in. Be prepared to pay very high prices, but there are some very good pieces there. I think that one piece of advice you may often hear is to pick your battles. Try picking a line and sticking with it. These days the Masterpiece line is probably the most popular, as it is aimed at collectors. However, many people collect third party and Generations/Combiner Wars releases as well. Welcome back and have fun!
look around through here.. Transformers Toys, Action Figures, and Collectibles and here.. Third Party Transforming Toys & Accessories Toys, Action Figures, and Collectibles
Depends on what it is. If Hasbro releases something similar that looks as good or better, then your 3rd party piece will deflate in value. But if Hasbro continues to ignore a character and the 3rd party piece is high quality, then the value tends to be retained. Note that with 3rd party items, the price is already high, so it's unlikely to increase dramatically in value anytime soon. A good example of a 3rd party figure that will retain its value for some time is Terminus Hexatron (aka Sixshot). He's a high quality figure that Hasbro seems to be unwilling to tackle so far. One of the few 3rd party toys I'm proud to own.
Tfcon charlotte was sensory overload anyway. The cabinets at the front of the hall were prototypes for upcoming things. And the ones at the chosen prime were current product just very well displayed. Things have changed a lot in five years. The war for cybertron and fall of cybertron video games, IDW's Robots in disguise and more than meets the eye ongoing comics, the Transformers prime tv series. I guess there may have been two live action movies. And from toys of course third parties have taken hold of the market for being so laser focused on filling the gaps Hasbro is not. Though occasionally you get stuff that is more original. My advice is to try not to get everything you see. And just get a piece that will make your collection uniquely stronger than before. Consider only what figures you want rather than the ones everyone else has. Also research any third party item you want to buy. Find out if it has design faults or the material tolerances are bad. Its less common than the early days. But its great to watch videos and read up on an item before you drop the money.
If a MISB G1 Mirage is what you're looking for, make absolutely sure it's not a knockoff. As you may or may not be aware, a few G1 toys will likely never be reissued due to the molds having been destroyed, like Mirage, Sunstreaker, Wheeljack, and the Dinobots. These toys are highly in demand and Ebay is filled with fakes being passed off as the real deal. Take Grimwing's advice regarding 3rd party stuff. Do your research, watch reviews, and make sure it's something worth the large investment. I bought my first 3P toys at TFCon, Caelus and Quirinus, but I did a lot of research beforehand and everything I saw about Planet X's product was glowing. I actually got Quirinus instead of MP Exhaust, and I don't regret it at all, both him and Caelus are amazing and I now want Neptune and Sumannus as well.
I checked out these on the bay and they looked solid. But, the name Sumannus might be a deal breaker from the jump. As far as 3rd party stuff goes I thought this one looked pretty boss and am considering putting money into it: New Fanstoys Transformers G1 ft 05 Masterpiece MP Soar Blue Dinobots Swoop | eBay
The value of 3rd party products can be highly volatile. One of the best examples is fansproject defender which was pretty sought after at first, then hasbro dropped the voyager springer bomb, and now defender can be had fairly easily for sub-$40. An example happening right now is fanstoys quakewave, which was the only MP-style shockwave - until the recent announcement of an official MP shockwave. I would only venture into 3rd party figures where the 3rd party product and the hasbro equivalent have already been released. For example generations brainstorm and fansproject smart robin. I do not do 3rd party at all as I believe the value is exaggerated, but that is my personal opinion - and others are certainly more experienced than I. If it's g1-style you're after I would go after exclusively MP's and g1's proper. Anything else will contain homages towards g1, not actual representations of g1. And play the market!!! You'll never know when and where you'll find a deal. I've landed a couple of sweet g1 deals, but it's necessary to keep your eyes open and stay patient. And for the love of god, do not get incomplete g1's. Only get ones that have all their accessories; to operate otherwise is.... insane.
Welcome back to the world of TFs! You can can great deals for G1s at eBay and especially at facebook groups! You get to know fellow collectors while getting a good deal on TFs. And usually you can find what you're looking for
Ok, so I have determined I would like to get the pre-order MP Hot Rod and Tracks that are coming out soon. I feel that robotkingdom has the best deal compared to the others I have seen. Have any of you guys had experience with them? I would like to assume they are good because they are a sponsor of this site, but that could be meaningless. If not them then who would you advise? I got my hotel room for Botcon yesterday. Pretty excited. No king bed rooms, but so be it. Not sure which badge to get. A guy at TFcon said that you can buy the premium badge and sell all the exclusives fairly easily and recoup your money. I have known people to do this in the past at Gen-Con so I have no reason not to believe him. Has that been anyone else' experience in the past.
I think that this website, TFWIKI, and TFSOURCE are your best knowledge resources for community, knowledge, and product respectfully. Each of which giving you the up and up in the world that is Transformers. You can even follow TFW on Facebook and Twitter to be on the up and up. (Which is literally why you don't see me round these parts often)
