How much $$$ have you sunk...err...invested into Transformers?

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by mouschi, Jan 10, 2020.

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How much $$$ have you sunk...err...invested into Transformers?

  1. < 1k

    5 vote(s)
    3.7%
  2. 1k - 5k

    29 vote(s)
    21.3%
  3. 5k-10k

    42 vote(s)
    30.9%
  4. 10k-15k

    25 vote(s)
    18.4%
  5. 15k-20k

    10 vote(s)
    7.4%
  6. 20k-25k

    5 vote(s)
    3.7%
  7. >25k

    17 vote(s)
    12.5%
  8. No clue, money is of no concern to me

    3 vote(s)
    2.2%
  1. supervir2

    supervir2 Feels like the kid in Big everyday.

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    I don't want to know. i have bought, sold, and reused a fair amount of it for TF again, so that would be tough to figure. since 1996 or so though...BW, BM, CR, armada, energy, cybertron, classics, alternators, MP, 3P, customs...it adds up to a lot:( 
     
  2. Snaku

    Snaku Primes Don't Party

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    I'd say part of it is...

    ... most of us haven't been collecting for as long. Until about five years ago I was picking up an occasional chug here and there and any MP figure that I happened to find at US retail (which wasn't very many since they tended to sell out before I even found out they were coming). Four years ago I started going after them more seriously but was still picking and choosing and going for KOs where available. Just didn't have that great of a disposable income. A few promotions later and add in that my wife is working as well, and I can afford quite a bit more than I used to so the bulk of my collection has occurred in the last three to four years.

    That's probably a big part of it too. I may be low balling my MP estimate by quite a bit. When I added up my Legends collection and realized it was over 1/4 of what my MP estimate is, I wondered if I may have underestimated my MP.

    Still, a lot of my MPs are KOs and I have chosen cheaper versions of characters that don't mean as much to me, choosing MMC Inferno and Hoist over Takara (plus I like their more detailed aesthetic vs the more toon aesthetic of Takara) at $45 and $55 respectively, ACE Cliffjumper over the other options at $15, Big Spring at $45 over the other Springers, and so on. I don't always choose the cheapest option, especially if it's a more important character, but I've tried to keep my spending down as much as possible. I still think this kind of spending on toys is insane and just plain stupid but I've come to accept that I'm more insane and stupid than I was previously willing to admit. Also I'm not including shipping in any of my estimates - just the listed price when I bought them. If I added in shipping, it'd go up quite a bit - I'm impatient and will usually choose to buy from a US seller and get a figure earlier rather than buy from a Chinese seller and wait longer.
     
  3. werewolfspice

    werewolfspice Bat Chain Puller

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    This is my first post since joining the forum! I only recently began collecting MP, both Takara and 3rd Party. I’m realizing with dread that I’ve come to this so late that no amount of collecting will be cheap for me. I only plan to buy characters I love...but it just so happens that most of their best representations were fanstoys or maketoys, like 2-5 years ago (preceptor, Jazz, insecticons, skyfire, etc.) so I can answer that so far I’ve spent about 1500 for about 10 figures which is not so bad considering mp44, toy world constructor and dx-9 Gabriel are among them. But if I spend “today” prices for, say, all 20 figures that I REALLY want, I’m probably looking at 10 grand when all is said and done, and those scalper prices will only escalate after today.

    on one hand I feel like starting this collection this late was a horrible mistake, but on the other hand....man I really like these figures.
     
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  4. DrCalligari

    DrCalligari Does it come in purple?

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    I've only been in the hobby a few years and have sold and reinvested that money. And I try to keep a narrow focus. Right now it's only MP, Iron Factory and New Age bots.
     
  5. divinecomedy

    divinecomedy Board Certified Fans Trollar

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    Remember guys, we are ..... investing.
     
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  6. Aimless Misfire

    Aimless Misfire Banned

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    No way I can answer this. I've been collecting since G1 wave 1 1984.
     
  7. AutoconDeceptibot

    AutoconDeceptibot Well-Known Member

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    Frankly.......... too much to rationalize now.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2020
  8. 1mBr0k3n

    1mBr0k3n -

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    You can't put a price on happiness. If buying figures brings you joy, you're money ahead. If you can sell at a profit, bonus for you. Life is short, do what you can.
     
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  9. kibble

    kibble Seeker style, yo!

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    My advice, especially with 3rd Party figures...I probably wouldn't spend a crazy markup to acquire them. If they're selling for THAT much, there will probably be an alternative or reissue available at some point. 3rd Party figures don't tend to hold their value. Hell, many official ones don't either. They go for stupid prices while they're the hot thing and not readily available, but times are always changing in this hobby and what's hot today won't necessarily be tomorrow.
     
  10. werewolfspice

    werewolfspice Bat Chain Puller

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    That’s really good to know, thanks! Shady business and labor ethics aside, I’m also not entirely opposed to KO versions of things like repaints(I refuse to spend 700 on the 2 maketoys seekers that are just repaints of their starscream, for example, since they are less important to me than starscream, which I did spend200 on the maketoys version of. Especially since TT knockoffs are inexpensive). Maybe that’ll help some, at least.
     
  11. DoubleClouder

    DoubleClouder Prototype / Testshot collector

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    Same here.

    Just for giggles I added up a a bunch of retail prices for the G1 figures I received as a kid in 84 and ran it through the inflation calculator....ouch.....
     
  12. Metroplexcity2019

    Metroplexcity2019 Cybertronian

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    Sage advice here.

    LOL yeah...not so much, no fun in investing. :p 
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jan 10, 2020
  13. JoeHavok

    JoeHavok Well-Known Member

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    Official Masterpiece and Third Masterpiece are expensive. Plus years ago I collected boxed G1 figures. And I’ve been collecting seriously for over 25 years. So, I’m pretty sure I don’t want to try to add it up. It will just make me depressed.
     
    Last edited: Jan 10, 2020
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  14. MaxPower

    MaxPower Well-Known Member

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    If the question says transformers. So in general... all. I’ve spent over 25 thousand easily. I used to collect like mad: Armada trilogy G1 residues, Alternators, Classics, all CHUG.

    Then Masterpiece and 3rd Party took over. I am almost certain I drop over 5Gs a year on Masterpiece and 3rd Party. I buy almost all of them and have several versions of each each character. This is an expensive hobby! And the scary thing is I buy a lot of lines of action figures as well; Marvel Legends, Star Wars Black 6”, DC Universe Classics, MOTU Classics, TMNT Classics, among a few others.
     
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  15. mikeszekely

    mikeszekely Not Pessimus Prime

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    Yeah, I still don't get how you guys are coming up with such low numbers. Did most of you just start? I looked over what I spent just this month and I'm already around $300. I feel like a few of you are saying you've spent less in your entire collection than I currently have pre-ordered.
     
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  16. Metroplexcity2019

    Metroplexcity2019 Cybertronian

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    Thanks to hours of Youtube video reviews I started out buying KO's because I'm poor, have no shame, they relatively inexpensive, and the overall purpose isn't investment. After I picked up KO's of most of the characters I wanted, I started buying Third Party for other characters, and around the same time Takara started the + line. So I decided to buy most of the Takara + releases because I dig the toon aesthetic more than the real world and thought it would be the ideal way to pick up official releases of characters I missed out on all those years ago, resorting to KO's which I have no regrets since I can display in both bot and alt. I must say although I do not regret buying the KO's, I have learned to prefer the officials, and for the most part only buy KO's with improvements and or enlarged, not attempts at 1:1 ratio resulting in a mess of sloppy paint.
     
  17. octobotimus

    octobotimus Bad company ruins good morals

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    Too much
     
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  18. Mr H

    Mr H Old bot from Iacon...

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    Between MP, 3P and 3P Legends $22,632. I'm not including the display stands and cases they're housed in.
     
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  19. Curium

    Curium Well-Known Member

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    That is definitely my savings grace on how much I've spent on Transformers, I have not bought for any other line since I really escalated with MP/3P.
     
  20. trey carter

    trey carter The hash slinging slasher

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    I tell myself 3k...been telling myself that since 2017!
     
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