So i thought I'd start this thread because when I was a kid in the 80s car boot sales were a big things in the UK (sorry for my ignorance but not sure what your equivalent is in other countries), and i picked up the vast majority of my Transformers figures here. At various times I could get fully complete figures, or bare bones, and just wondered what peoples best and worst (for want of a better word - as i still loved every thing i got) buys. I specify G1 because nine times out of ten these figures had the most parts that were missing from figures lol. Some of these were a good few years after their release as I was collecting around 1988-1990 Best: Optimus Prime complete Metroplex - opened but complete in box with all accessories plus all of Computron's accessories for some reason lol Perceptor - Mint in box (not even sure if he got a mass release in the UK) Menasor complete Weirdwolf - complete Snapdragon - Complete Worst: Scorponok - literally just the body - no head, helmet, ramps, guns, shield, fastrack, silver bits etc. Ultra Magnus - the trailer only. Although from various stalls selling bits of toys I did get one of the two back ramps, one hand, a head, and th chest / crotch piece Scourge - missing his gun, head gun thing, and one of the two blue stickers was torn off his shell Galvatron - no cannon, cannon holder, belt, blue piece from the back. Electric still worked though. Hoist / inferno / Sunstreaker - No Hands / attachments / infernos wings/ hoist's trailer yellow bits Jazz - Guns, windscreen / roof and back windows / spoiler missing.
Best: Great Conditions Warpath (two years before the reissue) Worst The Torso of a Kickback, nothing else.
WORST: A G1 Blitzwing in "C9 condition" that was missing a tail fin, legs wouldn't stay extended, paint was gone from the face, the left shoulder pylon was melted and a fist was missing.
Car boot (or trunk here in US) don't really happen here (and when they do, they can be pretty sketchy) but we have a lot of garage sales. Best: G1 Onslaught complete with box for $10 Worst: G1 Sharkticon with broken tabs to pull out his hands, no shark arms, and a missing tail
Best: $8 Runamok with original stickers, pretty good condition, one loose arm, no gun. Worst: $8 Runamok with original stickers, pretty good condition, one loose arm, no gun. ...yeah.
Best: A complete C8+ MIB Menasor giftset for $100. This was back in the mid 90s when the combiner giftsets were worth at least $400. Worst: Just a few years ago, I ordered a Maketoys Metalstorm, and received a CW Scattershot instead.
Best 30 G1 Autobots with all accessories cut out tec specs with the red decoder cells. Instructions and even some extra missiles on tees. I paid $30 for the box. Worse I honestly can't think of one.
Oh i seem to remember also having a Dirge with one wing, one hand and no weapons and a Starscream with no wings or weapons or hands lol.
Huge Box of g1 and g2 stuff including overlord, most of bruticus, 2 headmasters, soundwave, calcar, stalker, kup, blur, springer, 4 dinobots and many others £20, made my day as a 6 year old just getting into the hobby.
Best: All of them! Worst: G1 Hound...probably around 1988. He had no accessories and most of the shiny bits were worn or cracked off. I didn’t know he was supposed to have mirrors until years later. To this day, I still think the mirrors look odd and out of place since my toy didn’t have them. I still have him...this is pretty much the same condition he was in when I got him...
Too many to list them all. I started collecting in the early 90's. About 25% of my G1 collection was from friends of mine who gave me their old childhood Transformers. They are mostly incomplete, but were free. I got about 50% of my G1 collection from thrift shops, yard sales, flea markets, and antique malls. Most of those figures are also incomplete. But I got most of them for around $5 - $10 each. Hands down, the best deal I got on a Transformer was a Bumblejumper (Bumper) from a thrift shop for $5. Probably the most awesome Transformer just given to me by a friend was Sixshot.
Best: Transformers Legends "LG09" Brainstorm (bought from an eBay seller that bought multiples, first item I have ever gotten graded at AFA) Worst: Transformers Legends "LG09" Brainstorm (bought from Jungle's online store before realizing they sent me one that included unreported damage to the entire packaging)
Best: Oversized Korean Combaticons. My first eBay purchase. Worst: Oversized Korean Combaticons. Vortex' shoulder joint broke the first time I transformed him. All 4 of his and Blast Off's shoulder joints broke over time but blue tack kept them together and they still transform and combine. Best non G1 second hand purchase: my fiancee at the time bought me a set of 33 G2 toys. All excellent condition apart from Pyro who was broken at the waist. Got them a week or so after the oversized Combaticons. Best birthday ever!!
