We take an interest in toys and buy Transformers to make ourselves happy, but it’s hard to be happy. More accurately, it is hard for some of us to stay happy. While some collectors are perfectly fine collecting whatever they come across that they like without any grand scheme in mind, others prefer to identify and chase ‘grails’ or subject their collecting to goals and aspirations. What comes next can often come down to one’s success or their ability to be honest with oneself. Contentment | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ All the best Maz
^ " I began to realise that no matter what I was buying, someone else always had a better collection. " True that
Maz, as always ... great article! It's such a pleasure to see these Diaclones and read your feelings about them.
Awesome article and for a lot of users here a must read if you ask me. I had a transformers collecting friend over this morning. He had not seen my new display case and I showed him everything. The conversation we had about other collections and how we feel about them is a not so much different as your article. Both of us agreed that seeing someone else's collection. No matter how big or small or how similar or different it is from your own. It's always a beautiful sight to see! Someone else's collection always has a different personality. Even a collection that has the same figures as my own I find intriguing. Because the way it is displayed or obtained. I strongly suggest collectors to go see other collections. My door is always open to other collectors. But please send me an email before you come knocking at the door! iDD
Like the others before, an article with substance and so much fun to read! That's my problem, not being content with what I have. I always think I will be happy when I have this, have that, not just about Transformers but life in general. I said to myself before that when I get loose mint G1 pre-rub yellow Bumblebee or two, I will be content, but I couldn't help getting multiples of it, now I'm thinking I will only be happy if I get an MOSC specimen or MIB Microchange Wagen. But even if i do get the aforementioned, I know I will still be getting multiples or even other grails. A case in point, after getting several loose examples, some very minty of the 1985 yellow Bumblebee, I wanted to have an MOSC example, now I have two of those and still getting loose ones and maybe other factory sealed examples if I come upon ones that are within my price range. I think I should endeavor to change my way of thinking and be content with what I have and consider new acquisitions as bonuses. Will save me a lot of heartaches and anxiety.
Me, I'm content in getting figures I A. Don't yet have (though I'm not above having multiples of some figures, hence why I have pairs of G1 Frenzy and G1 Warpath as well as most of the Off-Road Micromaster team) B. Actually like (My collection is free of deluxe bumblebees with the sole exception being the Cyberfire I have classified as a Decepticon) C. Are for a respectable price ($80 lot for Prime voyager OP and Bulkhead? Even if I didn't already have OP, that's twice what they're worth individually at retail.... and they're currently available at retail) D. Condition does not matter, as long as its not missing irreparable chunks of the figure. (I figure I'll get the rest of the parts eventually. as long as some of these parts don't cost me an arm and a leg, Its not as if the figures are going anywhere)I don't even mind Yellowing on the figures. My G1 Motormaster's Trailer has turned Gold due to the plastic being exposed to too much sun, Just means Motormaster has kicked his fair share of Autobot ass.
Great article Maz! It's interesting to reflect on many such issues of the TF collecting community. I'd like to throw in my 2 cents, even though they don't exactly pertain to the rare vintages you speak of, but share enough in common I believe 1. The Takara premium - I've actually asked about this a few times in the past few weeks, with regards to the MP10/Hasbro Masterpiece Prime. In most cases, Takara has almost always had a sort of slight "advantage" with collectors in terms of their toys, whether it be more accurate cartoon-wise, have more die-cast, better plastic quality etc. However, with Hasbro's Masterpiece Prime, it appears that Hasbro has won out with the highly valued cartoon accuracy, with all other aspects of the toy being equal with Takara. Still it amazed me that because Hasbro MP Prime isn't being sold at the $99 SRP in certain collectors' areas, many have pointed out that they'd rather get the Takara one even though it's even more expensive! At this point, is it just a mindset? Takara's SRP is much higher, but the premium placed upon it when imported isn't that much compared to the more than 70% (in some cases more than 100%) the Hasbro version is getting, but inside it's just the SAME toy with the same accessories (with Hasbro, again, getting the valued screen accurate version), with a different set of packaging outside, so how is it people feel justified paying much higher for the Takara version? Just something that boggles my mind. 2. The MISB obsession - I admit, I have been a victim of this, and have only mostly broken free from this, much of it owed to influence of many board members here. However, I still do keep certain key pieces MISB, if only because a part of me feels I'd never have the same admiration for the piece if it were out of it. An example of a particular toy is one I've spent almost 10 years hunting, only acquiring it last year in Hong Kong for a great price is Nucleon Quest Super Convoy. Make no mistake, I love this toy in its whole. I love the concept of Optimus Prime having a power up armor since the days I first saw the commercial as a kid, love the mythology of tying this in to parts of TF continuity like Nucleon and the rise of the Action Masters, it's just a great piece, but a part of me, after seeing much of modern toy design, can't really take the brickiness of its original toy design. So, after much thought, I decided to leave it inside the box, preferring to take in the gorgeous design of it's box art, and appreciate the story of having Optimus Prime in an upgraded Powermaster armor, GOING INTO THE HEART OF A BLACK HOLE, to find fuel for his fellow Autobots (which is still just totally awesome). 3. The Contentment Issue - In a collecting community, it's always inevitable that someone has a piece you don't have. It's great to see you point out, in a time and place where a lot of people try to one-up one another, to be happy with your collection. Personally, it's not always the easiest thing, especially when someone has a grail that you've desperately seek, but I guess in some cases, one of the best things you can do, is sit back, take a long look and admire the key pieces of your collection. I do it from time to time to relax, and it's just a great feeling.
As usual, an excellent article by one of the top resources for Pre-G1/G1 toys. I share the same feelings at times, and sometimes find myself wanting to upgrade a figure I already have. In the end, I rarely do, unless it is for a sealed figure, or the opportunity to get a box with bubble or styrofoam.
Wow. That's a cool article. Makes me think alot about my collection, and where it's headed. Def food for thought.
great article maz, i've been on the sacrificing end more than once, glad i'm not into diaclones, cheap complete g1s are good enough for me. also, has your black tracks been repaired?
Great article Maz. I love reading your work. It is nice to see that other people suffer from the same types of issues that I do. You may have what in your mind is a small collection now but you've got some rare and fantastic things. I LOVE seeing those pics of your Joustra figures. Heck I didn't even know what Joustra was until I read your articles. I have pretty much run the gambit of collecting not just of Transformers but of other things as well. I think that collecting things is in my blood. My mom has always enjoyed buying things and I think I got it from her. The same thing always happens to me. I hit a point where I look around and say "I've got too much stuff". I sell a bunch of what I have and buy something else. Since November I've been selling a bunch of my things. I've decided to focus solely on my Transformers collection and my Khador army for Warmachine. Thus far I've completed 108 sales on eBay since November and have sold some other stuff outside of eBay. I'm not done yet either. I sold most of my Star Wars collection, all of my Masters of the Universe Classics collection, all of my Marvel figures, all of my GI Joe figures, my diecast race cars and some of my wargaming collection. Lately I've been selling comic books. The Transformers that I've bought are all G1 figures and all but the minibots and cassettes are complete with their boxes, weapons and paperwork. I figured it was better to focus on one thing and do it really well rather than doing the shotgun approach to collecting. I settled on TFs because they've always been special to me. I could have gone the cheaper route (and maybe I should have) and just collected loose figures or Encore figures but I've always enjoyed both the figures and the packaging. The artwork on the boxes is unlike any other and has always impressed me. I'm not concerned about unused status. I like stickers on the figures whether they're already there or whether I apply them myself. I don't want my figures to look naked. If I owned super rare stuff like some of you have then I'm sure I would have a different perspective. Most of the time when I sell stuff I am unable to fetch what I originally paid for things. That can be a tough pill to swallow but I figure it is better to spend the money on something I really want. I'm keeping track of how much I sell and what I'm spending and trying to maintain a good balance.
Wow Maz, just wow. I have Always enjoyed reading your articles but this one really hit home for me. I'm not going to go into detail on this thread but this article really opened my eyes. Thank you.
I passed up the pre-Transformers stuff i saw in '83 and i don't regret it, but the condition of those toys brought back SAD memories. The last g1 Transformers I got as a kid was a bunch of Targetmasters for Christmas '87. Then that was it. I lost interest and boxed up all 127 of my Transformers and put them under the bed. A few years later some new friends from High School started hanging out at my house. I didn't notice that one of them was leaving with a bag full of Transformers every day. Even though I didn't care about them anymore, I had to get them back. It was a matter of respect. I threatened the kid and he gave them back. When I got home I discovered they were all damaged. The stickers were washed out and the parts were grinding against each other. He said it was because his little brother had been playing with them in the bath tub. I went to school the next day and got kicked out. I had taken the kid's $120 Triple Fat Goose coat off his back as payment and left him in the cold. I thought it was a fair deal, school officials did not. Sorry for boring you guys with this flashback. But hey, if I can't talk about it in the TF forum where can I talk about it? Anyways, I gave my whole damaged G1 collection to my little brothers. I collect CHUG for nostalgia now. G1s were horrible toys anyway.
1. I don't think G1 were/are "horrible" toys, but to each their own. 2. Triple Fat Goose coat - reading those 4 words made me literally lol. I haven't heard that term since around 92, when I wore my Atlanta Falcons hoodie Starter coat and had a bucket hat I got from the Wildwood boardwalk.
Maz, I SERIOUSLY swear to you that if I were to read this article a decade ago, I would either: 1) Write to you, telling you to shut your trap & mind your own business! 2) If I can't do the above, then I'll just hit the "Close" button on my Browser & moved on without a single thought more. But reading this now after a decade or more of collecting, made me see just how my collecting habits/policies have changed/evolved over the years. Indeed, those words were all so true... Keep it up mate because I would like to see you going on writing & writing & writing.
Times change, tastes change. I loved G1 as a kid. But it was the new articulated versions that drew me back as an adult. I had the Lakers Starter coat with the hat to match by the way. TFG came and went pretty quickly, thank god. By 1992 most kids got rid of the Starters and 8-Ball jackets in favor of the Polo ski goose with the big '92 on the back. Ahhh, the memories.
