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One Year Later – The Journey So Far

Posted by StayingInTheBox on April 13, 2013
Posted in: Supplement Readings. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 11 Comments

April 13, 2013 marks the one year anniversary for The G1 Journey. This was the day one year ago the decision was made to build a complete collection of the Generation 1 Transformers toys. Whew! what a Journey it has been so far and continues to be! For the past year I have searched, collected, written, and photographed what it’s like to try and collect these toys in today’s collecting world. There has been some highs, there’s been a lot of lows, and of course there has been some serious rethinking moving forward on this Journey.

G1Ratchet

My very first G1 figure … Safe to say the photography has improved!

The Highs

Simply collecting G1 figures can get me into a collecting high. My appreciation for this hobby has increased 10 fold just by having them in my collection. The G1 figures are special not only because they are the first (unless we count Diaclone) but the amount of historic value in them is through the roof. With each figure comes a story about your childhood, a story about the character himself, and an appreciation for Transformers engineering. Why is there an appreciation for G1 engineering? especially considering how overly simple it can be? Because you can see the evolution in the figures. There’s nothing quite like comparing a G1 Sideswipe to its Classics figure and then stacking each of those up to a Sideswipe Masterpiece. G1 engineering is the foundation of it all and my favorite thing about collecting them is seeing them compared against the figures that came after.

Evolution_Sideswipe

There’s nothing quite like seeing the Evolution.

Let me also not understate just how rewarding it feels to acquire a G1 figure. It never gets old to FINALLY get that figure you were watching on eBay, or hunting for at a local Collector’s Marketplace, it’s simply a rewarding high to get your hands on that G1 toy. There’s a big difference between going to Toys ‘R Us and finding the latest figures to hit shelves, or clicking “add to cart” at TFSource – it’s too easy. When you’re finding G1’s, you’re literally hunting for the best overall deal; you need to be aware of price, condition, KO’s, the whole 9 yards! When you finally get that G1 toy in hand though, you instantly feel rewarded and gratified for your efforts.

g1-cosmos-4

g1-powerglide-4

Both Cosmos and Powerglide were purchased from a local Collector’s Marketplace after some dealing!

The Lows

Unfortunately, you can’t remain at an all time high forever. Collecting in general will bring a lot of low points – bottom line is sometimes you just get burnt out in general. Although finding G1’s is a high, sometimes the hunt can be downright discouraging and frustrating. One of my lowest points during this Journey was trying to win several auctions for a G1 Shockwave. I lost every single one of them. Shockwave is what I consider a rare figure; he’s not in low supply, but the good conditioned ones with a decent price tag are RARE. I remember each auction I bid on just soaring past my spending limit … and sometimes I found what I thought was an excellent deal, only to find upon closer inspection for it to be a KO listing. You can’t win them all!

Shockwave

Shockwave’s not on the Journey yet …

Speaking of KO’s, let’s all let out a collective scream of frustration when we encounter them. As an authentic collector, I really hate competing with KO’s, but it is part of this hobby and you have to be smart, aware, and knowledgeable of your figures. I wasn’t up to the challenge when my G1 Starscream ended up being an early Diaclone knock off. I certainly blame no one else but me, I did not do my homework when I was in the market to buy a Starscream. Knock offs are never going to disappear, so I highly suggest anyone who is just starting out collecting G1 toys to be a fast learner and do your research!

starscream1

Even as a KO, this Diaclone knock off is remarkably rare.

Moving Forward ->

I’ve learned a lot from collecting Generation 1 figures for the past 365 days. Bottom line – collecting these toys are incredibly hard, but probably the most rewarding part of my collection. It doesn’t matter how many live action movies are released to drive up the price of G1, or how many 3rd party products are released to cut into my budget, there’s always room for my G1 collecting to expand and take priority. Moving forward, here’s what The G1 Journey is looking to accomplish this year.

  • Complete the 1984 and 1985 series of Autobots and Decepticons – Very tough goal, but with BotCon around the corner and new networking avenues opening up for me, I think it’s possible to do within a reasonable budget.
  • Expand my network to other collectors – Everyone should do this: NETWORK. There so many great collectors and fans of Transformers. Being involved with the community makes this hobby even more fun, that’s why I am so proud to be associated with TFSource, Kuma Style Designs, Pax Cybertron, and my local collectors Dr. Prime, Nickbot, Floating Cat, and Aadeon – all good friends who help me enjoy this hobby.
  • Continued improvement on The G1 Journey’s theme – This site is not a review site. By nature alone it can be that, but the Journey is about telling stories, making it easier to find answers and facts, and most importantly for good entertainment. This hobby is about passion and fun, I try to make this site fun for everyone, not just me.

photo Bay_Is_To_Blame_3-1.jpg

I need to add “Increased G1 prices.” Just kidding Mr. Bay 😉

As always, thank you for taking the time to read my thoughts. I hope you’ve enjoyed The G1 Journey so far, but get ready for more! We’re in this until the very last G1 figure is collected … then we’ll move on to the Generation 2 Expedition, or the Beast Wars Safari, or maybe even the Armada Acquisition …

Til All Are One,

Matt (StayingInTheBox)

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Top 5 G1 Transformers I Wish Would Be Reissued

Posted by StayingInTheBox on January 12, 2013
Posted in: Supplement Readings. Tagged: , , , , , . 11 Comments
G1 Box Art

Generation 1 box art.

G1 figures that get the reissue treatment from Hasbro or Takara are a great thing in my opinion. Although I favor the vintage G1 figures for my collection, sometimes obtaining a reissue is just easier (especially on your wallet). With that being said there are a number of G1 figures fans have been asking about for years. With the news of Takara releasing an Encore Fortress Maximus I felt the cards have been dealt and all barriers have been knocked down. Simply put, I think nearly any G1 figure can be reissued now.

Even with Fortress Maximus coming in just a few months, some G1 Transformers being reissued are more farfetched than others. Collectors and fans for years have heard about failed drop tests, lost or broken molds, or simply the lack of a “collector’s market,” that’s why this is a wishlist. We all gotta keep dreaming 🙂 Here is my top 5 G1 figures I want to see reissued.

5. Wheeljack

Wheeljack_G1_1_MTMTE1

Wheeljack.

Wheeljack is one of those harder to find, good conditioned G1 figures on the aftermarket. I’ve tried winning a few auctions, made a few offers to sellers, but I’ve never been in a position where I felt the time was right to purchase good ol’ Jackie. To date, Wheeljack has never seen a reissue and I don’t think he’s ever even been rumored to be in the works. He unfortunately seems to be the victim of a lost or broken mold. Creating new molds has been stated several times by Hasbro as being very expensive. Wheeljack is still a relatively popular character that would be well received as a reissue, no doubt peaking interest from younger fans and catering to the older collectors’ interests as well.

4. Scorponok

scorponok_Art

Scorponok.

If you reissue Fortress Maximus you have to reissue Scorponok, right? Don’t they go hand-in-hand? Seriously though, as one of the largest Decepticon figures ever it would be pretty awesome to see this guy get an easily attainable reissue, the decreased price alone would make me purchase it. Scorponok is another figure that is pretty hard to obtain as he commands a big price on the aftermarket, that alone has kept a lot of collectors from owning him. The main reason I want to see this reissue happen though, it would more than likely lead to a repaint of a BlackZarack. Could you argue against a BlackZarak without Gold Plastic Syndrome? You could … but whatever 😉

3. Dinobots

Dinobots

The Dinobots would be one of the most popular reissues.

I’m cheating here as this is more than one figure, so let’s dream even bigger by saying we all wish for a boxset reissue of the Dinobots! I think nearly every fan who has an interest in G1 figures would want a shot at all of the Dinobots being reissued; Dinobots are simply fan favorites and some of the most popular characters in the Transformers lore. With our luck though, we’d get a single reissue of Grimlock while Slag, Sludge, Snarl, and Swoop would be left behind 😦 The Dinobots I believe are another group of victims to have lost or damaged molds so they would be harder to have reissued. If you feel like “cheapening the hobby” there was a KO of Swoop being sold years ago and a small number of those figures can still be found. Regardless, reissuing the Dinobots would likely lead to a sell out; I’d bet heavily on that.

2. Shockwave

shockwave

It’s only logical.

It’s only logical … c’mon, you knew I was going to say that! Shockwave needs a reissue; he deserves to be reissued even. He is without a doubt one of the most iconic characters among Transformers and his recent popularity has sparked Masterpiece treatment pleas from fans and even a Masterpiece type figure from 3rd Party group FanToys. I have bid on over a dozen auctions and have lost each one: Shockwave commands a high price tag on the aftermarket and many, many other collectors also want him. The biggest reason Shockwave needs an official reissue though is due to the difficulty of finding a good conditioned vintage on the aftermarket. His hose is prone to dry rotting and his electronics can easily be the victim of battery corrosion making it difficult to find the right figure for my collection. Patience should pay off in the long run, but I certainly wouldn’t shy away from a reissue. Shockwave is also another figure that has been KO’d, so be on the lookout for those if you only collect official figures.

1. Overlord

Overlord

Overlord.

Overlord’s popularity sky rocketed for me personally during his awesome appearance in IDW’s Last Stand of The Wreckers. He has always been a sought after figure among collectors, but recent characterizations of Overlord have made him even more in-demand. Even though my goal for The G1 Journey is to collect the American releases of G1 toys, I would never, NEVER pass up a chance to own Overlord. Not only has he never been reissued, he was never released in America making him even harder and more expensive to obtain (he is a Prime member of the $1,000 club). A reissue Overlord would be another figure perfect for G1 collectors and younger fans wanting to learn more about the toys that started it all.

As collectors and fans, what G1 figures do you want to see reissued for your collection? Although this small list could be quickly read over as “wishful thinking,” there have been strong rumors for two of these figures to get the reissue treatment. Although I wouldn’t suggest holding your breath, I wouldn’t give up on your dreams just yet of owning some of these awesome figures.