So it was Botcon 2009 this week, not much for people who aren't fans of the Movie line but a couple of snippets of interesting news.
There's a Voyager Bludgeon with swords, I have a particular weakness for Transformers with swords, and a Movie inspired figure is no exception. (I also splashed out $100 on a Drift figure which is going to be released at a Singaporean convention, hope I don't regret that.) There's also going to be a couple more reissues - Perceptor and the Insecticons, I've already got a couple of sets of Insecticons but I'm sure you can never have too many....
Perhaps the most significant bit of news is that the Classics/Universe line will return in Autumn 2010. I'm particularly happy about that, I'm also quite grateful about the delay, I've almost got all the G1 figures I want, that means between now and then there will be a couple of 3rd party figures (FansProject mainly), Device Label, Marvel Universe and that's it. I'm sure my wallet will be extremely grateful if I can resist other temptations.
The other exciting thing about Botcon for me was the exclusive Razorclaw figure, I wasn't there so had to resort to ebay. Expensive but not too bad (compared to 2007). I was thinking he would look pretty sweet displayed next to Jazz ala the Jazz spotlight (see: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Image:Spotlight_Jazz_a.jpg). Given that Razorclaw is a voyager then perhaps Alternator Jazz would be the way to go.
I have Alternator Grimlock and I intend to get Masterpiece Grimlock. I'm considering getting Alternator Ravage (Jaguar version). I have thus far resisted all other Alternator/Binaltech and Masterpiece figures. Initially this was because the figures didn't really appeal to me - had they got a Lamborghini or Volkswagon license (you can see what figures I wanted) I would have gone for them. As it was, Smokescreen was nowhere near his G1 self and I don't really like the Sunstreaker/Sideswipe figures. Equally I couldn't quite convince myself on the Megatron and Starscream Masterpiece figures.
So far so good, combined with the massive cost of getting those figures (especially now), it's looking like quite a good decision. Additionally I didn't want to start collecting a 4th G1 set (after G1, WST and Classics/Universe). But somehow those figures are calling out to me, especially when you see some of the stuff Reprolabels have done......
And then there's also the issue of scale, the Alternator line fits in very nicely with the 3.75 inch scale figures. I'm not a fan of GI Joe but there are a few pieces of artwork which makes me think that human figures display well with bots, and so the Marvel Universe figures with Alternators would look pretty cool. (It's a shame the last Marvel/Transformers crossover was so lame.)
So I want some figures, but certainly not all of them. But where to draw the line? I think the best place to start is with the Masterpiece figures. It then follows that given the distinct lack of Decepticons in the Alternators line that any collection I start would be Autobot based. (I would have to make an exception should a Soundwave Masterpiece figure be created though.)
I used to display my sports car based G1 figures together (Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Jazz, Smokescreen, Tracks, Mirage, Stepper, Wheeljack and Hot Rod). All of those characters have Alternator figures, perhaps with a bit of customisation thrown in, that could work quite nicely.
Maybe I'll just pick up Jazz and see how it goes.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Knock Offs
When I started collecting I bought a job lot of those crappy combiner KOs, terrible plastic and in some cases the wrong colours. I quickly realised my mistake, and sold them on (on ebay and I clearly labelled them as KO).
I've since seen the Constructicon KOs in a local shop, and I can't help thinking that it seems quite harmless. Hasbro/Takara aren't producing them (except the Combaticons I admit), no one buys them thinking they're the real deal, and they're not decent replacements for the real thing. Dodgy possibly, but useful kitbashing material. Verdict: Harmless.
(Incidentally I later picked up a set of Trainbots made by the same company which I intend to kitbash into something a bit more decent.)
After that first brush with KOs I stayed well clear until the WST seekers started being produced. When Dirge and Ramjet were produced I quite happily snapped them up to complete my collection, that's fine perhaps since there are no official versions. Skywarp and Thundercracker on the other hand were officially produced, these can go for US$100 odd on ebay. Somehow though this didn't produce too much outrage, perhaps because the official figures were blind packed and so cost the same as the normal figures. I picked up these KO versions because I wasn't prepared to pay US$200 for the real thing. Then the WST Dinobots were produced, again, no official versions exist but still unofficial/unlicensed product. I suppose you could argue that because there was no attempt to pass them off as official that there no duping. Verdict: Widely accepted but I'd be pissed if I'd spent that US$200 on Skywarp/Thundercracker.
Then there are various 3rd party add-ons, and unlicensed models. I won't name any, but this would seem to be in the same category as the Dinobots. Personally I think they're great, but legally speaking I suspect there is some infringement. Perhaps, my wanting these items, means that in my mind at least, I'm prepared to ignore the legal ambiguity. Verdict: Dodgy ground.
So there seems to be a pattern here - low cost items which are clearly different from official products seem to be accepted, but if you've ever come across a discussion on KOs on a online forum, it gets pretty nasty pretty quickly. Typically some poster will suggest that KOs are a cheap way of getting the figures that he/she wants in brand new condition, and someone will then reply to this that they still don't have the figures they want and that they're damaging Hasbro/Takara.
The figures that people really feel strongly about are the ones that imitate the real thing, for people in the know (i.e. people who know what figures have been reissued), these are usually quite avoidable - if you see a MISB Wheeljack for US$50 then it's a knock-off. Now I've seen it theorised that people new to the hobby will buy these, find them to be terrible quality and give the hobby up. It's possible I suppose, but reissues form quite a small part of the Transformer market, and for people shopping in their local TRU or Walmart, they're not going to come across them. Also reputable online shops either don't sell them or clearly label them.
I think the problem lies with KOs of figures that have been reissued. No one in their right mind would buy a KO when a reissue is available, and this is where the deception comes in: Metroplex. Metroplex was KO'd and reissued around about the same time. I'm not defending the people who produced the KO, but I imagine what happened was that they set about producing the figure (and probably spending a fair amount of money), Takara then come along and reissue the figure. If that reissue hadn't been produced, people would have bought that KO - it's a large figure with lots of accessories and prone to yellowing. The reissue was produced and so no one cared about the KO. The people who produced the KO were set to lose a lot of money and so created a box which imitated the Takara Encore box and sold their figures that way (to online stores who were unaware of this). Again, I'm not defending them, their business practice is clearly undefendable, but presumably they decided that they didn't want a warehouse full of Metroplex figures. Verdict: Terrible situation.
I hope that experience means we won't get any KOs of large figures again (which presumably are higher risk than the likes of Sunstreaker, Mirage, etc). So figures that haven't reissued; tempting, but personally I'd rather have (and in fact do have) a slightly battered authentic Sunstreaker. The problem is when they produce a figure which is prone to breaking and the original is very expensive. Case in point: Shockwave. I can't deny I'm not tempted, he's one of the few G1 figures left I want, finding a complete one without a broken/cracked hose and/or gun arm for a decent price is impossible. A reissue looks extremely unlikely since no one seems to know who owns the rights to the mold.
I think a common discussion point about this is who gets hurt by this? I know what I'm getting (i.e. a KO), Hasbro and Takara aren't going to suffer since there is no rival product (I buy shed loads of their product and buying a KO Shockwave won't change that). The place where people get hurt by this is the second hand market - if I buy a KO Shockwave someone out there who is selling a authentic Shockwave will not get my money, the market for Shockwave will get a little bit smaller. Of course it's not just me, lots of people will buy/already have this KO, I could argue that I don't really change things in the same way that me recycling doesn't really make any difference to the environment.
Perhaps what it comes down to is conscience - do I want to support a group of people who are producing figures which will ultimately reduce the value of my (authentic) collection? My most expensive Transformers is Deszaras, if they create a KO of him then my Deszaras will be worth less. Do I care? Should I care? I have no intention of selling him so it's only potential money, perhaps I could be annoyed that I spent a certain amount of money which if I'd waited I could have spent less. But perhaps that's life, that's no different to what happens with lots of items.
At the moment it is quite easy to avoid KOs, if it's too good to be true, then it's likely to be a KO. But what about in 10 years time? At the moment all KO Shockwaves are in 'mint' condition, give it 10 years and they will have 'authentic' signs of age. You go to buy a Shockwave on ebay in 10 years time and people who are buying KO Shockwaves now might not want that figure anymore and so sell it. They might not be honest and sell it as authentic. Maybe people buying that non-authentic figure might never realise in which case do they suffer in anyway?
I think I've covered most of the arguments for and against KOs but one argument I haven't considered is the legal argument. KOs are illegal. I'm a good citizen so therefore I don't want to break the law. To me that would be a particularly poor argument, I am of the belief that people pick and choose which laws to obey, in any country. It is very common for people to break the law if they perceive that no-one gets hurt or it's a low cost item in question. I'll give an example, you have $1 in your hand, you go to a vending machine and there's $1 already there. You see a $2 item you want, do you really just buy a $1 item and leave the other dollar there? It would be stealing because the true owner of the dollar might come back and claim it, would you let that worry you? The question is where do you draw the line? Verdict: Down to your conscience.
So that KO Shockwave; I'm tempted, very very tempted.
I've since seen the Constructicon KOs in a local shop, and I can't help thinking that it seems quite harmless. Hasbro/Takara aren't producing them (except the Combaticons I admit), no one buys them thinking they're the real deal, and they're not decent replacements for the real thing. Dodgy possibly, but useful kitbashing material. Verdict: Harmless.
(Incidentally I later picked up a set of Trainbots made by the same company which I intend to kitbash into something a bit more decent.)
After that first brush with KOs I stayed well clear until the WST seekers started being produced. When Dirge and Ramjet were produced I quite happily snapped them up to complete my collection, that's fine perhaps since there are no official versions. Skywarp and Thundercracker on the other hand were officially produced, these can go for US$100 odd on ebay. Somehow though this didn't produce too much outrage, perhaps because the official figures were blind packed and so cost the same as the normal figures. I picked up these KO versions because I wasn't prepared to pay US$200 for the real thing. Then the WST Dinobots were produced, again, no official versions exist but still unofficial/unlicensed product. I suppose you could argue that because there was no attempt to pass them off as official that there no duping. Verdict: Widely accepted but I'd be pissed if I'd spent that US$200 on Skywarp/Thundercracker.
Then there are various 3rd party add-ons, and unlicensed models. I won't name any, but this would seem to be in the same category as the Dinobots. Personally I think they're great, but legally speaking I suspect there is some infringement. Perhaps, my wanting these items, means that in my mind at least, I'm prepared to ignore the legal ambiguity. Verdict: Dodgy ground.
So there seems to be a pattern here - low cost items which are clearly different from official products seem to be accepted, but if you've ever come across a discussion on KOs on a online forum, it gets pretty nasty pretty quickly. Typically some poster will suggest that KOs are a cheap way of getting the figures that he/she wants in brand new condition, and someone will then reply to this that they still don't have the figures they want and that they're damaging Hasbro/Takara.
The figures that people really feel strongly about are the ones that imitate the real thing, for people in the know (i.e. people who know what figures have been reissued), these are usually quite avoidable - if you see a MISB Wheeljack for US$50 then it's a knock-off. Now I've seen it theorised that people new to the hobby will buy these, find them to be terrible quality and give the hobby up. It's possible I suppose, but reissues form quite a small part of the Transformer market, and for people shopping in their local TRU or Walmart, they're not going to come across them. Also reputable online shops either don't sell them or clearly label them.
I think the problem lies with KOs of figures that have been reissued. No one in their right mind would buy a KO when a reissue is available, and this is where the deception comes in: Metroplex. Metroplex was KO'd and reissued around about the same time. I'm not defending the people who produced the KO, but I imagine what happened was that they set about producing the figure (and probably spending a fair amount of money), Takara then come along and reissue the figure. If that reissue hadn't been produced, people would have bought that KO - it's a large figure with lots of accessories and prone to yellowing. The reissue was produced and so no one cared about the KO. The people who produced the KO were set to lose a lot of money and so created a box which imitated the Takara Encore box and sold their figures that way (to online stores who were unaware of this). Again, I'm not defending them, their business practice is clearly undefendable, but presumably they decided that they didn't want a warehouse full of Metroplex figures. Verdict: Terrible situation.
I hope that experience means we won't get any KOs of large figures again (which presumably are higher risk than the likes of Sunstreaker, Mirage, etc). So figures that haven't reissued; tempting, but personally I'd rather have (and in fact do have) a slightly battered authentic Sunstreaker. The problem is when they produce a figure which is prone to breaking and the original is very expensive. Case in point: Shockwave. I can't deny I'm not tempted, he's one of the few G1 figures left I want, finding a complete one without a broken/cracked hose and/or gun arm for a decent price is impossible. A reissue looks extremely unlikely since no one seems to know who owns the rights to the mold.
I think a common discussion point about this is who gets hurt by this? I know what I'm getting (i.e. a KO), Hasbro and Takara aren't going to suffer since there is no rival product (I buy shed loads of their product and buying a KO Shockwave won't change that). The place where people get hurt by this is the second hand market - if I buy a KO Shockwave someone out there who is selling a authentic Shockwave will not get my money, the market for Shockwave will get a little bit smaller. Of course it's not just me, lots of people will buy/already have this KO, I could argue that I don't really change things in the same way that me recycling doesn't really make any difference to the environment.
Perhaps what it comes down to is conscience - do I want to support a group of people who are producing figures which will ultimately reduce the value of my (authentic) collection? My most expensive Transformers is Deszaras, if they create a KO of him then my Deszaras will be worth less. Do I care? Should I care? I have no intention of selling him so it's only potential money, perhaps I could be annoyed that I spent a certain amount of money which if I'd waited I could have spent less. But perhaps that's life, that's no different to what happens with lots of items.
At the moment it is quite easy to avoid KOs, if it's too good to be true, then it's likely to be a KO. But what about in 10 years time? At the moment all KO Shockwaves are in 'mint' condition, give it 10 years and they will have 'authentic' signs of age. You go to buy a Shockwave on ebay in 10 years time and people who are buying KO Shockwaves now might not want that figure anymore and so sell it. They might not be honest and sell it as authentic. Maybe people buying that non-authentic figure might never realise in which case do they suffer in anyway?
I think I've covered most of the arguments for and against KOs but one argument I haven't considered is the legal argument. KOs are illegal. I'm a good citizen so therefore I don't want to break the law. To me that would be a particularly poor argument, I am of the belief that people pick and choose which laws to obey, in any country. It is very common for people to break the law if they perceive that no-one gets hurt or it's a low cost item in question. I'll give an example, you have $1 in your hand, you go to a vending machine and there's $1 already there. You see a $2 item you want, do you really just buy a $1 item and leave the other dollar there? It would be stealing because the true owner of the dollar might come back and claim it, would you let that worry you? The question is where do you draw the line? Verdict: Down to your conscience.
So that KO Shockwave; I'm tempted, very very tempted.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Being a Completist
When you're utterly obsessed with collecting something it's very hard not to be a completist. I think I'm somewhere between the 2 extremes - I tend to be a bit completist about sub-groups.
For example, the Animated line. Quite a few of the figures look cool - Soundwave for instance. But I couldn't cope with just having a random figure, it would be okay if I collected Soundwave figures, it would be okay if there were several 'cassettes' to go with him. But there aren't so I didn't. Grimlock on the other hand (ignoring the fact that I collect Grimlocks), has his 2 dinobot chums to go with him and so isn't so random.
In the Energon line, I couldn't just get 1 or 2 of the Terrorcons, I had to get all of them. (Although I got the Cybertron 'Dark' Scorponok rather than the actual Energon release.) It is my philosophy to get the best deco of a particular mold, another example of this is the Seacons. I collect G1, and I collect animal transformers. The G1 Seacons you think would fit quite nicely into such a collection, but alas to me the colour scheme on the Beast Wars II versions is far superior and so I picked that up in preference (and so haven't got the Nautilator mold).
So I'm rambling a bit, what was my original point.......... oh yes, being completist. So one of my collecting aims is (was perhaps) to get all the Transformers I had as a child, I now have them all except Runabout, who I just can't bring myself to get. To make up for this non-completeness I have made a custom version, additionally I had (and so got) Triggerhappy, I then decided he needed his Targetmaster mates and so Slugslinger and Misfire as well. So now got all the Decepticon Headmasters and Powermasters (plus all the original/proper Targetmasters).
I try not to be completist but sometimes it just plays on my mind, like the Botcon seekers for instance, having Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker I could cope with, but Starscream, Skywarp and Ramjet!? Please, just have all my money.............
For example, the Animated line. Quite a few of the figures look cool - Soundwave for instance. But I couldn't cope with just having a random figure, it would be okay if I collected Soundwave figures, it would be okay if there were several 'cassettes' to go with him. But there aren't so I didn't. Grimlock on the other hand (ignoring the fact that I collect Grimlocks), has his 2 dinobot chums to go with him and so isn't so random.
In the Energon line, I couldn't just get 1 or 2 of the Terrorcons, I had to get all of them. (Although I got the Cybertron 'Dark' Scorponok rather than the actual Energon release.) It is my philosophy to get the best deco of a particular mold, another example of this is the Seacons. I collect G1, and I collect animal transformers. The G1 Seacons you think would fit quite nicely into such a collection, but alas to me the colour scheme on the Beast Wars II versions is far superior and so I picked that up in preference (and so haven't got the Nautilator mold).
So I'm rambling a bit, what was my original point.......... oh yes, being completist. So one of my collecting aims is (was perhaps) to get all the Transformers I had as a child, I now have them all except Runabout, who I just can't bring myself to get. To make up for this non-completeness I have made a custom version, additionally I had (and so got) Triggerhappy, I then decided he needed his Targetmaster mates and so Slugslinger and Misfire as well. So now got all the Decepticon Headmasters and Powermasters (plus all the original/proper Targetmasters).
I try not to be completist but sometimes it just plays on my mind, like the Botcon seekers for instance, having Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker I could cope with, but Starscream, Skywarp and Ramjet!? Please, just have all my money.............
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thoughts for the Week
Another week and my magic number of figures still to get is down to 10. I'm gonna take a break for a few months now, but my G1 collection will be finished before the end of the year. (2010 New Years Resolution - spend less..........)
In the meantime there's Botcon at the end of May - I've got my eye on the exclusive Razorclaw figure, looks pretty awesome, could be a bit pricey on the secondary market though. It would be great to have Classics/Universe updates of the Predacons but for the time being a repaint of Leobreaker will do. It would be good to also have a Hun-Gurrr from Cybertron Scourge ala the Legends repaint, maybe, just maybe.......
Then there's the new 'Device Label' Transformers from Takara, Blaster looks like he'll fit in the Classics/Universe line nicely. There are also Grimlock and Ravage figures in the line, as two of the most well known 'Primatives' they tend to get the most figures/homages in new lines. I've subconsciously started collections of these characters and so when new figures come out I'm always tempted by them. Not sure about Grimlock, but Ravage works pretty well. Might have to pick him and Blaster up. Hopefully there might be a Steeljaw repaint too. (Tigatron - WTF!?)
So Grimlock and Ravage figures, here's as many as I can think of... Green I've got, red I want to get.
Grimlock
Movie Ravage looks a bit like it has a Alien/Predator influence, could be my one and only Movie figure. I'm thinking about about a G2 Blue Grimlock (so between original G2 and WST I've got both G2 colour variations). For Ravage I'm thinking of the Transmetals 2 and Jaguar Alternator figure. I think I'll see how my collections looking by the end of the year before I decide to add them to the 'To Get' list. Must finish G1.............
And in other news there seems to be a couple of nice looking figures coming soon in the Wolverine: Origins line - Cyclops, Iceman, and a Blob - Sabretooth two-pack. Hope to see them soon.
Whereas the Marvel Universe and Wolverine: Origins lines seem to be firing on all cyclinders, the DC Infinite Heroes line seems to be barely moving. BBTS still don't have Batman in stock, and with no sign of the Joker or Nightwing, I'm hoping to see them in shops here soon. Rumour has it they've been seen!
In the meantime there's Botcon at the end of May - I've got my eye on the exclusive Razorclaw figure, looks pretty awesome, could be a bit pricey on the secondary market though. It would be great to have Classics/Universe updates of the Predacons but for the time being a repaint of Leobreaker will do. It would be good to also have a Hun-Gurrr from Cybertron Scourge ala the Legends repaint, maybe, just maybe.......
Then there's the new 'Device Label' Transformers from Takara, Blaster looks like he'll fit in the Classics/Universe line nicely. There are also Grimlock and Ravage figures in the line, as two of the most well known 'Primatives' they tend to get the most figures/homages in new lines. I've subconsciously started collections of these characters and so when new figures come out I'm always tempted by them. Not sure about Grimlock, but Ravage works pretty well. Might have to pick him and Blaster up. Hopefully there might be a Steeljaw repaint too. (Tigatron - WTF!?)
So Grimlock and Ravage figures, here's as many as I can think of... Green I've got, red I want to get.
Grimlock
- G1
- G1 Pretender
- Action Master
- G2 Blue
- G2 Turquoise
- Beast Wars
- Armada (Beast Wars repaint)
- Energon
- WST G1
- WST G2 Blue
- WST G2 Turquoise
- Alternators/Binaltech
- Classics
- Robot Heroes
- Animated Voyager
- Animated Automorph
- Masterpiece
- Device Label
- Hybrid
- G1
- Beast Wars
- Transmetal
- Transmetals 2
- Alternator/Binaltech Corvette
- Alternator/Binaltech Jaguar
- WST
- Robot Heroes
- Universe
- Movie
- Device Label
Movie Ravage looks a bit like it has a Alien/Predator influence, could be my one and only Movie figure. I'm thinking about about a G2 Blue Grimlock (so between original G2 and WST I've got both G2 colour variations). For Ravage I'm thinking of the Transmetals 2 and Jaguar Alternator figure. I think I'll see how my collections looking by the end of the year before I decide to add them to the 'To Get' list. Must finish G1.............
And in other news there seems to be a couple of nice looking figures coming soon in the Wolverine: Origins line - Cyclops, Iceman, and a Blob - Sabretooth two-pack. Hope to see them soon.
Whereas the Marvel Universe and Wolverine: Origins lines seem to be firing on all cyclinders, the DC Infinite Heroes line seems to be barely moving. BBTS still don't have Batman in stock, and with no sign of the Joker or Nightwing, I'm hoping to see them in shops here soon. Rumour has it they've been seen!
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