MacrossMania

Just now, Shukenzero said:

Ya this is what I meant. The copies NY are securing are *technically* preowned but unopened, outside of the TWE shipper. Wonder what they are paying for them? Mandarake offers $$$ to buy figures off collectors, so perhaps it's a similar deal?

I guess I don't see the issue with sourcing to outside dealers and sellers, even if they are one offs or individual buyers.  The reality is that you are still getting an MISB and that's all that matters from a quality standpoint.  Of course it does raise the question of why they have to do this in the first place, and all the speculation that has flown around - QC issues at the factory, market manipulation etc.  I guess the reality is that we'll never know.  It just adds to the misery and excitement of collecting.

1 hour ago, Saburo said:

A different change of pace from standard shots.

This is the kind of bad ass gangster sh#$ I love.

19 minutes ago, tekering said:

Last month, I was interviewed by a reporter from the local newspaper, who had come to my house with a cameraman to photograph my collection.

He stood facing this wall of Transformers and Macross Valkyries and asked, "Are these ALL Gundam?"

Dude, this is a toy store.

22 hours ago, Slave IV said:

Not to brag and I know I'm not the biggest collector but I think I could say I have a sleeper collection. I am relatively new to online chat about this but online life doesn't reflect real life to me. I don't even talk about more than 50% of my collection online simply because I don't have the energy to and I know I can get too wordy about what I do choose to talk about. Also because I don't care about who has what and being competitive about it, what's more important to me is we all enjoy what we have and what we mutually love about it. That's why it bothers me a bit when people complain. 

Couldn't agree more with this.

Well what a disappointment.  Canards falling off and everything.  I had such high hopes for these pieces because they look so damn good.  It's a shame they fall right in line with the tradition of crappy Robotech toys coming over stateside.  Failing miserably at their one basic task, and giving us instead poor substitutes for Macross.  Any theories on why this is always the case?  Same old same old I guess: Japan taking their careful time with mini masterpieces, the craftsmanship, design, artwork, characterization, the list goes on and on, and the Americans churning out the same old crap, Ford, GMC, Robotech and all.

11 hours ago, tekering said:

 

 

Somehow, some way, this thing will be mine mine mine!  It blows the beagle out of the water and I was always disappointed I never picked one up at MSRP before prices skyrocketed.  Now, I don't feel so bad.  Fate has once again handed me another bite at the apple, and I plan on feasting on those sumptuous juices.

29 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

You are right. They are not "cannon". That Elint has Super parts on, not Strike parts.   =P

*hee hee*  Macross humor.

I assume you meant "canon"?

You got the joke!  I was afraid people weren't going to get it.  I guess that makes you an official Macrosshead.

5 hours ago, borgified said:

Elintseeker with the combo of Fast/Strike Packs? Although it's not cannon, I like the aggressive look to it.  

Well... it is cannon, if you think about it.

On 4/11/2018 at 10:09 AM, Lolicon said:

Lovely new arrivals!

Love these

2 minutes ago, kajnrig said:

I should, but I put that whole mess behind me pretty soon after the refund came. Woosah.

Congrats on the haul, though. Now just gotta wait half a year, sell that 31A for $2k, ???, profit!!!

I'll be honest.  I'm a collector to the end.  I'll never sell it.  If it comes down to it, they can bury me with it. 

1 hour ago, kajnrig said:

They're not the only one. Only reason you haven't seen mine is because I won't be getting them in for another month or three.

Then you'll hate me...

2 hours ago, F360 said:

due to the current vf-31a situation, I've been more active on hunting for stuff.

ended up buying this: below 

 

Gundam is angry at you...... N-Y, Nin-Nin, MyKombini ,etc. 

An angry purchase!  That's a new one.  I like it.

I used to use credit cards for this hobby but after carrying the debt for several years realized that it wipes out any value in the item.  Now I'm just careful to make sure that I have enough budgeted to make the purchases I want to make.  With all the items that are coming out these days, that means I have to make sacrifices and count myself lucky to get only some of these items.  I mean this year alone is crazy!  Bandai's 1/48, all the HMR's (ostrich, Elintseeker, 1S etc.), Delta 31A, Sentinel's Mospeada bike armor, all the Fix Figuration and Metal Builds including the gundam wing this month, the latest SOC variants.  The list goes on and on.  And that's all the official lines that I collect (and some that I don't).  Not to mention all the little goodies like HMR Dougrams that I don't collect but want to.  The reality is that I could never afford all this so I have to pare down my collecting instincts and choose only those select lines that I really want, and go from there.  And even then, I don't go that far because I could never keep up with all of Arcadia and Bandai's releases.  That's just the reality of collecting these days.  We're in a toy renaissance, but the downside is that it feeds really bad collecting habits and prevents completists from getting anywhere close to completing a line (unless you have 10's of thousands of dollars to spend).  

And not for nothing (not that's any of my business), but spending over 4 thousand dollars in a buying spree is really cause for concern.  I don't take these threads too seriously when it comes to my collecting habits.  I peruse these boards the same way that I browse ebay.  It's window shopping.  Toy porn and nothing more.  I don't get caught up in all the glee when it comes to sharing etc. because I know where that rabbit hole goes.

9 hours ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

YAY! My DHL deliveries arrived! Now I am just waiting for my Yamato v2 1/60 VE-1 Elintseeker to come in a couple of days.

Hmmm... you know, I may not have completely thought things thru. It did not occur to me just how much space this stuff takes up.

This is you jumping into the game?!?  I hate to see what your collection looks like in a year.

I just feel like we're getting off topic on this whole MISB thing.  Although I loved it!  So in the spirit of collecting for everyone's enjoyment, drool over the following (I'm in the middle of a move, so don't mind the mess!):

2 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

What is AFA?

Action Figure Authority.  It's the standard in the industry for getting a figure graded.  100 is perfect (there are only a handful of AFA 100's in the world), and 85 is considered "collector's grade" for fussy collectors like me.  80 is about standard, and everything below that from 70 on up is basically amateur or novice collecting.  Below that is not even worth mentioning.  AFA is not universally accepted though.  Their grading is sometimes inconsistent and the very idea that a random entity could anoint itself as the final authority on what constitutes acceptable collecting is still in controversy to this day.  Although it has been generally accepted as an industry standard at this point.  Mainly because of their high standards.

2 minutes ago, borgified said:

 

 

I can see why you want to preserve the 1/55 Ostrich and I don't blame you. There's actually an auction on ebay for the same copy of the 1/55 Ostrich asking for roughly $2,300.00 USD MIB (from fairwaycomicsncollectibles).  Hmmm.. In this case, you can still do your comparison pics with the boxed 1/55 and the HMR then.

On a side note, one of my friends from YYZ has acquired a G1 Grand Max from an auction six years ago and has it encased in a plastic prison (has opened up for verification purposes and authenticity) after that. Don't know if he still has it with him or had it shipped to his parent's/brother's house in YYZ for safekeeping as he is working in Mainland China.  

what I love about the collecting game.  It knows no boundaries, ethnicities, etc.  It is truly blind to those superficialities that blind us all in superficial judgments about one another.  It is truly magnanimous, equal, equanimous.  Truly judged in the spirit of your character which cannot be helped.  And so a man may love a thing in China that is just as much loved half a world over in a completely foreign continent, though the thing be held in the same high esteem because the values are the same.  Collecting is the great equalizer.  The great human justifier.

28 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

That's deep! If the Macross Force is strong with the dark side, it has brought me a lot of enjoyment, sparked a lot of imagination and made me a very bad boy. 

Speaking of which, my missile Regults finally arrived today. Got to think about rearranging my HMR shelf to accommodate them. 

Shallow was never my forte.  So yes, I'll go collect those Regults now.

17 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Oh @Shizuka the Cat, you are learning the ways of the Macross Force! 

But yeah, there is a thread about collecting MISB. Something like the Chunky Monkey is a classic. One of my favorite, if not THE favorite toy of all time. I've had one since original release and they've been around my life since. I know the toy very well...hell, I've won a Chunky Monkey transformation contest. Point being, I have the toy open and have played with it all my life. I have several versions of it because I collect toys. I don't need to open every one of them because I know what's inside and what it's all about. Looking at the shiny new box and just knowing I own it is plenty of enjoyment to me. Opening every one I own is not going to add anything to my enjoyment. 

If she's learning the force, then hell I must be a Jedi.  Though to put it in Yoda terms, the dark arts was not that I would hope to master.  I would only take comfort in the fact that Rembrandt went bankrupt collecting, serving as inspiration for his art.  Perhaps in some small corner of the universe the dark art of my collection serves as a more solid foundation for other, higher arts I may sign my soul to.  

8 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

That does sound kind of wonderful.... *starry eyes*

Technically, I am not putting the back-up copy into storage to never be opened. I do anticipate opening it, after the 1st once eventually dies on me. I'm not trying to preserve the back-up per say, nor am I opposed to opening the back-up's box. But it is very much like the spare tire on my Honda SUV, waiting for when it is its time to be used.

But... I do think I can kind of understand a little bit about the appeal you speak of. 

Ok starry eyes, maybe you've convinced yourself that the one you keep in storage is only a spare tire, but you're close.

44 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

I can understand playing with your toy.

And I can understand putting your toy on display, so that you can gaze at it lovingly.

But, if it never leaves the box, are you collecting it because you like it, or because you want it to go up in monetary value? You can''t touch the valkyrie. You can't even really look at it either, except for the bit that peeks thru the window.

I guess I can understand the monetary valuation thing if you see the item as an investment.

But as a fan, I am trying to comprehend.

Admittedly, I put an Arcadia 1/60 VF-1J Super Valkyrie (Miria) into my closet unopened for storage. But... that is because I *cough cough* sort of bought 2 of them, since I wanted to have one as a back-up. I also did that back when I bought 2 of each of the 3 "Maria-sama ga Miteru" rosarios years ago from Animate @ Akihabara... 1 each for cosplaying and 1 each for backup storage.

Oh no.... Suddenly, I am reminded of Kanata from "Lucky Star" saying that she collects 3 of every item.... 1 to play with, 1 for display, and 1 for storage.

Oh no..... oh no! I've become that girl!

No no... she bought 3 of everything. I only bought 2. I'm not at her level yet. *whew* SAFE!

So I hate to say it, but you answered your own questions!  So yea, the fact that you put one safely in storage so that it can never ever see the skein of sunlight that will slowly destroy it over time and mitigate that feeling of beauty when you first take it out of the box and gaze upon it with all of its furious glory - yea, that feeling.  That's the feeling we MISB collectors all try to preserve.  The feeling of perfection right up to the point of opening a toy and taking it out to play with.  There's something about preserving that feeling that we're all chasing after, and well all do in our own way I guess.  I just happen to do it (as a lot of others do) by keeping it pristine and untouched in the original box.  

And of course you have to understand we are talking about a 34 year old toy in basically pristine condition.  A few condition issues on the corners, but for all intents and purposes perfect.  Do you know how hard that is to find, and to be one of the lucky few in the world to get your hands on a piece like that?  And you want to destroy that with your meddlesome, common hands that don't have the taste to understand what you're holding?  It would be like Judas taking a drink out of the holy grail or taking communion.  Or Macbeth throwing up his hands in vain to god, because he doesn't have it in himself to repent.  What's the point? 

To put it plainly, I'm not just driven by avarice.  I don't collect to make money, I collect to preserve and to marvel, to dream. But the thrill of the hunt is not only achieving the pinnacle of beauty by finding the perfect toy and the perfect display, but also in preserving it.  And therein lies a collector's pride.  His joy he takes in finding the piece nobody else could find.  His pride he takes in doing what legions of collectors will do before and after him, long after he is dead and gone, preserving it for future generations to come.  And to find one in this condition, with that amount of artwork, and to be able one day to pass the mantle to other collectors who will do the same, is to keep the daisy chain going.

12 minutes ago, Shizuka the Cat said:

Wait... you are just going to leave her in the box? Unopened? 

LOL yes of course.   You don't collect vintage toys and take them out for display.  The whole point of a museum quality piece is ruined at that point.  Everyone knows or least they should know that mint in box means it's never been disturbed, and mint in box is what preserves its value.  So no, it's not leaving the box.  This is less of an issue for the old vintage pieces because the box art is so amazing.  Bandai's chunky monkey's are no exception.  The artist is even quoted here bottom right corner.  It's going to AFA to be graded.

6 hours ago, borgified said:

Can you do a comparison pic with the HMR version when it gets released (if possible)? Despite that the Yamato/Arcadia valks in the 1/60 looks more suitable, I do miss the Chunky Monkey versions.     

The best comparison pics I've seen are AFA vintage transformers and their modern day counterparts - usually Fans Toys.  I can still do a comparison pic.  But the Super O will still be in her box.  She'll never leave that old coffin of hers.  It's great.  I love it in there.  Like a museum piece and I want to keep it that way.  That's why I can't take it out and do a direct comparison tete-a-tete, figure to figure.  This piece is for posterity and shouldn't be disturbed.

The Big O!

On 3/7/2018 at 10:54 AM, Blue Meanie said:

The good thing is it isn't that easy. For a while I looked into mass producing the boxes on an offset press. This would allow me to print them on chipboard with a rosette pattern like the originals. Then they would be perfect. That idea met with furious feedback though from a lot of vintage collectors, got some NASTY pm's, so I walked away. I have seen a lot of fake boxes, purchased a few, never seen one outside of the high end KO boxes be up to snuff so far. Mine are actually too nice to be the originals, for a few reasons (I color corrected starscreams green tinted box for instance). First is I do this for a living and I am darn good at it, lol . I print them on a gloss instead of semi gloss stock (88+ Japanese boxes seem to be on Gloss) and on large format ink jet. Ink jet sits on top of the paper instead of soaking in, and the rosette pattern is replicated instead of actually there from the print. So you could see the difference in the print with a magnifying glass. Another reason, is I am a major collector of G1 Box Art transparencies and toys clips. I have a ton of them drum scanned high res, and ones I was missing I acquired scans of from other collectors and cleaned a lot up for Botch's Box Art Archive. For instance my G1 Megatron Box art is 9 feet tall by 2000 DPi. I could blow up megatron on the side of an 10 story building and keep resolution. I also have a flattened box for every G1 figure from 84-87 for reference. Every single piece lines up identically to the originals. I have resources that a lot of people and even KO makers don't. The hardest part is aquiring the mint loose toy to put in the bubble. You can fake a patina BTW, but it isn't easy and I am not sure about mass quantities.