MIB/MISB Collectors - a Dilemma

[positivelyken]

As the ambivalent owner of boxes full of bubble-on-card packaging, part of me wants to just get rid of all that superfluous plastic... but the collector in me wants to keep everything as intact and complete as possible. Do I intend to sell them at some point? I don't honestly know, but there's a definite feeling of wanting to preserve those figures just in case.

[steamwhistle]

Originally Posted by QuadESL63

I can understand your preference. Different stroke for different folks. I only keep a figure MISB when I have bought double. I didn't get to buy a lot of toys when I was younger. So when I got them home the first thing I did is to crack them open and play with it. I don't want to just look at them - I like to have my cake and eat it, too.

It's not really my preference, just a suggestion that some people, maybe without realizing it, might simply enjoy having the items, and have a sense of joy and accomplishment whenever they walk into there room, or open their closet, and see their stacks of MiSB TransFormers.

I'm a bit like CanBot... Me, I started re-collecting when I noticed the G1 Reissues appearing at Toys R Us. I bought A few Optimus Primes. I had never had one as a child. I opened one up, played with and displayed for a while, but then gave him to my young nephew who had developed an interest in TransFormers and could handle the simplicity of the G1 transformations. I have opened a few other of the G1 reissues I happened to find and buy, but kept many others sealed, really, for no particular reason. I'll open them eventually, but I think I'm just waiting to find an inspiring moment to do so. Maybe a time when I get around to reorganizing my rec room and creating a more appropriate display. For now, they are hidden away in cabinets. The MPs, and other TFs I have opened, stand on a shelf by my computer.

I agree that playing with and handling them is a huge part of the joy of collecting. I do plan to keep the boxes as I get around to opening my TFs. For the ones i think will maintain value anyway. For me, handling the figures and still being able to offer a MIB product if I ever do look to sell, far outweighs keeping a MISB figure. Play with it and enjoy it yourself, or keep the "S" to have the MISB for someone else you probably don't know. It's an easy choice, unless you are the type who enjoys the toy store display aspect of collecting. There is nothing wrong with that either.

[steamwhistle]

Originally Posted by Sir Prime A Lot

This doesn't make physical sense, you're just adding more weight into the bin. If you put a thousand pound weight on top of you, it'll crush you. If you put a thousand pound weight on you with a mattress in between, it'll still crush you. The bubble wrap just adds more weight on top of your figures and will crush them easier.

Bubble wrap helps distribute the weight over a wider surface, decreasing the point load effect. Stepping barefoot onto a piece of Lego hurts more than stepping on a Lego while wearings shoes. The sole of the shoe distributes your weight over a wider area, decreasing the ouchiness effect of the Lego.