What to do?!

[soundwave1976]

Alright here it is. I have a bit of a dilemma here. I'm loving MPs and 3rd Party offerings of MP scale/style figures (I'm up to 24 so far, I'm counting Soundwave's minions individually) so much that I'm contemplating going all out on them and selling my G1 collection to help this matter. I am already selling a huge amount of G.I. Joe/Star Wars/misc stuff, basically my entire personal collection, but feel that with what's out there already and what's on the horizon for MPs and 3rd Party I may need more fundage (the rule/deal with my wife was always I have to sell in order to buy... It's worked out pretty well with Kijiji, these boards and toy shows).

As it stands right now I may have to be more selective in what I want (opting for Sunstreaker over Warpath as an example). I set out originally with a list of G1s I wanted and have stuck to the list and am nearing completion (have 84 complete minus Frenzy; only need Trypticon & Ratbat for 86; dinobots, jetfire, shockwave and the coneheads for 85 and fort max for 88).

I ask for some opinions on what you think I should do? I asked my wife and she said unless I'm 100% don't do it. I say I'm probably about 60/40 on it right now. I love my G1 collection but MPs and 3rd Party offerings are just so awesome!

[timcrook]

If I ask you the question, "are you a hoarder?", will that help you decided? hahahaha

Edit: I admit I am a hoarder myself.

[miyinan]

I wouldn't sell my G1s to buy MPs (definitely not 3rd parties'). I'd say just be more selective.

[canprime]

Really take a hard look at what, and why, you are collecting.

Honestly it sounds like it comes down to whether you want original toys from your childhood (original, reissue, whatever) versus the "best" representation of something from your youth.

If that is the case then it can be fairly easy to decide. If not, then really, really, really examine what and why you collect and then try to be satisfied with what you get/have.

Honestly I have had, and sold a ton over the years as my tastes change or evolve. Some I regret, but pretty much everything I have been able to live without. Sometimes our hobby is about the collecting more than it is about the product which can be very detrimental to your finances.

Good luck.

[Bruticus82]

A lot of people are sticking to just G1 and MPs, now that MPs are so great and seem to be a thing that will continue going forward. Many people have jumped ship on the classics/generations figures.

That said, I do not know of many who abandoned G1 solely for MPs. They may exist out there, and will chime in I'm sure. But those who stay in the hobby tend to keep G1. The only people who I see selling their G1 collections off tend to be those who are leaving the hobby entirely.

[Chigimus]

Originally Posted by canprime

Really take a hard look at what, and why, you are collecting.

Honestly it sounds like it comes down to whether you want original toys from your childhood (original, reissue, whatever) versus the "best" representation of something from your youth.

^^ THIS. At the end of the day, you'll have to look at a figure and ask yourself what sentimental value does this particular piece give you? Will you be saddened if you no longer have it in your possession? Really ask yourself, did you get this figure because you truly appreciated the design, engineering and/or the character attachment or did you simply pick it up because you wanted to be a "completionist" with your collecting?

Personally, I still have some of my G1 toys from when I was a kid, but by no means do I have a complete collection from any of the individual years. I got back into collecting as and adult because I was impressed with how far along modern-day advancements have progressed in terms of detail, articulation. I collect MP's, official Hasbro/Takara deluxes and voyagers and 3rd party at various scale sizes. I have not bothered to hunt down older G1 toys to complete my old set because I enjoy the newer representations better. BUT I still keep my old G1 toys because they have always been MINE from the beginning. I played with them as a kid, I have fond memories playing with them. Hell, even though some of them are broken because of my rough play back then or even though some of the stickers have peeled or faded away from back then, that doesn't bother me a single bit. They may not be pristine, but they hold more value to me personally than someone else's G1 piece or a reissued version.

I try to collect based on how much I truly enjoy the figure and/or character itself. But occasionally I do stray and have obtained characters for the sake of completion (seekers including coneheads are a great example). I have no attachment to the coneheads themselves as characters and the only G1 seekers I have are Starscream, Thundercracker and Ramjet who's wings I lost, but I obtained all 3 seekers and all 3 coneheads for my CHUG collection as a completionist. Even though I didn't care for the individual characters themselves, as a complete group, they look great together. The sum is greater as a whole than its parts so that's why I stray for completing sets, but only occasionally. I have to be smart with it because if I don't care about the character AND it doesn't look together with a group, then I feel as though I really have wasted my money and would be better of getting rid of it.

You may find that you'll want to keep what was originally yours as a kid and part out the rest. As much as you have come to enjoy MP's and 3rd party MP-scale equivalents, then it sounds to me your tastes are evolving. That said, rather than being more selective with your purchases, perhaps also take the time to be selective with what you want to keep from your existing collection. Hope that helps, and good luck.

[Scrapper6]

Originally Posted by Bruticus82

A lot of people are sticking to just G1 and MPs, now that MPs are so great and seem to be a thing that will continue going forward. Many people have jumped ship on the classics/generations figures.

That said, I do not know of many who abandoned G1 solely for MPs. They may exist out there, and will chime in I'm sure. But those who stay in the hobby tend to keep G1. The only people who I see selling their G1 collections off tend to be those who are leaving the hobby entirely.

I wouldn't say that entirely. I had a mediocre smattering of vintage G1 and the re-issues were a big thing, but I sold them off first mostly because the toys did not live up to my expectations.

They were probably great for their time in the 80s, but as an adult collector I prefer my action figures to express actions. G1 figures are very limited in what kind of poses you can get them into.

I do still appreciate G1 for what it did, and I haven't purged G1 completely from my collection, as Fort Max can attest to. But I'm no longer actively collecting it, nor would I start up again.

The realism of the G1 alt modes have been made even better thanks to Masterpiece. They have all of the classic appeal of the original alt modes with the improved engineering that toy designers and companies have introduced in these modern times.

To that end I would take Masterpiece over G1 any day of the week, they can achieve dynamic, masterful poses, capture the animation model likenesses much better and look and feel more impressive than the smaller G1 molds.

Of course I don't have many ties of nostalgia to the old G1 toys, so I'm not the best person to be praise the benefits of G1 figures. Still, to me they are just lackluster and don't live up to the hype. Watching the cartoons when I was little made me really fall in love with the characters, but I never really owned any of the original G1 toys. I turned 5 around 86, and by that point most toys weren't even the same as the original cast. Plus I never got many figures growing up, my toy memories are full more with The Real Ghostbusters, He-Man, TMNT and other lines. Transformers were expensive back in the day.

I'd say, unless you have a real attraction to the simple and fun designs of G1, selling them all off for Masterpiece wouldn't be that bad of a thing.

[Hellboy]

I'm G1 all the way as I owned probably 80% of the original toys and I grew up watching the show. I'm in the same boat where I am having to focus my collecting habits if not for cost it's out of sheer lack of room. I am mostly sticking to the Masterpiece (Hasbro) line but I am allowing for certain G1 figures that I know will not see an MP version in my lifetime (i.e.: The combiners). Another limitation I've accepted is pre-Transformers Movie and even then there are characters that just don't make the cut.
Of course, none of this is written in stone... they are just guidelines I've given myself. It's working for Transformers so now if I can just apply the same thinking to my Star Wars collecting...

[Deception]

i'd keep the g1s...you can always a save money for newer toys :P

[ironclaugh]

I would keep the G1s