Your most recent Macross or toy purchase! General thread.

[Slave IV]

1 hour ago, MacrossMania said:

lol talking like a collector again.  Nothing but excuses.  That dirty collector math always helps too.  "I always price things in Valk."  LMAO

For me the issue is not so much how much money to spend.  I have a set budget that I never break.  But where to spend it.  Of course in the grand scheme of today's crazy prices those decks are not all that pricey.  Reasonably priced in today's market.  The question for me is am I going to go down yet another branch of the collecting tree that sees me getting all tangled up in a thorny thicket I can't extricate myself out of?  If I had the discipline to stay at one or two, I would.  But collectors are like tragic figures.  The very thing that drives me to collect and amass great collections is our undoing in the end.  I just won't stop.  And having one will just drive me mad, because the collector in me is just going to pine for "the one that got away."  And another.  And another. 

I'll end up being more miserable than happy in the end.  I know because I have a decent collection of old school Tformers, Joes, MASK figures, go bots, machine robo, Takatoku, Bandai, ... And the list goes on and on.  But you know what?  Rather than enjoy what I have - the highest graded G1 VF-1S Bandai Super Valkyrie in the world, for example - I think about the ones that got away.  The pre-rub Soundwave that I could have bought along with both cassettes.  The dirt cheap Optimus Prime that I passed on.  The Megatron I didn't buy.  Or that one time this guy offered me a dead mint Big O (I've only amassed much lesser versions to fill the void, but they doesn't do that any justice).  The madness has to stop somewhere.

Lol, you know yourself and the collector’s mind well. I have two main regrets in my collecting. One is blowing up my original Millennium Falcon toy with firecrackers when I was in elementary school and the other was passing up on the Unifive Gatchaman God Phoenix set when it first came out and I had it in my fingertips. 

I don’t care too much about graded toys or comics and kinda think those services are silly but if you do have that piece, that’s pretty impressive and you would think it would be good enough for any collector but as you said, it never is. Luckily for me, there is some stuff I really just don’t care enough about to collect and I have been budgeting better since you mentioned that part of it. Right now (and since I saw the first Chunky as a kid), Macross, Marvel and Star Wars are my main weaknesses and those are plenty enough to break my budget without other distractions. 

[ValkAddict]

On 6/28/2023 at 12:22 AM, Chronocidal said:

I still don't want to give up hope on Arcadia someday putting out a PF version of that one, but I'd also settle for a DX version   

+1 - please

[sh9000]

Tomica Premium.

[Slave IV]

1 hour ago, sh9000 said:

Tomica Premium.

Nice! I got the one Ferrari I needed from TT:

[Slave IV]

[sh9000]

9 hours ago, Slave IV said:

Nice! I got the one Ferrari I needed from TT:

Cool.  I got the red one too a while back.

Hot Wheels, Johnny Lightning, and Matchbox.

[MacrossMania]

On 6/30/2023 at 1:35 AM, Slave IV said:

Lol, you know yourself and the collector’s mind well. I have two main regrets in my collecting. One is blowing up my original Millennium Falcon toy with firecrackers when I was in elementary school and the other was passing up on the Unifive Gatchaman God Phoenix set when it first came out and I had it in my fingertips. 

I don’t care too much about graded toys or comics and kinda think those services are silly but if you do have that piece, that’s pretty impressive and you would think it would be good enough for any collector but as you said, it never is. Luckily for me, there is some stuff I really just don’t care enough about to collect and I have been budgeting better since you mentioned that part of it. Right now (and since I saw the first Chunky as a kid), Macross, Marvel and Star Wars are my main weaknesses and those are plenty enough to break my budget without other distractions. 

"One is blowing up my original Millennium Falcon toy with firecrackers when I was in elementary school" ~ LOL I had a Dreadnock Thunder Machine as a kid and blew it up with an M80 once.  Let me just say that was opened.  Cracked it in half like an egg.  Actually what I did was graduate to an M80 from progressively bigger and bigger firecrackers.  None of them worked.  Just blew off the doors, which on that model was fairly easy to do without breaking anything.  But the M80?  Whew boy.  Tore it right apart. 

Still remember it to this day.  I was whiling away the days on a secluded beach in Baja California.  Went down there with a friend and his mom who invited me to a little hut they owned.  At night you could hear the footsteps of wild coyotes stalking the place.  The footfalls of their padded feet could be heard just outside the windows, and I wondered what wild dog lay just beyond.  The nights were still.  The occasional rustling of grasses.  The moonlight filled the sky with ribbons of light that seemed to flow into eternity, spreading all of Christendom with hope.  And the days, when they came, were endless.  Time generously lapped against you like the gentle waves of the sunlit waters just beyond.  Sitting days on end at the water's edge trying to imagine a time when you actually cared about the real world.  Eons stretched before you.  The unfolding of time.  The shimmering of tender moments ... Something about that place.  The memories of those impressions linger on all these years later.

But as a kid, it was just fun to blow up anthills and GI Joes on the beach with the cheap M80s they were selling.  Just a lick of something to do.

Only thing is I don't regret it because I bought an AFA graded Thunder Machine (high grade, yes I care) about 9 years ago, and still have it to this day.  I must have been staring down at the toy gods or something and they gave me a second chance to redeem myself.

Pretty much agree with everything you said.  With Macross, Marvel and Star Wars, you have your hands full.  With all of mine, same.  I won't be buying those decks anytime soon.

Edited July 1, 2023 by MacrossMania

[Slave IV]

42 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

"One is blowing up my original Millennium Falcon toy with firecrackers when I was in elementary school" ~ LOL I had a Dreadnock Thunder Machine as a kid and blew it up with an M80 once.  Let me just say that was opened.  Cracked it in half like an egg.  Actually what I did was graduate to an M80 from progressively bigger and bigger firecrackers.  None of them worked.  Just blew off the doors, which on that model was fairly easy to do without breaking anything.  But the M80?  Whew boy.  Tore it right apart. 

Still remember it to this day.  I was whiling away the days on a secluded beach in Baja California.  Went down there with a friend and his mom who invited me to a little hut they owned.  At night you could hear the footsteps of wild coyotes stalking the place.  The footfalls of their padded feet could be heard just outside the windows, and I wondered what wild dog lay just beyond.  The nights were still.  The occasional rustling of grasses.  The moonlight filled the sky with ribbons of light that seemed to flow into eternity, spreading all of Christendom with hope.  And the days, when they came, were endless.  Time generously lapped against you like the gentle waves of the sunlit waters just beyond.  Sitting days on end at the water's edge trying to imagine a time when you actually cared about the real world.  Eons stretched before you.  The unfolding of time.  The shimmering of tender moments ... Something about that place.  The memories of those impressions linger on all these years later.

But as a kid, it was just fun to blow up anthills and GI Joes on the beach with the cheap M80s they were selling.  Just a lick of something to do.

Only thing is I don't regret it because I bought an AFA graded Thunder Machine (high grade, yes I care) about 9 years ago, and still have it to this day.  I must have been staring down at the toy gods or something and they gave me a second chance to redeem myself.

Pretty much agree with everything you said.  With Macross, Marvel and Star Wars, you have your hands full.  With all of mine, same.  I won't be buying those decks anytime soon.

Dude, did we live by and play with each other, lol! Perfect descriptions haha! It was good times back then when kids could easily buy M80s, Bottle Rockets and other ordinance with ease! And yes, you are absolutely right that it took M80s or stronger to actually destroy toys like that. There were some more powerful small firecrackers that could do some damage but when you wanted to be sure the job was done, M80+. That’s what I used to take out the MF. Not to mention the model space shuttle I launched into the air and exploded with a bottle rocket after seeing the Challenger on TV. 

And those poor ants…I waged war on them. Usually they would keep coming but after a bunch of firecrackers in the anthills and they were done. At least not coming back that way again. Flamethrower them with cans of WD-40…some sick stuff when thinking back to it. 

My way of redeeming the MF was getting a few bigger and better MFs over the years and most are still in original shipping boxes. So some of those things I did as a kid definitely led to me thinking I need extras of stuff I really like “just in case”. 

[MacrossMania]

7 hours ago, Slave IV said:

Dude, did we live by and play with each other, lol! Perfect descriptions haha! It was good times back then when kids could easily buy M80s, Bottle Rockets and other ordinance with ease! And yes, you are absolutely right that it took M80s or stronger to actually destroy toys like that. There were some more powerful small firecrackers that could do some damage but when you wanted to be sure the job was done, M80+. That’s what I used to take out the MF. Not to mention the model space shuttle I launched into the air and exploded with a bottle rocket after seeing the Challenger on TV. 

And those poor ants…I waged war on them. Usually they would keep coming but after a bunch of firecrackers in the anthills and they were done. At least not coming back that way again. Flamethrower them with cans of WD-40…some sick stuff when thinking back to it. 

My way of redeeming the MF was getting a few bigger and better MFs over the years and most are still in original shipping boxes. So some of those things I did as a kid definitely led to me thinking I need extras of stuff I really like “just in case”. 

100%  LOL  All of this brings back memories.  I definitely did the WD-40 flamethrower.  Can't tell you how many times we had to take an extra trip to the hardware store because we were mysteriously out of the stuff.  Of course nobody ever notices when WD-40 is gone because it was one of those obscure household items that just kinda hangs out under the kitchen sink with nothing to do.  But rest assured I was tugging at my parents' arms diligently reminding them that they needed another replenishment.

But this, this right here is pure gold: "Not to mention the model space shuttle I launched into the air and exploded with a bottle rocket after seeing the Challenger on TV. "  I can't even begin to match that.  That's awesome. 

[MacrossMania]

On 6/30/2023 at 1:35 AM, Slave IV said:

Lol, you know yourself and the collector’s mind well. I have two main regrets in my collecting. One is blowing up my original Millennium Falcon toy with firecrackers when I was in elementary school and the other was passing up on the Unifive Gatchaman God Phoenix set when it first came out and I had it in my fingertips. 

I don’t care too much about graded toys or comics and kinda think those services are silly but if you do have that piece, that’s pretty impressive and you would think it would be good enough for any collector but as you said, it never is. Luckily for me, there is some stuff I really just don’t care enough about to collect and I have been budgeting better since you mentioned that part of it. Right now (and since I saw the first Chunky as a kid), Macross, Marvel and Star Wars are my main weaknesses and those are plenty enough to break my budget without other distractions. 

And yes, I have that piece.  I haven't removed it from the polybag since the day it was shipped to me from Japan.  Years ago now.  But the polybag doesn't really do it justice.

 

Edited July 1, 2023 by MacrossMania

[Slave IV]

1 hour ago, MacrossMania said:

And yes, I have that piece.  I haven't removed it from the polybag since the day it was shipped to me from Japan.  Years ago now.  But the polybag doesn't really do it justice.

 

That is the ultimate of all ultimates. Congrats. I mean it, even though I don’t care about the grade, that right there is the epitome of any collection, imo. The best version of the best toy ever made in the best condition possible. Outstanding!

[sh9000]

Another Marvel Legends Retro Dark Phoenix.

Mini Barbeque Grill.

[MacrossMania]

3 hours ago, Slave IV said:

That is the ultimate of all ultimates. Congrats. I mean it, even though I don’t care about the grade, that right there is the epitome of any collection, imo. The best version of the best toy ever made in the best condition possible. Outstanding!

On paper that's true.  But someone bought a super VF-1S from an old collection of the man himself - Shoji Kawamori.  I believe it was on this website actually.  It was absolutely dead mint, and I mean dead mint.  If AFA was honest with themselves it would easily grade higher than the one I have.  Kawamori knew how to keep his own collection lol

And that is definitely one I'd like to have.  The pedigree alone makes it worth a mint.

The reality is I'll keep this a very long time.  It's a prize piece in my collection and an early example of the stuff I went after.  In all likelihood I'll end up donating it to a Japanese toy museum if I don't sell it.

 

[Slave IV]

5 minutes ago, MacrossMania said:

On paper that's true.  But someone bought a super VF-1S from an old collection of the man himself - Shoji Kawamori.  I believe it was on this website actually.  It was absolutely dead mint, and I mean dead mint.  If AFA was honest with themselves it would easily grade higher than the one I have.  Kawamori knew how to keep his own collection lol

And that is definitely one I'd like to have.  The pedigree alone makes it worth a mint.

The reality is I'll keep this a very long time.  It's a prize piece in my collection and an early example of the stuff I went after.  In all likelihood I'll end up donating it to a Japanese toy museum if I don't sell it.

 

Yeah, see I didn’t know about that Kawamori one but that’s an example of why grading doesn’t matter to me. I know what condition my toys are in because I take care of them. I’d take that Kawamori one over your graded one any day, lol! Obviously no offense. 

[Mommar]

Walmart exclusive V1 Snake Eyes and Heat Boys Leonardo.

[sh9000]

Hot Wheels.

[MacrossMania]

11 hours ago, Slave IV said:

Yeah, see I didn’t know about that Kawamori one but that’s an example of why grading doesn’t matter to me. I know what condition my toys are in because I take care of them. I’d take that Kawamori one over your graded one any day, lol! Obviously no offense. 

None taken.  If you ever manage to lay your hands on it then by all means.  And be sure to post some pics of that bad boy when you do.  I'd love to see some detail up close.  But until that happens, I'm going to just continue enjoying the world's highest grade

And as far as the grading goes, I don't think the collecting world is going to feel necessarily bowed by your opinion.  Grading has long since been settled in the collecting world as the signal source of value, quality and durability.  AFA is at the very top of the heap, with secondary players like CAS coming along nicely.  Toys are no different than comic books or coins in that respect.  The only real difference is that the way toys were marketed to the public back in the 80's was with the box itself, which featured innovative and highly inspiring box art.  GI Joe and TFormers are leaders here.  That was probably the first time that the box art played such a pivotal role in the marketing of the toys (aside from the cartoons, which the box art evoked).  And it's a big reason why grading has played such a crucial role in collecting G1 toys.  Make fun of us box collectors if you will, but the presentation of these pieces with the box art front and center is second to none.  You can see why grading has become so important, and why it wasn't for toys past, like tin toy robots, for example, which came in simple boxes.  I'm not worried about the grading aspect.

Edited July 2, 2023 by MacrossMania

[Slave IV]

10 hours ago, MacrossMania said:

None taken.  If you ever manage to lay your hands on it then by all means.  And be sure to post some pics of that bad boy when you do.  I'd love to see some detail up close.  But until that happens, I'm going to just continue enjoying the world's highest grade

And as far as the grading goes, I don't think the collecting world is going to feel necessarily bowed by your opinion.  Grading has long since been settled in the collecting world as the signal source of value, quality and durability.  AFA is at the very top of the heap, with secondary players like CAS coming along nicely.  Toys are no different than comic books or coins in that respect.  The only real difference is that the way toys were marketed to the public back in the 80's was with the box itself, which featured innovative and highly inspiring box art.  GI Joe and TFormers are leaders here.  That was probably the first time that the box art played such a pivotal role in the marketing of the toys (aside from the cartoons, which the box art evoked).  And it's a big reason why grading has played such a crucial role in collecting G1 toys.  Make fun of us box collectors if you will, but the presentation of these pieces with the box art front and center is second to none.  You can see why grading has become so important, and why it wasn't for toys past, like tin toy robots, for example, which came in simple boxes.  I'm not worried about the grading aspect.

I get what you are saying and don’t want to sway you and others who believe in grading. I just personally think it’s a scam and don’t care about having any of my items graded at all. I have thousands of comic books and toys in “perfect” condition and I don’t need to pay someone to tell me that. If some professional grader looks at my stuff and says one of my “perfect” item has a tiny blemish and so and so has a better copy of it, I don’t care. But again, that’s just me so no knock on people who do value grading. 

As for leaders of box art, I agree with GI Joe and Transformers with their file cards, power grids and unique art. But I gotta say my first memory where someone collecting misb made a big impression on me was with MOTU. Some kid brought a sealed Beast Man in to school and I was wondering why he didn’t open it but at the same time, the colors of the figure in that clear bubble and that background splash are still vivid in my mind today. 

So yeah, I’m not making fun of box collectors…I am a box collector. Most my collection is still in original packaging either because that how I want it or I haven’t had time or space to open them. Even if I open, I keep the box for everything. If there was another unique shipping box that it came in, I keep that. I keep boxes for boxes that hold boxes so that I can keep more boxes, lol. I think blowing up some of my stuff when I was a kid pushed me to wanting to keep things pristine now and also having multiples. 

[MacrossMania]

7 minutes ago, Slave IV said:

Even if I open, I keep the box for everything. If there was another unique shipping box that it came in, I keep that. I keep boxes for boxes that hold boxes so that I can keep more boxes, lol.

😂I've been laughing so hard at these posts.  First time in a while.  And yea, I have this impulse too.  But that's where the madness has to end for me.  It's also probably why my collection of G1 toys is only good and not great.  I know guys who literally go to the ends of the earth to get items so pristine you wouldn't believe they were even real.  And they are not just a few, but literally hundreds.  I couldn't grasp that level of commitment.  My collection is nice, but definitely not on that level.  So with the box within a box etc.

As far as MOTU, you're just proving my point.  Pretty much anything G1 has that basic awestruck wonder about the boxes.  And again, that's why grading in general has been so important to the industry.  But I understand your gripe about putting your faith in some third party you've never heard of to judge a toy what your own eyes are perfectly capable of doing.  I look at it this way.  Grading is like any other institutional setting, traffic laws, criminal laws, federal regulations.  We all have to at some point agree that those laws are necessary to get by in life, because without them, society begins to buckle and collapse.  Grading isn't necessary in this respect, but it does conjure up the same faith-putting that makes those rules and protocols work for all of us as a society.  In other words (and this isn't a political point), we all have to believe that the laws are applied fairly, judiciously, and objectively.  Otherwise they don't work.  Same with grading.  I choose to believe that AFA is fair, judicious and objective when it comes to its grading criteria and how they are applied.  And all things considered, they've managed to achieve that.  Their integrity in this regard explains why they have become so popular and such a stalwart industry presence.  At the end of the day I put my faith in the process.

Plus, it's also like hearing your favorite song on the radio.  When it comes on, you're excited that there's someone out there in the ether who feels the same way you do about it.  So with grading.  When a spectacular piece comes back with a high grade, it's nice to feel vindicated about your suspicions.  And especially from an important industry actor.  But it takes a certain institutional mindset, and I totally get the impulse to buck the trend and say f*** all that.  Collectors are rebels in general, I think.

[Slave IV]

6 hours ago, MacrossMania said:

😂I've been laughing so hard at these posts.  First time in a while.  And yea, I have this impulse too.  But that's where the madness has to end for me.  It's also probably why my collection of G1 toys is only good and not great.  I know guys who literally go to the ends of the earth to get items so pristine you wouldn't believe they were even real.  And they are not just a few, but literally hundreds.  I couldn't grasp that level of commitment.  My collection is nice, but definitely not on that level.  So with the box within a box etc.

As far as MOTU, you're just proving my point.  Pretty much anything G1 has that basic awestruck wonder about the boxes.  And again, that's why grading in general has been so important to the industry.  But I understand your gripe about putting your faith in some third party you've never heard of to judge a toy what your own eyes are perfectly capable of doing.  I look at it this way.  Grading is like any other institutional setting, traffic laws, criminal laws, federal regulations.  We all have to at some point agree that those laws are necessary to get by in life, because without them, society begins to buckle and collapse.  Grading isn't necessary in this respect, but it does conjure up the same faith-putting that makes those rules and protocols work for all of us as a society.  In other words (and this isn't a political point), we all have to believe that the laws are applied fairly, judiciously, and objectively.  Otherwise they don't work.  Same with grading.  I choose to believe that AFA is fair, judicious and objective when it comes to its grading criteria and how they are applied.  And all things considered, they've managed to achieve that.  Their integrity in this regard explains why they have become so popular and such a stalwart industry presence.  At the end of the day I put my faith in the process.

Plus, it's also like hearing your favorite song on the radio.  When it comes on, you're excited that there's someone out there in the ether who feels the same way you do about it.  So with grading.  When a spectacular piece comes back with a high grade, it's nice to feel vindicated about your suspicions.  And especially from an important industry actor.  But it takes a certain institutional mindset, and I totally get the impulse to buck the trend and say f*** all that.  Collectors are rebels in general, I think.

Lol yeah… I’m all about f rules that are not directly related to general safety. I don’t doubt they are fair about grading. I just don’t care about their grades. More power to people who do though. It’s all good. 

[MacrossMania]

3 hours ago, Slave IV said:

Lol yeah… I’m all about f rules that are not directly related to general safety. I don’t doubt they are fair about grading. I just don’t care about their grades. More power to people who do though. It’s all good. 

Agree with you on the safety issue.  The comparison to laws and regulations is a little awkward given the rampant abuse over the last several years - all in the name of safety - but all else being equal, its  valid one.

[sh9000]

Super7 Reaction TMNT.

[Slave IV]

56 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

Super7 Reaction TMNT.

Nice set of Turtles. I kinda want that new Mirage Neca set but the price is ridiculous to the point where I just can’t support it. My son saw it and said he wanted it and his bday is coming up though. This birthday, he’s already getting a bunch of high end figures for the first time. SHF and other imported stuff where up until this, he’s only been getting Hasbro ~$20 level figure. 

[Drad]

Edited July 4, 2023 by Drad
Opposite side, VF-1S coin.

[MKT]

20 hours ago, Drad said:

 

Nice. What are these?

[sh9000]

Indiana Jones Retro.

[graphic revolt]

Well it’s been a minute!

[Drad]

6 hours ago, MKT said:

 

Nice. What are these?

Couple of random finds. Custom-made challenge coins.

[sh9000]

Hot Wheels.

[sh9000]

Transformers Generations SS TFTM Snarl.

The best Transformers movie.

[sh9000]

GI Joe Classified Arctic BAT.

[sh9000]

My 3rd HMR VF-1J Armored Valkyrie Revival.

[sh9000]

Marvel Legends.

[sh9000]

Hot Wheels 1/43 scale.

[Spark-O-Matic]

On 7/1/2023 at 9:06 AM, MacrossMania said:

And yes, I have that piece.  I haven't removed it from the polybag since the day it was shipped to me from Japan.  Years ago now.  But the polybag doesn't really do it justice.

 

That's a high grade and nice!  I hope mine comes back that good, I sent a factory case of them to CAS a few months ago and waiting I'm on them to come back ,  so far I've had mixed thoughts in dealing with grading companies in this hobby & others.  I personally think for me going forward I'll only have things graded in the future if the value is four figures or its really rare.   I've found companies that make custom protectors really inexpensive.

I've also come to the understanding I only need to have one copy of something and I should pass buying duplicates so others can have an opportunities for the having same toy as me. those getting graded I've sent in once back I'm going to just sell them at cost and move on. 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Spark-O-Matic