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What's the most you've ever paid for a Transformer toy?


Goktimus Prime

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I recently acquired Targetmaster Blurr for AU$90 and I'm still kinda reeling in shock. Why did I pay such a high price? Because in Australia we missed Targetmaster Hot Rod, Kup, Blurr, Cyclonus and Scourge - so they're rarities here that command stupid higher prices in the aftermarket. I got reissue TM Hot Rod then reissue TM Kup. Then someone was selling TM Blurr, so I bit the bullet and bought him for $90. A bit of an impulse buy... but after getting it I must admit it feels good that my 1987 Targetmaster Autobot collection is now complete (well, I don't have Artfire, but I don't care for him either... unless Takara reissues him :P). And I'm not going to get TM Cyclonus and Scourge either unless they get reissued or the opportunity to get them for under $100 comes along (and I have nothing else to buy that's on shelves - I picked up Blurr during the near 3 month drought where we had NO new toys on shelves after DotM).

 

So anyway... I'm wondering if Targetmaster Blurr is, in relative terms, the most expensive Transformer I've ever paid for. My other two f'expensive TF purchases have been Fortress Maximus and Brave Maximus. Fort Max - we don't know if he came out in Australia or not; if he did he was rare. There's only sporadic anecdotal/hearsay reports that he was out here, but we lack solid evidence (e.g. store catalogues, photos of Australians w/ Fort Max taken in the 1980s etc.) - I don't recall seeing him in shelves. Even if I had, I doubt my parents would've paid for such an expensive toy (apparently it retailed in the US for over US$100). Brave Maximus was of course never released in any Hasbro markets. Oh, and G1 Jetfire and Scorponok.

 

Right, so here are my top 5 most expensive TF purchases and the conditions at which they were purchased - tell me which you think was, in relative terms, the most expensive purchase!

 

* FORTRESS MAXIMUS: Loose, missing 1 ramp no weapons - paid $320 for this toy all told ($240 for Fort Max, Gasket, Grommet & Cerebros; got Spike later for $80).

* SCORPONOK (G1): Paid $280. Loose w/ Zarak, shield, one shoulder cannon, helmet, 1 leg guard and Fasttrack. After purchasing this toy I noticed that Zarak and Fasttrack were missing one arm each. The seller told me he'd replace them when he got new ones - he never did. :fire I later got another Zarak with two arms for $80.

* JETFIRE (G1): Paid $200 for this toy. Loose complete in box with foam trays and instruction booklet (although booklet was severely damaged).

* OMEGA SUPREME (G1): Loose complete with tech specs and working gimmick. $90

* BLURR (G1 Targetmaster): Loose w/ Haywire and shield. No stickers. :( $90.

 

Note: This list only includes Transformers that I purchased off the secondary market (which is thankfully extremely rare). I've certainly purchased rather expensive Transformers off the primary market; my most expensive primary market purchase was Brave Maximus ($300) - but of course, primary market purchases are all Mint In Sealed Box or Mint On Sealed Card; so I just paid the retail price for Brave Maximus really (the Australian Dollar was craptastically weak when Car Robot came out). But I'm talking about expensive purchase you've paid Versus their original retail price.

 

According to this site Fortress Maximus retailed in the US for $90 (other sources say $100 - so let's just call it $95), and Targetmasters retailed for $10. Targetmasters sold in Australia for about $25; so based on that I'm gonna guesstimate that Fort Max, if he were sold here, would have been about $200. So that means:

+ Fortress Maximus cost me 1.6 times over estimated retail price

+ Blurr cost me 3.6 times over the retail price of a Targetmaster!! (or 9x more in US dollar terms)

 

<faints> I don't know what's worse -- the fact that I paid these obscene prices, or the fact that people charge such prices. <sigh> We collectors are often our own worst enemies.

But thankfully I very rarely buy anything off the secondary market. And you'll notice that these purchases were all either big-ticket items that I didn't get as a kid in the 1980s or toys that were never released in Australia during G1 so I didn't have the opportunity to get them from the primary market. I'm thankful that I did get most of my Transformers off the Primary Market though... cos even looking at how much I paid for these small handful of toys off the secondary market makes me wanna cry. If I had to collect much more than that off the secondary market... I would NOT bother collecting G1. I collected most of G1 in the 1980s/90s off the primary market and since then I just occasionally pick up a toy that I didn't get to fill in some of the gaps in my G1 collection (my G1 collection is nearly 90% complete - so yeah, it's not that many that I've needed to get off the 2nd'ry market).

 

acquisition_20120223.jpg <--$90!?

^Most relatively expensive purchase ever!

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I know it doesn't sound like a lot when compared to what others have paid, but the most I ever paid was $90 for the G1 Takara Galvatron reissue (purple repaint)that came with the metal matrix/chain. Also paid like $80-90 for my Takara Collection #6 Megatrons (two of them, one not opened) and #0 Convoy. Now that I'm married with two kids, I don't buy as much as I did, but I usually stick to what I find at retail or in discount stores. I've always found it difficult for me to accept pushing the $100 mark for a toy (collectors item are just an adult word for toy in all actuality) but have debated over the last year to drop that on an Encore Omega Supreme......perhaps some day.

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I wouldn't count the MP-10 or Purple reissue Galvatron (that was posted) because those were basically retail price. Goki is talking about appreciated price differences. Most TF collectors tend to remember the most they've paid for a TF (or a top 5) so this could come in handy. Unfortunately, we do not all get to know what original prices were, but I can put down a top 5 or 6 and see where it comes out.

 

$225 - Reissue SE16 Black Megatron MISB. This was purchased in Canada since it was not importable to the US at the time. Originally I would have gotten it from BBTS but they had problems getting them in (or clearance to) and pulled them from their site. It was purchased in 2001, and I do not know what the original price was.

 

$125 - Korean Car-Bot Brave Maximus. This was a pre-order from BBTS and was a retail value purchase, so the difference is either $0 or even a negative value. This particular example is one in which the toy has gained a considerable amount of value since its release, so if I had purchased it last week, the difference would be the clear winner.

 

$96 - G1 Scorponok complete loose. Original price (per previously posted link) was $29.99, a difference of $66.01.

 

But the rest here are difficult to figure out, as they are not your average toys that can be easily identified as far as original prices, as you will see.

 

$75? (I want to say this but not sure) - 1985 TF (Europe or MB) Red Foot Optimus Prime loose with trailer. This one could be close to the Scorponok difference.

 

$75 - AFA 1985 Antex Camaro. Original price? Who knows??

$75 - Kingdam F15 (Starscream) MIB. original price??

$75 - Beetras Beet-Gugal MIB. Who knows??

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ok...lets see....

 

1. Fansprojece Bruticus: Energon Bruticus Maximus and both Fansproject add ons - $350

2. MISB G1 Megatron - $325

3. MISB G1 japanese Bruticus Giftset - $275

4. Japanese MISB G1 Hot Rod - $200

5. Japanese G1 MIB Dinoking - $250

6. Japanese G1 MIB Liokaiser - $300

 

now granted these are all i can think of off the top of my head..im sure there are others..but whatevs....good enough i guess.

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I always judge these things based on the size and scarcity of the toy relative to how much it costs. For example, if I paid $60 for an original Sqwaktalk then I would say that's the most I ever paid for a Transformer toy. I wouldn't buy something like that, though. The most I ever paid for a Transformers was $700+ for my complete Fortress Maximus, but I wouldn't say that's the most I ever paid. No, the most I ever paid was a over $100 for TFC version of G1 Megatron. Outside of the special packaging and that spiked ball and chain, there's nothing special about that version of Megatron. However, it was the only one around at the time and I couldn't afford/or wasn't collecting yet, when it was new. What really stinks is that it wasn't even MISB. So while not a high price like Fort Max, TFC Megatron was still more expensive.

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I think eHobby Twincast was the most expensive I've paid for a Transformer, at $90..I think? I bought him not expecting to be able to get SDCC Blaster, (and figuring SDCC Blaster'd be about that much on the secondary market after the con.) Plus I really wanted Flipsides, but I can't say I paid $90 for just a cassette right? :tfhuh

 

I ended up getting SDCC Blaster as soon as it went on HTS. :tflaugh :redface

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When I first got into collecting back in 1998'ish, I spent $500 on a MISB G1 Jazz off of Ebay. I think that was my most expensive figure I bought. I sold him 6 months later, once the "newness" of owning him wore off, for $250. :redface

 

Heck, I used to collect a lot of MISB and MIB G1 figures back then, but after a year of it I lost interest as I was running out of room to store it all and it was super-expensive back then compared to now. 2 others really NICE G1 figures that I recall buying and the price I paid on them are a MISB Smokescreen for $250 dollars and a MISB Optimus Prime for $300 dollars (I bought him at Botcon 1998 when it was in Anahiem, CA.). However, again, I sold those 2 figures, once the "newness" wore off and made my money back and then some on Ebay.

 

Needless to say, I don't collect MISB or MIB G1 figures anymore. Heck, I barely collect figures now as I am getting to old for it and would be ashamed if someone (e.g., girl I was dating) were to walk in my home and see them. I still like to visit Transformer websites though. :D

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