X-Transbots Ollie - Good gollie!

When this figure came in for me, I was super-excited about getting it!  I took a few snapshots and was asked to share a few initial thoughts.  While I am quite the fan of Wheelie, I really wanted to look at this piece very objectively and give it a fair handshake.  While I can sometimes burst out into rhyme, for this blog post I surely won't take the time!  Perhaps if you're on the fence with this figure, reading on will help you decide whether or not to get it....

Momentary Lapse: Part 2

Quite some time ago, I posted this.  It's bound to happen.  Burnout, life issues, holidays...life can throw a lot atcha sometimes!  Well, while I've not been completely inactive online, blogging had to take a back seat.  If you're wondering why, perhaps the biggest reason is that I suffered a major notebook crash.  Place that on top of a time when "Tis the season," then one has a recipe for less blogging.

Kronos is MY Masterpiece Skyfire!

Hey guys, quick post, as I just want to share some of my photos taken of my new arrival: DaCa Toys Kronos!  After the photos, I am mirroring some thoughts I've posted at TFW2005.COM as well.  Go!

Roadbusted!

Recently, I had an unfortunate incident where my G1 Roadbuster's arm broke off.  Initially, one may think that was is a result of mishandling the figure.  However, anyone who knows me well enough would know that I tend to handle my Transformers very carefully, especially my G1 and Masterpiece figures.  This is mainly due to the cost of replacing a part that may break, as either line can be pretty expensive for repairs.

As such, I posted a want ad in a group I help administrate on Facebook, the G1 Transformers Buying Trading Selling group.  A member there, Andrew Zamarripa, messaged me with a generous offer to help.  After chatting a bit to make proper arrangements, I happily sent payment.

Fast forward just a bit, as I got the box with Roadbuster from Andrew for repairs.  With the spare in hand, I was able to perform an arm transplant.  It's a pretty simple operation, as there's a screw on the front and a screw on the back.  Simply removing both separates the abdomen portion from the back, exposing the pins which hold the arms.  The pins aren't beveled, so just a little finagling will slide the pin up just enough to grip.  I've used a pair of needle-nose pliers on this in the past, but it's not required; I removed the pin with just my fingers this time around.   As it would turn out, I'm going to have to swap the hoods out too, as mine has a small chip from where I transformed it so much as a kid.  

(Roadbuster, it's what's for dinner!)

"Me, Grimlock, get moar and moar Masterpiece release! HAHAHA!"

So, like quite a few other collectors, I recently picked up the recent Hasbro release of Masterpiece Grimlock.  Of course, most know this is the second time Hasbro has used this mold in their Masterpiece line, which has always been pretty haphazard compared to Takara[Tomy]'s way of steering the line.  Nevertheless, I'm a bit of a completionist, and I intend to be with Hasbro's releases, especially since they've actually started a numbering system, like how Takara[Tomy] has been doing for TEN years ever since the line has been released.

As it would have it, there have been several collectors nitpick this release on one tiny issue or another.  That being the case, I figured since it's one of the few Masterpiece figures I'll have doubles of, I'd do my own comparison contrast.  I originally posted this here, in TFW2005.COM's Feedback forum thread on the Hasbro release of the figure.  You'll find my thoughts here below as well:

In My Hands - A Reaction to Maz's Article

Recently, my friend and fellow collector, Maz, posted this article.  Since Maz shares his articles on TFW2005.COM, I'll typically post some of my responses there.  Such was the case this time around as well, and the more I thought about my responses is the more I thought about wanting to archive them here as well.  The main reason for reposting here is that I'd been thinking about a few of my own pieces of advice, both from mere observation, but also from experience.  That is found more towards the end of my post, as the first part of my post was reacting to Maz's thoughts and choices of figures he'd picked out for his article.  You can find my original post here, or just keep on reading below!

The article is great, and one that really puts thought to word about much of how I go about my own collecting (free word of advice: stay away from the "Let's See Some Cool Stuff" thread if you are really on a budget).

One thing that I found myself nodding in agreement each time was your reactions to each of these figures.

KFC [Citizen] Stack - cool, but not quite "Masterpiece".  Even more to the point, "Citizen Stack, to me, felt like a really beautiful and large toy not entirely different from the vein that Generations Metroplex exists in, as opposed to a Masterpiece-style high end collector’s item."  Yep, I couldn't agree more.  Ultra Magnus is a fond character/toy [to] me, and even if something doesn't "fit" a line, I can find myself wanting it.  Citizen Stack is just that.

Warden - Again, your own words were my reaction: "He isn’t for everyone, though, if you need to transform your toys on a regular basis with ease and don’t have any sort of connection to IDW Max, then maybe Warden isn’t for you."  A local collector friend (Scotty P!) got one, and while it's a cool thing, it's just not for me.  If someone wants a full IDW cast, I can see it.  I do not.

MP-10B - It's basically G1 Scourge (from RiD).  I've not seen a photo yet that does it justice.  It's one of those that's so much nicer in hand.

(My MP-10B Black Convoy unpacking on Christmas day, 2013!)

Masterpiece - Things to "Chug" On . . . .

Recently, a discussion topic popped up, and I ended up posting a bit of my thoughts on some overall trends I've seen developing quite rapidly over the last year or so.  I figured I'd mirror my comments here,  You can check out the original discussion here:  Why is Henkei More Expensive than Masterpiece?  I honestly wasn't trying to steer a conversation away from the original topic ("Henkei figures being more expensive in the secondary market than certain Masterpiece figures").  The way the topic went, my comments felt not only natural, but I'd had these thoughts for a while and it seemed like the best time to share them.