Are you serious. I've been collecting for years and I don't open my transformers So you're telling me I don't love my toys because I don't open them. Wow again I won't say that to you cause I believe everyone collects in their own way. But I guess you think that people have to collect the same exact way as you right? If not they are less of a collector right. Grow up. let people collect the way they want to collect. If it pisses you off that much I'd say get a life or a wife lol
@benjamindorrance1361 its that they're Toys. I think the difference theyre trying to point out is whether you love the Toys themselves or simply Collecting them. While I personally don't care, and only keep my very special figures in-box, any way yoh collect is okay. But it just depends on whether you're using the toys for their purpose or instead keeping them for Display.
@@Nil_25k Thank you. Far more coherent than what I would have typed. I think part of what colored my comment was my dislike of dust collecting nic-nacks that exist solely to collect dust and give old people an excuse to paddle the behinds of five year olds who only wanted to do some lite dusting. I am in my 40s now, and I am still bitter. Suffice it to say, I have a complex relationship with Amiibo.
When I go to buy older figures, I always get them MISB. I love the experience of opening it for the first time having the intended experience and knowing it’s as perfect and pristine as possible when I got it. That said, people lose their minds when they see me for opening 20+ year old figures for my personal collection.
"In the end, it's a toy. And you have to be able to play, with a toy. Not just stare at it because it's all nice and fancy." -TJOmega, Plastic Addict 15: Energon Wing Saber Also, 21:58 gave us one *hell of a meme quote.*
If you treat toys as an investment, you do you but you are fundamentally wrong and highly joyless Despite that though, I do keep one toy MISB more for sentimental reasons. A copy of the collab Gigawatt I got from a friend last year.
The only ones I would consider keep in box are specifically very rare or limited figures. Has in the ones that were created to be rare collector items rather than being played with or figures that are so rare( like they made only 100 or the company shut down and got a small release) that taking them out of the box feels wrong...like when a toy getd over 10,000 of them made sure, but only 100 or in some extreme cases just 10 or even 4....yeah, it feels like an extreme disservice.
What I've always enjoyed about Transformers is that the toy was an action figure, a car/plane/camera/dinosaur/etc, as well as a puzzle. It feels wrong to me to just keep it in a box. I have started to keep the boxes for my figures instead of throwing them away. When I rotate my display I put the figures back into the box for storage. Some boxes still have accessories I've never used with the figure still in the original packaging. For example, my CW Leader Megatron's hand weapons have never left the packaging.
I opened my Crossover Gigawatt so I could mess around with it. Being both a Transformers fan and a Back to the Future fan, of course I wanted to have it in either mode depending on how I felt that day. But I left the box as intact as I could because it's a cool box. One could consider it worthy of display as a piece of art even without the toy inside. I also used to keep the cardboard backing from my Beast Wars figures so I could admire the art and read the bio's. Really useful for keeping names and personalities straight back before I had fast internet and tfwiki to rely on.
Facts, one of the initial reasons my grandparents bought me one of my first transformers is due to the puzzle element, not much compares to the satisfaction of a nice transformation
I'm a packagerat saving flattened boxes, but Kingdom's removal of plastic trays encouraged me to strip down on the frankly spacious packaging. Older transformers remain in box and tray. Still, I prefer compact vehicle mode storage in Selects boxes and plastic bags for protection from the elements and rubbing, especially shiny ABS Tobots. And just a small shelf for loose display to use for filming.
For me, I equate MISB toys to posters: they’re nice decorations, but they aren’t the substance of the collection. I open my toys, and I play with them, but I’m not above getting a few duplicates that I keep in the box, if I think it’ll help break things up and make things look nice.
I am so happy there's a third option this time. I mentioned on the last video that I felt like it was situational there too but the poll didn't have an option for that. I voted opened, I hesitated when I saw the third option there because I could see the argument for both. This is just my personal opinion but the reason I went with opened is because I only really collect Transformers. The whole point of a Transformer is that it's technically three toys in one, some times more if you get into triple changers but general, you have an action figure, a vehicle or beast toy, and a puzzle if you're like me and you don't look at the instructions. Which incidentally I think should be your next poll, cause I'm curious if there are other transformers collectors out there who view their transformers as puzzle toys and try to solve the puzzle without looking at the instructions. Anyway, one of the biggest reasons I love Transformers toys and continue to collect them as an adult is because if I ever get bored of how my collection looks I can just take them off the shelf, transform them to another mode and have an entirely different display even though they're the exact same toys. I can't do that with any other toy line. I use to collect other things like Star Wars and I do still enjoy my Lightsabers but I don't really go after the toys like I use to because that Darth Maul toy that I spent a long time tracking down at multiple different stores because it was incredibly difficult to find... yeah I got board of him in like five minutes. I eventually realized that the reason I wasn't enjoying my Star Wars, or super hero figures anymore is because they were essentially all the exact same toy. Considering all they have to do is repaint a body, maybe sculpt a new head, and they can keep reusing the exact same mold for 15 hundred characters. Transformers reuse molds too of course but no where near to the extent that other toy lines do it. Transformers just continues to impress me with the engineering in ways that non-transforming figures just can't because they don't have to worry about that figure not only having articulation but also being able to transform into a completely different toy. So for that reason because it's the experience of the transformation that is the whole reason I love these figures, I can't enjoy a Transformers toy if it's mint in box. If it were any other toy line, I would actually prefer to have it mint in box because I don't really care about having the experience of having that toy in my hand. I've looked at Marvel Legends figures, I don't really collect Marvel or DC figures anymore. I've considered getting a Deadpool and if I did get one it would probably stay in the box. I don't need to open him an pose him around on my desk, I don't want to lose the accessories and they likely would get lost if I opened it, that's living in the box. I've also considered getting a Moon Knight and Mr. Knight specifically the Disney+ version because I've researched comic book Moon Knight and I don't really care about the comic book. I think Disney actually made the right choice in the changes they made to the character to make him a more accurate portrayal of DID instead of making him like he was in the comics which is outdated and kind of offensive. I don't care about any comic book version of the character but I would actually consider getting figures of the live action versions because I love that series. Again they would live in the box though cause even though it's two different costumes with very different designs... really they're all using the same base body with different paint and accessories. I don't feel like I need to experience those figures out of the box. I just kind of want them because I love the characters but they would absolutely live in the box. My dad actually use to collect Star Trek toys. He kind of still does but not as much as he use to cause they don't really make them as often anymore. But he would usually try to get two of everything as much as possible that way he could have one to open and actually experience first hand have a second to keep in the box. Though a lot of those figures were being stored in the shed which had a tree fall on it recently so he may have taken a big hit to his collection due to that accident.
Secret 4th Option (that is basically just the loose option): I open my figures but I keep/display them with the box because I love the art on them. And if I buy second hand, I prefer to get it with the box for that reason.
My Greenlight is out and on my female autobot display, but I do have her box on standby so I can put her back in there if I want. I rarely keep my boxes but when I know it's collectible I'll put the box away for safekeeping
They hold there value on most figures so I open them and hold onto someone boxes. I only have figure that are 20+ years old such as g2 beachcomber and the collaboration ones like gigawatt.
Omg at 11:00 I’m surprised someone else, let alone YOU talked about having the Transformers in the box because of seeing them in the stores as a kid. I’m Gen Z so I grew up around the Generations, FOC and the first 3 Bayverse toylines. As a kid my parents would always let me go to the toy section and just look at Transformers while they shopped. They'd buy me some occasionally, all deluxes. (Voyager and Leaders were for birthdays and christmas) As years passed on they said I opened too much so after a certain point they'd buy me the toy, but never let me open it. I'd hang them in my closet and it was like a little toy aisle, I'd pic them up and look around the box, sometimes they has the little opening to demo the gimmick (mechtech) I did open some years later after waiting so long, oh boy I got some whoopings from it. Made me so upset I couldnt play with my own Transformers. 😭 Still enjoyed watching the reviews of them on Baltmatrix, Emgo316 and your channels. I still have some in their boxes, DOTM Leader Bumblebee, Voyager Shockwave and Megatron, Deluxe DarkSteel and Air Raid and a RID Bulkhead. It's been so long that honestly I don't mind them being in boxes anymore. However after I got back into Transformers collecting, all of my toys are gonna be out of the box, still flatten in keep the box just to stare at the packaging. 🙂
@@markgodfrey7803basically, I have asian parents so after not being able to open any they just stopped buying them out right. Crazy is I still adored Transformers, if I wasn’t playing with them, I was watching them on TH-cam or the dvds I had gotten. I don’t fault them for what they did, but I’m sure as heck ain’t gonna do that to my kids if I ever have any. 😂
I always collect loose unless it's very special occasions, like 90%/10% . I love messing around with figures of all kinds but Transformers specifically. Their complexity and the astonishment of how they got such a great action figure to crunch itself into a vehicle is fascinating to me. I love Transformers so I open (almost) every one of them I get.
The only ones I would consider keep in box are specifically very rare or limited figures. Has in the ones that were created to be rare collector items rather than being played with or figures that are so rare( like they made only 100 or the company shut down and got a small release) that taking them out of the box feels wrong.
For ML Spider-Man, for so so long I stuck with the Toybiz Spider-Man 2 movie super-poseable Spidey that I found at a flea market for a dollar. Only that Renew Your Vows ML Spider-Man that you mentioned got me to upgrade. I have the Voyager-class TF Prime Ultra Magnus and Shockwave still in box. And for other Hasbro stuff, the MLP Queen Chrysalis and Spike 2-pack and a WHOLE bunch of GI Joe Classified still MIB. I got RotF Leader-class Optimus Prime new in-package and opened it, but just about every other official Transformers toy I have on display, I got used.
For me, there's a lot more nostalgia in actually playing with and experiencing the toy than just having the sealed box. Like, my favorite figures from my childhood, I spent like what, 15-20 minutes with the sealed box from the store to home, and then I opened it up, threw away the box, and enjoyed the toy inside for years to come. All my good memories are with the contents, not the packaging. And if I want to re-obtain a figure that didn't survive my childhood, or finally get one that I wanted as a kid but my parents never bought for me, I'm gonna take the feeling of actually having the toy in-hand over the feeling of staring wistfully at a store shelf. That said, if a box somehow survives 20+ years sealed and in perfect condition, then I can see the value in protecting it for many more. I mean, personally I wouldn't pay for it, but if one somehow entered my possession, then sure, I'd keep the streak going.
The only figure I keeps MISB is a downsized knockoff fort max. Edit: also, is your hot wheels Hulk the Combat Medic variety or Spoiler Sport Variety? Just Curious.
Thanks TJ I watch alot of Transformers content creators and this subject isnt touch on alot so I tip my hat to you. So there is an aspect you did touch on that is essentially how I collect. For me I unbox and leave in. My initial thought is always to open, though. Why, because not just playing with the toy, but displaying the toy, is such a big part of the experience to me. I am very serious about my display and how my bots are set up. However I do keep things in box. Not just to stay in a box in the closet but some are actually part of my displays. It adds a element in some cases. Example, I purchased Takara Tomy Transformers One Optimus Prime with the intention to take it out of its box. Then it got here.... The box was so cool and I got to thinking about the fact that the figure would not be released in the states. I came to the conclusion it was a better Idea to keep him in box. Another reason I may keep something in box is I just don't have a place for that particular bot to fit in to my display...yet. I digress, thanks again for the content TJ
i like keeping some sealed depending on how cool the box is or if I already have a version of the mold. I have an animated ironhide sealed because the card has some unreleased toys on the back and i think thats neat. Its cheaper to buy open though so its easier to collect for that if you dont care about accessories
I see both sides, but personally i liked having them with their original boxes even though they had been opened, at least back when figures came with the plastic bubble and the plastic window. Now i just collect loose but there's a beauty of having a toy just in pristine condition knowing it's not gonna get damaged (mostly)
I collect to collect tgings I like, I don't collect as an investment. Plus i want to put them in cool poses and throw them on a shelf to occasionally fiddle around with them.
I always open them if they're new. If I want an older figure, I usually try to find one that's loose but complete because I wouldn't want to open an older toy. It also becomes a matter of space, because while I like to save some boxes, I don't have the room for most of them. Even if I need to pack my figures up in a box it's a lot easier to do if they're loose.
I leave my transformers in the box for 2 reasons. 1. It helps with the space in the room thier kept in. 2. I've noticed they sell more if their new in the box. I do have at least 3 or 4 that are open. Only because I didn't read the description clearly, the price was great and bought it on ebay. I do have a titan class metroplex out of box. He is one of my grails, took me four years to find it in a toy store for $250. I bought it in 2020, on ebay the starting price is $450 going up to over $1,000. I do understand other people's notion to open them and play with them.
Damn, I have been watching you for most of my life. The fact you are still here talking transformers is so awesome. You got me into one of my favorite series ever kamen rider. I went to see shin kamen rider in theaters with my girlfriend and actually cried at the end. I wouldn't of had that experience with you TJ. Keep going you are worth every minute, every hour, every day you are here.
I collect loose that being said I have one thing that I got the I have sealed from micro machines sealed in box because I have the set of cars that it has in that box
So I occasionally do this with when it comes to Gundam model kits only because for certain kits I want to have a spare just in case something happens to it whatever or however. It kind of leaked back into Transformers but not to that degree since they are designed to be a bit more sturdy so I never really have to worry about the quality immediately degrading but when I do it's purely for my own benefit rather than value monetarily. So my thought process on keeping spare anything is due growing up I never really kept most of my things in good shape, stuff just breaksdown for me and because of that I'm an OCD wreck and want my things be it my everyday items to my hobbies in close to perfect condition as I can get because it means in my perception they are in peak condition. Another reason is actually something along the lines of character reverence and having them be well maintained in box is akin to having like a photo that means something to you, I might keep a Starscream in its box because he is my favourite Transformer of all time and I would proudly put right next to my display case of just Starscream. But more often than not I do like opening them putting them on display just so on a rainy day I can transform or pose them whenever. Transforming robot figures are the greatest invention I swear
I open and play with majority of my toys. I don't keep them in box. I will keep parts of the box and bag it with their weapons and instructions. I don't resell much. My husband has few special MIB that he figures will be opened after he dies. I do have some MIB but its original G1.
I personally prefer to opening all my action figures that also includes Transformers. The reason for why I prefer to open my Transformers and the other action figure lines I collect is they are supposed to be enjoy. I enjoy posing my Transformers and other action figures in dynamic poses so I can take pictures to share with people I know. I also enjoy posing them in order to display them in that pose on my shelf. I also enjoy transforming my Transformers it helps me with my hand coordination. Another reason for why I prefer opening them is I know one day that these pieces of plastic will turn to dust. These toys don't last forever they will break and fall apart so enjoy them while you can. I also understand the other side of the argument of keeping Transformers and other action figures in the package. I enjoy your video TJ Omega on this debate keep up the great work.
I prefer both. I like to have one loose to play with and one sealed to display if possible. Generally, unlike other things I collect I don't prioritize owning a sealed copy over a loose copy for TF, actually quite the opposite unless I get my hands on a sealed copy of something rare with no loose copy available to me. With the new no plastic window packaging I figured I wouldn't even bother collecting legacy and such sealed, with no window I see no point. I'm also a newish collector so I don't have much sealed TF anyway since I prefer my sealed stuff to be hung on my wall and the packaging of the last few years makes that a bit of a hassle. Sealed is really reserved for childhood favorites or to complete lines I didn't get to as a kid because of money issues.
I had kept a lot of my Transformers {started collecting with the Siege line of toys} in box and displayed them on a shelf. Part of the room they were displayed in started feeling like a toy store. But then I ran out of room for boxes, and figured that I could get more of them on the shelf if I took them out. Also that helped me purchase more since I had more room 😂. I am enjoying having them out of the boxes and have gotten pretty good at transforming them. Toys are meant to be played with! There is one that I probably won't ever open though, and that is my MP-01 Optimus Prime. I wasn't big into collecting Transformers toys at that time, but I was an 80's kid and grew up with the G1 show and got a lot of the toys. So when I saw the MP-01 in the store 20 years ago, I couldn't pass it up.
I love playing with them so I open my TF. Lately when I get one I keep them in their box for like a week to appreciate the look and then open them. The only thing I have mint in box are Equestria Girls Minis (lol the my little pony mention at the end), because their packaging look so good and they're blisters so you can apreciate them without opening them. (I voted for Opened tho cause the poll is about TF). I wonder if because they don't vary or do much, not opening them doesn't matter to me that much compared to TF, which every toy are more unique experiences. There's one I kinda wanna open because it includes a camera with trypod accesory that look super fun to mess around with lol. So there's a fun factor to it.
I collect both. Moreso 80% open and play (but i'll often keep the boxes because it's the easiest way for me to keep the figures/accesories together without having to buy some unnecessary storage system). 20% keep in box depending on figure and how cool the packaging is.
Nowadays I do not keep the boxes of newer figures but I do keep the boxes of older figures like the ones from UT and Animated. But then there a figures that I want own as MISB.
I got a studio series 86 Grimlock mint in box. Not sure if I can or should open it, or get the comics grimlock. The only other toys i have are NECA TMNT. I have the NYCC and SDCC sets from 2008 sealed in box. And my NYCC box is signed by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, so i can't bring myself to open it.
Loose. Most of my fun with a Transformer is posing it and taking photos. I like experiencing the engineering and seeing how they work. And I will usually throw the box away, I've only kept them on a few toys and even then I will usually change my mind and toss them after awhile. However, I'm not saying I don't have a couple sealed. Toys I absolutely adore, I might grab a sealed one if I find one out in the wild. I never plan to sell them, I view them almost in a preservationist since. I like looking at a perfectly pristine copy of the toy and being able to see it almost frozen in time. I haven't done this fairly recently because I don't see much of a point keeping an open package mint and the sealed boxes tend to completely obscure the toy inside, so it holds no display value to me.
My Transformers are loose, I want to try them out when I buy them, but many of them, I keep the box, not too many, because they can take a lot of space. I do find it fascinating to see mint in box G1 Transformers when I go the TFCon or a ComicCon, gets my nostalgia's juices flowing.
I like to play with and display my toys. Which makes me a loose collector. However, I also have toys that are unopened because I already have a version of that mold for display. Example: I do have that cartoon accurate colored Universe Starscream MOC, but that's because I have Classics Starscream loose. I like the Universe coloration, but I have no need to open it (same goes for Beast Wars Depth Charge; the Universe version is also MISB and has a killer color scheme). I have a few others like that. I did sell off a few MISB Energon and Cybertron figures because I needed the space and couldn't justify either opening them or keeping them as is (incidentally, I have a small regret about selling Energon Quickstrike, I really like that color scheme). When I buy my G1 toys, I like getting the boxes/cards if possible (they look cool and give me a serious nostalgia hit), but it is not a necessity. Sorry for the long story. I've been a Transformers collector since I was 7. G1 Optimus Prime for Christmas 1984. Play on!
Call me crazy - but I like both. I love the feel of transforming these guys, finding a good pose for them, and seeing the figure on my shelf, even if it gets slightly scratched and worn. I also remember many times when I couldn't get these toys, and all I could do was go out and see them on the shelves, so yes, I also get a spike of nostalgia from seeing them in the box and enjoying the art and the display. I don't buy many toys (at its largest, my collection wasn't very big), but I will often try to get two of something if I can - one to maintain that pristine potential and one to play with and enjoy. So, yeah - I'm mostly circumstantial, but if I have the opportunity, I'm with the dudes in the Road to El Dorado: Both? Both. Both is good.
1:30 I never saw that previous debate but the fake or foe parts, I would prefer that all the robot and alt mode parts would match but there are times when the part has to change or bend to match. A small example would be if Optimus Prime (G1) were to be accurate in Truck mode the windows would be flat but in Robot mode his chest would have bend out in the middle, this could only be done by have fake parts (not that toys do this). Hot Rod's/Rodimus Prime's hood/chest part (with the flames on it) would have to deform in some ways too and would look awkward in one mode or the other but fake parts make them look better. So I’m ok with that.
I open most of my figures to play with, but I do have a single reissue BW Megatron MISB that was signed by David Kaye, because I think that an autograph looks much nicer on the front of a box containing a figure than on the figure itself. Helps that the box in this case looks really nice.
It honestly depends. If it's a mass produced, released everywhere, shelf warming, etc... go nuts and enjoy the figure. If it's a limited run, hard to find, exclusive, whatever... It might be a good idea to keep it sealed.
I prefer to open the Transformers and enjoy them. I've even opened some vintage sealed toys with my grubby, toy-devaluing hands. 😄 I do like the idea of keeping some sealed toys around for preservation purposes, though. Almost sort of recreate a toy aisle. I like to keep boxes and cards, or at least tech specs and artwork if I can. And instructions, of course. The only one I haven't opened is this Legacy of Bumblebee 3-pack that has his name misspelled on the side of the package as "Bumblebe." And I already had the original versions of the movie and Classics Bumblebees anyway. Never had any Animated toys or watched the show, so if I opened it, I could experience an Animated figure for the first time. In my time of watching this channel, it looks like I made a mistake in not giving Animated a chance. I am watching through every Transformers movie and series right now (though I'm not re-watching the Netflix series,) so I will get to Animated eventually. I'm watching Headmasters for the first time right now and it is thoroughly irritating to me. I hope the other Japanese G1 series are better. Anyway, I don't expect to get rich off that Bumblebee 3-pack and I don't think anyone should expect to get rich off toys, in general. I know that's not why I collect them.
For me, it's a mix of both because I have a weird fascination with the packaging. I am a firm believer that toys should be opened and played with. That is their purpose and I am not denying that. However, as TJ said, some people think that the toy is not complete without the box and I'm one of them. What I usually do is I open my toys and when I'm done, I just put them back in the box. If they are in plastic bubbles, I put the toy back in and hold it in with paper clips. I just have a deep fascination with the boxes because all of their styles are unique and I love how they all look on a shelf stacked together, with the artwork facing out. Especially with the modern Generations and Studio Series boxes, the art looks amazing and I feel like if I throw them out it's a waste of the work that went into the art and/or photography. I can understand why people don't keep them: they take up too much space, , or you just don't care that much about them and just want to focus on the toy. Whatever those reasons are, that's fine and I respect those opinions. However, I will always appreciate the style of the boxes of my Transformers. I'll open them and play with them often, but I just can't bring myself to throw them out.
both. Sometimes I buy them NEW in box, then carefully pull them out. I always think : "There is a collector out there SCREAMING that a mint figure was purchased and the Original Box was opened!" XD I just like to make sure that the figures are FRESH and don't have any broken pieces. I do also get figures loose like at conventions.....IF they are in good condition :D
I always open my figures since I like to set them up and play with them or fiddle with them on my desk or a combo of both. However, I always keep my boxes, I open the figure very carefully so I can preserve the box as best I can and I display the boxes in a little display I made. That being said I came across an MISB Armada Thrust and picked it up for $60, its been a month now and I still haven't decided whether I want to open it or not.
On the one hand I like having a toy I know is in good condition with no missing pieces but on the other hand don't want to open boxes on something 20+ years old in case someone does want that. Still feel bad opening a cybertron ransack last year but it is a fun toy.
I have never heard "yuck your yums" before and I will not be adding that to my pseudo curse list. For me the question is how do you want to display your figures? I have a shelf of Bumblebees (should not surprise anyone who has seen me here before) and they look better out of the package. My disappointment is that there isn't enough room on the shelf to take advantage of their articulation and put them in good poses. I like setting up diorama style displays with the figures in combat or in their spare time (like being around my little Christmas tree), using robot and alt mode in the display. I find the usual "just standing there" displays boring, and it's the only way to display something in box regardless of what mode the figure is packaged in. If anything, that's a good debate for the future: pose for a scene (or just to add some visual flair) versus making room to just show off what you have.
i prefer lose, but i have kept my beast wars reissues in box, i also kept the few bayformers i got in box, but everything else i've cracked open, i could never bring myself to open a survivor of a figure that's 20+ years old so i prefer to get loose for old figures, im going back and collecting dinosaur transformers i never got, my local shop got loose but complete bm Dinotron and bw tm terrorsaur im glad they were loose as they were much cheaper and i get to see what i missed out on. Also another big reason i prefer loose, SPACE packaging takes up a lot of space you can have depending on the box 3 or 4 figures on a shelf or one box.
I do take them out the box and have them displayed but I always keep the boxes whenever I’m ready to store them back in. This is with the newer figures though. The only MIB collection I have is the 2005 Cybertron figures. I have a heavy nostalgic for the way the box look. Having both “Galaxy Force” Optimus and the regular one Mint in the box.
I’m an opened figure kind of individual, I don’t think I’d ever get a figure and leave it unopened. I like messing with figures when I’m bored or something. But I do on rare occasion keep the box if it’s a unique one- like holiday Optimus, I kept the box bcuz I really like the visual of it, it’s cute and jolly lol
It can be excellent to open a box yourself but if buying loose off someone you trust it can give you more confidence the TF is in working order unlike the unknown if releasing it first time from the cardboard & plastic prison and finding they have a broken T-Cog.
I open my figures. To me it's a toy not a sculpture that collects dust nor a painting that I can hang on the wall to not take up space. Also as an artist posing for references is a must for me and I can't do that when it's in a box.
Like for most things with me, it depends. If I were to ever get my hands on a mint vintage Transformer from the 80s or 90s, I would hesitate to open it because I find anything that old that's managed to remain untouched in its original packaging to be incredibly cool. Meanwhile, if its a modern toy that I picked up from Walmart or Amazon, then no, obviously the box is going in the trash. 😅
While I prefer collecting loose figures from a price conscious standpoint (I think we can agree that collecting can get expensive) If I like the packaging when I buy new, I will save the box. Sometimes they can come in handy. I actually have a few Megazord (which I also collect) boxes that are autographed by their rangers. How many of us would save an Optimus or Megatrons' box for an autograph?
I always open them so loose. I even kind of like ones that are a little beat up if I find a used one. The only figure I didn't was the second Mercer figure from gi joe since the friend who bought it for me asked me not too
I do both. I did open my most recent toys, but I got them at Ross and they were all repaints. I also have a few toys that I will not open, like my RID Grimlock that I got in 2004. I also waiting to see if Hasbro will bring out more cassettes for Soundwave and Blaster before opening them to display them.
G1 collector here. Most of my collection is very wabi-sabi, or pre-loved. Many figures are even conglomerates of multiple half broken figures, or ones that I've repaired and restored. I think I have a grand total of one G1 box 😅
Bit of both: I always intend to open and play with mine but sometimes you just know you'll want the MISB later. In those cases I try to buy two, as I did with the SS86 Optimus and a few of the Dinobots.
I collect loose because if I didn't want to handle and play with them I could just collect pictures of them or watch someone like Color R Touch Toys or EmGo's "Just Transform It!" series of videos. It would be a heck of a lot cheaper and wouldn't take up any physical space. Though I suppose MISB collectors may have a reason to open one of their toys when Hasbro inevitably puts out the same toy but more accurate deco a year or three down the line like 86 Blaster and Galvatron. (surprised Cyclonus hasn't received the treatment)
Open and experience them. Actually I'm wriing a fic using the Transformers I own, and play with them and see what they can do fill my head with ideas, in this moment, I have a Road Rage in robot mode and Optimus in Trunk mode, both wearing different parts of one Centurion Drone, because they must arrive quickly to the battlefield, and Road Rage can't transform.
In my house it’s both. If the kids want to play with it and we purchase a toy new at msrp or below they can open it. We have a handful of sealed combiners from Combiner Wars because at the time of purchase the kids became more into Lego so we never opened them. However, the last Titans Return figure I let my son open was Aimless and Misfire, so maybe he gets to open Computron for Christmas.
Loose. I like to experience them and see them standing together in a group. That said, there are a handful I kept in the box. Tonkanator, for one. I think the idea of an Autobot Devestator is fun as a one-off toy. But G1 Devestator kinda sucks. But, as a set within that box? I feel like the entire presentation is elevated. I also got the recent 40th Blaster and Soundwave. I have versions of these guys already, but here I feel like the box elevates the figure. I like the presentation. But that's about it. For the most part I open all my figs. And then toss the box because I don't have room.
Most of mine are open but there was one that I bought two of because I thought would be valuable in the future so for that one I have to play with and one mitsb
It's a combination of nostalgia and value if there's a toy I really want but I think could fetch a really high price when I'm older then I'll keep it in box but if there's a toy I really want to play with I will open it up
For Transformers I open all of them. It just feels like there is too much of the toy that you aren't experiencing if you leave it in the package. That being said, my primary collection is actually Ninja Turtle toys. And for those I started as a loose collector and eventually expanded to become a buy one to open and one to keep in package collector. But that gets really pricey. I probably would not still be doing so if I wasn't running an online archive for them.
I like buying MIB cause of as u said, the experience of unboxing is what I like as well as leaving my house to go hunt. With that said, if I see a steal of a deal on a loose figure, I'm jumping on it lol
For Transformers, I go entirely loose. I understand what MISB collecters go for, but for me the Transformers toy experience is taking them out, posing and playing with them, as well as customizing. My one MISB exception is my Pacific Rim "Clean" Deluxe Knifehead. Dude's hard as heck to find and when I finally got him I made the decision that he's staying in the box until I either find a second one in a more pristine box or or upgrade the collection to a UV protected glass cabinet.
Sometimes when I'm back collecting older stuff I like to buy misb (if I can find one for a fair price) just cuz I really enjoy the experience of unboxing a new figure
The vast majority of my toys, it’s open box all the way. I buy toys to play with them, pose them, have fun with them. That said, I do have a fair number of figures I’ve kept mint in box for display purposes. These are mostly the G1 and Beast Wars reissues.
Might just be me, but I don't mind owning figures of the same character. even if they look quite similar. I've got both Siege and SS86 Springer, and they're both taking a place in my collection. Same with my many Optimuses, Megatrons, etc.
1 carded or mint in box means nothing if you can't see the toy when they went solid box and lost the window you can't enjoy them at all 2 click clicks need to be clicked 3 depends if you ever intend to sell them i open all in my collection knowing I'm probably gonna keep them all
Preferably box because a lot of TF box art is beautiful and I can store the figure back in there when I’m done playing with it. Edit: another major reason for MSIB is because it guarantees all the accessories are there and the toy is complete.
Loose, I buy them to transform and pose them, if I want to just look at them I can slap a picture on my wall and save money/space, although I do have dotm nitro bumblebee sealed because he was my childhood transformer and I could only find him sealed on ebay
I'd say probably 80-85% of my collection is loose. I've always enjoyed the experience and the puzzle aspect. But there are some things I have that are MISB (usually duplicates of favorite characters, a few rarities) and some that are MIB (all of my MPs/MPGs and some boxed sets). But that's how I collect. I'm not about to criticize how anyone else collects (or what they collect), even if I might disagree with it. Everyone has their reasons and methods - most of which are talked about in this video. Ultimately, it's your collection. Get your enjoyment from it however you wish (within TOS, natch 😉). You do you.
Cute topic. Buy food, but don't eat it! (Truth is, the quality of things these days is generally more like 'consumables' than collectables.) Life is short. I say enjoy what you've got! 🎉 While very rare items ought to be left in their packaging (strictly for historical reasons), there are random occasions where unusual things like an unpunched blister card, shipping crate boxing or a toy (or packaging) spotting an error would compel us to leave the merchandise in pristine condition as a curious item of 'special note'. A vital point to note is that the surface of toys perpetually imprisoned in their packaging that faces the outside will discolour prematurely (due to photo-degradation), more rapidly or unevenly from the rest of the toy when compared to an open toy that receives even lighting from all around. After 5 decades of handling toys, those that have 'batteries included' or held in place with rubber bands give us no choice but to open them up (A.S.A.P.!) to save the toy inside from horrid harm ~ oh, I could tell you hair-raising tales about this from over the years! (Rubber bands disintegrate and sear off the paint from die-cast parts especially!) Any toys with rubber tyres will start to melt in a package in certain warmer climates. Sealed plastics slowly release toxic fumes that are detrimental; and depending on darkness and humidity, various molds take root (some visible and some not), particularly on pulp, paper & cardboards, and begin to rub off on and discolour the various materials on the toy itself. The mixture of slowly paints liquefy in certain temperatures and printing colours from the boxes/blister cards, biocards & stickers interact with the surfaces that they are constantly in contact with for decades. GPS and related deterioration quicken in enclosed spaces; and so do other forms of mixed-material decomposition. The toys from newer toylines (like the Combiner Wars toys intended for combined lighter weight stress) are chiefly made from recycled plastics. Thus, their lifespan is shorter as they start out from an already truncated point. 'Timebombs' like Titans Return/LG Mindwipe, Bat Convoy, and Weirdwolf/Wolfwire will go off quicker. Fungus festers. Toxicity in storage bins escalates. Blotching occurs. Rusting & corrosion take place gradually, depending on the quality of metals & paints used. The elements and the weather are always at odds with paper: in an instance of fire, it catches on very fast; and in an instance of flooding, the detrimental absorption is tremendous. Some micro bugs prefer to call this paper Eden of a heap a cosy habitant. (Roaches, rodents, and moths find these fine selections of sweet-smelling cardboards, particularly tasty!) Space runs out very quickly once you reach the 4-digit number of toys in packaging (yours truly experienced this over two decades ago). Bodies are mostly incinerated these days, so there is hardly space in the coffin (if there is a coffin at all!) to bury the toys with us anymore. Live life to the fullest. Get rid of clutter and at least give yourself the chance to use the proceeds from selling unopened toys (quickly) to enjoy a meaningful life (while allowing a true collector who enjoys touching the treasures within to savour them in the way that they rightly choose)! 😅 Stay amazing, TJ-O! And keep these sizzling 'debates' comin', mate! 🎉😊🎉
Loose, I love the engineering behind transformers figures and obviously taking them out of their boxes is the best way to experience the plastic origami and figure it out myself
Loose: they're toys, they're meant to be played with.
Loose, because I like to play with my toys.
Second this
Third this.
Same
AYE
also it costs less plus, it does save quite a bit of space.
"Toy Story 2" had the right of it. Mint In Box just means you don't love your toys and just want them as a status symbol. Boo!
Are you serious. I've been collecting for years and I don't open my transformers So you're telling me I don't love my toys because I don't open them. Wow again I won't say that to you cause I believe everyone collects in their own way. But I guess you think that people have to collect the same exact way as you right? If not they are less of a collector right. Grow up. let people collect the way they want to collect. If it pisses you off that much I'd say get a life or a wife lol
@benjamindorrance1361 its that they're Toys. I think the difference theyre trying to point out is whether you love the Toys themselves or simply Collecting them. While I personally don't care, and only keep my very special figures in-box, any way yoh collect is okay. But it just depends on whether you're using the toys for their purpose or instead keeping them for Display.
@@Nil_25k Thank you. Far more coherent than what I would have typed. I think part of what colored my comment was my dislike of dust collecting nic-nacks that exist solely to collect dust and give old people an excuse to paddle the behinds of five year olds who only wanted to do some lite dusting. I am in my 40s now, and I am still bitter. Suffice it to say, I have a complex relationship with Amiibo.
Just throw everyone who wants to keep their stuff in good condition under the bus, eh?
LOOSE: You're collecting toys
MINT: You're collecting inventory
i like playing with my toys...the hell is a transforming toy for if you don't get to transform it?
When I go to buy older figures, I always get them MISB. I love the experience of opening it for the first time having the intended experience and knowing it’s as perfect and pristine as possible when I got it. That said, people lose their minds when they see me for opening 20+ year old figures for my personal collection.
"In the end, it's a toy. And you have to be able to play, with a toy. Not just stare at it because it's all nice and fancy." -TJOmega, Plastic Addict 15: Energon Wing Saber
Also, 21:58 gave us one *hell of a meme quote.*
I haven't seen enough of TJOmega to know if 21:58 was intentional or unintentional, but either way was hilarious
If you treat toys as an investment, you do you but you are fundamentally wrong and highly joyless
Despite that though, I do keep one toy MISB more for sentimental reasons. A copy of the collab Gigawatt I got from a friend last year.
The only ones I would consider keep in box are specifically very rare or limited figures. Has in the ones that were created to be rare collector items rather than being played with or figures that are so rare( like they made only 100 or the company shut down and got a small release) that taking them out of the box feels wrong...like when a toy getd over 10,000 of them made sure, but only 100 or in some extreme cases just 10 or even 4....yeah, it feels like an extreme disservice.
@@firestarsantos7467 now this makes sense more than keeping a bunch of retail-level toys misb
Rare TJ standing up moment 5:22
What I've always enjoyed about Transformers is that the toy was an action figure, a car/plane/camera/dinosaur/etc, as well as a puzzle. It feels wrong to me to just keep it in a box.
I have started to keep the boxes for my figures instead of throwing them away. When I rotate my display I put the figures back into the box for storage. Some boxes still have accessories I've never used with the figure still in the original packaging. For example, my CW Leader Megatron's hand weapons have never left the packaging.
I opened my Crossover Gigawatt so I could mess around with it. Being both a Transformers fan and a Back to the Future fan, of course I wanted to have it in either mode depending on how I felt that day. But I left the box as intact as I could because it's a cool box. One could consider it worthy of display as a piece of art even without the toy inside. I also used to keep the cardboard backing from my Beast Wars figures so I could admire the art and read the bio's. Really useful for keeping names and personalities straight back before I had fast internet and tfwiki to rely on.
Facts, one of the initial reasons my grandparents bought me one of my first transformers is due to the puzzle element, not much compares to the satisfaction of a nice transformation
I'm a packagerat saving flattened boxes, but Kingdom's removal of plastic trays encouraged me to strip down on the frankly spacious packaging. Older transformers remain in box and tray. Still, I prefer compact vehicle mode storage in Selects boxes and plastic bags for protection from the elements and rubbing, especially shiny ABS Tobots. And just a small shelf for loose display to use for filming.
Do you get rid of the insides of the box (the extra card board) after you flatten them? Or save everything?
For me, I equate MISB toys to posters: they’re nice decorations, but they aren’t the substance of the collection. I open my toys, and I play with them, but I’m not above getting a few duplicates that I keep in the box, if I think it’ll help break things up and make things look nice.
Loose .
I don't understand keeping them in a box figures are meant to be displayed and transformed once in awhile.
I am so happy there's a third option this time. I mentioned on the last video that I felt like it was situational there too but the poll didn't have an option for that.
I voted opened, I hesitated when I saw the third option there because I could see the argument for both. This is just my personal opinion but the reason I went with opened is because I only really collect Transformers. The whole point of a Transformer is that it's technically three toys in one, some times more if you get into triple changers but general, you have an action figure, a vehicle or beast toy, and a puzzle if you're like me and you don't look at the instructions. Which incidentally I think should be your next poll, cause I'm curious if there are other transformers collectors out there who view their transformers as puzzle toys and try to solve the puzzle without looking at the instructions.
Anyway, one of the biggest reasons I love Transformers toys and continue to collect them as an adult is because if I ever get bored of how my collection looks I can just take them off the shelf, transform them to another mode and have an entirely different display even though they're the exact same toys. I can't do that with any other toy line. I use to collect other things like Star Wars and I do still enjoy my Lightsabers but I don't really go after the toys like I use to because that Darth Maul toy that I spent a long time tracking down at multiple different stores because it was incredibly difficult to find... yeah I got board of him in like five minutes. I eventually realized that the reason I wasn't enjoying my Star Wars, or super hero figures anymore is because they were essentially all the exact same toy. Considering all they have to do is repaint a body, maybe sculpt a new head, and they can keep reusing the exact same mold for 15 hundred characters. Transformers reuse molds too of course but no where near to the extent that other toy lines do it. Transformers just continues to impress me with the engineering in ways that non-transforming figures just can't because they don't have to worry about that figure not only having articulation but also being able to transform into a completely different toy. So for that reason because it's the experience of the transformation that is the whole reason I love these figures, I can't enjoy a Transformers toy if it's mint in box.
If it were any other toy line, I would actually prefer to have it mint in box because I don't really care about having the experience of having that toy in my hand. I've looked at Marvel Legends figures, I don't really collect Marvel or DC figures anymore. I've considered getting a Deadpool and if I did get one it would probably stay in the box. I don't need to open him an pose him around on my desk, I don't want to lose the accessories and they likely would get lost if I opened it, that's living in the box. I've also considered getting a Moon Knight and Mr. Knight specifically the Disney+ version because I've researched comic book Moon Knight and I don't really care about the comic book. I think Disney actually made the right choice in the changes they made to the character to make him a more accurate portrayal of DID instead of making him like he was in the comics which is outdated and kind of offensive. I don't care about any comic book version of the character but I would actually consider getting figures of the live action versions because I love that series. Again they would live in the box though cause even though it's two different costumes with very different designs... really they're all using the same base body with different paint and accessories. I don't feel like I need to experience those figures out of the box. I just kind of want them because I love the characters but they would absolutely live in the box.
My dad actually use to collect Star Trek toys. He kind of still does but not as much as he use to cause they don't really make them as often anymore. But he would usually try to get two of everything as much as possible that way he could have one to open and actually experience first hand have a second to keep in the box. Though a lot of those figures were being stored in the shed which had a tree fall on it recently so he may have taken a big hit to his collection due to that accident.
Secret 4th Option (that is basically just the loose option): I open my figures but I keep/display them with the box because I love the art on them. And if I buy second hand, I prefer to get it with the box for that reason.
My Greenlight is out and on my female autobot display, but I do have her box on standby so I can put her back in there if I want. I rarely keep my boxes but when I know it's collectible I'll put the box away for safekeeping
They hold there value on most figures so I open them and hold onto someone boxes. I only have figure that are 20+ years old such as g2 beachcomber and the collaboration ones like gigawatt.
Omg at 11:00 I’m surprised someone else, let alone YOU talked about having the Transformers in the box because of seeing them in the stores as a kid.
I’m Gen Z so I grew up around the Generations, FOC and the first 3 Bayverse toylines. As a kid my parents would always let me go to the toy section and just look at Transformers while they shopped. They'd buy me some occasionally, all deluxes. (Voyager and Leaders were for birthdays and christmas)
As years passed on they said I opened too much so after a certain point they'd buy me the toy, but never let me open it. I'd hang them in my closet and it was like a little toy aisle, I'd pic them up and look around the box, sometimes they has the little opening to demo the gimmick (mechtech)
I did open some years later after waiting so long, oh boy I got some whoopings from it. Made me so upset I couldnt play with my own Transformers. 😭 Still enjoyed watching the reviews of them on Baltmatrix, Emgo316 and your channels.
I still have some in their boxes, DOTM Leader Bumblebee, Voyager Shockwave and Megatron, Deluxe DarkSteel and Air Raid and a RID Bulkhead. It's been so long that honestly I don't mind them being in boxes anymore.
However after I got back into Transformers collecting, all of my toys are gonna be out of the box, still flatten in keep the box just to stare at the packaging. 🙂
Are you saying, your parents had a problem with you opening and playing with your toys?
@@markgodfrey7803basically, I have asian parents so after not being able to open any they just stopped buying them out right. Crazy is I still adored Transformers, if I wasn’t playing with them, I was watching them on TH-cam or the dvds I had gotten.
I don’t fault them for what they did, but I’m sure as heck ain’t gonna do that to my kids if I ever have any. 😂
I always collect loose unless it's very special occasions, like 90%/10% . I love messing around with figures of all kinds but Transformers specifically. Their complexity and the astonishment of how they got such a great action figure to crunch itself into a vehicle is fascinating to me. I love Transformers so I open (almost) every one of them I get.
The only ones I would consider keep in box are specifically very rare or limited figures. Has in the ones that were created to be rare collector items rather than being played with or figures that are so rare( like they made only 100 or the company shut down and got a small release) that taking them out of the box feels wrong.
@firestarsantos7467 Same. If something is especially rare I won't open it. That's the only case where I keep something Mint in package.
For ML Spider-Man, for so so long I stuck with the Toybiz Spider-Man 2 movie super-poseable Spidey that I found at a flea market for a dollar. Only that Renew Your Vows ML Spider-Man that you mentioned got me to upgrade.
I have the Voyager-class TF Prime Ultra Magnus and Shockwave still in box. And for other Hasbro stuff, the MLP Queen Chrysalis and Spike 2-pack and a WHOLE bunch of GI Joe Classified still MIB. I got RotF Leader-class Optimus Prime new in-package and opened it, but just about every other official Transformers toy I have on display, I got used.
For me, there's a lot more nostalgia in actually playing with and experiencing the toy than just having the sealed box. Like, my favorite figures from my childhood, I spent like what, 15-20 minutes with the sealed box from the store to home, and then I opened it up, threw away the box, and enjoyed the toy inside for years to come. All my good memories are with the contents, not the packaging. And if I want to re-obtain a figure that didn't survive my childhood, or finally get one that I wanted as a kid but my parents never bought for me, I'm gonna take the feeling of actually having the toy in-hand over the feeling of staring wistfully at a store shelf.
That said, if a box somehow survives 20+ years sealed and in perfect condition, then I can see the value in protecting it for many more. I mean, personally I wouldn't pay for it, but if one somehow entered my possession, then sure, I'd keep the streak going.
The only figure I keeps MISB is a downsized knockoff fort max.
Edit: also, is your hot wheels Hulk the Combat Medic variety or Spoiler Sport Variety? Just Curious.
Thanks TJ I watch alot of Transformers content creators and this subject isnt touch on alot so I tip my hat to you. So there is an aspect you did touch on that is essentially how I collect. For me I unbox and leave in. My initial thought is always to open, though. Why, because not just playing with the toy, but displaying the toy, is such a big part of the experience to me. I am very serious about my display and how my bots are set up. However I do keep things in box. Not just to stay in a box in the closet but some are actually part of my displays. It adds a element in some cases. Example, I purchased Takara Tomy Transformers One Optimus Prime with the intention to take it out of its box. Then it got here.... The box was so cool and I got to thinking about the fact that the figure would not be released in the states. I came to the conclusion it was a better Idea to keep him in box. Another reason I may keep something in box is I just don't have a place for that particular bot to fit in to my display...yet. I digress, thanks again for the content TJ
i like keeping some sealed depending on how cool the box is or if I already have a version of the mold. I have an animated ironhide sealed because the card has some unreleased toys on the back and i think thats neat. Its cheaper to buy open though so its easier to collect for that if you dont care about accessories
A couple of lines, i did a booth loose and mint. Others i only sometimes buy a second to keep sealed.
I see both sides, but personally i liked having them with their original boxes even though they had been opened, at least back when figures came with the plastic bubble and the plastic window. Now i just collect loose but there's a beauty of having a toy just in pristine condition knowing it's not gonna get damaged (mostly)
I collect to collect tgings I like, I don't collect as an investment. Plus i want to put them in cool poses and throw them on a shelf to occasionally fiddle around with them.
I always open them if they're new. If I want an older figure, I usually try to find one that's loose but complete because I wouldn't want to open an older toy.
It also becomes a matter of space, because while I like to save some boxes, I don't have the room for most of them. Even if I need to pack my figures up in a box it's a lot easier to do if they're loose.
I leave my transformers in the box for 2 reasons. 1. It helps with the space in the room thier kept in. 2. I've noticed they sell more if their new in the box. I do have at least 3 or 4 that are open. Only because I didn't read the description clearly, the price was great and bought it on ebay. I do have a titan class metroplex out of box. He is one of my grails, took me four years to find it in a toy store for $250. I bought it in 2020, on ebay the starting price is $450 going up to over $1,000. I do understand other people's notion to open them and play with them.
Damn, I have been watching you for most of my life. The fact you are still here talking transformers is so awesome. You got me into one of my favorite series ever kamen rider. I went to see shin kamen rider in theaters with my girlfriend and actually cried at the end. I wouldn't of had that experience with you TJ. Keep going you are worth every minute, every hour, every day you are here.
I collect loose that being said I have one thing that I got the I have sealed from micro machines sealed in box because I have the set of cars that it has in that box
So I occasionally do this with when it comes to Gundam model kits only because for certain kits I want to have a spare just in case something happens to it whatever or however. It kind of leaked back into Transformers but not to that degree since they are designed to be a bit more sturdy so I never really have to worry about the quality immediately degrading but when I do it's purely for my own benefit rather than value monetarily. So my thought process on keeping spare anything is due growing up I never really kept most of my things in good shape, stuff just breaksdown for me and because of that I'm an OCD wreck and want my things be it my everyday items to my hobbies in close to perfect condition as I can get because it means in my perception they are in peak condition.
Another reason is actually something along the lines of character reverence and having them be well maintained in box is akin to having like a photo that means something to you, I might keep a Starscream in its box because he is my favourite Transformer of all time and I would proudly put right next to my display case of just Starscream. But more often than not I do like opening them putting them on display just so on a rainy day I can transform or pose them whenever. Transforming robot figures are the greatest invention I swear
I open and play with majority of my toys. I don't keep them in box. I will keep parts of the box and bag it with their weapons and instructions. I don't resell much. My husband has few special MIB that he figures will be opened after he dies. I do have some MIB but its original G1.
I personally prefer to opening all my action figures that also includes Transformers. The reason for why I prefer to open my Transformers and the other action figure lines I collect is they are supposed to be enjoy. I enjoy posing my Transformers and other action figures in dynamic poses so I can take pictures to share with people I know. I also enjoy posing them in order to display them in that pose on my shelf. I also enjoy transforming my Transformers it helps me with my hand coordination. Another reason for why I prefer opening them is I know one day that these pieces of plastic will turn to dust. These toys don't last forever they will break and fall apart so enjoy them while you can. I also understand the other side of the argument of keeping Transformers and other action figures in the package. I enjoy your video TJ Omega on this debate keep up the great work.
I prefer both. I like to have one loose to play with and one sealed to display if possible. Generally, unlike other things I collect I don't prioritize owning a sealed copy over a loose copy for TF, actually quite the opposite unless I get my hands on a sealed copy of something rare with no loose copy available to me.
With the new no plastic window packaging I figured I wouldn't even bother collecting legacy and such sealed, with no window I see no point. I'm also a newish collector so I don't have much sealed TF anyway since I prefer my sealed stuff to be hung on my wall and the packaging of the last few years makes that a bit of a hassle. Sealed is really reserved for childhood favorites or to complete lines I didn't get to as a kid because of money issues.
I had kept a lot of my Transformers {started collecting with the Siege line of toys} in box and displayed them on a shelf. Part of the room they were displayed in started feeling like a toy store. But then I ran out of room for boxes, and figured that I could get more of them on the shelf if I took them out. Also that helped me purchase more since I had more room 😂. I am enjoying having them out of the boxes and have gotten pretty good at transforming them. Toys are meant to be played with!
There is one that I probably won't ever open though, and that is my MP-01 Optimus Prime. I wasn't big into collecting Transformers toys at that time, but I was an 80's kid and grew up with the G1 show and got a lot of the toys. So when I saw the MP-01 in the store 20 years ago, I couldn't pass it up.
I always keep them loose, but I hold onto the boxes for my favorites so when I store my favorites they aren't just stuffed into a big bin
I love playing with them so I open my TF. Lately when I get one I keep them in their box for like a week to appreciate the look and then open them. The only thing I have mint in box are Equestria Girls Minis (lol the my little pony mention at the end), because their packaging look so good and they're blisters so you can apreciate them without opening them. (I voted for Opened tho cause the poll is about TF). I wonder if because they don't vary or do much, not opening them doesn't matter to me that much compared to TF, which every toy are more unique experiences. There's one I kinda wanna open because it includes a camera with trypod accesory that look super fun to mess around with lol. So there's a fun factor to it.
I collect both. Moreso 80% open and play (but i'll often keep the boxes because it's the easiest way for me to keep the figures/accesories together without having to buy some unnecessary storage system). 20% keep in box depending on figure and how cool the packaging is.
Both are good, i prefer to open them for display, but in box collections do have a nice look and i could definitely see myself keeping some in box.
imo, it all depends on the figure, and maybe more dependent on what you have for space for display.
Nowadays I do not keep the boxes of newer figures but I do keep the boxes of older figures like the ones from UT and Animated. But then there a figures that I want own as MISB.
I got a studio series 86 Grimlock mint in box. Not sure if I can or should open it, or get the comics grimlock. The only other toys i have are NECA TMNT. I have the NYCC and SDCC sets from 2008 sealed in box. And my NYCC box is signed by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, so i can't bring myself to open it.
Loose.
Most of my fun with a Transformer is posing it and taking photos.
I like experiencing the engineering and seeing how they work. And I will usually throw the box away, I've only kept them on a few toys and even then I will usually change my mind and toss them after awhile.
However, I'm not saying I don't have a couple sealed. Toys I absolutely adore, I might grab a sealed one if I find one out in the wild. I never plan to sell them, I view them almost in a preservationist since. I like looking at a perfectly pristine copy of the toy and being able to see it almost frozen in time. I haven't done this fairly recently because I don't see much of a point keeping an open package mint and the sealed boxes tend to completely obscure the toy inside, so it holds no display value to me.
My Transformers are loose, I want to try them out when I buy them, but many of them, I keep the box, not too many, because they can take a lot of space. I do find it fascinating to see mint in box G1 Transformers when I go the TFCon or a ComicCon, gets my nostalgia's juices flowing.
I like to play with and display my toys. Which makes me a loose collector. However, I also have toys that are unopened because I already have a version of that mold for display. Example: I do have that cartoon accurate colored Universe Starscream MOC, but that's because I have Classics Starscream loose. I like the Universe coloration, but I have no need to open it (same goes for Beast Wars Depth Charge; the Universe version is also MISB and has a killer color scheme).
I have a few others like that. I did sell off a few MISB Energon and Cybertron figures because I needed the space and couldn't justify either opening them or keeping them as is (incidentally, I have a small regret about selling Energon Quickstrike, I really like that color scheme). When I buy my G1 toys, I like getting the boxes/cards if possible (they look cool and give me a serious nostalgia hit), but it is not a necessity.
Sorry for the long story. I've been a Transformers collector since I was 7. G1 Optimus Prime for Christmas 1984. Play on!
Call me crazy - but I like both. I love the feel of transforming these guys, finding a good pose for them, and seeing the figure on my shelf, even if it gets slightly scratched and worn. I also remember many times when I couldn't get these toys, and all I could do was go out and see them on the shelves, so yes, I also get a spike of nostalgia from seeing them in the box and enjoying the art and the display. I don't buy many toys (at its largest, my collection wasn't very big), but I will often try to get two of something if I can - one to maintain that pristine potential and one to play with and enjoy. So, yeah - I'm mostly circumstantial, but if I have the opportunity, I'm with the dudes in the Road to El Dorado: Both? Both. Both is good.
1:30 I never saw that previous debate but the fake or foe parts, I would prefer that all the robot and alt mode parts would match but there are times when the part has to change or bend to match. A small example would be if Optimus Prime (G1) were to be accurate in Truck mode the windows would be flat but in Robot mode his chest would have bend out in the middle, this could only be done by have fake parts (not that toys do this). Hot Rod's/Rodimus Prime's hood/chest part (with the flames on it) would have to deform in some ways too and would look awkward in one mode or the other but fake parts make them look better. So I’m ok with that.
I open most of my figures to play with, but I do have a single reissue BW Megatron MISB that was signed by David Kaye, because I think that an autograph looks much nicer on the front of a box containing a figure than on the figure itself. Helps that the box in this case looks really nice.
It honestly depends. If it's a mass produced, released everywhere, shelf warming, etc... go nuts and enjoy the figure.
If it's a limited run, hard to find, exclusive, whatever... It might be a good idea to keep it sealed.
I prefer to open the Transformers and enjoy them. I've even opened some vintage sealed toys with my grubby, toy-devaluing hands. 😄
I do like the idea of keeping some sealed toys around for preservation purposes, though. Almost sort of recreate a toy aisle. I like to keep boxes and cards, or at least tech specs and artwork if I can. And instructions, of course.
The only one I haven't opened is this Legacy of Bumblebee 3-pack that has his name misspelled on the side of the package as "Bumblebe." And I already had the original versions of the movie and Classics Bumblebees anyway.
Never had any Animated toys or watched the show, so if I opened it, I could experience an Animated figure for the first time. In my time of watching this channel, it looks like I made a mistake in not giving Animated a chance.
I am watching through every Transformers movie and series right now (though I'm not re-watching the Netflix series,) so I will get to Animated eventually. I'm watching Headmasters for the first time right now and it is thoroughly irritating to me. I hope the other Japanese G1 series are better.
Anyway, I don't expect to get rich off that Bumblebee 3-pack and I don't think anyone should expect to get rich off toys, in general. I know that's not why I collect them.
For me, it's a mix of both because I have a weird fascination with the packaging. I am a firm believer that toys should be opened and played with. That is their purpose and I am not denying that. However, as TJ said, some people think that the toy is not complete without the box and I'm one of them. What I usually do is I open my toys and when I'm done, I just put them back in the box. If they are in plastic bubbles, I put the toy back in and hold it in with paper clips. I just have a deep fascination with the boxes because all of their styles are unique and I love how they all look on a shelf stacked together, with the artwork facing out. Especially with the modern Generations and Studio Series boxes, the art looks amazing and I feel like if I throw them out it's a waste of the work that went into the art and/or photography. I can understand why people don't keep them: they take up too much space, , or you just don't care that much about them and just want to focus on the toy. Whatever those reasons are, that's fine and I respect those opinions. However, I will always appreciate the style of the boxes of my Transformers. I'll open them and play with them often, but I just can't bring myself to throw them out.
both. Sometimes I buy them NEW in box, then carefully pull them out. I always think : "There is a collector out there SCREAMING that a mint figure was purchased and the Original Box was opened!" XD
I just like to make sure that the figures are FRESH and don't have any broken pieces. I do also get figures loose like at conventions.....IF they are in good condition :D
I always open my figures since I like to set them up and play with them or fiddle with them on my desk or a combo of both.
However, I always keep my boxes, I open the figure very carefully so I can preserve the box as best I can and I display the boxes in a little display I made.
That being said I came across an MISB Armada Thrust and picked it up for $60, its been a month now and I still haven't decided whether I want to open it or not.
On the one hand I like having a toy I know is in good condition with no missing pieces but on the other hand don't want to open boxes on something 20+ years old in case someone does want that. Still feel bad opening a cybertron ransack last year but it is a fun toy.
I have never heard "yuck your yums" before and I will not be adding that to my pseudo curse list.
For me the question is how do you want to display your figures? I have a shelf of Bumblebees (should not surprise anyone who has seen me here before) and they look better out of the package. My disappointment is that there isn't enough room on the shelf to take advantage of their articulation and put them in good poses. I like setting up diorama style displays with the figures in combat or in their spare time (like being around my little Christmas tree), using robot and alt mode in the display. I find the usual "just standing there" displays boring, and it's the only way to display something in box regardless of what mode the figure is packaged in.
If anything, that's a good debate for the future: pose for a scene (or just to add some visual flair) versus making room to just show off what you have.
i prefer lose, but i have kept my beast wars reissues in box, i also kept the few bayformers i got in box, but everything else i've cracked open, i could never bring myself to open a survivor of a figure that's 20+ years old so i prefer to get loose for old figures, im going back and collecting dinosaur transformers i never got, my local shop got loose but complete bm Dinotron and bw tm terrorsaur im glad they were loose as they were much cheaper and i get to see what i missed out on. Also another big reason i prefer loose, SPACE packaging takes up a lot of space you can have depending on the box 3 or 4 figures on a shelf or one box.
Basically vintage MIB, new open. The latter can vary. For vintage it’s about preserving history. I am on BlueSky thanks to you.
I do take them out the box and have them displayed but I always keep the boxes whenever I’m ready to store them back in. This is with the newer figures though. The only MIB collection I have is the 2005 Cybertron figures. I have a heavy nostalgic for the way the box look. Having both “Galaxy Force” Optimus and the regular one Mint in the box.
I’m an opened figure kind of individual, I don’t think I’d ever get a figure and leave it unopened. I like messing with figures when I’m bored or something. But I do on rare occasion keep the box if it’s a unique one- like holiday Optimus, I kept the box bcuz I really like the visual of it, it’s cute and jolly lol
I play with the toys, but i keep the latest 1 or 2 purchases unopened (for the moment), because i like the feeling of unpacking.
It can be excellent to open a box yourself but if buying loose off someone you trust it can give you more confidence the TF is in working order unlike the unknown if releasing it first time from the cardboard & plastic prison and finding they have a broken T-Cog.
I open my figures. To me it's a toy not a sculpture that collects dust nor a painting that I can hang on the wall to not take up space. Also as an artist posing for references is a must for me and I can't do that when it's in a box.
I mostly open them but sometimes I will never open the packaging
Like for most things with me, it depends. If I were to ever get my hands on a mint vintage Transformer from the 80s or 90s, I would hesitate to open it because I find anything that old that's managed to remain untouched in its original packaging to be incredibly cool.
Meanwhile, if its a modern toy that I picked up from Walmart or Amazon, then no, obviously the box is going in the trash. 😅
While I prefer collecting loose figures from a price conscious standpoint (I think we can agree that collecting can get expensive) If I like the packaging when I buy new, I will save the box. Sometimes they can come in handy. I actually have a few Megazord (which I also collect) boxes that are autographed by their rangers. How many of us would save an Optimus or Megatrons' box for an autograph?
I always open them so loose. I even kind of like ones that are a little beat up if I find a used one. The only figure I didn't was the second Mercer figure from gi joe since the friend who bought it for me asked me not too
I do both. I did open my most recent toys, but I got them at Ross and they were all repaints. I also have a few toys that I will not open, like my RID Grimlock that I got in 2004. I also waiting to see if Hasbro will bring out more cassettes for Soundwave and Blaster before opening them to display them.
G1 collector here. Most of my collection is very wabi-sabi, or pre-loved. Many figures are even conglomerates of multiple half broken figures, or ones that I've repaired and restored. I think I have a grand total of one G1 box 😅
Bit of both: I always intend to open and play with mine but sometimes you just know you'll want the MISB later. In those cases I try to buy two, as I did with the SS86 Optimus and a few of the Dinobots.
I collect loose because if I didn't want to handle and play with them I could just collect pictures of them or watch someone like Color R Touch Toys or EmGo's "Just Transform It!" series of videos. It would be a heck of a lot cheaper and wouldn't take up any physical space. Though I suppose MISB collectors may have a reason to open one of their toys when Hasbro inevitably puts out the same toy but more accurate deco a year or three down the line like 86 Blaster and Galvatron. (surprised Cyclonus hasn't received the treatment)
Open and experience them. Actually I'm wriing a fic using the Transformers I own, and play with them and see what they can do fill my head with ideas, in this moment, I have a Road Rage in robot mode and Optimus in Trunk mode, both wearing different parts of one Centurion Drone, because they must arrive quickly to the battlefield, and Road Rage can't transform.
In my house it’s both. If the kids want to play with it and we purchase a toy new at msrp or below they can open it.
We have a handful of sealed combiners from Combiner Wars because at the time of purchase the kids became more into Lego so we never opened them. However, the last Titans Return figure I let my son open was Aimless and Misfire, so maybe he gets to open Computron for Christmas.
Loose. I like to experience them and see them standing together in a group.
That said, there are a handful I kept in the box. Tonkanator, for one. I think the idea of an Autobot Devestator is fun as a one-off toy. But G1 Devestator kinda sucks. But, as a set within that box? I feel like the entire presentation is elevated. I also got the recent 40th Blaster and Soundwave. I have versions of these guys already, but here I feel like the box elevates the figure. I like the presentation.
But that's about it. For the most part I open all my figs. And then toss the box because I don't have room.
Most of mine are open but there was one that I bought two of because I thought would be valuable in the future so for that one I have to play with and one mitsb
I have my TFs loose, but I kept the boxes for all the Takara figures I have, mainly the Unite Warrior boxes.
When i was a kid , I pretended the boxes were stasis pods like in beast wars….
It's a combination of nostalgia and value if there's a toy I really want but I think could fetch a really high price when I'm older then I'll keep it in box but if there's a toy I really want to play with I will open it up
For Transformers I open all of them. It just feels like there is too much of the toy that you aren't experiencing if you leave it in the package. That being said, my primary collection is actually Ninja Turtle toys. And for those I started as a loose collector and eventually expanded to become a buy one to open and one to keep in package collector. But that gets really pricey. I probably would not still be doing so if I wasn't running an online archive for them.
I like buying MIB cause of as u said, the experience of unboxing is what I like as well as leaving my house to go hunt. With that said, if I see a steal of a deal on a loose figure, I'm jumping on it lol
I could see other toy lines being better to leave in box but with TFs the play value is so great I always open them and enjoy them
For Transformers, I go entirely loose. I understand what MISB collecters go for, but for me the Transformers toy experience is taking them out, posing and playing with them, as well as customizing. My one MISB exception is my Pacific Rim "Clean" Deluxe Knifehead. Dude's hard as heck to find and when I finally got him I made the decision that he's staying in the box until I either find a second one in a more pristine box or or upgrade the collection to a UV protected glass cabinet.
Sometimes when I'm back collecting older stuff I like to buy misb (if I can find one for a fair price) just cuz I really enjoy the experience of unboxing a new figure
The vast majority of my toys, it’s open box all the way. I buy toys to play with them, pose them, have fun with them. That said, I do have a fair number of figures I’ve kept mint in box for display purposes. These are mostly the G1 and Beast Wars reissues.
If I get my hands on any animated toys new inbox or used they're staying that way
I personally only leave very special figures MISB. like a MISB G1 Bonecrusher.
Might just be me, but I don't mind owning figures of the same character. even if they look quite similar. I've got both Siege and SS86 Springer, and they're both taking a place in my collection. Same with my many Optimuses, Megatrons, etc.
Loose but with a select few that I keep mib/misb like signed (reissue) Beast Wars Megatron and 2007 movie doubles of the diorama boxsets
I keep the boxes for the high value ones if they came with their box but other than that i just play with my transformers cause thats the point for me
1 carded or mint in box means nothing if you can't see the toy when they went solid box and lost the window you can't enjoy them at all
2 click clicks need to be clicked
3 depends if you ever intend to sell them i open all in my collection knowing I'm probably gonna keep them all
I buy MISB when back collecting because I want it to have nice joints when I do open it. So I don’t keep them sealed but I buy old toys sealed
Preferably box because a lot of TF box art is beautiful and I can store the figure back in there when I’m done playing with it.
Edit: another major reason for MSIB is because it guarantees all the accessories are there and the toy is complete.
You may have misread the prompt but it's not about keeping the box, it's about never opening the product and leaving it sealed forever
I prefer to buy them new in box then open it up. That way I know there aren't any issues with the cosmetics or joint wear.
I take everything out, even if all they do is sit on a shelf... I kept a lot of boxes to put them back in when I moved.
Loose, I buy them to transform and pose them, if I want to just look at them I can slap a picture on my wall and save money/space, although I do have dotm nitro bumblebee sealed because he was my childhood transformer and I could only find him sealed on ebay
I'd say probably 80-85% of my collection is loose. I've always enjoyed the experience and the puzzle aspect. But there are some things I have that are MISB (usually duplicates of favorite characters, a few rarities) and some that are MIB (all of my MPs/MPGs and some boxed sets). But that's how I collect. I'm not about to criticize how anyone else collects (or what they collect), even if I might disagree with it. Everyone has their reasons and methods - most of which are talked about in this video.
Ultimately, it's your collection. Get your enjoyment from it however you wish (within TOS, natch 😉). You do you.
Cute topic. Buy food, but don't eat it! (Truth is, the quality of things these days is generally more like 'consumables' than collectables.)
Life is short. I say enjoy what you've got! 🎉
While very rare items ought to be left in their packaging (strictly for historical reasons), there are random occasions where unusual things like an unpunched blister card, shipping crate boxing or a toy (or packaging) spotting an error would compel us to leave the merchandise in pristine condition as a curious item of 'special note'.
A vital point to note is that the surface of toys perpetually imprisoned in their packaging that faces the outside will discolour prematurely (due to photo-degradation), more rapidly or unevenly from the rest of the toy when compared to an open toy that receives even lighting from all around.
After 5 decades of handling toys, those that have 'batteries included' or held in place with rubber bands give us no choice but to open them up (A.S.A.P.!) to save the toy inside from horrid harm ~ oh, I could tell you hair-raising tales about this from over the years! (Rubber bands disintegrate and sear off the paint from die-cast parts especially!)
Any toys with rubber tyres will start to melt in a package in certain warmer climates. Sealed plastics slowly release toxic fumes that are detrimental; and depending on darkness and humidity, various molds take root (some visible and some not), particularly on pulp, paper & cardboards, and begin to rub off on and discolour the various materials on the toy itself. The mixture of slowly paints liquefy in certain temperatures and printing colours from the boxes/blister cards, biocards & stickers interact with the surfaces that they are constantly in contact with for decades. GPS and related deterioration quicken in enclosed spaces; and so do other forms of mixed-material decomposition. The toys from newer toylines (like the Combiner Wars toys intended for combined lighter weight stress) are chiefly made from recycled plastics. Thus, their lifespan is shorter as they start out from an already truncated point. 'Timebombs' like Titans Return/LG Mindwipe, Bat Convoy, and Weirdwolf/Wolfwire will go off quicker. Fungus festers. Toxicity in storage bins escalates. Blotching occurs. Rusting & corrosion take place gradually, depending on the quality of metals & paints used. The elements and the weather are always at odds with paper: in an instance of fire, it catches on very fast; and in an instance of flooding, the detrimental absorption is tremendous. Some micro bugs prefer to call this paper Eden of a heap a cosy habitant. (Roaches, rodents, and moths find these fine selections of sweet-smelling cardboards, particularly tasty!) Space runs out very quickly once you reach the 4-digit number of toys in packaging (yours truly experienced this over two decades ago). Bodies are mostly incinerated these days, so there is hardly space in the coffin (if there is a coffin at all!) to bury the toys with us anymore. Live life to the fullest. Get rid of clutter and at least give yourself the chance to use the proceeds from selling unopened toys (quickly) to enjoy a meaningful life (while allowing a true collector who enjoys touching the treasures within to savour them in the way that they rightly choose)! 😅
Stay amazing, TJ-O! And keep these sizzling 'debates' comin', mate! 🎉😊🎉
Loose, I love the engineering behind transformers figures and obviously taking them out of their boxes is the best way to experience the plastic origami and figure it out myself
both since i want to play with my toys but also if i like a toy a lot i want to buy a new one and hang it on my wall
You didn't put a middle ground option in the kibble poll
For most of them I let em loose, but if it's a really neat figure, or a figure known for breaking I keep it in box for display instead.