Unsure of whether to keep G1 cars or not

[Cliffjumper]

Seriously toying with getting rid of my G1 cars as part of the ongoing decluttering around the house; money's not so much an issue at the moment which is kind-of when I like to do this sort of thing as I feel less pressured.

Reasons to Go: -

• I don't do anything with them, they just sit there in boxes. They're dust-traps for robot mode display, most of them are white and if I ever get round to buying a decent display case they probably still wouldn't figure high enough.
• Most of them aren't very good, really, are they?
• The MPs are making them obsolete and should the series end early the number of 3P equivalents will multiply exponentially, which means I'll always be able to complete the line-up of car guys.
• By the time Aria's old enough to be allowed to play with them she won't be interested; their play value is pretty much non-existent.
• Already sold Bluestreak so the gang's already been broken up; TBH I'd keep Prime, Smokescreen and Skids regardless.

Reasons to Keep: -

• Not sure how much they're actually worth - they're a mix of reissues (Comic, Commemorative, Encore, Chinese) and it would be faintly depressing to get £10-15 for them or be left with, say, Hoist and Ironhide.
• They're the G1 cars, I spent half my childhood lusting after these guys. Even Jazz. And Jazz is a prick.
• All of Hound's accessories are adorable.

Any thoughts? And/or four figure offers?

[Denyer]

I'm keeping various junkers for sentimental reasons or because they're nice to have, but they're not a priority for display at the moment and I've never really actively tried to acquire any. I get the impression KOs have sufficiently devalued most of them to the point that only mint verifiable originals in good condition packaging are worth anything.

Already got modern versions of most of the characters I care about.

[Cliffjumper]

Yeh, I keep looking at them and thinking "Why do I have these guys, even?". Smokescreen's got the big nostalgia, Optimus is genuine G1 and has the real childhood desire thing (and is easily the best TOY of the lot) and Skids is Skids from when Skids wasn't totally played out but the rest... As much as I'll always like the characters it's hard to see even without an MP or 3P toy getting Sunstreaker or Ratchet out and thinking "this is what Sunstreaker and Ratchet look like".

At the same time though it would be mildly depressing to get rid of them for the sort of prices, say, movie toys go for. I just sometimes feel like I'm hoarding the things, though. Leaning towards sticking them up on ebay with moderately high starts and just seeing if anything happens, maybe with an eye to pulling the lot if there's little interest. But Transformers fans are such annoying ebay buyers...

[Clay]

I might have a spot for some of them if you do decide to sell them.

[Cliffjumper]

I'm thinking they're going more and more... Will see about cobbling together a speculative trade/sale post here before anything goes to ebay.

[Hound]

Do you have a G1 Skids? If so, then I say you should definitely sell...

[Cliffjumper]

I do... but I'll be hanging onto him probably at least until there's an MP. Him and the Datsun are easily the best two moulds from the lot.

[Warcry]

I've been having the same thoughts as you lately, TBH. Mine are mostly reissues and they've been mostly sitting in their boxes in a paper bag in the closet for the last five years or so. The only G1 stuff that's out on display now are Metroplex, Trypticon, a few small guys like Wildfly to make them look suitably huge and (because he took me 25 years to assemble) Abominus.

Already sold Bluestreak so the gang's already been broken up; TBH I'd keep Prime, Smokescreen and Skids regardless.

This is what I'm leaning towards personally. Prowl, Red Alert, G2 Sideswipe and maybe Inferno will stay, but I couldn't care less about Grapple, Skids, Tracks or Jazz and legitimately can't even remember if I've got any of the others.

No, wait, I definitely own a Hoist too. Don't I? I'm pretty sure I reviewed him at some point.

It's sort of sad to think about how little I care about them, though, considering how excited I was for them when the reissues were coming out twelve years ago and how much I used to love them.

Not sure how much they're actually worth - they're a mix of reissues (Comic, Commemorative, Encore, Chinese) and it would be faintly depressing to get £10-15 for them or be left with, say, Hoist and Ironhide.

Denyer's pretty much right...they're not worth much unless they're mint originals now. There's been so many reissues and bootlegs that the market for them is pretty saturated, especially with the MPs driving down demand. I did some price-checking in preparation for making a sales thread (something that my son inconsiderately preempted by being born) and I think most of the reissues were going for around $25 to $30 US, regardless of which version they were. So you'd get some decent cash from moving on the lot of them, but they won't be a goldmine.

[inflatable dalek]

I think you should definitely sell Wheeljack and Mirage. And pay special attention to what people have been saying about them being basically worthless when thinking of a price.

[Tantrum]

I don't do anything with them, they just sit there in boxes. They're dust-traps for robot mode display, most of them are white and if I ever get round to buying a decent display case they probably still wouldn't figure high enough.

Displaying G1 Autobots in robot mode doesn't really show off their best traits. They've each been surpassed in terms of show accuracy and articulation multiple times. Vehicle mode is another story. With the rubber tires, chrome rims, clear windows, and just the materials and paint in general, G1 cars are more impressive than a lot of their modern equivalents.

Maybe if you have a shelf lined with MP figures in bot mode, have their G1 counterparts in car mode lined up in front of them.

[Tetsuro]

I think you should definitely sell Wheeljack and Mirage. And pay special attention to what people have been saying about them being basically worthless when thinking of a price.

You know it's the KO right?

[Rack 'n Ruin]

Displaying G1 Autobots in robot mode doesn't really show off their best traits. They've each been surpassed in terms of show accuracy and articulation multiple times. Vehicle mode is another story. With the rubber tires, chrome rims, clear windows, and just the materials and paint in general, G1 cars are more impressive than a lot of their modern equivalents.

Maybe if you have a shelf lined with MP figures in bot mode, have their G1 counterparts in car mode lined up in front of them.

I agree with Tantrum. Those cars are absolutely integral to something I loved and love about Transformers - Robots in Disguise. The car modes are wonderful, even if not all perfect (Grapple and Inferno could definitely try harder to hide their arms). Showing them off in alt mode with robot mode MPs is a great idea.

Also, G1 Prowl is one of the definitive Transformers, imho. Just a thing of beauty.

[Cliffjumper]

I like Prowl a lot (especially reissue crisp; full stickers and unfaded colours make the G1 cars so much sharper - could never get the snootiness over reissues, they're how the toys are meant to be enjoyed, not with roofs smashed off and a gummy mess on the arms) but in truth the MP does everything the G1 toy does and more, with Smokescreen covering the original Datsun mould for me.

Personally I find the vehicle modes more of a mixed bunch than legend would have it. Some are great but then you've got Sunstreaker's silly back wheels and red bits, Tracks' obvious feet, the awful plaint-matching on Sideswipe's doors... And very few of them actually look much like the cars they're meant to be when you get an actual model car near them. Sure, they're better than the chunky plastic monstrosities the next few years brought but that DNE good and a lot of the peak film stuff knocked them out of the park. As I say, I think I'm hanging on to them because of the ideals and characters they represent rather than the toys they actually are.

Trade thread here.