Blastin' with Blaster

Blaster

I have recently been re-reading the G1 Transformers comics by Marvel. When I got to issue #17 and later issues, I started to realize how pivotal Blaster is.

Blaster was up and about from issue #17 (1985) till around issue #47 (1988)- that is to say he was part of Transformer lore for a good 30 months (2 1/2 years), arguably having the most longevity in a time where characters were written into stories to sell toys.

If Galvatron is (Simon) Furman's favourite, Blaster is clearly (Bob) Budiansky's.

I started reminiscing about how Blaster had helped shaped my interest in Transformers when I was reading issue #32. My interest back then was so strong that I was at pains to convince mummy to buy me a Blaster in 1987 (when interest in Transformers was tapering off) for a very expensive sum of S$69.90.

I would like to pay tribute to Blaster with this article, Blastin' with Blaster, which I know should have appropriately, maybe rightly as well, been titled Rockin' with Blaster. I'm not using the latter title because Blaster was more significant in the comics than the cartoons; while his cartoon personality is close to his rockin' and rollin' profile in the tech specs, the comics Blaster is sombre, mature and holds firm to his ideas and beliefs- thus the title Blastin' with Blaster being more appropriate.

I'll do this tribute in 2 simple ways:

• Outline Blaster's significance in the Marvel continuity; and
• Make a Blaster related contribution to the Transformers community/fandom

Next: Blastin' with Blaster's comic persona

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Read all Blastin' with Blaster chapters
Chapter 01: Blastin' with Blaster
Chapter 02: Blastin' with Blaster's comic persona
Chapter 03: Blastin' with Blaster's box art

The joy of giving...

*this happened around 1 September 2000*

I often talk about buying Transformers.

I talk about buying Transformers from flea markets, garage sales and eBay. Now, what if one of these people who could potentially be selling their wares at one of these places happens to be my friend?

It just so happened that YK and WT had kept their childhood Transformers. It just so happened that they are my friends. I told them somewhere in 1999 that I’ve started collecting Transformers again and guess what? YK said ‘Hey, I have Transformers. Do you want them?’

‘Whoa! Yes, of course!’ was my excited reply almost falling off my chair.

YK invited me over to his place which was a 5min walk from my apartment. He gave me the following Transformers, all complete, all kept tidy in a shoebox: Hot Rod (Targetmaster), Springer, Scattershot, Nosecone and Lightspeed. I was more than overjoyed. A Hot Rod (Targetmaster) back then before the reissues can easily command around S$250 complete; Springer had ever been expensive and still is now; and to top it all off, I suddenly have 3/5 of Computron! At 9pm at night, I was holding a shoebox and walking home with wings at my ankles.

Springer, Hot Rod and 3/5 of Computron. Thanks YK!

WT gave me his Transformers after I gave him a lift home one day. I barged into his room and said ‘Show me your Transformers!’. Bar the reissues, he had the most beautiful Powermaster Prime and Sixshot that I’ve seen till this day.

‘Wow, can I have them?’ I asked.

‘Sure. Take them. I have no use for them anyway.’ Was his matter-of-fact reply.

Grabbed them and ran for it before he changed his mind!

Powermaster Optimus Prime (left). Thanks WT!

Those were the best, biggest and most valuable Transformers I have been given. It’s not much I know, but I think it’s a great feeling to have a piece from my close friends' childhood in my collection. That thought just makes these that much more valuable.

I silently made a promise to myself that I am to be the guardian for their toys, taking care of them and placing them alongside mine but I will never under any circumstances sell them.

I will still not sell these 7 pieces even if there comes a day when I decide to sell all my Transformers. I will either keep them or return them to their original owners.

Haulin' the Sun

*this happened around 25 December 2004*

‘Nah. I don’t think I will want that’ was my reply to RSLH’s questions moments before.

He had said ‘New eHobby releases. Heard they are called Sunstorm and Road Hauler? S$80 per set. You want one set?’ he said pointing to the lot of about 8 Sunstorms and Haulers stacked like a layered cake on the top of the glass cabinet.

Sunstorm

‘Nah. I don’t think I will want that’. What the?!? What was I thinking? S$80 for both Sunstorm and Hauler MISB, C10 boxes – I should have bought them without even blinking. Stupid, really stupid. I had my excuse though.

Back in 2003, the Sunstorm & Hauler set was released, at least in Singapore, at the exact same time as Armada Unicron. I had seen Unicron images on Seibertron and TF Kenkon while in Australia and swore to buy this figure when I returned to Singapore over the Christmas break. This was a figure that I (and most fans) have literally waited 17 years for since Transformers: The Movie in 1986.

I wasn’t going to let the chance slip. In fact, I am going to buy 2 of these babies. They were selling at TFH for S$140 each, meaning that 2 would cost S$280. I had no time for monkey business, I had no time for Sun-whozzat and Haul-whazzit – I-just-wanted-my-Unicrons.

So there it was, a bad mistake for 2 reasons.

Number One, Unicron at S$140 is grossly overpriced. When the general release came out, it was retailing at S$99.90 at all major retailers. This means that I paid S$80 ($40 x 2) more than I should – enough to get me a Sunstorm & Hauler set.

Number Two, I was not short of cash and would normally have bought a seeker even if it were a recolour. That Sunstorm was later featured in Dreamwave’s G1 Vol 3 as the main protagonist making his price skyrocket is another painful reminder to the dreadful mistake I made. Worse of all, I felt my heartstrings pull toward getting the Sunstorm figure after I have read the Dreamwave Sunstorm arc.

I trudged through eBay with a heavy heart for weeks before finally winning an auction for a Sunstorm & Hauler set at a reasonable price. The up side is that this auction included the original eHobby packing box that the set came in. Awhile later, I bought another individual Sunstorm to play with and display.

eBay Sunstorm & Hauler auction win... on the Christmas of '04. Merry Christmas to me!



My 2 Sunstorms MISB
This was all good timing at least because a Sunstorm on its own now costs in excess of US$200.

My Transformer Collecting Objectives

'Objectives are not fate; they are not direction. They are not commands; they are commitments. They do not determine the future; they are means to mobilize the resources and energies... for the making of the future.' - Peter F. Drucker

As detailed in Chapter III and Chapter IV of The Origin Story, my Transformer collecting objectives, subject to my Collecting Principles, are as follows:

[1] To buy ‘back’ any and all Transformers that I wanted as a kid but either was denied or didn’t get around to buying. The Ravage & Rumble set comes to mind.

[2] To buy ‘back’ all Transformers characters not available in Singapore back in the 80s. Some of these include Skywarp, Thundercracker, Ironhide, Trailbreaker and etc.

[3] More specifically, to get ‘back’ every single Transformer from Series 1 (1984) to Series 3 (1986).

[4] To get selected characters from Series 4 (1987), Series 5 (1988) and Series 6 (1989).

[5] To get selected characters from the Masterforce and Victory series’.

[6] Every Series 1 to Series 3 Transformer should be what collectors term ‘110% complete’ – That is with a C9 box, instructions, unapplied or used sticker sheet, tech spec decoder and relevant catalogues (including Glow in the dark poster/s for movie characters).

[7] Every figure to be ‘upgraded’ to C9.5 condition with matching sticker condition (if they are not already in C9.5).

Chapter VI: Crisis on Infinite Fronts (2006)

It was the year 2005. Unicron attacked Cybertron and almost consumed it. The next year is 2006, a year of great change and flux. So it is for them, so it is for me.

I graduated and intended to return to Singapore for good. Surely, it cannot be bad to be near family, friends and ready sources of Transformer toys. Right? As fate would have it, I would leave, work in Singapore for 6 months and return to Australia again in July 2006 where I have remained till now.

I moved jobs and countries twice in a year and ended up back in Australia . It of course follows that all the ‘disadvantageous complications to Transformer collecting’ in Australia would be factors that are once again at the forefront.

For the most part, this was fine because my G1 collecting was becoming more of a gap filling exercise now and because the current Transformers on retail fails to captivate my interest anyway. Rightly or wrongly, I found Armada (2003), Energon (2004), Universe (2005), Titanium (2006) and Cybertron (2006) very stale and uninspiring. At the end of 2006, one line stood out – Transformers Classics.

I bought most of the Classics line over Christmas 2006 and early 2007. These included: Astrotrain, Starscream, Hot Rod, Bumblebee, Mirage, Grimlock, Ultra Magnus & Skywarp and Jetfire. I refuse to buy Optimus Prime and Megatron; the former is overpriced (approx. AU$46.90 = S$57.70) and the latter is overpriced and looks like a piece of candy.

This led into 2007, was followed by the Transformers movie madness and by a corresponding G1 massive acquisition madness.

Next: Chapter VII(1): A Transformers Renaissance (part 1) (2007)

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Read other Chapters of The Origin Story...
Introduction
Chapter 0: Prologue
Chapter I: Fantasies & Inflections (1984 to 1991)
Chapter II: The Re-awakening (1999)
Chapter III: A New Beginning (1999 to 2001)
Chapter IV: Boxed Agendas (2002)
Chapter V: Coming to Australia (2003 to 2006)
Chapter VI: Crisis on Infinite Fronts (2006)
Chapter VII(1): A Transformers Renaissance (2007)
Chapter VII(2): A Transformers Renaissance (2007)Chapter VIII: 1988 Once More (2009)

Chapter V: Coming to Australia (2003 to 2006)

I moved to Australia from Singapore on 18th February 2003. The move was academic, literally.

It was on the whole a good move, but one that ultimately created disadvantageous complications for my Transformer collecting.

There were hardly had any speciality toy shops and no weekend type flea markets in Australia . Hobby Co. was probably the only ‘toy’ shop but was more focused on model kits and scaled train sets. Suddenly, my Transformers buying world shrank from limited only by your imagination back in Singapore to your imagination is all you’ve got mate in Australia .

Seeing that a flea market or speciality toy shops is all but non-existent, I turned to look at the prospects for new and current releases (eg: Alternators, Binaltech, Cybertron, Titanium and Classics). I soon discovered that new releases comes with price tags that are completely outrageously ludicrous. It seems like the only out is eBay.

Between 2003 and 2006, I continued to fatten my collection using eBay. Which is just as well, because a large proportion of what I needed at that point in time are G1 USA boxes and instructions and maybe the occasional accessory. As a rule of thumb, I mostly buy from US sellers and will avoid using eBay.com.au. This is explained here.

Highlights for this period include obtaining a Thrust box w/ bubble (final seeker box I needed), pre-rub Megatron with perfect unbroken styrofoam, Shockwave box, Bluestreak box, Jazz MIB stickers unapplied, Ravage & Rumble cardback (see below), Frenzy & Laserbeak cardback, Frenzy & Ratbat cardback, Squarktalk & Beastbox sealed, Omega Supreme in near perfect box and Grand Maximus MISB (opened to inspect).

The highlight was of course this (for obvious reasons):

Ravage & Rumble mint on cardback

To fund my activities, I also bought huge lots of Transformers to resell. One example is Lot 1870, here.

2003 to mid 2005 were busy buying periods. I bought almost no Transformers in late 2005, which on hindsight appear to be the calm before the 2006 storm.

Next: Chapter VI: Crisis on Infinite Fronts (2006)

***
Read other Chapters of The Origin Story...
Introduction
Chapter 0: Prologue
Chapter I: Fantasies & Inflections (1984 to 1991)
Chapter II: The Re-awakening (1999)
Chapter III: A New Beginning (1999 to 2001)
Chapter IV: Boxed Agendas (2002)
Chapter V: Coming to Australia (2003 to 2006)
Chapter VI: Crisis on Infinite Fronts (2006)
Chapter VII(1): A Transformers Renaissance (2007)
Chapter VII(2): A Transformers Renaissance (2007)Chapter VIII: 1988 Once More (2009)

Chapter IV: Boxed Agendas (2002)

I want boxes. I want G1 US Transformer boxes. I want G1 US Transformer cardbacks too.

Somewhere along the lines, and it is a blurry sort of somewhere because I don’t know the somewhen of it, I felt that the loose figures I have are notionally missing something. They are missing their boxes! They are missing their beautiful G1 US boxes. I realized that part of what drove me to buy a certain Transformer in the 80s is the box art and to a certain extent the box top, sides and bottom. I just have to have all Series 1, 2 & 3 boxes and cardbacks.

Continuing along the somewhere line, I also found that I could no long tolerate any of my Transformers in a bad/ worn/ faded/ chipped/ broken condition. I just would not stand for it. I’d rather not have that piece. I actually sold off a chunk of my collection due to this new agenda. Pedantic, illogical and irrational I know, but nice toys is satisfying.

This brings us to collecting objective (6) and (7) but before that a recap of Objectives (1) through (5).

Objective (6) Every Series 1 to Series 3 Transformer should be what collectors term ‘110% complete’ – That is with a C9 box, instructions, unapplied or used sticker sheet, tech spec decoder and relevant catalogues (including Glow in the dark poster/s for movie characters).

Objective (7) Every figure to be ‘upgraded’ to C9.5 condition with matching sticker condition (if they are not already in C9.5).

Armed with new objectives, I assiduously collected as much as I could before leaving for Australia in 2003.

Minty Series 1 & 2 Transformers

Minty Decepticon Seekers


Some boxes...

Next: Chapter V: Coming to Australia (2003)

***
Read other Chapters of The Origin Story...
Introduction
Chapter 0: Prologue
Chapter I: Fantasies & Inflections (1984 to 1991)
Chapter II: The Re-awakening (1999)
Chapter III: A New Beginning (1999 to 2001)
Chapter IV: Boxed Agendas (2002)
Chapter V: Coming to Australia (2003 to 2006)
Chapter VI: Crisis on Infinite Fronts (2006)
Chapter VII(1): A Transformers Renaissance (2007)
Chapter VII(2): A Transformers Renaissance (2007)
Chapter VIII: 1988 Once More (2009)