In box Vs. out of box

[truecrud]

Ok I love jumbos. Obviously or I would probably not be here to talk about them. And I love the two foot tall boxes that they come in. In fact I think the Popy box art is both amazing and beautiful. But when it comes to collecting toys, unless you are doing it for financial reasons, i can not understand why some people go mad for and have to have MISB (mint in sealed box). Now I could understand it better if I had bought a toy in the 70's and kept it sealed in the box until now. That would be my accomplishment, keeping the toy and box in pristine condition for 30 years would take determination and show my love and dedication to that toy but if I bought it now from someone else, that kept it in that condition i don't think i could feel the same way about it. I love having my jumbos out so I can see THEM and not just the packaging. If I have the packaging I will display that too. This may be just me, but i think the value of MISB really goes to the person who kept it that way, but I would like to hear the thoughts of others on this topic. I welcome all sides of this discussion. Where do YOU feel the value lies and why.

[xtrlowz75]

MIB is always valued more obviously. But the problem with MIB is you can't play with it. I want to be able to show people and mess around with the toy, but I am one for at least having it complete. I do like having the box to store the toy and parts in, but am okay without the box as long as its complete. I look at my robots as toys but also as an investment. Once my daughters grow up, I plan to sell most of mine to help pay for their college (along with the college funds I put away of course). Most of my robots have seen a 200-300% increase in value over the last 10 years, especially since they are mostly complete with the box, and as complete/boxed ones become more scarce. But again I like them open, so at least I can enjoy them.

[devoidofemotions]

This is a problem for most collectors.
One solution is to keep one mib piece and buy
1 loose piece to display... That's what I plan to do.
Of course this I need to strike a lottery first

[luclin999]

I have the exact same opinion that I did as a kid...

..The toy is the thing that I want, the box is just a box.

Of course, I understand the fact that a boxed toy will almost always drive a higher price than a loose one however for me personally I just want the toy.

And on the rare occasions when I do purchase toys in the box, the boxes tend to become something annoying that end up taking up space in storage simply because I don't want to "devalue" the piece by tossing out 30-50% of it's perceived (by some) value.

[Mr. Ginrai]

To reply to your question, i will give you a bit of a perspective on how i collect, since i have a very large, varied collection, then mix in some of my thoughts on sealed toys.

The nice thing about the Japanese toys is that they don't really come "sealed". Sure the accessories can still be taped in their bag and larger pieces can be tied down, but it's nice to be able to lift a lid or open an outer box to really see what is inside, even if you won't play with it. Since there are so many robots/characters/animes/stories etc. I pick the ones I like based on aesthetics, box art, color, quality of toy, pretty much a million different things, but just the ones I want.

It really comes down to personal preference for a lot of people. I find that the people who collect MISB or MOSC tend to be looking for near or absolute perfection - it makes them feel good to know they have something in such nice shape. The other side of it is they get the closest possible experience to that first moment they ever saw a particular toy.

For me it depends on the toyline or type of toy. The majority of my Japanese toys are boxed, both new ones and vintage. Styrofoam is a must/bonus as well. It's all part of the presentation that makes them appealing, then you have the artwork and aesthetics and engineering of the toy. Really no way to go other than MIB with stuff like this, and you still can handle/play with them.

When I started my MASK collection since it is all vehicles for the most part I agreed to get everything loose complete with outer box (no cardboard inserts unless one came with styro instead) and instructions. A big reason for this is it was a line I only had a few pieces from when I was a kid and also mask toys come fully sealed - no lids, window boxes, or lift up flaps. So this way I could hunt down really nice usable pieces and enjoy them.

Silverhawks went another way. I wanted to get all the vehicles boxed with inserts and instructions, opened but as near unused or just mint as possible. There are just a handful of vehicles, so for all the figures I decided to do super mint loose with all parts. I love the way these look and display.

Thundercats was similar. Mint loose figures, boxed vehicles but no inserts. This was also one of the first lines (other than Japanese toys) where I did not want the whole line, I just pick the ones I like the most or want to buy.

My first line I ever collected (and I am still collecting, just on hiatus) is G1 Transformers. I have had more of these than any other toys over the years. Generally I get the larger ones and playsets boxed, if I don't have the boxes I buy them. If it is a toy that came with styro I usually have to have the box. As far as the rest I buy mint complete loose figures with instructions. I am pretty OCD when it comes to details. These need to be as mint as possible, but they also need to be playable/usable. Many transformers suffer from a high chance of breakage when they don't get used, joints can freeze or shatter etc. So although I buy many of these in person rather than online I try to buy from a prior owner who did use the toys just a bit so I have a better shot of having a piece that really will last a long time. This is the first line I also put a cutoff on because it was just getting out of hand. I decided to concentrate on all of 84-87 and small sections of 88-90. Still not done.

Anyways, I do have a number of unused vintage toys and a couple of sealed toys that range from common to rare and obscure. While there are a handful I don't mind keeping, I find that they are really some of the first toys I want to get rid of when I think of selling something. It's not that I don't enjoy them - it gives me great pleasure to see these little frozen bits of time, but you can't do anything with them! It's also not about the money either.

Even though some sealed toys are hard to find and are usually worth a lot more, sealed boxed toys will look the same on your shelf as mint open boxed ones. Carded figures are another story though. I will say for small toylines, carded figures are nice. Bigger lines like vintage Star Wars or 1980s GI joe are a nightmare for carded stuff though due to volume.

So as I said in the beginning it really comes down to personal taste. I don't mind unused toys MIB but I find that my tolerance for sealed toys in my collection is low. I at least need to see them or be able to open the box. But I do commend the sealed collectors though, they are helping preserve perfection for the future. To a point. LoL.

[robonutter]

Well for me i think boxes just take up too much darn room. If i was rich and had a huge house well sure i be gettin all boxed. But im just a workin man tryin to get by and likes to buy some toys here and there just to look at. As of my collecting now it all depends how much i like the toy. If i really like it i try to get the box. For some of the jumbos icould care less if it is original or a repro box i just would like to display them with the robots. I like to have toys on display not hiding in the box, though every box i have has the toy still in it because i have loose ones also to display lol.

[magengar]

I used to have separate shelf displays... one for my specimens,
and the other for a box display of my specimens.

After a while I got tired of the setup because it felt like the
box shelf was taking up too much wall-space I could be using
for posters and other things. So, I stopped doing that.
I store all the boxes inside a plastic trash bag or a larger box,
to keep any dust off them, inside a closet on their own
storage shelf and I don't place anything else on top of them.

If I have limited space inside my closet, I place them up
inside a drop-ceiling panel... luckily my ceilings are dry and
there's no humidity up in there even during the summer.
I check on them often to make sure no critters have chewed
on them (we get squirrel invasions now-n-then. lol)

And, I don't fold the boxes flat, for two reasons:
1> so much repeated folding and restoring will crack torn creases
into the edges and wear the default corner folds away.
2> I store the accessories inside the boxes when they're
not on display.

I'm lucky my jumbos didn't come with any boxes, they're all
2nd-hand and some for mods-n-parts.
It would drive me crazy trying to find storage space
for jumbo's boxes.

zoz-mag

[devoidofemotions]

Hi here is my personal opinion :
For me , my experience is from the start ,
I tell myself ok , if I own a combattler v jm, loose
Is my target, when I start to get deeper in the hole
In this hobby, I start to look for boxed specimen, then I
Start to look for paperworks, then I start to look for mib.
In a simple word summarize by mikedeco, simply put its the process
Of upgrading your collection. For eg, like rodman75,
He bought a unassembled bfj, there is no where to upgrade anymore on bfj.
For me it never ends if I own a loose specimen


Best
D.o.e

[txjumbo]

All great replies. Ultimately, we all know that it comes down to personal preference. One aspect that IMHO is the ULTIMATE factor when it comes to really any toy collecting is the $$$. For example, although I LOVE JM"s....even if I won the lotto, I would NEVER, EVER pay the costs that boxed specimens command. Never. When it come to jumbos, at the end of the day I keep in mind....it's simply well molded polyethylene. Lol....

I'd never pay thousands for a glorified shampoo bottle. Lol

Which is why I've been in collecting limbo for a few years now.

Although there are only a few examples of wonderful counterfeit jumbos...the same is not the case for transformers. Unlike most collectors I absolutely LOVE Chinese transformer kos. To me it really levels the playing field for those collectors that simply can never afford to own a true boxed Gen 1 Optimus. Sure it does have a negative affect for the poor sap that paid hundreds for one....but lets get real here.. .its not as if that collector that bought the fake was ever in the running as a serious buyer anyway....so I don't take issue with it like many collectors do. If that guy's love for the cartoon is just as string as the guy that can afford....he should be able to have it.

Got a bit off topic, but my point is.....money will always be the determining factor for....to box or not to box.