How many of you are MIB collectors and how many are Openers? Me? A little of both. When I first starting collecting, everything was opened, I was a kid, duh. Then around the time the re-release of Star Wars toys (about 1995) I started this thing where I would buy one to open and one to keep packaged, now most of that packaged stuff has been sold or given away. I have kept some things packaged and in some cases they may be duplicates left over from that time. No I won't open something if the package is so cool that I want to keep it all pretty. This is rare as I have been opening more and more.
The reason for all the questions and somewhat explanation is I have unearthed part of my collection that are packaged and I have only bought one of and I have started opening them up. Nothing really big yet, mostly just figures, like this retread from NECA of the Disney Tron line.
I picked this guy up when the re-release of the toys were in Sun Coast Video stores, along with a copy of the DVD. I even remember picking him up because I wanted the Warrior figure and this was the only guy they had. Upon returning home he sat packaged and on displayed until a couple years went by and I packed him up.
So the other day when I was going through some stuff I picked him up and ripped open the package and busted out Tron here. Any regrets? Not really, I actually enjoyed it. This led me to start thinking about some other items I have kept packaged, again some that I only purchased one of, that I really wanted to tear out of the box and check them out, make a display on the shelf or just play around with on the desk.
I thought I would through these questions out there in this post.
Have you opened toys you have kept packaged for years?
Do you just open them when you buy them?
Do you leave stuff MIB?
Here's a list of some things I've been thinking about opening up:
• DC Direct 13" Batman - This one is sooooo tempting.
• DC Direct Super Friends Aquaman / Black Manta two pack - I've had this one a pretty long time, I want to open it, but man you can't turn back.
• Kenner Batman the Animated Series Clay Face - This one I may just pick up a Mattel Clay Face two pack and keep this one all packed up safe and sound.
• EMCE Mr. Spock with Gold Bands - I already have a Spock open, so this one could just be displayed in package, I just talked myself in keeping him packaged.
• Hasbro, Wall-Mart Patrol Dewback - Just kidding, I am so opening this one!
11 comments:
I open everything. I don't always open immediately, if I buy a bunch of toys at once, I space it out. I do have one set of figures that I got for Christmas last year, which for some reason I never got around to opening. I should remedy that.
As my blog name goes, I am all for Open the toy d*** it. LOL
As the answers to your questions
1. Yes I have opened toys which I kept packaged for years. It always in my mission to open up and play. Like you some toys I bought home I put the box to display and waiting for a day to open it up.
2. Only some toys I open immediately and most of them are transformers but I still have some I yet to open becos I need the time to take photo and arrange space to display it.
3. I do have some MIB which is waiting to be open some day.
It is not your toy until you open it up and play with it. :D
Have you opened toys you have kept packaged for years? Yes
Do you just open them when you buy them? Yes
Do you leave stuff MIB? Yes
And that Tron stuff is so cool - I had all the originals and a couple cycles, but don't still own them. I missed out on the re-releases. Someday I figure I'll find some at a swap meet or something, but I love them and should probably jump on some on eBay before the sequel hits and prices jump!
I used to always open.
Then I got a Johnny Lighting Batmobile and loved the packaging to much to not display it in the box.
Then LOTR figures came out and my boys and I bought a bunch and put them away. (We also opened a bunch)
I have been about 50/50 recently but think O will eventually open them all.
As LEon said opening it makes it yours.
Mario - I want to see a post on these figures that sat a year, maybe it should be a Christmas day post, My DC Direct Batman was a Christmas present from a couple years back, I'm going to open him.
LEon - I knew I would hear from you, like you said your blog is all about open toys. I do like your saying "It is not your toy until you open it up and play with it. :D" I might adopt that as well.
BS - I think you and I follow pretty much the same rules of the road when it comes to toys, but we knew that my brother from CA. : D
Brian B - I think I have a friend in the same LOTR boat as you, funny how we all get hooked on other lines, kind of a side bar to our main focus. Also this Johnny Lightning Batmobile, would it happen to be a slot car?
Toys are for playing with has always been my motto. Unfortunately I have bought too many to be opened currently.
I know, at this point I want to punch my own self in the face. Truth is I continue to buy toys with the sole focus on opening them. However, I always pick out the best package in case I might have to sell them.
The truth is that I want every toy to be as special as when I was a kid. But, when you buy $100-200 a month in toys that doesn't quite work out the way you hoped.
I have toys that I open immediately (MOTUCs). I have some that are suppose to get opened and never do (most Transformers). Finally, I have some that will never be opened (exclusives like SDCC Wonder Twins). Why? I'm a designer at heart. I appreciate the package design as much as the toy the accompanies it.
In summation, I think all collector's cross the lines, to what level is the question. Here are my answers
Have you opened toys you have kept packaged for years? Hell yes. Those are some of the best times.
Do you just open them when you buy them? Most of time, they site in living room for couple days before I get around to it.
Do you leave stuff MIB? Unfortunately, a lot of stuff is MIB.
Great post! Great questions!
Have you opened toys you have kept packaged for years? Not usually, the longer something survives MIB in my collection, the less likely it is to be opened. If something is, say, over ten years old and still sealed, I have a REALLY hard time breaking that seal.
Do you just open them when you buy them? Sometimes. I sometimes buy things, specifically, to open and have hanging around on shelves and what-not. Things that are most often designed as toys for kids to play with (Brave and the Bold, Action League, etc.) I find are easier for me to open. I want to have them around to pick up and mess around with when thinking through a work problem, etc.
Do you leave stuff MIB? Yes, I'm guilty sometimes of buying an extra copy of something (if it's cheap enough) to keep packaged. I've always viewed packaging as being part of the toy. I almost always regret throwing away packaging. It's fun, too, to hold a sealed toy in your hands that is exactly as it was on the toy shelf 20 or so years ago...like going back in time or something.
With all that being said, looking back over the past 15 or 20 years, it's the toys that I've opened that stand out best in my memory and have the best feelings associated with them. So, I'm kind of trying to strike a balance between opening and leaving sealed, these days.
Oh...I also like your saying, LEon.
It's not your toy until you open it.
I've never really thought of it that way but it's so true.
Have you opened toys you have kept packaged for years? On occassion, I've found that I like to keep one key figure MOC so I have a nice example of the package and open the rest, as I go through older stuff, I've been opening up all but one flagship character.
Do you just open them when you buy them? Most stuff I get now gets opened immediatley. Couldn't wait to get home and rip into the Avatar AMP suit.
Do you leave stuff MIB? Some things I know won't display well out of package and will remain sealed up (for now). Like the Battle Damage Anakin from Revenge of the Sith or Montezuma's Skeleton from the GI Joe DVD battles set.
Opening up those packages must be liberating! lol. For a short time when the Batman movie came out everyone told me to keep the figures in their packages...F-that. I always opened every toy I ever got. There were a few things here and there that I kept for display but ultimately wound up opening them anyway! lol.
Damn those Tron figures were cool. This one was a re-release?
Yep Jay this guy was a re-release, NECA released a set of the older figures back in the early 2000's. For some reason I never picked up or saw any of the original Tron figures when I was a kid, so when I saw these I grabbed a couple (one online) I wonder if the new Tron movie will have cool figures like these?
Even as an adult collector I have had people tell me, "you better not open that" a few things I have kept packaged, but newer stuff I rip open and check it out, this stuff will only be worth something when I'm long gone and I want to enjoy it now!
By the way I think I still have a Batman from the first movie still in the package, LOL. I have one open too...
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