How do you describe your collection?
I’ve been a toy collector and toy lover for as long as I can remember. Of course, I sold pretty much my entire collection just after I got out of high school. Then, probably in my mid-20s, I got back into it as something to do. What’s funny is that, when I first started collecting again, I kind of hid the fact that I did because, you know, everybody knew I was a nerd. Now? I embrace it. I love it. I mean, I have a big tattoo of Optimus Prime on my arm, so I’m not hiding it at all.
My very first Transformers convention was in 2013. We were going to Charlotte, North Carolina, to visit my wife’s family, and we had both turned 40 that year. So we decided, “Hey, let’s get tattoos.” My wife got this really pretty new-age flowers-and-birds tattoo, and she asked, “What do you want?” I said, “Well, I want Optimus Prime holding the American flag.” So that’s what I got.
While visiting North Carolina, I discovered through Facebook that there was a big Transformers convention about a mile from their house. I said, “I’ve got to go to that.” I loved Transformers and had a few figures at the time myself.
When I got to the convention, I was amazed. It was my first convention for nerd stuff, and I couldn’t believe how many people were just like me. When you think about people who collect toys, you think about the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. Instead, I was meeting fellow army veterans who collected, people in law enforcement, and all kinds of other people. They’d say, “Oh yeah, I’ve got my collection displayed throughout my whole house.” All these years later, I have one room, plus part of my TV room, which is all the wife allows, dedicated to Transformers.
I have a little bit of everything, but my main focus has always been Generation 1 or G1, because that’s what I grew up with. As of Christmas last year, I completed my U.S. G1 collection. My wife actually bought me the last figure I needed.
I still collect figures today. I just got one two days ago from the modern line. More recently, as of January, I started collecting GoBots. I bought a couple of them and thought, “These guys are pretty cool.” As a Transformers collector, you always kind of ignored the GoBots. They were the step-cousins. But I’ve had a blast rediscovering these little figures, and they’ve done really well on my YouTube channel. I think a lot of people kind of blew the GoBots off and are giving them a newfound appreciation now.
G1 started in 1984. That’s when the Transformers came over from Japan, where the toys originated in lines such as Diaclone. They weren’t called Transformers yet. Hasbro was looking for something to sell as boys’ toys. Barbie and Masters of the Universe were the big things, but Masters of the Universe belonged to Mattel, so Hasbro wanted in on the game.
They brought these robots over from Japan and hired writers from Marvel Comics to come up with names and give each toy a character. To promote the toys, Marvel Comics produced a four-issue miniseries telling the story of the Transformers, which also became an animated series.
What I really like about G1 is that the animated series and the comic book had different fiction. The comic book started as a four-issue miniseries and continued all the way to issue #80. I grew up with it. I started getting the Transformers comics when they first came out and picked up the final issue the year I graduated from high school. It was with me all the way through school. Even though I quit collecting toys in high school, I kept reading the comics.
G1 is that era from 1984 through about 1990. Those are the Transformers everybody knows and grew up with: Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream, Soundwave, all those characters that are still going strong today.
I got rid of my entire childhood collection. I traded it all for a Super Nintendo back in the day, which I kind of regret now.
Over the years, I’d buy a few figures here and there. It really started when I was at a flea market and found an original Megatron. The guy was selling it as a toy gun. For those who don’t know, the original Megatron transformed into a very realistic-looking gun. I bought it for $5 and transformed it right in front of the guy. He said, “Well, I didn’t know it did that. I need to ask for more.” I said, “Too late.”
Then I found an Optimus Prime, and I’d just pick up a figure here and there. Around 1994 or 1995, the Transformers came back to toy shelves as the Beast Wars characters, where they transformed into animals.
I remember seeing them because I worked at Kmart as a loss prevention officer, and my office was right by the toy aisles. I kept seeing these things, and one day I thought, “Oh, what the heck. I want to buy this new Megatron and see what he’s all about.” I was hooked.
I ended up buying a lot of the Beast Wars figures, and more characters kept coming out. It was funny because I was in my mid-20s and still didn’t want people to know I was buying these for myself. I’d always go up to the cash register saying, “That’s my brother’s birthday,” or, “I’m getting this for my cousin.”
I collected pretty steadily after that, buying random figures here and there. Then I got deployed to Iraq. We were allowed on the internet, so I’d buy stuff on eBay and have it shipped home. I had just gotten married, and my wife said I was driving her nuts with all this random stuff arriving from eBay.
Not long after I got back from Iraq, I decided I was done. I had too many of these things. I had just bought a Jeep, so I thought I’d sell the Transformers and put the money into it. I kept Optimus Prime, Megatron, and some of my favourite original characters from when I was a kid.
Then I went to that convention. Seeing all those figures reignited that spark in me to start collecting again. It’s my outlet. Being a military veteran, everyone has different ways of coping with things. For me, it’s collecting. I love what I call my “plastic crack”.
When I started collecting again, I really focused on G1. My goal was to own all the toys I had in the ’80s, and all the ones I couldn’t get back then.
When and why did you start your collection?
I’ve always liked robots. As a kid of the ’80s, I remember The Black Hole. Maximilian scared the hell out of me, but I was still fascinated with this robot with those driller hands. Then, in 1984, I watched The Terminator. I probably shouldn’t have, but seeing the Terminator rise out of that burning truck at the end of the movie just stuck in my brain.
Then Transformers came out in 1984. You’ve also got to give Marvel Comics props for coming up with the stories and characters behind those toys. That’s what really appealed to me.
You look at some of the G1 figures now, and honestly, some of the older toys really aren’t that great. But Marvel Comics developed them into such interesting characters that it gave the toys a whole other dimension. I’ve always loved the stories.
As Transformers have evolved, you can compare a 1984 Optimus Prime with the Optimus Prime they have on the shelf today. The engineering that’s gone into them is amazing. It’s neat seeing how they’ve evolved over the years.
When I really started getting back into collecting, I had a young son and thought he’d get into it too. Nope, I failed on that one. He likes Funko Pops and anime figures. Of course, when he was little and came into my office, I’d always say, “Now, son, you look with your eyes, not your hands.” So he never messed with anything.
How do you display and store your collection?
At last count, I think I have almost 5,000 pieces.
Most of mine are on shelves, but I have limited shelf space in my office. One of these days I need to put up more shelves. I have some plans. Right now, I have some things stored in totes in the closet, and I hate that. I like to have everything on display, so I try to get as much out as I can.
If I have different versions of the same character, the vintage G1 figure will always be on display because, for me, that’s what people notice when they come into my office. That’s what we’ll end up talking about because they’ll say, “Oh, I had that as a kid. I remember that.” So, if I have the 1984 Optimus Prime, an Optimus Prime that came out in 2020, and a new one that came out in 2026, I’ll put the 2020 version on a shelf or in a tote. That’s only an example, though, because I keep all my Optimus Primes and Megatrons on display.
I have everything organized on the shelves. My Generation 1 figures are in the centre displays, and I use stair-step shelves so they’re easier to see. The right side of the room is Autobots, the left side is Decepticons, and I have the GoBots on shelves above my desk. Then I have the random modern figures from all the different lines. I always have at least something displayed from each line.
I don’t keep a spreadsheet to keep track of the collection. It’s all in my head. I could pretty much sit down and name every G1 figure. I probably couldn’t name all of the newer characters, but I could go down the Generation 1 shelves and name every one of them. I did that for one of my son’s friends once, and it blew their mind.
What do you consider to be the Holy Grail of your collection?
Currently, I’m not really after anything specific because a friend of mine hooked me up with my Holy Grail figure. It was a Japanese-exclusive figure named Overlord. He was this giant Decepticon that split into two vehicles, a tank and a jet. Those two could combine to form a city, and then the city could combine into this giant robot. It was something I’d always wanted, and my friend, who’s actually a comic book artist for Marvel, got hold of two of them and just gave me one. It blew my mind. It has a place of honour on my shelf.
Another rare piece I have is a complete 1989 Monstructor. You’ve probably heard of GPS, or gold plastic syndrome. He’s made with a lot of gold plastic, but I have one that’s still unbroken and proudly displayed on the shelf.
The last figure I needed to complete my G1 collection was Bluestreak. My wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas. I never really ask her for Transformers, which is funny because she bought me one of my most prized possessions after we got married. She asked what I wanted, and I said, “I need a G1 Bluestreak, and then my G1 collection will be complete.”
She said, “Well, I have no idea who that is.”
So I found one online, sent her the link, and she got it for me.
What advice would you give to someone interested in starting a Transformers collection?
That’s a hard one because it sometimes just requires dedication. I never imagined I’d become what they call a completionist.
I had two figures in my G1 collection that were missing their guns. A few months ago, one of the guns popped up on eBay. They wanted $60 for a gun. You know how small Transformer guns are. I kept looking at it and finally thought, “Ah, screw it.” He’s complete now. I know the figure is worth more because it has that little tiny gun. I’ve actually paid more for some of the guns than I have for complete figures. Right now, I think I have maybe one figure in my entire collection that doesn’t have the correct weapon. Fortunately, in the era of 3D printing, there are a lot of people making replicas of those hard-to-find weapons, so I have a few of those.
My advice would be to start slow. If there’s a favourite character you like, focus on that. If you’re an Optimus Prime fan, collect Optimus Primes. If you’re a Megatron fan, collect Megatrons. There are so many characters and so many different versions of them. Just take your time. Don’t rush out and try to get everything.
Part of the fun that I miss is the hunt. I live in West Virginia, so I don’t have as many opportunities for conventions as some of my friends who live in bigger cities. I miss going to flea markets and walking through stores looking for figures.
Every now and then, though, you still find something. A couple of weeks ago, I was out of town for a VA appointment and stopped at a vintage toy store. They had a G1 Bristleback, which is part of Monstructor. He’s one of the figures that’s almost always broken.
They had him hanging in a bag and labelled “Bristleback Pretender Shell – $15.” I looked at it and thought, “Wait a minute. The robot’s still inside the shell.” I was able to manipulate the plastic enough to pop the back open and saw the robot was unbroken. So I paid $15 for what’s normally an $80 figure.
You never know what you’re going to find.
What made it even better was that it was one of the rare times I decided to film a toy hunt video, and I found that. After I paid for it and left the store, I shared the video with the owners and said, “Hey, I just scored at your store. Thank you.”
What’s funny is that sometimes I’ll go to a flea market and ask, “What do you want for this?” Then they’ll immediately pull up eBay. I always tell them, “Don’t do that, because what you’re looking at on eBay isn’t what you have right here. This figure is missing the gun,” or, “This figure is missing this piece.”
I’ll make them an offer based on what they actually have. If they say, “Well, on eBay…” then I just say, “Nope, I’m out.” You just lost the sale. If someone else comes along, I’m going to tell them exactly what you’ve got. I can’t stand it when people automatically pull up eBay instead of pricing the figure that’s actually in front of them.
I love the Transformers community. Like any community, you’re going to have a few bad apples, but for the most part, everyone I’ve met has been incredibly welcoming.
Any time I do an interview on my channel or get invited onto someone else’s channel, I’m often talking to people I’ve never met before, and we hit it off immediately because we’ve bonded over these plastic toys. Meeting people like that has been one of the best parts of collecting. I’m 53 years old, six-foot-four, a military veteran, and I collect toys. People are always surprised when they find that out.
It’s just cool. Through YouTube and conventions, I’ve met so many people and made lifelong friends. Unfortunately, most of them live in other states, but it’s always great to get together with them whenever I can.
More of Jason’s collection can be found on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
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