Post Pictures of your Transformers and have people add captions!

[Sciflyer]

Alright, I can weigh in on my experience with buying Blokees on the secondary market, as a US customer.

So far, I have only been interested in these more "curious" releases (Unicron's head, vehicle versions of Optimus with trailer, Roller, etc., and multiple Scampers for customizing). Yes, you can get a blind box for around $10 - $12, roughly. However, I paid about $15 - $20 individually, for the aforementioned figures. Relative value is for you to decide but so far, these have been extremely fun and very worth it, for me.

 

[Platypus Prime]

I went 'ugh' when I first heard 'blind box', I hate those things...I just spent another $2000 bucks on scans, I can't buy several duplicates and hope, so if I get anything, it's going to be secondary.

 

[Gizmoboy]

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

I went 'ugh' when I first heard 'blind box', I hate those things...I just spent another $2000 bucks on scans, I can't buy several duplicates and hope, so if I get anything, it's going to be secondary.

Yeah, that's the part that worries me.

 

[lastmaximal]

Same. I have so much love for Transformers' forays into "small cutesy blind box things" like Kre-O and Botbots, but mainly because they went the not-true-blind route with codes. I'd probably be even deeper into Blokees if the Defender ones had at least not been in the blind format. I've never understood how the appeal of blind boxed stuff outweighs the expense and wastefulness. Even if you go "just trade your doubles", how likely is it that everyone you could trade with doesn't already HAVE the same doubles and isn't after the same thing you are?

 

[Gizmoboy]

I've never understood the appeal from the general public for blind box anything. From a sellers point of view, I'm sure their great because hard core people will keep buying until they get the one they're looking for. I personally like to know what I'm buying when I buy something.

 

[unluckiness]

The dopamine rush from opening the damn things. It’s basically gambling.

 

[Dekafox]

Yep, physical lootboxes.

 

[Gizmoboy]

The dopamine rush I guess I can understand. I like to wager on sports so I can relate to throwing real money at something that might or might not pay off.

 

[Platypus Prime]

I don't have the money to gamble, so I guess I will stick to playing MH World with random people on SOS, that seems to be the same thing, just cheaper.

 

[Sabrblade]

So are there any ways yet to avoid or minimize the likelihood of Jetstorm breaking?

You’re asking the girl who posted this a few weeks ago?:

View attachment 33091

Retraumatizing me like Shax over here.

I'm ... Just broadly asking, in case anyone's found a workaround by this point. I'd like to save a splurge for this set, but this worries me. Sorry about that.

The $15 price increase out of the blue plus the fragility of the Minicons really has made this go from a no questions pickup to something I'm probably gonna pass on unless I find a deal.

Lol it’s ok I wasn’t being that serious - apparently this set is doing the online equivalent to shelf warming on Pulse, so if I really want to I can just pay it and get another set; and that I can afford to do that currently also helps. But it would just be so damn annoying to have to get doubles of PERFECTLY good 3 other figures just to get the one figure replacement.

As far as preventing the breakage, I would say either have the patience and hand articulation of a surgeon while transforming it, or have that, AND find a way to sand down the little grooves on those little hinge pieces (which why they decided to make paper/thin connectors SOFT RATCHET is SOOO fcking stupid it’s beyond comprehension).

Buuuut short of doing any of that… it may break.

If it helps, that little fin piece is largely cosmetic and just for the robot mode of Jetstorm, and doesn’t affect combination into the Star Saber at all. I’d recommend leaving that piece as-is out the box and skipping the step to transform it so you don’t have to deal with it. Leaves Jetstorm with a slightly jankier backpack and gappier torso, but… he’s a Mini-Con, and no one is gonna display the Star Saber Mini-Cons as individuals so who the eff cares lol.

DNA Design has revealed their upgrade kit for Armada Nemesis Prime, which is largely a recolor of their upgrade kit for Armada Optimus Prime minus the trailer upgrade pieces, but of relevance this set also includes a replacement piece for Jetstorm made of opaque blue plastic instead of the fragile translucent clear plastic merely painted blue on the official figure:

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/354169

 

[LordGigaIce]

I'm a simple man. Let me buy the thing I want to buy.

 

[Sabrblade]

I'm a simple man. Let me buy the thing I want to buy.

I'm sure some Chinese eBay seller will make and sell a resin KO of the Jetstorm piece.

 

[LordGigaIce]

I'm sure some Chinese eBay seller will make and sell a resin KO of the Jetstorm piece.

My post was in response to the earlier blind pack discussion. Nothing kills my enthusiasm for something like a blind pack gimmick.

 

[Haywire]

I'm a simple man. Let me buy the thing I want to buy.

Yeah, if a collectable is a "blind pack" with a code so I can know what I'm getting, I'll pick up a few. But if it's a true blind pack? I'll pass. Not a gambling man.

 

[LordGigaIce]

"I can't be the only one with a problem with this."

 

[Agent X]

I didn't have *A* Spoilsport when I got this signed in March (2025) and I fudged it for his Ark entry.

So getting AotP Sureshot for his Spoilsport to add to my gallery was worth ponying up the coin for Sureshot's lanky ass.

NOTE: There WILL be more pics like this after TFCon LA 2026.
(Just like all the other cons)

(The 'Ark' entry for reference: )

My commentary on this entey:
" 'Burning Plasma Blaster', a campaign item from Japan. Since Spoilsport has yet to receive a modern update, is mostly red, and BPB was an item I wanted, AND was available at TFCon LA, it all worked out. Could I have popped off the red arms and legs and put them on a black body to make it more accurate? Yes. Why I didn't? I'm spending enough time on this as it is.

EDIT: While looking up the gallery entry for the Ark, I noticed it was dated "March 2024"! Which means I have to re-do the first pic with the correct badge.
(If @TFcon see this, THIS whole gallery thing is the #1 reason I badger the staff (Colin especially) for a badge at the end of the weekend. YES, pun fully intended.)

 

[Princess Viola]

tbh the thing with blokees is there's like two types of people who buy them (the blind box ones):
- the people who just buy blind and hope

- the people who say 'hug it' and just order a whole case of figures because that way you're at least guaranteed to get the one(s) you want because you get one of each figure in the wave in a case + have a higher chance of getting the chase figure and then they sell the ones they don't want

i think both groups should kiss

 

[lastmaximal]

I did buy a whole Defender case once, but only because that was a price point that wasn't a huge blow to the wallet, there was a handful in that wave I planned to keep, and I could send the leftovers to a friend to enjoy with his kid. The rest of the time it's secondary market only (and one or two impulse buys; it's about the only thing out there priced for it anymore).

Either option, of buying enough blind until I stumble upon the ones I need (and then worrying about offloading the rest), or buying full cases (and offloading the rest) is not something I can spare the money or time to do often. And definitely not at a price point higher than this one.

Again, a few of TF's forays into this have been among the franchise's highest highs for me, but only because I dodged the bullet of them actually being blind boxed. The sooner this trend burns itself out or gets replaced by whatever the better.

 

[lastmaximal]

DNA Design has revealed their upgrade kit for Armada Nemesis Prime, which is largely a recolor of their upgrade kit for Armada Optimus Prime minus the trailer upgrade pieces, but of relevance this set also includes a replacement piece for Jetstorm made of opaque blue plastic instead of the fragile translucent clear plastic merely painted blue on the official figure:

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/354169

I wish this company, or frankly whoever can churn out injection molded/not 3D printed stuff, would get into the habit of releasing smaller packs of stuff that aren't 1/3 useful/essential and 2/3 crap I can do without that just drives up the cost. Here it's the alternate face and the Jetstorm fix. With the Chromia kit it's the shield and maybe the pike. With the Star Convoy kit it's the chest star and the Hot Rod spoiler fillers. Every time.