COLLECTOR INTERVIEW #87: Chris Richardson

We’re back for more Transformers collector interviews.

Today, it’s Chris Richardson, otherwise known as Dez, who hails from the UK and has a very varied collection, including lots of vintage Generation 1, Masterpiece and third-party, Generations and much more besides. Let’s check out those shelves, Chris!

Who are you and what do you collect?

Hello, my name is Chris Richardson, or Dez to some of you in the online space.  It may come as a shock, but I collect Transformers! And M.A.S.K., Centurions and Starcom.

My main focus is improving my G1 collection and display. I’m currently trying to get a boxed example of all Western releases, as well as fill in any gaps in my Japanese collection, which is a lot.  This focus on a specific thing really helps, luckily. I don’t want to own all of Transformers anyway, but this helps me narrow down exactly what I want.

Like most people, my shelf space is limited, so sadly, half of my boxed collection is stacked rather than proudly displayed, but it is what it is. I’ve made the most of what I’ve got to work with and am pretty happy with the result. Even if stuff constantly falls over.

Alongside G1, I have a Masterpiece and modern CHUG collection. However, due to the aforementioned lack of space, I am cutting back on modern slightly, but I usually end up getting most releases in the end, just maybe not every recolour. 

I also have a bit of a focus on black Optimus Prime repaints – I love them! Sell me another, please, Hasbro!  There are a few I’m missing, but that number is getting slowly smaller.  They do look amazing, all displayed together.

What do you love most about Transformers and the hobby?

For me, there are a few aspects that really resonate.  Toys, media and people.

Let’s start with the toys. Now, I am a slightly younger G1 collector, which means I missed the initial waves.  My first memories are of getting Computron and Slugslinger, but from that point, I was hooked.  I have always loved the toys; the concept of one thing turning into another really hit home for me. Especially when that thing was a cool robot, I’m still a sucker for a good robot in any media. I always loved transforming things back and forth, though not as much with the G1 these days, in case you know, it disintegrates.

Speaking of media, I am a Sunbow fan. This was the cartoon I was raised on; it really drove home my love for this franchise and solidified it in the roots of my consciousness.  I was too young to see the movie in the cinema at the time, but I remember spending many a time shedding a tear over that Optimus scene at home over the VHS copy. I do like comics – I read all of the IDW run and am getting through Skybound as the collected books come out, but I have never read all of the G1 comic, which is something I really should get around to fixing one day before my membership to the fandom is revoked!

The other thing I love about the hobby, and this is something that has gone on in one way or another since the ’90s for me, is the community you have the option to be a part of.  When I was but a young lad, there was a fan club of sorts in the UK called Transmasters UK, or TMUK for short. This group sent out fanzines, arranged meets, that sort of thing. A lot of your favourite UK creatives had a start in this era.  We used to organise meet-ups in village halls, where we would have a few people selling Transformers, even some of those American and Japanese exclusives we had only heard of in rumour!  We would watch the latest Beast Wars episodes on VHS, which had to be viewed on a special format video player as they were recorded and sent over from the US.  I have made some lifelong friends at these meetings and would not change it for the world.

Fast forward a few years after having drifted away from the hobby, because how was I going to get a girlfriend with a room full of toys?  (Spoilers, but it all worked out in the end). I came back full force to invest in the community. Around 2017, I joined Twitter and got to know a few more of the UK fans, so I could have someone to talk to at TFNation. A lot of the people I knew from the ’90s meets had moved on from the fandom or couldn’t commit, so it was nice to meet new people and put names to digital faces. A couple of years after that, Triple Takeover happened, which led to a new, fantastic community of like-minded people to chat to on the regular, and a good group of people to hang out with on social occasions.  If you haven’t listened to the pod yet, treat yourself!

How has the collecting scene changed since you joined the fandom?

The collecting scene has evolved massively.  When I first joined, the internet hardly existed; the fandom communicated via Yahoo email groups, Usenet, phone calls, and physical media being mailed around.  Now we have everything available to us in seconds, which is great, but also maybe instant gratification isn’t all it’s cracked up to be all the time? Social media, eBay, and other, more niche auction sites have made it a lot easier to spend too much money on things. There was a time when we had to make special effort to go to a local, or not so local, toy show to buy things; now it’s all there in front of you.

Another way things have changed is that the toy line, media and fandom are much more inclusive now. There is a much broader reach and is not exclusively seen as an “only for boys” thing, which is great. Transformers are for everyone, and every year I see new faces at TFN from all walks of life.

Hasbro is also now more accessible than it ever has been in the past, again, probably due to the power of social media.  Designers now respond to fan questions and actively seem to value opinions in some cases. This is something we could only have dreamed about even a few years ago!

How do you see, or hope to see the scene changing over the next 5 years?

Another tricky one to predict, but it seems that people are moving away from eBay, so we will be looking for new places to find items.  The rise of Mercari, Vinted and the like is hurting eBay’s business model, and collectors are looking elsewhere to buy items. Something else to consider is that G1 collectors are starting to age; the next few years are likely to see some people start selling their collections and dropping out of the social circles.

I think we will see even more recolours and retools of figures from Hasbro and TakaraTomy, leading to less use of one-off moulds as cost-saving measures.

This all sounds very negative, so something positive is that I think we will continue to see some kind of fan response from Hasbro. The team they have now are fantastic and really enjoy interacting with their fans, and I would like to believe big corporate Hasbro can see the value in this!  I’m also looking forward to seeing something other than pure G1 nostalgia remakes coming; we’ve had a few new toys from older series now, and I would love to see this trend continue. 

Also, more reissues of different characters wouldn’t hurt!

What is the most surprising or outrageous collecting story you have heard?

A lot of these will have been heard before, or are definitely not acceptable for publishing. But sure, to keep it different, here is one from a long time ago. In the UK, the toy trade shows used to give old stock to children’s hospitals. In some cases, these toys were pre-production or perhaps not stamped for EU safety standards. This meant that when the hospital received them, they couldn’t actually let the kids have the toys. Case after case of items were just locked away in storage at the hospital, and at some point, a few collectors/ dealers got to clear them out – this wasn’t just Transformers, mind, it was any and all items that would have been at the shows. That’s how I managed to get a sealed Apeface for £40 in the late 90s. Imagine getting that now?!

What has been your single biggest success as a collector, or your greatest ever find?

Well, this is hard to answer, as is the nature of ever-changing goal posts.  I think I would class my greatest success as getting a complete run of Western 1987 boxed G1 – This was my year, my favourite of the franchise, and that box art is beautiful! Undoubtedly, this answer will change and evolve over time as I refine my collection further.

If you could pick one item from your collection to keep, what would it be?

Over the years, I’ve amassed a lot of cool stuff – some nice Japanese exclusives, excellent condition boxed items, some very nice custom art from some of the big-name comic artists, and yet…

My G1 Slugslinger – this may not be my original one, but I have such a strong memory of my Grandad handing me the wrapped box for Christmas that I can’t quite bear to part with it. I can still picture the way the lounge looked, the look on his and my Nan’s face as I ransacked the present pile – great times. It’s always been my favourite figure; the jet mode is wonderful, and that box art is phenomenal! Above all, the memories are priceless.

If you could have one item out of someone else’s collection, what would that be?

So, so many things! I think it would have to be one of the Unicron prototypes that are out there with a couple of the big-name collectors.  It’s a real part of history, and the chances of ever owning one myself are so microscopic that it doesn’t exist.  I try not to covet other people’s items too much, as most things are available given enough patience, but if anyone wants to hook up with some of the harder-to-find Japanese exclusives, I wouldn’t say no!

What advice would you give a new collector starting out today?

Apart from “Don’t!”? I’m going to echo what a lot of people have said before me, I think, but this franchise is old.  There is so much stuff available that it is impossible to have everything, so you need to pick something to focus on. Also, get to know the collecting community – you would be amazed at how making friends can go a long way to helping your enjoyment of this hobby, either through people hooking you up with cool stuff, or because you find people you actually enjoy spending time with, and now you have a new circle of friends. Cool, right?

Next up, make sure you know what you’re buying. If you’re going vintage, there are a lot of KO items available now, and a lot of variants – ask people for help, check out resources! If you are happy with the KO, that’s cool, but don’t get caught overpaying; it’s easily done. If you want something more modern, you’re probably doing yourself a favour, but even that is seeing prices start climbing – something will probably never be cheaper than right now.

Special thanks to Chris for his words & photos! Be sure to give them a shout on BlueSky & check out his blog here!