COLLECTOR INTERVIEW #93: Menastreaker

We’re back for another Transformers collector interview!

Today is something rather special. We’ve had many an impressive Generation 1 Transformers collection featured on this blog before, but imagine some of the rarest, often non-produced Unicron Trilogy-era stuff out there, and then consider what it might be like if that were all in one place. That’s essentially what you get with Menastreaker – Grand Master of Minicons!

Who are you and what do you collect?

They call me Tony Tuna, or Menastreaker as I’m usually known online. I collect Unicron Trilogy toys, but anything from 2000-2007 is fair game. I have a complete run (minus some Lucky Draws) of Car Robots, Micron Legend, Superlink, Galaxy Force, and Universe 2003. I also claim to be the “Grand Master of Minicons” as I am 2 away from owning every single one ever made! I have even discovered figure and packaging variants for some Minicons like the Hasbro release of short-towed Armada Refute, or the square-knee Armada Long Arm from the 2002 K-Mart giftset.

Nowadays, I focus more on the rare stuff like prototypes and lucky draws, as well as UT merchandise. I love all the Japanese Kabaya and candy toys from the 2000s, but the Hasbro stuff like the sticker rolls and gift bags is what really speaks to me these days.

What do you love most about Transformers and the hobby?

I love all of the people I’ve met through the hobby, and the experiences I’ve been able to have because of it. My best friend and business partner is someone I met through Transformers. I’ve gotten to meet high-rolling collectors and see figures that have little to no pictures on the internet just because of the people I’ve met. I love the friends I’ve made through this hobby, maybe even more than the hobby itself.

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

I have been very into Transformers all my life, but I really started collecting in 2013. I think the biggest change has been watching the toys that I grew up with (and the toys that used to be in $5 bins at shows) shoot up in value. Even forgetting about the value for a moment, it’s weird to watch figures you remember playing with as a kid become scarce.

There was a time about a year ago when there were no Energon Beachcombers for sale on eBay, and the ones that had sold were going for $450+ USD. I remember sitting with that weird feeling of “this toy I played with as a kid is rare?” I never thought anything of it when I would hear friends talk about this with their G1 or Beast Wars figures, but to have it happen with a toy I grew up with felt almost surreal.

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

My prediction is that with the price increases for the amount/quality of toy you get in a mainline figure, it will cause some collectors to buy or save up for “older” toys rather than buy more new ones. Older doesn’t have to be vintage necessarily, but maybe some collectors will end up buying a Unite Warriors Devastator instead of the new SS86 one.

What I hope to see more of is people engaging with every aspect of the hobby. I remember seeing the 2007 movie opening night with my dad and thinking it was the coolest movie I’ve ever seen…then going on TFW2005 the next day to realize a lot of people did NOT feel that way. I also remember people on the boards hating on Animated when it first came out, but now that show has achieved cult-classic status in the fandom. What I’m trying to say is all the aspects of the hobby I watched people write off as “bad” when I was younger are now being given a second chance. Watching someone like Duggertron dive into Power Core Combiners has been a joy to watch. I hope to see more fun stuff like that going forward!

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

Late 2015 or early 2016, a friend of mine was put in contact with Hasbro about his G1 Overlord. There are nice Overlords, above that are dead-mint Overlords, and above all of those is the one my friend owns. I believe the term “upsettingly nice” was once used. Anyway, Hasbro seemed to agree and asked him to ship it to their office so they could color-match the upcoming Titans Return Overlord to his vintage Overlord. The colors of every single Titans Return Overlord in the world are because of my friend’s vintage copy. I think that’s how, as a collector and a fan, you know you’ve made it.

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

By far my biggest success has been amassing my collection of every Minicon ever made. There are so many that people don’t think of or even realize exist. Takara was VERY sadistic with how they used to do promotional giveaways in the 2000s, so finding some of those figures or teams has been difficult. The last 2 I still need are from the Space Galaxy Team, which were a limited run of an unknown amount, and were packaged inside the windowless Micron Legend Optimus Prime box. The last one to sell publicly went for over $800 USD for a single Minicon! Maybe sadistic isn’t a strong enough word…

My greatest find was back in 2020 when my friend and I bought a collection that spanned 3 storage lockers, and the owner wasn’t even sure what all he had. In one of the bins, buried in the back of the 2nd storage locker, was the Botcon 2008 Shattered Glass box set, the 2 souvenir sets, and the attendee figure. I remember as a kid going on Seibertron.com and Botcon.com in 2008 and just looking at the pictures of the set over and over and over again. Finding and now owning that set is something I’m thankful for every day.

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

Even factoring in all the Minicons, Botcon exclusive, prototypes/test shots, Lucky Draws, and even the unreleased children’s shoes, I would pick my RID 2001 Wedge figure. It was my very first Transformer I’ve ever owned. My mom bought it for me when I was 6, and that figure is what started everything for me. I could (theoretically) buy everything else back, but I could never buy back that memory.

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

I don’t know who currently has the other 2 Space Galaxy Minicons, but those would be at the top of my list. I’ve also heard a rumor that Eric Siebenaler (Hasbro designer) owns the G1-colour prototype of Armada Laserbeak from the toy catalogues. I would probably sell everything I own to have that toy.

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

Another friend of mine who owns every single vintage Star Wars figure once said to me, “You should always buy the most expensive thing first, because today is the cheapest it’s ever going to be.” This obviously isn’t feasible for everyone, including myself, but it is a good goal to keep in mind. I wish I had saved some money and bought Botcon Darksyde Megatron in 2015, but I didn’t, and I still don’t have it.

My other advice would be to figure out what you like and what you want to collect. It seems silly, but I see a lot of people online buying figures seemingly because someone they like has it. You should never collect for someone else; you should collect for yourself. Collecting should be about the joy you get from owning your collection, not showing your collection to others. Yes, that part is fun, and I totally do that too, but that should be an added bonus instead of the focus.

Special thanks to Menastreaker for their words & photos! Be sure to give them a shout on Bluesky! Here are some bonus pics of his amazing collection!