Well, as far as rare and hard-to-find figures are concerned, I do have a fair number in my ever-growing collection, though their statuses as "grails" may be challenged due to re-issues in later times. There's plenty that I personally prizes for various reasons, but that'll take
way too long to list.
For this thread, though, I'll go with the ones that have been generally regarded as "grails", even if their sought-after luster may have faded in the eyes of others. (Obviously, none are for sale.)
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G1 - Bumper, as well as a pair of South American mini-cars (a matte gold Cliffjumper/Carrera, and a red Bumblebee/Volks)
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G2 - I could goof off and name m G2 Slingshot, because it's still perfectly intact, but hey
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BW - Two from Japan: a "Clear Convoy", a.k.a. "Special Convoy Skeleton Type", a clear TRU Japan-exclusive of the gorilla Optimus Primal; and BW Metals X-9 Ravage/Jaguar, still in the package and autographed by voice actor Lee Tockar
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Animated - Voyager Blackout (from Japan)
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TF Prime - Voyager Breakdown (from Japan), original release
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Generations - Earthrise Thrust, Earthrise Runabout, Netflix editions of Bumblebee and Soundwave
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BotCon exclusives - 2006 "Dawn Of Futures Past" box set, and pre-BW Megatron (profile card autographed by voice actor David Kaye)
And of course, Haslab Unicron.
But there is one Transformers-related item in my collection that stands out in a different way, and it's not even a toy. In fact, it's not something you can find in just any store, or even a toy show unless a dealer there is exceptionally well-connected.
Back in 2014, there was a videogame-themed restaurant (which has sadly closed down) that was holding a 20th anniversary party for the TV series
ReBoot. Gavin Blair, one of the show's co-creators, had PM-ed me asking if I was going to the party, and said he had some "Beast Wars swag" to give me if I could go. I was already planning on going, but thought, sure why not? But I couldn't figure out was this surprise swag could possibly be. I already had all the BW figures I wanted, and it probably couldn't be a prototype model for a toy, since that's more a Hasbro/Takara thing, not an animation studio thing.
Could it be a promo poster for one of Mainframe's shows? An old copy of a script from the recording sessions? Maybe something left behind by one of the studio crew?
Turned out to be something no one would ever see in everyday life... unless you work in a TV studio.
You're seeing that right. Gavin Blair gave me an actual
TV broadcast reel of a Beast Wars episode. And all it "cost" was the transit fare to go to the restaurant for that ReBoot event. Safe to say, I am not selling this.
