Transformers Market in 2007

It has been an interesting year thus far in the realm of Transformers collectibles! Prices of items have increased notably in the market, with a sustained increase value of 25% or more on many G1/G2 items, especially for accessories of any figures that have not (yet?) been reissued. A surge of interest definitely has taken place over the last couple months, thanks to the Transformers movie (which made more money than what most people would have guessed a year ago). Typically summer time is slow business at FortMax.com, but not this year. What remains to be seen is if this influx of new interest and collectors will continue, or if it will die back down after the movie hype is gone.

While I like to see things worth more and not less, it definitely has presented challenges for getting new inventory in at an affordable price, too!

Its fun to see some of the G1 items represented back at stores, such as the little Robot Heroes figures that display nice... or good for my youngest to play with while watching my old-school Transformer tapes (he can watch the tapes, but the DVDs are off limits!).

The Titanium figures that run around $15 each are great concepts for non-cheapo toys at a reasonable price, that both transform and have a little personality. However, they do seem to fall apart at the joints a little too easily (I have Soundwave, Scourge, and Rodimus). The Titanium figures at the $6 range have some nice detail, but just a little too small for the price -- with the Robot Heroes I get two for that price and have more fun with them, anyway.
In addtion to getting the Robot Heroes, I've purchased a handful of the movie toys -- Bumblebee, Baricade, Brawl/Devastator, Blackout, a cell phone guy, and some MP3 player thing that looks like Laserbeak. The detail on these figures were nice, however it's just a little too hard to get the cars transformed back into vehicles and hold their form.

With all of the above said, there is a side of me that's a little bummed to see our niche hobby turned more mainstream. Perhaps that's just because re-issued items devalue the originals some, but I think its more than just a money thing...

Hey, I'd be interested in hearing your thoughts on any of the above. Also, if you don't mind sharing where else you buy TF's online (besides ebay), please post links for those!