Why Get My Toys Appraised? Popular action figures and toys from the 1980’s that are still in good condition can be worth hundreds and even thousands of dollars. Toys don’t have to be sealed to be worth considerable money or to be appraised. For example, an original Optimus Prime sold for $20 in 1984 and […]
Wheeljack’s Lab – Vintage Toy Blog
Follow this blog for the new, the unusual, the rare and cool Generation 1 G1 Transformers toys. Reviews, news, toy resources, galleries, unboxing, opinions and personal reflections on vintage toys.
How to Grade Vintage Action Figures and Toys
How to Grade Vintage Action Figures and Toys Today I thought I’d set out to teach you how to grade vintage action figures and toys. As the sole buyer and grader for Wheeljack’s Lab, I have personally evaluated and priced over 400,000 action figures, toys and collectibles. I sell to both dealers and private individuals. […]
How Much Are My Vintage Toys Worth?
How Much Are My Vintage Toys Worth? Provided your mom didn’t garage sale your vintage toys, give them away or just plain throw them out, you might have a nice little stash for that rainy day fund. Many of you are likely to still have toys collecting dust in the darkest recesses of your parent’s […]
How to Display Your Toy Collection
How to Display Your Toy Collection Is your collection taking over? Looking more like a warehouse? Maybe just a bit cluttered? The single biggest mistake many collectors make (unless you ask their spouse who would suggest the fact they are collecting) is the proper display of that collection. Collectors will buy large numbers of toys […]
Megatron G1 Transformers Custom Display Stand
This display stand makes Megatron look great and it’s very stable. They are $15 shipped within the USA – International shipping is available. These are 3D printed so they are not flawless (like something that is cast). This is ONLY for the stand. The G1 Megatron and parts are not included, they are shown for […]
Worst Transformers Toy In The World Is?
G2 Slingshot He’s made from craptastic gold plastic! Plastic that disintegrates with any movement or even with a dirty look. Slingshot has (GPS) Gold Plastic Syndrome. Collectors have opined since the early 2000’s about what causes it. I have always assumed since the cracks seem to follow the swirls in the plastic (at least the […]
The Top 5 Things Killing Your Toy Collection
Dirt/Dust: We’ll start with the least damaging of the five. If left for long periods of time, dust may become hard to remove. Especially in climates or houses with extremes in humidity (dust will hold humidity). That process will make the dust adhere strongly to the figure and won’t wipe away easily with a duster. […]
How to Restore Yellowed Transformers Action Figures
Restoring Vintage G1 Transformers The picture shows the before and after of a previously yellowed Fortress Maximus. It’s still with the original owner, but he wanted to restore it to its former glory! I’ve never tried this myself; however I still wanted to share the steps he took to restore his Fort Max. Steps “You […]
What Happened To Wheelie? Shipping gone bad – Here’s how you can avoid it!
A MOSC Tragedy So you got a sealed on card figure you’re going to send out, or receive. The toy is going on 35 years old – that’s getting up there! Glue, adhesives and plastic break down just like we do. While this figure wasn’t a GEM, it wasn’t bad either. So what happened? Along […]
Why Don’t My G1 Transformers Missile Launchers Fire?
A Toy Tragedy If you have been collecting a long time you likely know why G1 launchers won’t fire. For the rest of you this is why your missile launchers refuse to fire even when fired upon! The toy world was turned upside down on December 31, 1978. When 4 year old Robert Jeffrey Warren […]