Transformers Identification and Price Guide: A Review
I can’t say that I’m a huge Transformers fan, in fact I really don’t give a damn about most new Transfomers merchandise and I practically have zero interest in collecting the vintage toys. However, I do have very fond memories of the toys from my youth so I do have a soft spot in my heart for Transformers. That’s why I initially started looking at Bellomo’s Transformers Identification and Price Guide, for a quick trip back while in the book store and nothing more. A funny thing happened though, just like in Bellomo’s G.I. Joe guide, The Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982-1994, I became captivated by the tidbits of info he was dropping so I broke down and picked up the book.
What was nice about Guide to G.I. Joe holds true for this book. Transformers Identification and Price Guide (which could use a snazzier title) covers all G1 Transformers, meaning all those made until 1990. It serves as a great identification guide for a Transformers fan along with some nice insights by Bellomo throughout. As I’m not a Transformers collector I’m not sure how well the prices hold up, but I’m assuming that most of them are going to be a minimum of what you could expect to pay. Transformers is a highly collectible toy line that has gained in popularity over the years due to kids that loved it growing up and willing to shell out a lot of case for a MISB Trypticon. Because of this and the fact that there’s the addition of new fans from the films and new cartoons, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that the vintage Transformers merchandise in this book is going to at the very least remain steady, if not go up in value.
One thing I really enjoyed was that the quality of photos was much better than that found in Guide to G.I. Joe. There are many times where larger Transformers are pictured in multiple angles, which really is a welcome sight for those interested in just browsing the guide (me) or if you’re trying to get a good idea what a complex Transformer should look like when thinking about purchasing one.
I must also mention the cover. There’s a huge lenticular image of the vintage Optimus Prime toy that transforms from robot to truck mode. It’s a really cool cover and really fitting for the subject matter.
There were only a couple of negatives about this book that I noticed. There are at least a few grammatical errors and typos, but it’s nothing I’m going to bitch about. I mean… just look at this site.
The second thing is just like in Guide to G.I. Joe I found my interest waning as I got into the later years of the toy line, but Bellomo really can’t be blamed for that. When Transformers started introducing monsters and other such garbage I had bailed out. Still, there’s enough interesting info here that kept me reading until the very last page.
Overall this is a really solid book that I’d recommend to any toy collector interested in the Transformers to add to their library and mental knowledge database. With two solid books in my library by Bellomo, I know looking forward to any more works that he’ll put out in the future.
Score: 4 Transformers transforming noises out of 5
July 9th, 2008 at 11:28 am
i agree with the photos from the transformers price guide. very nice. the g.i. joe price guide definitely could have had better pictures. any way, i love both.
July 9th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
You’re back! Whoo-hoo!
Geek Creek has been lonely without your site.
Now then, I flipped through this book in the store, too, and despite the fact that my Masterpiece Prime is all the Transformers collection I want or need, I still might buy the book eventually, ’cause I read my G.I. Joe guide cover to cover as soon as I got it, and I’ve probably read it in its entirety a few more times since ’cause I’m always picking it up to casually flip through it.
Apparently, he’s working on an updated version of the Joe book with more info and new pictures and the like.
Welcome back!
July 9th, 2008 at 3:17 pm
Thanks Monte. Yeah, if you liked the Joe book, you’ll like this one. At the very least I got to learn that some of the mysterious plastic guns and parts I found at my dad’s place belonged to Transformers.
Yep, he is working on a new Joe book. He was asking for input on the Yo Joe forums. I’m def. going to pick it up.
I also have a feeling he’s working on a Star Wars book, because awhile back he was asking some rather pointed Star Wars questions… although he wouldn’t confirm or deny it when asked.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
Good god, a Star Wars tome would require something more like an encyclopedia set!
That said, I would love it if someone would do an entire series of books like his. I’d happily buy a book with big photos of all the figures from ThunderCats, Ninja Turtles, Bravestarr, etc.
It’s not about prices or any of that nonsense for me; it’s just a much more satisfying stroll down memory lane than I’d experience if I were to actually buy those cheesy old toys.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Dammit, I don’t want to buy a huge book to identify a single transformer I owned as a child.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
I was thinking the same thing Monte.
Esbat, take a picture of it and send it to me. We can make a game of it or something.
July 11th, 2008 at 8:02 am
[...] through Mark Bellomo’s Transformers Identification and Price Guide made me nostalgic for my younger days of loving Transformers. I never had a lot of Transformers, [...]
July 21st, 2008 at 3:25 pm
I picked this up over the weekend after seeing it on here and it is pretty cool. A lot of great pics of all the Transformers and all their gear. It would have been nice if there were more in package pics.