C-303 Minerva! Or is is Minelba?

For our final G1 Japanese chapter, we get the crème de la crème. In my mind there are two types of G1 Japanese figures: those that are relatively easy to find because they are either unpopular or have reissues, and those that are so incredibly rare you must pounce on them as soon as you see them otherwise you may never have another chance again. Obviously, Minerva is the latter.

So most everyone knows about Minerva, being the first official female Transformer has made her very popular with collectors. And since the figure has never been reissued, she's rare. Not to mention her base color is white which can yellow over the years if not cared for properly which makes a clean version super rare. This is further compounded by the fact that many people really enjoy the Super-God Masterforce cartoon adding just one more layer of "rare-ness"! So when you see a Minerva out in the marketplace, if you aren't quick you will miss out. Which has happened to me, many, many times.

I've been working on trying to find this figure for almost 12 years. The very first one I saw for sale was on eBay back in 2002. It was a MIB version, but the box and figure were almost MISB. Stickers weren't applied, no flap crease, perfectly white. And it sold for just under $400. Back then I was a very poor college student and I knew there was no way I could spend that kind of money on a toy. But I figured eventually I would get a job, I'd have some discretionary income and I would one day afford her.

Porsche Ambulance?

As the years went on I would very seldom see a Minerva pop up, especially one that hadn't yellowed, which was my primary goal. I decided early on I would need to get a "clean" one otherwise I would never be satisfied. But each time I saw her come up again, the price started to climb astronomically. All of a sudden she was a $900 toy, then she was a $1200 toy and it only got worse. My problem was I could never save up enough money at once to afford her, something else would come along beforehand that was a bit cheaper and I would purchase that instead of waiting for another one to come on the market, because at my core I am an impatient person. All the while she was only getting more and more expensive.

What a difference a paint job makes.

The change finally came when I started working on Charticon. I spent a full year on that show and in the meantime was purchasing very little because a lot of my money was tied up in the show. But once it was over in August I finally found myself with the discretionary income to afford a Minerva, and as a matter of good timing one just happened to pop up a couple weeks ago on TFW. This is what I would consider a perfect sample, even though the stickers have been applied all of the contents were there, the figure is bone white and there is no flap crease on the beautiful box. This was the Minerva I had been waiting for and the one I would finally own.

Laaadies....

I cherish this figure now, not just because she is super rare, but because it feels so good to put such a longtime goal to rest. And it just so happens I finished a new display area for my Japanese figures the day she arrived, so now she has a very nice place on my shelf.

See also:
C-301 Goshooter
C-310 God Ginrai Giftset...Vintage!
D-306 Darkwings Gift Set