Have I Completed This Menko Set? I'm Still Not Sure.

Back in 2020, I came across a menko lot for sale on ebay. Despite the large quantity (I certainly didn't need such a stack), nostalgia took over, and I made the purchase.

 

The set wasn't listed on TCDB, so I got in touch with SumoMenkoMan, and we created a checklist. The one problem? We weren't exactly sure that a few of the cards on our checklist existed, because we'd never seen them in the wild.

 

Still, it was a good feeling to contribute to the database, and I kept my eyes peeled for the cards in question. And because I had about 80% of the cards known to exist, I also kept my eyes peeled for the few that I still needed. 

 

Fast-forward a few years, and I finally added a couple more cards.

Here's an image that shows some of the cards, just to give you a reminder of the impressive the artwork and colors you'll find across the set. 

 

 

  

That's right, it's the Transformers!

 

And I'm posting about them again because I have exciting news:

 

A seller that I follow on ebay occasionally lists a batch of cards from this set in his store. Whenever he does, I scan over the images to see if there are any that I don't have. Usually I end up saying, "have it, have it, have it, have it." But when he posted a batch a couple of months ago, not only did I see one that I didn't have . . .

 

. . . it was also one of the unconfirmed cards! 

 

I messaged him, asking if he'd consider taking that one card out of the listing to sell it to me separately. He politely declined, but mentioned that if he came across another copy, he'd let me know. 

 

Well, a few weeks later, I heard back from him. And guess what? He found another copy.

 

And guess what else? 

 

 

Autobot Jazz, card front and back

 

That copy is now in my collection!

 

Jazz was one of the key "Generation 1" Autobots, playing right-hand man to Optimus Prime. He also transformed into a pretty cool Porsche, which makes this menko even more appealing. I'm very happy to be able to confirm his card exists—so happy that I spent a little more than I wanted to on it. (I still have some duplicates from that original lot that I purchased back in 2020, so maybe I'll sell a couple of them to counter the cost.) 

 

Here's a short video that features Jazz doing an Autobot roll call.

 

 

   

And with his menko in hand, I now possess all 42 known cards in this set, which feels like a pretty cool feather in the cap. Here are the six "unconfirmed" Transformers that are currently on the checklist, along with some information about them:

 

 

Blitzwing

There are three main Decepticon jet fighters from Generation 1: Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker. They all have a card in this menko set. Blitzwing, however, came a bit later on, and he's actually a triple changer (jet, tank, robot). Because of that, I'm rethinking whether he would have been part of the set.  

 

Brawn

He'd almost certainly be included. One of the original Autobots who crash-landed on Earth, Brawn is a military-style Land Rover with demolition skills and a tough attitude (e.g., "Hey, come back! You didn't finish your nickel-plated knuckle sandwich!")

 

Huffer

Same goes for this guy. Huffer is an orange truck cab who was part of that original Autobot crew. He was a bit of a complainer from the start. Case in point? The first thing he said in the original Transformers story line was, "Oh, I say we leave right now and forget about traipsing after the stupid Decepticons."

 

Ironhide

Ironhide was a boxy red minivan, and was also part of the original Autobot crew to crash-land on Earth. 

 

Ratchet

Chief Medical Officer of the Autobots, and part of the original story line. Seems like he should have a card in this set, as well.

  

Shockwave

Shockwave was the Military Commander of the Decepticons, but similar to Blitzwing above, he didn't appear until a little bit later in the series. However, I still think he might have a card in this set. He even makes a little cameo near the bottom left side of Perceptor's card.

 

 

And that's that. As far as I know, the Takara company did not provide an official checklist for this set when it was released back in 1985, but I'll keep doing research and looking out for examples. I don't think I've ever put this kind of continued effort into completing a set of cards, but it's been kind of fun.

 

And that leads me to a question for you readers: 

 

Have you ever collected a set of cards that was so obscure that you felt like you were alone in your quest to complete it—or even to find more information about it? If so, share in the comment section!

 

Thanks for reading, as always.