Have I lost the drive to collect?

[Crimsonbob]

I just collect lines that i really love, and display them all. Yes there is stuff that looks cool, but i dont want to collect for the sake of hording and never displaying it. Pick a few lines and try and stick with them, its made things more simple for me and saves me money and space.

 

[knucklefunger]

The manufacturers need to look at other properties. ENOUGH with the Star Wars, I think the only thing not done is the barber around the corner & 3 blocks away from the Canteen. Jeez. I don't even look any more, just don't care. At least Dr. Fugures &Triad are willing to try other stuff. Hell, there are so many possibilities, if they have to, just make limited runs. Look at th forums & all the requests for custom stuff. Hell, Supernatural is screamin to be put into production, Dr. Who etc. We need a little more variety other than SW

 

[DinoLast]

I go through this all the time. I even get a guilt trip after I order something.

 

[FlyAndFight]

I really think that having them boxed up makes it less exciting. When they're out and on display it makes all the difference in the world.

I agree 100%. I never understood the mentality of keeping a ton of items boxed up and in the closet or basement or attic with the excuse of, "someday I'll have a place to display it all."

Why spend these exhorbitant amounts of money on these things and not be able to enjoy them. At least take them out from time to time and display them, even if you have to rotate them in and out because of lack of space.

I'd say it sounds like you need to be more focused.

Another excellent point. Try to fine-tune your collection. As you've already learned, you can't have everything. It not only becomes a huge expense, but a big mess to display. Less is more, in my opinion.

 

[EVILFACE]

Collect what you like and you will be happy.

 

[hairlesswookiee]

i think maybe you just need to narrow your collecting down to one or two lines. i know i go through the same thing every once in a while, in fact last month i was saying the same thing.

 

[El Skutto]

I once collected all of the clones and stormtroopers from Hasbro until it really hit me that they are kids toys. I really don't want to spend $7 a figure on kids toys for them to look like frickin toys in an expensive display case. I'd rather just focus on my Jabba setup and my astromechs and save up to one day get a 1:1 Stormtrooper setup and some 1:1 droids.

Sounds like me. I find my collecting habits change as I get older. At first, I was buying each and every action figure related to properties I liked. But after buying my 25th Master Chief variant or the umpteenth version of Wolverine, I realized that I wasn't buying these things because I wanted to, I was buying them because I felt I HAD to.

But then one day I walked into my den and looked around and put myself in the shoes of someone who isn't into these properties and all I could think was "wow, look at all those plastic TOYS". I decided then and there that I'd only collect 1:6 or greater scale figures ("collectibles"), and ditch the action figures entirely.

But now even that mentality is changing. I had all the SSC Indiana Jones exclusive 12-inchers on pre-order when my waitlist for the Indy PF converted. I then asked myself, do I really need a Belloq or Toth figure in my collection, or do I just need the one iconic character to show my love of the license? I mean, it's not like I play with these things anymore - they basically get put into one good pose and then collect dust on a shelf. So if I'm not going to have a pew-pew-pew gunfight between Indy and Belloq in the sandbox, why blow the money? I'll get the PF, put it proudly on display and save the rest of my money for other, higher-end collectibles.

 

[Darth Madden]

But now even that mentality is changing. I had all the SSC Indiana Jones exclusive 12-inchers on pre-order when my waitlist for the Indy PF converted. I then asked myself, do I really need a Belloq or Toth figure in my collection, or do I just need the one iconic character to show my love of the license? I mean, it's not like I play with these things anymore - they basically get put into one good pose and then collect dust on a shelf. So if I'm not going to have a pew-pew-pew gunfight between Indy and Belloq in the sandbox, why blow the money? I'll get the PF, put it proudly on display and save the rest of my money for other, higher-end collectibles.

I feel the same way too and used that as partial justification for canceling a lot of stuff. I have Indy and the Hasbro Ark and that will be fine for me. I don't need Toht or Belloq to prove to myself that I am an Indy fan.

 

[The Josh]

I'm the same Mem. I've just lost the urge to collect much. I have 4 things on order right now Vader, Dead Priest, Obi-Wan, Iron-Man M3. Other than that I gave up pretty much everything else. Life has tossed some stuff my way and I've just decided to rearrange things as well.

 

[GondorGirl]

I know exactly how you feel, I felt the same way a couple of weeks ago, just picking up items that I thought looked good but no real love, but after a long heart to heart with my partner we decided to scale back everything to simply LOTR Weta and UC

So over the last coouple weeks we have sold an awful lot, replacing the items with pieces from Weta or UC...to tell you the truth it has been fantastic, even pieces that I thought I would reeeaaalllyy miss I have not at all, in fact it has been liberating to go back to the first love...maybe thats the problem? Ask yourself what you will/do really really like (whether it be lines or individual pieces) and go from there!

 

[maskfreak]

...And on top of keeping MIP figs in the loft due to space issues........with the economy & raising two kids, I don't see getting that 100x100 man cave anytime soon. I am sticking with the "selective collecting" for now.

 

[The Ringer]

I am super selective just due to the fact that I have little space and of course little $ to work with so I average about 2 pieces every 3-4 months. So my anticipation is always growing for a new piece and my intrest is never lost.

 

[choopie]

This is how I keep myself grounded with my collecting:

I create a budget for the year. When the budget is gone, then that's it. That forces me to be choosy, even if I have to forgo something else for a time that I may also like.
I let my space dictate my collection. I don't store anything. It all goes on display. Again, that forces me to be more selective.
I don't use ebay anymore for buying or selling. That way I'm not tempted to buy something on the secondary market I may not really need. And not having an easy outlet to sell forces me to make hard decisions on what I buy. That way I'm buying for meaning, not just for the sake of spending.
I've let go of my "completist" mentality, so I'm not spending money on something just because it completes a set or it looks cool.
My collection has a focus. I collect one line from three major companies: Sideshow PF, GG SW animated maquettes, and Hasbro Mighty Muggs. (I'm also trying to build a small Indy collection) But, for the most part, that's it. Sure, there's a lot of other nice-looking items in other lines from other companies, but you can't buy everything.
I'm selective within my collecting focus. Each piece I buy I have a connection to, whether it's the character, the movie, or some memory or story that it reminds me of. Each piece has meaning for me and because of that I enjoy my collection that much more.

Everyone has their own way of approaching it, but this has always served me well.

 

[Agent0028]

This is how I keep myself grounded with my collecting:

I create a budget for the year. When the budget is gone, then that's it. That forces me to be choosy, even if I have to forgo something else for a time that I may also like.

Ouch, I don't think I could do that. I'd hardly buy anything for fear something better would come along, and then regret not getting something when nothing better came along. What do you do with the leftover (if you ever have any) from your budget?

I let my space dictate my collection. I don't store anything. It all goes on display. Again, that forces me to be more selective.

I don't store anything either. That is one thing that has kept me from going too crazy. I actually have space for more stuff, but I already have something designated for that space so I don't have much space left. And this rule is really killing because I want that Marvel Thing PF.