When I was a kid, I didn't get toys often, so when I did get some Transformers or Star Wars toys, I tried to keep them in good condition, with all their accessories, and make them last. When I wasn't playing with them, I kept them on display in my room. Then I became a teenager and everything went into storage.
When I moved out on my own in my early twenties, I spent a lot of time hanging around comic shops, and I slowly got back into toys. Hauled my old collection out and displayed them in my apartment, and with toys starting to be marketed toward adults in the early 2000s, my collection began to grow again. Transformers, McFarlane, Kaiyodo, etc. Then around 30, it all went back into storage.
Then one day, years later, while surfing online, I came across an ad for a Christopher Reeve Superman figure that I simply couldn't take my eyes off. It looked big, hyper realistic, and expensive, but being the huge fan of those movies that I was, I would somehow rationalize the cost, so eventually I caved and purchased my first Hot Toys figure. Man was I ever satisfied with that purchase, and with that, a toy appeared back on my shelf once again.
It was meant to end there, but a couple later I discovered the 89 Batman figure, Robocop, Marty McFly, Ash, Ghostbusters, and before I knew it I was back into collecting toys, only they were high-end 1/6 figures this time, and though insanely expensive, it somehow felt more mature, or perhaps, more sophisticated. At least, that's what I told myself, and continue to do so to this very day.
Like most of you, my collection expands and shrinks over time, back and forth, but the focus has been to collect "big boy" versions of all my childhood favourites. This keeps me from going down the vintage toy collecting rabbit hole, or from chasing MCU or DCEU 1/6 figures. Recently reduced SW figures down to three: Luke, Yoda, Palpatine, and there is a space for Vader whenever HT gets around to making a 1/6 scale ROTJ version. Looking forward to upgrading 89 Batman, and Robocop. Otherwise, I'll keep collecting until it's no longer fun, which I hope isn't for a long time.
Various toy lines when I was a child (I was very fond of my first 'unofficial collection' of care bear figurines - which I still have!). As for getting into film collectibles, shortly after the LOTR films came out, I inherited a ToyBiz figure collection from my sister who'd decided she wasn't into it anymore so it all stemmed from that. One day whilst out on a day trip I found a little collectibles store and they had a Sideshow Weta bust of Frodo Baggins which became my first 'proper' collectible from the films, thus the collectible floodgates opened...and the rest as they say is history!! 
) and I still post pictures here from time to time. It’s so fun taking pictures of these and it gave me something to do other than play games and watch movies, it forced me to be creative with posing and photography which was great!
