I'm done with toy collecting.

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Shockwave
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I'm done with toy collecting.

Post by Shockwave »

So, I got a job about a month ago. I work from home. In the second bedroom, which is where the internet connection is and where the toy collection is (I and my family and friends refer to this room as the Dorknasium). So I've been spending a lot more time in the Dorknasium and looking around, I really just feel stifled and inundated with crap I don't want, can't afford, and don't have room for. And there are other issues that are contributing to this as well. I was also looking around and thinking about new things that I want and realizing that there's no room for them even if I were able to find or afford them. So... here's my list of reasons why I'm getting out of toy collecting.

1: I don't actually DO anything with most of my toys. I have toys other than Transformers. Like Masters of the Universe, Star Trek, Star Wars, various other properties (Ghostbusters, Indiana Jones, God of War, Mortal Kombat, etc...). I do have the MOTU figures on display. But, I open them, they go on the shelf and... just stand there. In whatever static pose I put them in (which is just standing normally. Not running, or fighting, or... anything, just stand there. :| ). So they basically become statues at that point. If I had a set like Castle Grayskull (more on that nonsense later), I probably would pose them, switch out the display and actually make it look interesting and actually have fun with them. Same with the Star Trek figures. The bulk of the Star Wars figures and everything else is in a bin and not even on display, meaning they're not even serving as statues. They're just crap, taking up space I don't have. Plus, my life has changed a lot since I've been collecting. My wife moved in a couple years ago and we still don't have all of her stuff moved into the house. That space being taken up by my crap could, and should be used for her. More on that in a moment. Also, I did used to put together funny comic strips using toys, like when I edited photos for Indiana Jones and the Quest for the Matrix (which involved Optimus Prime and the Autobots hiring Indiana Jones to find and retrieve the Matrix of Leadership for him). That was fun. But, that was something I primarily shared with a couple of friends who are no longer in my life. And while I still have ideas for funny things to do with that, I no longer have the time to do it, or anyone to share it with, which means it would be a lot of time and effort for no payoff. There's no point in keeping anything that's not going to be getting used.

2: I don't have space. As mentioned above, my wife moved in 2 years ago. Which means that the Dorknasium that has a lot of shelf space designed for maintaining a massive toy collection now needs to be shared with someone else... who doesn't collect toys. Which also means that there's half the space available, meaning that there's a large pile of stuff that's not going to be on display and just sitting in a storage bin that should be getting used for my wife's stuff.

3: I can't really afford it anymore. And to clarify, it's not so much that I can't afford it. I meant a $15 MOTU figure or a $20 Transformers once every a month (because that's about how often I actually find anything worth buying. Again, more on that later) isn't really going to break the bank. But, my wife and I actually do other stuff. For example, yesterday we took a day trip to San Francisco to visit Alcatraz. I've lived here (not in SF, but within driving distance) since 94 and I've never been, so that was a fun adventure for us. But, it's the kind of thing that cost money that would otherwise be spent on... toys that I do nothing with. Yeah. I'd rather have fun with my wife.

4: Distribution is terrible. Ok, this one has always been kind of annoying, but it's escalated to like, an 11 since the pandemic. Pre COVID, I could usually be assured of finding stuff in my area... eventually. It might be 6 months after the rest of the world found it, but it would eventually show up. And with Transformers, that's still true. About 2 weeks ago, I started seeing Kingdom Arcee and Air Razor at my local Target. I actually found them at one further away about 5 months ago. But, they are starting to show up closer to my house. But, that lag time is frustrating. And with MOTU, it's even worse. I found Tri Klops about 4 months ago. There was only 1 at my local Target which I got. I wound up sacrificing that one for a custom I was asked to do (the guy paid for it as part of the custom, so he got the figure). I spent the next two weeks going to every Target and some Walmarts within about an hour's driving range and still found nothing. And in the time since I found the one, my local Target has never had one again. In spite of getting new product in. And this isn't a problem with older stuff shelf warming and preventing new stuff from being put out, even the regular He-Man and Skeletor figures that are evergreen keep selling out. So yeah, not sure what's up with that, but I'm doing that again for anything. Screw that. It's frustrating beyond the point of any real payoff.

5: No one to really share this with. So yeah, went crazy looking for Tri Klops. Even when I do find stuff, I don't really have anyone to share it with. My wife doesn't care about this stuff and I don't really have any close friends here (where I live) that would care, so this is really just for me. Which means that I wind up going through more frustration for little to no payoff. What's the point?

So yeah, I'm gonna get rid of most of my stuff. I'll keep some stuff. I have my Hoth display the way I like it finally so I'll enjoy that, I'll keep my Shockwaves, my Bumblebees, my citybots and my Legends/Core scale Transformers. I'll kep my Diamond Select Enterprise D. I might keep my current MOTU figures, but I'm honestly kind of waffling on those too. The experience has been so frustrating that it's almost killed my interest in the line and has been at least one factor of killing my interest in the hobby completely. My wife really likes tigers and I'm also keeping my Beast Wars shelf, so I will get Tigatron when he shows up at Target six months from now, but that's it. I also have a shelf full of Star Wars droids that most of which were from Disneyland. Either from when I was there and bought them or my parents went and got them for me. One of them was actually assembled with my wife at Star Tours. So those have sentimental meaning for me. But other than that, I think everything else is going to go. Overall, it's been a fun experience, but the last year or so have turned into something that just isn't worth the effort put into it. So yeah, I'm done. I'll still be on forums here and on TFW occasionally, but I'm done with collecting.
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Dominic
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Re: I'm done with toy collecting.

Post by Dominic »

Check you inbox. It is a message of opportunn......uh, support. Definitely support, not opportunism. I just want to help you as much as I can. Yes, help you with.....uh organizing your life. Yes, that is it. I sent you a list of things that I want....to uh...help you with.
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Shockwave
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Re: I'm done with toy collecting.

Post by Shockwave »

Dominic wrote: Sun Aug 08, 2021 2:08 pm Check you inbox. It is a message of opportunn......uh, support. Definitely support, not opportunism. I just want to help you as much as I can. Yes, help you with.....uh organizing your life. Yes, that is it. I sent you a list of things that I want....to uh...help you with.
:D
I think this is a case where there is support in opportunism.
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Shockwave
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Re: I'm done with toy collecting.

Post by Shockwave »

Ok, so I tried to post a list, but it won't let, keeps saying "Internal Server Error".
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andersonh1
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Re: I'm done with toy collecting.

Post by andersonh1 »

I slowed way down on Transformers years ago, and I've been perfectly happy with whichever 3-5 I buy a year, or whatever the amount is, ever since. I've been married 21 years this week, have two daughters, and space in the house is definitely at a premium. I do have most of my Transformers contained in plastic storage tubs and a cabinet, and I've never really had room to display them, I just enjoy going through them from time to time and thinking about the memories they bring back. I think I had a similar experience to you: real life takes over, as it should, so the hobbies need to be scaled back or cut out entirely. You enjoy them for a while, and then move on to something better. I think it's a healthy thing to do.
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Dominic
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Re: I'm done with toy collecting.

Post by Dominic »

Yeah, I am planning to slow down as well, and focus more on plugging gaps in my collection, while I cut it back.

Priorities change. Space is at a premium. But, even if I had more space, I am not sure that I would want it to be taken up entirely by action figures. On the other hand, if I cannot display them, what good are they? (The exception is TFs that I keep on my nightstand, which are therapy for my arthritis.)
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Shockwave
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Re: I'm done with toy collecting.

Post by Shockwave »

Some highlights of what's available: Siege: Jetfire, Ultra Magnus, Hound, Sideswipe, the Rafraktor team box set, Springer, Ravage x 2, Red Alert, Impactor, Mirage. Earthrise: Optimus, Megatron, Astrotrain, Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker, Thrust, Dirge, Ramjet, Runamuck and Runabout, Ironhide and Prowl, Ratchet (Paradron was sold a few months back), Bluestreak, Wheeljack, Sunstreaker, Cliffjumper, Doubledealer, Netflix Soundwave with Buzzsaw (custom), laserbeak, Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy... all the tapes. Galactic Odyssey set, Galactic Pursuit set, Kingdom Cyclonus, Arcee, SS 86 Hot Rod, Blurr, Scourge, and Grimlock. Generations: Whirl, Roadbuster, RTS Tracks, RTS Jazz (with custom chrome), Cyclonus. Combiner Wars Trilogy: Broadside, Scourge, Galvatron with Toyhax upgrades, Superion, Abominus, Wreck-Gar,
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Shockwave
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Re: I'm done with toy collecting.

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Other random stuff: Toys R Us Exclusive Ghostbuster II set with Slimer with Santa hats, Bender from Futurama, Mortal Kombat X Rayden, Baraka, Sub Zero and Scorpion (with a broken sword), Mortal Kombat Cyberninja 3 pack, various Indiana Jones figures, Donkey Kong, Mario and Luigi, Minecraft Creeper, Armored Kratos from God of War II, Neca Slimer from Ghostbuster (missing french bread),
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Shockwave
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Re: I'm done with toy collecting.

Post by Shockwave »

Various Star Wars figures. All of these are in 3 3/4 inch scale: Darth Maul with Holographic Darth Sidious, Emeror Palpatine (from the Sith lord 3 pack), Wedge, Biggs, Kylo Ren, Poe Damron, Rey, Finn, Captain Phasma, First Order Stormtrooper, about 10 Stormtroopers, 2 of which are actually Han and Luke, another one is George Lucas, Boba Fett (this is how you know I'm serious. No Star Wars fan puts Fett on the block unless they mean business LOL), Jango Fett (Mandalorian or Bounty Hunter 3 pack), Jango Fett, Mace Windu, Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Luke Skywalker (Jedi Knight), Luke Skywalker (Bespin), Han Solo (Hoth with the welder and face mask), Princess Leia, various other rebel and Imperial officers. Black Series Imperial Guards (2), Gamorrean Guard,
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Shockwave
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Re: I'm done with toy collecting.

Post by Shockwave »

Various Star Trek figures. Some of the packaging for the Mego Style ones But I'll need to check packaging because we had a cat that marked territory on the front of a drawer where it was stored and I'm not selling anything that smells like that. Captain Kirk, Spock, Uhura, Scotty, Checkov, Sulu, McCoy, Q, Picard, Borg.
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