Author Topic: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?  (Read 11165 times)

Offline Spirit of MAC

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Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« on: September 18, 2012, 05:55 AM »
JD Uber Troll is having yet another challenging dilemma, so I’ve decided to help him out here and start a thread on his behalf, to hopefully help alleviate some of his continuously "unusual" anxiety regarding others people’s collecting habits.  Force Guy brings up an interesting conundrum though, as he is currently confounded as to why people (like me) who dislike the Prequels would still collect prequel figures and toys.  Similary, we should probably nip it in the bud and also address why folks would buy any of the EU figures if they didn't like the book or game from which the characters came, or haven’t even read or played it for that matter.

Any takers?  As for me, as I've previously posted, I do it for the sake of maintaining a complete 4” collection, on top of the fact that I just like most of the figures regardless of movie or source of origin.  In all of the other Star Wars lines I collect (GG, etc), I’ve always gone OT-only though.  But since I've dug the 4” line since 1978, and it's relatively cheap (current distribution issues aside), I’ve decided to grab the prequel stuff along the way too, even if their inspiration comes from 2.5 movies that I don’t particularly care for.  As for EU, other than the Thrawn trilogy and SOTE, I’ve never read any Star Wars EU, and I’ve only played a handful of the SW video games, but I really dig the vast majority of EU figures.  I guess I look at the Hasbro line as part of the overall SW "toy saga" which I enjoy in it's entirety, but a somewhat separate entity from the movie saga (which I only enjoy 58.3% of the time), so I collect the prequel (and EU) stuff almost as happily as the OT swag.

[Tangent]Regarding collecting in general, on a broader level, I’ll occasionally purchase stuff I don’t necessarily love for my movie and music collections, just to make them more well-rounded.  I’ve taken to trying to “collect” each Blu-ray from BOM’s Top 200 adjusted list, though there’s actually a small handful that I’m struggling with that I may wind up passing on.  I'll grab random Jazz and Classical CDs from time to time too, even though I don't love those genres, and have to be in exactly the right mood to listen to them.  I also collect U.S. and Int'l coins, including some from countries that I didn't particularly enjoy, and many that have some ridiculously lame designs on them.  I guess my point is that to me, well-rounded and interesting collections should contain a wide array of items within them: Bizarre, cool, ugly, unusual, popular, random, despised, etc.[tangent/]

So, who else is in the boat of disliking the Prequels (or EU), but collecting their respective figures/toys, and how come?  Also, folks who have ditched the PT figures somewhere along the way should feel free to chime in too since you were obviously at one point in this club as well, before “seeing the light” (or just running out of space, as the more frequent case may be).

« Last Edit: September 18, 2012, 06:07 AM by Spirit Of Mace »
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Offline Scockery

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2012, 08:13 AM »
Because you can still like a figure, still think it's fun and cool even if you don't like the source or even the character. As a long time GI JOE ARAH fan, I got sick of Snake-Eyes over a decade ago, but some of his figures are great action figures.

I'm not familiar with a lot of Star Wars EU stories. What I know of Shadows of the Empire, I think it kinda blows. Nor have I read the Thrawn trilogy. But there's some decent figures there. Any alien I can rationalize as cantina background or Jabba's entourage...even though I have no displays of either.

I still pass up most prequel/EU Jedi though. As characters I find them unrelatable and visually, I find them boring...the robes look, and most of them cannot be used as anything but Jedi. If I ever had plans to do a Geonosis arena set-up, I might get more.

Also, I tend to skip pod racers, because I dislike most of their character designs.

I try to buy what I like, (if I can find it). When I acquire too much stuff I'm iffy about, that's when my collecting suffers.

Offline Force Guy

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2012, 09:27 AM »
Wow, another pinched nerve and another lengthy post to justify his collecting habits.  Amazing. 

Personally, I think Diego sucks, but I collect Dora the Explorer stuff and anything with a Dora name stamped on it, so I’ve decided to grab the Diego stuff along the way too, even if it's inspiration comes from a show that I don’t particularly care for at all.  Makes perfect sense.   
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Offline speedermike

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2012, 10:23 AM »
Mace, I don't know where you were before April 30, 2012 but I really want to let you know that you don't seem to be getting the vibe here at JediDefender.  We are all collectors.  We all have our own styles of collecting.  We have, over the years, become friends. Many times, if we disagree with each other, we keep our mouths shut because that is what a polite and considerate person does.

For some reason, you have taken on Force Guy, who has been coming here since 2003, and has over 1100 posts. 

This thread, and your attitude, is just a drag. Who knows, maybe you're 15.  I don't know.  Just lighten up, and be friendly.  Life is too short to spend it picking fights.
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Offline Mister Skeezler

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2012, 10:30 AM »
I think the conversation is a worthy one, but your opening—and motivation—are a bit ridiculous. Why don't you just edit that first post a bit...we don't need threads revolving around bickering collectors.

(Sorry mods, just sayin')

As for collecting prequel figures, I pick up what I want. I don't feel the need to buy a whole new clone color scheme each time they're resculpted (I still have a bunch of the 2004 Shock Troops and 501st clones), and I don't feel the need to tear my hair out buying every one of Padme's gowned figures. I don't buy every resculpt of the jedi, unless the figure is a vast improvement.

It's different for the PT for me, than it is with the OT. I'll whip myself up into a frenzy for a cantina or Jabba's palace figure, but I don't feel the same draw for Prequel figures. However, some of the designs are great, and so I support them by buying them. Some are boring (looking at you, Ric Olie) and so I keep the original release.
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Offline Jeff

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2012, 10:38 AM »
if we disagree with each other, we keep our mouths shut because that is what a polite and considerate person does.

I think both sides would be wise to take your advice...  if the sniping continues, it'll force clean-up in aisle 3 and potentially some vacation time for those who wish to continue the petty trolling.
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Offline speedermike

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2012, 11:15 AM »
Ric Olie?  Ric Olie?  Now you're picking on the Ric?  Dude, that is beyond trolling, that's cave trolling!  Without Ric Olie, we would have never known that Courascant was covered in city, or that the pitch controls make the ship go this way and that!  He's classic!
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Offline warinthefloor

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2012, 12:45 PM »
OT Movies are better

but straight up
PT toys are cooler.

The main public critique of the PT movies is that they are basicly big marketing and toy rackets...well, I like toys
So I like prequel toys. AT TEs, And MTTs and Turbo tanks and clones and geonosians and wookie warriors and giant walking tri droids, droikedakas freaking trillions of battle droids and clones of different deco, Alien jedi ALEIN JEDI by the dozens with soft goods and all joints and and and ect ect.
The prequel toys would rule even if there was no movies to support them. Just a bunch of cool stuff for luke and Duke and batman and Indiana jones to get into as far as Im concerned

Offline Tracy

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2012, 01:30 PM »
Mace, I don't know where you were before April 30, 2012 but I really want to let you know that you don't seem to be getting the vibe here at JediDefender.  We are all collectors.  We all have our own styles of collecting.  We have, over the years, become friends. Many times, if we disagree with each other, we keep our mouths shut because that is what a polite and considerate person does.

For some reason, you have taken on Force Guy, who has been coming here since 2003, and has over 1100 posts. 

This thread, and your attitude, is just a drag. Who knows, maybe you're 15.  I don't know.  Just lighten up, and be friendly.  Life is too short to spend it picking fights.

That is good advice.  I agree with being polite and considerate - and that life is too short to be spent picking fights.  But I don't believe that the fact that someone has been here longer or their post count is higher excuses rudeness either.
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Offline Jesse James

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2012, 03:12 PM »
I'll just first back up what Jeff said, to both parties.

On the issue of buying what you're not into, I've done it too...  EU figures I don't know or care for that much.  The last one I can think of was that one comic pack with a jedi-ish girl with some kind of weird saber staff thing.  She's blue with white hair or something?  And some weird mofo who I can't even recall what he really looked like as he's in storage while my shelves are in disarray.

Anyway, yeah, I got the set...  I appreciated aspects of the figures...  their sculpts, articulation.  The accessories were neat.  They're from EU I have zero interest in.

The less things cost the more likely I was to buy them...  The more they cost, the less interest I have and don't go for the impulse buys.

Nom Anor, for instance.  I hate the Vong...  One of the worst EU mistakes IMO, and he probably won't reside in my collection (though I have one carded, just mulling over what to do).  At today's costs, I just am a little more picky.

Thus the MTT, while it'd be kinda cool to have for half price or less, is something I've walked past a lot.  I got a Republic Shuttle for like $15 shipped, because I wasn't impressed with it.

At the same time I was into the AT-AT and I got it for under half off too, because I'm a cheap prick.  Same with the BMFalcon.  I dig it, and still wouldn't pay for it.

I'm usually open to any movie figure, but I have to say some irk me, and really at today's prices...  Pod racers would get that feeling from me, and anymore for $10 I think any Padme should be more than a salt shaker...  But I have them all, even though I'm not a big fan of either.
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Offline speedermike

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #10 on: September 18, 2012, 03:17 PM »


That is good advice.  I agree with being polite and considerate - and that life is too short to be spent picking fights.  But I don't believe that the fact that someone has been here longer or their post count is higher excuses rudeness either.

You're right Tracy.  That point didn't really make sense, and I flubbed it.  I was only pointing out how new Mace was to the forums.  My bad.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2012, 03:17 PM by speedermike »
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Offline Tracy

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #11 on: September 18, 2012, 04:47 PM »
No worries  :)
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Offline Dan

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #12 on: September 18, 2012, 05:14 PM »
The toys are definately separate from the movies- I don't care for the prequels, but understand them for what they are. We all wanted George to make more movies, and while I don't love them like the originals, I'm glad they exist rather then never have gotten more movies.

And those movies helped launch our collections, because they provided the support to do such an incredible toy run since 1999. Before that POTF2 was explosive, then dwindled to clearance fodder. POTJ was pretty good, but pretty short lived. If the prequels hadn't come along, we wouldn't have these boards to be hanging out on talking about these toys.

I am in the group that at one point dumped everything prequel. The storage areas were overflowing, and something had to be done. But I wish I had an AT-TE and plenty of other items. The Clone Wars drew me back in, and I know I am in a small camp wishing those had been theatrical releases. I think they would have gotten a lot more mileage out of the toys that way. But even that I trimmed down to a single box plus the giant slave-1 sitting on top of it.

Some of the EU I really enjoy, others not so much. So I bought some of the former, and not the latter. I think a Clone Wars type version of the Thrawn trilogy would rock.

I've pretty much retired now, but I don't intend to not pay attention to the line. I'm sure I'll continue thinning the collection, and still picking up an item here or there. My parameters will be more scene specific for a potential display, rather than which movie or source it comes from.

Offline Force Guy

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #13 on: September 18, 2012, 05:47 PM »
But I don't believe that the fact that someone has been here longer or their post count is higher excuses rudeness either.

Uh, exactly how was I being rude?  Mace stated that he hates the prequels, yet, he purchases prequel-related figures and such. I merely asked a question in the hopes that he could shed some light as to what his logic was.  How is that "rude?" 
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Offline Morgbug

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Re: Why collect prequel figures if you don't like the Prequels?
« Reply #14 on: September 18, 2012, 07:00 PM »
But I don't believe that the fact that someone has been here longer or their post count is higher excuses rudeness either.

Boo.   Disagree most vehemently. 

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