Author Topic: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?  (Read 6767 times)

Offline Brian

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Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« on: December 15, 2003, 11:05 AM »
While watching a show on TLC that my wife and I enjoy (Clean Sweep, if any of you have ever heard of it...we tend to watch a lot of those home/home improvement shows on TLC)...we got to talking about what types of stuff they would clean out of our house.  It really made me realize what a Star Wars packrat I am.  We have tried to get in the mode of not keeping "crap" we don't need....old clothes, things we don't use, etc....we usually take it all to Goodwill.  Anyways, I am a Star Wars opener (save for a few carded figures here and there), but I have kept all of the boxes to every figure, vehicle, beast, etc. that I have ever gotten.  I'm not really sure why, but I just keep them.  Also, I have kept things such as Star Wars calendars, which I get for Christmas every year.  I have two older wall calendars, and last year I received a daily desk calendar, which for some reason I have kept every page to after tearing it off.  I'm not sure why, again.  I think that I will end up trashing this stuff (specifically the calendars), but do any of you have this same problem?  I don't really know why I keep all of this stuff, I just do.  And to be honest, we really don't have the room for it probably...or could fit things a little better if we didn't have it.  I don't keep any of the plastic bubbles, etc., and I flatten all the other boxes, but it still adds up.  I was just curious if any of you are like this as well?

Offline MisterPL

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #1 on: December 15, 2003, 11:43 AM »
Funny, I've been spending a LOT of free time UN-packratting.

Back in the day, I used to keep all my Vintage backers for the proofs of purchase (you never knew!) as well as an archive of packaging (I'm a designer). On top of that I kept a lot of stuph purely as reference material when I needed to draw something from the Star Wars Universe. This was, of course, long before the advent of home video. I couldn't just pop in a VHS of the OT and freezeframe it. We had calendars and notebooks, "official" poster magazines and trading cards. Some of it qualifies as collectible, others not so much.

It became a bad habit, keeping all this processed paper around, not to mention a fire hazard. With the wonderful world wide web, keeping such a huge image file became redundant. Besides, there are plenty of archivists out there much better at it than I.

Lately I've taken to FINALLY putting all my loose figures into baggies and bins. The custom fodder gets taken off the card, while the Jedi Master Points get cut out and put in a safety deposit box at an undisclosed location in Europe. I took out two bags of blisters and backers just this weekend. It's a huge space saver.

The boxes I tend to keep. It's just easier to store vehicles and playsets in their respective packaging. Unlike the figures, they don't really get any more compact than that.

So yes, I'm a Star Wars packrat, desperately trying to reform his ways.
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Offline Valtar

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #2 on: December 15, 2003, 11:46 AM »
Yes... A packrat, I am   :D

I must keep all the open packages.... I must.

Offline Reconsgt

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #3 on: December 15, 2003, 11:54 AM »
I am a packrat and not with just SW- I save all the cards so I can remember what acessories go with what fig and so forth. I don't open much so all the carded figs take up to much space as it is. I save almost anything i can find calanders posters mags movies( even if I have 10 of the same one already) You never know when your going to need that stuff ;)
 I do really need to clean out and have been slowly cleaning up the basement and sw room. I am also learning I don't need 1 of everything either. I guess my habits are changing so watch the classifeds for when I get the big list out ;D    
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Offline Jedi Idej

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #4 on: December 16, 2003, 12:20 AM »
I used to keep the backing boards and flattened boxes because I also liked to see the evolution of the packaging. I was up to 2 boxes, each measuring about 33"x22"x10". A few years back, space constraints forced me to re-evaluate my "need" to have them. Having online references made it easier to let go. I still keep the bio/info cutouts, though.

Toy-wise, I got rid of most of the Action Fleet and micromachines playsets. The accompanying vehicles and figures I've kept, along with the 3-3/4" figures and ships and Playskool toys.

Calendars and the customizable card starter sets went bye-bye.

Offline JediMAC

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #5 on: December 16, 2003, 03:10 AM »
Uh...  No comment.   :-[

Ok, I confess.  Yes!  I'm as packrat as they come, with Star Wars, and most everything else in my life too!  I'm really terrible...  I keep more useless crap around that I'll never need or use, that it fills two large storage units and one spare bedroom at this point!   ::)

I don't think I've ever thrown anything Star Wars related away.  I've kept every cardback, box, product catalogue, calendar, magazine, news paper article, etc., etc., etc...

I'm pretty good at keeping it all as organized and consolidated as possible, but it's still a TON of stuff that I'll probably never really look at again...

But I doubt I'm going to change any time soon, so I just have to learn to live with it (as does my wife!)...   :P

Offline Darth Broem

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #6 on: December 16, 2003, 09:47 AM »
Yes!  I am certianly a Star Wars packrat.  The wife and I will be looking for house to move out of apartment into.  I will have to get rid of some stuff like the magazines, misc stuff.  I will probably cry when I do this.  LOL!

Offline Obi-Juan

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Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #7 on: December 16, 2003, 04:30 PM »
Yeah......I was being a packrat with my Star Wars stuff.  But just recently I started throwing old boxes and packages away.  They were taking up too much space.  
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Offline jokabofe

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #8 on: December 16, 2003, 04:51 PM »
hmmm, looks like i'll be alone in saying no. as soon as my figures are opened, or the vehicles taken out of the box, the boxes are thrown away. i don't keep any of the empty boxes for anything, it all gets recycled or trashed. just don't see a point in keeping any of that junk.

same goes for anything else... if i buy a new tv, then yeah, i'll keep the box and the foam for a few weeks in case it has to be returned to the store, but after that it's trash.

Offline Angry Ewok

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #9 on: December 16, 2003, 05:22 PM »
I have kept all of the boxes to every figure, vehicle, beast, etc. that I have ever gotten.  I'm not really sure why, but I just keep them.  Also, I have kept things such as Star Wars calendars, which I get for Christmas every year.

Dear god, I'm not the only one?!   :-X

Offline Darth Kenobi

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #10 on: December 17, 2003, 06:32 PM »
I don't think that I'm a packrat where I save empty boxes or packages but while cleaning my parents garage the other week I got rid of stuff I didn't need that I save during Ep1 days.  Mostly toothbrushes, toothpaste, stickers and other promo items.  I usually throw away the magaizens that I get after a while.  After cleaning the garage my mom mentioned that almost half the stuff in it was mine Halloween stuff, Star Wars, Simpsons, and other stuff so in that case I'm somewhat of a packrat.
« Last Edit: December 17, 2003, 06:34 PM by Darth Kenobi »

Offline JoshEEE

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #11 on: December 18, 2003, 10:53 PM »
I used to be. After I converted from carded to loose collecting....I used to save EVERY opened box, every stupid background...and I have no idea why.

Finally, earlier this year...I cut off all the JMPs and recycled my cardboard. I remember posting a thread about this at RS long ago with this picture of all my cardboard going to the recylce bin at work.....where yours should go too.  ;D

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Offline Taminar

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #12 on: January 3, 2004, 01:05 AM »
My name is Auriette, and I'm a packrat.

::Hi, Auriette::

Yep, I save everything!  I have tons of stuff that's not Star Wars related, not part of any collection I have at all, but I can't bear to throw it out.  Like Kids Meal toys based on things I've never even heard of.  We are going to be moving to a house soon (*fingers crossed* - we close on Jan 23), and hopefully in the process of moving, I can get more organized.  Great thing about the new house - 16'x23' Star Wars room (although I might have to share a portion of it with my husband's Robot Collection -- but that won't be entirely out of place).

Auriette
« Last Edit: January 3, 2004, 01:06 AM by Taminar »
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Offline Diddly

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #13 on: January 3, 2004, 01:07 AM »
Yes. My closet and room are filled with old Saga packages. And they're all hidden from view too. I'll have to go and clean them all out some day I guess.
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Offline stormtripper

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #14 on: January 3, 2004, 01:35 PM »
wow, I can't believe that I am not alone. A few months ago while my wife and son were visiting her parents I opened a bunch of things that were still in the packages, cut out 1500 jedi master points and sent them to mackanziesdad (chris hodgson) as I am in canada and the points were useless here because Hasbro sucks, now a lot of guys would be out looking for tail while their wife is gone, not me, my life is soo exciting that I decided to recycle a ton of star wars packaging, it took me 2 carloads with my vwjetta, which really has one of the biggest trunk spaces ever, the mafia should use vw jetta's and not caddys!