Author Topic: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?  (Read 6801 times)

obi_robz

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #15 on: January 3, 2004, 01:40 PM »
What the hell is a packrat? I've never heard of that before. I assumed it had somthing to do with my fav rodents ???

Offline JediMAC

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #16 on: January 3, 2004, 02:16 PM »
What the hell is a packrat? I've never heard of that before. I assumed it had somthing to do with my fav rodents ???

Rob, a "packrat" is basically someone who saves everything, and never throws anything away regardless of whether they really need it any longer.  Not sure where that nickname really comes from, or whether it has to do with rats or not...  You tell us - do your rats save up there stuff too?   :P

Offline Jedi Idej

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #17 on: January 3, 2004, 02:24 PM »
S.O.B.

How the hell did I click on the wrong thread?

(original post edited and moved by me)
« Last Edit: January 3, 2004, 02:26 PM by Jedi Idej »

obi_robz

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #18 on: January 3, 2004, 02:28 PM »
Yep, they keep all their packaging and boxes. They build stuff with it...not sure how you'd describe the results: rat sculptures I guess  :)

Personally I just collect my Star Wars figures carded these days, so I suppose I must be a packrat too.

Offline Matt

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #19 on: January 11, 2004, 04:31 PM »
Am I a Star Wars packrat?  Unequivocally, the answer is "yes I am".

I cannot recall a recent time where I have ever knowingly thrown away an item with the Star Wars logo on it somewhere.

I'll put it this way:  I still have the doubles and triples left over from that stupid Tri-Con Pog contest/game back in 1999.

Now, any rational person would have thrown away all of those retarded things, as soon as the contest ended, but not me.  I kept the little game board, and not only all of the single Pogs I got, but all of the doubles, too.

So, if anyone needs #3/R2-D2, #19/Darth Sidious, #6/Sebulba, or #7/Anakin Skywalker (of which I've got two), let me know.   8)

The only things I've ever felt safe enough about to throw away were the plain cardboard inserts from some of the vehicle boxes, in order to flatten the boxes and "save space".

I suck.
"The good news is that all that blood is actually ketchup. The bad news, however, is that all that ketchup is actually blood."

Offline BidderFett

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #20 on: January 12, 2004, 01:55 PM »
I just recently started throwing out the plastic bubbles from my cards. (But only if the don't have the Star Wars logo on them.)  ::)

Offline Mikey D

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #21 on: January 13, 2004, 09:18 AM »
When I first started, the cardbacks had filecards on them.  I'd cut them out and throw everything else away.

Then they stopped doing filecards and I would throw everything out.

Then came Jedi Points.  Since then, I have saved every one hoping for some cool mail away promotion that would actually make saving them worthwhile.  Well, as we all know, that didn't happen.  I'm stuck with a box of JPs that are absolutely worthless.  And you know what?  I still save them, hoping that someday they might be useful.

As for vehicle boxes, I saved almost every one, including all packing items (cardboard, bags, etc.).  At the time, I was living in an apartment and knew I wouldn't be there forever and eventually I'd have a house.  Keeping the boxes made for easier transport and storage.

I save all my Lego boxes as well, not including the bags.  Most of them were put together, then I ran out of room.  So I broke them down and put the pieces in ziploc baggies in their original boxes.  That way, when the time comes, I know everything is where it should be.

Now since the Saga cards were each unique and numbered, I have saved all the cardbacks.  Threw away the bubble and the inserts went into my box of Jedi Points, since the JPs were on the bottom of them and no longer on the cardback itself.

So what does the mundane reply mean?  Probably that I'm somewhat anal retentive, but no where near what Matt and some of you others are.
Common sense isn't so common

Offline Scott

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #22 on: March 4, 2004, 11:13 AM »
Doing a little basement cleaning the past couple of weeks I realized I have a whole rubbermaid container full of cardbacks and Simpsons cardback and boxes.  I need to throw this crap out, unless someone wants them ???

Offline Brian

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #23 on: March 4, 2004, 11:15 AM »
That's funny Scott, my wife and I were actually doing the same thing this past weekend.  She has been on me about getting rid of some of the cardboard "crap", and I had a rubbermaid container full of them too.  I did purge a little bit of stuff, but still have a long way to go.  I don't know why I think I need to keep the cardbacks, I just do.  I really need to just dump it and forget about it, but for some reason it is hard.  I thought about getting rid of all (or most) of it...just keeping examples of each type of packaging I have, and then starting fresh and keep the OTC cardbacks coming later this year, since they are a little bit "spiffier".  It really shouldn't be so difficult to throw away cardboard and the packaging, should it? :)

Offline Mikey D

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #24 on: March 4, 2004, 11:24 AM »
Well, I guess we'll be doing some cleaning in the coming months as we are finally moving into a house.  I have a feeling that a lot of stuff will get tossed so we start fresh in the new house.  For example, I have about five years worth of Wizard back issues.  Why the hell do I need to keep them?  I also have Golf back issues that I'll probably toss.  For some reason, I can't see myself tossing my Maxims, FHMs, Stuffs and Playboys (especially the Playboys).

When I move in and everything's displayed, do I toss away the boxes?  I probably will, but these are the questions I'll be asking myself in the coming weeks.
Common sense isn't so common

Offline Xander

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #25 on: March 4, 2004, 12:18 PM »
I feel like I walked into a support group meeting......and I belong!

I have boxes and boxes of empty star wars stuff in the attic.  When i get figures, I either cut around the plastic with an X-acto blade, or cut in between the plastic and cardboard, slip the figure out, and leave the empty bubble intact on the card.  Then I pack 'em in boxes!  Why???????????'

I have some idea that they could be a future display project or some kind of art project.  ???    Those bubbles are just so neat that I could make some kind of meta-comment by repacking them with some object, and then someone would say its art.  ???  They would look cool if I ever wanted to arrange them in some pattern.   ???

I have no good reason and will have to face facts at some point - they belong in a landfill!

Offline Scott

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #26 on: March 4, 2004, 01:44 PM »
they belong in a landfill!
This belongs in a Museum


Offline Brian

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #27 on: May 11, 2004, 11:27 AM »
Well, I took another small step towards getting rid of the "packrat" stuff in our house.  We are packing things up, preparing for the move, and it was time to get rid of some more boxes.  I didn't want to do it at first, but when I dug them out and looked at them, I asked myself why I'm actually keeping them...this was the first time I had looked at them since I put them in there.  Anyways, my Episode I, POTJ, and most of my POTF2 cardbacks are now history.  I saved things such as Force Files, Commtech Chips, and JMPs, but the rest of the stuff got ditched in the trash bin this morning.  For now, the Saga, Unleashed, and Playskool cardbacks are being saved, but I might end up getting rid of those and only keeping the upcoming OTC backs since they are so spiff-tastic.  In a way, it did feel kind of good to just pitch the stuff...a lot of room taken up for cardboard :).  When my wife told me she thought we should get rid of that stuff, I asked her "what, we don't want to move boxes of boxes?".  I was kidding, but it did make me realize how stupid that did sound :).

Offline Brian

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #28 on: May 26, 2004, 09:17 AM »
Well, my wife is encouraging me to get rid of the last of the boxes, as we finish packing up for our move this weekend.  Have all my vehicle boxes flattened in a pile together, and had always kept them in the closet in our office.  But, now she thinks I should toss them so we don't have to move them.  I see her point, and the logic in it, but for some reason I kind of want to keep them.  I really don't know why though, and that's the worst part.  I can't really justify a reason, except for "I want to".  I don't think they're going to be worth anything, and wouldn't sell them even if they were.  I don't particularly find the boxes fantastic looking in any way.  Maybe it is the part of me that wishes my mom wouldn't have thrown out my vintage boxes that wants to keep them.  I'm thinking if I end up getting rid of all of these, I'm going to keep the OTC cardbacks/boxes, to have something from my modern collecting time (and the best looking packaging that we've seen in the modern line).  Seems so silly to worry about throwing out packaging, I don't have any problem trashing boxes from anything else we buy  :P.

Offline Dengar

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Re: Are You a Star Wars Packrat?
« Reply #29 on: May 26, 2004, 10:14 PM »
Well, my wife is encouraging me to get rid of the last of the boxes, as we finish packing up for our move this weekend.  Have all my vehicle boxes flattened in a pile together, and had always kept them in the closet in our office.  But, now she thinks I should toss them so we don't have to move them.  I see her point, and the logic in it, but for some reason I kind of want to keep them.  I really don't know why though, and that's the worst part.  I can't really justify a reason, except for "I want to".  I don't think they're going to be worth anything, and wouldn't sell them even if they were.  I don't particularly find the boxes fantastic looking in any way.  Maybe it is the part of me that wishes my mom wouldn't have thrown out my vintage boxes that wants to keep them.  I'm thinking if I end up getting rid of all of these, I'm going to keep the OTC cardbacks/boxes, to have something from my modern collecting time (and the best looking packaging that we've seen in the modern line).  Seems so silly to worry about throwing out packaging, I don't have any problem trashing boxes from anything else we buy  :P.

I know why it is a problem.  Because it is part of your collection.  I mean it is cool to look at all the cardbacks and boxes and go "WOW I HAVE A LOT OF STUFF!!!"  I mean I am mostly a MOC collector, well now I am 50/50 cause I have just about as many loose as I do carded.  I looked at my cardbacks the other day and I just thought they looked cool.  Plus I have my MOC's on the wall, so having the cardbacks, I can look at the backs of them much easier.  I think you should NOT!!!! throw them away.  They are part of your collection, and you should just store them in the attic or something, but keep em, you might regret getting rid of it.