JediDefender.com Forums
Community => Watto's Junk Yard => Topic started by: JediMAC on March 11, 2004, 05:58 PM
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This isn't exactly a "when did you hop online and where" kinda thread, since we've had those before. But rather, more of a "How long were you collecting Star Wars stuff before you actually joined (and posted in) any Star Wars forums?"
I collected the modern line of Star Wars stuff from the inception of the modern era's "rebirth", back in '95 (or earlier if you count the Galoob stuff). I was as die-hard a collector as there was, and surfed all the various collecting websites for many years to keep tabs on the latest news and offerings. But it really wasn't until the "great" CSW/RS merge a couple years back that I ever felt like getting involved, and actually chatting with all you crazy wackos. :P Did some forum lurking at CSW before that, but never felt like chiming in for whatever reason. So it took me nearly 6.5 years to speak up finally, but once I did, I realized you all weren't so weird after all (well, most of you anyway)...
I would occasionally post some thoughts on the old Tomarts/AFD boards, but I was by no means a regular there. Oddly enough, the only name I specifically remember from their forums way back then was "Fatty Bitchall". (you were there, right Matt?) No idea why that name, and only that name, stuck with me - but it did. And now look at us still together after all these years. :-*
But what I've noticed after being heavily involved in the forums for a couple years now and therefore having my reality skewed, is that I can't really imagine Star Wars collectors out there who aren't members of any of the SW boards. In fact, I tend to completely forget (or ignore the fact) that there even are any, even though that's exactly what I was for many years. When I occasionally see other fellas in front of the Star Wars stuff in the toy aisles or at conventions, I always wonder to myself just which forum member they are, and that it's odd that I don't recognize them. Could there actually be collectors out there that I don't know?! I think I've become some kind of collecting forum snob, where if you're not "in the community" then you're somehow less of a collector than me and my pals, or just non-existant altogether... :P
Weird, huh? So are you consciously aware that there's "others" out there who collect this stuff as passionately as we do, but could give a rat's ass (quiet Rob!) about actually discussing it on the internet with a bunch of geeks like us? That used to be me, but obviously I've come full circle now, since I wanted so badly to join the "in crowd" online here! 8)
So are you a forum snob too, or are all Star Wars collectors created equal, regardless of forum participation or not?
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Well, I'm a notorious lurker, and obviously a jaded, arrogant snob to boot, with less than normal social skills. I lurked around rec.arts.starwars.collecting.misc (or something along those lines, its been a long time) and did a few trades through there. I totally forgot about the Tomart site. Lurked there too. Found happiness lurking at CSW. Finally posted a bit when the RS merge happened, then migrated when GH opened up.
Now I'm here since the posters tend to be the primary topic contributers, and 99% less of the irrelevant "me too" posts, with no post-padding lameness. This is the only place where I've ever really posted regularly and felt the topics had substance at a mature discussion level.
Of course all SW collectors are not created equal. We are better than all of them. 8) ;) Honestly, I think there's a lot out folks out there that are die-hard collectors, but not die-hard internet browsers, much less posters. Also the online collecting community is as big as it needs to be to support what the folks in the circle want out of the hobby (trading, news updates, etc). There's not a whole lot of room for expansion or greater contribution as far as I can see. That may be why we don't see a lot of influx of new blood. Maybe I'm way off base...
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i started collecting in 95 or 96, but i didnt really start posting until last year or maybe even 2 years ago on rs. I got so tired of the nazi-ism at rs, i almost stopped posting completely. i have went away for a few months at a time, but i always come back, anytime i see something new i think is cool...and for all you old rs members
(http://www.onlinesports.com/images/oly-fb147m-3.gif)
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Well...I first joined the fourms in '02. However, I had been visiting the websites since 2000 and was completely unaware of the fact that there were fourms.
So, for about 5-6 years I collected without knowledge of the fourms. However, not that you mention it, I suppose I'm a snob since I hardly think of nonfourmites as collectors. Ha
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Hmm. Interesting question.
Like you Matt, I started collecting in 1995. Never anything vintage for reasons I've posted here a million times.
I started cruising the net whenever RS started up. I remember being on that site (stumbled onto it actually) pretty much as soon as it started, around 7 years ago, or so. Shortly after I found CSW and those were the two sites I visited most often. I checked out others but found those two met my needs.
I lurked on the boards from the get go. At the same time, from reading RS's front page, I found out about the snowtroopers.ca site. That's actually the first star wars board I signed up at (though by far not the first bulletin board I participated in). It took a while and I eventually signed on at RS as well. I think I might have signed on at CSW as well, but it folded pretty quickly after that into RS so I had maybe a dozen posts? I just checked and see I registered at RS in april of 2002. Wow, much later than I thought. I'd guess I registered at snowtroopers maybe a year earlier.
Am I a snob? I suppose, but not everyone likes to yap and some boards really aren't conducive if you are the least bit timid. Lots of idiots enjoying the anonymity of the net. Everyone is so brave and smart ::) ;)
Whenever I run into guys at stores, I ask them if they post on any boards. By far most do not. They know of them, they just don't post is all. Me? I've got a serious case of verbal diarrhea anyway, so what better thing to do.
I'm pretty selective in where I go and what I do. Some boards I'm pretty active at (notably here) but most I am not. My post count at RS after nearly two years of being registered is still under 600 I think. A year and a half at McFarlane and I'm around 1200 or so. Yeah, I know post counts are irrelevant, just illustrating that I'm not always so verbose :-[
I like to help people out, so I don't think I'm snobby. I've had so much success on boards (again, notably here) with help getting stuff that I really don't understand why people wouldn't be on boards, especially if you lived in the Siberia of collecting.
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Hmmm
I started collecting, if I don't count what I did as a kid when the movies were new, around the early 1990's. '92 or '93 I'd guess... I got back into Star Wars because I caught them on TV an evening, after not seeing them for quite sme time.
G.I. Joe had replaced them as my favorite toy as a child... In 1982 when Joes came out at the then Brand New K-Mart on the hill, I was ecstatic and hooked on that line for years. I'd spend my $5 allowance on a new Joe, and sometimes a clearanced ROTJ figure for his gear to give to my new joe. :P
He was simply a better toy line to a kid I guess. Still is a great one really.
When I got back into SW though, and into collecting as an adult, I picked up vinty's... Typical new guy, spending too much on them, haha... I started custmizing them as well, shortly after getting into it, when I saw pics of custom figures in some toy magazines.
Some of my first customs were a Captain Antilles Vintage, and RFT Vintage, both based off another's design of them.
I picked up new Star Wars stuff like a madman when it started pouring out... I was already buying West End Games items as I could... Minis, books to the RPG, Miniatures Battles figures and books, etc...
I immediately got into the micromachines when they were out, and had a nice set of Bend-Ems...
Then '95 came and I started picking up everything immediately. Saw them for the first time at the local Hills Dept. Store.
I watched sites online as I got online... I was new to computers though, so I wasn't really a net wiz or anything. Found Rebelscum, and watched it routinely... Also watched SSG, and then I started watching Collect Star Wars almost exclusively.
I would read the forums, and eventually I saw enough opinions I disagreed with that I thought I had to say something. I started at CSW then in their forums as member #1215 or something. I'd not participated at any forum other than lurking up till that point I joined CSW though.
Stuck with Scum after the merger split and GH.com formed... Joined there too though, and participate at both still.
Was asked quite nicely by Matt to join here and do reviews, and help moderate.... That's where I am now of course.
Over the years I've filled a nice loose vintage collection up pretty well... I've kept a modern 3.75" collection going, and I pick up oddball stuff from other lines as well.
I have a Tarkin, Imperial, and Bossk focus though, so I do pick up their stuff that isn't 3.75" strictly, like the busts or 12" figures of them.
I've weeded a lot out of my hobby though as well, like MM's, AF, comics, novels, and 12".
Customizing is my 2nd largest aspect to Star Wars though. I started in vintage, and moved onto modern... I'm not the most productive person in the hobby by a longshot, but I have my "skills" I guess, and I like the slow pace I have set for myself. I figure that when the line's done at least I won't have wasted my time making figures Hasbro did anyway. :P
I, in my mind anyway, think I'm one of the oldest members still actively participating in customizing that was on the original Rebelscum Email list-server... The others that were there when I joined don't seem as active any longer (Stephen Hayford, Tony Collucci, etc.).
I was asked to moderate at FFURG.com's chatroom somet hough, and still do that, and I do make occassional resources up for FFURG as well when I get time.
I have some of my best collecting friends through FFURG, like CorranHorn (Jason) and Doug Schroeder, and Jedi Raven (Justin)... Good people.
I've made the rest of my best collecting friends through here though I'd say, at Jedi Defender.
I actually didn't originally come here when I was asked to by Matt (and I believe Scott did ask too). Not that I was being a snob, but because I try not to spread myself too thing and I was wanting to just focus on one forum. Things at Scum, where I spent most of my time, deteorated to the point that I wanted to know where the people who had GOOD things to say and GOOD opinions and discussions had gone though.
I came here, and am very happy I did.
And that's that then I guess...
I've had the pleasure of putting some focus in my background in business on the Toy Industry in general then, and have met a lot of people within the industry but at varius levels. Marketing people often times, since that's one of my current majors, but I had some cool conversations with sculptors before in the past... You'd be surprised to know some are in the customizing hobby.
So, that's about it I guess... I posted too much here, but oh well...
I love the conversation though, so no I'm not a collecting snob. At least I hope not. Or if I am it's for other reasons. :)
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I actually got back into collecting (not counting childhood stuff) a little later than most of you. For me, it actually started around the time of Phantom Menace, when Star Wars hype was at a big high again. I worked at a local store (a Pamida for those of you who have heard of them) in our town when I was in college, and remember when the first shipments of Star Wars figures came in. A co-worker and myself ripped open the boxes a little early, and were able to buy whatever we wanted before we put the stock out. I thought I would just buy 6 Episode I figures, just to have some, but it went downhill from there. After that, I discovered the POTF2 line, which I thought had great sculpts compared to vintage (looking at some of them now, I think they look terrible...but at the time, they looked great). I first picked up a commtech Han and Luke, and then I remember finding the site Brian's Toys and picking up a number of loose vintage and loose POTF2 figures. I got to 20 or so modern figures, and it was downhill from there. I believe CollectStarWars was the first collecting site I came across, and was my favorite at the time. After spending a long time lurking, I eventually joined up and posted every so often. I also migrated to Rebelscum when that merger took place, and began to post there a little more regularly. Once Galactic Hunter started up, I was on board there as soon as I could be. I started to pretty much just post there, because I thought Rebelscum's forums were getting kind of wacky. Then, I heard more about JediDefender here from Scott, and eventually came over and joined up. I'm very thankful he told me about it, because this is my favorite community....and probably actually the only one where I have actually gotten to know some of you as friends, and by name. I now post mainly here, and occasionally at GH (but the traffic is low there at times). I have posted the occasional reply over at Rebelscum too, but probably less than 10 times since I joined up here.
To be honest, I kind of stayed away from posting at first...because I didn't want to be one of "those guys". I was pretty uneducated on the whole forum/board thing at the time, and now I have really embraced it. It is a great way to meet people with common interests, and it is fun to chat about it. I have met some great people through these boards too, and I think sometimes it is just nice to know that someone else out there is "like me". None of my friends (high school or college) collect anything like this (toys, movie stuff, etc.)...so it is a little harder to talk to them about it. They think its neat when they see it, but most of them would have no clue about most of the lines, characters, figures, etc. that I would talk about. And, to be honest, I always think that some of them probably think it is silly....but oh well, its my only hobby so what else am I going to spend that expendable income on? :P Overall though, I don't think I'm a snob.....I do wonder sometimes when I see people in the aisles if they belong to one of the online communities, but I don't think I would ever have the guts to go up and ask them. Honestly, I don't know how a person could really collect a line anymore these days without some online news. With the way things sell, don't show up, or have chase figures, etc., I don't think I would even know what is out or coming out without some sort of news source. Its funny thinking back to buying vintage figures when I was a kid, I didn't have any idea what was coming out or when, you just went to the store and saw the figure and "cool, I want that". Of course back then, most things weren't hard to find it seemed. The only snobbish way I think I am is that I maybe have a little bit of a preference to the communities here and at Galactic Hunter (which is much of the same people). Particularly here, I have never met so many helpful people in a community...it seems like everyone here is looking out for one another, and that is nice. There are so many nice people here, and it is a great community to be a part of. I thank all of you for making it that way, and keeping it that way.
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Started collecting in 95 with the re-release. Lurked (but never registered) at SSG then migrated to CSW when the infamous ISE happened. I've been registered at Rebelscum since 2000 (member #65), but have less posts there than I do here. Show's you how much I posted. Pretty much just lurked and posted when I had something to say.
The merge happened and then GH split. I registered over there and I migrated with Mike. Burn, Tim, mouse and the rest and settled. Again, more of a lurker but posted when I felt I added something to the conversation. GH's traffic has always been slow, (not that that's a bad thing), so one day I click on Scott's JD link in his sig. The rest, as they say, is history. This has been my home ever since. I do occasionally post at GH and rarely any more at RS.
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I started collecting when the Micro Machines were out, back 'round 93 or so. One time, I was dragged around some antique shops with my folks and found some vintage Star Wars figures. Best of all, they were ones I didn't have, for $3 each. I bought most of them, even though they were pretty rough and didn't have weapons.
Someday, I'm going to finish that vintage collection and replace the ones that need replacing.
I started hardcore when I got the First Nine for Christmas 95, along with the Classic 4-Pack and Landspeeder. To think I thought the line wouldn't go beyond a few series. :D
I mostly got my news from mags like ToyFare and Star Wars Galaxy (man, I miss that one) and started browsing YakFace's and Toys R Gus around 1996. It wasn't until 1999 that I read a Time Magazine article on TPM hype that pointed out some groovy Star Wars fandom sites like TF.n, RS, and CSW. I was hooked, and have visited RS about every day since. I didn't start with forums until late 2001 when I registered at ADC (now TNI). Then RS, and now, any collecting site you go to, you'll probably find the screename 'HMI' there.
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I've been hitting the collector sites since 1999 but didn't join any of the associated forums until late last year. There isn't a reason, really. I think I had a question about the value of an ATOC trailer reel that wound up in my possession so I started posting in the forums. Then I had more questions and was eventually hooked.
I just started posting in JediDefender again. I took about a month break from message boards at the beginning of the year.
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I started back into SW collecting about the same time that they released the first wave of Potf2.I had many items from my childhood and gotten many others along the interim.
I didn't discover the internet until November 02,I believe.
I had visited a Model kit site,gremlins in the garage a few times from a friends computer but until I had my own I never perused much more than a search page at a time.
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You know last night I was looking at the Star Wars stuff and this guy came up and started looking. I figured he was a collector so I was letting him know which figures they had, cause they did have some of the new wave stuff. I could tell that he was not much of a collector, and he told me that the new clones would look more like stormtroopers in the next movie. After he said that my snobishness kicked in, I did not say anything but I was certainly thinking it.
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Could there actually be collectors out there that I don't know?! I think I've become some kind of collecting forum snob, where if you're not "in the community" then you're somehow less of a collector than me and my pals, or just non-existant altogether... :P
Well, for a guy like me that uses a real photo of himself as his avatar along with his real name...
When I would meet another collector in the aisle in the past I would ask if they checked out "that other forum's just found section". Usually they would say that they read the forum, but didn't post there. Meaning, they got info and sniped but did not contribute. I would always encourage them to join the forum, the Bastards! I was a pretty active poster there at the time, and always a little surprised they didn't say something like "oh yeah, you're Deanpaul... I recognize you from your avatar. Because as you know, this hobby is all about me. ;)
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I was a pretty active poster there at the time, and always a little surprised they didn't say something like "oh yeah, you're Deanpaul... I recognize you from your avatar. Because as you know, this hobby is all about me. ;)
Yeah, now that's what I'm talkin' about! At least you get it Dp! 8)
BTW, I recognized you from your avatar when we met up here in L.A. a few months ago! ;)
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I was a pretty active poster there at the time, and always a little surprised they didn't say something like "oh yeah, you're Deanpaul... I recognize you from your avatar." Because as you know, this hobby is all about me. ;)
Yeah, now that's what I'm talkin' about! At least you get it Dp! 8)
BTW, I recognized you from your avatar when we met up here in L.A. a few months ago! ;)
Yeah, I think we've all been there at least once.
I'm trying to convince Kris (my better half) that going to CIII next year will be a defining moment for me and that I really should start planning to go. And that she should support me, and want me to go... She agreees that it will be a defining moment, but rather one defining that I have officially gone off the deep end. I think that would be a good place to try and connect with other forums members.
"Oh sure, you're Deanpaul... I recognize you from your avatar. You post all that stupid crap about iTunes songs, and all those bloated self-important pictures of figures in your reviews." [Followed by a quick sucker punch like my sister would always get me with.]
Now be a doll and go tell me which 5 songs I should pick up over in my iTunes thread.
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I started a number of years ago at TFN and Sir Steves. A group of us migrated to CSW after the infamous ISE incident. I was a fan of mikes work and started moderating for him at CSW. I really liked that site because everyone was nerd chic. I found Jedi defender a while ago but I lurked until today.
I started collecting in 1977 took a hiatus in the late 80's early 90's and continued my pursuit again in the 90's . I wouldn't necessarily call myself a snob. I'm just less likely these days to reply to threads. Not because I don't lurk, more because of the insufferable attitudes and arrogance. Most collectors think they know everything I can tell you thay Don't, I do(that's sarcasm for those of you offended and arrogant). That's why I rarely post in the vintage threads moderns threads or post modern neo classsic vintage saga threads(or whateever they choose to call each era of figures). It's BS most people know what they have and over rate there inflated opinions about it (not unlike me). I know what I have I know why it's great to have or was a stupid purchase. I will share my collection with you,but honestly I don't display a damn item in my house,but I can tell you I'm complete with my entire collection(excluding vintage). So I wouldn't call myself a snob I have something in common with you , but lets face it we all have paticular we care about not one collector is the same. Some collectors are stupid anal, thinking the will get absolute perfection from a carded vintage figure, others are happy with the raggy card just hanging onto the bubble. Why am I going to debate with you over an open figure or carded figure it's pointless and contributes nothing to my life outside of the small group of friends that collect and here in this forum. Oh by the way I'm a carded collector for those of you not caring enough to read this post. So, I just want to spare you the hassle of talking to me about star wars when you appproach yes I am complete, yes I meticulously shop for vintage figures, yes I'm hoping your more interesting to talk to outside of a star wars relevant conversation. Yes I'm a bit of an a' whole.
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Welcome! I recognize you from other places. Nicely written position Infamy of Crete. I can see exactly where you’re coming from, although I’m an opener and have down graded to way non-complete since 1999.
I don’t think anyone will tell you you’re stupid around here, it’s not that kind of place and there’s really little pay in it. It sounds like you’ve got you want out of the hobby in perspective, so it’s probably natural to start posting less over time, especially when the replies are argumentative.
I’m glad you’re here, and I hope you find this to be a different kind of forum. I know I have. This community isn’t like other places I’ve tried to discuss serious topics like toys. I look forward to good discussions with you around the boards here!
Oh, and one more thing:
Yes I'm a bit of an a' whole.
You can say ass here. Doesn’t this place just rule more and more? ;)
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lol @ infamy, that's one of the funniest things i've read in a long time...
as for me, i started collecting and surfing the web back in 77/78.... wait, that's not right. i started collecting back in 77/78, and then went throught the whole 80's/teenager/high school/rock'n'roll phase and stopped playing with toys. then i got back into it around 94, just before the potf2 rebirth. around 97/98, i got hooked up with the internet, and surfed around the basic sites, getting information... but i really didn't know what a "forum" was. around 1999/2000, i started getting into custom figures, and found out that i could get some really good information at some sites, mostly dedicated to model building more so than customizing. i really didn't participate in any of the online toy forums until just recently. i joined rs in august 2002 and here in september 2003. as far as being a "snob" is concerned, i don't consider myself one, since none of my real-life friends that collect could give a rat's ass about going online and joining a forum... that's way too geeky for them - but i still hang out with them, so it's not like i won't hang out with someone if they don't have an online life.
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A collecting forum snob???Hmm...I'm not sure but I like the sound of that. "I'm a CFS"...better yet, "I'm a SWCFS".
Seriously though I have two lives on the internet and both have to do with Star Wars but neither path ever crosses the other. I collect toys and talk about whats new, where it's hitting and what I like/dislike about the offerings from the line. I do all that here. When I was at the fan club breakfast in Chicago I quizzed almost everyone in there if the post/read at sites like RS, GH etc...and not ONE posted and a handful said they only skimmed the news.
Now the other internet life is costuming. And everyone at the breakfast (almost everyone) was a member of the costuming board over at theforce.net or the dented helmet. I have made life long friendships with some of the ladies and Kristen and I are more like sisters. Though some of them collect the toys, when we meet up at the various costuming conventions toy hunting is the furthest thing from their minds. They have stated they don't participate in any forums other than those that discusss costumes and/or props.
I found it odd at first...how can you watch the movies and make the costumes and not collect all the toys?? And around here I found it odd that no one mentions their costumes and going to conventions that requires more than one suitcase ;).
So, I guess I am a SWCFS. If you don't have a forum name somewhere how can you even consider yourself a fan?? How's THAT for being a snob?? :D ;D ;)
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Now that I really think about your question, JediMAC, I don't think I've ever actually been what most people around here would call a "collector."
I mean, I started to get interested in Star Wars figures back in '95, with the POTF2 line, but I only had, like, five figures from that whole line. Then, I kind of forgot about Star Wars for a while (*gasp!*) until '97 when the OT was released again in a boxed set. I think, at that point, I picked up a POTF2 Boba Fett and Yoda. Then a few years later, TPM was released, but I had little interest in the figures. What it boils down to is that I only pick up the figures that I think are cool. A completist, I am definitely not. :)
I think it was a couple months after TPM that I joined the SW.com forums. Hey, they seemed pretty nice at the time ;). Once the hype surrounding AOTC started to mount, I found Rebelscum. And don't ask me how, because I honestly can't remember. I stayed there for a little while, y'know, when it was a comfortable place to be. After a time, I decided to join a myriad of SW communties, just to get a feel for what they were like. Anyways, yadda, yadda, yadda, JediDefender and JediForce are now my forum mainstays. Oh, and in case no one has noticed, I'm a notorious lurker. I actually visit this forum every single day, but rarely post. ;) :P
Oh, and I don't consider myself a "snob" in any sense of the word. I say that if you collect SW items, and you truly enjoy it whether you are a member of a forum or not, you're still better off than some people who post like mad in SW forums just to gain recognition, and have forgotten what the hobby is all about. :)
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lol @ infamy, that's one of the funniest things i've read in a long time...
Thank you, thank you I try to inject humor in my thoughts....once in awhile.
Dean paul
Thanks for the welcome.
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Interesting to see the varied responses I've garnered here. I think a few of you caught on to my real question (mixed into my usual long-winded post), which was basically - Do you tend to forget that there's other SW collectors who aren't online SW forum members, and do you think that's strange of them that they're not in the "in crowd" with us online here. ;) I just mixed in my personal posting history to show how ironic/hypocritical it was that I used to be exactly one of the people who didn't participate that I'm now referring to as not an integral part of the SW collecting community...
I think my involvement online has seriously skewed my sense of reality towards the average Star Wars collector. There's so many more of them out there who don't chat with us online here, and I often lose sight of that fact, which I think makes me some kind of SWCFS (as Beth so succinctly put it). :P
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I was contemplating this topic again this past weekend during Midnight Madness. I met a number of different new colletors while shopping and waiting in various lines for stuff. But what I found most perplexing (again), is that none of them were involved in any of the major online SW collecting forums. To me, that's just weird. Aren't ALL hardcore collectors supposed to be in the forums shootin' the **** with us? I still struggle with the fact that apparently we're the rarer breed of collectors in here, and that there's many, many more collectors out there who don't participate on the boards.
And that's exactly why I consider myself a "forum snob", I suppose. But like I mentioned earlier, it's ironic that I struggle with this concept, when I was in the same boat just a little over 3 years ago, at which point I had finally registered in the RS forums, despite having been collecting like a madman for nearly 7 years prior to that. Strange...
You guys snobs too? Or are you slightly more tolerant of all those bizarro freak collectors out there who don't spend their days on the internet chatting with us in here...? :P
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I started at Sir Steve's Guide a few months before Ep1 came out in 99. I thought they were just the best because they were showing the figures BEFORE they came to the stores. Wow! (LOL!) Then I found T-Bone's and I thought they were the greatest because they had Ep1 spoilers.
I found Rebelscum a little after Ep1 I think and a few other websites. I left SirSteves. I just did not like that site at all after I hung out there for awhile. I like JD the best for people on the forums though. I think it helped that JediMac sent me a invitation to come here from RS. It has been a lot of fun over here.
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I agree with what Matt said earlier, for some reason I am always surprised that most of the regular Star Wars collectors don't frequent the forums. I have seen more collectors in the aisles here since we moved to a larger city, but I don't think any of them have a home online. I rarely even see anyone from Nebraska online, and if it is, it is most often from Omaha. Anyways, back to the topic, it does surprise me that most collectors aren't online. I guess aside from enjoy talking about stuff with all of you, this is also where I get most of my news and how I find out when to go looking for certain stuff. It is how you know when certain stuff is starting to hit, what is coming up later in the year, rumors and all of that. I guess you could find out some of that by just going to the "news" part of these sites, but the details are usually within the forums. It is funny, my wife telling some of our friends how we went out at Midnight on Friday for the ROTS toy release, and talking about other people who were there, and they were like "other people were there?"....like I was the only "weirdo" out there ;). I will echo Darth Broem's comments too, everyone here at JD has created a fantastic forum. Everyone is friendly and helpful, and I'm glad that I came over when Scott first sent me an invite awhile back. Definitely a great place, and lots of fun.
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"How long were you collecting Star Wars stuff before you actually joined (and posted in) any Star Wars forums?"
I've been collecting Star Wars since I was a little kid, but I guess I became a hard core collector when the POTF2 stuff came out. I never even thought to search for Star Wars stuff online until sometime around AOTC's release, though. I wish I had joined in on this big bitch fest earlier - :-p
I first found Rebelscum - registered at the BHC on April 11, 2002. Then I joined the Alabama's Star Wars club, the Star Wars Syndicate, on May 18, 2002, in hopes of meeting some local folks. This is when I realized how many collector's don't even care about the online community. Blew my mind. When GH broke away from RS, I was there, too - joined it on September 23, 2002.
I have no clue how long I've been a part of JediDefender - but I was one of the last folks to join the JediChris.net team back in the day, I think. :) Too cool.
During the Midnight Madness craze, I couldn't help but glance around the small crowd of Star Wars fans and wonder how many were fellow forum snobs and online personalities.
It's hard for me to imagine not having a home here, so I'd love to introduce some folks to this place.
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I'm not sure if I saw this topic when it first went around, but in retrospect, I was wondering the same thing this midnight madness. Several people at different stores had the same Rebelscum list of everything that would be out that I had. I asked a few what their names on there were and most of them were just lurkers.
I guess I might be a snob, because that really bugs me. Lurkers. There are SO many people reading boards that don't ever say anything. They're watching my store reports, etc, etc....but never actually contributing to my hunt. For some reason, that bugs me.