JediDefender.com Forums
Community => Watto's Junk Yard => Topic started by: Darth_Anton on June 10, 2005, 12:09 PM
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A weird thought occured to me the other day at TRU. I saw a guy in his late 60's, if not his early 70's, looking though the ROTS toys. He was faily clean cut and for some reason didn't strike me as a scalper or hotwheels guy. I tried to picture myself at that age still running around and collecting, and it was hard.
I haven't come up with a clear cut answer myself, but have any of you given any thought as to how long you'll be buying toys and such? Perhaps, in a way, Star Wars collections will become the train collections of our Grandfathers.
Just curious.
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Wow, tough question. I've been actively collecting for 10 years, but I've enjoyed SW since I was a kid and received my X-Wing Fighter for Christmas back in 1979.
It's been such an integral part of my life, I can't really see ever stopping. Maybe because I don't know what I'd do with all of my spare time if I did stop. ;)
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Hmmm, I haven't given it any thought. It's not something I want to think about. My Star Wars collection is a big part of my life, and I can't imagine not continuing the pursuit. I just don't have a solid answer to that question.
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I don't think I'll be doing this past 30. Seriously.
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I don't think I'll be doing this past 30. Seriously.
What's wrong with being past 30? ;)
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That's a good question. I don't know, I thought about that the other day as well when seeing some collectors older than myselfl. I guess when I first started collecting stuff again (98/99) I didn't think I'd be doing it forever either, but now I don't know. I've always been a bit of a "collector" throughout my life (sports cards, comic books, action figures, etc.), so a part of me thinks I'll always be collecting something. Although I don't know that I'll always be buying as much as I am now (or if there will even be as much to buy), I think I would always collect a little something here and there. Most likely Star Wars. There is still plenty of holes in my vintage collection if the modern stuff starts to dry up, and so many other avenues to look into as well. I could definitely stand to cut back/slow down a little eventually, but I guess I actually enjoy the "collecting" part as well. I think I'll probably collect Star Wars in some capacity for many years to come, as well as dabbling in comics and maybe comics-related figures here and there too. Like I said, I could definitely see myself slowing down considerably...but probably collecting at least something from time to time. Nerd for life I guess ;).
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I don't think I'll be doing this past 30. Seriously.
Yeah, me neither. :-X
Seriously though, I've been doing this almost non-stop for about 27 years now (with only a 3 year hiatus while I was living overseas). Yeah, even during most of the dark years during the late 80's/early 90's. I don't see myself ever throwing in the towel, to be honest. Though my wife may likely disagree with that in the not-so-distant future. :-\
But hearing now about the future SW projects on tap, and the increasing seriousness behind Hasbro's comments about playing their SW license out for it's entire duration, I've started contemplating this issue more of late. I just don't think I'll ever stop. I'm far too compulsive in nature to do that, I think. Perhaps a better question is whether I can alter some of my current collecting habits, and decrease some of the usual sublines or collecting strategies (carded & loose) that I'm currently buying into. 'Cause I don't think know I can't keep up with my current pace from a space or money standpoint for another 13 years. I can only pray that things settle down a little in the years to come, as far as product lines and overall quantity of items goes...
Bottom line: As long as Star Wars keeps going, then so will I. Or until I'm dead and buried. ;)
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This is a very good question and a great idea for a thread, Darth_Anton. :)
At this point, I've been doing a lot of thinking about my collecting habits and what I have in my collection right now as it relates to my future, both financially and emotionally. My first love is and always will be the films, and if all I had was the DVDs of the six films, that would really be all I would need.
I began collecting again as an adult in 1995 not only because it allowed me to own a piece of the films (plastic reproduction of questionable scale or not), but because it made me happy. I've found in recent years that there is very little in life that can give you joy, especially in these troubled times, so it is best that we take what we can get. So many people look for the "big" happiness that they take for granted the small things that bring them joy, even for a single moment.
This has been difficult for me because, despite the new film making me smile and cry (for good), keeping up with the toys I want to buy has been wearing on me because a lot of times it just isn't much fun walking into Wal-Mart or Target and finding nothing that you're looking for for weeks at a time. I've never been a "thrill of the hunt" proponent like a lot of people, and I would be happiest if there was some way that I could just go into Target or WM once a month, walk out with everything I wanted and not have to deal with the hassle.
I have even toyed with the idea of selling the vast majority of my collection (all of which are loose with a few exceptions), because of space, financial concerns, and (most importantly) health concerns. What I keep coming back to and what keeps me from actually doing it is why I started collecting again to begin with: every single piece in my collection* makes me smile or brings me happiness and if it doesn't, I have no need for it. Most of my favorite pieces are things that have very little if any monetary value, but they have immense sentimental value. That's why I can't give it up, and despite my constant (and redundant and ad nauseum) complaining about Hasbro, why I want to keep going. Because in a world where there is very little joy, it's nice to have something that lets you smile for just a few minutes.
So, umm, yeah, I'll keep collecting what I want until I can't afford to buy anymore or until it stops being fun at all. Age will have no bearing on this at all.
*Okay, so the Jar Jar with Gungan Assault Cannon and Darth Maul with Sith Attack Speeder make me wince and wonder why I even have them in the first place, but everything else makes me happy. :)
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Dr.Padawan put it nicely, I have always seen collecting as a way to make me happy, even if sometimes it winds up making me happy only for a little bit. I was myself, thinking along similar lines to this thread earlier today when I thought to myself what am I going to do with my collection when I get to an older age. I didn't have any other answer but to keep them, because they are what I enjoy. As far as collecting goes, I see myself slowing down a bit more once Hasbro gets into the mode of re-issuing previous sculpts on a more regular basis. This will make the hunt for newer figures more fun for me, as I do enjoy the thrill of the hunt still. Even if Hasbro were to significantly drop the number of new items that I would be interested in per year, there's still a lot of vintage I want to pick up to fill the gaps there. So as long as there is something that interests me, and so long I'm financially able to do so, I will continue to collect, because in the end, that's what I do.
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I don't think I'll be doing this past 30. Seriously.
What's wrong with being past 30? ;)
Nothing.
I just can't see myself doing it. That will probably change, since I have six more years till I hit that landmark.
I was going to leave after the ROTS lineup finished, but seeing the Evolutions packs and the EB set made me want to stick around to see what's next, especially if everything is up to VOTC and ROTS' standards.
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Hope I die before that becomes an issue. :P
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Till the cows come home baby! Or untill I have a better thing to spend my money on, especialy latley, like the lady. 8) But as I told her, it's always gonna be a part of me.
Kevin
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As long as Hasbro or some other company keeps making figures. I'll never stop.
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I don't think I'll be doing this past 30. Seriously.
Uh, yeah, so anyway :P
I didn't start collecting star wars until I was 31 :-*
I have no idea how long I'll keep going, depends on the mood. I've thought about quitting lots of times but wanted to hang on through one more movie. I constantly think about moving more towards higher end stuff and I've made that shift a bit by starting in on MR and GG stuff. The little stuff is fun, but there's a lot of crap there too. I think I'll hit a pretty good bellweather moment when I move in the fall/winter and have to unpack everything after that. I might end up dumping a lot of stuff, or I might not. I sure wouldn't mind having one of those MR helmets though :o If I sold off most of my modern 3.75" stuff I could probably afford one :P
No intention of stopping really. I'm eligible for early retirement in 2019, Hasbro has the license until 2018. You figure it out.
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I don't see myself collecting Star Wars past 30. I've been doing it since I was 15.
Now, carded vintage GI Joes, MOTU, and boxed Transformers, that's a different story.
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I started with vintage in the late 80's/early 90's... I'm in this for the long-haul. If the line goes till I'm 60 or if I go before, then that's the way it is... or till I'm 70, or 80, or 90...
If they changed scale though, I'd likely quit. I wouldn't support a wholely different toy line I think... Or if the line was completely "animated" style figures (just throwing out obscure hypotheticals), I'd hang it up.
If another company took over the license just after it reached its maturity with Hasbro, and said company made 3.75" realstic sculpted figures, I'd probably just move over to that company's stuff... Unless it was utter crap.
I've never really had a problem finding women who can "stand" the hobby at the very least... So that's not really an issue. Financially, it'd take something pretty bad for me to make me quit... I'm in it for a the future as I see it.
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Common sense in my life, as it is right now, is screaming for me to quit. I've been full-speed with Star Wars since the modern line launched. And I'm 30. Dammit.
It takes up lots of space, adds lots of mileage to my car, causes me stress finding new items, often made me late for work, delivers knockout blows to relationships, and gets expensive as all hell.
If those aren't not enough reasons to quit now...
Problem is, I really do enjoy the figures. I love the posters, busts, and assorted other distractions. There's an enormous sense of satisfaction that I get from cracking open a new card, looking a brand new figure over, and having it sit on the desk for a while. I honestly enjoy the end result of the hobby. I can't see giving that up.
Plus, what the hell would I do with my time if I wasn't pissed off at Hasbro, TRU, Target, scalpers, and Hot Wheels *******?
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I will probably never stop entirely. It is something that will probably always interest me in some way. To be honest after this year it will undoubtedly diminish. I just can't spend the money like I would like to on it. I am hoping someday to get a room in the house to make a halfway decent display though.
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If past experience has been any indication, I won't stop at all. :'( That's not bad, its just bad on my wallet. I did think I was gonna forgo ROTS, and for the most part I have - only $200 or so spent so far! It helps not being a completist.
I'm sure I'll keep picking up figures here and there even if the whole line drops in popularity. My interest will last only as long as my love of the movies; however, so that seems like that will keep going for a long time. I don't see myself giving it up completely.