The Packaging Issue...

[Brian]

Resurrecting an old topic/question of mine.  Have any of you changed your stance with packaging, or does it continue to pile up in your rooms, closets, etc.  I've been trying to re-assess things with the large amount of ROTS/Star Wars product coming up in the next few months, and figuring out if I should/could get rid of anything.  I don't keep all packaging, but a fair amount.  I'm primarily a loose collector, but usually end up keeping all cardbacks that are different (without bubbles), and often flatten and keep the vehicle/beast/etc. boxes as well.  I've tried not to let this trickle over into anything else I've picked up from other lines, although I do have most of my Marvel Legends cardbacks.  Like I mentioned before, I'm not really sure why I keep it, but I do.  For example, here are some of the things I have stored away in closets or rubbermaid tubs:

Basic Figure Cardbacks - No bubbles (cut them off with exacto knife), purged the POTF2, Episode I, and POTJ cards for the most part, but kept some samples of each.  I think I have most, if not all, of my Saga, OTC, Clone Wars, and other recent cardbacks.  I haven't thrown anything away from the preview wave figures I've picked up.  I also keep the inserts when applicable.

Galactic Heroes Cardbacks - Not sure why I've kept these, other than I liked the look of the packaging to start with.  I have them all, and just recently got rid of the bubbles.  I do keep the inserts from these as well, for the artwork.

Unleashed - Same here basically, keeping the cardbacks and inserts.  I think these are some of the cardbacks I will always keep, due to the nice artwork on each one.  I had always intended to use the cardbacks as a backdrop behind the individual figures, once I got them set up how I wanted, but that hasn't happened yet.  I'd likely keep these if I kept any.

Ships/Beasts - I have most of these boxes flattened out and stores together in one big bunch in a basement closet.  My wife hates them and would very much see them go to the dumpster.  It might be heading that way, because I never "get them out" to look at them, or do anything else with them.

Most everything else is along the same lines.  If they are different from one another (meaning either the fronts are character/wave specific, or the backs have different "other figures" pictured, I usually end up keeping the cardbacks.  I have thrown out all bubbles from the cards, and keep the inserts.  I keep the vehicle boxes, and figure out a way to flatten them all.  Those seem to take up the most room, and I don't know for sure why I keep them, I guess I think I'll want them someday.  Anyways, does anyone else have this "problem"?  If you collect loose, do you keep the "crap" anyways?

[Ben]

I only keep the basic Star Wars figure cards and inserts. I throw away everything else from this line and any other line I collect.

[Nathan]

Aha! So it's NOT just me!

For orange POTF2, Shadows of the Empire, and some of the green card POTF2, I cut out those photo/bio/stat card things (I've still got a Ziploc of them) and chucked the packing. (I was 10 - 12 at the time.)

Starting somewhere in green POTF2 I got a little more "serious" as a collector and started saving the stuff. I keep the cards and bubbles (though occasionally disassociated from one another), the inserts, the boxes, and the majority of the trays. But I don't necessarily keep all of the tape and twisties and things (who do ya think I am--Colman? ).

I rationalize it by telling myself I may someday want to put the figures back in for storage or moving or .... ?? Mostly it's because I can't bear to part with it, and by now some of the older ones like green POTF2 have acquired a nostalgic value of their own in my eyes.

At one point the Jedi Master points were another factor, but more and more it looks like those will never get used.

Side note: since I can't shake the feeling this whole SW action figure hobby is almost over* I'm toying with the idea of collecting one carded figure from each line (orange, SOTE, Episode I, OTC and so on) for archival purposes. If I was going all the way I'd want a few carded vintage as well, but not on my budget!

In order to have a continuous theme, I figured I'd get one Obi-Wan from every line. Not every Obi-Wan in each line, mind you, but simply one on orange card, one from Saga, etc.

The only snag is that there's no Obi-Wan in the SOTE line. One possibility is to substitute Dash Rendar, since if you squint he looks vaguely like a young Obi-Wan. Still mulling that one over.



*(sure it'll hobble along for a few or several more years, but it's on its way out, and I see this immense ROTS blitz as a "see how much we can milk the collectors before the end" last gasp)

[Jagdohh_Fett]

Of the figures I've opened over the years (mostly from the SAGA line), I've kept the cards, inserts, and still have the boxes from the 2 vehicles I've got. I've always had this habit though and have quite a collection of cards from most other toy lines I've collected.

[Brian]

A new year...starting fresh....has anyone else been giving more thought to any packaging or extra "junk" you've been keeping around?  I come back to this topic a lot, but with the deluge of ROTS stuff last year, it just added to the problem, and I'm thinking about doing something again.  Last time I purged the packaging stuff, I just kept cardbacks that were "different" from each other, which ended up being all of them with the more recent lines (ROTS, Saga, OTC).  The other stuff (POTF2, POTJ, Episode I) has pretty much been junked except for a few here and there.  Now I've got a big rubbermaid (well, 1 1/2 really) full of what amounts to a bunch of cardboard.  My wife asks me why I keep it, and I ask myself the same thing, and I guess I'm not entirely sure.  I do like to be able to go and look at them sometimes, but I'm not sure if it is worth the space that it takes up.  Space is definitely becoming an issue with the actual collection, and I could be utilizing the "cardboard space" better.  Have any of you just junked it all, do you keep specific ones, or do you still keep everything?  I'm trying to decide what to do next, and was curious what some of you have decided over the years.

[JesseVader08]

I've been collecting loose and carded figures and had been keeping the packaging from the loose figures I opened.  Then I said: "Self, you're being a dumbass.  Throw it out.  If you want to look at it, grab your carded figure."

Now obviously, not everyone is as lucky stupid obsessive to have a loose and carded set, but I realized that most cards are just plain boring when there's no figure attached to them.  So to the garbage it goes.

Although, I sure wish I'd been smart enough to cut my Unleashed packaging carefully and kept it.  The art on those cards is amazing -- if they ever release a poster, I'll be buying one.

[Brian]

Although, I sure wish I'd been smart enough to cut my Unleashed packaging carefully and kept it.  The art on those cards is amazing -- if they ever release a poster, I'll be buying one.

Excellent point Jesse, that is one set of cardbacks that I'll definitely be keeping.  I was trying to figure out a way to display them together, because they just look so nice.  I'd like to see a poster form of these too...nice idea.

[Brian]

Has anyone changed their stance on keeping packaging or done any purging lately?  I threw out some more packaging recently, but still have way more than I need.  At this point, I have all the basic figure cardbacks from OTC to present, as well as the ship boxes (flattened) and a few other miscellaneous boxes.  I really am not sure why I'm keeping them, again, and I'm starting to consider throwing more away.  I think I'd like to keep the OTC/TSC, and definitely VOTC/VTSC, cardbacks - but beyond that I'm not sure at this point.  Do I really need the box from Obi-Wan's starfighter?  At this point I have a whole rubbermaid (and space behind it) filled with boxes, and it does seem a bit silly.  I know my wife thinks I'm nuts to keep it .  Do any of you still keep the packaging, or maybe just a sample of each line?  Do you keep the vehicle/misc. packaging?  Obviously if you are a carded collector, you have that, but I don't really collect that way - outside of a carded Han/Chewie set and the VOTC/VTSC figures - so I'm considering whether I really need to keep the cardbacks or not.

[Darth_Anton]

I keep packaging, but I know I shouldn't. I also know that it has to do with the fact that I wanted to keep all my SW boxes back in '78, tried, but lost out to my Parent's who got rid of most of them.

[Morgbug]

I toss all the figure packaging.  Actually, I recycle it all, plastic separated from cardboard.  Anything that came in a box has its box kept though.

[JoshEEE]

I have been feverishly working on my Star Wars room for the last couple of weeks. I was determined to get it done.

I opened hundreds and hundreds of figures, ended up being three 90 gallon recycling bins and probably 20 plastic hefty bags of packaging that I have to store in my garage and send out to the garbage man over the next few weeks.  One of my friends who lives in a condo has a big dumpster, so he took 5 or 10 bags there for me.

The only boxes I saved were Gentle Giant, just in case I ever move.  I also saved Koto and Sideshow, but I think I'll eventually recycle those too.

[DrunkJedi]

For the Muppet line I keep all card backs because each one has info on that Muppet. Other lines I keep one card per wave if it can be used as a checklist. I also keep any cards that have instructions or that are a necessary visual guide on assembling the figure (tech armor Batman for example)

This is the route I go. I keep cardbacks that contain bios (Muppets, TNA Wrestling), checklists (Jakks WWE or Marvel Legends since Canadian carding lacks the bio), or handy visuals/instructions.

I do have some packaging I've kept because it looked cool or for some reason that only made sense at the time.

[Brian]

Just bringing this up again as the closet in our office fills with more boxes.  I tend to just keep the cardbacks from the figures, which isnt' too tough to store, but I have also kept some boxes and flattened them out (from vehicles/etc.).  This year, it seems like so many of the boxed products have nice backdrops in there that can almost be used in display.  However, I don't have the room to display them right now, so in a pile they go.  For example, I used the interior from the box from the Rogue 2 snowspeeder to display it in, and it works pretty well.  I still have the Dagobah X-wing boxed up, but would like to open that up as well, and hopefully use the interior of that.  However, in the closet I have the empty boxes from the Tusken/Bantha BP, the Tantive IV BP, the Ilum BP, and the Imperial Officers set.  I guess I just kept them thinking I might use the backdrop (or in the Officers set, the makeshift table).  Does anyone else do this, or do you just trash these things?  It would probably be better for me to throw the majority of them away, but for some reason I just haven't done that yet.

[AndyG]

I bin all the plastic and the cardboard is shredded and goes into the compost bin.

Very occasionally I have kept a backdrop for photo purposes. Cantina bar and the Sandcrawler backdrop are two that I can think of....

[evenflow]

I used to keep all that stuff. Now i am actually in a bit of a dilemma. I am trying to find a nice display case for the statues and dont know what to do with those boxes. Any advice?