Are you a Star Wars collecting forum snob too?

[JediMAC]

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.    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...  

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!  

So are you a forum snob too, or are all Star Wars collectors created equal, regardless of forum participation or not?

[SilverZ]

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.     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...

[paploo]

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

[Vator]

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

[Morgbug]

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.

[Jesse James]

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.  

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.  

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.  

[Brian]

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?  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.

[Mikey D]

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.  

[Ben]

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.

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.

[SPIDERLEGS]

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.

[hansloroll]

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.

[Dengar]

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.  

[Deanpaul]

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...  

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.

[JediMAC]

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!  

BTW, I recognized you from your avatar when we met up here in L.A. a few months ago!  

[Deanpaul]

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!  

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.