What's your current "collecting state of mind"?

[Butttornado]

I've only been collecting for a year, but I've recently noticed a lot of guys getting "out" of the hobby. Do they need the money ? Are they bored of their collection? I'm really interested to hear the stories of new and old collectors.

For me personally, I started off slow. I stumbled across a punisher comiquette and fell in love. I caved in and paid 550 for it. It's by far the most I've ever spent on a collectible.... Then I bought another one here. Another there. Before I knew it, I was on eBay constantly and I wantd everything that looked cool. I convinced myself and my wife that it was an investment and I could always sell and make my money back.

After about 9 months of hardcore purchasing, I had seen enough. All of a sudden, I would buy pieces and be underwhelmed. It became more and more difficult to impress me. I have had nearly every grail pass through my shelves. I have seen what statues "can" be, and now can't settle for anything subpar.... Which everything seems to be lately. I now sit at about 14 sideshow pieces and 13 bowen and koto's. I have all of a sudden lost the passion to have to own everything. I am extremely happy with my collection and can't imagine selling any of them.
I now just like to see people's pics of new statues. The only thing I am excited for now, is court of the dead.

I'm in a much better place than I have ever been in this hobby. I can appreciate all the statues that come out and not get swept up in the hype. I buy what I love, and that's it. I don't see myself getting out of the hobby and still love it. I feel like just a collector now and no longer and addict.
These forums really are a great way to get the most out of statue collecting. You guys rock!
HOORAY!

 

[Lejuan]

Dolls are getting to a price point that's hard to justify imo, no mater how good they're getting.

 

[HODLr]

I had been looking at collectible sites for years, mostly Sideshow. Last August I just bought one and then that lead to another, and another, and so on. Most of what I was buying was from people not retail so I was paying more, in most cases. I just thought it'd be cool to surround myself with more varied types of art, but I have been slowing down. All of that being said, between my currently owned statues and my p.o.'s, including DD last week, I'm at 38 statues. That is ridiculously excessive.

I am now looking at spending money to store them and their boxes. Nuts. I'm trying to take it slower this year, but right as I do then something pops up, like DD, and I buy it. Above all I see collections that are just too big IMO and look like a mess. It almost looks like hoarding to me and I don't want to do that. Even though I can afford statues, the cost of these things is crazy. Ultimately, it's a fun thing to do, but at some point, enough is enough. The question is, how long until one gets to that point.....if ever.

 

[ambasah]

cool to see different perspectives. I have been at this game longer than most...I am almost embarrased to say how many statues I have if you guys think 38 is excessive. I ran out of space years ago and had been "rotating" my collection, which got tiresome.

I finally began selling some of my collection to make space and secure extra funds. It is a slow process, but I am getting there (lol, I sound like an addict).

 

[Tbolt]

Butttornado, I kind of followed a similar path. While I am still mighty impressed with many of the pieces I get (Harley underwhelmed me), I am having a really hard time justifying the current price points. I don't want to stop, but I need to really be impressed now to want to spend the cash, not just think it looks cool. This time last year I would have ordered Vampi, Doom, Boba Fett, Emma, Batgirl, etc. without thinking. Now, I am waffling on pulling the trigger on any of them.

I think in another year when my current PO's have all shipped, I will be able to really wait for a piece to make me want to splurge on it. I am there already actually.

 

[DarthChrisDK]

I'm slowing down.

SSC isn't what it was when I started collecting in 2011/2012. So now seems like a good time to gear down, and not just go for everything.
XM Studios seem to address this issue, somewhat, but it's difficult to collect from a geographical and financial perspective.

So I'm slowing down, and try to just enjoy what I got. Sure, collecting is something you do. But a collection is something you have. I try and focus on the latter more and more.

 

[Bob Morton]

I am in the mode "sell all my stuff and renew my collection with another focus" mode. I am trying to sell and focus on one line only. I also found that it is all about how you display your statues. Not what statues you have. The best statues suck your enjoyment out f the hobby if you are unable to display properly.

 

[Uncanny Web-Slinger]

Sticking to figures over statues at the moment for space concerns. Avoiding statues for a but after the apocalypse debacle (Waiting months, anticipating, getting a defective product then not being able to get a replacement)

 

[ApeManRyan]

It all comes down to money for sure. Some may lose interest in the hobby due to the prices increasing. I'm sort of in the middle. I still love the hobby but I'm sick of spending so much money on the collectibles. The prices keep hiking. I try to limit what I get for my collection. So the most I should have on order is 15 the most but I usually cancel later down in the months if I know I don't really need the piece. What's still holding me in the hobby is going back and buying some of the older Sideshow pieces along with other collectibles that the prices are fair. At this point Sideshow and Hot Toys figures have increased and it makes me sick I keep spending money for them. I know I'll enjoy it once in hand but I'm at the point where I need money for my future ahead. I rather use the money on other things like my projects. I have also taken up making some custom/kit bash pieces for myself and that has been an awesome experience. It's way cheaper and better to do it yourself than to buy customs in general. Customs are just ridiculous.

 

[ali032373]

I've written many times before, I feel for ppl who got interested in 1/6 in just the last 2-3 yrs. if you really want to get everything you want, you need a serious job. This assuumes other things like paying a car note, rent, fixing the hot water heater, etc.

 

[wolf-brother]

It began with comics in my childhood then I started with SW action figs then on to 12 inch military figs and lastly comic statues in the early 90's. It got to be so much I couldn't put the car in the garage or have a guest use the spare bedroom. I came to my senses in the late 90's. The comics went first then I sold all the action figs and 12" figs. I stayed with the statues because I enjoyed them the most and they were basically all 1/6 at the time and I strickly limited what lines I collected. I basically stuck with Marvel, the X-men, Avengers and of course Conan of which there were only a few.

I got into SS and ARH 1/4 scale statues about 4 years ago (XM has just jumped in) and the space issue they create has really forced me to be very selective. I have one room for my collection which after this years orders will just about be full. I still thoughly enjoy having a nice collection and the pieces I have now I want to keep.

As Conan is my favorite character and the statues I have always wanted the most are scheduled to be made...yes you guessed it Frazetta Destroyer and Indomitable, coupled with the slew of recent Conan pieces that were and will be released this year it will be time to close the door on any more acquisitions and just happily enjoy what I have. The size and prices of the new generation of collectibles has made this an easy decision. I will not clutter up the rest of the house nor pay for storage. I have adopted the mindset of... "if I have no room to display it nicely then it's time to call it Jake."

 

[Pork Chop Express]

With prices nowdays having multiple items on PO just isn't possible, at least for me. This is an expensive hobby. I've been collecting for just over10 years and I still like the hobby a lot, but it's getting to the point where the cost is just to prohibitive. New announcements like ARHs Frazetta line is always exciting and will keep one interested, even SSC new announcements are stil fun to watch, but you can't have it all. As one mentioned previously, being able to display your collection properly is key, otherwise you have a collection of boxes.

I've got one PO with SS, I want one new ARH item, and Weta (who consistently puts out great work) has a couple of large items I want. After that I think I'm done for a while.

Quality control issues and constant delays are not exactly confidence inspiring, add the rising cost and it's almost enough to make one want to stop.

 

[Murderofcrows71]

I started collecting at the beginning of the non military 1:6 figure creation with Sideshows Universal Monsters. After the release of the pricey Toys McCoy Indiana Jones figure I started getting into the kitbashing and customizing 1:6 figures. It's true a big issue is going from a hobby that started with $40.00 figures to $300 figures has put a dark cloud over the fun of collecting. One of the other reasons for me is the fun I had customizing characters the big companies never made. Now 15 years down the road every custom I made has either on schedule to be or has been made by the big companies now. Frankly my original intent was to make a small collection of my favorite 10 or so movie characters. After amassing a much large collection than that, I've decided to get back to where my original intention was and have begun selling my collection. I really can't see any other characters other than Batman comics and maybe an Affleck version when the Bats vs Sups movie comes out or a new improved Indiana Jones that I would pay the rediculous amounts the figures have increased to.

 

[Sweet Rabbit]

The only thing I've done over the years is selling off all the Bowens I had and switched to Sideshow

 

[playa7]

My hoarding.. er' I mean collecting of figures and statues have gone down quite a bit. It has to do with space issues. I don't ever intend of selling any of my statues to make more room either. I have been very picky when it came to PO something, so I have no regrets. Love ever piece!

I think I may have the space for 5-6 more big statues though, so I have to be 110% certain that's the piece I want/need in my collection. As of right now I have only one statue on PO this year and that's the XM Studios Thanos. Easy PO for me considering I already had space reserved for him in the dedicated Thanos section of my house.

 

[Y4NK33 PL4N3T]

Like many here, I was a pack rat as a youth collecting anything from Garbage Pail Kids to Joe's to those 2-3inch all green army figurines which i still don't know what the hell they're called. When I stumbled on sixth scale a few years back I certainly wanted every character I could get my hands on and then some, and made a few poor buys due to being caught up on some hype trains but luckily not too many and those I did, I was able to re-sell and pretty much break even. I've managed to track down a majority of what I consider essential grails which leaves me in a pretty happy place with my collection.

Display space is at a premium, my standards are at an all time high and with retail prices climbing I'm definitely slowing down. Like DarthChris noted, SSC isn't what it used to be when I broke into the statue scene and with a majority of their Iron Man line (my main collecting focus) having qc issues I've skipped most of it. On top of that, there's something about them using slush casting while steadily increasing retail prices that really bothers me and puts me off to buying pieces from other lines I may be interested in.

 

[-COI-]

I've been collecting for a long time. Moderation really is the key. I go hot and cold, and will stop collecting for a year or two at a time, only to come back later with a renewed interest and passion for the hobby. While I collect, I try to remain selective, and when it's time for a break I resist the urge to sell and just pack my stuff away for a while. When I return, I'm always glad I held onto it.

When collecting anything, or when you're a consumer in general, you have to learn to stop from time to time and really appreciate and enjoy what you have; otherwise, it's an endless cycle of buying the next thing to get that rush. Chasing the dragon, so to speak.

 

[FriendlySamurai]

I just started this year. Must... have... more...

 

[cylon]

eventually you will come back around full circle..when it starts to get a little much..and you will keep the pieces that really mean something to you.i used to collect any statues because they were on a larger scale...you'll get over it...and for the first time in long long time now , i enjoy being in my collection room which includes only a couple of statues, and the majority is action figures and smaller scale statues and diorama's from other companies.stick to your heart..don't lose your mind..and never buy to impress.

 

[playa7]

eventually you will come back around full circle..when it starts to get a little much..and you will keep the pieces that really mean something to you.i used to collect any statues because they were on a larger scale...you'll get over it...and for the first time in long long time now , i enjoy being in my collection room which includes only a couple of statues, and the majority is action figures and smaller scale statues and diorama's from other companies.stick to your heart..don't lose your mind..and never buy to impress.

Wise words my friend.