Collection End Game?

[pixletwin]

I have been soul searching the nearer I get to 50 years old and I have realized that once I hit 50 I will pretty much be done with collecting 1:6 figures. Most of the characters I love have been made. I have a hard time imagining myself sustaining the excitement from preorder to placement on my shelves. Beside the odd figure here and there, 50 is feeling like the right time for me to focus on doing things rather than collecting them.

Anyone else in a similar situation?

 

[goatchumby]

Absolutely, I'm in the exact same boat with you. Other than my existing POs, I'm just waiting on these figures/statues:

But then again...ya' never know.

 

[BACON!]

I have been in that situation for years!

 

[Pork Chop Express]

Yes. I'm about the same age and after looking at all of the boxes and the amount of space required my interest is waning, noticeably over the past 2 years. Enough for me to cancel items (that I told myself I wanted) without regret and I really want to travel more.

 

[karamazov80]

Same. I've got most of the characters I want at this point, and as the excitement of the hunt wanes, the excitement of getting anything new does, as well. I picked up the DAM Godfather last week, and as nice as that figure is, there was no real excitement. I inspected it, put it back in the box, and am in no rush to find a spot to display it. Once I get Doc Brown I don't think I'll have anything else on pre-order in the 1/6 department. I ordered the ThreeZero Snake Eyes from BBTS because it is on sale for an insane price, but even there I probably shouldn't. I sold off several thousand dollars' worth of statues and figures earlier this year and haven't regretted it for one second. If I get motivated to spend the time doing so, I suspect I could offload another third of my figure collection and be fine with it.

One question I have is do I eventually go down to zero? Not sure.

 

[ZE_501]

49 and essentially done. I display one figure right now (Classic Spidey) and while I'm kind of interested in what's coming out, no plans to get anything at this point. Money's going to travel and the odd piece of art instead. I've said this before but it was weird -- just as I got everything within striking distance of how I imagined my display would look, I lost interest and simply never looked back.

 

[pixletwin]

I can't imagine unloading my collection. I love what I have.

 

[Otomofan]

Same here. I love what I have. I've made a really conscious effort the last 15 years or so to stop buying crap out of a sense of obligation and only buy stuff I know I really want and will treasure.

In that sense, I don't see myself ever having an "end game." I've only bought what I love instead of trying to complete "lines." Some years I'll only buy a dozen figures all year, and even then it's just $20 Hasbro stuff.

I never see myself quitting...there's always gonna be figures, books, LPs, posters, and t-shirts I want to add to the collection.

 

[MGS_OldBoy57]

I think it’s a good thing to be at the end of collecting, especially if you have everything you wanted. I’m getting close to that now. I still have a handful of 1/6 figures I’d like to have before calling it to an end but I’m not sure if they would be made.

 

[agonistes86]

I love these kind of threads. Even if I don't find myself in the same situation, it gives me new ideas and things to think about regarding my collection habits.

I'm still relatively young at 35, but I have been collecting my whole life, focusing mainly on 1:6 for the past 15 years. I'm still fully happy with this hobby and get a lot of joy out of it, and don't see an end in sight anytime soon. But I do wonder if there will ever be a point where I will simply lose interest.

I don't really make "plans" for my collection that go further than the next 2-3 years. It's essentially what I have on pre-order + customs I'm working on & planning + specific displays I might want to build. Beyond that, I try to enjoy the moment and have fun while doing it.
Despite collecting for so long, my collection has also always remained fairly small, at least compared to most people on here. I'm currently at an all-time high with about 20-25 1:6 and 1:4.

feeling like the right time for me to focus on doing things rather than collecting them.

This is something that's been going through my mind for the last couple of years, and I think it's the main reason I'm loving this hobby so much. As a sidenote, I'm actively focusing on decluttering my life, getting rid of things like CDs, DVDs, books, random crap in boxes, etc. I want to focus on letting go of my attachment to physical objects, and fight the urges of completionism and general collecting/amassing things. And while I still buy these expensive toys, the customizing aspect of it is what gives me the greatest joy.
For me, it's what takes the hobby from "buying a lot of things", to creating new things, dare I say art. It gives me a much greater sense of fulfillment, and at the same time makes me care less about the actual objects. If a figure breaks or deteriorates, I can always fix it, upgrade it, whatever.

In the end, everything is uncertain, but at this point in time, I don't see an "end game" for me.

 

[medicomsucks]

I'm kind of in the same boat as a few others, I have most of the cool stuff I've wanted. Yes some reissues may be better but how much better really?

I'm curious about the reboot of starting lineup figures in a few weeks but dont think I'll be getting those. Part of the fun of collecting those was the chase and trade shows, which I dont do anymore.

Toy collecting is totally different in 2022, you just order and they send it to you, its easier but not quite as rewarding as it used to be.

 

[goatchumby]

Recently, Hot Toys tried to sell us the 1/6 Mark III:

• For the third time (at least)
• For just shy of $500
• With an added countdown to be eligible for the EX

That one kinda' took the F out of FOMO for me. Now I have little concern about missing out going forward.

 

[BACON!]

It is my fantasy to gather the willpower and stop ordering new figures by the end of this year (some of the preorders may take 2+ years to fulfill). I will allow myself to get parted-out pieces and headsculpts, but I will have enough figures and inspiration at that point to just concentrate on creating environments for all the figures I have

 

[ZE_501]

I can't imagine unloading my collection. I love what I have.

For sure -- if it's bringing you entertainment and joy, it makes sense. My attention moved on to other pursuits after around ... 10 years? 10 years of solid fun, no regrets!

 

[potato]

2 ways you can see things in life:

1.It's not over til it's over!

2.Don't dream it's over!

 

[Gipetto0812]

Same. I've got most of the characters I want at this point, and as the excitement of the hunt wanes, the excitement of getting anything new does, as well. I picked up the DAM Godfather last week, and as nice as that figure is, there was no real excitement. I inspected it, put it back in the box, and am in no rush to find a spot to display it. Once I get Doc Brown I don't think I'll have anything else on pre-order in the 1/6 department. I ordered the ThreeZero Snake Eyes from BBTS because it is on sale for an insane price, but even there I probably shouldn't. I sold off several thousand dollars' worth of statues and figures earlier this year and haven't regretted it for one second. If I get motivated to spend the time doing so, I suspect I could offload another third of my figure collection and be fine with it.

One question I have is do I eventually go down to zero? Not sure.

This is where I'm at collecting wise. I've gotten a lot of stuff recently either for a good price or b/c I rewatched something that tugged at "oh I don't have one of those" and then once it arrives I just inspect and put back in the box with very little excitement attached after it's opened. I've only got 2 InArt pieces and then the HT Mark III on PO with other stuff at as "wait and see" situation.

I've got a growing list of items that I'm planning on selling (about 1/3 of the collection currently). I just have to actually start doing it which is a chore in of itself. I'm hoping to offload at a local shop as I don't want to deal with potential eBay scammers

I don't necessarily have all my wants (b/c they simply haven't all been made), but I'm pretty happy with what I do have in terms of what I'm planning on keeping vs selling.

 

[Rondesmo]

This is where I'm at collecting wise. I've gotten a lot of stuff recently either for a good price or b/c I rewatched something that tugged at "oh I don't have one of those" and then once it arrives I just inspect and put back in the box with very little excitement attached after it's opened.

Man you just summarized my last 5 years of collecting…

 

[a-dev]

With how I'm feeling and the general trajectory of my current collecting ethos I expect I will certainly be done by 50 - assuming we even still have the luxury of choice in this particular matter 10 years from now.

I already have way too much stuff. I have to do something about that, get proper display units for what I'm keeping and de-prioritize this hobby to a level it always should have been at. I've done well cutting back the last 8 years or so which has enabled me to save money but even that became an addiction leading to further procrastination on...everything else I should be doing. I may have an issue here

This is where I'm at collecting wise. I've gotten a lot of stuff recently either for a good price or b/c I rewatched something that tugged at "oh I don't have one of those" and then once it arrives I just inspect and put back in the box with very little excitement attached after it's opened. I've only got 2 InArt pieces and then the HT Mark III on PO with other stuff at as "wait and see" situation.

I've got a growing list of items that I'm planning on selling (about 1/3 of the collection currently). I just have to actually start doing it which is a chore in of itself. I'm hoping to offload at a local shop as I don't want to deal with potential eBay scammers

Yeah I'm hoping to to be able to do the same - in particular with all my old undisplayed Hasbro Star Wars and McFarlane figures in the attic. Trying to sell all that individually or even in bulk portions to individuals myself would be a prolonged nightmare that I wish to avoid. All that haggling and people asking if you'll sell one item out of a bulk-set you spent time documenting and listing. If a shop were to take it all off my hands that'd be the easiest - albeit I wouldn't expect to get very much money. Would you?

 

[darth dennis]

I'm a couple of years North of 50 and I still love the things I have but I've started to avoid POs for the most part and just wait for in-stock to see if I REALLY want a figure. Pre-order excitement has gotten the better of me a few times over the years as well as over indulging in lines because something caught my fancy. I've always been primarily Star Wars focused but went all in on Infinity War/Endgame and ended up selling off all of my Marvel HTs earlier this year once the proximity excitement from the movies wore off. I'll still PO just about anything Fett (if you know me, you are saying "well, duh" right now) but otherwise it'll mostly be wait and see. That point was really hit home this past weekend for me when the Sideshow 10% off Labor Day sale had tons of Star Wars HT that I had pre-ordered and received. I could've waited and saved a chunk of change.

 

[karamazov80]

Yeah I'm hoping to to be able to do the same - in particular with all my old undisplayed Hasbro Star Wars and McFarlane figures in the attic. Trying to sell all that individually or even in bulk portions to individuals myself would be a prolonged nightmare that I wish to avoid. All that haggling and people asking if you'll sell one item out of a bulk-set you spent time documenting and listing. If a shop were to take it all off my hands that'd be the easiest - albeit I wouldn't expect to get very much money. Would you?

I've probably got 1,000 Minimates and Medicom Kubricks in storage, and this issue has been a real challenge for me. I don't have the energy to list them on eBay to maximize my return on investment (if you consider buying those things an investment. . .), so instead they just sit in boxes, probably forever. Frankly, the motivation to de-clutter is greater than my motivation to make a few bucks here or there at this point, so I may end up going the route you suggest and just selling them in bulk on eBay and taking a major loss.