Love me for who I am

[Kabukiman]

It's not my collection anymore, it's our collection

 

[MicroJow]

My girlfriend moved out once because she felt my collectibles were too claustrophobic for her. I agreed with her to a point: once you start finding carded Star Wars figures in every closet & cupboard you open, you realize something's gotta give. Back in 2005 I was in Target, picking the new figures off the shelf and saw the number "67" on the side of one of them. And this dead weight hit me... "SIXTY SEVEN?" I thought, "They've made SIXTY SEVEN figures this year? So FAR? What's gonna happen next year? And the year after that?"

So I went home, removed all of this...

and all of this...

And I pulled all of the Episode I, II & III figures out of the closets, organized them, and listed them on eBay the following weekend.

Then I whittled down the Marvel Legends collection, sold off a ton of Lego sets, got rid of the Harry Potter figures and Movie Maniacs, sold all of my duplicate Micronauts & Microman toys, and basically just cleaned house.

I've been at it since 2005 and I'm still far far far from done. Because although I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff, Sideshow continues to produce some really cool toys that I keep adding to my collection.

But my girlfriend is back and she's much happier now. And frankly, so am I. I miss the thrill of the hunt sometimes, but in the long run I still have pretty much everything from my collection that I didn't just go out and buy because I'm a shopaholic lemming. There's still a life-size Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Biker Scout, and Boba Fett in the living room. I'm currently building a life-size remote control R2-D2. All of my non-Star Wars Sideshow resides in my office at work. And thanks to IKEA and Detolf, 75% of my collections are safely housed away and neatly organized behind glass where they don't need dusting as often as they did.

I guess what I'm trying to say with this rant is: sometimes, collecting can turn into a habit as detrimental to your life as smoking crack. And sometimes you need to step back and take a look at what you're doing... and ask if you're doing it out of habit or if you're really enjoying these things you're spending all of your income on. I'm still a toy collector. I'll never stop. But now I stop and think a little before hitting that "purchase" button.

Do I enjoy building an R2-D2 out of aluminum, wood, wires, motors and resin? Hell yes! This project has been a freakin' BLAST.

Did I enjoy buying one of every Star Wars figure that Hasbro released, spending more money on star cases, and putting them away in a dark closet where (face it, guys) they were never going to go up in value any more than their original price? Nope.

Well, this rant has gone on way longer than I intended. Take from it what you will... and let's all look forward to Jabba's arrival this week! Woo hoo!

- J!

 

[Eli26]

My wife doesn't like my Sideshow collection...same goes for my parents. But I really don't care what they say or think. They are entitled to their opinion. But at the end of the day, I buy what I want. Not because my wife or parents dicate what I should purchase with my hard earned money. I have no debt or owe anything on credit cards. I pay all my bills on time.

I used to give a crap awhile back...but I just don't anymore. I can't make anybody happy with what I purchase for myself, so I don't even try...

They say I should be buying "big boy" toys with my money like cars (I already own 2), a boat (what the hell am I gonna do with a boat), a camper (since I like to go camping but it's something I definately don't need), or some other big purchase to save up for. I say "Damn straight, I'm saving for the PF Darth Maul..."

Well said. You can't make everyone happy, but you can make yourself happy. Foremost, that is what is most important. There are things your parents or wife have in their possession that you may not agree with or question why they spent their hard earned cash on that.

I think more people just need to become more accepting and see it from the other person's perspective. If we all bought into the same ideas or things that everyone else does, it would make for a very dull world.

Besides, everyone collects. If you have more than one item that you possess or own, I am sorry to surprise you, but you're a collector. Your parents and wife are collectors. Be it if they collect china ware, glasses, clothes, shoes, video games, CDs, or movies, most people are collectors. We SideShow Freaks just collect a lot of the same thing that aren't as mainstream as the aforementioned.

 

[IrishJedi]

That seems strange considering that she was willing to get all dressed up. Was she a fan or what?!!??

No, she wasn't really a fan. I think she just liked the attention.

Glad your upgrade is compatible though.

Me too. She's even agreed to get a Slave Leia costume... so I struck gold there, too!. :chew

 

[Batty]

I guess what I'm trying to say with this rant is: sometimes, collecting can turn into a habit as detrimental to your life as smoking crack. And sometimes you need to step back and take a look at what you're doing... and ask if you're doing it out of habit or if you're really enjoying these things you're spending all of your income on. I'm still a toy collector. I'll never stop. But now I stop and think a little before hitting that "purchase" button.

Do I enjoy building an R2-D2 out of aluminum, wood, wires, motors and resin? Hell yes! This project has been a freakin' BLAST.

Did I enjoy buying one of every Star Wars figure that Hasbro released, spending more money on star cases, and putting them away in a dark closet where (face it, guys) they were never going to go up in value any more than their original price? Nope.

Well, this rant has gone on way longer than I intended. Take from it what you will... and let's all look forward to Jabba's arrival this week! Woo hoo!


- J!

I was the same way with Hasbro figures. I think it became more about the hunt than anything else. I did have to step back and look at what I was doing. That's why I pretty much only collect SS and a few other companies. I make sure it's stuff I can display and enjoy. The funny thing is, I think my wife was actually disappointed that I decided to stop buying Hasbro figures. I know she enjoyed the hunt too.

MicroJow, you should have another thread about your R2 project. I'd like to see more pics.