ever get the urge to quit?

[MrDizzle]

I started w/ Legends in it's glory days. Hell, i've been collecting Toy Biz since the Xmen line of the 90s. I LOVED Legends and got all the SMC, HC & FFC that I could back when toy biz was in control. When I saw Hasbro was taking over, I just threw my hands up and sold everything. Then around....oh I don't know, '08 or '09, I started over and REALLY got into it. Now my collection is ridiculously massive but there are so many other lines out right now that I'm honestly enjoying more, namely MOTUC. I re-arranged my detolfs yesterday and MOTUC went from taking up 5 squares to 2 full detolfs w/ likely more space needed in the coming 12 months. Plus factor in things like Masterpiece Transformers, Sota SF2, Turtles Classics......Legends is just falling behind. I don't know that I want to sell EVERYTHING but I just don't have the interest I once did. How does one fix this? I think missing the Xforce set really struck a nerve.

[Dragon66]

I definitely understand where you are coming from. At one time I was collecting ML, MU, DCUC, DCIH, JLU, and various movie waves from Hasbro and Mattel. But I started to loose interest in some of those lines based on the difficulty of getting new product, constant repaints for ever incresaing costs, sub services to keep lines going, and the nu52. So I scaled back to only ML and other 6-inch Marvel figures. I also stopped being a completist and that in itself was very liberating. Luckily, I was able to recoup most of my original costs when I sold my various other collections. I say go with your heart and collect what you want to, without feeling like you have to keep collecting a line just because you do it out of habit instead of for the fun of it. Collecting toys is supposed to be more fun than stressful, yet we seem to stress out over the thought of missing out the newest stuff. Hope this helps.

[MikeC123]

Yeah I feel you. for some reason ML was always #1 Priority, but lately I dont even jump at the late and little crums Hasbro throws at us. I mean Come on the Return was exciting, But come on 2 waves in February and another wait until September, Damn thats 7 whole Months?? Sorry Hasbro but it fills like another lack luster return. The excitement died down and the the Next Wave was lackluster( a bunch of Repaints??) No BaF, at $15-$20 bucks? Way to shoot yourself in the foot while the Iron is Hot. And the one Hulk, Hawkeye and Ultimate spider Man does not Justify those movie lines. I am more intrested on working on my WWE customs and figures right now I haven't even got the Wave 3 Yet..Lol, and thats because I have the funds.

[damprime]

Hold tight and just get rid of any extras of the same figure and characters that you really dont care for. I'm like you and collect a lot of different lines including some from my childhood that I missed back in the 80s. Like I finished up my C.O.P.S. collection from then and are 2 figs. and 2 vehicles from completing Silverhawks. As far as Marvel goes I've been selling off the 90s' figs as they come out in ML form to free up space. Almost all of my old FF except for the Inhumans, Gen X, 2099, Xforce etc. You get where I'm going. I'm not a completest as far as Mls are concerned. For instance I have only three of all the Spidermen and the Green Goblin. I dont really care for the way the rest pf his villains turned out. Really waiting for another Black Cat. The FF is probably the most complete out of any of the characters because of their uniform changes that I happen to like followed by IM's armors. I feel your pain though since their return I've fallen behind on my transformers. Especially the MP going back as far as the TRU Grimlock and Hot Rod. Just try and rationalize what can stay and what can go. It'll help alot.

[ACON]

Yeah, I understand. I did that with my WWE figures. Now, I strictly only collect shawn michaels figs from WWE. I was all about the jakks classics. After that line was started up with mattel, and I just lost my interest with them. Not to say that the mattel versions are bad. Just didnt feel like starting all over again. They are also a different scale than jakks.

 

I started collecting Marvel legends in 2006. I can honestly say that i'll probably never get bored with collecting them. I think that since toybiz went out of business, hasbro is trying hard to give us what we want. I think its just going to take time for them to get there feet set. The scales are a bit similar to toybiz. so it not like you're starting all over again. As long as we get different characters or different version of the characters that toybiz did. I dont think i'll be bored with this line anytime soon.

 

 

[Devilbat]

MrDizzle, from the standpoint of being a toy collector in general myself, I strongly advise you to reconsider selling anything. I'm speaking from personal experience here...I've sold several collections over the years. Sometimes it's simply been due to the fact that I was bored with a given line, then other times I've sold things to be able to afford other things. Nine times out of ten I've always regretted it though. I've always come back to the realization that I've bought things for a reason. It either appealed to me because there was something about it that either spoke to me and I just thought it was cool, or it brought me feelings of nostalgia if it was something I either previously owned or was a reproduction or resembled something I'd owned in the past.

 

From the perspective of being a Marvel collector, I'm not so sure my opinion would be very valid. I'm new to the Marvel Legends/Universe/Select collecting game. I just started in earnest back in the spring after flirting with the notion for years and buying a figure here and a figure there. It's still new and exciting to me, but I can understand guys like you that have been in the Marvel game for decades and are experiencing burn-out.

 

Having said that though, I also want to reiterate what Dragon said: my Marvel collecting has been very fluid and unstructured...there's not been any goal set for what I want and no mission statement like we as collectors tend to do when we get turned-on to a given line. Like I said, I'm relatively new to collecting Marvel figures. Now I've had superhero toys since I was four or five, pehaps younger even. And over the years I'd sporadically buy a figure or two here and there. But I really started devoting real time and money to Marvel figures back last spring. I hadn't bought many Marvel comics in recent years. I used to be alot more serious, but for some reason or another, I just got away from it. But I was very impressed with the Iron Man movies, which allowed me to truly appreciate the concept behind the character. That, in turn led me to seek out Captain America: The First Avenger, Thor, and Hulk respectively (although I had seen the first Hulk film before), so naturally I was suddenly intrigued with these characters, and of course, The Avengers. It just snow-balled from there. Turns out I love Captain America and can't get enough of the character, and The Avengers may very well turn out to be my favorite movie of all time, and that's saying something since I'm a huge movie nut. And all of this of course has led me to seek out anything Avengers-related, then a few select Marvel characters simply by pure association that I've always thought were cool, like The X-Men, Daredevil, and Spider-Man.

 

I gues what I'm trying to say is, I've just been collecting stuff as it comes along and enjoying myself. I didn't decide one day that, "Hey...I'm gonna start collecting Marvel figures, and I'm gonna own the ultimate collection. Where can I find the most comprehensive checklist out there?" I just decided I liked the Avengers in general, then I looked at everything was out there, and what appealed to me personally. And I've not necessarily hunted high and low for stuff. I mean, I'll look for stuff, but I won't really go out of my way, and my collecting has been so much more enjoyable when I've come to the realization that I'll live if I don't find certain figures. For example, I want the new Marvel Legends modern Thor, but every time I've found him, the paint's been sloppy, so I've passed. I want it bad, but I don't have one, and that's okay. I want the Face-Off Cap. Will I own one? Maybe, maybe not. It's okay if I don't. I'm just taking things as they come, literally, and I'm enjoying the hobby so much more these days for it.

 

It's like the other day...I stumbled upon the Marvel Universe three-pack that has the Red Hulk, Iron Man, and Thor. I had no idea this set was coming out, but I've been wanting that particular Hulk sculpt really really bad, and I just find the Red Hulk interesting. I don't why he's red (lol), but he's cool-looking. Incidentally, I'm finding myself loving the character after so many years of dismissing it as a one-note character full of rage and not much else. I'm learning that's not the case, and the more I learn about him, the more I love the concept behind it. Anyway...I didn't necessarily care that this set also comes with an Iron Man figure I already have, and a repaint of a relatively common, over-used Thor sculpt. It's three of the Avengers!! It's just cool to me, so I put it in lay-away with a second set and a 6-inch movie Loki. My point is that yeah...I'm out there looking for Avengers-related stuff, but I'm not killing myself or breaking the bank, trying to get my hands on every single thing, just what I happen to find and/or think is cool. That's the key to enjoying our hobby I think...decide what you want, get it, and if you can't, it's alright. The sun will still come up tomorrow, and you can simply enjoy what you do have.

[SPCollector]

Yeah I feel where you are coming from. I had a pretty significant MU collection that I sold off but then got into legends, the Toy Biz ones. They really catch my interest. Lately though my focus has shifted into the original secret wars line from the 80s and the Marvel Super Heroes line from the 90s. Now these figures are easily some of my favorites. I say go for whatever your current passion is

[JayC]

I collected Marvel Legends from Day 1 but when MU came out I made the switch to the smaller scale, mainly because they take up less space. These days I collect many different lines but there is no one line I feel a need to pick up every figure from. I pick up the ones I like. As for selling, unless you really need the money, I never really got the point of selling a collection. Did you spend all that time collecting a line just to sell it off? I don't collect ML that much any more but I still have all the ones I did collect, same with the 90's TB line and the Secret Wars ones before that. Its cool to just sometimes go and look back at the old lines.

[fadersdream]

I collected Marvel Legends from Day 1 but when MU came out I made the switch to the smaller scale, mainly because they take up less space. These days I collect many different lines but there is no one line I feel a need to pick up every figure from. I pick up the ones I like. As for selling, unless you really need the money, I never really got the point of selling a collection. Did you spend all that time collecting a line just to sell it off? I don't collect ML that much any more but I still have all the ones I did collect, same with the 90's TB line and the Secret Wars ones before that. Its cool to just sometimes go and look back at the old lines.

I still get ML, and I agree with you, I don't understand buying just to sell... but I see that in a lot of collectors. Especially in comic shops. They view it as part of collecting, getting them all them moving on to something else. Some people do it because they like the thrill of collecting, others do it as speculators.

I have more sympathy for the 'thrill of the hunt' guys, but either way they don't seem like real fans, and I always here regret from them when they talk about a figure they had and sold.

[damprime]

If nobody sold their collection how would we collect? Older stuff would be almost impossible to find because nobody's selling it. Think of where do you get your stuff that's no longer sold. Retail doesn't keep 5 or 20 year old stuff in stock unless someone is real lazy. lol. Besides people do run out of space and why not sell them if it helps generate income that's needed at the time or fund further collecting. A friend sold me a tub of misc. TFs a few years back for $200 an told me to just put what I didn't want or need on ebay. At the time I had never used ebay an didn't know the value of what I had. Needless to say I listed the leftovers all auction style and made about $2000 in a little over a month. I got a good start on my MLs collection and paid some bills from it.

[ShipwreckJr]

i'm on the fence as well.

 

i used to collect almost everything. (transformers, GI Joe, marvel, star wars... pretty much anything hasbro. not just because of the brand, but because they happen to have the license for all my favorite properties. and yes i have older toybiz stuff as well.)

 

anyway, i got married and had kids. slowed WAYYYY down on collecting. almost gave up all together on tranformers. GI Joe is also rare since they put 25th/classics on infinite haitus. one in a while i will pick up a nice star wars vintage (recent ROTJ lukes have been great and i really want some starkillers!)

but he only constant has been MARVEL.

i will by pretty much anything avengers related. be it MU, Legends, and if funds allowed, i would get all the Hot Toys 12" figures but i know my wife would kill me in my sleep lol

 

so yeah i have pretty much dwindled my collecting down to Marvel only. and even tat i am really debating with myself on what SCALE to collect. i mean come on, we got 3.75", 6", 7-8" (select), hot toys... i like the fact HT is actually for collectors, not viewed as "toys". so there is that, but the price is just guuhhhhh... not practical. i like detail of 6" Legends but size and scarce availability and limited characters is a bummer. MU is great but sometimes just seem cheap/crappy due to size.

 

so i am stuck between what scale. i need to make a choice though, and sell off whatever scale i dont stick with. i am already letting my HT Iron Man Mk III go. its in the trade section here. i guess i am giving up on that scale (unless somebody tradesme a Mk VI for it and i get war machine as well? then i will get the rest of the avengers and i will be scared to sleep lol)

 

sooooo really i have no idea. i have tons of prequel star wars stuff i want to get rid of for sure. also have sideshow 12" star wars i might let go.

 

also considering the sale of my ENTIRE LOT of 25th joes. seriously its like 250+ figures from 2006 and up. not even sure what that would go for. $500 for all of them? only like a dozen are on card. i love displaying. all are complete though. i have OCD about losing parts. NEVER happens.

 

anyway... doesnt help i just got a project car. really, REALLY need to cut back on collecting if i am going to dump money into another drift car. bleh. boys and their toys... never enough money.

 

[fadersdream]

If nobody sold their collection how would we collect? Older stuff would be almost impossible to find because nobody's selling it. Think of where do you get your stuff that's no longer sold. Retail doesn't keep 5 or 20 year old stuff in stock unless someone is real lazy. lol. Besides people do run out of space and why not sell them if it helps generate income that's needed at the time or fund further collecting. A friend sold me a tub of misc. TFs a few years back for $200 an told me to just put what I didn't want or need on ebay. At the time I had never used ebay an didn't know the value of what I had. Needless to say I listed the leftovers all auction style and made about $2000 in a little over a month. I got a good start on my MLs collection and paid some bills from it.

As for me I collected mine when they were new, on shelves in stores...

...as God intended.

.

I understand the mindset, I don't favor it. But I do understand it.

.

See it from my side as well though, I've had many, many, many late-to-the-game collectors demand that I sell them bits of my collection. They become inspired by their newfound passion, they feel they will love that figure more than me, and that I am not a part of the natural cycle of Buy-then-move-on, I've been called a hoarder for it many times. I have been pressured, bullied, begged and condescended for not being willing to "share".

I'm not against anyone elses choices, I'm also not swayed.

[damprime]

If nobody sold their collection how would we collect? Older stuff would be almost impossible to find because nobody's selling it. Think of where do you get your stuff that's no longer sold. Retail doesn't keep 5 or 20 year old stuff in stock unless someone is real lazy. lol. Besides people do run out of space and why not sell them if it helps generate income that's needed at the time or fund further collecting. A friend sold me a tub of misc. TFs a few years back for $200 an told me to just put what I didn't want or need on ebay. At the time I had never used ebay an didn't know the value of what I had. Needless to say I listed the leftovers all auction style and made about $2000 in a little over a month. I got a good start on my MLs collection and paid some bills from it.

As for me I collected mine when they were new, on shelves in stores...

...as God intended.

.

I understand the mindset, I don't favor it. But I do understand it.

.

See it from my side as well though, I've had many, many, many late-to-the-game collectors demand that I sell them bits of my collection. They become inspired by their newfound passion, they feel they will love that figure more than me, and that I am not a part of the natural cycle of Buy-then-move-on, I've been called a hoarder for it many times. I have been pressured, bullied, begged and condescended for not being willing to "share".

I'm not against anyone elses choices, I'm also not swayed.

As for I respect your view also. But do not say as God intended. Not everyone has the money right then. Needs have to be met before wants. Shelter, food etc. Collecting is a want or pleasure. Second you do what you want with your collection. Nobody should come down on you for not selling it. It's yours. But do not condemn others for selling theirs. HE gave us the right of choice. God intended us to share also. How would everyone get a figure if every collector hoarded them? You know like buying 2 or 3 cases or 2 or 3 of the same figure. Not that I care how many you buy. Sales keep the line strong. But just making a point. Now enough that's not what this topic is about anyway. They're just action figures we love to collect. For fun!

[MikeC123]

Wow, mister Judgmental over here. I don't think any one intends on selling their said collection going in, but things change tastes, likes, dislikes, company, quality, Space, financial responsibility(family is number 1 for me)and the list goes on and on. Thats every ones right, and the only ones I see buying up every thing and making an investment are small shop owners( Flea Markets) but even that is the risk they are taking. Dude to each his own, If I had to sell my collection to pay for something to better my family or to get out of a tight spot I would, would I like it No but life goes on.

[fadersdream]

Wow, mister Judgmental over here. I don't think any one intends on selling their said collection going in, but things change tastes, likes, dislikes, company, quality, Space, financial responsibility(family is number 1 for me)and the list goes on and on. Thats every ones right, and the only ones I see buying up every thing and making an investment are small shop owners( Flea Markets) but even that is the risk they are taking. Dude to each his own, If I had to sell my collection to pay for something to better my family or to get out of a tight spot I would, would I like it No but life goes on.

That's noble, but would you do it to save a four year from being set on fire?

Or to spare the last forest?

Or to redeem the souls of all mankind?

.

Like I said, I get it. Just see it from the side of those who never sold... too late, nevermind.

 

[MikeC123]

Wow, mister Judgmental over here. I don't think any one intends on selling their said collection going in, but things change tastes, likes, dislikes, company, quality, Space, financial responsibility(family is number 1 for me)and the list goes on and on. Thats every ones right, and the only ones I see buying up every thing and making an investment are small shop owners( Flea Markets) but even that is the risk they are taking. Dude to each his own, If I had to sell my collection to pay for something to better my family or to get out of a tight spot I would, would I like it No but life goes on.

That's noble, but would you do it to save a four year from being set on fire?

Or to spare the last forest?

Or to redeem the souls of all mankind?

.

Like I said, I get it. Just see it from the side of those who never sold... too late, nevermind.

 

Yeah, I already did.....For NEW ORLEANS... Too Soon?, Nevermind.

[CommanderRogers]

um, I really don't understand why people get so upset just because someone doesn't feel the same way they do. I personally hope I am never forced into a situation where I need to sell my collection. One, because I don't want to get rid of anything; and two, because it would be a serious pain in the icicle to even attempt it. Right now, we have the "majority" of my collection in a separate room - not on display mind you. It's too much to display. It fills a room that is 12 x 12 from wall to wall and floor almost to ceiling, plus the walk-in closet which is entirely floor to ceiling. I have just enough room to actually open the door but not enough room to go in anymore. (yes, we have been home shopping for months now and there IS a plan to actually be able to see this crap someday). In addition to all that, our living room is absolutely flush with more toys - these all open for "kids" to play with. Then there's my computer area which has probably at least a thousand more figures and some vehicles. And don't even get me started on the kitchen counter which has been my customization area for a while now. There's at least 20 figures in there in various stages of being "reborn" as something else (generally uglier).

 

But as much as this plastic has pretty much always been a part of our married life (and ALWAYS been a part of our kids' lives) we would never place the value of toys above our kids. Nor would we cut back or stop sponsoring the two children we support in Africa just so we could buy more toys.

Have I felt like stopping? Heck yes. Especially after ther crap that Hasbro pulls with SDCC. I get aggravated and say "Screw it! If they want to screw up the hobby then I've had with them!" but I still don't quit and even if I did, I would still keep what we've got. Perhaps someday I'll actually sell some of the extra junk we've accumulated, but I don't plan on ever selling my collection just because I don't feel like continuing to get more. It's not about completeness anymore. It's about how each one reminds me of when we found it and how excited we were about it. And now it's even about how I have some friend in another state who helped hook me up with something at just cost - even though we've never met face to face.

And frankly, I KNOW I would feel remorse after selling off some or all of my collections. I would miss them. So, unless God calls me to actually go to Africa full time or something, I plan on keeping my junk.

[fadersdream]

If nobody sold their collection how would we collect? Older stuff would be almost impossible to find because nobody's selling it. Think of where do you get your stuff that's no longer sold. Retail doesn't keep 5 or 20 year old stuff in stock unless someone is real lazy. lol. Besides people do run out of space and why not sell them if it helps generate income that's needed at the time or fund further collecting. A friend sold me a tub of misc. TFs a few years back for $200 an told me to just put what I didn't want or need on ebay. At the time I had never used ebay an didn't know the value of what I had. Needless to say I listed the leftovers all auction style and made about $2000 in a little over a month. I got a good start on my MLs collection and paid some bills from it.

As for me I collected mine when they were new, on shelves in stores...

...as God intended.

 

As for I respect your view also. But do not say as God intended.

The God intended line was a joke, guess not as obvious as I thought it was.

[metalsonic655]

Well I got the urge to quit 6 inch collecting many times, but then I realized that there were many great figures I was missing, and that there are many great ones that are coming out now, I almost did quit at one point, but I decided not to yet.

[Ninjak]

I don't get as bored with my figures as much as others do because I and don't just leave them sitting on the shelf. I actually use them for creating comic books.

 

So I'll maintain my collection and keep adding to it as long as I still like making action figure comics, and as long as they keep making new classic characters that I don't have.

[fadersdream]

Been so long since I've seen anything new that I couldn't remember if I HAD quit.

[shokker]

when i was young i got everything i could. big mistake if you ask me because right now i know what i want and how my collection has to be in a few years. i am done with a lot of collections. even sold most of the things i really i had doubles off. i dont need 20 spidermans, supermans, batmans, skywalkers anymore. my love goes to 6" figures. you just get better details out of this scale. even though i must have over 150 star wars figures i would start again if they would be in 6". i am fixed on motuc right now and most of my money goes into those and saint seiya figures. i was only able to get the latest marvel legends wave right now. i read that wave 4 is allready on the way and the running changes for wave 3 havent even arrived yet. toycollecting is getting really expensive and i can understand if a lot drop out of it.

[conan050]

I have to admit, my $$ situation is not great at the moment and have thought about getting out and selling it all!!! Hopefully I won't ever have to come to that though!

[Ninjak]

I'm a lot like Shokker. I sell off a lot of stuff that I don't need. For example I had several different versions of Daredevil in his red costume, and so I picked my favorite two versions, and sold off all the others. Same with Wolverine, Spider-Man, etc. I find there's no reason to have 5 different styles of figures of the same character. And I only buy the characters that I really want from the new stuff when it eventually comes out.

 

For example - I'D REALLY LIKE TO COMPLETE THE WRECKING CREW!

[bradimus]

I actually am just restarting into figure collecting. I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing. I didn't collect the old ML's, except, I have the mohawk Storm since I loved that figure.

 

I'm going to get back into it because of the Wolverine Legends series. I want all of those figures (so I preordered them..) and I'm planning on just going with any X-Men figure released in the ML line that isn't a repaint and a few other characters that I like.