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Post by mazfan on Sept 8, 2007 5:52:34 GMT -5
I am part of an open studios this weekend and I had to clear out my space (I don't want strangers handling my collection). And so, I had to empty my SOC Ikea glass cases amd move my precious robots to another room. Know what I realized after emptying them out of the case and placing them on the floor? I HAVE WAY TOO MANY! Really, it almost covered one part of the floor. On one hand, it looked impressive. On the other, it looked like an apartment of an old lady that has way too many cats (the kind that animal police would take notice). When does it stop and what is too much? I've been collecting for 7 years now... I hate to imagine the amount in 14 years. Bandai seems to be releasing them more and more each year. The collection's "preciousness" seem to be dissipating.
Another thing... I had this perverse idea of selling my collection and getting rid of my student loans while emptying out the cases yesterday. It's crazy but what would make more sense? Be debt free or have a place like the guy from the 40 Year Old Virgin? That vision just reeks of being obsessive and not having a life! Thank god I am married!!!
These are serious personal questions. I absolutely love my SOC collection but I seriously have to curtail the amount. I tend to want to get them all because I am a "completist" by nature. Okay, I have been good and skipped 3 of them (but I got two non-SOC's the Optimus Prime's). But you know the feeling... When you stop or slow down the SOC hunt you tend to lose a little interest. But when you are on a search, you sort of get this high. The sad part is that once you get it, the high seems to lessen and you are off to the next one. I know, I know, this is part of the charm and that's why we collect them.
It's healthy to have a habbit. And god knows how much my SOC collection decreases my stress level. I just become instantly happy when I see them, even the boxes. And so, in a lot of ways, they are worth the $6,000 that I and my spouse have spent of them. Okay, I am rambling... It's dawn and I am up writing on this board. I just saw "3:10 to Yuma" and I was having some weird Western dreams that woke me up (watch the movie it's great). Gotta go back to bed. It's the weekend for god sakes!!!
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Post by mannix143 on Sept 8, 2007 6:08:03 GMT -5
i hear you bro, same thing is running through my mind. to think i am only collecting about 2yrs now. i cant imagine the 7yrs you have... i might rent another apartment after 7yrs just for my collection lolz! im still thinking of stopping... but browsing thru ebay, the first few searches i do is to look for an SOC or a vintage one
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Post by borg001 on Sept 8, 2007 6:27:30 GMT -5
obsession..... Every collectors ( not only toys collectors) have this problem, the collections grow over the years and end up too many.... I read a new paper article about is guy who collect plastic models, count by thousands, so many that he had to rent a house just to keep his collections..... I started buying Diecast robot about 2 yrs ago and have space problem in my display cabinet.....
I think the only solution is to sell those collections the you don't really like, by doing so, you can have ready cash and more space to get more toy that you like.... and this will go on and on and on....
My toysgive me great joy when I look at them, It like a distress to me.... so won't give up my collection any time soon.....
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Post by markusg on Sept 8, 2007 9:33:46 GMT -5
I have the same problem. My solution is now buying only small robots, preferably 4-5" 1970-80s popy etc. Expensive, yes, but I have room for more of them, and the satisfaction is just as great as buing a SOC.
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Post by Chen on Sept 8, 2007 9:39:01 GMT -5
It's all about balance and perspective, you could have a hundred pieces or a thousand and neither would look cluttered if you have the space for either one. Plus you also have to be realistic and stay away from impulse buys, think things through and make smart choices when purchasing because this hobby can makeyou very poor very quickly.
But the main thing is to balance out your hobby with work and a social life, having any one of three be the main focus is unhealthy.
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Post by btoyz on Sept 8, 2007 10:17:19 GMT -5
if you are not a completist, streamline. no pressure on getting bots you dont like or you dont know.
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Post by jwm on Sept 8, 2007 11:00:48 GMT -5
There is a sort of "dope cycle" that goes along with collecting: Boredom (nothing new on the shelf) Identification (I need a fix) Desire (I hadn't noticed before, but that GX??? is way cooler than I thought) Decision (Should I get it? Well, DUH!! Click *Buy it now*) Anticipation (allow 2-3 weeks for delivery) Consumation (IT'S HERE!) Boredom (nothing new on the shelf) I've noticed that the real rush lies in the decision / anticipation phases. Once you get the fix (consumation) the fun is pretty much over. And to continue the dope analogy, I find that the less stuff that I get, the better the rush from each individual purchase. The more you do it the less you enjoy it. It's like there is only so much fun to be had. You can concentrate it all into one or two big purchases, or spread it out thinner and thinner with a lot of buys. There's nothing sinister or destructive about it so long as you recognize what you are doing. If you get to the point where you are trying to fill a hole in yourself by buying toys then you may want to give some serious thought about where true happiness comes from, and how to go about finding it. Finally: DON'T SELL YOUR STUFF! Pack it up and store it. Let it sit for years if you have to. The rush of buying new stuff is a drop in the bucket compared to unpacking a collection that you haven't seen in twenty years or so.JWM
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Post by xiombarg on Sept 8, 2007 11:26:55 GMT -5
Here's my solution. Be selective. Really the best thing you can do both financially and to conserve space is to let go of the completist mindset (which is tough, I know..). Do NOT decide to buy something as soon as it gets announced. Sit on it for a bit before you make the decision to buy.
The deciding factor for me to sell is whether my collection is starting to just look like a bunch of stuff all piled together. If it does, I start to think about selling. I want my collection to look like a well displayed and organized collection, not a just a huge accumulation of robots.
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Post by megatroptimus on Sept 8, 2007 14:29:50 GMT -5
Too much SOC? The line only has 38 figures plus a few variations... that's not what I call a lot. Look at Transformers. Just the movie line is at 50+ unique molds right now... Myself, I only collect transforming SOC.
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Post by mazfan on Sept 8, 2007 16:39:23 GMT -5
Thanks for all the feedback you guys. I'll take a suggestion and box/not display some of my SOC's. I want to be able to rediscover them or even miss them.
Know what? I shouldn't really complain about the price. We just got back from Italy and spent more there in 3 weeks than my whole SOC collection.
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Post by Chen on Sept 9, 2007 9:42:39 GMT -5
Too much SOC? The line only has 38 figures plus a few variations... that's not what I call a lot. Look at Transformers. Just the movie line is at 50+ unique molds right now... Myself, I only collect transforming SOC. Well if you count every "GX" release there is over 70 individual released items, plus some collectors buy multiples of the larger combiner robots so this series alone can be a real space eater if your a completist or have a fovorite. Plus like most I collect multiple lines so your collection can get very large very quickly.
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Post by hellric on Sept 9, 2007 13:19:35 GMT -5
I agree with Xiombarg and Jwm : be more selective and hide the SOC you like the less. If after a few months you don't miss them, sell them. Before buying, ask yourself : "Is it really that cool, cooler than those I already own ?"
Well that's what I'm trying to do myself.
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Post by mpchi on Sept 9, 2007 19:33:46 GMT -5
I agree with Xiombarg and Jwm : be more selective and hide the SOC you like the less. If after a few months you don't miss them, sell them. Before buying, ask yourself : "Is it really that cool, cooler than those I already own ?" Well that's what I'm trying to do myself. Thats a good strategy that I use often, though not to the point of selling some off. But almost always, I can tell myself that I love all the stuff I bought, with very few regretful purchases. Even if they are, they are usually cheap toys that take up space. Expensive stuff I always think twice. Or preorder at place like HLJ that I always have a time frame to cancel my order in case I change my mind on an impulsive purchase. Especially if your collection is just SOC, you are in much better shape than a lot of us LOL. ;D
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Post by zephyranthes on Sept 9, 2007 23:14:36 GMT -5
For most of us, the facts of life are limited time, limited space, and limited finances. I have only so much time to spend acquiring and looking at my stuff, only so much space to store my collection, and only so much $ to spend on collectibles given all the other myriad expenses--like mortgage, insurance, retirement, etc, etc. I agree that sometimes if you hold out long enough, you can lose interest in some things and the impulse to buy wears off. It's also nice to rediscover things that you've packed away. I keep thinking about selling some of my stuff, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. Glad I'm not so cash-strapped that I need to. Like the rest of you, I do get a kick at just looking at my collection. Feels good. That's a big reason why we buy, right?
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Post by gpa on Sept 10, 2007 1:28:13 GMT -5
I'm just starting getting into Gokin figures after years of collecting anime PVC figures and garage kits. My reasons for this are A) let's face it, anime PVC don't make a great first impression on some people and B) They are more expensive, hence I can buy less of them and my room stays bigger longer. Also, robots look far more impressive as well. I have a pretty decent amount of shelf space in my room, though I am worried about storing the figures high up in case of an earthquake or just a clumsy friend. However, I am quickly discovering that this hobby might be more than I bargained for- I already have 3 pieces in my collection! I doubt I can continue buying at this pace, and it's looking like I already need to take some of the steps you guys have mentioned.
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Post by zetaking on Sept 10, 2007 12:18:38 GMT -5
i have garage kits, chogokins, rc and I have devoted room for it... But now I have filled that closet and also the shower with them... Yes it makes sense to streamline.....
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Post by lurkerx on Sept 10, 2007 12:27:19 GMT -5
1 - 5 pieces of SOC releases per year isn't excessive. You should be okay for quantity and finances if you do not deviate from your strategy of just sticking with SOCs I could only wish I had your disipline. some 40 pieces to a collection isn't a lot. Even if the SOCs reach reach a release of a 100 It'd still be a good sized collection. Its when you get in to the few hundreds or thousand pieces to a collection where it may require some re-evaluating and more selectiveness. As in my case That's why I'm currently re-evaluating my collection and will sell the pieces that don't make the "cut" soon
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Post by lawlacan on Sept 12, 2007 11:23:53 GMT -5
Don't SELL it! That is my advice to you. Keep it/store it/hide it but don't sell it. You will just regret it if you do. Or sell stuff that is of little or no significane to you-those toys that you bought "just because."
I had the same concern as you. I was so tempted to sell some stuff when I moved to my new place. Because of the mortgage and the lack of space. But really, I can not fathom selling it because you bought it for a reason-and that is you like/love it. I am not a completist by any means. The last SOC that I bought was Gunbuster-yeah I said that after Voltes I wouldn't buy anymore SOC but Gunbusters looks totally moved me. The suceeding releases I couldn't care less. Mind you I oredered the Mazinger head and the plider but that is because it is special to me..it is part of my childhood. Recently because of other responsibilities my interest in SOC and other stuff had waned, but I know that someday it will all come back to me. Everything thing has its own time and place. In fact I am thinking of keeping all of my collection for storage since I wanted my apartment to look more like a regular apartment without seeing any toy. Buy only the toys that you really like.
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Post by xiombarg on Sept 12, 2007 14:22:31 GMT -5
I thought I might have to sell some of my robots in order to pay for my marriage, which turned out to not be the case (thank the Buddha). If my marriage would have put me in debt I probably would have sold some robots first. But I agree with you guys for the most part that if you don't have to sell then don't do it.
I think the whole issue of excessive collecting depends on whether you really only collect SOC or if you primarily collect SOC along with whatever else comes your way, because most collectors don't just collect one thing or one line of figures. I know I do a lot of taste testing. I have my collecting preferences of course, but then I'll also pick up any figure that seems to have something new and cool to offer, and this often includes action figures and vintage. When you add it all up it can turn into a lot of figures per year. For example 2005 was a prolific year for me and I'll bet I bought somewhere between twenty and thirty figures. That's a lot of boxes to be storing away. This year I've probably bought somewhere around maybe six figures including smaller purchases like action figure type stuff, but it still adds up to stuff and boxes.
I think selling is a good idea if you have figures you don't treasure or appreciate, and this includes good memories that might be attached to something. If it's just a figure sitting in a box and you don't care about it, I say sell it.
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Post by mazfan on Sept 12, 2007 20:12:27 GMT -5
I took your advice you guys. I've boxed about 75% of my SOC's and displayed the rest. My cases look so spacious right now. They look like a museum collection instead of a cluttered mess. I now don't have the urge for the sake of Getting another SOC. I will also be more selective and I will stick to just SOC's. I know that I will be thrilled to reopen and rediscover my boxed SOC's in the future. It will also be fun to just rotate my collection. Thanks my fellow SOC bros!
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