Well, I've gradually been losing interest in the toyark over the past few months. It's been a great resource for toy info and I wouldn't change that one bit. My big beef with what's been happening lately is really a derailment in certain threads, primarily with the Let's See Some Cool Stuff thread. This is by far the greatest thread this forum has ever seen. I mean, the cool stuff phenomenon has been going since, what, 2003? 2004? It's a great idea, but I think we need to return to the "roots" of Cool Stuff. When I say derailment, I don't mean in terms of conversation hijacking, but rather in the types of pics posted. By this I primarily mean cool photo effects (both natural and photoshopped) that make toys looks really cool, funny, and the like. It's a thread where special stuff should be posted. I'm talking about the kind of stuff alphie, Syd, tikgnat, (to name a few) and the like post (I'd throw myself in that list if I weren't so modest   ). However, lately I've seen just regular pics, particularly of hauls, ordinary collection shoots, and pics that aren't really special in any way (and should be posted in threads like the hauls thread and such). Basically, I want to see cool stuff in Let's See Some Cool Stuff, rather than... well... ordinry and sometimes lame pics. I think this needs to be done in order for these threads to be special again, rather than a regular dumping ground for ordinary and non-spectacular pix.

That being said, I'm not talking about a thread gestapo or really censorship. So even badly shot/photoshopped pics should be posted. We all have our humble beginnings and the Cool Stuff thread has been a huge resource to develop my photo taking and photoshopping skills to their current level. There's useful feedback so that everyone can produce even cooler stuff. But pics of hauls and such really, in my opinion, have no place there. All pics have a home, somewhere.

This is why I haven't been posting much in this forum lately, particularly in my most loved thread of all. That's not to say that quality work isn't being done, but it's being suffocated by loads of stuff that doesn't need to be there. Let's See Some Cool Stuff!

 

Um...I guess I can appreciate your enthusiasm for the toys forum, but I like things just as they are. If there's any complaint I could make, it's that there aren't enough contributions. Sorry, but gotta disagree.

 

Well, my beef lies primarily in the Cool Stuff thread, so I probably should have named this "cool stuff needs a bit of an overhaul?" (if any mod sees this please feel free to change the title).

It's just that I see Cool Stuff as the flagship thread of this forum and, in my opinion, it needs help.

 

The only thing I really miss about the Toyark is Choppa's picture archive... that used to be a great place to go for photographic reviews and stuff. I know there are other places for that stuff now (Remy's for instance) but that was the roots of the Toyark. Not only was the original Toyark gone... but for a long while the 2005 galleries, basically TA's substitute was gone, too. Now it's just... another forum. I love the forum aspect, but...

 

One of the reasons why I started that new thread. I wanted to see something creative and unique. I had noticed that pics got overshadowed rather quickly in Cool Stuff and wanted an area where that wouldn't happen.

 

I have actually composed a long ass PM to Soundwave.ca regarding all the photo threads. It was a "Up until wee hours of the night and losing some common sense" type of stuff so it was the most fortunate that I got automatically logged out by the time I finished it and lost the whole thing when I clicked "preview". Or I'd have been dead from embarrassment now.

I haven't been around that long, but if I remember correctly, Cool Stuff thread wasn't all about arty pics and clean white background back then. Any toy a poster considered cool was OK.
I do lots of editing and playing with lighting stuff, but I also like to see other people's cool toys, even if the pic is just taken in front of, say, a microwave. I don't want to make a certain thread exclusive to certain members.

Of course a pic of boxed toys are possibly better suited to haul/collection thread, though.

But I have noticed some people starting their post in the Cool Stuff thread "I know this isn't 'cool', but..." and that makes me sad. If it's cool for you, it's cool to post a pic and share, IMO.

But that's my opinion, so if Cool Stuff should be exclusively for arty pictures, can we have another pic thread? Like "Post pics of your fave toys!"

Because taking pictures of toys is fun, and if you can't post your pics because you don't have a photoshooting booth (or photoshop), it kills the fun of it, I reckon  

 

I agree with Cdn's first post. I don't really visit "Cool Stuff" as much as I used to since people started getting the thread bogged down with collection pics and hauls in there.

 

CDN speaks the truth. That thread has strayed it's main course.

Now it's "Let's see some random stuff" mostly

I still visit sometimes to see what Sydneyy, Night Flame, Tikgnat etc are up to, but I have to scroll through countless mediocre pics to find them. Which is usually 2-150 pages per day   . The true gems gets swallowed up fast in there

 

This is what I agree with. I remember the cool stuff thread from Wreckgar's first post of a Ghost Rider pic. It wasn't all artsy with cool photoshop effects or wicked lighting. Not saying that stuff isn't great to look at. But trying to make the Cool Stuff thread only for things like that is going to alienate a HUGE majority of the board and make it some sort of special club for the small group of excellent photoshoppers. Not everyone has the photography skills or photoshop skills (or the program at all for that matter) but still would like to show off an awesome figure they have or a wicked pose they've made. I know I have in the past but I have a terrible camera.

But I agree about posting boxed stuff (not that I remember seeing any). Keep that in the Hauls thread.

 

cant really fault ppl tho.

its called 'cool stuff' which is hella subjective.

i'm not bothered by it tho. depending on who posted last, i chk out the thread, even if its called gayass toy pics.

 

I agree there. Choppa's site seemed to have something special or different about it from other galleries. I'm not even sure what it is other than maybe just nostalga for being the first gallery site that I frequented. It was a great site.

 

Hey, just want to point out - you don't need Photoshop. Get the . It's free and available on every platform.  

 

I agree with KA because "cool stuff" is very subjective? For example, the picture could be comsidered cool because of the photoshop enhancements or because its the toy itself.

 

I dunno, to me the definition of "cool" is a plain picture run through one photoshop filter and then posted. IT LOOKS JUST LIKE SOMEONE DREW IT WITH WATERPAINTS!

Despite not being a huge contributor, I agree it would be nice for a bit of a tightening up. It all gets a bit out of control. Perhaps break it up into monthly editions and maybe have everyone vote on the best picture of the month to go into a hall of fame style gallery? That might be cool.

 

I initially started the cool stuff thread to have people post things not normally seen in the toyark. I used the Ghost Rider, Ghost Rider, and Blade as the Marvel Motorcycles. Nothing spectacular. But it wasn't about hauls or just pics of boxed toys. It was about having fun with your toys and presenting it.

Best Cool Stuff pic has to go to Shin Gouki. He took ll his Alts outside and had an Autobot boll-out like the G1 cartoon. It wasn't fancy or artsy but it was damn fun.

What I can do to the cool stuff thread (if I can stomach the endless posts per day) is mod out haul pics. When the next version gets started, we can make some rules to post what should and shouldn't be posted. You amm can PM me with ideas and responses.

 

seconded.

EDIT: third..ed

 

While I enjoy all the folks pictures who are great with PS and the like, it certainly isn't all I want to see in that thread. To me, seeing the same pic five times in a row with different PS filters is really boring. Why not pic the best one and post it instead a whole strand of fairly boring pics? I dunno, I don't like zoids but people go gaga whenever Draven (I believe it's him) posts his zoids up. Big deal, I scroll past it. I don't turn into thread gestapo guy. Seriously that thread is nearly 50% quoted pics and I just scroll on by. Do I like that nearly everything is repeated so often? No. Do I understand people getting excited about something enough to want to show it again? I certainly do. Jest let it go man. Find something more positive to focus on.

 

Maybe someone should start a thread entitled "Holy crap, that's a cool toy".
Also, "Let's see some Photoshopped stuff".
Oh, and let's not forget "Wow, look at that cool boxed stuff".
...or maybe we could just stick with a thread called "Let's see some cool stuff", hmm?

 

just like the Man to segregate us and keep the brother man down.

*raise fist*

 

While cool stuff is a bit subjective, I think something that people should keep in mind is that we have a place to post hauls and a place to post pieces and bits of a collection.

In a future iteration of the thread, some posting guidelines should be presented in the first post, and hopefully it can stay on the right course.