WOW! I came into the thread expecting something super heavy hitting.

Like: The hard thing to think about as a collector is that as much as I enjoy playing with my toys, I understand that one day I will die. While I feel that I've lived a well rounded life so far, and I've got many years ahead of me, sometimes while I'm looking upon my transformers the thought hits me that these material things are so temporary, just like my life. One day despite all the care and maintenance I put into my collection, they'll fall apart due to the inevitable wear and tear and passage of time, just like me. And when I'm gone, unless I've truly done something exceptional, and I mean exceptional on a global, historical scale, I will eventually be forgotten entirely, my children may remember me, but they too will pass, and my children's children may remember, but they will die eventually.

Just like I don't have a personal memory of my great-great grandparents, eventually my lineage will forget my existence, and unless I am able to do something very important (and sell myself well enough to be remembered for it) as time marches on the only evidence of my existence will dwindle to the remnants of my genetic material circulating in my descendants.

With enough time passing, that too may be recombined, overridden, or mutated to a point where it can't be attributed to my remains, if they exist that long, which they won't.

If by some conflux of probability the memory/evidence of my existence lasts throughout the rest of human history, there is the (as we currently understand it) inevitable extinction of our species, or later still the heat death of the universe, to truly wipe away any tiny shred or trace of me from the history books.

It can only ever be as if I never existed in the first place...

Oh sweet, my Botcon 2000 Apelinq comes in today, so excited!

 

LOL

As far as the topic is concerned:
I also get the figure, open it, transform it a couple of times, and then throw it on the shelf. They usually stay on the shelf untouched for weeks or even months. I live in a small apartment with my girlfriend, so only about 10-15% of my collection is on display. I rarely have the time, but one of my favorite acitivities is taking down a shelf of toys and replacing with some of the ones from storage. Also, photography keeps me interested, and gets me trying out new poses.

I will say that even though I don't handle the toys everyday, I definitley check them out every time I come in and out of a room. My Masterpiece collection has been on display for over two years now, and I can't get enough. They never stop looking cool, and if I ever get bored with em I just transform them and BAM: new display!

Regarding the overall value and cost of collecting that Alucard discusses... I think the 3rd Party stuff is too much. I cannot rationalize spending that kinda money on toys, and draw the line at Hasbro Masterpiece / Takara Car MPs. I used to get stressed out and feel anxious about my collecting habits, but keeping my costs down and spacing out my purchases has helped A LOT. No more 3rd Party for me!

 

Man that is some great photography and posing. Thanks for sharing.

 

I have a similar problem, only I usually waste all my money on low-end clearance toys instead of high-end toys.

Many are the times I contemplate the things I could have if I didn't buy toys...an XBOX, cable TV, a puppy.

But XBOXes go obsolete, and I hardly have time to play it. Cable TV is ephemeral--it only lasts as long as I keep paying for it (unlike action figures which stay around long after you even want them). And puppies get sick and puke on furniture.

So, in comparison, toys don't seem all that bad a way to have spent my fun money.

 

Also dead puppies aren't much fun.

 

You just described me to a tee.

 

Sounds familiar. A certain amount of apathy has crept in my system, so I get a figure that I've been searching out for weeks, then I leave him in the box for even longer! The hunt seems more important than the catch! But I will say, with certainty, that I will be opening my MP SW that's scheduled to be delivered today as soon as I get home.

DEPRESSING, but I can't say that I've never thought it.

 

Wow, I think I agree with every post in this thread so far. I will add that I sometimes feel like I enjoy the thrill of the hunt and the purchase more than I actually enjoy many of the toys. I think that's mainly because I don't have the time or the space to display everything properly. There is a certain kind of joy that comes from opening a Transformer and displaying it proudly on a shelf, but sadly that happens very rarely for me anymore. I tend to let things sit unopened for weeks, not for lack of desire, but because I know as soon as I open said item, it isn't going to be properly displayed, it's going to be tossed in a bin. I guess I need to sell off some stuff, make my collection more focused, or rent a super large storage facility?   While it's becoming quite impossible with all the random releases, super rare exclusives and reissues, I know there is no way to keep up with everything, but I am a completist at heart, so I do what I reasonably can, but now it's at that point where it's no longer reasonable!!!

 

I think there have been a lot of good points made by people on this thread. If you're just not feeling it with your collection, you have to figure out why. I've gone through several collections phases (changing focus multiple times). When I got to the point where I felt I could sell stuff without regret, I knew my collection focus was wrong. Now I collect vintage G1 MIB figures. I don't try and collect all of them - just the characters I like the most. I piece all of them together (figures, inserts, boxes, display cases, etc.) individually, which I enjoy doing. Though I never transform them and only handle them when putting them inside the box, it's still cool to touch figures from my childhood, many of which I never had the opportunity to buy at the time. I love looking at my display. In fact, I never tire of it, and it always brings back great memories. I also have no desire to sell the core of my collection (a few of the more impulsive buys or less interesting characters are possible but that's it), so I know I've found my collecting niche.

 

This is why I don't buy TF's just to buy them, I give alot of thought to what I pick up and what I'll probably get out of it. It's easier to avoid regret that way. I also don't display every TF I have at once. Regardless of my opinions on the aesthetics of doing that, I feel that by rotating the display every so often I revisit everything i have, I end up touching/transforming everything, and I enjoy the hobby a lot more.

It also saves a hell of a lot of time and money hunting for retail stuff.

 

I transform some of them a lot. Some sit and have stayed since I got them.

I have ALWAYS collected some sort of toys..either GIJOE, or TFs. As far as Transformers go..Im changing a lot. I used to buy EVERY damn thing that came out. ALL of it. Then I got into Alternators and MPs. Now Im trimming down my collection to just the Deluxes I REALLY REALLY like, and keeping the alternators, Human Alliance, Leaders, and MPs.

If I sell off all the other crap I have bought and just stick to those lines, I will eventually end up a MP only buyer.

I hate to say it..but TFP took a lot of the love of toy collecting away.

I really enjoy movie stuff. I like realistic alt modes. it seemed (besides the FE) every TFP toy I bought, just end up sitting doing nothing after 5 min of looking at it. They look like SHIT on a shelf...

The new IDW deluxes? I prolly just buy them to keep MOC, as I have a huge GIJOE comic pack collection and love those.

My collection USED to just sit and never be touched, but now Im really drawn to a few, those will be kept, and Im changing my buying habits.

The other thing that is in the back of my head is my SON.
When I was a kid, getting a new toy was something SPECIAL..I don't want my kids to just think that shit comes naturally..

My son and me play TFs a lot, but he loves cyberverse. I love cyberverse stuff too..I'll prolly always buy that shit.

 

I haven't played with my Transformers since Getting them, they Spend a lot of time on the shelf but I move these figures around every so often to make room for new additions.

Heck the only Transformers that have gotten any "Playtime" Have been Sandstorm and Springer....

I did sell off a lot of stuff over the past couple years....

Might have to move some of my Figures around again here and change things around too....hmmmm.

Still I know the OP's Feeling all too well.

 

I absolutely see your point OP,at times I sit here and wonder why I have so many Transformers,but then I realize exactly why is because even tho I don't play with a lot of them I still enjoy looking at them.

I don't care what others say about playing with them and transforming them like there meant to,to me sitting here looking at them is what counts,and even if I do take one down occasionally and play with him then that's fine too.

So in closing there is nothing wrong with just displaying your TF's or even playing with them as long as they make you happy.

 

i feel what you are saying, but i dont know, i barely play with em as i love how they look on my poorly displayed shelf.

i have found myself just sitting on my chair infront of them and imagining what it would be like to really play with all of those guys, remembering the comics, cartoons and making my own storylines in my mind.

if you feel burnt out, maybe you should stop for a while and take the time to appreciate your current collection as it is.

i ve been collecting for 3 years now, mostly classics,universe and generations, and have restrained myself jaja from buying everything out of impulse.

 

I think this is the whole too much of a good thing too. When I was younger, I would collect old school NES games. The thing is, I only ever played like 10 of the games. Meanwhile I had the full set. Same stuff here.

 

with mine, everything gets equal playtime usually, unless it's like the fp menasor cars that kill your hands from transforming them, they get no play   been finding recently there's a lot of stuff i just don't care to own anymore and clearing some out, but the g1 collection stays, i see a big alucard sales thread in the near future though lol

 

I have thought about it, MANY TIMES. But then once they are gone, I fear that I will miss them and go through the cycle again, just paying more.

I am hoping that since Classics is very close to done. G1 is close to done, that MP is all I need to catch up on.

Maybe that slowness will help me. Also, maybe finally redoing my office may help as well.

 

Great thread.

I think everyone is in it for various reasons. In that respect, we all get out of it various things.

For me, I am happy collecting my G1, which I display and transform and pose all the time.

I have already gone through 2 mini purges of Prime and Movie stuff; for the sole means of providing some play money and more room.

I have found that ever since I bought G1 Metro and Trypt, my love for all of this has exponentially increased. Buying mini bots and UN-combinding combiners to work into the play sets have provided much joy and fun.

At times, I find myself just enjoying standing there and looking at them while I get ready to go about my day, or work, etc etc.

 

I can't really relate to this because the majority of my most loved items are high end - in fact, I've made the decision to quit buying the standard retail stuff almost all together. I would rather love each piece in my smaller collection than have a large collection of pieces I have no or very little passion for.

While I pose them differently and rearrange my displays and love doing that, there's only so much I can do with them for fear of damaging them. But I love looking at them. And aesthetics are important to me. Once I got a taste of say, Hot Toys and their amazing sculpts, I was done for. I can't afford as much and won't be able to afford much in the near future (school), but the pieces I do get/will get I'll love.

 

Its amazing how almost every post in this thread echoed my thoughts, I guess we collectors think alike. I used to collect other toys and I got to a point where I felt it was time to part ways with my collection; So i did. I don't regret it one bit. I collect transformers because I enjoy the characters and also the engineering behind the figures.

"WTF am I doing buying toys?" is a thought I've had many times but it usually passes once I start admiring one of my pieces. They're just nice!

Part of collecting is also the thrill of getting a piece you were looking forward to adding to your collection right now!! It's almost like a trophy of your conquest. That's why many of us collectors fall to scalpers when we can't find that limited edition piece.

I mainly collect Classics and masterpieces now with a few G1 pieces of characters that I enjoy and haven't been replaced with an updated toy. I used to be a G1 completist but Had to sell off my collection due to monetary issues.

Like another poster said TFP didn't do anything for me but i still watched the show with my kids and bought the toys for them to play with.