I suspect I'm not alone in this, but as we've talked about several times, there continues to be an onslaught of amazing product coming out but we all have a finite amount of money and space leading to tougher and tougher choices being made.

I'm fortunate to have a very large space to myself after we moved a few years ago(pretty much the definition of a man/nerd cave), but thus far I've just piled my collection in there (albeit on shelves and in an organized way). I've metastasized through my available space and it feels cluttered. This post probably stems from me thinking about how to "buff" my space to bring it up to snuff with how I'd ultimately like it to look. I've looked at moducases, adding a wall or two, and other display options and really thought hard about where things would go and what was a priority.

I've definitely honed my collection to focus on things that interest me, but the problem is companies have really developed SO many different lines. This is my list of what I'd like to have on display, but damn does it take up so much space to do right:

ML X-TAS (main hero shelf)
ML classic costume Avengers
ML classic costume classic villains
ML Spider-man TAS - sinister 6 shelf
ML Spider-man TAS - remaining rogues shelf
MP Autobots S1
MP Decepticons S1
MP BW
DCC BTAS Rogues
NECA Gargoyles (main cast)
MOTU Origins (limited to the ones I had as a kid (6-ish) + grayskull/cats)
S7 Thundercats (Main cast + Mum-ra)
S7 TMNT (essentially just the ones I had as a kid, but that is like 20)
NECA TMNT (turtles, main villains, and a handful of others)
S7 GI Joes (not sure how deep)
HT MCU (1 of each of most main characters through IW)
HT DC (89 Bats, 78 sups, CW Flash, WW84)

And that's just "lines" proper. I've got various movie props (JP cryocan, headpiece for staff of ra, etc), a few statues, a smattering of my old toys from childhood, signed footballs, Blitzway Voltron, and then stuff like a pingpong table, 1up arcade, and massive lego sets (modulars, the Falcon, AT-AT, Star Destroyer, Batmobile, etc).

I'm pretty laser focused on things that I truly have attachment to, but even that is simply too much. I don't know what my answer is, but status quo isn't working for me and I'm 99% sure some things I care about are going to have go to get there. I love the look of "complete casts", but maybe just the main people ( a la He-man and Skeletor, Lion-O and Mum-ra, Duke and CC, etc) may be the path forward. Trying to figure out how to keep the diversity but not have it look like a museum or overly cluttered and it's proving quite challenging!

How is everyone else doing? Any words of wisdom to share with the group?

 

I reorganize my inner collecting beliefs on a somewhat regular basis, maybe too regularly. I often find myself perusing and indulging in one small aspect of my greater collecting hobby at one point and then quickly growing bored of it and moving on, repeat ad naseum. For example, I started picking up the Bumblebee movie Studio Series TFs just for the hell of having an extra few 'bots to mess with only to grow totally bored of them after a week or two of owning the ones I could find at local retail. So recently, I started laser-focusing on what it is that I collect and why I collect it:

Transformers: Obviously. I collect them because I genuinely enjoy the franchise from all aspects; the toys, the characters, the stories, the designs, and the talent behind them. But what are my favorite parts of Transformers? Well, for me it's the original G1 toyline and the surrounding media of the original 1984-1990 run. I also enjoy Generations and the idea of having the original figures from the 1980s alongside their modern upgrades. So G1 and Generations are the two big pillars. But I also enjoy other things like Animated, Prime, and Beast Machines. But do I enjoy them on a level that I want to interact with them by collecting the figures? Not really. I'll definitely find myself buying a Vehicon or two for a small mini-collection but the more I think about what I like about these other aspects, the easier it is for me to say "no, that's enough". I don't love Beast Machines for its character designs that make for really fun toys, I love it for being a great story with interesting characters and twists. So I don't find myself interested in seeking out the entire line or even a complete show cast. I have the DVD set of all the episodes and that's a perfect encapsulation of my love for that aspect of Transformers.

Godzilla: My first hobby love but one I find myself not collecting as much anymore. I love Godzilla, both the character and the movies, but I find myself engaging moreso with the latter. I talk about the filmmaking elements of each movie with fellow fans and spend less time drooling over the hundreds of expensive collectibles that come out. I own all the movies on Blu-ray and should a 4K UHD assortment come out, I'll be upgrading to those. Since the movies are what I love most about Godzilla, that's what I focus on. My only other collection for this is a complete Godzilla design assortment which is rooted in my love for the character but it doesn't go beyond just Godzilla (aside from some already-owned monster vinyl figures lying about).

Bionicle: One of my favorite toy lines growing up and being that it's a cancelled line, it makes for a real easy goal to have for collecting. I didn't grow up with a ton of sets and missed out on a few that I thought looked awesome. It's a very simple collecting mindset here; just interested in owning one of each set from the original 2001-2010 run. This is helped by buying sets piecemeal through big lots from friends and family who've grown out of the sets and from sites like eBay and Bricklink. This is the one collection I'd say is fairly easy for me to lock down what I want and when I'll be able to call it quits on it. Righting a long lost wrong, if you will.

Horror: I'm a huge horror movie fan so this is probably the most sporadic aspect of my collection. It's range is numerous, from figures to Blu-rays to masks and autographs. This is one area I'll never complete because there'll always be something new and cool to snag. But there are some minor goals here: one of each classic Universal Monster and slasher icon in figure form from NECA's Ultimates assortment, for example and having a complete set of the original thirteen Aurora monster model kits (a goal I actually managed to complete this past summer!). But for the most part, my horror interests are too "evergreen" to really pin point an endgame for it as a whole.

Then there have been collections I've outright abandoned. I got back into Marvel Legends early this year but quickly dropped it after realizing I only ever really interacted with the brand as part of the MCU and the occasional cartoon. I don't read the comics and haven't kept up with any major media outside of Marvel Studios' output so there was no need to go full-bore in collecting comic characters I only knew an iota of information about. Star Wars Black Series lasted for about a week before realizing that I really don't care for the franchise anymore. I've also debated the age-old 80s toy franchise hero vs. villain displays starting with Cobra Commander but quickly brushed that thought aside as the only 80s franchise I really truly cared for was Transformers which was vastly covered already.

I guess my only real piece of advice is kind of an obvious one but: Collect what you care about, not simply what you like. If you're thinking of expanding your scope or debating on parting with some old stuff, truly think to yourself "Why do I want to own this? What is it about this [franchise/brand/character] that I enjoy and do I need a small plastic representation of them/it in order to express that?" Doing this helped me whittle down a ton of excess junk in my small space (a single room, to be exact since I don't live on my own yet, heh) and really allowed me to appreciate the items I kept since I finally understood why it was that I chose to get them in the first place.

 

The only words of wisdom I have for people are to keep their collections from becoming a source of stress. It makes it un-fun and leads to burn out. I’m in a situation where I’m passing on stuff I would really like to get simply because I don’t have the space for it. The onslaught of product has been relentless. I’m trying to focus on smaller figures (like Joes) since they take up so much less space.

 

Marvel Legends:
Main collection: mostly done. I collect 1970 comics figures. Mostly just need Inhumans, Goliath/Clint Barton, Humanoid Beast, Angel, Petra, Sway, Squadron Supreme.
FF collection: Looking for more villains from Lee/Kirby run.
Heralds of Galactus: Need Airwalker, Alpha Ray, Praeter, Stardust, Johnny Storm as herald, Dr. Strange as herald, Destroyer.

G.I. Joe Classified:
I'm a little over 50% done.

Masterverse:
Mostly discontinued collecting. I buy it on clearance if I see it. Need:
Sorceress
Shadow Weaver
Orko Classic
Merman Classic
Evil-Lyn Classic
Blue Faker
Ram Man

Origins:
Anything that had a vintage figure and select extras. About 30 wants left.

Power Rangers Lightning Collection:
Looking for Red and Blue MMPR Rangers with new helmets.

D&D:
Awaiting Animated wave 2, Companions of the Hall.

DC Multiverse:
Hush Batman, Classic WW/Flash/Aquaman, Rebirth WW, Batman 89 stuff. Assorted other pickups/finds as I see them.

Thundercats Ultimates:
Wileykat and Wileykit needed.

TMNT Ultimates:
Will pick up extras if I have the cash, see a good deal. Only need left to preorder is Disguise Don.

Transformers Ultimates:
I'm down for roughly one G1 Transformer a quarter.

Transformers CHUG:
SS86 Ratchet
SS86 Brawn
SS86 Snarl
SS86 Swoop
SS86 Frenzy
Buzzworthy Hound
Legacy Bombshell
Legacy Shrapnel
Gears
Buzzsaw
Constructicon Re-Dos
Assorted other re-dos if I like them.
Slipstream.
Elita-1 Fembot team re-do.
Ariel.
Dion.
Dropkick.
Omega Guardian.

I've essentially quit anything else. I'd be down for more Plasma Series Ghostbusters.

 

I'm buried in boxes and have no idea what to do other than buy more, lol

 

Over-budget

 

I've got too much stuff.

 

Small scale collections are where it's at.

1/60 , 1/36 and the *rare* 1/18th figure.

Combine the small scale with self control / financial discipline and the hobby remains fun.

 

I have more then I will ever have room for. LOL

 

Yeah. Stuff is coming out faster than I can open it. That said, I am buying from a list of things I want and I'm essentially having to cut out any optional purchases because of all the early preorders.

I want Holiday Optimus but I can't pull the trigger on it right now because I need money for preorders (which I now realize can ship any day) and Christmas. And it just isn't that important to me to have an Optimus I'll pull out once a year.

Hoping some of this stuff will still be available in January, maybe at a discount.

Doesn't solve the space issue though.

 

I've been pretty much out of the collecting game for a while now. Only higher end stuff I've bought in the last couple years are some recent Haslabs, none of which have shipped yet. There are a few things I would buy if they ever come out, mostly the Macross HMR destroids, but that's about it. Modern collectible toys, especially the transforming ones, have just gotten too fiddly for my tastes.

I moved over the summer and still haven't put any of my toys out. Really I should sell a lot of them but shipping etc. is such a hassle.

 

Hoo-boy…
JUST keeping my head above water. I started my collecting with Masterpiece Transformers and aside from official MPs I’ve fallen fairly behind. I still want to play catch-up, but every year makes that more and more difficult. I’ve cut back almost entirely on “just because/but it looks so cool” figures to focus on essential/iconic figures and lines… but there’s a LOT of those lol.

Mafex: no end in sight. Their comic figures are pure gold and as long as they keep making them, I’ll keep buying. There’s also some cherry-picking of figures like their Terminator line. Loving what they’re doing and I’d make sacrifices elsewhere to keep moving forward on these.

SH Figuarts: the line that got me into 1/12 collecting. Fortunately pretty much done with MCU stuff, but I’m HOOKED on their Dragonball line. Also occasional cherry-picking here, but at least for the time being there’s a theoretical endgame. Once Z is done, I COULD be out.

Mezco: issues with their production rates and choices aside, IMO these are still the best figures at their price point in the business. MOST of what they’re doing with ONE:12 Collective I’m here for. The rose is starting to wither though, so I can see scenarios that end in me mostly if not completely abandoning the line in a couple years. That said, they’re making a LOT of figures that I want, like the Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, The Crow, so if they stay on that trajectory it would be very easy for them to get me back.

Transformers: just chugging along, like a lot of collectors. Besides individual eye-catching offerings, once the industry closes the doors on G1 that will probably be the end for me as well.

Robots: pretty much just DX Chogokin Macross and Metal Build/Gundam Fix Figuration, so offerings, while expensive, are sporadic as I’m only into a small amount of what they’re doing. Staying the course for now.

Gargoyles: along for the ride until the tank runs dry.

Classified: in for just about everything they’re doing here, but I can see myself bailing out once the line starts getting deeper into the roster and pulling more obscure characters. In the meantime though, Hasbro’s got their hands DEEP in my wallet.

 

SPACE DANGER!

I have a room dedicated to my toys and books but new stuff just goes into the closet.
So much cool stuff keeps coming out and it's been hard to pick and choose, but space danger is real.

These days, I'm mainly focused on GI Joe Classified. I've also gotten back into O-Rings by backing the Skystriker and picking up those 2-packs off Pulse. I also backed a couple of Kickstarters like Roboskull and Operation Recall.

I still collect other lines like Transformers (G1-centric updates), Marvel Legends (classic comic costumes), Star Wars Black Series (Original Trilogy), and Masterverse (New Eternia updates). But have also quit some lines. Sold all my 3rd party Transformers and in the process of liquidating my Storm Collectibles.

 

I'm actually "good"... it's been a crazy ride for the last 4-5 years as I managed to catch up, get so much more than I ever did, that I've already ran out of common sense space.

Like a few others mentioned, I got extras for many still in box (but all good as they will be great to use at a later time, as most are duplicates for customs or army building).

TFs wise, I only have one figure on it's way (GCreation Silverstreak) and 2 figures pre-ordered (black Perceptor and Tarn)in the next six months, and aside the revealed male looking Airrazor that got my interest, I'm feeling kinda done for the main part.

I have my definitives for just about everything, have gone "back in time" to get older figures I've missed or skipped at the time, and anything new would have to absolutely amaze me to get me to jump in. The next titan being rumoured as being the Nemesis is of interest, so strangely enough, it's the titans for the next few years that will be what I'll be curious to see, as I only have Autobots ones (missing G1 Metroplex). 3rd party stuff will always be a case of seeing what does come out that could win me over as I have managed to get every one that I wanted/was interested in.

The last few years have been serious game-changers in terms of the sheer numbers that I managed to get... that includes army building and many still in box.

Outside TFs but still related, is the 1/60 stuff that I did get quite a bit and aside a few things that have my interest such as the Star Wars Micro Galaxy Squadron Havoc Marauder and the 52TOYS BeastDrive BD-01 WHEEL RAPTOR Velociraptor (on it's way now), but same as with the TFs, it'll be a case of new stuff needs to impress me for me to want to spend as I already have so much.... As I even went and got a few more Hexbug Space sets lately and no place to set them up.

As far as my other lines such as SOC (and similar), I finally got my Great Mazinger to close my set of the series, and feel done with those, and the other more random stuff (like Iron Giant) also feels like it's good enough. I did contemplate the Power Ranger stuff but the Hasbro quality has been very poor compared to Bandai (if only they had maintained the quality, added better articulation for updated versions of the Megazords, and had been competitively pricing them, it would have been incredible).

What I can say is that for so many years of collecting, we have reached a level where we have incredible stuff out there, lots came and gone too fast with stock too low, and lots missed demanded much higher prices that I wanted/should have paid but I looked at it as it would be a definitive so I would not need another (of that particular mold/character), with some being so bad that it makes me have no regrets in skipping and forgetting about such, but the worst thing, has been the repetitiveness of some things, especially with TFs where we've had multiple versions of the same characters in the last couple of years, but the bad part, is how much "newitist" really is a problem for many, to the point that they cannot put any value on anything as the moment a "new" one comes out, the last one is garbage to them... I'll never understand such a mentality, but oh well.

So my words of wisdom after over 45 years of collecting, is to enjoy what you have, enjoy the hobby with passion and don't make it a competition, nor collect just to be part of something/a group, do it because it brings you joy. Never forget that they are toys, and should never be a financial burden in any way, and that if you do miss something, another could be around the corner so it's what it is, so be patient, as you might end up finding it at a reasonable price at some point, or simply, as a toy, it's not really that bad to not have that particular one and something else might be just as good.

 

I'm not sure that will ever happen! At least, not in the foreseeable future.

 

After about 12+ years, I'm basically hanging it up. I'm going to keep/finish my 84/85 Masterpiece Takara/FansToys Autobots and keep my TFPrime collection and a small Legend of Zelda Collection (F4F, Figma, Amiibo). I might keep a few Batman related Mezco's but have sold or am selling off all the rest.

I'll also keep my 1/6 Justice League statue collection and Batman/Rogues 1/4 statue collection but will probably sell that off eventually too.

Last year I sold off about 100 pieces and this year I sold off about 150 pieces. I still have about 80 pieces ready to sell before I'm done. It's funny how starting off on TFPrime led to so much stuff and so many different collections. It became a lifestyle instead of just wanting a few things. Nothing wrong with that, but I just need a change.

I'll still have my eye open for the occasional piece like F4F 1/4 Link or DX Chogokin Grendizer and maybe the occasional 1/6 or 1/4 statue, but the days of endless preorders, organizing, selling, cramming things onto shelves, basement filled with boxes, tracking shipments, spending hours on forums and fb groups are over.

It's been fun.

 

Trending downward. I have too much stuff all over. Retail is a crap shoot between availability and quality, while I don't really want to get into "premium" lines. When I look at my BBTS preorder list, it's longer than it's ever been but it's full of stuff that's been delayed and delayed and delayed. In reality, I buy a half dozen or so figures annually from a few lines (Marvel, DC, Joe, WWF, etc), some impulse items, and most of the rest is 3P legends TFs. I don't expect to sell anything off anytime soon, though I _would_ like to clear out more of the backstock from when I was selling as a business years ago...

 

I haven’t started a new collection in a good couple of years, I know what figures I want and if they make them then I’ll buy them.

I’m done with Turtles and Power Rangers, and similarly with Thundercats once the pre-orders come in.

With Transformers, Marvel Legends and Star Wars there’s one ‘need’ character. That said there’s about 100 Transformers I would buy, about 20 Marvel and a couple of Star Wars.

I need some Plasma Real Ghostbusters as well!

 

on any given day i'm three steps from jumping in front of a train

so i just buy whatever gives me a brief rush of joy