Not sure if this subject has been brought up before (it probably has), and I know there is a thread with a similar topic, but quitting for good isn't what I mean to discuss here. I'm talking about taking a break from collecting. Say, you're buying figures regularly, until one day, be it for financial reasons, lack of interest in the hobby, dislike of the current figures, or whatever, you just take a break. Has anyone ever done that? I bring it up because I'm thinking of taking a break soon. I feel like I'm putting too much money into collecting Transformers that I could be using more wisely or collecting something else, and my shelves are filling up, so I'm running out of space. I don't want to quit the hobby or giving up my figures. I just love them too much. I just want to buy a handful of figures and then just stopping for a while, until I have more space and/or more money.
I've done it, it's kind of nice to just take a break for a bit. Anything you missed that really catches your eye is easy to go back and buy, sometimes it's good to just step away from it all. Once you return, you'll likely come back with a renewed passion.
I've done it too, got really busy with firefighting and that had kinda kept me from being able to go on the hunt for some of the figures I wanted, but then one night a drunk driver rear ended me going 90mph and had to get alot of shoulder surgeries done on my right arm. During the recovery process my collecting TF's passion was not only renewed but I definately attribute it to saving ALOT of my sanity. Step away and I'm sure when you see a figure/figures you want you'll jump right back in fully invigorated again.
Doing that now buddy. Skipped every thing after AOE and plan on skipping TLK as well. CW is a gimmick that got really old before I can even look at wave 1. Titans return simply just doesn't interest me. The RID line is absolute garbage to me so easy passes there.
I did the very same thing when the Prime and Movie toys were hogging all of Hasbro's resources and it was looking like I'd never finish my goal of getting the entire 86 movie cast in chugs form. I also happened to move at that time and all my collection was boxed up in storage. The only figures I picked up in that time period were the generations Skrapnel and Arcee toys. Fast forward to Combiner Wars and I was hooked again. I even went back and picked up swerve and 2 Gears figures(repainted one of the Gears as Brawn).
I've done it. HAD to take a break for financial reasons (I'll not go into them). Was between 2008 and 2012. Hardest parts for me were quitting the official club, and watching some figures come out that really appealed to me. I stayed active here and a few other places though and kept a list of figures that I wanted to get eventually. In the end it all worked out, as I've got most of the figures that I'd kept on my list, and got them for less than retail or the going rate. I think I'm only missing a few figures now, and I'll just keep waiting till I get my chance.
Oh yes, certainly. I think it was around 2010? The last toy I bought was Generations Thunderwing, and that was actually after I'd lost interest in collecting. Thunderwing is far too important a character too me so I knew that even if I wasn't immediately thrilled by the toy, it would probably be worth it down the line. Fast forward to spring of this year I dug out my collection and yes, Thunderwing is awesome and I love it so damn much. And now I've bought a ton more. The missing years? Lego collection mate. Which is even more wallet-draining, believe me.
Personally, I collect in cycles. Mostly quarterly, but more often than not I will flit from hobby to hobby, be it Star Wars, LEGO, G.I.Joe, Transformers or Bandai Figurarts, I will collect for a limited amount of time, until I've had my fill, and then take a break by moving on to a different hobby. Some years I won't be buying anything from any number of hobbies, Star Wars and Joe are the biggest offenders for stuff not being bought over a lengthy space of time, but eventually I'll see a figure I really want, snatch it up and then the bug will be bitten once more and more and more figures will be snatched up. Often at great discount prices because of older stock being clearanced out for newer product. Transformers being my main interest however I've never officially taken a break from it. Not for any truly lengthy period of time. When The Last Knight products start coming out and stuff though it will be my first time not buying anything from the current line. I am sick to death of the movie aesthetic and have made a conscious decision to completely ignore any and all figures from any future films. I'll use that time to perhaps go back and plug a few holes in my CHUG or Masterpiece collections, who knows. All I do know is that, to take a break sometimes is a great way to prepare for the next big push of what you really like. I think after this Prime Wars stuff is done for the third batch I might even stop collecting new lines altogether, I ain't getting any younger and there are only so many versions of a character you can take before you start to question why you have so many damn Optimus Primes. I will admit also there is one character that could break my rule of no more movie toys, as a fervent collector of all things Arcee if they make a new Arcee figure in the next movie line I'll probably get her for the Arcee collection.
Yep. I think I got 6 figures during the entire year Armada was running. I wasn't watching the show, reading the comics, or interested in the gimmick which resulted in such bricks of figures, so I didn't participate much on the boards in the Transformers area. I've also taken several month or two breaks, either from the fiction, or any toy collecting from time to time. Sometimes to let it accrue, sometimes out of interest, or even budget and time.
I see myself doing so very soon. Titans Return isn't catching my interest, I don't plan on buying many (if any) movie toys when those come out, and Robots in Disguise (the only other thing I collect) seems to be coming to an end. So... I won't be buying much in the future.
Im doing it right now.Not by choice but because distribution is so bad,i havent seen anything im interested in any of the store by me.Some of it is my fault though.I dont hunt anymore because of all the wasted gas.So the few times that i do go out,there is nothing.Been like this since before combiner wars came out.
Yeah, this has happened to me. After Dark of the Moon my interest for Transformers kinda dried up at the time. I stopped collecting and stopped keeping up with what was going on in the franchise. Didn't come back till Combiner Wars
I'll repost this here, since this is a more suitable place, since I never gave up collecting for good...obviously.
Just got my preorder summary from TFSource ... Over 3K .... My wife is gna kill me so I think I'm in involuntary break mode for awhiles ...
The movies and the toys gave me TF fatigue. I really tried to stay on board, but I just couldn't do it. So I've been on a break all this time. But CW got me checking on the TF lines in the stores to see what was up. The TR line has me right back in. I love Galvatron and to finally see a decent figure at retail has me searching. Haven't found one, but I'm searching. Add in the upcoming Soundwave, and I'm hooked again. I'm just bummed at the sad state of TFs at retail, but that doesn't affect my enthusiasm.
I've mentioned this before, but I was pretty much done with Combiner Wars after wave 4. Didn't really start collecting again until TR.
Everyone takes a break at some point, whether they know it or not Life gets in the way, money gets in the way, job gets in the way, family gets in the way and on and on. That's why it's a hobby. When you have time you enjoy it. I've taken breaks mostly due to lack of time, at one point due to lack of job/money and depending on the season I am doing other things. Also have gotten back into HO trains due to my 6 yr old. So that eats up some time and some funding as well. Late spring thru early fall is car show time and race track and working on my stuff while the weather is nice. Rainy day stuff is the Transformers and the trains. I do any one thing to long I get bored, so I move around as things catch my fancy. The one thing no one tells you is how goddamned expensive any hobby ends up being
im not far away from stoping and sticking to mps, i know i should take a brake from collecting but being so close to the end line and knowing this line and next should bring my classics collection to a end just keeps me going its also some of my fav characters so theres that
Yes, I buy figures in large spurts and then step away for a while. It's cyclical with me. So technically I'm always taking breaks. Then a figure will come out that I love and boom I'm buying again. I think I'm gonna take a break from TFs now, and start getting back into Gundams.
