Uncompleteness and other non-essential ramblings.

Is it me, or does everything seem very anti-climactic right now? New year, but same old shit? A lot of people seem to be re-evaluating and re-focussing, hence the number of sale/trade threads.

The number of releases already seems quite staggering, and a total challenge to the creaking SB completist bones in my body. Already a hyper-strike black ranger release has un-completed the Masked Ranger series for me and some sweet, yet impossible to get, bees have added to the feeling of .... uncompleteness.

Gargamel's Lucky Bag releases, although difficult to get, seem genuinely exciting - not least because of some great colorways. Without the accompanying completist urge, scoring any just comes across as a nice as hell bonus. Gargamel keep rolling on the crest of a wave that began with their ultra-strong Comicon 2006.

Real Head continues as they mean to go on - releasing some impossible to get figures (and in the case of the Jyarinko set, some of the nicest too) amongst their regular realesaes - but we know the score with these guys - and most of us are happy to be incompletists as far as RxH goes, and luckier than most to have a regular fix via S7.

New sculpts from Blobpus look enticing, but non-essential next to the basic necessities. Rumble Monster has suddenly become ultra accessible with Kozik offering up his interpreation, and so many people selling Dams that they seem to be the new Gold Skullwing. Soon every home will own a Dam - and thats probably a good thing!

Anraku (or however the hell you spell his name) retains a mysterious allure, and I still yearn to own my first Gogamajeira (droooooool). And handpaint Bemons will remain forver unaccessible to all but the first wave of people who truly loved this hunk of sweet monsta-ugliness. For those who rocked the early Bemons, while people like me were sleeping, I salute you! For the rest of us, we can cuddle up with a candy colored clear seond wave, and be thankful for it.

 

This is probably the reason that I never end up being a completist in any line/genre that I collect. It's too easy to have your collection broken by an ultra-rare release. As a result, I have my own weird collecting agendas based on themes or colors.

 

I've been going that way myself, and not on purpose. I just notice one day "Hey I gotta bunch of Purpleish toys, and a bunch of orange-ish" etc. and realized what was happening. Color and other weird connectors make up what I like.

 

I've never really been a completest, but can get to thinking that way when I'm a figure or two off more out of accident than plan.

I hear what you're saying though Carl. The amount of releases has been pretty overwhelming for some time, but has been becoming a bit underwhelming concept wise too I think and made me a little flat on some it. SB especially. I have taken a vow of not spending (much ) so I'm getting a wider view on things at the minute. One thing I have found is that I am REALLY enjoying what I have already and don't see the need for endless extras, but that may change of course if a flood of super cool stuff comes out.

 

I hate feeling I have to be complete. I'm missing a shitload of Bees still, but I'm totally happy with what I do have.
I think it sucks when you try and think you might be complete on a small release (masked rangers) and they toss out a few tough figures (Black Brain, Gold and Silver Bagmen). It is going to be super tough to get them all.

So I try to think about what I have and not what I don't. I had four Damnedrons and was so afraid I wouldn't be able to keep up with the Snow release I ended up trading or selling three of them, only to find the Damn Snow Damn at a great price a couple days later

Bottom line, be happy with what you have and not what you don't!!
Buy something because you really like it and not because you think it will be worth something.

 

my favorite part of your ramble... u can't handle the tier 0 shit!?

 

I think Muton and Living Dead are the only two on this board who could ever hope to have complete SB collections. I salute you:



keep collecting!

 

I don't live on the same continent as a tier zero SB account holder is the problem

 

Come on Man - you are on that list too, as is Brian Flynn and probably a few other people too - but with all these releases, I think we've all come to the same conclusion - its an ever moving target. Thats why my aim for a while has been to complete the S7 checklist....and thats as much as I cna realistically hope to do.

By the way, I LOVE that photo!

 

It's tough, I only collect Balzac toys and it seems a few pieces I will never own and only more are coming out and rare as hell. I can't even imagine how you guys collect all SB toys. Crazy and expensive

 

im stoked to see what gargamel drops on us this year.

im also stoked on sunguts!

 

as long as Mutonismyfriend....i think I will be all right...

 

AMEN my east coast brotha!

 

I think so many releases this early in the NEW YEAR is a kind of reality check ! Just how much are you willing to spend on toys anyway ? I have sold or traded alot of things in the past 6 months I thought I would NEVER give up, but it actualy felt good to let it go. Now my collecting range has broadened but for me it feels like it's FUN again ! I guess i'm just not a completist and thats fine by me.
So start your NEW year off with a bang and sell something you THINK you can't give up ! In the end it will feel realy good to let go.

 

That's a scary thought Shape. I guess for me it's been more of "I like that more than I like this so I'll sell it" and I think the only 2 things on the market now I'd sell some "never sell" items for are the painted Rainy Day Hedorah from the Lucky Bag, and the Blood Pirate. The question is what from my "never sell" pile would I sell first? It's hard, but if I had an oppertunity to get one of those for a fair price I would start sizing my collection up. It's not a game of completness for me, it's a game of A-What do I like more and B-What can I sell that I can get later in place of something I want MORE right now. Pimpin' aint easy, but it sure is fun.

 

I agree.

Me, too.

 

I think you mean "the only 2 things that have been released in the last 30 days...."

I think completisism is a fun collecting goal, but last year it was feasible to stay complete with a lot of different figures/companies. Now I think you have to pick one or two things to try and keep up with and try not to chase them when you don't.

I will say this again and hopefully one of the toy bosses in Japan will hear it: KILL OFF YOUR FIGURES. If Hiddy killed of the SkullBee, Carl would have an actual collecting goal instead of a moving target. How many skullbee colorways are they going to be?

 

yea.. enough with the bees already. bring on more barbarians!

 

u can't kill the bee! wasn't the house built on the bee?

 

I will never understand the completist mentality. Might as well be working in some future Natural History museum cataloging every known instance of said toys. I flip through S7 and I see these catalog photos showing every variation of some toy. Possibly worthwhile as a reference but, to me, boring to look at.

There's exciting stuff out there now and coming down the pike. I obviously can't own it all (nor do I want to) so I've become comfortable making selective choices that span across product lines, and make for a unique and solid collection. I get more excited pairing up different sculpts than completing a product line.

Also been doing alot of introspection as to why I collect what I collect. And what that says about me. And also accepting that it's an imperfect world that I can't control. There will be botched paint jobs, figures that take dives, loose articulated parts, header cards that disappear, toy lines that never end, etc.

I suppose you could attempt to control all that by having stuff under glass, flipping stocks, remortgaging the house etc. But in the end, it's doomed, chasing nirvana. Just like the agenda of the completist. the world isn't perfect. We won't own every release of said toy line. And even if we did, at what cost in other areas of our life or missing out on being able to enjoy other figures. Less OCD is a good thing.

Enough of my ramblings...

 

I never had much hope for SB completism, there was a time I was going for a complete JArvis collection but I've just figured I don't need to anymore, so I'm even selling a bunch of those off.

I'm now more into buying a wider range of things that are cool, not just one line or collecting to complete a line.

 

My completist OCD phase started as a result of collecting way too many lines (Jp and Western), and then determining that I really needed to focus. So focus I did, with a huge skew towards Jp vinyl - beacuse I like it so much more (for the same reasons most of us are here). So I achieved a modicum of focus, and complete collections seemed like an attainable goal.

I guess the point of my post is to say I think a complete ongoing SecretBase collection now seems unattainable....so I'm switching mindsets and switchhing goals ...but its a transition, and I am honest in admitting that at first I felt disappointed that my goals were thwarted. I'm over it tho.

One goal I have always had though is to complete major parts of the original, and now the version 2 S7 SB checklist. The Balzac part I decided to leave to the Balzac hardcore. I'm getting close, and because the checklist is frozen in time, its not a moving target., and hence achievable.

As for all the other companies (excluding Garagmel and RxH), I'll be happy with a few of each sculpt (if I dig it), and I think I'll take a leaf out of other peoples books - and start trading more to keep up a collection I really like - but attempt to prevent overall spend and volumes from spiralling out of control.

I guess that its a new years resolution of sorts.

 

I did the same with my Lau stuff and found that as long as the proceeds were going towards other cool shit (as opposed to just paying the bills) I didn't really miss much of it!

Sellin' the Dummys was hardly heartbreakin' either!

I like seeing complete sets but SB (and all the other new school Kaiju) is so MASSIVE I just like picking up the pieces that appeal and/or work good together.

It seems like the cool shit has been virtually non-stop since SDCC!

 

more sculpts in 07!!!!!!

I have enough figures with 4, 6, 8, 12 coloways!!!!

Lets see some new shit!

 

Just because I like to drive Carl nuts:



No mystery here, you just have to know where to look.