Not about vinyl or kaiju but i find it still appropriate http://m.io9.com/5963592/the-dizzying-h ... fying-lows
And the thread makes a reappearance~ Seriously, like any 'addiction,' there are a lot of parallels to be drawn to toy collecting. And I do get what the guy is saying on several aspects of it - all of us have definitely experienced the extreme highs and lows it is safe to say. The thing that really bothers me though about this article is this seems just like one of those guys from Collection Intervention. He seems to have no love for the toys themselves; hell, he even says he hates them . What is the point then? If you don't love your collection, and basically only suffer the addictive aspects of it, then you do need to re-evaluate your priorities. I guess if you have a disposable income and loads of space it isn't harmful, but I still can't understand it. I thought the people from that show were a minority, but maybe it is us. I have no space to properly display my toys for the moment, and am spending money I don't have on them, but dammit I do love them. I love playing with them, I love displaying them, I love learning about them, I love taking photos of them, and I love sharing in this hobby. That's what makes it worthwhile. It isn't about an investment or getting a high from buying a piece of plastic. And, this is just my opinion, but a lot of those folks who think like the people from the show or this author do seem to be about that. Look, I collect non-hyped plastic toys that I like. I have a bit of this and that, but nothing to re-sell or hold on to to keep its value. Outside of some people on here, most folks wouldn't give two nickels for most of my collection and that is perfectly fine for me. .....but all that is not to say I don't have an addiction.
"It actually makes me unhappy." This is not the attitude of a collector passionate about ones hobby. I wouldnt even call him a collector - but clearly an addict.
I like a lot of the points he makes, and on some level they are true. I love the last paragraph the most, the part about getting a new toy. I think his "hate" for toys is more a love/hate relationship. He talks on the negative aspects just like many of us do on here. I think his minor disappointments(little things he'd change about the hobby) are too prevailant in this article. I could be wrong though, maybe he does hate them.
...lol, this guy complains that $30 toys are expensive ?!? I envy him and I collect finger fucking puppets!
This guy needs to re-evaluate. Sure, collecting can turn into a habit easy. It's fun to get something new, I know I love it; but if you're buying something for the sheer thrill of getting something new... and it happens more then once in a while (because who hasn't bought something just to get something new?) then there's something wrong. If you're no longer actually enjoying the thing you collect, then you should maybe stop collecting and maybe find a new hobby.
^ Well put, HP. That's Exactly what I was basing my statement of him not being a collector on - that he only cares about the excitement of getting, and not for the subject gotten, or enjoyment of having. Another hobby where he wasn't building up stock of unwanted items & catered to that initial thrill of surprise would indeed be more beneficial to his enjoyment. Not sure what though... Hmm, I'd be curious to hear others' opinions on an ideal hobby for this cat though. Definitely wouldn't recommend gambling to this guy
You also have to consider that an addiction doesnt really fall prey to hype, whereas a hobby does. Im pretty sure this topic has been thoroughly discussed here. off to the search bar I go!!
This reminds me, I'm going to sell all of my vinyl & resin so I can go strictly kidrobot & get more for my money.
i will admit that I enjoy searching, winning, buying the toy then waiting for it to come in the mail and finally savoring opening the package the most.
This guy is an idiot. There is a huge difference between collecting something for the initial high, and collecting something for the ongoing and consistent joy that each toy individually brings you within your collection. It's basically instant physiological gratification vs. actual passion. But that same concept can be compared to literally any item under the sun. He's after the endorphines, not the actual toy itself. "Chasing the Dragon.". Kind of obvious, when he blatantly says he doesn't even really like the figures themselves. And obviously it's all relative to the individual, but $1,000 a year is insane to him? Sure it's insane if you don't even fucking like the shit you're buying. And enjoying the items in your collection is only half of the happiness that collecting brings... the other half is the challenge in finding your desires and filling the gaps in your collection. I can assure you that the greater majority of heroin addicts spend exponentially more than a grand per year and probably like their "hobby" much more than simply "subscribing" to toy line that they are completely jaded on in the first place. Where is the challenge in that??? If the only toys I collected were simply sent to me one at a time as a subscription, I'd probably get jaded too... Although, if I didn't like them anyways then I'd just cancel the damn subsciption. And I think his title sucks. Should have been something like, "If we allowed heroin addicts to "subscribe" to their drug of choice, maybe they'd become bored of it after a while"
Every collector should read Pohl and Kornbluth's The Space Merchants. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Merchants
I think trying to be a compleatist is what causes this behavior (or at lease for me). Once I let go of trying to complete things, I wasn't controlled by me needing to get the latest toy for that collection. I do love hunting and finding what I want. I also tell myself that I will be collecting till the day I die, so I have plenty of time to find what Im looking for. This hobby can break you or make you feel happy, its up to you.
I think he's a collector--I mean, he does collect stuff. now his reasons or--uh...impulses that drive his addiction I find a little strange. I've been happiest when my collection is just a few things I really like. I started out that way, then went into "explorer mode", then I've done the completist thing, the focus thing, the huge honking collection thing...if I wrote an piece about collecting at any of those points in my life, I would've sounded much different as far as where I was coming from. as long as you're not collecting just to exploit other fans (binge and flip), then *shrugs* whatever rocks your boat...this guy might change for the better all around.
This poor bastard's only problem is that he is collecting the wrong types of toys. Someone needs to point him away from the action figure isle and towards the land of Japanese Vinyl. Can guarantee this will solve his problem.
This thread actually reminded me of a pretty awesome episode of Lucky Louie. I've done sneaky things, but at least for now, i've never missed paying rent to buy a toy. Skip to 1:06 if you're impatient and enjoy. The whole episode is actually pretty awesome. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ssd5Emoj_dk
I used to be one of those guys who had to have everything from whatever I collected then one day after 25 years of going hard I just said "Fuck this, my collection costs more than 2 years payments on my house." then I sold the lot to a major collector here in AU pretty much o/night cold turkey. Shit I LOVED too. Now I buy only items I see that I absolutely love and I pass up a SHITLOAD of toys that I like. I hate those guys who fill up their houses with every type of toy they buy 10-for-a-dollar at markets/sales etc and they have 30 million assorted toys, they think they are the worlds most shit-hot toy collectors because they have six tons of crap in their house. Anyone can do that...I have more admiration for the more focussed collections, I like to see organised collections, not just piles, and piles of....bleuh...everywhere. Going to some guys house and seeing carded Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves and TITAN A.E. shit nestled in amongst piles of other similar figs just doesn't have the same effect as seeing a whole room of 1960s vinyl..you know?
