Discussion of Collection counting methods

[kup]

Do people actually sit down and compare collections?

As in: "HA HA!!! The UCM says that I beat you by ONE toy! You loose, fool!!"

I find it hard to get my head around the whole concept of the need to have a UCM since my collection is my own and I don't really care if anyone has a bigger or smaller collection than me.

I know that I will never have a collection in the same league as Griffin's or Gok's and its not due to their massive numbers but because several of the figures and lines in their collection don't hold any interest with me and therefore I will never buy them. That doesn't mean that their collections are any less impressive but it does mean that people like me would never reach that collection size even if we could.

So the Counting method is completly irrelevant to me and any other who does not intend to complete full Transformer lines and/or has no interest in comparing it to other similar collections.

Collecting is too much of a personal thing for most of us. We collect and inclulde what we like. I can't imagine too many people collecting to 'compete' with other and needing to use the Counting Method as the field rules.

[GoktimusPrime]

This quote from griffin basically answers your question...

The point of a universal counting method though is to give you two numbers - one for your own count, and one to compare to the rest of the community for us to have an idea of the average collection size.

Another issue raised...

That said though, this UCM starts to put people off using it if it has 20+ conditions to it. There might be heaps of variables during the 23 years of TFs, but this counting method is its own worst enemy trying to keep track of them all.

Unfortunately such is the nature of the beast because everything from Article02 onwards deals with subjective opinions about what should and shouldn't count, and as the Transformers expands so too will the need to add more articles to deal with it. I've tried to simplify it where possible - for example, I had a separate poll for Be@rbricks, Revoltech etc because some US fan was asking about it, but then "merged" those TFs with the pre-existing Article12 (they count as "non mainline" Transformers), thus eliminating the need for a separate article just for them.

At the end of the day, if you don't like the UCM, don't use it. The only time you have to use it is if you're going to participate in the annual survey for the average collection size - but that survey is not compulsory, so if you're some kind of conscientious objector, then feel free not to participate in the survey!

It would be ideal if as many people as possible did participate in the survey though as it would help to give us a better idea of what the average collection size is.

Once again, please be aware that the already existing Articles of the UCM cannot be significantly altered or changed or else it would render comparative data useless.

[kup]

I am not saying that I don't like the UCM or object to it since I don't really care about comparing collection numbers and so forth. However I do find the whole concept of a need for an elaborate UCM which includes several different articles of comparison and so forth as bizarre. I can't imagine people sitting down with the rules in hand to count their collection so that they can submit their number for comparison with other people in order to measure sizes or participate in a survey.

Oh well, to each their own.

Edit: Fixed appalling Grammar and Spelling

[turtle boy]

I can see what Kup's trying to say, and I agree. Pursonaly, I'm not out to beat other fans with numbers and what not. I'm out to see how many items under the Transformers name i can get into one room. I myself, don't count my collection, I make my brother do that, and he just come to me with a number and I add that to my sig:P

[Borgeman]

in other words, kup (+me +others no doubt) cant see ourselves or others re-counting our collection, while sifting through the UCM articles to see what counts and what doesnt, just for the purposes of a survey....

i see/understand/agree with the whole idea of a way to fairly compare one collection to another, its just too much effort in my eyes. Heck, i dont even have an accurate "King George's Kingdom" count of my collection right now :P

George

[GoktimusPrime]

Well like I said, although I like to encourage others to use the UCM and to participate in the survey, neither are compulsory.

If you don't want to ever use the UCM and don't want to participate in the survey, then fine. Don't.

The UCM is like the rules of a game or sport. If you don't like the rules, then don't play the game/sport.

As I'm sure most of you would appreciate, when doing a survey it's important that everyone is counting by the same rules - just as when you play a game or sport it's important that everyone is playing by the same rules.

[STL]

Heck, i dont even have an accurate "King George's Kingdom" count of my collection right now :P

I'm happy to do it for you.

[kup]

I havent made a head count in a very long time and my collection has at least trippled since then.

If I count my collection my own way, it would likely be very similar ot the UCM as I do agree with much of the counting rules and the rules that I don't agree with don't really apply in my case since I don't own the figures in question. In essence a natural 'kup' counting method would be compatible the UCM rules.

However I have thought about doing a count with the UCM but I am too lazy to do it and just enjoy my collection for what it is rather than the numbers I have possibly due to lack of motivation since I don't care about surveys and comparisons

[jaydisc]

My count would not be UCM compliant because I buy doubles of figures as backups and according to the UCM, they should count, which I disagree with.

Also, I got major issues with the counting of revoltech or bearbricks.

As others have said, the UCM is way too overcooked. To me, there are only two questions:

1. Is it a "Transformer" (r)/(tm) ?
2. Does it transform?

If yes to both, it counts. If not, it doesn't.

[dirge]

To be fair, the UCM exists for a specific project of Gok's. So while it's not something I use personally outside of his polls, I'm not going to criticise it because other than for the purpose of his polls, he's not expecting me to use it.

I reserve the right to criticise those who feel insecure enough their collections that they want to count _brickbears_, however!