Thanks.

Yes, exclusives have been a right pain in the arse, and I can easily see why most normal collectors would give up on them. I have been able to get hold of all of them, but only because of two factors - I do have the money to spend (and I know how fortunate I am in that - not that I particularly enjoy some of the prices I've paid), and I'm taking the long view here - my collection that I'm building now is something I'm going to have for decades to enjoy, so I take the approach that sure, a couple of hundred dollars for a mainline HasTak lump of plastic is absurd, but given the enjoyment I will eventually derive, I can justify it. Kinda like going to the cinema for $30+ is a bit steep, but buying a DVD for $30 is a lot easier to accept, because I get to watch it so many more times. Not the best analogy, but close enough

But if not for those two things, if I had to pick and choose which of this year's toys I could buy and which I couldn't, never mind catch up on all the stuff from the last 10 or so years, or if I could not buy from overseas (which so many of us take for granted, and forget is not universal), then exclusives would really spoil the whole thing. They already leave a bad taste in my mouth as it is, and at no point have I ever enjoyed the struggle to get around the exclusivity (nor will I - I spit on the modern business models that lead to it).

Actually, there's been a third factor that I think is very important too - luck. While not an exclusive (but rather an end-of-line screw-up), Misfire is very hard to get hold of, and even harder to get hold of for a reasonable price. I got mine on e-bay from someone in Queensland who wasn't asking much for it (well, not nearly as much as other people ask, anyway). I've had similar lucky strikes quite a few times, and they sure as hell have made things easier.

And yep, a defined goal is good. Gives you focus, and gives you a sense of accomplishment. Otherwise, this hobby could easily turn into just another grind, with no end in sight, and nothing to measure your activity against except an ever-draining bank account. That would really get you down when combined with "oh yeah, Coneheads, cool - ah shit, I can't ever get them..." Why bother carrying on aimlessly buying Transformers if you don't know what you're going for in the end, and can't get the things you want anyway? Not cool, and I think I've seen the end result elsewhere with people who keep on buying stuff but clearly are not enjoying their hobby any more. So I had my goal right from the start; the key is working out exactly what you want and can have (I'd be in trouble had I turned out to like the new Beast Wars stuff... The money's not endless, after all). And of course sticking with it