Does anyone else just not care anymore?

[Lint]

I'd hope that nobody felt that they needed to be active toy collectors to interact here. I joined this community because I was a Transformers fan not because I was a toy collector (although the board has been a bad influence in that regard ).

+2

[Paulbot]

With every TF I take out of storage, the more I feel that my 'toy collecting' days are over. I keep pulling things out and thinking "Do I really want this?" and the answer is usually "No".

I think having had most of my TFs out of my sight for so long kept me blind to the reality of how many I actually have, and how greatly out of proportion that number is to how many I actually needwant.

I have wondered if this feeling is caused by my general unhappiness, but I don't think so. I think instead I bought so many TFs over the recent years as a reaction to and distraction from unhappiness. I've just ended up with a lot of TF figures that just take up space and that I don't have any desire to play with or look at.

A smaller collection of toys that I really like is better than a large collection full of toys I have just for the sake of having them.

[Prowl]

With every TF I take out of storage, the more I feel that my 'toy collecting' days are over. I keep pulling things out and thinking "Do I really want this?" and the answer is usually "No".

I think having had most of my TFs out of my sight for so long kept me blind to the reality of how many I actually have, and how greatly out of proportion that number is to how many I actually needwant.

I have wondered if this feeling is caused by my general unhappiness, but I don't think so. I think instead I bought so many TFs over the recent years as a reaction to and distraction from unhappiness. I've just ended up with a lot of TF figures that just take up space and that I don't have any desire to play with or look at.

A smaller collection of toys that I really like is better than a large collection full of toys I have just for the sake of having them.

I can completely understand that Paul. I have suffered with various addictions over the years & starting to collect TF's was almost a part of therapy/recovery for me.

Maybe sit down with your collection & make a genuine list of what you do want & what you don't want to keep. Not sure what your favourite series is but start to narrow it down to what will make you happy.

I know I feel a rush when I buy a new Transformer & I have been known to binge buy with self justification every bit as ridiculous as I have used for other addictions I have suffered from. You seem like a pretty nice guy & I don't know if you have a partner but if you do talk about it with them. If you don't have a partner then someone you trust but talk about how you are feeling.

Maybe set a goal of reducing your collection to a more realistic level (I don't know how many TF's you own though & our definition of realistic may differ greatly). Once you do that then sell the rest & put some of that money towards a reward like a holiday or weekend away where you can just focus on you & your relaxation.

[5FDP]

A smaller collection of toys that I really like is better than a large collection full of toys I have just for the sake of having them.

I just googled 'the truth' and it came up with the above statement. Well said Paul.

[SkyWarp91]

With every TF I take out of storage, the more I feel that my 'toy collecting' days are over. I keep pulling things out and thinking "Do I really want this?" and the answer is usually "No".

I think having had most of my TFs out of my sight for so long kept me blind to the reality of how many I actually have, and how greatly out of proportion that number is to how many I actually needwant.

I have wondered if this feeling is caused by my general unhappiness, but I don't think so. I think instead I bought so many TFs over the recent years as a reaction to and distraction from unhappiness. I've just ended up with a lot of TF figures that just take up space and that I don't have any desire to play with or look at.

A smaller collection of toys that I really like is better than a large collection full of toys I have just for the sake of having them.

But Paulbot, you've been working on those new banners for our site recently. Doesn't that say that you still got a passion for TFs?

[GoktimusPrime]

IMO possession > acquisition.

If acquiring toys becomes more fun than actually having the toys, then you could be looking at a kind of shopping addiction (compulsive buying) rather than actually enjoying having what you've purchased. Everybody gets a buzz from buying stuff - but does that buzz still last well after the purchase?

I still feel excited and enjoy most of the Transformers I've purchased throughout the years and I still actively enjoy playing with many of my toys; Prime, Animated, movieverse, Classicsverse, Beast Wars, G1 etc. If I'm not going to use a toy, I won't buy it. Keeping stuff that I don't use feels more like hoarding rather than collecting to me.

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My definition of "use" for a toy is play - or at very least display. If I stop doing either with a toy then I consider them to be out of use and I will consider selling them. If you look at a lot of my sales threads, they're often non-TF toys that I've stopped playing with and have tried to offload.

[kup]

Although I have been very quick in collecting my G1 collection, I am very selective in what I get. I judge what to collect based on how much I care about the character and the universe the toy belongs to. Proper representation of the character to my own likings is also very important as I would normally not get a repaint that I believe not to do the intended character justice.

As a result most of my collection is G1, Beast Wars (which is complete to my satisfaction) and Classics plus related (music label, exclusives, etc). Some may think that I have lots of 3rd party stuff given my positive attitude towards it but they make a tiny fraction of my overall collection.

I have very few movie toys from the last few years and don't care about the next Prime line up which pretty much causes me to skip much of what Hasbro has to offer. I know that if I had continued to buy movie and even Animated toys, I would have strongly regretted it.

So now since my TF collecting has pretty much stalled due to a lack of avaliable toys that are to my liking, I am only really waiting for 3rd party releases. To satisfy my collecting habits, I have moved towards GI Joe (which are much easier to manage when it comes to space if you don't get too many vehicles) and collecting MOTUC figures which I am reaching what I would call 'complete to satisfaction'.

If you buy because you want it rather than just snapping up figures because they are avaliable, it is far more satisfying with little to no regret involved.

[SharkyMcShark]

My collection has been put away in boxes, and I've bought about 5 tfs in the last 6 months (Prime 1st ed Starscream and Cliffjumper, RiD Wheeljack, HA Soundwave and DotM Powerglide). The only one of those I've bought on a whim in a brick and mortar store was Wheeljack, which I almost instantly regretted paying $25 for.

The design direction that TFs are headed in doesn't interest me at all (smaller figures, more intrusive gimmicks). Combine that with the prices we pay, which are getting increasingly ridiculous when you consider the downsizing and simplifying going on and I'm just not that keen anymore.

Compare First Edition Prime toys with their RiD counterparts - the FE toys were developed originally for the Generations and the RiD toys were developed with the same brief as DotM.

[Paulbot]

But Paulbot, you've been working on those new banners for our site recently. Doesn't that say that you still got a passion for TFs?

As I said on the previous page, I haven't lost my passion for TFs. I still want to read the comics, watch the shows, see the movies, play the games, discuss the new toys, be creative with TF ideas etc. After 25+ years of doing this I don't think that could ever go away I just don't have a need for so many toys.

Maybe sit down with your collection & make a genuine list of what you do want & what you don't want to keep. Not sure what your favourite series is but start to narrow it down to what will make you happy.

Maybe set a goal of reducing your collection to a more realistic level (I don't know how many TF's you own though & our definition of realistic may differ greatly).

I'm working on a list like that at the moment, but getting overwhelmed with how many are on the "don't want to keep" list. It could easily be 50%. Actually its probably more accurate to say I'm overwhelmed with the idea of trying to sell so many.

You seem like a pretty nice guy & I don't know if you have a partner but if you do talk about it with them.

If I had a partner I wouldn't be unhappy but that's a whole other, non-TF related, issue for me

My definition of "use" for a toy is play - or at very least display. If I stop doing either with a toy then I consider them to be out of use and I will consider selling them.

I spent too long not using them (for fiddle play or display), just stockpiling them after a couple of transforms. So it's only now as I start to display them, I realise that I have no "use" for many and am not interested in possessing so many.

If you buy because you want it rather than just snapping up figures because they are avaliable, it is far more satisfying with little to no regret involved.

I think that's good advice, and for the time being, for me that means I'm not getting any Cyberverse Prime figures (I'll shift the two I already got ), only a few of the most unique Deluxe Prime figures, and holding out mostly for the Generations toys later this year... It's a start.

I remember a while ago thinking it would be one out, one in. For every new TF purchased one needed to be sold. I need to revisit that strategy.

[Prowl]

I'm working on a list like that at the moment, but getting overwhelmed with how many are on the "don't want to keep" list. It could easily be 50%. Actually its probably more accurate to say I'm overwhelmed with the idea of trying to sell so many.

Start small & sell off your least desirable (to you) lines of figures one line at a time. That will hurt less & you will be making steady progress at reducing your collection.

If I had a partner I wouldn't be unhappy but that's a whole other, non-TF related, issue for me

Having a partner is not the be all & end all. Sometimes you can be just as unhappy in a relationship as out of one. That said it is nice to have someone to share things with be it a meal, a laugh or a bitch about what a crap day we have had.

What you need to remember is that there is someone out there for you & you will find that person one day, it could be tomorrow. No BS dude but you will have to put yourself in situations that will bring that about. There are just as many women looking for a genuine nice guy as guys looking for a nice girl. Hell my brother met the love of his life online dating & they are now married with a kid. IT CAN HAPPEN IF YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN.