The rules of the game

[Tcc]

Been collecting toys for most of my life and have naturally developed a few rules I generally go by in regards to my acquisitions. 

1. If I don't get a particular figure ,life will go on . Fomo is an emotional response suited more for sheep rather than men  

2.Patience is a virtue in toy collecting ,if you have to have it first you will always pay more and constantly be in a state of anxious frustration. 

3.I try to buy the best example of any character I am interested in . I do not buy the endless variants or repaints of the same character because to me that is insanity and I do not have the space or money any way. One and done and off to the next .

4. I try to never buy anything over $100 no matter what it is. Even if I have the funds I won't, while I greatly enjoy toys and having them I realise they serve no important function in my existence . It's a hobby not an addiction, one I believe will soon price itself out of existence because of greed ,not only of the companies who sell them but also those who collect for their " value " and not for the love of toys themselves .

5. I freestyle my toy collecting, I buy what catches my eye, I'm not looking for any particular line or company or theme and this is how we all started collecting before the internet and toy vlogs started telling us what was coming and why we should buy it . You went in the store, saw what was on a peg and bought what you liked. The only influence was your own imagination and amount of cash in your wallet at the time.It was a purely organic experience that gave birth to what is commonly referred to as the hunt ..but today the word really has no meaning with the prevelance of empty pegs and endless preorders. 

6. At some point all good things come to an end ,and so it must be for the hobby of collecting toys. At some point, either limited space or just being tired of doing the same things not to mention all the bs in collecting these days ,at some point you have to ascertain is it still worth the time and effort ( and money) to continue the endless hunt . For me next year will be the point where I wean myself from this lifelong addiction from.all things plastic. Sick of all the poltics ,sick of preorders ,disgusted by the prices of what was once an affordable hobby all could enjoy but what is fast approaching one only the financially elite can afford . 

7. There are no rules in toy collecting, buy what you like ,buy what you can afford .

8. I mix and match all sorts of figs irrespective if it's marvel or dc or imaginext , I frequently use my toys in ways they were never intended for, a hero can be a villain or a villain can be used as a hero . I am not motivated by what canon it comes from or what movie it was seen in . I have never completed any team and never tried to ,I buy toys because I like the aesthetic not out of any loyalty to a brand or comic or movie I may have seen them in . To me they are pieces of art, and people will interpret art in different ways and I do the same in toy collecting. Buy what you like and do with it whatever you want. For example, here we have a McFarlane fig combined with a motu battle cat, and its a perfect match . Also, we see a McFarlane spawn using a mythic legions horse for an awesome combo, irrespective of who made them or the canon from which they came. Thus ,we see the purist form of collecting which came from how we as children played with toys .

[tudortiger2000]

I totally agree with you. With the vast number of toy lines, from various toy makers, in different scales, one would go crazy chasing all of it, let alone the ever elusive variant or chase figure. 

Know what you like, set a reasonable budget and get what you want.

 

[Tcc]

Absolutely. But it's easy for me because I'm so picky about what I spend money on I pass on 90% of the stuff out there now. Especially Hasbro marvel legends I haven't bought a new one of those in two years.