BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! :lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol:lol

I am almost certain I've seen that or one like that in person before.

I'm at the point in the two lines I collect (SHF and 3.75 Star Wars) where there's not that many holes to fill and I'll be happy with what I have, but not having enough room to display everything is disappointing

Purging is another thing altogether. I have a bunch of the original Bionicle and Lego Harry Potter sets that I can't see myself getting rid from all the time and effort that went into getting them. But again, not having the display space at the moment sure is a bummer

I'm mostly at the point where I've not so much cut back on what I collect so much as how... by being very selective about whom.

It has not quite worked out quite as well as I planned.

I've seen worse in dollar stores and grocery stores but yeah this will suffice in the category of so bad it's so good. :lolol

Is it sad that I actually remember seeing these in stores when I was a kid? >.>

That depends entirely on how you view the inevitable passage of time and the loss of such bizarre moments to it, like tears in the rain.

True. But it's also dating myself extremely. Lol!

I know what you mean. I spent a lot of time collecting my toys and stuff and it's hard to let go. But personally I have to let go. Seriously, I'm drowning in toys and dust. I recommend weighing what each part of your collection means to you and then keeping the ones which mean the most to you.

Sometimes less really is more.

You should totally watch it then you will love it. Also watch The Lawn Mower Man.

If only he was purple then I would totally get RoboCopRanger.

Give into temptation and give all your money to Digimon.

I remember watching The Lawnmower Man as a kid on TV back in the late 90s. I should revisit it soon.

Robo Ranger or Power Cop :lolol?

Ah yes, proto-Robo Knight.

Hi, hi! waves

You guys don't mind if I vent for a bit right?

So, if you guys have been following some of posts you might realise that I probably rant on a wee much about consumerism and buying stuff and its effects on your mind.

So anyways I decided to reflect a bit on my life recently and then I decided to reflect as to WHY I keep talking so much about consumerism. And then it hit me: I'm suffering from it. You know how it's said that when someone obsesses over something or are trying to overemphasise a point it's probably because something's wrong with them? Yeah, it's basically that.

My rants about consumerism, my recent attempts to declutter and stuff. What really made me actually think though is my recent urge to buy Gaim Figuarts. Now why on earth would that make me think? Well, here's the thing: I've had my eye on Gaim Figuarts for a LONG time now. You can thank COVID as to why I don't have them right now. But recently the urge to buy them was just REALLY strong.

So anyways I had a really wanted to buy these things. It became an obsession that lasted a few weeks. I'd be thinking about them when I'm doing work, watching videos or doing chores. Not very healthy right?

But then recently I started thinking to myself, what exactly am I going to do with them once I bought them? I realised, to my shock, I would do absolutely nothing with them. I'd just display them because I really love their designs. It goes against my personal creed of only buying toys to play with them! Now, I'm not saying it's wrong to display toys, that's not it at all. But it really did shock me that I had this really strong urge to buy toys that I won't play with.

So then I thought to myself, what about other toys I really wanted to buy off the internet? Then I realised that I wouldn't even play with most of them; I liked the IDEA that they were playable, but I wouldn't actually spend time with them.

Consumerism has ruined my brain. The time spent on the idea of getting and playing with toys has superseded my time spent actually playing with them. I'm so glad I'm really stingy with my wallet so I don't have to suffer as much but this obsession with wanting to buy stuff has made my life miserable. So now I'm starting to get rid of some of my stuff, leaving only the toys I actually play with. I feel better already just looking at my more vacant shelves.

Yeah sorry for the vent. I just really needed to get this off my chest so I can better accept this and just move on with my life. Also so that when I have another strong urge to buy stuff I won't play with I can look back at this post and remind myself to control myself.

Regarding Gaim though, considering how I really love the designs maybe I'll just get the Detail of Heroes or something so I can look at them. Should be less taxing on my sanity than the idea of toys that would collect dust and not being played with.

EDIT: Holy moly this post was longer than I intended.

Gashat, have you considered So-Do Gaim? You would get the best of both worlds: Smaller figures meant for play, easy on the wallet, fun factor in stickering/painting, and the proportions and sculpt are excellent

I have indeed. I thought about if for a long time as well. I mean, cheap(er), fun-sized, DIY-ness and a lot of the characters and Arms being made? Seems like a win-win!

But then I remembered how I usually treat my Gunpla: build, paint, customise, put in shelf to be rarely touched. So SO-DO is not for me. Size and cost isn't the issue for me (stingy though I might be I am willing to shell out for expensive figures); it's whether I'll actually play with them or not. And considering how I'm usually spending my time honing my writing and drawing skills and reading books, I don't really see that happening.

I appreciate the thought though.

SO-DO/SHODO/Yu-Do is definitely something I can recommend for this type of thing for multiple reasons:-

- For one thing, the price is a big factor. Like, I love Saber Dragonic Knight; it's easily one of my favourite Kamen Rider forms ever. But do I like it for its story relevance itself, or even the character that much? Absolutely not, and not particularly; respectively. I mean I like Touma well enough, but... anyway, the point is that it really wouldn't be worth paying like 7000 yen or whatever for a figure of a suit that doesn't mean that much to me. But a great design for 700 yen? Literally a tenth of the price and basically just pocket money that I could chuck onto another order or something? Yeah, that works!

- Playability. Like... like the thing with Figuarts is that they're high-end collectors' figures, right? So while it's not impossible to play with them or anything, I'm much more careful with them and I often find that I leave them in a certain pose for a while as a display. With candy toys? Yeah those things are basically desk toys that I get out of my drawer and fiddle around with a bunch! YU-DO Kiramei Red has been a joy even without his accessories!


These days I do collect some Figuarts, but I limit it heavily to characters and forms that mean a LOT to me; which generally just means two characters and a final form at most from a season I love. Build is my second favourite Toku ever and meant so much to me, and the only SHFs I have for it are RabbitTank, Cross-Z base and Cross-ZBuild, and I'm never ever getting another one. I DEFINITELY do not want to base it off just liking the design... though I guess I'm kinda lucky that certain top 10 designs for me like Tajador, Rampage Gatling and Cross-Z are also top 10 characters for me as well!

That's the pattern I've been keeping to: splash out only for your absolute favourites, make that purchase decision one you REALLY ruminate over for a while and make sure you absolutely 100% absolutely honest to god do want before you click buy (I personally think the "give it two weeks; if you've forgotten about it don't bother" method is a pretty good one!), and for anything else? Just go for the cheap easy desk options at most. It makes this whole business so, so much easier. Beyond candy toys there's also stuff like RKFs, cheap older figures no-one wants anymore like Souchaku Henshin, or a bunch of mainline DX noisemakers that go for 500 yen for your favourite legend rider. FRS, as well, is pretty much perfect if you ever get the inclination for a certain Heisei Rider but don't want to go through the downright depressing state of getting their SHF.



This is all meant as general advice, and with that out the way... yeah, kinda agree with every word you've said! Consumerism is a hell of a brainrot and has only gotten worse in recent years where companies have realised they can tack on all sorts of extra prices and subscriptions and exclusivities which also happened to coincide with multiple economic disasters (both crashes and disgusting governmental & corporate decisions) that have wrecked so, so, so many normal working peoples' wallets and made it so they can't afford as much as before. Like you I've spent a lot of the past half year or so downsizing my collection and wants and it seems like globally a lot of people are deciding they've had enough of a lot of negatives in our current economic system. I don't really have an elegant way to end this as this is basically just a bunch of collected points, most of which are "I agree", and... uh, yeah! I agree! Hope things continue to go well on your side!

Vent away my friend.

Even if you were filthy rich and could buy all the things, consumerism would never end- if anything it would get stronger because you'd be feeding it!

You wanna know a strange thing that helped me conquer consumerism a little bit? Tattoos. Say what you will about body art and all that, but the tattoo industry is refreshingly anti-consumerist (at least in my mind). I really never hesitate to pay money for tattoos because its one of the few things in life that can't be taken away from you. And unlike an ever-expanding storage system, your body isn't infinite- you really have to choose meaningful things to put on your body (though not always haha!). Good, real tattoos from real artists are just pure art paid directly to the artists themselves with no manipulation, targeted ads, or mass production. It's a beautiful thing and made me completely rethink conspicuous spending and luxury goods.

Now I'm not saying to go out and get more tattoos, but I think we buy and collect toys into adulthood as an extension of self-expression and reward. Tangible objects are comforting in an increasingly digital world, doubly so when said objects are tied to our nostalgia. Would you get a tattoo of Gaim on your body?

Maybe the answer is yes, then maybe you should get that Figuart. But what are some other ways you can express your affinity for Gaim Orange Arms? Why does it have to be the Figuart? Is it because Figuarts retain value better than most other Rider merch? The idea that you can re-sell a fungible collectible is merely another tool of consumerism!

Love for Rider is in your heart, not your wallet.

I have no Kamen Rider tattoos. I still love Tokusatsu and all the toys. I believe having a hobby and collecting things is super healthy, but like all good things, you need to be able to manage it. In fact, a lot of the joy from the hobby is how you control it- which shows you choose to watch, picking a favorite series, etc. Never lose sight of the autonomy you have in a world of endless things vying for your attention.

Right, it seems my post also went over long as well! It's great that you've recognized the issue before, I assume, it got out of hand. Keep it up! Read more books and gain more skills, those are also things that can never be taken away from you ;)

https://i.imgur.com/eHjOc3I.gif

I've go more to say than just that gif, but I'm really freaking tired physically and mentally right now.

This is... an exceedingly good analogy, damn. Would you mind if I stole it a bit in the future? :lol

Well said. This definitely resonates with how I purchase stuff. Self-expression, nostalgia and personal values...all given to you, fed by and shaped by consumerism. A bit sobering when you really think about it.

And thanks for all your support guys. Seriously, how is this forum so wholesome?

Of course!

https://i.imgur.com/iJVXB2A.gif

Hearing that Kentaro Miura died is a huge shocker for me. I do think the Berserk manga is fantastic (even though I stop reading it like a decade ago) and I have fun memories of me watching the anime on VHS back when I was in Middle School. I also love the Dreamcast cast game.

RIP to a great author 😭

Just figured out that I would never be allowed to learn how to fly a plane. Why you may ask? Simply because I would get one of those planes that can write in the sky and fill the skies with sky dicks.

Yes I am a very mature creeper.

...don't people already do that though?

No where nearly enough if you ask me.

Found this in my bookshelf. So many memories.

It's definitely seen better days, though thankfully the contents are all intact. Something I'm definitely keeping.

https://i.imgur.com/hZVB6lB.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/CrZsv1W.jpg

And I am on my way to steal it! You shall know when I am near when you hear it on the news of a person tossing piss filled water balloons out of a plane.

Not really my cup of tea, but this genuinely has me sad. RIP indeed. A real shame he had to leave his fans early. That said, I wonder if someone will carry on say his assistants for example or this will just be in limbo.

It shall now suffer the same fate as Highschool of the Dead.

Now let it end where they all became best friends and bake cookies together.

There is this neat little website where an anime girl can say what you say to her. So, basically, a speech-to-speech vocaloid haha. I played around a bit trying out some rider and ultraman phrases I know. You can definitely tell it's a WIP since she has trouble shouting, saying "henshin", Ultraman Z's chant and specifically Touma's catchphrase lol.

Edit: forgot to say, she only understands japanese

https://nanakoe-nina.dena.ai/

What other stuff do you guys collect beside toku items ?

I’ve mentioned before my collection of Star Wars 3.75 inch figures, but I also have a nice chunk of the original Lego Bionicle waves, original Harry Potter Lego sets, and a nice selection of Toy Story stuff from the first two movies haha. I’m also really proud of being able to find nearly all 111 issues of the original Bendis and Bagley run of Ultimate Spider-Man comic ( just need the first issue ! )

I have a weird scattering of things I collect that I've been trying to hone in on- at this point I collect by character more than I do format. But I've got an almost complete set of Madoka Magica figma and a bunch of Sayaka Miki stuff; a bunch of figma, mostly Artoria and Mordred from Fate, a few Love Live ones, and Aqua and Darkness from Konosuba; Robot Spirits from Gundam 0080 (Favorite Gundam series), and my Big Thing this year are the Sentinel's Choudan Kadou Samurai Troopers figures, since that is my favorite series of all time and the old Armor Plus figures are... extremely lacking. I also collect Tomy's Little Armory kits. I was collecting the Classified series up until Hasbro bungled that so badly that I just lost all desire to continue.

Speaking of Samurai Troopers, I've got a bunch of CDs and a couple of vinyls, as well as books- official and unofficial.

Outside of other actions of other franchises I love? I have a very limited comics/graphic novel collection going, and I also love to collect clothes and DVDs/Blu-Rays.

Transformers, Gundams/Bandai Model Kits (Keroro Gunso and Tony Tony Chopper mechs), Digimon toys (when I can afford them at least), and random dumb things that are a few dollars because they amuse. Do have a few plushies I sleep with but I wouldn't count those. Would like to get some of the Sonokong Brave toys.

Transformers

Transformers, movies, comics, graphic novels...
Plus some mecha stuff (Gundam, model kits, a robot spirits)

Mecha stuff, Game Boys (and other 90s Era electronics) and the occasional music CD. I used to collect Tron stuff.

Oh and I guess board games. But I constantly use them and replace them so it doesn't really feel like a collection.

Stuffed animals and anime BD/DVD.

I collect movies and I own over 400 movies on Blu-Ray. I don't collect action figures like I used too because the hobby became too pricy. I also can't stand up at 3:00 AM on Ami Ami like I used too. Not to mention, Shinkocchou Seihou stuff never get reissue. I would love to own SS Decade, and Kiva without paying after market prices for them.