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Sacrifices, Sacrifices, Sacrifices


madman1366

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I'm sure this has been asked and talked about before, but now the game is changing fast every day it seems. Now most of us have sacrificed something for our collecting, be it big or small. Now with prices soaring, 3rd party makers, and the urge to import stuff Hasbro doesn't make (or is simply too slow) it's had to have made those sacrifices even greater and tougher to deal with for a great many.

 

So it's easy, what sacrifices do you make? How has the economy and recent price hikes altered the level of those sacrifices?

 

 

 

Back when I began to collect again, I was in a lot more of a care-free place. I had lots of work, lots of money and lots of time to scurry around and find all the new stuff that was out there no matter how far I was going for it. Through collecting, I began a journey still going today of exploration and discovery in places all around me that I've never been to, nor ever had a reason to go to. To me, that's always been an exciting part of the hunt. I went from knowing very little about what was outside the area I live to knowing a great deal about the whole area. Knowing where all of the major and not so major stores and shopping centers are. Knowing where the best deals are, where to find the good stuff, and along the way seeing all kinds of places and things to do that I never knew were around. Or hearing about places and never knowing where they were until while driving on a hunt going "oh look, I heard about that place but never knew exactly where it was. Now I know!" Those kinds of things have made collecting fun for me.

 

But now, so many years later it's not really the same story. High gas prices have made searching more of a chore than a something to do activity. The prices of figures going through the roof means not being able to buy as much. Which again, has a trickle down effect to the hunt, because I won't go on any long hunts if I can't afford to buy what it is I'm looking for. With all the price hikes, I can easily spend more money now searching so that when I actually do find, I blew out all of my money searching already!

 

So that leads into the other obvious sacrifice...MONEY! Who doesn't need more? I've never cared about the money end of collecting. So long as I can still meet my financial needs, then it's all good. But now, that's even getting to be tricky. I've had to get a lot more inventive and resourceful in order to keep going.

 

All along the way though, the sacrifices do add up. While small and rather insignificant at the time, they can have a cumulative effect.

 

Friends. Some think my collecting is kinda neat and others think it's just whacked. I've found it easier to deal without the people who don't support me than give up the one pride and joy that I have. So for those who think it's a joke, I have no time for.

 

Family. Of course they all think I'm crazy. I'm the only adult who tinkers with these and the tens of thousands of collectors on sites around the internet are apparently all nothing but my own split personalities creating it all! Seriously, they would more likely believe that than believe that this is a totally legit collectors hobby that is heavily populated by a lot of good, honest, hard working people from all walks of life. I'm not kidding, this is totally true!

 

Time, time, time. Do we ever sacrifice enough time? Let's put it this way, I was 20-something when I began and now I'm 40 wondering where all the time went. What's worse, I'm 40 and still single with a crappy job. In other words, I probably have made one of the biggest sacrifices of them all...LIFE. I'm 40 now, so basically it's over for me. Too old to fit in with the younger crowd, too young to fit in with my own age or older. Take my word for it, meeting new people and gaining new friends gets a lot tougher once out of your 20's. Especially now in the wonderful cell phone age!

 

 

All along the way, I've given up things like collecting other lines (Marvel, Macross, Gundam, etc) to focus all on Transformers. The cost of keeping up with all became impossible long ago. At times, I've given up meals, buying new clothes, and even resorted to paying a bill or two late. Perhaps it's lunacy, but something I wouldn't have done if I didn't think I would be OK in the end. And I always am.

 

I look around at my collection and think I could have probably done a lot more with all that money over the years. I could have traveled more. I could have went back to school, I could have settled down with someone and started a family or something. I chose in large part not to do these things. I guess some would say that makes me a loser. They're probably right, but I'm probably a lot happier than a great deal of the "winners" out there are, so they can stick that in their pipes and smoke it!

 

What was gained one has to wonder? I know who I am. I know what I like. I know what makes me happy. I've sacrificed all kinds of things along the way that some people would see as being really important. Well, to them it is, that's fine for them. I don't think I ever could have been happy forcing myself into the same existence that most people would see as being a "normal life" anyway. I have a motto, get crazy with me or get the hell out of my way!

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can't sleep? :)

 

 

Recently, my job has started paying off and i've been able to afford the collection of my dream. While doing so, i've also been able to afford to buy a house to house said collection. Space is still an issue though and the other things that i have enjoyed in my life are starting to suffer because of it. I had a pretty sizable music(CD) collection. I also had a decent video game library and movie collection too. Had to get rid of 80% to create more space for TF's. Other lines that i collect have taken a back seat. I used to collect Toy Biz Marvel Legends but sold those once Hasbro got the Marvel license. At the end of the Toy Biz line, they were just making random ass characters anyways so i got bored and moved on. I did keep a few and have picked up 1 or 2 of the current line of figures. I get a Marvel Universe guy here and there too. I pick up the random Halo character here and there. Mostly UNSC characters.

 

With Transformers, each new version of the same character brings new gimmicks and a new transformation. So i wouldn't necessarily be buying the same toy as i would with Marvel or Halo. That and man, did i watch the shit out of the 80's TF movie growing up. I loved Transformers and decided to make that my one and only line i collect. But space is still the issue. With almost 30 years worth Transformers products from all over the world, space is an issue with everyone. I have a guest room in my house dedicated to the hobby. i'm already planning on my next house purchase. counting down the years. 9 more to go.

 

I don't get to play as much video games as i used too. I could also blame my wonderful GF(future wife hopefully/proposing soon!), but it's not her. I have 10 hours during the day at home while she's working that i could be a slob and play video games. But i don't. I'm constantly receiving TF's in the mail, reorganizing to make room, cleaning up the mess i made, keeping up with a sales thread/ebay sales, and then cleaning the rest of the house (dog, cat, GF can get messy! (not in this order!)).

 

I just had a house warming/birthday party at my house recently which most of my friends who didnt know i was a TF nut were exposed to it and my collection for the first time. Most were in Awe of my collection. 1 or 2 kind of scoffed at it but in reality, its my damn money, it's my damn house, i do damn well what i want. Ha! But a lot of them enjoyed it and i spent a lot of time answering questions and showing them the "cool" ones and stuff like that.

 

but driving around town is starting to wear on me. I live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area and there are no shortages of Targets, Walmarts, TRU's, Pharmacy Stores, and comic shops to scour. We even have Dallas Vintage Toys which is a mecha to everything vintage toys from 70-90's. Hitting all these stores for 1 damn toy is time consuming and money consuming. So i've been trying to order most of what i'm looking for online recently in bulk to save on shipping and not have to rip my hair out. I've been pretty successful here with get FoC Bruticus from FunPUb shipped all at once, MP Optimus ordered online at TRU, plus Pile of Looting at BBTS. Not to mention, i have a buddy in town who imports cases of Arms Micron figures and will hook me up nearly at cost plus a split of shipping for the figure. i help him hunt and he orders those and a lot of times we just trade evenly. I have a spread sheet with a running tally of what we've done so we can settle at the end of the year after Artfire comes in. It's pretty convenient.

 

I'm pretty lucky to have a job where i only work about 3 days a week and have the rest of the week off. 9-5 isn't for me. I get to travel while i work and am able to hit up different local shops in different towns to try and find vintage TF's. I'm working on starting a blog actually that will house a database for the stores i find since there isn't one and i'd love to be able to remember the places i've checked out.

 

I think the most sarifices i've made were early on when i was living at home again and was running out of space. I sold all of my Beast Wars figures and some G1 figures i didnt think i wanted at the time. Now some of those figures have gone through the roof in price! G1 Fangry anyone??? Sold mine for $30 i think back in 06... just paid $100 for one a few months back :doh Oh well.

 

So in review, Space, time, video games, gas, and sanity are things i've sacrificed. The one thing i can't sacrifice is the relationship with my girl, cat, dog, family, and friends. I know there's a line that has to be drawn to not get carried away. I like to hover around there.

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Yeah, my family is the same way, mostly anyway. My Grandmother even went so far as to say that it was "just one of the aspects" that make me a "horrible father" to my son. Guess who's not on the Christmas card list. My mom is more understanding with it, oddly so is my babymama, and for the record as far as they're concerned I'm a wonderful dad, which is nice someone thinks so, because I can only do my best.

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Just to put it out there, at one time I was studying to become a psychologist. Needless to say, I got a little sidetracked. So I'm not totally nuts or some mindless goof. Usually.

 

I keep my eyes and ears open for interesting stories that surface from time to time. One most recently I believe I read on Yahoo, and also saw a news segment on, talked about how more and more it's being suggested that one thing adults are missing is the playtime they had when they were kids. Some places even going so far as to build some adult sized playgrounds to get the same exercise and activity their bodies enjoyed as kids. On the same note, adults who took the time to play with their kids, especially when it's similar to toys of their own youth, experienced a more energized and youthful attitude than those who don't.

 

That's huge. That means staying open to new things and new possibilities. Not thinking you're too old to still have fun. Most importantly, not letting the passing of ones cultural generation get the best of them. I don't think anything makes people more bitter than seeing the cultural environment they grew up in and were accustomed to being overtaken by things they dislike or hate.

 

So there's a lot to be said for letting out the kid inside. I believe those who are the most disrespectful about it are simply the most jealous. Either they can't won't let that kid inside them out and they get a lot of twisted angry and resentful feelings over it. It only makes them feel older, or reminds them of their age and they hate it.

 

Age is as much a state of mind as it is body. Too bad more people can't understand that. It's part of what makes society so constipated.

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The sacrifices I'm making deal with starting my own home business and the space/money needed for that. Transformers is an expensive hobby, especially with the way prices of figures have gone up, and to be honest it isn't really as enjoyable as it used to be, so me sacrificing figures for the sake of saving money or spending it more responsibly is easier now.

 

I made a thread in the End Cap section because I am selling my non-G1 figures. Honestly, the hobby really isn't as exciting as it used to be. I feel like we've been in Transformers overload since the 2007 movie first came out. I need a break.

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Sacrifices. Depends on how you look at things.

 

Now you can say that the latest economic situation and the raised prices on the current lines are bringing you down, however there are many layers to all of this. I for one have no interest in the TF Prime or WFC FOC lines at all, so even if the economy and price tags have dropped, I'm still not buying. I did buy Shockwave, and actually I might sell it because it's off scale for the rest of the "classics" toys I want.

 

Things are now, the way they are. It'd be like saying oh boo hoo, I should have bought all those G1's off the shelf or $25, as opposed to now for $125. Things are always changing, I my self bough some really good Pre-Transformers back in the day just before the net came around, DIRT CHEAP, a trick that is now not so easy to do.

 

But real sacrifices. Well my X and I sold toys at a couple botcon's, made a ton of money (just before TRU remakes of the G1 series) and she spent 90% of it on shit. SO that was a sacrifice 1/2 willing to make. Would have been nice to have gotten my money back, but somethings are worth paying off to be done with.

 

Last week I ran to TRU to get a MP Thundercracker, and struck out. SO rather than pissing away another $5 in gas and my lunch hour at work, I ordered one on line at just the right time. Sacrifice there, the FUN of the hunt, but my car which is falling apart lives to drive another day.

 

I have had most of my collection in a storage locker for the last 10 years or so. My wife and I just bought a house and it's going to be the LAST thing I work on, building my collection room/office to finaly get my my treasures into the light of day. Sacrifice, you bet. Worth the wait, just wait and see what wonders I post here.

 

Being a home owner now, with a mortgage to pay every month, the funds are not the same by far. SO now it's time to save up for the desireables and pick and choose better what's important and what isn't. My change jar and wish lists for birtdays and the holidays hopefully will get me all the Masterpiece toys I HAVE to HAVE. Something like the newer MP smaller Prime, I have to skip. Besides I already have the larger 3 versions (4 actually with my custom Diaclone Powered Convoy I made) so why spend another $100 or so tracking the smaler one?

 

Sacrifices means you have to give up something to gain something else. If you are unhappy with your choices of sacrifices, you're doing something or looking at something wrong. Your goals may not be realistic, or maybe you need to rethink or evaluate your situation.

 

I waited 10 years to get a house to have a collection room, done up right. And I am still waiting, but all well worth it for sure. I lost a loved one who robbed me blind, well worth dumping her. Went from needing to HAVE EVERYTHING with the TF banner, down to the select many toys that reall mean something to me, it's better for space, $ and time. I can spend my time working on customs, or tracking down the rare pieces I REALLY want, vs the MEH newer pieces that do not speak to me.

 

A toy hunt that does not result in a new piece to add to one's collection should NEVER be a total failure. One needs to make the hunt FUN no matter what. My old hunting routes started in Cherry Hill NJ, drove down 322 towards Hammilton which had the mall - KB Toys, Toys R Us, Walmart and usually LUNCH somewhere new around there. Then down past Storybook Land to the Shore Mall to hit BeachCombers, also a good area for lunch, and finally Ocean City to hit Toyrareium and the Shore Mall. FInally to take a walk on the beach or boardwalk and a smooth ride home. THAT is a HUNT. Just going to TRU to comb the shelves hoping the new toys are there waiting for you is just shopping.

 

Don't shop, HUNT!

Don't surf the net looking for this or that, HUNT!

 

 

DAMN IT!!!! My wife travels on business, she was just in Dallas. Vintage Toy Shop, NOW YOU TELL ME!

 

Back to the front, it's 15+ years or more since my old toy hunting runs to the south NJ shore. (there is a HUGE difference in such a small state between North NJ with this DOPES from that stupid reality show and the South.)

 

Toyrareium is no longer around, KB is long gone, and Beachcombers doesn't have the merchandise it used to, so I don't do that run much any more. Now that I am married and my wife was practically raised in Avalon NJ Beach town, when I go on trips with her, I throw in a aspect of the hunt i with it if possible. There are a couple antique stores that turns up a older TF from time to time. There is a collectable store of more modern toys in Wildwood's boardwalk.

 

Sacrifice. Adaptation reduces harmfull sacrifices and regrets.

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