Ok, here's the deal.

Just like EVERY other iteration of Joes, I've been buying the latest waves en masse to make sure I don't miss anyone and have to pay a lot on the secondary market.

But once again I find myself looking at all these guys saying "Do I want all these? Why do I have three Destros now?"

I guess you could make the case for being more discerning about what i buy, but its hard to make a snap decision on something you might never see again.

Thoughts?

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Don't buy stuff you don't want, there are enough completists out there blindly following big H.

Besides, if you just buy the cool figures, you save about 90 percent,

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I have the same thoughts. I allowed some figures to slip through my fingers. If I already have a cool version of Destro I don't need what I consider a lame looking one. I have 4 Destros now. 1 from the first Cobra Set, his Gold version and one from comic pack and today from the DVD pack. The later 2 I got cause I wanted Trip Wire & Lady Jaye. Now stuck with more Destros and Road Block.

Great new is that if you don't want offer them for sale. You don't have to keep them. That's my plan.

Aye, decide what your collecting style is....completionist, or 'only what I like'.

In my 'complete' US collection, I never bothered with Maninals, Power Fighters, or a few other random pieces of crap. In the end, you only have yourself to please, no one else.

So make a decision that you can live with, and be happy!

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I'm the same way now. I'm trying to get out of the mindset of buying sets just to get one figure, only to have that figure pop up later on a card. Trying mind you, as I have snapped up everything the second I see them.

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Its frustrating though, when you want Major Bludd, and buy him, then it turns out he's coming out in a DVD set you want. Thankfully I never got around to opening him, so I'm selling him. Wonder if anyone needs my Lady Jaye also?

Hmm...Outback 100% Argento might be getting another PM....

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You're right! There is so much that's awesome, but it's not really much of an upgrade on what I already have, it's really only the MASS packs that are compelling me.

I want to pick up some of the vehicles and multi-packs but I've been willing to resist, and I've pretty much sworn off comic packs unless I can pick them up running around.

You've just got to get picky. And use a little self-analysis.

Picky: Refuse to buy duplicates of figures. I will not buy the DVD packs because I don't want another CC, Destro, Lady Jaye, Roadblock and so on unless they're radically different. As in new molds. Just stop buying the repaints no matter what it is packaged with. Put it back on the peg and leave the store. Maybe Hasbro would stop doing it if people would quit buying it.

Also, whenever I'm at the store and find something new, I always put that new item through a kind of litmus test. Ask yourself these questions the next time you find something new (and try to be honest with yourself):

1. Do I really want the item, or am I buying it because it's something new, hot, "rare," or just because I haven't bought a new toy in X amount of days?

2. Is it really worth the price?

3. Will I care about this item a year from now?

Seriously, these three questions have saved me a lot of money. Whenever you hang that new toy back on the peg and walk out of the store, you'll no doubt have some bad feelings. You might wonder if you'll regret not buying it. You'll think about the next guy getting it (or worse, a scalper getting it). You'll be afraid that maybe this was your only chance to get the item.

Cast that crap out of your mind. You won't regret it. Not in the long run anyway. Unless you devote some serious time to playing with your toys, half of the stuff you buy today will be irrelevant to you in a year. At least that's the way it is for me.

That's not to say that I don't love my collection. I do. But I find that most of the time, that figure I just *had* to have six months ago has now been forgotten for that figure I just *have* to have today. Maybe I'm just not as hardcore a Joe fan as I used to be. Maybe I'm one of those instant gratification types. I don't know. What I do know is that companies put these toys out at a breakneck speed for a reason. They shortpack. They make variants. And all it does is drive collectors into a buying frenzy. Just don't get caught up in it.

And if all else fails, plan out a toy budget and stick to it. Mine's $40 a month. I usually spend less. It forces me to buy only the things I really like and I've found I appreciate those things a whole lot more now.

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For years I envied collections like Dan's Joes (I think) who has nearly -if not most- every single vintage figure MOC; so when the 25th anniversary line rolled around with the retro packaging I thought this was my opportunity to make a complete MOC collection of my own. No parents to answer too, disposable income handy, my own house, why not right?

Well that lasted 'til about wave 8 or 9 until I sat back and had the revelation you did - do I really need 3 different CCs on the same card or a parka-wearing Snake Eyes who wasn't even part of the vintage line?! The last straw for me was the SDCC '08 exclusive, not only did they choose an extremely obscure figure variation in CC (based on 1 panel on 1 page of a comic), or that it was literally half an indiana jones figure, but it costs an arm and a leg on the secondary market! I just couldn't justify paying all that cash for a figure I wasn't even interested in.

So as corny as this sounds, I asked my wife how could I be a completist when I don't even want the SDCC '08 exclusive? And it took someone like her, outside of my hobby, to tell me - "why don't you complete what you like?" - and that got me thinking about what I liked:

* 25th anniversary renditions of vintage figures on retro packaging, not the new stuff like Parka SE, Red Ninja, or even DD Serpentor.
* cartoon-accurate figures like DVD box set Major Bludd, Cobra Solider, and Purple SE
* the 25th treatment on 1985 figures like Bazooka, Flint, Lady Jaye (box set), Barbecue, Alpine, QK

So now I have all-new collecting goals and it doesn't involve getting every single thing Hasbro releases! So it's not a completist's collection by the truest means, rather it's complete to me....and easier on the wallet.

Collect what you like, it will benefit you more in the long run.

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I ask myslef the same things...well, #1 and 3 anyway. if I find something I'm "iffy" about, I'll leave it, and if I see it again in a few weeks and I still want it then I'll buy it. I have no interest in most vehix(or no room) so I'm passing on most of them and just trying to get the figure that comes with it. I only have 2 Stormies...his v1 look and v2 look those were th only ones I carred about. I too try and shy away from getting multiple CCs and Destros. I have the Ig destro and the MASS destro cause I had em as a kid. I passed on all other Hawk figs cause I wanted the wave 9 version. basically like everyone else has said...just buy what makes you happy.

double post

Since you're back in my neck of the woods let me just tell you to go ahead and not worry about finding new product here. We have a new local scalper on the scene who will clear out ALL new product and leave his business card on the empty peg.

Classy, I know.

Anyway, I've started skipping most new figs except for those sexy BATs (I need more if you see them, BTW ) and a few figs I want to get like Bazooka and Nemesis Enforcer.

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great post. i also have been thinking more about my buying habits. it's true, you get caught up in simply finding any 25th at retail so you buy it without question. just last week i found the black Hiss at Target, and after thinking for a while, i decided not to get it. i already have a black hiss, a blue hiss, a red hiss... i ordered the vamp since i didn't have a green one yet, and the Ram pack.. but it's true, you need to think if you'll really appreciate the toy 6 months for now or if it's just the thrill of finding and acquiring the item that is driving you. it helps to keep your collection smaller and your wallet happier

I got that way very early one with the line.

After getting something like my 5 cobra soldier I thought. WHY? Why am I army building this line? I have a giant plastic bin full of armybuilders that I will probably never display all together. So I capped myself to two or three of any army builder.

Then the vehicle packs killed me from even being a character completelist. I never say the first wave of vehicles. So I never got Grand Slam.. I don't really care about Grand Slam if I really think about it... so I definitely won't be going out of my way to get him.

I found the Hiss with Rip It/Blue Driver.. I bought it but I might return it... I don't really need another HISS (I have 6) and I don't feel like Rip It is going to be a hole in my collection same with Steeler from the Armadillo set.

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Yes. And you should send all the ones you have to me.


Seriously though. I've been where you are a few times with this line. I keep buying at least one of everything that comes out (and multiples for custom fodder) and most of it is still on cards in boxes (which is annoying the girl to no end). I wonder why I'm accumulating all these armybuilders and extras for customs. Just when I'm about to say frell it and sell it all off I step back, take a moment and consider the consequences. The 25th Anniversary line has given me the opportunity I didn't have when I was a kid - to be able to have a complete collection. That is my ultimate goal (only thing I'm missing are a couple variants which I have no desire to track down) Everything else is fodder for my customizing habit. For me its about recapturing those childhood memories of Saturday morning bedroom battles where I'd set up Castle Greyskull alongside my Rolling Thunder, build a wall with encyclopedias and have a massive all day war. That's what its about for me. Rekindling the memories. Nothing feels much better than coming home to find a box from BBTS with the latest wave, cracking that sucker open and basking in the glow of new Joes.

So think about what you want from your collection and follow your heart. If you're not getting any enjoyment out of it then maybe it is time to stop. Just don't make any rash decisions that you might regret later.

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