I used to be a completist. I'd pay the crazy high prices for the convention figures. Intentional variant figures, like a black wolf Snake-Eyes? Needed those, too. "Running change" figures? Yes, I'd search those out as well.

Over the last year or so, I've found that I just don't care as much. This year's convention figures were great, but I couldn't bring myself to plop down an extra $150+ for the Lowlight/Longarm/Shockwave figures.

There are several reasons for this...

I'm older now and priorities change. Sure, action figures are nice, but so is a new television or there's always something in the house that needs replacing. My collection is wonderful to display, but space is limited, too. The collection already has an entire room and I just can't see expanding it into another one.

It's the same stuff, over and over. How many times can Hasbro put out a new Cobra Commander figure? There are so many now that I cannot tell them apart from each other.

Not enough new characters. Yes, this is a recurring rant for me. For every new CC, there's a new character not being released. Hasbro has been very generous recently- Paraviper, Cobra Air Trooper, Cobra Explosives Specialist, Cobra Hostile Environment Specialist, Cobra Flamethrower Specialist, Wraith, Hard Master, Red Ninja Leader, and Matt Trakker. That's less than one new character per wave. Not enough to hold my interest.

I'm not going to stop collecting (and certainly won't stop customizing). I've already shifted away from being a completist to a "only what's sold in stores and larger online sites" collector. But I feel that's about to change to just buying figures that really catch my eye and the few new characters. Now that Hasbro's promised us a Zap figure in '09, that will be my stepping off point to a less involved level of collecting.

Who else has gone through "collecting menopause"? Is anyone more intensely collecting now? If you're a CC or SE fan, this is certainly a good time for you. What ways do people vary their collecting- does anyone just collect Drednok figures?

This is a biggy for me in the past year. Really only picking up figures that I feel are a vast improvement (ie Quick Kick, BAT, Menisis Enforcer, Destro, a bit old of an example but fits perfectly into what I am saying). The major ones are the ones who DON'T have that aweful hump in the mid torso. Not sure what the designers were thinking but that is a whole other issue.

But those and the new characters are my focus, money, time, energy, interest, frequency of releases ect. all play a part in the desision.

Beyond that my joe focus is on the DVD packs (to complete the MASS device, a childhood fanboy dream to me). Afterwards I plan to avoid the multi0packs.

I've slowed down alot on my collecting recently, but relly it's only becuse I'm getting dangorisly close to a complete domestic collection.

But I've become pretty picky about forgin figures too, and I'm only picking up the unique ones that really catch my fancy.

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I'm Joe guy for life, however I have found my interest in other lines starting to grow (Ex. Gears, Mcfarland D.C. and Marvel etc.) but the biggest slow down factor for me is well I got a sick kid a sick wife (Medically although she is pretty hot) so carring the load by myself has really slowed me down. Not to mention I told the misses a couple of years back I was buting to sell. I guess I forgot to mention I was really collecting.

But I agree way too many CC SE SS Destros, I do gravitate more to mulit pack and troop builders.

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Been there, done that! I knew I couldn't compete with everyone else's ARAH collections both domestic and foriegn - the prices alone would give me a heart attack. But I thought with the intro of the 25A line I'd have a perfect opportunity to be an absolute MOC completist, and the retro-packaging was a major driving factor.

And I did really well - all the way up to wave 9, I had both silver and gold pimp daddies, black Timber, yellow Stalker, all variations of Shipwreck's tatoos/belts, you name it I had it. But it was actually this year's SDCC convention exclusive that made me pull back and have that reality check. I didn't want to bring myself to pay the intense prices for a half G.I. Joe/half Indian Jones figure! So I downsized - if I can't be a pure completist, it's the next best thing.

It was probably the best decision I've ever made. The Yellow Stalker I got rid of alone funded the majority of wave 10/11, comic packs 5, 6, the odd vehicle pack, and my new Transformers Animated addiction. Hasbro made it real easy too, take wave 11 for example, I had no interest on Matt Trakker on retro packaging, or a Cobra Flint, so now I pick and choose what I want.

It's an all-round win-win, it's easier on the wallet and I get figures that I can really appreciate. I'm glad I had that "moment"

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The Indiana Jones line captured my attention this year very unexpectedly. I had only planned to pick up one or two pieces and it blossomed into the whole enchilada. It pretty much eclipsed my interest in Joe and made me seriously look at why I was picking them up. I couldn't answer that question to my satisfaction, so I have adjusted my collecting tendencies.

So now I'm more of an Indy enthusiast. And that's a pretty good thing, because that line's going to be off the radar for a while. I still pick up occasional Joes and have become more interested in SW this year too. Both lines are produced at too rapid a rate now for me to even try to keep up, but I happily pick up what I like and let the rest go.

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Yeah, I was thinking it might be just me, but SW has been in a rapid fire mode all year.

Now joe seems to have gone the same way.

For me, the only figures I really wanted this year were the bats and I have a ton of them, now.

so until technos or alleys come out, I'm good.

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i've had a couple of coversations about this recently, including a pretty deep one w/JFAK, about the nature of collecting, and specifically, "value"

i think i'm changing my definition of "value", and my collecting habits will coincide.

// aaaand the wallet just sighed.

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I'm totally there. I started out being a Star Wars completist. Got tired of it. Then the Joe 25th caught my interest. I bought everything for a while then looked back to ask why. Right now I'm at the buy what I can if I can find what I like stage. It's a nice feeling.

It's no longer a hobby when it becomes more of a chore than enjoyment to find it!

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My collecting habits changed when my vision decreased drastically. Gone are the days when I would look into what Esci, Orion, HaT, and other historical miniatures companies would put out.

Most if not all must be sold.

When Armies of Middle Earth came out, my collecting shifted because I have waited a sincere lifetime for fantasy related figures to be produced. When McFarlane added his dragons to this, then I divided the focus from the three: GIJOE, Fantasy, and Historical, to just GIJOE and Fantasy.

When Joe started to become a bit sedate, I was all but through with Joe until John (JFAK) revitalized my interest when the survival horror had come to the forefront. Then, the entire leftover collection became fodder for whatever universe I cared to delve into, which is Resident Evil with whatever I deem enjoyable thrown in. Good to Go provided a wealth of sculpts that fleshed out anything I could think of, and well, here we are.

AOME stopped being produced with the Jakks buyout of Play Along, so it was a scramble to find any affordable pieces at BigLots, or on the net. When found I can customize those 1:24 scale figures just as easily as a Joe, then the two universes got my attention. One clearly harder than the other, as one is off the market, and one changed their sculpt entirely.
I can supplement my fantasy with whatever I can found cheaply from the miniatures and gaming line, but right now, all collecting has stopped entirely due to personal issues. So it's just enjoy what I have and make the best I can with it.

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The expanding 25th line did for it me. I got into collecting by putting all of my old RAH guys back in original order and then I got addicted to eBay and got a ton of lots of RAH figures, then I started buying the new sculpt stuff with Spytroops and through VvV and then with the ease of buying the cases of DTC stuff through HTS I built an immense new sculpt collection. I made up my own little joeverse and everything was working pretty good. I customized a lot and my story grew and grew until I started a website to keep it all together. I soon moved my RAHs into a plastic tub and then into the closet. My whole display collection consisted of new sculpt pieces and that drove me to customize. I reasoned the only way to have the figure exist in my joeverse was to have a figure of them on my shelf.

And then came the hiatus announcement. I was shocked and surprised but I could cope. I was getting married soon and wanted to buy a new house. I needed to save anyway and I had stockpiled tons of new sculpt fodder, so I could customize and know that Hasbro wasn't going to release a character that I had already made a custom of. And then the 25th announcement and the sneak previews. I was 5 years old again. 25 figures in a new style, oh boy, I could afford a MOC collection and a display collection. And only 50 figures grand total wouldn't set me back too bad. So I bought the 5 packs and all of the single cards. 2 of each. And then with the success of the line Hasbro announced they would keep it going and now I could care less if I get them all. Endless repaints, figures I feel I've already bought 20 years ago, and the bad distribution ruined it for me. I still get excited when I see new pics but I'm usually let down when I see them in person and leave the store empty handed. I have a small display and I will buy the ones I really want but I'm still happy with my new sculpt universe and display and customs. I still got fodder so I'm good to go until Spytroops celebrates its 10 year anniversary and I can get some new parts.

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I bought very few new sculpt era Joes, but I am gobbling up the 25th. I am no completist but I have most of the singles minus silly variants like black Timber and yellow Stalker. I bought many doubles to keep one carded. No lame repacks, con exclusives, or silly repaints, but Im still buying tons and it is very hard to keep up. I'm trying to keep it limited to figures who appeared in the vintage line, but I love the packaging so much I have a hard time skipping any singles. I am skipping the Target UPB however, about half the comic packs, and haven't touched any Senior Ranking whatevers yet.

I'm trying to find stuff to cut, but right now nothing is jumping out as a must go line. I collect 25th, Marvel Legends, and DCUC, and that's pretty much it, beyond the odd Star Wars or Transformer figure here and there. So, I'm cutting back on army building, being a bit choosier with what I must have, but I'm hoping that the frequency of 25th releases slows a bit next year, and as odd as it is to say it, I'm glad that ML is probably dead as a single figure line.

I wasn't going to buy any 25th Joes until the Stalker / Firefly / Zartan / Shipwreck / Red Ninja wave came out. Since then most of my favorite Joes and Cobras were released and I have put together a sweet MOC collection.

Red Ninja army building gave way to HISS Driver army-building. Then the MASS Device DVD packs. Now that that's complete, I'll still pick up the occasional comic pack or vehicle and single carded Croc Master and probably Zap.

But I'm setting a personal limit on only 6 more MOC Joes, so I am forced to be picky. As for more army building or constant checking for the latest product or soonest ending ebay auctions, I think I'm out of that for a good, long while.