For you to think a G.I. Joe collection is impressive what does it need too have? A large army? mint figures? MOC/MIB only? Lot's of rares? The entire line?

For me too consider someone's collection too be impressive I feel it needs too have some sort of a theme, if it's just a random selection of joes from all sorts of eras with no rhyme or reason it doesn't do much for me. I don't think they're bad collections it's just a little too eclectic for my tastes. And collections that are just devoted too one character ain't my cup of tea either.

Size isn't a big factor for me because some big collections are cool, but so are a lot of smaller ones. Giant Armies of the same figure don't impress me. When you've got 100 of a figure (generally something of a modern release) it just seems to be a waste, as you can't appreciate 100 of the same figure. That's why I wasn't ever impressed by the collection of that con artist Irving.

How about you guys?

Me, I'm really impressed by people who portray their collections in dio fashion. Kind of like that HALO commerical that was done up for the new game. That impressed me greatly.

I've known my share of collectors of miniatures, Army man scale, and even McFarlanes who did this and they amazed me at how far they were willing to display a collection without the remotest thought of MIB/MOC value.

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Size and value don't do it for me (a sort of meh even on large collections given that I have seen each individual item on yojoe, jc, etc. in package and without) but display detail does.
10 MOC v1 Vipers are absolutely not interesting, but 4 set up in certain positions around a joe become uber cool.

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Yeah, display is everything for me. Honestly, I find those pictures of hundreds and hundreds of the same troop all lined up nazi-rally style incredibly boring. They don't have to be full-on dios, but make your collection look interesting at least.

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Agree with the others. How the collection is displayed is everything. I have seen these gigantic collections of army builders, where you really cant see the forest for all the trees. And in the other end of the scale I have seen collections of 20 figures and 4 mocs being displayed beautifully.
So.. good display = impressive.

I also like the collections that obviously focuses on something special. Like complete Tiger Force, or all the Original 13.
And of course, figures displayed along with comics wins any time.

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Wow I thought my answer would be unique but seems like everyone else feels the same way. It's all about the presentation. Owning a huge collection disorganized and stored in tubs is liken to hoarding - but have an organized well displayed collection is impressive. WIthin that having themes - like certain years or styles - adds to the effect.

I pre-warned my wife about my toy collection before she saw it and she admits it was a turn off. But when she saw how I had it organized and displayed she said then she "understood" - I wasn't just some freak with toys, this was my hobby - just like a stamp, coin, or gem collector.

To me, it doesn't have to be a diorama, it just has to be neatly presented. Dioramas take it to the next level.

-David

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a theme,

When I collected Games workshop, i wanted an army that no one would see, so I did a terminator company of ultramarines and had only a certain percentage of the full company, the ones that had taken part in a battle from the games fluff.

And for those not geeky enough to get get the reference, it would be like taking a scene from the joe mythos, getting everything for that one scene and setting it up.

but for me, the most impressive collection I can think of is Spectre's SW, and for one reason, he took the time to adjust almost every single piece to be what he wanted.

We can all shell out cash and line up a bunch of crap and try to out spend the other guy, but how many of us care enough to tailor each piece to be what it should be?

then again, Deathwing has what seven flaggs? Thats a frickin fleet, so also impressive.

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I can see a small display and be impressed.
Themes, customs, dioramas.... just a bunch of figures wouldn't do much, but if you put some extra effort into something then it can be impressive.

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One that is clean.

- R

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I agree with everything that has been said. A small collection that has had some thought put into it is far superior than a large one with that has no direction.

Back in my Lego collecting days, I knew some fellow collectors from my area. We met once in while at each other's places and got to see the other's set-ups.

One guy had a very small collection. He had a small 4'x4' table where he set up his main castle with his knights, trees, horses, towers, etc. The amount of detail that he crammed into that space was ridiculous. We could spend hours looking at the various mini-scenes he had created. His collection felt alive. It had a story to tell.

Another guy, had a much larger collection, bordering on the insane. He had tables set up that filled an entire room. On them, he had started setting up a city scene. His buildings were unfinished, there were no figures and just few vehicles. He had hundreds of MISB sets that dated back to the '80s that were just sitting in the closet in his basement rotting away. Often, he would buy 10-15 even 20 copies of the same set. His collection felt dead. It had no direction. His only goal was to hoard as many sests as he could and store them. This guy has always said that he had big plans for his diorama. I've known him for close to 10 years and there have been very few changes on it since that time.

I guess my point is that collections, no matter the size or the value that are ''cared for'' and appreciated are always the most impressive.

OB

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I like a neat, clean and well organized display, kind of like my collection. It doesnt have to be all dios, just as long as I can tell what I am looking at. I have ALL of my loose stuff well organized and displayed on shelves. I have multiples of a few vehicles and army builders, but I dont think its overkill. Well maybe borderline . It doesnt make sense to have it all and not be able to display it. I have gotten compliments from girls and guys because its not a mess of toys, its a displayed collection. When it looks nice it does cut down on the 'creepy' factor, lol.

My buddy Mike here in town has a great display of stuff and even though his Joe Room is a little small, he makes due. He has multiples of figs so he could do different set ups on different shelves. He has lots of stuff in a lot of places in the room but it wasnt chaotic, it was pretty cool. He has a Night Force display, his Action Force collection is well displayed in glass cases, and he has a case for rarer exclusive items like Crimson CATs, Sears Dreadnok exclusives and so on. Very nice stuff, some rare, and very well displayed.

What about collection where they have Themed sets, Dioramas, Customs, and they also Have Large Armies ? ... in other words everything you guys said would make a great collection plus being a serious Army Builder ? what would you consider a collection like that ?

I reckon that any collection that has the feel that someone cares about it is an impressive collection. Although I can respect that something I may not care for can be impressive, like shear numbers some go crazy and have 100 of a figure. Well that 100 can be a waste of space or presented in a way that shows the owner really enjoys that figure. So far no one here has said size matters and I agree, but I can also see how someone can figure that having an entire battalion of Vipers is impressive.

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actually is is four, 2 complete-2 not so complete,

My personal collection is huge, a 1500 square foot basement full of my joes, vintage 60's through present day. however the collection has reached such a size it has no chance to be truely displayed the way
I would like for it to be.

In fact my collecting or horrding spawned a side business of selling at the cons and shows that were near by......

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i've also gotta go with impressive being how well it is displayed...esp. when there's something different that comes along with a "cool i've never seen that before" type of response. like whoever put up pics of a cobra aircraft carrier, stuff like that, etc.

what i really like though is seeing other lines, even if they aren't the same scale, getting mixed in. bonus points if its someone who isn't afraid to display "rare/HTF" figures from other lines in fun poses.

hard part for me is trying to figure out a fun way to display my collection without my gf's cat jumping up and messing around w/ them...

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