How to stop the "gotta get em' all!" syndrome?

[CanBot]

I really like hearing about the 'psychology' of collecting, and this board (and some others) have some great resources. I find threads like this can turn into arguments, and that's not my intention, I'm just looking for some solid advice.

I need to find a way to stick with my original intention with my MP collection: to only get the guys I really feel some kind of connection from the original cartoon.

At first, it was just picking up Hasbro SW because the price was great and it was an iconic character (I've got the old reissue, never owned SW as a kid but knew a buddy who did). Then I learned about MP-10 and how awesome (and hard to find) he was. So that was a long term goal, even though TBH I'm not the biggest Prime fan. I'm a Decepticon lover from the beginning; Insecticons, Constructicons...Predacons, so on.

So first it was SW. I knew I'd like to get the Coronation SS after all the reviews, and I loved the character. So he was in. Megatron was close, but after reading the reviews (and the scale thing), he was out. Bumblebee wasn't out yet, but I knew I couldn't just have Prime alone...and there was no Ratched, Ironhide or others that I actually did like from back in the day. So whenever BB came out, I figured I'd get him too as long as he was well reviewed.

Since I couldn't find MP-10, I had enough time to develop an insane MUST HAVE IT! attitude for Black Convoy, which I ended up getting. And the list was then complete: MP-10, SW, SS, Black Convoy. And if Megs was ever re-released, him too.

Then...something must have happened, and I'm not completely surprised.

Hasbro released Grimlock. I found a way to justify him (not too hard really) and pulled the trigger. Then Prowl...who was much more of a 'why not? Price is ok!' thing. But after opening Prowl...not real regret, but somehow I ended up buying an Autobot car that, to be honest, I never intended on getting. The toy is great, of course, but so started the slide.

Now that I had Prowl, I figured I gotta get all the Autobot cars. Why?...well I figured get em' while the getting was good, and decided on on-screen only..so now the reissue Skywarp is in, and hopefully TC if Takara does a version in the new mold (not going to bother with the Hasbro version unless I must. On-screen guys, but within reason; the Storm seekers, cool that they are, weren't in.

So that leaves a lot of Autobots, so I scooped up WJ, the Datsuns and I'm planning on the Lambos and BB in Jan.

I imagine my shelf to look great, although the Deceps are going to be pretty outnumbered.

Then comes MP-22. This is where I have to draw the line. He's a great looking MP from the photos, but even though he's G1, I can't remember much about him (other than vague stuff from the movie). And I only remember him from the old toys as a Prime with a makeover. So no real connection to him.

Money isn't the problem, I can afford these. But space might get be an issue at some point, as I like to display them together.

If I get Magnus, I'm going to be crossing the final line where I'm going to buying every MP that comes out afterward until the original intent (on-screen characters from G1 cartoon, within reason). And that wasn't the intent from the beginning.

I guess willpower has a lot to do with it. Part of me thinks that if I just stuck to those original four, I would be fine. I don't really have any attachment to the Autobot cars, and am already kinda wondering why I pushed ahead to collect them all. I'm halfway there, but I can still stop.

Does this all sound batty?

I guess what I'd like to know is what strategies you employ to keep your collections in check. For me, it's the MP line. I'm already working through selling my movie bots and other 'oddities' (Generations, that kinda thing). It was much easier to stick to my guidelines with the original G1 and reissues, as there's only so much to be had. And other than two combiners, I've got that all covered.

If you've read all this, please comment. And yes, I'm sure it sounds dumb, but that's where I'm at with my collection. It's beginning to get to be a headache (first world problems, I know!) and that's not where I want to be. So any honest advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Rev]

I can't help much because the only limit I have is cash. If I had more cash I'd have more figures. As for staying MP only, it is easy, the other lines are crap by comparison.

Although my struggle is third party MP scale figures. I'm trying to stay away from them and failing.

[Abraxys]

In all honesty, the MP line isnt very expensive if you consider the volume of figures within the line. You've only got about 20-30 figures, and many of those you can skip. On top of that only a few MP's come out each year. So if your only sticking to Official MP figures.....go nuts! What starts to get expensive is 3rd party and entire line collecting, but you seem to have that under control. So I say enjoy all the Mp's you want!

[DuG]

Not much of advise here as I have done the same with my MP collection with initially starting off collecting only Decepticons. Along the way I found myself in possession of a MP Grimlock but quickly sold it as I realized that I had no attachment to the character. I also picked up some Lambos (G2 SS and Tigertracks) but turned them into Decepticons. I also found myself buying a Hadbro prowl on sale because I really like how much of a dick he is in the IDW comics.
The Third Party figures are something that I've also been getting into. Not being a fan of the movie figures or any of the upcoming show figures has helped to focus on MPs and 3P figures over the past couple of months. I also attribute it to not having a significant other or children
My advice is to just stick with the figures that have meaning to you.
However I'm also going to play devils advocate here and say that if display space is what's keeping you from purchasing MP 22 you could always display him in truck mode with some of the cars in his trailer

[Rev]

Mp adds up if you have to go back and buy a bunch that you missed. Otherwise, no, not bad.

[Sun Swipe Prime]

Your line of reasoning sounds pretty familiar. The slippery slope is easy to fall down.

I wish I could give you some sound advice, but I fall down that slope ever so often too.

But generally what I do to curb my spending is I have a rule that I only buy what I like. If I'm tempted by the new and shiny, I never impulse buy. I do my research and stew on it.

For example, Feral Rex. I have no attachment to the Predacons, so I had no intention of buying it. But then the more reviews I saw the better the toy looked. I did tons of research, looking at photos and rewatching reviews, and I came to the conclusion that yes this was something I wanted. Never regretted my purchase.

On the other side of the coin. My favorite combiner is Superion. I have massive emotional attachment to that character, so when TFC came out with Uranos, I was sooo tempted. The alt modes were terrific. But then I did my research, watched videos and obsessed over pics. The more I looked at the toy, the less appealing it became. Never regretted not picking it up.

I think a lot of times the appeal of a toy, especially with MPs, is because it's hard to get, or the price is just right. I was collecting all the MPs for a while, but when Sunstorm came out, the price was not right, so I skipped it.

I guess what I'm saying after this long ramble is before you buy something, stop and weigh all the factors: cost, appeal, space, etc. If it's something you really want, the longer you mull over it, the more appealing the toy will become. If it's not something you really want, the more you mull over it, the less appealing it will become.

[Megatron75]

A very thought provoking thread. When I got back into collecting, I was looking to pick up all the G1 figures that I couldn't have and always wanted as a kid. This included reissues due to their affordability and their mint condition. Then I got swept up in "Classics" (CHUG) fever, MPs and then even dabbled in 3rd party offerings. Things started adding up quickly and the collection grew so I drew a line in the sand, sold off my excess and said to myself that if it's not G1 (or a reissue) or an official MP Masterpiece, then it has no place in my collection.

I've missed out on some very cool figures as a result including Voyager Jetfire, Brainstorm, etc and even sold off some very cool figures in my collection but it is what it is and I am sticking to my guns. To be honest with you, I haven't even thought about the items that I sold off since selling them. I actually felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Your collection and collecting in general shouldn't be a headache...it's supposed to be fun. Draw a line in the sand and stick with it. Just a side suggestion...if you do this, you might want to avoid watching/reading reviews for cool looking figures that don't fit into your collection. It can be very temping to make exceptions to your rule and then things can start to snowball. I hope that you find this helpful.

[Sir Prime A Lot]

It's easier when you think that each figure is going to be released multiple times from multiple companies. Starscream has been reissued multiple times in each mold, so has Alert and a bunch of others. If you don't buy it now, you can get another version next year or a reissue the following year.

For example, Unique Toys released a Blaster figure and I didn't like it so I didn't buy it. KFC released a totally different Blaster figure and I don't like that one neither. I know eventually one will get released which I do like and I'll buy it.

[elburrito]

This really depends on why you are collecting TFs in the first place. There are a couple things to keep in mind IMO.

1. Limit your lore - comics, movies, tv shows are all purposed to sell you stuff. And it works! Especially on your soft spot. If you don't believe it, get a spotlight comic/show on a particular character and consider your desires.

2. Hype - read the toy sighting threads to get a taste of this one. If I were to tell you that there are about 10 MP Prowl's and 10 MP Sunstorms at your local TRU right now...on sale...(and you already have Prowl!)

Another thing I do is to find natural breaks in lines. For me, if it wasn't in the more than meets the eye cartoon, I don't really want it. So I have the G1s and add the best non-g1 version I can find to go with it. (usually masterpiece if one is available)

Just a couple thoughts.

[Buhawi]

I ran out of space.

I might move my collection out of the room and take the entire basement. That's a quick solution for me.

If you don't want to collect everything. Just stick with the characters you like.