Any toy collectors here on DTF? *Official* Toy Collector Thread

[Samsara]

Aside from music, one of my biggest passions is toys. Growing up, I had a few things (OG Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, a couple Transformers, Robotech, etc.), but we really weren't in a financial position for me to have tons of things. My parents did their best, and I had things I loved, but not nearly as much as some friends.

As I've gotten older, I've spotlighted certain properties that I've become a collector of. Figured I'd share some words, and eventually, pictures, here, and see if anyone else on DTF is toy collector.

First, I should state, many toy collectors either subscribe to the notion that EVERYTHING should be opened and displayed, and many are the extreme opposite - they want everything mint and in-package. I'm a hybrid. It really depends on the packaging, to be honest. A lot of modern stuff has bland packaging (say like DC Multiverse, or Marvel, etc.) that isn't specific to the character or property, but just specific to the line. I tend to open those.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. My biggest passion is Batman and Robin. And yes, the latter character is hand-in-hand for me, I became a fan back in the early-80s, watching reruns of the 60s TV show, and then Super Friends, eventually comic book reading, and of course, Batman '89. I was 13 in 1989, and didn't have any money. But I was a gigantic fan. I ended up saving up every couple of weeks enough money to get matinee tickets to see the movie. I saw it five times! Ha ha!

I stayed a massive fan, and when I got married, I started building a collection. It started out crazy random. I bought everything, and then scaled back, then bought more, then identified what series within the Batman mythos mattered most, and here we are, a couple decades later, and I generally focus on:

The Dark Knight Trilogy, Keaton Batman, Batman Forever, Batman The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Gotham, The Batman (new film franchise), and the toys associated from a few popular comic runs, The Dark Knight Returns, Knightfall, and some odds and ends. I have a "Bat Cave" at the house where my collection is displayed. The room is essentially a den, fully decorated by Batman, with a TV and a couch. My main love is *my* Batman, The Dark Knight Trilogy. I went to go see Batman and Robin (1997) in the theater, and I walked out after 30 minutes. To this day, I've only gotten through 40 minutes. I hate it. So when Christopher Nolan did Batman Begins, I was blown away, and I have an entire wall dedicated to action figures, vehicles, statues, you name it, of that film trilogy.

Aside from Batman, some of my other collecting passions are Robotech, Voltron, Daredevil, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and some small collecting of 80s TV shows (I have a couple of Knight Rider things, I want to get a 1/24 scale diecast of the General Lee at some point, etc.). I have a few Star Wars things too, but honestly, I have no room to display them, and I just enjoy the shows and films with the family.

I'll get some pics up at some point, but is anyone else here a toy collector?

[hefdaddy42]

I am not a toy collector, but I totally get it. 

I grabbed a MEGO Ultraman at our local comic convention a couple of weeks ago.  He keeps me company on my at-home workstation.

[WilliamMunny]

I have a very similar story (I suspect we come from similar socioeconomic situations)–I coveted things like Transformers when I was a child, and I'd get Go-Bots for Christmas.

As an adult, I have slowly acquired a collection of key toys I once owned, or never owned (but wished I had).

As far as packaging, unless it's something of note, I tend to 'carefully' open and remove the main 'toy,' and then store the packaging along with the 'bits and pieces.'

I spent forever trying to track down an original Grimlock (long story to that one), and the one I eventually found came sans packaging. That thing sits on my desk and not a day goes by where I'm not sitting in a zoom meeting, playing with that thing out of screen.

[Stadler]

I'm not a hard core toy collector or anything like that, but am fascinated by this stuff.

I'm not joking even a little (even if it's creepy!) but I'd pay money to see that room, Samsara!   I've always liked comics, and while I have series that I collected (Green Lantern and Fantastic Four) I've always gravitated to Batman, in all his forms.

I LOVED the TV series, and at least like very much most of the iterations since; I too struggled with the Batman and Robin, because to me - and unlike the 60's TV series - it seemed to disrespect the character.  I never saw the 60's show as mocking Batman, for all the camp that it included.  I thought Joel Schumacher WAS being disrespectful.  IMO.

[Samsara]

I grabbed a MEGO Ultraman at our local comic convention a couple of weeks ago.  He keeps me company on my at-home workstation.

NICE!

I have a very similar story (I suspect we come from similar socioeconomic situations)–I coveted things like Transformers when I was a child, and I'd get Go-Bots for Christmas.

As an adult, I have slowly acquired a collection of key toys I once owned, or never owned (but wished I had).

As far as packaging, unless it's something of note, I tend to 'carefully' open and remove the main 'toy,' and then store the packaging along with the 'bits and pieces.'

I spent forever trying to track down an original Grimlock (long story to that one), and the one I eventually found came sans packaging. That thing sits on my desk and not a day goes by where I'm not sitting in a zoom meeting, playing with that thing out of screen.

It was funny growing up. I'd never get anything during the year. But at Christmas, my parents would scrape together enough to buy my brother and I what we wanted. I never had any Transformers, but I wanted some. The Dinobots were among those I really wanted. Take Voltron - I wanted the Matchbox Lion set. But instead, I got the untransformable toy that was diecast. Cool, but not quite. The one thing that I did get was the Matchbox transformable SDF-1 from Robotech in 1985. I still have that today. The original one my Mom got me was busted and tossed, but somewhere around my 16th birthday, there were some left in the clearance aisle, and I had asked for it again. I remember my Mom seeing me jump for joy at getting it again and saying "I'm not sure why you want this again, but I'm happy you love it." I still have it (no box any longer) today, and it's on display in my family room, on a shelf devoted to Robotech.

Yes, the stuff I open now --- same thing as you. I open, store the box and pieces. I have the Super7 TMNT Ultimates of the turtles, Splinter, Shredder, Rocksteady, Bebop, and a foot soldier. All open and on display, but the boxes and various pieces are all stored carefully. For TMNT, I'm character driven now. I have figs of what I mentioned, plus a couple of figs from The Last Ronin (look it up if you don't know about it and are a fan), and a couple of Funko POPs. Daredevil, I have a shelf of figures, statues, and POPs.

I'm not a hard core toy collector or anything like that, but am fascinated by this stuff.

I'm not joking even a little (even if it's creepy!) but I'd pay money to see that room, Samsara!   I've always liked comics, and while I have series that I collected (Green Lantern and Fantastic Four) I've always gravitated to Batman, in all his forms.

I LOVED the TV series, and at least like very much most of the iterations since; I too struggled with the Batman and Robin, because to me - and unlike the 60's TV series - it seemed to disrespect the character.  I never saw the 60's show as mocking Batman, for all the camp that it included.  I thought Joel Schumacher WAS being disrespectful.  IMO.

I could go on for pages about Batman, so I'll keep this brief. For me, the 60s show was my introduction. And I appreciate what it looked to achieve. And I have a couple of shelves devoted to it. But I am more about the realistic and gritty take of Batman. Batman and Robin just...I liked the villains, but it was just poorly written, poorly acted, and all about selling toys, not about telling a story. To this day, I just despise that film. I only have in my collection a couple of Funko POP figures of Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, I don't own the movie (and won't) and that's it. I liked Batman Forever though (my wife dislikes it). Batman Forever, to me, gave the 60s show a good nod. The director's cut of Batman Forever actually sounds like it will help that movie be better in the storytelling department. I'm hoping it will get an official release for its 30th anniversary in a couple years.

As for my Bat Cave, I'll take pictures. I just ordered a new blind for the window, and some black out curtains. Once those are in, I'll take some pics. There are some people who are way, way, way over the top from me. Mine is a simple small bedroom turned into Batman collector's den, and everything is neatly arranged (as is my OCD personality). But there are some people out there that have entire basements devoted. I'm not at that level. But I love my displays and tweak them all the time.

[Chino]

I like collecting 1:64 monster trucks.

For the most part, I like hunting down old ones that went out of production years ago, sometimes 15+.

[Samsara]

Yeah! Nice, Chino. Very cool. That's what I'm talkin' about.

Pics are a must in this thread. I'll get on it.

[lonestar]

If I had the money and space, I'd have an insane Lego collection

[Adami]

If I had the money and space, I'd have an insane Lego collection

Oh man. Me too.

I got a lego Batwing thing a year or two ago and we constantly bump into it cause it's big and we live in a Brooklyn apartment.

[hefdaddy42]

If I had the money and space, I'd have an insane Lego collection

LEGO people live in houses made of their own flesh.

[Samsara]

I do collect Lego and have various sets built. Both in the Bat Cave and in our family room. But I have to admit, they are a bit big and cumbersome. I have the Batwing, Batmobile (both from Batman 89), The Tumbler (from Batman Begins), and the Millennium Falcon, AT-AT, X-Wing, etc. (not those insanely priced UCS sets).

[lonestar]

I'm staying small and trying to collect all the Star Wars micro fighter sets.

[Adami]

If I had the money and space, I'd have an insane Lego collection

LEGO people live in houses made of their own flesh.

I had to read this a few times before I realized "Lego people" didn't mean people who collect Lego.

[hefdaddy42]

If I had the money and space, I'd have an insane Lego collection

LEGO people live in houses made of their own flesh.

I had to read this a few times before I realized "Lego people" didn't mean people who collect Lego.

[Stadler]

If I had the money and space, I'd have an insane Lego collection

My father-in-law put in 35 years with Lego. I am proud to say I got to visit the design center; I saw the life-size Batmobile they built while it was being constructed.   He also got access to the employee store; my step-son has more sets than you can imagine (unfortunately, he enjoyed building them so there's no boxes, etc. which really cuts the value of the sets). 

[Samsara]

Lego is such an interesting toy. For me, I never really played with Lego as a kid. I never really got into building them until maybe 15 years ago. Then I built a lot, and realized that the cooler bigger sets...I didn't have anywhere to keep them (not really). And the smaller sets just weren't as cool.

My daughter has about 20 sets on display in her bedroom (Harry Potter, Star Wars, some NASA). And when I mentioned I may take the Falcon, X-Wing and AT-AT down and store them, she was distraught. I've sorta come full circle that unless I have a specific place to display them (i.e. the Batmobiles on display in my Batcave), I don't really want to put them out.

Those expensive ultimate sets are where it is at. I'd FIND a place to put those up. But they're too pricey for me. I spent something like $300 bucks on the Tumbler set, and that's really as much as I would spend. But Lego certainly got smart with its licensing.

[Stadler]

Titanic is the holy grail at this point. 

My first set was in probably '74, '75; a box truck and an old-style Model T car.   I then got a bulk parts set and we played with that ALL the time.   I still have those piece in the original container (a plastic milk urn from somewhere!). 

[Samsara]

The Titantic is a total house display piece. More a model that is a work of art for a room. My formal living room has a Seattle/nautical theme to it. Haven't approached Mrs. Samsara about getting the set and putting it on the mantle. She may go for it! 

What I am in search for is a coffee table for my Bat Cave that I can encase one of my Batmobiles. Sounds easy, but finding the right one has been a challenge. I'm severely OCD when it comes to my collections, so I have to feel it is correct, and things have to be symmetrical. 

[lonestar]

They just released a Rivendell set that's beyond dreamy. If I ever win the lottery, that'll be the first sign...



I'm still debating on pulling the trigger on the Optimus Prime set, it's only 150.

[Chino]

I couldn't not get the Titanic.

[Samsara]

That's killer! 

[Stadler]

Dude.  Bro.  That is SICK.  I love that. 

[TAC]

My son has Sydney Opera House lego in his room. He loves the Titanic, but it was just way to expensive. We saw it in a store a couple of weeks ago, and the price seems to have dropped considerably.

[RaiseTheKnife]

From 1991 - 1993, I spent many paychecks from my dishwasher job on collecting toys.  I stopped collecting somewhere between 1995 - 1997.  Here's a peak at a small portion:

[RaiseTheKnife]

At the time, I focused mostly on unopened mint condition items.  Some aged better than others.

[RaiseTheKnife]

The best stuff is still boxed up in my mom's attic.  But here are some random things I've managed to haul along when I moved across the country.  I still have all this junk.

[Chino]

My son has Sydney Opera House lego in his room. He loves the Titanic, but it was just way to expensive. We saw it in a store a couple of weeks ago, and the price seems to have dropped considerably.

I belong to a number of Titanic related communities and have seen these posted in a number of them...

https://www.aliexpress.com/w/wholesale-lego-titanic.html?SearchText=lego+titanic&catId=0&g=y&initiative_id=SB_20230823041213&sortType=price_desc&spm=a2g0o.productlist.1000002.0&trafficChannel=seo

Apparently they're solid knockoffs.   

See this thread for pictures of said knockoff:
https://www.reddit.com/r/lepin/comments/10550jk/titanic_my_review/
 

[TAC]

I wouldn't get anything that wasn't Lego branded, but we were in a Lego store and it seemed to be cheaper than it was a couple of years ago.

[Stadler]

I had most of those figurines in RTK's second photo, though they've been largely lost to time.  We were never disciplined enough to keep "mint boxes".  All my toys were well-played with, unfortunately.

Speaking of, this will be random, but anyone know of a figurine - NOT Star Wars - that was roughly the same size (3" tall, roughly) made out of metal and plastic, and was a sort of robotic figure ala Boba Fett or Spectreman?   I thought I had three - one blue, one green, one gold - but I think I lost the blue one early on and only really remember the green and gold one.  The legs were metal, and jointed, as were the arms (but the hands were plastic).  Had a removable helmet and a removable backpack (stuck on by a pin on the back, not straps) with plastic spring loaded wings that would extend.

Does any of this ring a bell?

[lonestar]

Scored the N-1 microfighter yesterday... finally got a Grogu minifig!!!

[Samsara]

RTK,

Very cool! Not junk at all. Love the Star Wars stuff, and of course, the TMNT haul!

I really need to take some pics. Where's the best place to host pics that people are using?

[Jamesman42]

Do TCGs count? I have a Magic: the Gathering collection worth about 20k the last I checked or accounted for.

[Adami]

I collect copies of The Divine Comedy. Not a toy, but I felt bad since I used to collect a ton of Lego and have since sold them.

[RaiseTheKnife]

RTK,

Very cool! Not junk at all. Love the Star Wars stuff, and of course, the TMNT haul!

I really need to take some pics. Where's the best place to host pics that people are using?

I posted mine to Facebook a long time ago and just copied from there.

[Zook]

Yeah, I have a plastic crack addiction. I'll post pictures sometime soon. I'm reorganizing a little and I really need to dust...