I’ve always been curious about figures. I regularly check out reviews and I like to look at them. (I even bought the figure book that super rats released.) I just can’t make the leap into collecting them myself. I’m pretty much at the stage of looking but not getting involved in the hobby. (Similar to my interest in Gothic Lolita.)
The main reason for this is that figures are expensive, in my opinion. I’m not sure why they are; maybe Xebek can enlighten me. I can’t really understand why people pay so much for something that sits on the shelf. I will admit that a lot of figures look great but not sure I can fork over $90 to $100 just for one figure. I rather put the money towards anime DVDs, manga, or computer stuff. For the cost of one figure I could buy several anime series. But I guess we all like to spend our money differently.
I guess the second reason is that they seem to get sold out or placed on back order fairly quickly. I’ve tried looking into buying a figure in the past but I can’t seem to find what I want. Usually when that happens, I say screw it. They cost too much anyways. It’s a little frustrating and discouraging.
Well, those are my reasons for not getting into figures. They are probably the same for others in my position. Maybe one day I will buy a figure but at the moment I don’t see it happening soon. I really like buying DVDs and manga. It’s sorta become an addiction, which I imagine is the same for figure collectors. Thats probably another reason for me because I think that once I start I won’t be able to stop.
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Yeah true. In a sense, why bother collecting figures that stand there all day, do nothing but collect dust, have a tendency to lean if badly done, and costs a bomb to get per figure, with the cheapest at maybe 60-70 USD most of the time?
Then again, ever since I started collecting, I have been asking myself the same. Like you, I would wonder why people collect the DVDs, considering the net and its prowess nowadays. So it is a passion for the both of us, but in different areas. Where figures are concerned, perhaps the pose was the click for some collector; another may love the character for who he/she is, and what the character represents for the collector. It is somewhat of an idealistic concern and mindset, even if we are not fully conscious of it.
So long as one’s passion is into it (the hobby) though, I see no problem with one thinking whether buying figures (or anime merchandise) is wrong – a viewpoint is a viewpoint, an opinion that can hardly be changed or, even more so, asked to be changed (by a third party). The money is yours to decide how to spend, so if you really are passionate about it, it does not matter whether it is an anime DVD set or a figure that you buy, but rather, whether or not you felt it was well-spent.
@Panther: That’s true. I guess passion is the most important thing and I guess it’s the reason why people buy figures, DVDs or whatever.
I think figures are very pretty, but yeah taking care of them sucks. Myself, I try my hand at building Gundam models, and they’re much cheaper than the average figure. My excuse is that I’m in it for the building process (which is quite fun), but you don’t have that kind of experience with most figures, unless you buy the kind that you’ll have to paint yourself.
When I started, the base price was around $45, but global economic factors has more than doubled the cost (including shipping) of getting figures. So it’s definitely harder for people to take the plunge now that it’s $100 a shot. At least for dvd collecting, it’s gotten cheaper (though selection is less, the opposite of figures).
I think one of the reasons a lot of figure blogs have sprung up is taking the pictures and sharing your prize online adds value to the purchase. Plus it’s fun if you like playing around with lighting.
The increase in price does put a pinch on other useless spending, but the figures today that cost $100 are generally better made than those of three years ago for $50, so it softens the blow a little.
The irony in my case is that even though I buy the DVDs, I hardly get a chance to watch them because of my huge anime backlog that’s just sitting there, so my DVDs are collecting dust as well. At least my figurines give me something to look at when I’m sitting at my desk and need to turn away from my computer just for a few.
That’s why I edited Scott’s post to include his name so people didn’t mistake me, a figure collector, for saying I can’t get into it, as some of you may be wondering why a post like this is up when there is a page full of my figure pictures. As Scott alluded to I’m very much different. I’m a huge figure collector, including pre-orders and excluding Nendoroids I just reached the nice solid number of 50 figures, so obviously I feel different :D
The point made that taking pictures of figures is fun is a good one. I really WANT to do more of it but I’m just so busy. That’s why I have 50 figures and only 20 picture shoots. I’m kinda backed up…
@Xebek: Sorry, about not making it clear. But I just figured if people where curious why this post was on this site then they could look at the author. I thought curiosity would bring people to the site to read it. I guess, you do have a point, at first glance it wouldn’t be so clear though. I’m still new this whole multiple author thing.
I was wondering what your response to this post would be. I wanted to post something and this is what I came up with.