Your Outlook on the Hobby?

[supermetroid]

Originally Posted by candyrocket786

I'm curious which company is going to shut their doors next. It's bound to happen with the over-saturation of countless characters/licenses. Christ, even the customs scene is headed in that direction. I think there's only so many Predator, Jurassic Park, Wolverine, Venom, Magneto, Hulk and Batman pieces I can stomach.

As for me.... I'm already in wind-down mode and pretty selective about license/custom purchases. Hell... I don't even bother pre-ordering any licensed pieces anymore... there is simply no point.

Another year or two and I might be out.

Originally Posted by risingstar

Prices are killing me -- yet, at the same time, the best stuff ever is being produced.

Originally Posted by JadeGiant

I don’t buy much in the way of statues any longer. Prices, space considerations, and collecting artwork have caused me to be more of an observer than a buyer. I am still very active in watching what comes out and have come close to pulling the trigger a few times. I am sure there will be more purchases in the future, just far fewer and further between. I think the hobby is in great shape.

Yeah, I'm feeling the same. The pieces are getting better and bigger all the time(some 1/6 and 1/7 pieces have bigger footprints than past 1/4). There's just so much saturation, I thought more competition would be good for the industry but it's turning into who can top each other with bigger more detailed and more expensive statues and the buyers aren't increasing at the rate that the companies are producing. When some of the most amazing statues are going for half their original retail it says a lot about what's going on right now.

It might be a good time to quit for a few years and come back and pick and choose from the thousands of statues available for discount prices. It is amazing how many characters and licenses are being made that I'd never thought would be possible, mostly thanks to XM and P1 who stray from the A listers more. It's just kind of a bummer that the prices keep me from jumping on some of them that I would have a few years ago.


Edit: Just saw P1 has the Minions license....maybe there is a market for anything lol

[AlexLothos]

I'm pretty optimistic overall. I've enjoyed discovering pieces from the past that are new to me, but seasoned collectors might be tired of. I also get to be excited for upcoming works with everyone else.

For the most part, I enjoy the community... talking to people online and especially in person at the conventions. I've learned so much about the fundamentals of the hobby along with tips and tricks thanks to the support of welcoming and knowledgeable collectors like you guys.

It's fun seeing other people's collections and seeing the themes and restrictions they have. Sadly one of the downsides of discussing the hobby is when people try to force those personal restrictions on to others.

I enjoy my small but growing collection and where it's going. After combing pieces past, present, and future I've gone through many drafts of Want Lists. The first few included any and every piece I had even a slight interest in. It's now been pared down to pieces that I have only the strongest interest in and that I could realistically display in my allotted space. So I kinda have an end in mind, but a few pieces will be super challenging to find and attain for a price I'm willing to spend. With that in mind, that could be a lifelong hunt!

Upcoming pieces I'm excited about: Tweeterhead's Starfire and Pennywise, Koto's Fine Art Storm, Prime 1's comic Harley (I know, you're surprised, lol), Sideshow's Miles Morales and possibly their PF Mystique (or maybe XM's Mystique).

I'm also a fan of the variety of different formats and scales... but I prefer fully sculpted over mixed media. For sizes, I try to stay within the Detolf friendly 9 to 14 inch pieces with a few 16 to 25 inch pieces (that would still fit in the Detolf, just with a shelf removed). P1's Arkham Deathstroke was going to be my only massive 1/3 scale piece... but P1's comic Harley could change that (we'll see how things go). I doubt I could go past two 1/3 scale pieces, but maybe in the far future I could work in an exceptional third.

Since most of the stuff I'm buying or searching for is pretty old, I don't have any experience with order delays. So far I've had decent luck with quality control... I know to check Diamond Select pieces because their paint jobs tend to be all over the place and can be a gamble (best to buy those in person and hope there are many options to sift through). My P1 Arkham Deathstroke has a few off center magnets on three switchouts, but I'm still very happy with the piece (and one day I might stumble upon a deal on replacements).

As a frugal individual, I am concerned about rising prices of new pieces and some of the collector rates on old pieces. For old pieces, I'll just keep searching until I find a price I can accept. For new pieces, a high price will just take a piece off my list... or I'll wait until it comes out and look for a better price on the secondary market.

[JoeWorf]

I’m not overly optimistic about the hobby these days. Yes, detail has improved as well as options, but so have higher end price points. I used to get the random Hot Toys figures early on in my 1/6th action dolls phase (yeah, I said dolls!) but soured as the prices soared (as did the quality, in all fairness) and I severely curtailed if not flat out quit collecting similar products. Statues were a sometime-y hobby, heavily limited and influenced by price and pure whimsy... I liked what I liked and cared little for the flavor of the month. I’ve only been seriously collecting statues the last four years and even then, as well as now, price is an object and space has become a bigger obstacle. I tend to be a loyalist, and with few exceptions, retain my purchases and don’t liquidate or flip (never sold a collectible on either eBay or Craigslist…. okay, the occasional unneeded vehicle or two). I’m nearly saturated these days and staying pat, mostly. Tweeterhead has shown some promise but will likely occupy no more than five to seven slots in my collection before they wear out their welcome. God help me, I don’t see where some of you get the money for this stuff???!!?? Some of the obsessive passion (fanaticism???) here leaves me cold, as well, but to each his reach. One more psycho rant about the TH Joker and where is it and why is it taking so long to ship and I may actually scream. Even I think the sculpt and execution are great, but, day-amn, people!! The instant gratification, I want-it-all-now mentality is a bit scary.
Me??... I’m nearly done, but will keep an eye peeled for future exemplary product (and a bigger house).

[ukshaun]

With rising prices and dwindling space, slow down is inevitable. Once my current pre orders ship, i can see myself following the hobby and purchasing a maximum of 1 pre_order per year + possibly the odd ebay deal here and there

[Mister H]

After the kid is moved (kicked) out, I’ll have some more space for my 1/6, 1/4 combo plan. Will still have to be selective though.

[Dred17]

Hi everyone,
New new collector here. So I only started collecting November 2017 so a lot of you guys are more experienced and have larger collections. But it looks like I've had to learn really fast about the rapid changes in the industry. To me the main problem is as I see it prices have just shot up too fast. Prices can\will always go up but shouldn't be this fast. You would of thought more competition would lower the prices. Even 1/6 scale are going towards £500 wtf. And whats with the bigger bases even for smaller statues?? Anyway for me personally space is also a big issue but this probably saves me from making impulse buys. I was going to start off collecting mainly DC 1/4 and 1/6 scale but my preference has changed pretty fast to statues that are just highly detailed but are left field like Caleb Nefzen's Viking Batman. I even have an eye on custom pieces. Something I didn't know about till Feb this year. I want to display them in my living\dining room so I don't want tacky run of mill comic or gaming statues unless they have the wow factor.
I'm an older guy so maybe my buying behaviour as been tempered by age and logic. But still a kid at heart.

[MrJones]

Me personally - I have been priced out.

But my outlook on the hobby is short term it is great. More companies producing more pieces than ever at a level of details that has never been done before.

Long term I honestly think the hobby will almost completely dissolve. As stone eagle mentioned a lot of younger people don't care about physical items to own. It is all about getting what you want now and moving onto the next thing in a minute. Coupled with 3D printers becoming more affordable and more advanced (a la Moore's law) for those that still want to own statues like this or something similar to it, they will be able to just print them at home. I think you will see in 10+ years time there won't be a big company like a Sideshow controlling all the distribution and releasing 2000 ES statues for __ amount of money, but instead consumers will be buying a "digital blueprint" direct from an artist to take it to the closest 3D printer - colour or otherwise. This will be a completely new model and will change the hobby forever. Just my own prediction though.

[Mister H]

Originally Posted by MrJones

Coupled with 3D printers becoming more affordable and more advanced (a la Moore's law) for those that still want to own statues like this or something similar to it, they will be able to just print them at home. I think you will see in 10+ years time there won't be a big company like a Sideshow controlling all the distribution and releasing 2000 ES statues for __ amount of money, but instead consumers will be buying a "digital blueprint" direct from an artist to take it to the closest 3D printer - colour or otherwise. This will be a completely new model and will change the hobby forever. Just my own prediction though.

That will be the case for a lot of other things as well besides statues.

[MrJones]

Originally Posted by Mister H

That will be the case for a lot of other things as well besides statues.

Yes absolutely!

[adee]

I just hope I'm around when this supposed bubble bursts and can reap all the rewards