what do you love most in the hobby?

lets go for love....

il go for :

finding a bargain on ebay is very enjoyable.

i love bringing something back to life i.e a broken figure or ship.

i love seeing other peoples delight in there latest purchase be it a beater or a preproduction

and of course finding something vintage at a carboot or charity shop very rare these days for me.

and of course i love dedication of people go for in research in various aspects of the community and bringing to our attention for us to divulge and enjoy i.e wolff, jason smith, javi ruilopez, stefan caelllar, joe o'brien..........the list is endless.

Above all, it's the nostalgia trip.
These lumps of plastic are physical links to our childhoods and those happy, carefree times.

The thrill of the chase.
Bagging that elusive bargain on Ebay. You can't beat it.

Finding an unexpected vintage item, out in the wild.
It's a rare occurence, but it's a great feeling when it happens.
Last year, I stumbled upon a small stack of vintage ROTJ comics in a backstreet bookstore.
Two of the comics contained the original free gifts, which I'd been after for ages.
Fist pumps all round

Also, I love the restoration side of the hobby.
It has it's controversial side, but restoring these old toys back to their former glory is very rewarding.

I like turtles... just kiddin lol :lol:

For me mainly it's preserving and enjoying that piece of history that will never happen again, and the memories and emotions it brings back looking at my collection. The mix of emotions I get just by looking at certain toys.. sadness, because it was a time that flew by so quickly and is never coming back, then happiness because I got to experience it and have a great childhood, this confusing mix of emotions is what I love the most. :lol: it's always been the main factor that drives me into collecting vintage.

Iv'e always been a collector too since about 4 years old, I was always collecting and accumulating something, even now just the hunt and the goal of accumulating pieces and watching my cool collection grow is another great love.

Yes finding a great bargain is another big one for me, can't beat that rush :mrgreen: and then the anticipation of waiting for it to arrive, aahhh the anticipation!

Oh and lastly, honest & accurate ebay descriptions.

Probably finding a good deal, especially in 'real life' rather than the internet. I still like adding pieces to my collection when I pay market value, but it's always a bit sweeter when you think you've found a bargain.

I recently had a memory flash back when I saw these bongs on a jabba letraset. I'd totally forgot I'd had one of these as a child.

It's moments like this I like most as I have a poor memory and don't have lots of vivid memories of Star Wars. Moments of clarity like this are priceless to me.




PS: I'm now on the hunt for a sealed example of a Jabba letraset.

1) The people in the community itself:
Some tireless work goes on in often very noticeable and conversely almost invisible ways. The list Chris provides is a great start, but there are so many that could be named too including our very own Edd on here, plus all the other members new and old that contribute so much to the shared experience we all benefit from. As Chris says, the list is endless.

2) My two favourite Podcasts, which again is really because of the people...
- Jez, Grant, Stu, Rich and (still in my list) Pete from SWTVR
- Skye & Steve from The Chive Cast
you guys all do amazing work and really do bring joy and (by inviting others on to talk :lol: ), knowledge to this community

3) Collecting stuff... I love it, it makes me happy

4) Displaying stuff... possibly my favourite thing of all. Buying/trading things is one thing, but adding it to a display and then enjoying the view is a whole extra special experience

The people I've met through it; there are some top, top guys in this hobby and especially on this forum. The toys I could give up tomorrow if I had too, but I'd still like to be involved in the social side.

Section 8 said:

I recently had a memory flash back when I saw these bongs on a jabba letraset. I'd totally forgot I'd had one of these as a child.

It's moments like this I like most as I have a poor memory and don't have lots of vivid memories of Star Wars. Moments of clarity like this are priceless to me.

PS: I'm now on the hunt for a sealed example of a Jabba letraset.

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I know exactly how you feel, iv'e had a couple of moments like that in the past year, that thing you loved but COMPLETELY forgot about since that time. It's that moment when you randomly see something online and be like - "hmm why does that look kind of familiar... that really does look familiar.... hang on a sec..... holy **** I remember that" - Then all the memories come flooding back, it was always in there somewhere waiting to be discovered again, priceless!

I had to stop and think before answering this one, as there are several 'go to' answers I could give, such as preserving, grouping, curating, researching... attempting to assemble a collection that is definitive in some way.

There are also answers I could give about the positive social interaction and the shared experience.

And of course there are also the ties and connection the toys have to the movies, which are a massive factor.

But... what do I love most in the hobby. It has to be simply handling the toys. The tactile, physical enjoyment of holding an MLC-3 or a Dengar. It doesn't have to be a high end item, a Tauntaun will do, but as long as it's mint and clean then you can really appreciate the design and construction. Pressing down on the R2 dome to make an X-Wing pop open, that touch transcends the intellectual mind and recalls the sensory nostalgia of play. If you want to be reductive then a diamond is just a tiny shard of glass and gold just a shiny lump of metal. To my eyes these are far more wonderful objects and I feel fortunate to own them.

Bonsai_Tree_Ent said:

But... what do I love most in the hobby. It has to be simply handling the toys. The tactile, physical enjoyment of holding an MLC-3 or a Dengar.

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your right

i quite often pick up a loose figure of display look at its scuplt and think its a thing of beauty simple and elegant.what amazing toys we were blessed with in generation of growing up in the 70s 80s.

i also love the pbp figures the smell of unique plastic i quite often sniff my pbp made figures

poncho said:

I quite often sniff my pbp made figures

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:shock:

Twin30mm said:

poncho said:

I quite often sniff my pbp made figures

Click to expand...

:shock:

Click to expand...

dont knock it till you try it :lol:

poncho said:

Twin30mm said:

poncho said:

I quite often sniff my pbp made figures

Click to expand...

:shock:

Click to expand...

dont knock it till you try it :lol:

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:lol: :lol: :lol:
I know where you're coming from. It's vintage Star Wars Weekly comics for me. Love that musty smell of old paper.

This is getting decidedly kinky :lol:

poncho said:

Twin30mm said:

poncho said:

I quite often sniff my pbp made figures

Click to expand...

:shock:

Click to expand...

dont knock it till you try it :lol:

Click to expand...

Lool, first thing I do with every single vintage item after opening the package is sniff it to get that vintage smell.... aaahhhh! 8)

Like many collectors I'm sure, for me it's the pure Star Wars nostalgia. I love Star Wars. I have always loved Star Wars. I loved it when I first saw it as a child of 6 in 1978, and I still love it now. It's hard to overstate just what a fundamental part of my formative years Star Wars played. The original trilogy came out during my childhood, a childhood that in many ways revolved around Star Wars toys. Nothing I have ever owned has such a powerful grip over me. I don't own them now because they're valuable or collectible. I don't own them because some pieces are rarer or more popular than others. I don't own them because other people do or because it's currently in vogue to. I own the toys because I love the toys. I would love them if they were worthless, collected by no-one else and if everyone took the piss out of me for it.

When I look at my collection, I see the very best part of my childhood looking back at me. What do I love most in the hobby? The toys that fired my imagination as a child and hold me in their thrall still.

Easy, the friends I've made over these past 5 years.

I've made some fantastic friendships and had some great times - Celebration last year being the best so far. Meeting up at Farthest From and Echo Live, getting pissed and talking shite with some sound fellas.

Collecting BITD was done almost in solitude, this is my third 'era' of collecting and easily the best because of the people I've met.

poncho said:

Bonsai_Tree_Ent said:

But... what do I love most in the hobby. It has to be simply handling the toys. The tactile, physical enjoyment of holding an MLC-3 or a Dengar.

Click to expand...

your right

i quite often pick up a loose figure of display look at its scuplt and think its a thing of beauty simple and elegant.what amazing toys we were blessed with in generation of growing up in the 70s 80s.

i also love the pbp figures the smell of unique plastic i quite often sniff my pbp made figures

Click to expand...

There aren't many places that you could get away with saying that... :shock:

Dusting my collection.

Seriously what I love most about this hobby is that it even exists, I mean growing up with Star Wars when you were a kid did you ever think it would stay with you forever and be this accessible and give you so much enjoyment through your life? I guess this forum has a lot to thank for that. Which means it's up their, but strip everything back about this hobby and just enjoying what I have is the best thing.

For me it's the following, not in any particular order...

- The nostalgia, I collect British SW and most of it I remember having myself, or seeing at friends houses, or in the shops or in catalogues. Brings back great memories.
- The thrill of the chase, not knowing what you're going to find next, and then getting hold of a rare or sought after piece.
- The collecting mentality, very satisfying to complete a set or a run.
- Sorting through the collection on a rainy day and rediscovering old treasures.
- Sharing finds and information and learning about the hobby on line or in person at events.
- The fantastic and welcoming SW collecting community.

Great to have this post to balance it the one about what you hate the most!

Great post Andy.
I'm glad we have had this thread. Glass half full people, glass half FULL!