Ever had a moment when you thought . . ."The heck with the 1:6 hobby! I'm quitting!"

See subject.

WELL?

Any of us ever experienced it?  Once?  Twice?  More?

How and why?

I've experienced it a few times over the years and on occasion went through a mini-purge, but eventually I never quite escaped the grasp/hold of the 1:6 hobby in any manner whatsoever.  To use a quote by Michael Corleone from THE GODFATHER: PART III, "Just when I thought I was out . . . they pull me back in."

I started in the 1:6 hobby in 1998 and the hobby changed dramatically since 1998.  For a while, some of us thought the 1:6 was slowly dying during the mid 2000s for a variety of reasons.  My collecting focus/niche change significantly.  I started all gung-ho with the 1:6 military stuff, but then the 1:6 female figures became my focus and passion.

There are times when I feel there is so much out there where I want anything/everything, but I know better.  Given the number of years collecting and reflecting on my life considering what I accomplished or didn't . . . I sometimes think about getting out and enjoying 1:1 life without 1:6, but it's hard to leave it all behind for many reasons.  I consider the amount of $ spent over the years on 1:6.  Considering how much I amassed over the years, it's a really awkward feeling with some serious overtones.

So that's my story so to speak.  I'm sure others have something similar with varying mileage.  We're all among friends here and I figure I might as well post something "serious" given my reputation.

Yep just the other day sometimes it just gets so overwhelming from the 1/6 figures and other item (6 & 8 inch figures, 1/6 vehicles, statues and swords) that I already have to all the new 1/6 (females) figures that I want to buy. (running out of display and storage room)

Like George Carlin said “A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.”

But I would never sell my collection. (somebody will be really happy someday LOL)

I think everyone has thought about or done it at some point. I managed for almost ten years to walk away, until (and I hate to admit this) I saw the quality of work that Hot Toys was doing. I was so out of touch with 1/6, I had no idea all the different companies that were/are out here. The advancements in the technology and engineering behind some of these things just keeps sucking me back in. And to think their are customizers out there willing to make figures of those characters you’ve wanted your whole life.... WOW! I basically went from early BBI/CI Girl and Sideshow (if you don’t count 60s -70s GI Joe, Six Million Dollar Man, Lone Ranger, etc.) to 2013 HT, Phicen, Very Cool, etc. The leaps and bounds that have been made make it virtually impossible to get out for someone like me with a bit of OCD. Who would have thought that female figures alone would go from Barbie to TBLeague, or male bodies from GI Joe to TBLeague and World Box? Despite running out of room, I probably still have about 40 POs as of right now, and there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. I know sooner or later, I’m going to have to start purging some stuff, but it’s hard to even think of...

Stryker2011 wrote:The leaps and bounds that have been made make it virtually impossible to get out for someone like me with a bit of OCD.

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BELIEVE IT OR NOT . . .

I'm OCD too buddy.

No surprise HUH?

DeltaForceChung wrote:

Stryker2011 wrote:The leaps and bounds that have been made make it virtually impossible to get out for someone like me with a bit of OCD.

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BELIEVE IT OR NOT . . .

I'm OCD too buddy.

No surprise HUH?

Not really..

Yeah, been there, then something always drags me back. Till OSF happened I thought it was truly over.

CHEERS!

I don't yet have the quitting moment, as I've only been collecting/customizing for only 3 years (from 2015), but I am dialing everything down. With display space being the key issue, as well as the ever rising cost. I'm mostly caught up with with my PO's, and don't really have anything new on the wishlist.

In terms of posting, after the stuff that's happened in the past, I became very hesitant to post/share everything and tend to post less (specially female related stuff).

So I guess I'm in a dormant stage, most of the time I just feel unmotivated (even though I have a few concept/sketches ready). Now I just take a break and enjoy other's work, and focus on other activities (workouts, video games, etc.).

Fox915 wrote:I don't yet have the quitting moment, as I've only been collecting/customizing for only 3 years (from 2015), but I am dialing everything down. With display space being the key issue, as well as the ever rising cost. I'm mostly caught up with with my PO's, and don't really have anything new on the wishlist.

In terms of posting, after the stuff that's happened in the past, I became very hesitant to post/share everything and tend to post less (specially female related stuff).

So I guess I'm in a dormant stage, most of the time I just feel unmotivated (even though I have a few concept/sketches ready). Now I just take a break and enjoy other's work, and focus on other activities (workouts, video games, etc.).

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YOU KNOW . . .

You (and others) are always welcome to post/share 1:6 female related and other stuff here like everyone else.

No, never had this moment. There are sooo many Ideas and concepts in my Head. The problem for me is the time. I never had enough time to do all the bashes in my mind. Another problem is i want to have it perfect. In the moment i see, it won´t work in the same way like the vision i have, i stoped the work on that project and start another. There are may boxes of unfinished projects i have

DeltaForceChung wrote:
--

YOU KNOW . . .

You (and others) are always welcome to post/share 1:6 female related and other stuff here like everyone else.

Thank you for the assurance DFC, I definitely will

No, never had a moment where I thought of quitting collecting or giving up what I already have collected. While I do no approach this as a task to collect as many things as I can, I have learned my lesson -- if you like something and want it, better go for it while you still can. For now, this is going ok, though I still shrink back from certain overly expensive items as unjustifiable to me (like the first or second Sideshow Jabba) and try to keep from starting the collecting of a new line of things (like some of those awesome Chinese historical figures) -- if I were to open that can of worms, I would be broke between buying the new, current, and increasingly rare former releases. It was the increasing realism and excellence of sixth-scale figures that drew me in (like Stryker, via Hot Toys), and I still pick up heads, accessories, clothes, etc, that strike me as very well made even if I am not getting a whole boxed set or planning a specific kitbash. I figure that they will eventually become handy. So between this and the boxed sets I do go for, I can't really see getting out of the hobby.

I've never had it in my mind to quit completely, but I have stepped away...sometimes for years on end...a various times in my life.

I've tried not to become obsessive about it, although I could with little problem.

Real life has a way of straightening out our priorities for us if we will let it. When my kids were young, we had no time, little money (because we we spent it on our kids, home, food, etc.) and many more obligations. As we've aged, we've pulled back on the obligations, much of which had to do with our kids, as well. And, as we've aged, so have the kids. One has already moved out and lives pretty much on his own, but we throw him some money because he's still in school (college junior) and can only work part-time. Our other son still lives in our house, but he's never there. He's a first-year teacher and has found a very fine woman with whom, I believe, he's planning to make a life. He's never there anymore.

So, priorities shift. In 1970 I had a pretty cool collection of GI Joes. I still have a couple of them, including my first one.

Then, I was out for many years. After I got married, I'd find the odd Joe figure here and there and buy them.

My younger son is what, peripherally, pulled me back in. He loved his "guys" when he was young. When he moved on, I inherited his collection of well-loved figures. I didn't do much with them, but they will be there for him should he ever decide he wants them again.

That's when I discovered OSW and found out what marvelous figures were available at the time. I didn't buy many, but knew they were there, at least.

I still build  most of my stuff, but will get in on the odd group project (Wild, Wild West) and will buy stuff that really captures my fancy (CooModels Knights).

What I love the most is seeing what other folks buy and build. I've long ago given up the notion I could have everything. And, this is important, it really wasn't so long ago that in this hobby, you could have almost everything. Now, even a very rich person cannot keep up.

That presents some folks with a very uncomfortable decision, which can lead to saying "screw it" and getting out altogether. Balance is the key. Enjoy what you can, but don't take it as a personal affront if something slips past or presents a financial burden. I reckon my toes will always be in the hobby somehow. I might pull them out from time to time, but they'll be dipped in again.

I stood back from most 1:6 forums, and the hobby itself a few months ago and nowadays share very little custom work. I guess its the hobby equivalent of moving out of a city office and into a secluded cottage by the sea. Got to a stage where the hobby became more stressful than my real 1:1 scale life.
The peace and quiet of now being only an occasional contributor is lovely

Andrew wrote: The peace and quiet of now being only an occasional contributor is lovely

Isn't it though?

Frequent contributors can sometimes feel a sense of obligation which, in turn, makes the hobby feel like work.

We all know that once a hobby become work, it's no longer fun.

Since I "play" rather than collect, when I walk away for a bit I am usually just tied up with other things.
Sometimes I run out of ideas and need to connect to the real world for a while to re-spark.
I never stop loving it though.
I have a small space in the living room my wife allows me for display, sometimes if I rotate out my figures it can kick start my desire to do one of the many neglected tasks, like painting or prop building.
Darn of those types of things don't take forever, I have about .75 of my second Space Marine finished, out of 7-8 total. Lol.