Tell Me About Your Collecting Journey
Oct 31, 2022 23:11:57 GMT -5
Kollector_Kombat and Figgycent like this
Post by Scotty T. Ritz on Oct 31, 2022 23:11:57 GMT -5
Hi all,
As the self-explanatory thread title suggests, I'm interested to know how so many of us found our way into this collecting/hobby space...was it something you have continued for many years? Something more recent? Spurred on by collecting other lines and stumbled into wrestling? Particular lines or a vast majority. I'll start;
Ever since I stumbled across professional wrestling at 7 years old or so, the business as a whole has always fascinated me. As a youngster growing up in Melbourne Australia, we only had heavily edited 60 minute episodes of both WCW Nitro and WWF Raw is War (which were also on at 3am for some ungodly reason), but the emerging popularity of professional wrestling meant that all manner of retail outlets like Toys R' Us, Kmart and Target heavily stocked the figures. I didn't know it at the time, and it wouldn't have mattered to me at the time anyway, but it turns out my collection was full of the WCW Toybiz line and a wide variety across the many different WWF BCA models. I remember having the most elaborate detailed storylines going on across both brands for way longer than I care to admit, before they finally got turfed at some point, never to be seen again. I maintained an interest in pro wrestling until about 2003, when it became a bit stale, dabbled here and there for the next few years keeping an eye on the emerging TNA, CZW and ROH products, before really getting back into the profession around 2017/18 when the buzz of Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega and the Bullet Club finally reached me. The likes of AEW and all manner of streaming options now keep me a loyal and dedicated viewer of the profession, the fandom now not just from what's occurring in the ring, but also listening to the many minds of the business across the podcast realm, and diving into the history books of the AWA, NWA, AJPW, Mid South etc.
When Covid hit and forced a hermit life existence for the better part of 18mths-2 years, I must have sub-consciously wanted to turn back to something that brought me the nostalgic, feel good times and I found myself browsing through Ringside Collectibles, and scrolling and finding the old figures I used to have. I dropped some pennies on a couple of attractive pieces, was thoroughly impressed with the progression in likeness and articulation, and re-ignited a very old hobby/passion. Like many of us (I'd assume), I stretched myself too thin across many different lines (Elites, Unrivalled, Ultimates, Brawlers, Retros, Funkos etc) until I realised I was just throwing money around without too much direction and had to offload and scale back for a more direct approach. Nowadays, I'm a big fan and consumer of the Micro Brawler range (their small size makes them ideal for wall mounted display), and think I'll specifically stick to picking up Elites, Ultimates or Power Town's new offer that represent some of the more notable/influential names in the history of the business i.e. (Bruiser Brody, Mangum TA & Stan Hansen from the PowerTown offer, mixed with the likes of the Ric Flair Ultimate Edition, the latest Vader from the Royal Rumble Elite offer etc). That way my collection and I can truly tell a story of sorts for those who visit or enquire, and I'm not weighing myself, my wallet or the collection down with 10x versions of Kofi Kingstons, or feeling the need to complete Elite collections via buying 2 different versions of Du Drop etc.
I hope I continue down this path for years to come, and look forward to showcasing my collection here one day once I have a bit of a set up going.
Anyways, that's my story told. How about yours?
As the self-explanatory thread title suggests, I'm interested to know how so many of us found our way into this collecting/hobby space...was it something you have continued for many years? Something more recent? Spurred on by collecting other lines and stumbled into wrestling? Particular lines or a vast majority. I'll start;
Ever since I stumbled across professional wrestling at 7 years old or so, the business as a whole has always fascinated me. As a youngster growing up in Melbourne Australia, we only had heavily edited 60 minute episodes of both WCW Nitro and WWF Raw is War (which were also on at 3am for some ungodly reason), but the emerging popularity of professional wrestling meant that all manner of retail outlets like Toys R' Us, Kmart and Target heavily stocked the figures. I didn't know it at the time, and it wouldn't have mattered to me at the time anyway, but it turns out my collection was full of the WCW Toybiz line and a wide variety across the many different WWF BCA models. I remember having the most elaborate detailed storylines going on across both brands for way longer than I care to admit, before they finally got turfed at some point, never to be seen again. I maintained an interest in pro wrestling until about 2003, when it became a bit stale, dabbled here and there for the next few years keeping an eye on the emerging TNA, CZW and ROH products, before really getting back into the profession around 2017/18 when the buzz of Kazuchika Okada, Kenny Omega and the Bullet Club finally reached me. The likes of AEW and all manner of streaming options now keep me a loyal and dedicated viewer of the profession, the fandom now not just from what's occurring in the ring, but also listening to the many minds of the business across the podcast realm, and diving into the history books of the AWA, NWA, AJPW, Mid South etc.
When Covid hit and forced a hermit life existence for the better part of 18mths-2 years, I must have sub-consciously wanted to turn back to something that brought me the nostalgic, feel good times and I found myself browsing through Ringside Collectibles, and scrolling and finding the old figures I used to have. I dropped some pennies on a couple of attractive pieces, was thoroughly impressed with the progression in likeness and articulation, and re-ignited a very old hobby/passion. Like many of us (I'd assume), I stretched myself too thin across many different lines (Elites, Unrivalled, Ultimates, Brawlers, Retros, Funkos etc) until I realised I was just throwing money around without too much direction and had to offload and scale back for a more direct approach. Nowadays, I'm a big fan and consumer of the Micro Brawler range (their small size makes them ideal for wall mounted display), and think I'll specifically stick to picking up Elites, Ultimates or Power Town's new offer that represent some of the more notable/influential names in the history of the business i.e. (Bruiser Brody, Mangum TA & Stan Hansen from the PowerTown offer, mixed with the likes of the Ric Flair Ultimate Edition, the latest Vader from the Royal Rumble Elite offer etc). That way my collection and I can truly tell a story of sorts for those who visit or enquire, and I'm not weighing myself, my wallet or the collection down with 10x versions of Kofi Kingstons, or feeling the need to complete Elite collections via buying 2 different versions of Du Drop etc.
I hope I continue down this path for years to come, and look forward to showcasing my collection here one day once I have a bit of a set up going.
Anyways, that's my story told. How about yours?
