What a great thread! Thanks for reminding me how great a toy collecting hobby can be when it's approached in the right way.

I know just how you feel. I spent years and years drooling over Terror Dromes on e-bay and about five years ago I finally found the perfect storm of a virtually mint one for a good price. My wife got it for me for Christmas and it was like Christmas day as a kid all over again.

And let me tell you...it is still a beautiful site to see it sitting there next to my Defiant Shuttle Complex.

This can be such a rewarding hobby! Congrats man.

No negativity here, I was being mostly tongue in cheek about it, as I was the one who gave the three terrordromes away for free, so that's the only reason I know three people who got them for free :P

I salute you kind sir!

Funny I talk with an english friend of mine who's a naysayer who says I'll be back at collecting in a week.....that used to be true but when you search ebay and amazon and don't find anything worth getting....when you get to that point believe me.....

You'll be ready to pack it in, sit back, relax, and while the haters and whiners continue to bash the lines over repacks and remolds and those who still foam at the mouth over the stuff....well....you can be even happier to be through collecting.

So with the Objectives Met, once this Terror Drome arrives it'll need cleaning and you know I find it much more rewarding to get something you've been after for so long that's dusty and dirty and when you clean it up and get it all completed after acquiring the missing parts It's something you'll appreciate more.


Another thing to consider, those who get the stuff free[Well they're lucky as hell then] or find it and boast so much about it....they might be mostly Jerks right? Never knew the value of what it is they're getting either they just hoard em or just act like they can sell em for big bucks and get more of that rarer stuff to rub it all in our faces. That's another thing that can turn me away from collecting allot now these days too. To me I've gotten what I want, tried to avoid the impulse buys if I could, and avoid those ones who try to influence you to buy this and that too.

I have found that stuff like this, it just can't get ANY SWEETER when you get it restore it and have a prime piece for your collection on display. That's pretty much how I feel about it.

I really don't what you're going on about there. The guys I know who got the stuff for free had to work to get a chance of winning it. One guy drove about 250 miles up and down I-90 in South Dakota to enter the contest. I don't think I've ever heard him brag about it.

Someone getting it for $500, or $50 or nothing holds no bearing on whether or not they know the value of what they're getting.

Well there are probably some snobbish collectors out there now these days but good thing I haven't seen that many of em out there now. I Must be thinking the old way of how things used to be allot that I'd see around forum boards years ago.

But still good good to be getting this Terror Drome when it gets in.


Just has been a long time coming getting to this point which it's good that as soon as I finally get this Terror Drome I've just about outgrown Toys for now.

-If anything I'd still be getting a few Fathom/Soul Fire Art Prints here and there-

Man, that's funny. I was just like you a little while back. I got every major North American G1 Transformer toy except Fortress Maximus, they're all complete and they were almost all box fresh with me (an adult collector) with very delicate hands applying the stickers for the first time with expert precision. I have every single Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure, the sewer playset, the technodrome, Turtle Blimp, party wagon, the foot cruiser and all other major vehicles. I've got every Heroclix from the DC and Marvel line from the first run until 2008. I've got all the Dungeons and Dragons miniatures from WOTC from Harbinger until they started packing PCs and monsters separately.

The last thing I needed was Antrax from TMNT which I got. I stopped collecting for the longest time. THEN, I picked up the MU Hobgoblin figure and now I'm collecting again. I've got every MU up to the Dr. Strange wave. I've got almost every major DCUC. I've got every single DCIH. Upon getting some of the DC vs. MOTUC sets, I started collecting MOTUC as well! Thankfully I decided only to get very select figures and have been firm on that. Mattel makes it easy since they keep releasing these guys I don't give a crap about. I started collecting LEGO Kingdoms and have every set released so far. I'm actually considering ending my MU collecting days at the X-23 set (or at least start being selective with who I buy). With DCUC, I'm getting the Legion of Superheroes set for sure and I signed up to what I believe is the final year of DCUC just so I can get Jay Garrick and Poison Ivy to complete my teams. Then I think I'll focus on collecting LEGO Kingdoms and only LEGO Kingdoms. Once that line dies, I think at that point, I'll be ready to "retire".

Hey, at least I have a game plan! LOL. It's great you're moving forward with things. It's nice when collections are complete and you just stand back and look at how cool everything is.

I bought a Terror Drome when it first came out with money I got for X-Mas one year.

My mom tried to talk me out of it saying I would never play with it.

You can't imagine how many times Joe had to break into that bad boy and fight their way through it growing up.

I still have it and dug it out to play with my son not too long ago. Its one hell of a toy.

Yeah good thing to stop at this point too at least I'm not shouting like Serpentor...."I MUST POSSESS FORTRESS MAXIMUS! THIS I COMMAND!!!!!!!!!!!"

That reminds me to give the Gi Joe Series another view through and since Gi Joe Classic Volume 13 is getting ready to come out that has a favorite Story Arc of mine [Transformers G2 Crossover I think] The beautiful thing about all this is that from the start of this month things have gone SMOOTHLY, I mean been productive every single day of this month, been shipping sometimes 2-3 packages out every couple days, things been going right, I mean to top the month off with getting this item [or when I get it in,got it and paid for it today off ebay so it shouldn't take long to get here] there can be nothing else to do BUT Sit back Relax and say the hunt's over and time to retire.

And been getting so many packages in every couple days this month I grow tired of that too that'll be a good thing as well.

Just now have to shift my focus and attention to other things now. I've managed to literally devote all my time to collecting since well I'm one of those folks who don't have much of a life at the moment but working towards changing that now so moving forward from being stuck on one thing will actually feel even better.

Oh I'll still get something here and there -Still have to remind myself to pick up the Star Wars Delta Squad TRU Set if I can find it that just came out- but being in collecting for so long it's time to move on.

I'd say that's all I need to say before I start sounding redundant and repetative and then I'll start rambling on.[Been having to keep on top of that since I DO Ramble on]

-Just got a message from the seller, they cleaned it up awwww I wanted to get at the sucker and clean it myself! sorta takes the fun out of it!-

Congrats! It must be great and sad at the same time to have reached the end. What's next?

A rest, a much needed rest for sure.

Got models to build now.

-Still tempted to pick up a MU Sentinal if I keep seeing one everytime I go out and that Galactus....yet I don't read enough marvel stuff I'd love to get more Marvel Series TPBs mostly stuff for the 90's run, I only really appreciate the classic Uncanny X-Men mostly and need to get to finding some FF4 Books since I loved the fact the 90's had TONS of crossover "Mega Events" for the runs-

But for now a MUCH Needed rest is required so my brain can recover from all the awesome stuff I've been getting.

Wow nice to finally meet a collector who has a near complete collection, I think for anybody who collects anything they do it because they love it and they have a checklist of all the things we want to obtain and display in our place and once we get to the bottom of the checklist it's an awesome feeling. I've been trying to aquire every Iron man figure, I then focused to ML and MS along with the marvel Universe and Marvel Movie figures. I've gotten quite a few over the past few years some common and some rare and my list is getting smaller, I'm gonna be so happy when the list is complete because after that I'll invest in a better cabinet to display them.

Just make sure it's a bigger cabinet than what you need cause there's still a few movies left to go :D

Oh I know, that's part of the trouble,I've got a good chunk of the figures but still missing alot of concept figures form the movie lines and the rest are just hard to find and pricey online like the series 1 stealth and the faceoff series. I found the series 1 gold and regular versions on ebay loose but missing the facemasks, found a site that sells the headsculpts so going to order few and paint them to match problem solved. I know with ML rebooting there's going to be 1-3 IM figures, 2 for sure. Then there's the Avenger's line which will add 1-2 more, and then the IM 6'' line which will add 1-3 more. so it's always growing, plus even if I got them all I'd probably try and buy all the old 5'' toybiz ones.

This is a semi list of what I'm missing:

Marvel Select: Ultimate IM
Stealth
Captain America
Movie IM2
War Machine

Marvel Legends: series 1 stealth variant
Modok Series Thorbuster IM variant Destroyer
Face off Series 2 IM vs Mandarin
Face off Series 2 variant WM vs Mandarin
Twin Pack Series 2 Stealth Variant

Marvel Icons: Gold version

IM Movie series: Series 1: War Machine Walmart Exclusive
Silver centrium Target Exclusive
Stealth Iron Man
Series 2: Titanium Man
Series 3:Captian America IM
Satellite Armour
Satellite Armour Variant white and black
Stealth Strike Armour
Series 4: Battle Monger
Mark II Quick change

12'' Mark II & open mask deluxe weapon package

IM 2Movie Series: TRU ex 3pack Arctic Crusade,Star Flare, Sandstorm

IM Legends Series 1: Hulkbuster


I'm missing more from this like mainly from the IM movie line such as the stealth iron monger, gold mark 1, etc. anybody have some of these and looking for a trade let me know willing to trade ML figures such as juggernaut,gambit,colossus,mangeto,cyclops etc...and other figures.

That's a thing too I'll be glad to be free from when getting through with collecting:

There's always that other figure for that line you didn't get and if it's an on going line and more stuff keeps coming out you gotta find an endgame if your not a completist.

After all the way things are going with the world, always good to not go crazy over figures when money will become one of those rare things to have.

Funny though I've always been selling something....in fact the Terror Drome was one of the first thing I do recall selling since I did sell it to my best friend back then, it was shortly before or after the flood of 95, I think I sold it for $40 or something can't remember too much about it cause I found it while I was working with my mother at Salvation Army -She worked at that Thrift store for so long I do recall one of the perks was being able to work a few hours in the back room sorting stuff and putting it out on the floor and I'd get to keep a few things, I do recall now too finding a Vehicle Voltron part there the Air Team there which I sold later on-

I've always been in the pursuit of profit and acquisitions since becoming aware of things apparently.....

Guess I'm a natural Ferengi....lol

If you are into the fantastic four but don't want to spend a lot of money on the trades you could always buy the cd rom with all the issues from 1 until like the 2005 issues or so. You can find this at Tuesday morning stores, I have gone in a few as of late and of the 5 I went in 4 had plenty of them for like $13 so you can't go wrong with that.

I actually prefer the feel of the comics, I'm an old fashioned guy when it comes to comics.

Plus I love the look of a fully stocked Library on the shelves....

But again I'm just gonna sit back, and relax maybe pick up one or two more things MAYBE but just have to not get hooked into the whole thing again.

Just the Sentinal looks good......gotta resist it.

Me too on the old fashioned feel of comics, I have 17 long boxes full at the moment from 19+ years collecting. I just have no interest in owning all the trades and so for the price I couldn't resist and I do like having the option of reading them without having to remember which box they are in ;)

Congrats on your find Tyjos. I still have a copy of the Topps Star Wars magazine featuring a 1 page article about the Naboo cruiser when it first came out in 1999. I never saw one for sale in local stores but it certainly looked impressive in the pictures I saw of it.

That cruiser was very expensive at the time, but a lot of collectors back then jumped on a sweet amazon deal during christmas time where they had it at $50 + free shipping for a few days. That's the only way I could afford to pick it up when it was still out.


Don't resist the sentinel Tyjos. It's badass.

I might just get that Sentinal next but trying to kick the urges to buy stuff and don't need to keep torturing myself to get something. I figure cutting back to comics [I follow the Fathom Series and they take a while to get each issue out when they have a new volume, and I follow the Invincible Iron Man Series which I get in TPBs and Gi Joe Classic which is the collected Marvel Run of the series] so I have taken care of my collecting objectives [saw a Fort Max Body Shell listed on ebay a while ago for $160 though of picking that up but the parts it's missing it'd be a money pit so passed on it]

Just feels good right now to glance over at the silver Naboo Cruiser, now I'd LOVE IT if they released a Naboo Cruiser from Episode II -that got blown up on the landing platform- seriously they need to retool and re-release the Naboo Starfighter that'd be awesome if they did.

But not going to talk myself into buying more stuff, the budget's been tight and just gotta get over looking for stuff. Another day spent of searching on ebay and not finding much of anything.....All right, gonna stop here before I start rambling.

Update:

I think till the Terror Drome gets here I'll still be doing a little collecting. The outing I had today even though I bought pretty much stuff that was clearanced and marked down...that's what I'll do here and there. With the upcoming holiday season and what sure to be lots of markdowns and clearances on the toy lines I might pick up a few more things here and there.

I still consider myself Retired now but always good to find something you've seen on the shelves for a while at a damn good price that's too good to ignore.

Sounds more like you've moved from Active collector to Casual collector. :P

But hey, labels are for products, not people. Do what you like. :)

I think you should retire from retiring from collecting.

Retiring would be the cheaper route :)