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Some Assembly Required Episode 07 - Etiquette

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18 comments posted
For some reason I can't

For some reason I can't watch this video past the first 17 minutes. :(

I can't tell you how many people have said things to me like,"Yo take them out of the package?!?! But then they won't be worth any money!!!" about stuff like movie Transformers or Bandai
USA kaiju,and it's just so silly. The value of that stuff is how much we like it,because we're fans of the source material. It's never going to be worth anything more than what you paid,in many cases less. So yeah,I keep the box to keep accessories. I don't really own anything that will really hold value,box or no box.

I think most non-nerds are just under the impression that old automatically equals money,so if you hold onto things long enough,you'll be rich. Anyone who finds out I read comics always makes some comment about how I better make sure to keep them in "mint condition",since you know,most people will throw out their copy of Blackest Night #1 I guess.

It's kind of funny that that toy Josh was throwing around was probably my favorite out of all of them you guys had out on the table!

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A master of mind control who hides inside a Ford Pickup

kidnicky's picture
Posted by kidnicky on 12 February, 2010 - 22:08
Veef you son of a whore you

Veef you son of a whore you have no idea how much I lust after the VF-11. I will hold out for the M7 version... That'll be a purchase of nerdy dedication.

Mike's picture
Posted by Mike on 13 February, 2010 - 00:48
both

I keep the boxes safe only because I try to keep my collection relatively static in size...so when something new comes out...I weigh it and see if it will replace items...then I sell the other items and boxes help. However, I do not collect to make money..often lose money and could care really. Also need the boxes because criteria always modify...used to love SOC when i first started BUT then they ticked me off, flooded the market of mazingers until the cows came home and I sold most off...I also like 10-12 inch figures alot more now than 5-7 inch figures...BTW Josh...the add for the Yamato is my Holy Grail toy that I am always searching for in mint condition. It was the item in the Mr. big adds that I don't think they ever had but was in the opening of their add...lol

AJProDie-Cast's picture
Posted by AJProDie-Cast on 13 February, 2010 - 01:21
Size

I do the same thing apex3 mentions, I try to keep my collection at a reasonable size and get rid of stuff I don't want anymore.

I always judge it like this: If I can buy it on eBay currently, or there's a lot on Y!J, then it's not really rare, and I can sell it without worry of being able to get one again. These always tends to be the more modern items like Revoltech, SOC, Marvel/DC comics stuff, US mass market toys, or vintage US toys that are easy to buy again.

A good way to keep boxes nice I've found is garbage bags. This works especially nice if you have to store your boxes in an outdoor garage or in an area where flooding is common. I use it in my storage space, so that if things get moved they do not get scuffed, or for toys that I am not taking out of the box or displaying anytime soon.

Take a garbage bag, wrap it around semi-tight. Get some packing tape, and tape it up semi-tight, like you were wrapping a birthday present. Make sure you get any open areas, so water and insects can't get in. Done, and if you want to get even crazier, add a layer of bubble wrap afterwards and then a 2nd garbage bag.

I don't get too crazy about box condition though. People forget that after a year or two, modern toys like SOC basically fall into two categories: c10 MISB, and open box.
Someone who is going to buy an open-box toy is not going to care so much about the box's condition, but someone who wants a MISB will. When I sold my SOC Grendizer, it was open box, and I basically got the same price as one without a box, and my box was c8-c9 (if you want to use that useless, useless scale.) Having the box only really matters to me on some vintage items, and 1/6 scale figures (on both of these the box is more a pretty protective sleeve to keep my figure nice during storage.)

The Big R's picture
Posted by The Big R on 13 February, 2010 - 10:09
Man, I'm skinny.

Man, I'm skinny.

VF5SS's picture
Posted by VF5SS on 13 February, 2010 - 18:16
Guess I'm the odd one. I

Guess I'm the odd one. I keep most stuff in the box. But every so often I'll open it up and put it on display for a while. Then put it back replaceing it with something else. Dunno, its kinda fun rediscovering these things from time to time. I've got the rest in about half a dozen large plastic totes stuffed with the office overfill out in the garage.

Except for my 'shrine' stuff (includes both model kits and toys) which I usualy have multiples of so I can display them in all thier modes (with another one in MISB acting as a background) But this is limited to L-Gaim mkII, Galvion, Escaflowne, and of course ChoRyuJin.

The rest, Transformers and such, is all loose...Stuff my nephews can play with.

BraveMSW's picture
Posted by BraveMSW on 13 February, 2010 - 19:45
Etiquette? Gimme!!

Nice episode discussion guys. So true on many points.

1) Like many, I find that some boxes, at least vintage, are great as backgrounds, and risers for the toys on the shelves. You get the toys out, and some colorful artwork as well.
Bags w/headers, and little boxes w/peg holes, can be great for alternate placement of toys, such as hanging from the side posts of shelving, or across a beam, (see Nekrodave's collection pix_).

2) One other etiquette thing, is to always TRY to show some appreciation for the collector's particular stuff. Very few people have an identical taste, so there's likely much on someone's shelves, that you either have NO idea what it is, what property it's based on, how signifigant it is in it's own corner of the fanbase, (or just what the heck they're smokin'!). So at least find the common ground of enjoying collecting, and compliment! "Why yes, that's some interesting Peruvian Machinders ya' got there!" Hahaha!

repairtechjon's picture
Posted by repairtechjon on 13 February, 2010 - 21:48
is that some kind of voltron

is that some kind of voltron bootleg I see in front of the Daikyu?

chachipower's picture
Posted by chachipower on 13 February, 2010 - 22:07
I believe you are referring

I believe you are referring to the Rainbow Seven figure by Mark. It's a vintage gokin, although I think only the head is diecast or something minimal like that.

"You can't sell it until you get it from him, but you gotta sell it to pay him to get it to sell it".
---Jerilock, talking about me trying to raise the money I need to pay for the toys I already bought....

NekroDave's picture
Posted by NekroDave on 13 February, 2010 - 22:09
I have a showa Gamera soap

I have a showa Gamera soap dispenser still in the header bag w/card. Not for any kind of resale (I'm sure it's worthless) I just like how it looks.

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A master of mind control who hides inside a Ford Pickup

kidnicky's picture
Posted by kidnicky on 13 February, 2010 - 22:16
I have both the Gamera and

I have both the Gamera and the Barugon and both get used (though I think I've got Germ-X and Lubriderm in them.) I love that kind of stuff. In fact, we talked about doing a future show on ephemera!

"You can't sell it until you get it from him, but you gotta sell it to pay him to get it to sell it".
---Jerilock, talking about me trying to raise the money I need to pay for the toys I already bought....

NekroDave's picture
Posted by NekroDave on 13 February, 2010 - 22:57
BOOM! Gokin to the head!

As a cheapy college kid my boxes either get the trash or the floor til the trash. They also tend to range in the 5-7 in revoltech/ S.H. Figuarts/ soon-to-be souchaku henshin line. So something both me and my roomie find indispensable are little baggies like the kind Glyos come with. Nicely holds all the loose parts especially when the space, even for littler boxes, just doesn't exist.

Mechaninja's picture
Posted by Mechaninja on 14 February, 2010 - 00:15
Box'd

I keep all of my Gunpla boxes. One they make great storage containers, keeping all of the missing parts organized and good for storing busted kits and packing the good ones safely in case of transport.

Second. They make a great fort!

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Rob
The Gundam Model Guy

Gunpla Rob's picture
Posted by Gunpla Rob on 14 February, 2010 - 10:29
is it c10? You guys are

You guys are killing me throwing boxes around.

Dave you just wait. I am going to make a bootleg, blow molded ,vinyl snuff film one day ...just for you. ;-)

joshua fraser's picture
Posted by joshua fraser on 15 February, 2010 - 00:29
Another awesome episode!

Another awesome episode! Josh, you just about scared the crap outta me when you hurled that box. lol

Veef, loving the Courvoisier box. Can't help but think of "Ladies Man". XD

Another excellent way to store stuff is by using the big boxes that printer paper comes in. They're a nice size (not too small, but not too big for handling and moving around), very consistent for stacking and storage, and easy to label. Plus, since they're meant to hold heavy stacks of paper, they're STRONG! So you can stack them up to the ceiling (yes, sadly I have some stacked to the ceiling, lol) and the bottom ones don't get crushed. Oh, and they've got nice fitted lids, so you don't have to bother with folding and tucking those flaps. How conveeeeenient!

About the etiquette stuff, I couldn't agree more, on all accounts. I've had a couple of people ask, "How much did you spend on all this??!!", and I always have to skate around the question... Quite annoying indeed.

Same with kids. I have cousins with kids, who are basically like nieces and nephews, and they want to check things out. For one of the younger boys, I once gave him a pile of MUSCLES to play with and he LOVED them. Now everytime he comes over, that's all he wants to play with, so eventually I let him take a bunch home with him. So even the simplest things can intrigue them and pacify their curiosity, and it does bring joy to see a young one enjoy playing with "our" toys. :-)

REX-203's picture
Posted by REX-203 on 15 February, 2010 - 14:53
You know, it's interesting

You know, it's interesting that you bring up when kids visit your house. I usually have to worry a lot since I have a lot of model kits and breakable toys, and usually have to hide a number of them. Over Christmas break I had my nephew come over and I was worried a lot. However when he came over all he was interested in was playing Dynasty Warriors Gundam 2 since his parents wouldn't let him have it.

At the same time though my parents and the entire family would encourage me to give a few of my old toys to him, and I'm kind of forced to do so usually by them. So I gave him a few models, a 1/100 Alex Gundam, and a few of the Scout transformers from ROTF. He was more than happy to have these and they more than kept his attention for the duration of his stay.

Dkun's picture
Posted by Dkun on 15 February, 2010 - 16:04
You know, when we broached

You know, when we broached the topic, that's what I thought we'd be discussing as well, but I guess it's just a matter of where the conversation went. I will say that meeting CDX people like Josh amazes me, since Josh's policy for toy collector peers is that you're welcome to check out anything on an open shelf, and it still scares the heck out of me. I don't bring anything over to Josh's that people can't handle, but everyone's openness with really nice vintage pieces and stuff is amazing. His collection is so nicely presented that I still feel like I should raise my hand before asking if I may see a particular piece...

http://prometheusrising.wordpress.com

Prometheum5's picture
Posted by Prometheum5 on 16 February, 2010 - 14:11