Just a couple years ago whenever I came across a new wave in stores I almost immediately bought the whole wave or whatever remnants of the wave were there. But within the last few years Hasbro has inundated stores with so many waves, two packs, vehicle sets, etc. that's it's hard to catch your breath before the next wave shows up. And then I started seeing stuff I paid $20 a pop for getting marked down to $15...then $10...and sometimes even a lot less. And I started buying just the figures I absolutely wanted.

Today I came across the entire Captain Marvel wave at Walmart and my first thought was, meh, I'll get them eventually. I guess it doesn't help that I have next to zero interest in MCU figures so really just Grey Gargoyle interests me (and the BAF, not enough to buy the whole wave) but even still, Sauron was always a big want for me and I haven't even completed him yet. I refuse to pay $20 for more stupid Deadpool figures. I finally completed Sasquatch before Christmas because Deathlok and Paladin were $6 on Walmart.com.

But I find myself less and less excited because there's just so much out there. I'm really enjoying the Star Wars Black Series line now because minus the crummy Sequel figures, we're getting mostly iconic characters, spaced out decently in waves. Not wave after wave after wave.

I'm feeling burned out on MLs. More and more I wonder if I should just walkaway entirely, but then I see something like Union Jack or Puma, and I'm feeling like Michael Corleone.


Anyone else getting that way?

I don't buy them, but many of my friends that do ... they feel so stressed to buy them and one point Packerbacker, that a couple of them got rid of all their collection and decided that they do not want to be a part of this experience.

The timing and everything about the "waves" really starts to get ugly and another thing is competing with other people that buys them and you'll have to stay on top of them.

Going through so many different stores, online sales, ebay, and other sources finally took the toll of things and decided that they do not want any part of it.

I tried that with the Batman the Animated Series and end up owning a couple of figures and wanting to get every thing that comes it's way and after spending 2-3 months thinking and decided to sell those figures on ebay and got my Money and go back collecting Lynda Carter's pictures instead

Collecting Lynda pictures is far more easier than this ... believe it is.

I'm not burned out but I do get frustrated with the scalpers when they go in and buy up everything or hide them in the store so nobody else can get a chance to purchase them. So i do about half and half retail shopping and I buy some online if I cannot get them in the stores. Lately i have had good luck with Gamestop with the Kingpin wave and I also got L3-37 there too, it helps to make friends with the managers hehe Now they call me with anything they get in toy related.

The more stuff that gets released, the less special any of it feels. That's one of the things I learned with DCUC and why I switched to just collecting the really vital stuff in that line. I've done that ever since. I like having my own continuities in my head and just building off those, so most of the figures I buy are either long-time favorites, or characters I don't know much about but with designs I love.

While I can understand and even agree with having this be a problem for collectors, I for one will not stop. I have enjoyed every single good/bad moment in this hobby since I was a fetus and I will only stop when I’m back in diapers and can’t run the gauntlet anymore...

That being said, I was over the moon regarding the original Star Wars Empire/Jedi figures when I was a kid (my mom would bring me to ShopKo every now and then and they’d let me fish through their pallets just sitting in the middle of the aisle to get them right out of the boxes...great memories to be sure!

I kinda slowed down when I discovered girls for a little while, but I never left completely..I then figured out I could enjoy both and didn’t hesitate.

Then DCUC appeared in the pages of Toy Fare and THAT shifted everything into Hyperdrive and I haven’t slowed since.

I still hunt between 2-4 days a week around my area and persistence generally pays off...I am so thankful that Legends are around but mostly for my customizing. Whereas I am ecstatic with the new Multiverse line and cannot wait to get more.

As for the Black Series, I am only buying vintage characters and will NOT buy anything having to do with the Disneyfication of my childhood - I’m sorry, but that Mouse has made me dead inside for SW.

I will be collecting until I can’t....

Excellent topic by the way, Packer!

Thanks. I'm still going to buy things I really want. I just get tired sometimes of seeing stupid Paul Rudd and his dumb smile surrounded by a bunch of Gwenpools which is apparently an actual character, lol. A lot of times I'll be walking into a store, or driving to a store, and I'll think to myself, self, why are you doing this? Odds aren't there won't be anything new or interesting. And then there is. The hunt is the drug. But the drugs are harder to justify at $120 a pop, and just a $20 fix here, and a $20 fix there, is tougher to do when there's a new wave every two weeks.

Part of what keeps me going is not doing the hunt as often. I check Brickseek often, but I don't venture out unless I've got a good feeling. Right now I'm just waiting for those Starforce Captain Marvels to show up at Target. Building a Starforce, baybee! Don't really care about the movie, but I need a group of fighter pilots, Space Battleship Yamato style.

Also, I hate the MCU Character Smirk. I'm so over Tony Snark. I like the earnestness of T'Challa, the lack of self-awareness of Drax, the grumpiness of Rocket, and Thor's sad, self-deprecating, heroic weariness. I'm not sure how to capture that last one on an action figure, though. So we're stuck with Ant-Man's goofy smile.

secondwhiteline ... That's what everybody that I talked to ... totally agree with you!

I was burned out, too and I actually stopped collecting for a while but then when I saw the new Multiverse offerings, I caved in and got the Clayface set nearly a year after it came out but I'll probably wait again with the new sets.