I hate doing things like this but I am curious what everyone thinks about the evolution of SB. I have only been hear for almost two years but recently I have begun to notice more ganging up, hating, and negative talk then ever before. It's odd because what I found interesting about this place was how everyone seemed to get along, no matter what they liked. Now, it seems that people feel the need to go into every single topic and give their opinion. For example, what is the purpose of going into every Kozik thread and expressing your dislike for his products? Likewise with rxh items, SB items, Cronic items, Shikaruna, Zollmen you name it. The same names go in and critique the products. If you don't collect it why should those who do care that you don't like a certain item.

Along these same lines there has been a recent hypebeast trend. Obviously this has happened with things before (rxh minis) but recently I think it has gotten out of control. In many ways its also incompatible and hypocritical. We all spend so much time hating flippers, dealers etc. and yet we create them. I know there have been discussions like this before but things have gotten more out of hand recently then ever. If I had the GID Zollmen maza I would sell that thing for 1k faster than you can say skullbrain. I'm not critiquing the person who pays 1k as much as the hype that makes the person pay 1k. There is no need to like what's expensive or the flavor d'jour. People here are way to conscious of what they do and don't like. In many ways I think that the current climate, in which the popular/expensive item, changes every week is a product of the recent negative culture of SB. People feel rejected and hurt when their opinions and likes get staunchly refuted and feel like the only way to make up for it is to follow the crowd.

Maybe I'm a babbling bafoon but I think SB has gotten a lot less fun lately. I'd be interested to see what others think.

I think the hype is ridiculous and has been for a while now.
People can't possibly like every single toy or custom, because at some point you need to draw the line and know what you like or don't.

That being said, I have recessed to my core group of collector friends and found some other interests to keep me occupied lately (Warcraft) and I have to admit I haven't been here as much, so maybe I haven't noticed it.

People will always pick on kozik stuff here, it's jsut the way it goes. I do think it's great that people are getting into more weird toys instead of SB and RxH, but the competition has been a bit stupid here lately.

Yes, we all know people can spend insane amounts of money on nice toys, but at some point, it skews the market and fucks the rest of us out of ever getting what we want. Normally I don't care, but lately it's been sucking because the same 4 people outbid me on shit. I have a credo that if I know you and see your name on a yja auction, I back off. This might be naive of me to think that this would be reciprocated, but once in a while I'd like to see some other people buying things rather than the same 4.

For the almost 3 years I've been here, I've seen it go a bit downhill more lately. There seems to be a " Look what I got" mentality rather than " Wow I've been looking for this toy for a year and found it! Isn't it great?" And then that "look what i got" gets sold a week later, for half the retail price.

The best advice I can give is that if you're feeling claustrophobic, take a week off. It will do you a world of good.

And look forward to other stuff rather than just toys. I have NYCC and a two week trip to Japan in a month...I can't wait for those trips.

Instead of looking at the bad, try to find something great that excites you again. I found, personally, that the toys were just taking over at one point and I needed to take a step back.

My two cents is that this is happening to quite a few people here.

it's what i like to call the "Joe Effect"

A lot of stuff to address (that I'm not going to!) in that post. Regarding the "negativity" - I think that some of it is just criticism that's being taken personally. Of course there's also some outright negativity - I've been guilty of this in regards to a few things, but am trying to curb it.
I think it's important that we continue to be critical of toys - whether new sculpts or rehashed SB and RxH pieces. I also think it's important that we not turn our criticisms into personal attacks, or to take them as such. Honest criticism can make for good discussion and might (slightly) decrease some hype. The hype is a little disconcerting...it does seem to have reached new levels. And I think too much hype over a sustained period of time can really kill off a good portion of the collecting population.
With regards to the community, I think we're better off than we were 8 months ago (or whenever we had all sorts of shit-flinging going on). It seems we had an influx of new members that really sucked. But now they've either gone away, or have learned how to act appropriately. There's always going to be a DB or two - not everyone is going to like everyone else.

atease has some good advice: ...take a [week] off... (sort of the cyber-equivalent of 'counting to 10' )

you said a mouthful. sometimes its easy to lose sight of everything else around you when you're so focused on one particular thing. I know I'm guilty of allowing myself to be provoked. I shouldn't let a handful of bad eggs spoil the bunch. I certainly shouldn't allow them to ruin my experience here on the board. most of these new people will either stand the test of time and remain, becoming the kind of member that made SB a great place to spend time in the first place, or they will just eventually drift off the radar. provocation often only encourages them. a short break and some other distractions sounds ideal. i'll just have to have my wife sew my head to the carpet to keep me away for a week.

i thought the acetone comment was quite funny actually

That was funny. That's not what I was responding to really. What bothers me is the ragging on those that flip sell for more then cost then offering to buy for cost off those same people. I still have not really gotten over what happened with that first GB black proto. That was mentally scarring and I saw it coming. If anyone has the thread saved you can see the slow progression. Sometimes people here are just mean and to me it goes against everything that makes collecting toys and meeting people here so great.

I'm getting tired of the constant whining. The part of the old board that seems lost is the general sense of excitement and wonder over these toys. I see glimpses of it from time to time, but there's a lot less "oh! what is that- I love it!" sentiment these days, and more "there's too much hype!/you're overpaying and ruining it for everyone, jerkwad."

I think it's inevitable given that we know a LOT more about RxH, SB- even some of the more obscure companies- than we did 2 years ago. Except for a handful of very off-radar releases, it's not hard to catalog every piece of new vinyl that shows up on YJA. This is probably due in part to the greater availability of online resources and the direct contact with certain companies through S7 and Co. But that knowledge seems to have turned our buying into shopping, rather than collecting.

Aren't occasional "flare-ups" to be expected in a relatively small group of people? Seems like things blow up every now and then but settle back down into the old groove. As far as hype goes, it always seems that whatever is just out is hot and then seems to be quickly pushed off the front page...which is good, because it lets pricing simmer back down to reasonable (or what passes for reasonable) levels.

The whole fiasco with that one douchebag ripping off so many people has probably got people being a bit more wary and skeptical than before---maybe that is contributing to this "downer vibe" that you're feeling? Might also be that people don't have money and there are a ton of cool toys out there now (and coming up) that is causing a bit of angst...I know I'd rather be buying toys than scraping together my pennies to pay bills!

A break is sometimes good, and you really end up missing less than you might think when you're here every day---or at least that's what I've heard from those that take breaks!

Two words for you: vintage vinyl

It's a little oasis in a big shit storm.

Good Job Hillsy - now there all going to go there........... big mouth!

I blame the new trend of being nice, and inviting.

If we were meaner around here, there would be fewer new people creating a buttload of hype and throwing cash around, buying all the toys we want.

Seriously. Skullbrain is growing. These problems will likely only get worse with more competition flowing in and demand increasing.

different people have been saying this since the board was 6 months old.

Same as it ever was if you ask me.

+1, I'm going to just start mailing boxes of my feces to people I've sold/traded to just to get the message across. I hope more of you follow my example.

Skullbrain is fine by me: if I see something I don't like, I click the back arrow. This place is run way tighter than, well...some other sites. Maybe I'm just fat, dumb, & happy?

I'm going home. Maybe I'll post something then. People laugh, people cry, but in the end it is all in your own perception.
The world would be better if there was less people

Amen to that brotha.

I feel nothing but love here.

I think the forum is the nicest it's ever been, and I miss audio

no money + eLoco = grouchy board.

That's my guess.

I'm about to sit down and do my taxes, so we'll see if my attitude regarding my financial situation changes after that. Getting burned by eLoco made me wary for sure and, unfortuantely, I won't sell to new people or to those I don't trust/know personally anymore; not without a money order anyway. All that aside, this board has its own way of finding its equilibrium. Members will come and go, and there will always be another flavor of the week.

totally

Whether it be the economy or the fickle nature of hype-induced collectors, I've gotten some sweet deals in the bst lately. You could say that I'm benefiting from this malaise you're hinting on...

Not to sound elitist or anything, but I think the cult like nature of this board makes newcomers overzealous to be a part of the crowd so they spend crazy money in a months time for an insta-collection to post here for e-props. Most of the time their collections aren't even that interesting to look at.

I always enjoy seeing collections that reflect years of searching and balancing pieces...that isn't around here much these days...in fact I wouldn't even use the term "collection" for most of these displays...it's more like a revolving inventory.

great topic!

It seems cyclical and goes in waves. I honestly don't think it's changed much since I joined.

Bottom line is...I just collect toys and have hopefully have made some colleagues with similar sentiments...in the process

Sometimes I get over excited about ones I want, sometimes I get annoyed by absurd posts but the bottom line is that I'm just happy and thankful for the toys I have.

But I know that whenever it becomes to much...I simply avoid the board for a few days. It's refreshing.

Great phrase! I agree wholeheartedly. There is a big difference between collecting & shopping.