Those things look like bath toys, like you'd squeeze them and water would squirt out their mouth - yay!

If I may,

I find it peculiar that there are many collectors that are in such a rush to get everything. Slow and Steady wins the race.


and I agree with Pogue about Killing off characters. It puts them into icon status and if they do ever return, it has much more impact.

words to live by cornbluth...words to live by...

I agree with the slow and steady thing (just ask my henshin cyborg collection about that, 31 years and counting, and nowehere near complete) - but when things like a Kaws Dissected are available for a micro-second and then insta-flipped for twice the money if u didn't score immediately - its hard to live by that. I've lost count of the number of times people have written on this very forum words to the effect of "you snooze, you lose".

Also, its obvious that the very companies we love, fuel the "have to get it now" mentality by virtue of quick-strike and ultra limited releases. But certainly, for older releases, slow and steady (with the occasional lightning trigga finga move) does it.

yeah...no doubt about online kaws releases, but that really wasn't the point that I was getting at. The way i look at it is that if I can't get it when it is online or at my shop, then I usually don't rush to buy from as you put it, "insta-flippers" (great term). I'll wait, and eventually get to it. This is actually my current state, as I'm after a black 5yl companion next; which has been on my list for quite some time.

If I'm gonna get raped, at least let it be on my own watch.

Totally agree. I am strongly against paying unrealistic prices, and strongly for getting stuff at retail. Anyone with money can pay an obscene amount to get something - whereas it takes skill, luck and perseverance to score at a reasonable price. On older stuff I have passed manay many times on something that I felt was priced way too high. Occasionally this has been my downfall, but for the most part it has reaped its rewards (and also helps prevent creation of an inflated market).

Exactly. Too many stories of people panicking and paying hefty insta-flipper fees.
There's so much going on, if I miss it at retail or if it's been taken over by the hype machine, I'll look at other stuff. And wait. When everyone's focused on some hyped thing, deals can be had elsewhere.

Muton -

Loved Children Of Men


HATED Pan's Labyrinth


...care to discuss?

Damn im going to see Pan's tomorrow, I've got a free pass though so at least if it sucks I didn't pay

Children of Men was awesome though, I Agree

I'd love too, but I'm supposed to be working...

They were very different flims, one made me feel like right there with societies worst aspects and impending collapse (the hand held camera on COM made me feel like I was in there with teh bombs) - very visceral. The other was more sentimental, but I came out with a different yet similar level of impact.

Both gave me things I didn' expect, but more so Pan's. I mean I saw both early on pre-releases, and I had no idea it was all about Franco's impact on SPain and the Spanish Civil War, than it was about cool creatures in ...errr.. a labyrinth. I came out feeling deeply moved from both, but it was only in Pan's that I applauded when someone got theirs...and I never do that.

Guess I loved the weaving of super-harsh reality with Narnia-esque fantasy.

It goes without saying that both were superbly executed IMO.

errr, that's it really - not much of a critique, but I know what moves me. ANd if it doesn;t move me, I can take it or leave it. I'll apply the same tor a film, a gig or a play.

children of men:

To me, what makes a superb sci-fi film is the access that the audience has as to how the public interact within the environment...the conflicts as well as the daily routines...It actually depicts the human experience within the world as the protagonist ventures through it. Children Of Men did that so-so well. Among other reasons (great script/ great direction/great acting/ great cinematography) the interaction and access that we had into what daily life is like in that reality is what really impressed me.

Too Many Sci-Fi's don't let us see what life is like outside of the will smith character fighting robots in his futuristic audi...and that's why most sci-fi's suck these days.


On to Pan's...

Spectacular First Act. But tit didn't get as fantastic as I would have liked it. I really thought she was going to venture through a fantasy world and interact within it. I was hoping to see more characters like the Ghoul with the eyeball hands (which was an awesome part...BUT GIVE US MORE THAN 5 MINUTES!!!!)

It was more of a war movie than a fairy tale, and it really was nothing new at all...way too much exposition. Now, I understand that Del Toro was attempting to juxtapose dreadful reality with fantasy, but in my opinion it wasn't as effective as it could have been. And that ending was kinda corny too.

I was really disappointed, especially after I made it a point to go to see it at the arclight with my girl...which as you may know is a small fortune to venture into.

Great review, and I strongly agree with your articulation of one of teh reasons COM was so strong. Pan didn't fail me tho, and I thought the ending was perfect and in keeping with the fantasy element.

I know what u mean about cinema prices. I went to the Grove on a weekday evening and was ripped off for $12.75 each, as apparently weekdays during holidays are jacked up to Friday and Saturday nite prices - depsite the day I wnet not beinga holiday. Apparently, holiday for the theatres at teh Grove is 24/7 from mid December through to early Januray!!! The bastards!

Mind you, its still cheaper than a West End cinema in London!

I dunno, muton, I was really REALLY disappointed with Pan's...that is completely my genre of film! I was so excited to see a dark fairy tale that wasn't for children.

Movies are $12.75 in LA now? Holy shit! Here in the frugal blue-collar Midwest we're slowly sneaking up on $9, but, as much as I love the full cinema experience, it has to be something I really want to see.

I guess I wasn't as taken with Children of Men as most others were - to be honest, I liked most everything about it (set design, soundtrack, acting, cinematography) except for the plot. Plus, it was one of those all-too-frequent instances where the film would have been served much better by ending five minutes earlier than it did, thereby leaving you with a more ambiguous resolution.

I'm all for ambiguous endings...

I think Spielberg destroyed A.I. when he did the whole aliens thing... I thought it would've been much more powerful if they left the kid under the water with the blue angel.

AI sucked

Saw Pans last night, the eyeball hand monster was so good, I loved the pictures of it eating babies on the wall, I could go for a whole movie just based on that character being creepy and eating babies.

Coming Summer of '07 - Pan's Labyrinth's Creepy Eyeball Hand Monster's Baby Buffet

AI = worst ending ever. Would have improved the movie by a 100% to end it with the kid underwater, fade to black, the end. But no....

COM = Brilliant. Can't wait to see it again as soon as possible and again after that.

PAN = Amazing. I will wait a year or so before seeing it again and it'll be twice as good as the first viewing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hey, Loco thanks for the restaurant recommendation!! Would have ordered the locomoco if they had a veggie version. I had the cheese pizza and j-style spaghetti. Awesome. Great meeting you, Ramos, Beyond and Josh today.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Being a collector-noob, "completion" is too daunting to even consider. Mostly I stick to sculpts I really dig. And I strive for incompletion!!! That's right, incompletion. I cherry-pick my favorite colorways/paint-jobs and try to combine my OCD tendencies with my ADD sensibilities. The only "complete'" set I have is the s7/gargamel collab which is incredibly awesome (thanks moto!).

I really dig everything I have at the moment. And I wouldn't be bummed at all if I never bought anything else ever again, ever. In fact, up until today I hadn't bought a single toy all year (which is almost 2 whole weeks now). And it felt great to pass on lots of tempting pieces. On the other hand I blew a few hundred bucks at S7 this afternoon and that felt really great too.

Movies? I'm trying to talk about toys and shit.

Good luck with the collection Carl.

I think this is the eventual state of all collectors. When you begin, it is easy to really start picking up lots of figures, checking them off, because you are buying the easier to get toys. This is not a bad thing, it just is easier in the beginning on everything. Once you start getting past the first or second level, and you get to the more and more rare items, they simply are not available, and hardly affordable when they are available. If you drive yourself 24/7 trying to get the rare stuff and end up in frustration, you will burn yourself out. In the end, just as was pointed out before, the slow and steady approach is the way to go, and it will make the rare items all the sweeter along the way. Then completism becomes eventually attainable, not attainable by next week. After 16 years of collecing Japanese toys, you learn to be patient. There are bricks of toys I am still looking for. 50% of them I just can't afford, the other 50% I just have not crossed the proper path with.

I think for your sake Carl, this will keep you much happier. I still don't have a black skullbrain amoeba, or a silver bagman, but I am pretty sure, sometime in the future I will, and that is good enough for me. Besides, you have more collector points than just about anyone.

Lastly. I have been talking and working with most everyone in Japan about really looking at the big picture before they get wacked on multiple variations and some of these ridiculously small production runs. I think we will see a pleasant shift soon to make things even easier/more available for us here in the states. I have a plan, and that plan will be announced soon.

BTW, I am really close to complete, but like all of you, I am missing a few, and most of them are new. I do need that damn glow pumpkin, 12 or so RxH (even some common guys like the black alpha head) and quite a few of the secret versions if anyone wants to part with them! I am now complete on all versions of mini Hedoran brothers, which is getting a out of control as well.

P.S. Issue 15 lands on here Wednesday, look for it about a week after that in your home mailbox!

horrible film

brian - very intriguing

Thanks for the thoughts, Brian.

Good thoughts. As a Fresh Meat in this branch of collecting I have found myself splurging, grabbing whatever crosses my path that I want. But I too have noticed how much I NEED to slow down, and it isn't a bad thing. I think as someone who's newer the thought is when I come across something I want is "Will I be able to score that for such a good price again?" and being new my answer is NO, but I guess it's just the hype getting to me. And I've seen things come and go and come again. Plus being new it's hard to focus on 1 thing at a time. The challenge is focus. I've finally controlled myself a little more enough to focus on 1 thing than finish up, I'd say gregs Balzac collection was a real eye-opener. The guy built that up in just over a year, that's amazing. And now it's huge. Focus and patience, just like many things, is the key I've learned.

This is a well thought out contribution to this topic, and one of the reasons I posted this rambling. The completism thing just crept up on me, because as you know, I've been collecting Henshin Cyborg for years - but never wanted or intended to aim for completism. Slow and steady always did it. But that was also a more solitary collecting thing, as the only other collectors I discovered were Guy Redwing's crew over on those old Henshin boards....and most of those guys were from the UK too....were there is/was a whole different attitude. No one had much money to spend, posts were few and far between, and no one sold much. You didn't need to have it all! Suddenly, with the spur that an active group of fellow collectors can bring, and increasing competition for anything limited, an almost competitive thing sets in, and threatened to take the fun away. My ramblings are about re-consideration, and trying to keep the fun in, and madness out. Yeah, FUN IN, MADNESS OUT!



Well said - thats why you didn't see me posting for these guys - I am hoping they will turn up, and if they don't, I still have my S7 checklist goal, which I am inching ever closer to.



This one paragraph may go unnoticed by some, but it contains an incredibly important message, and maybe the key to the longer term survival of the boutique toy designers. We seem to be rapidly spiralling towards an out of control market where no one, not even the super collectors, can keep up. I think thats bad for everyone...over saturation always kills it in the mainstream, and pulling in the reins has worked to turn things around before.

I am looking forward to the pleasant shift you talk of, and the plan...whatever it maybe...altho I have some ideas.



And of course despite the slow and steady ethos, it never hurts to put out there what one is after. Who knows who's reading and whose collecting needs have changed, they may have just what you are looking for....and unless you say...they'll never know.



Hope u remembered to print all those pics I sent you for the "Muton is getting on my tits" photo special.