I think I have grown too tired…

[Glantern]

I don’t know how else to say this, but I think Minimates and I may be coming to a cooling point. It’s mostly Marvel, but the brand in general has been exciting me less and less as of late. I just feel too tired to go on. I’ve gotten tired of dealing with TRU’s stupidity with exclusives. Tired of the focus on movies, on the X-Men, on the 90s. Tired of being told of the exciting things to come, only to be let down by the final reveal. At 23, I’m apparently part of a dying breed of fans; the minority of those buying the line. I’ve expressed my frustration more than once, but it all just seems so pointless. Things are how they are, and that’s how they’ll stay. Nothing I say is going to change any of that.

It really sucks, because I really like this community and I really like the line. I’ve got just shy of 1000 Minimates, and even with my issues, I know I’m bound to get more. I like being able to talk to others about what’s coming up. I like reviewing the figures I have. I still like getting newer ‘mates. But, I just don’t feel the same spark of excitement that I used to.

Anyway, I don’t really have much else to say, I guess. Sorry for the block of text.

[Kostisfire]

I'm kinda on the same bandwagon, but for different reasons. Prices are going up, shipping and taxes are going up and the euro goes down, which makes for a really, really tough spot to be in. Thing is, the flood of new releases and licenses that I do enjoy (apart from Gotham I don't think there is something that I don't look forward to) makes me kinda anxious, because I fear that if I don't get them on Day 1, they will sell out and then I'll have to pay ridicullous ebay prices.

As for Marvel, while the constant movie waves and releases of the big guns in different costumes with no B or C listers does sadden me, we do eventually get things like the Brotherhood which keeps me hooked. Thing is, I'm more of an Marvel - XMen guy (if that makes any sense) so I'd much rather get comic GotG, Inhumans, Moon Knight, Marvel UK and all that, which, currently at least, seem like longshots.

I'm still in, but every time something new gets announced I feel anxious instead of excited.

[MisterPL]

I've been there. I took a break for a while and bought only the stuff I really, really wanted. While I missed out on a few things I didn't know about at the time, I've caught up here and there.

Now I'm toward the other end of the spectrum. I'm certainly not jazzed about every property (Plants vs. Zombies, Godzilla), and some just are just cool looking toys I get anyway (Pathfinder, Mass Effect), but there are other releases that I'm really looking forward to adding to my collection (Alien, Gotham).

I can totally sympathize with the Toys R Us issues. That store has all but killed my enthusiasm for The Walking Dead line and I'm afraid the same might happen with Marvel Minimates. I still don't see the point of having exclusives if they're only sold in "eligible" stores, whatever that means.

So take a break if you want, buy what appeals to you most, and the Multiverse will be here for you if you decide to return.

[Zexion_Armando]

I felt the same way, but it comes and goes with any line that expands in weird and unexpected ways.

I don't mind Spongebob or Gotham mates cause it can pull new fans, but I'm hoping that that same attention can be put to keeping older fans happy (which they have, like Wave 60).

The problem is the absolute onslaught of Marvel Cinematic stuff from now till the end of time.

[MiniMage]

I'm surprised to hear this from you, Glantern. I'm a regular reader of the FigureInQuestion and you've never really hinted at your weariness of the line. All you can do in your reviews is either: a.) just fawn over whatever Minimate you're reviewing b.) express how long it's been since your reviewed a minimate. Longest stretch of time where your blog has gone Minimate-less was what, a week or two?

DST, is first and foremost, a company. It exists to sell it's products. With the influx of all these Marvel Movies, it's really no surprise that DST wants to cash in on what's popular. Gettting a comic wave is almost a miracle at this point, no? But the time will soon come when there will be too many Marvel movies to make Minimates for and DST has to start cherry-picking which ones will get them the best profit (heck- they're doing that now: Ant Man is getting a boxed set not an entire wave). However DST isn't like Mattel or Hasbro when it comes to communicating with it's fans, we should count ourselves lucky we collect a line which listen to our feedback and takes our feelings into account, most of the time.

Listen, I've just gotten off a Minimate hiatus. I haven't bought a single one in a year. If you feel like taking a break go right on ahead. You don't need a stranger on the internet telling you that. You're young, you've got your whole life ahead of you, you have a supportive girlfriend, why not talk to her about it?

[Glantern]

I'm still in, but every time something new gets announced I feel anxious instead of excited.

That's kinda how I've started to feel. It's nice to know someone else feels that way.

Now I'm toward the other end of the spectrum. I'm certainly not jazzed about every property (Plants vs. Zombies, Godzilla), and some just are just cool looking toys I get anyway (Pathfinder, Mass Effect), but there are other releases that I'm really looking forward to adding to my collection (Alien, Gotham).

...

So take a break if you want, buy what appeals to you most, and the Multiverse will be here for you if you decide to return.

Alien/Aliens is actually one of the licenses that I'm still pretty excited for. Although TRU getting Vasquez and Hudson is causing me a bit of pause. Thanks for the kind words

I felt the same way, but it comes and goes with any line that expands in weird and unexpected ways.

I don't mind Spongebob or Gotham mates cause it can pull new fans, but I'm hoping that that same attention can be put to keeping older fans happy (which they have, like Wave 60).

The problem is the absolute onslaught of Marvel Cinematic stuff from now till the end of time.

I actually don't have any issue with licenses I'm not personally interested in, as long as others are happy. 60 is cool, especially the Brotherhood. I'd just like to get an equivalent Avengers wave, which seems unlikely.

I'm surprised to hear this from you, Glantern. I'm a regular reader of the FigureInQuestion and you've never really hinted at your weariness of the line. All you can do in your reviews is either: a.) just fawn over whatever Minimate you're reviewing b.) express how long it's been since your reviewed a minimate. Longest stretch of time where your blog has gone Minimate-less was what, a week or two?

DST, is first and foremost, a company. It exists to sell it's products. With the influx of all these Marvel Movies, it's really no surprise that DST wants to cash in on what's popular. Gettting a comic wave is almost a miracle at this point, no? But the time will soon come when there will be too many Marvel movies to make Minimates for and DST has to start cherry-picking which ones will get them the best profit (heck- they're doing that now: Ant Man is getting a boxed set not an entire wave). However DST isn't like Mattel or Hasbro when it comes to communicating with it's fans, we should count ourselves lucky we collect a line which listen to our feedback and takes our feelings into account, most of the time.

Listen, I've just gotten off a Minimate hiatus. I haven't bought a single one in a year. If you feel like taking a break go right on ahead. You don't need a stranger on the internet telling you that. You're young, you've got your whole life ahead of you, you have a supportive girlfriend, why not talk to her about it?

I try to do my best to keep the weariness out of reviews, mostly because I do still really love all of the figures I already have. The sheer number of Minimates I own means that they do turn up for review rather frequently, and even if I stop buying them completely (which I won't) I'd still have a whole lot left. I don't blame DST for making the decisions they do, and I'm happy they're so open with people. But, seeing the product Hasbro is putting out has made it more difficult to deal with not getting the figures I want from Minimates. And thanks for keeping up with the site. That actually means a whole lot to me.

[DSTZach]

I'd certainly be sorry to see you go, glantern.

[bigvis497]

I'm right there with you on the Hasbro jealousy GL. While I think the days of kick ass Marvel release years like 2012 are long gone, I still look forward to that one wave a year that caters to the longtime Marvel fan. I'm super excited for Wave 60. I just learned to accept that were only getting one of those every year or so and to not get my expectations up anymore. That way when something like Deadly Foes or Cap Comic Wave is announced, I'm caught off guard in a good way.

[stack32]

I felt the same way, but it comes and goes with any line that expands in weird and unexpected ways.

I don't mind Spongebob or Gotham mates cause it can pull new fans, but I'm hoping that that same attention can be put to keeping older fans happy (which they have, like Wave 60).

The problem is the absolute onslaught of Marvel Cinematic stuff from now till the end of time.

I actually don't have any issue with licenses I'm not personally interested in, as long as others are happy. 60 is cool, especially the Brotherhood. I'd just like to get an equivalent Avengers wave, which seems unlikely.

That same feeling is leading to a lot of my frustration. I even like many of the movie waves, and can understand some of the other choices, but it seems like there are a bunch of characters that could reasonably be expected to have a shot that just have zero chance of being made right now.

[stegron01]

I'd certainly be sorry to see you go glantern. You are one of the people on here who seems to mirror my views on the current release policy and who also clamours for some classic avengers stuff.

[karamazov80]

I've become more and more of a casual Minimates collector over the last few years. And ironically, that has probably allowed me to maintain my interest for a longer period of time than if I was a really hardcore collector, anxiously waiting for bits of news and the next announced release. A lot (most) of the stuff we have gotten from DST over the last few years hasn't been my cup of tea. But there is some great stuff that I really dig that gets announced here and there that definitely keeps me interested. For me, I'm not really expecting to be blown away anymore, so when something awesome does pop up (the X-Men wave with the Brotherhood, Alien/Aliens, Mirage Ninja Turtles) it is a really pleasant surprise. I also know how tedious it can be doing reviews of these guys, and that alone could probably be tamping down your enthusiasm.

My orientation probably stems more than anything from my diversification in collecting interests. I collect a handful of different things, and there's enough variation that I can shift my focus to one aspect of collecting vs. another when things aren't great in any one area. I don't know your collecting habits at the moment glantern, but maybe your interest could be better maintained if you took a less intense approach to your Minimate collecting activities. This is a great time to be a geek collector. Companies like Funko, Mattel, Sideshow, Hot Toys, Takara, Hasbro, LEGO, DST, DC Direct, and others are all throwing stuff out there to appeal to collectors in different ways.

[Glantern]

Well, I’ve given it a few days, just to see how I feel. I think getting my feelings out there, along with the kind and helpful words said by everyone in this thread, have made me feel at least a little bit better about things. In addition, over the weekend I had to deal with a bunch of crap in my personal life, which, if nothing else, has put things into perspective for me.

I’ll probably be stepping back from Minimates for a little while. However, this is less a deliberate choice, and more that there’s just less things I want to buy in the upcoming months. That’s not a bad thing, as there are lots of things I want from other lines, so I can use my funds on those instead. I still intend to pick up all of the Aliens stuff and I’m sure I’ll end up with more than a few of the Marvel releases. And hopefully this will make the ‘mates I do get a bit more exciting.

I still very much intend to keep up with the reviews, though I may start to spread them out a little bit more. I don’t plan on leaving the Multiverse, either. This place is easily the best thing about collecting Minimates, and I really enjoy being able to share my opinions with others here.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in! I really appreciate it

[MisterPL]

Glad you'll be sticking around. Discourse is cheap!