What do you tell strangers when they come over?

[Benson13]

So the pipes in the kitchen burst on Saturday and we had to have a bunch of contractors come over and replace carpet etc. Most of them asked questions about my nerd collections. What do you tell them? Do you devalue them? Do you talk about it at all? Has anyone had any suspicious questions asked? Any post contractor break ins?

[usagiz]

Usually everyone thinks they are Transformers! And having insurance is a good idea on your collection. Besides that, I just tell everyone I collect them and leave it at that:)

[anime52k8]

I keep all my stuff in my room and lock the door. Of course with given the state of my room and the contents of the collections, what people think about the transforming robots is the lowest on the list of reasons why.

[Gakken85]

I live alone in an apartment in a pretty nice neighborhood. Usually the only people who come inside are girlfriends. The girl I've been dating lately likes them and she doesn't mind my endless talk about finding a good deal or the new toy I got.

She also got some flight pose stands for me, which was nice. I go out of my way to present things with some class and not have a lot of clutter and dust. (I'm picking up a new detolf today off craigslist as I need to expand! haha)

Anyway, I don't hide it. I enjoy telling people about what I'm into and letting them why I like the hobby.

I think I've used this line on the forums before, but I sell it as "Art you can interact with." I have friends who buy crappy local paintings for hundreds of bucks and just hang them on their wall. You can look at it, but that's about it. At least with high-end toys you can pick it up, transform it, pose it, and really live with it.

I also got my love of collecting and hunting for deals from my father. He always used to call it "the hunt" kind of like things I've read about Japanese collectors. It's also motivated me to help clean out my parents basement. I'm about to start digging into our comic collection and re-invest that money back into my toy collection.

Also, If I ever met somebody, or a girl, who put me down or was negative about my hobby, it's like having a heads-up that they are a shallow and closed minded person. If they don't like who you are, they'll try to change something else. Thanks for the red flag a-hole! haha

Edited July 23, 2013 by Gakken85

[Vifam7]

So the pipes in the kitchen burst on Saturday and we had to have a bunch of contractors come over and replace carpet etc. Most of them asked questions about my nerd collections. What do you tell them? Do you devalue them? Do you talk about it at all? Has anyone had any suspicious questions asked? Any post contractor break ins?

You should just give them simple answers. Never ever get detailed or talk at length on the subject. It should never progress beyond a few seconds of small talk. I wouldn't hire any contractor who won't keep the discussion to the work at hand.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Vifam7

[Kicker773]

Touch it and I'll bust a cap on your ass.

[Gakken85]

Yeah I check with my landlord with anybody who might have access to my place. And I always try to be there if anybody is home.

[Benson13]

Yeah, I told them they were cheap and the shipping cost more than the toy when he asked about value. After that I pulled a Kicker and started talking about deployments. It bothered me the guy asked questions so I sent a clear message that I'm fully capable of wrecking anything considered a noun.

I like how Kicker taps into Chicago's fine history of interpersonal relations.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Benson13

[derex3592]

To Gakken85......marry her dumbass!!! Nowwww!!!! Lol!

Everybody thinks mine are transformers.

Edited July 23, 2013 by derex3592

[Mommar]

I keep my collection away from most prying eyes. The only people who have ever seen them have been a few male friends, and a girlfriend and her kids. The male friends all know they're at least related to Robotech, Misty didn't know what they were but thought her boy Logan would like them. Logan thought they were transformers and was transfixed with the VF-17. If he weren't eight I would have bought him one. Nobody else sees them and nobody else needs to.

Edited July 23, 2013 by Mommar

[Valkyrie Magnus]

To Gakken85......marry her dumbass!!! Nowwww!!!! Lol!

Everybody thinks mine are transformers.

Every girl I dated hated my toys! Except my wife.

To answer Benson's question I have a room no one is allowed to go to. But most people who wander there think they are transformers.

[Valkyrie addict]

Yeap, people who see my collection always think they are transformers too. Unless they're someone I know or show some genuine interest I can go into some detail what they are exactly, if I don't know the person I just go, "I like collecting them" and talk about something else.

Any girl who maturely appreciate your nerdy hobby is a keeper.

[Benson13]

I really didn't like how this guy came off. I honestly felt as if this clown was a threat to my collection.

It was almost as if he was wondering how much he could get for them.

[Benbot]

I think my friends just assume they are airplane models. The ones in my living room are all in fighter mode.

[Mommar]

I really didn't like how this guy came off. I honestly felt as if this clown was a threat to my collection.

It was almost as if he was wondering how much he could get for them.

Where do you keep your collection that he could see it?

[Archer]

As for my limited collection, most people just assume that it's stuff that I haven't thrown out from when I was younger. If they ask, I just tell them it's cool stuff I like picking up once in a while (which it really is). Not much more beyond that.

I don't really like discussing pricing, mostly because I'm a college kid with full monetary support from my family, and because a $200 - $300 price tag per item throws strangers off to the point where they look down on me.....a lot.

Luckily, my friends and family haven't given it a second thought

[Benson13]

Where do you keep your collection that he could see it?

Unfortunately I have a small two bedroom apartment. My dining room is my man cave and it's pretty much part of the living room.

[Tober]

I had painters do some work a few weeks ago. I put sheets over my cabinets and said they were bookcases. The stuff on my desk I put in a box till the coast was clear.

When I have friends over they know I'm a geek, so it's the ones with children I'm more concerned about. Most boxes have something similar to this on them:

This means that if one of their kids touches my toys I will strangle them. And their kids. It's the law!

.

[Mommar]

I had painters do some work a few weeks ago. I put sheets over my cabinets and said they were bookcases. The stuff on my desk I put in a box till the coast was clear.

When I have friends over they know I'm a geek, so it's the ones with children I'm more concerned about. Most boxes have something similar to this on them:

This means that if one of their kids touches my toys I will strangle them. And their kids. It's the law!

.

I had my nephew pull the leg off of one of my Toynami 1/100 Regults. At least he skipped over the Hi-Metal's.

[505thAirborne]

2 weeks ago my Web designer and his partner came over to properly photograph my products for my new site, My dining room/man Cave is where my bookcases of Macross/Mospeada & Battlestar are at. First two words out their mouths were "Wow" and "look at all this Robotech stuff, sweet you have Rick Hunters Veritech".... I had to bite my tongue and smile.

[Valkyrie addict]

I bought a damaged valk from a member here that got damaged transformed by a toddler, that thing was beat up.

Benson13. Perhaps the contractor is a collector and had some slight knowledge of valks? but I agree, if I had someone I hired to do some housework and started asking questions about the price of things in my house I'd be highly suspicious, never had any friend asked me about how much I've spend on my collection.

If you are really worried about the guys, maybe you could do an internet search on the contractors company, see feedback and try to correlate with any break ins within the timeframe and area.

Is your apartment left alone at any time of the day? is there a doorman or super you could maybe give the heads up to keep an eye if the contractors return in a suspicious manner?

Edited July 24, 2013 by Valkyrie addict

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

i hide my Macross stuff in a closet whenever i have people over, i'm ashamed... i haven't come out of the closet yet...

[skullmilitia]

I got a room with a dead bolt, and a full alarm system.

If they want my collection, they're gonna have to work for it.

[ff95gj]

I bark at them and chase them around.

Seriously... I think toys collectors are quite common. That being said, I feel a bit uneasy around friends, not strangers. They would ask things about $$$ which I prefer not to discuss about.

[raptormesh]

I just tell people they are prepainted jet models, from a fictional universe, which is what they are.

[1/1 LowViz Lurker]

If the strangers want to buy them you should sell some and grow the macross fanbase. I remember a lot of discussion in the boards of how macross could die off because it is an old show. You should talk about the series and let them know the history about the show and how as a kid you thought it was the coolest show and that's why you own so many collector's toys.

Then show them a link to macross world and links of where to buy the products.

You are horrible fans. It' your duty to keep macross alive. But you are too scared to tell the world about your valkyrie fetish. Shame on you people. Maybe the reason you wish to hide it from others is actually so you don't have to compete with them to get access to the toys online?

just kidding.

Don't tell them anything about teir value or they will definitely break in.

Just have 1 or 2 on display and keep everything in boxes if they look suspicious. If they really were interested in them though you should tell them how to get one.

I am the kind of person that doesn't care what others think so much. If the only exposure to mecha shows was transformers or robotech I think you should correct them like you do on these boards.

You want Harmony Gold to have monopoly on the minds of the outer circles? No? Well ask them why they are asking and whether they know much about the toys and quiz them on it to see how much knowledge they have and then tell them how you got into the plastic crack addiction.

Maybe you will make new friends. Don't be shy. Maybe they will go out and buy the latest imported macross game and then get hooked and start helping you out to obtain rare stuff from friends they might have that are also into that stuff.

I think if you are paranoid put some hidden cameras in the house when you are not home to help id any thieves that may actually succeed in raiding your house and taking all the stuff.

You can also use it as an opportunity to sell old stuff you might not want anymore by offering to sell it.

Maybe that guy says no but he might tell other guys who are interested in buying old toys about your collection. (no need to put up an ebay ad)

As for those who ask about price:

much of the reason for high prices are scalpers taking advantage of the inability of fans outside of japan to get these toys. They would be a lot cheaper without the whole harmony gold legal mess. (much closer to transformers levels of price)

I think if you own any anime, games or merchandise from sci fi shows, society views you as weird one but the truth is society is f*cked up so it needs a scapegoat and it's always either the videogame players, the comic book readers or the otaku that are the ones to blame for everything according to the media. There is not much you can do about it. Just re-educate them about who owns the media and why you can not trust what you read in papers or on tv all the time. They need to sell you a story so they make stuff up. Get them to think outside the box a little bit. Your tiny actions can greatly affect people's perceptions on certain things so that they are forced to question their beliefs for once in their life, which can only be healthy thing.

But yeah if you want to "remain in the closet" as a macross nerd, just put it all in boxes like me.

Edited July 24, 2013 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker

[EXO]

I usually say "You should see my gun collection!" That'll make them think twice about saying or thinking anything.

[ff95gj]

Macross is not dying. I like Macross, so every one does. Macross rules!

If the strangers want to buy them you should sell some and grow the macross fanbase. I remember a lot of discussion in the boards of how macross could die off because it is an old show. You should talk about the series and let them know the history about the show and how as a kid you thought it was the coolest show and that's why you own so many collector's toys.

Then show them a link to macross world and links of where to buy the products.

You are horrible fans. It' your duty to keep macross alive. But you are too scared to tell the world about your valkyrie fetish. Shame on you people.

[EXO]

If the strangers want to buy them you should sell some and grow the macross fanbase. I remember a lot of discussion in the boards of how macross could die off because it is an old show. You should talk about the series and let them know the history about the show and how as a kid you thought it was the coolest show and that's why you own so many collector's toys.

[Gakken85]

Had a guy come over tonight to buy a record player off me from Craigslist. I put black sheets over my detolfs.

I just lugged my knew detolf up the stairs so it looked like I was moving haha

Edited July 24, 2013 by Gakken85

[505thAirborne]

I usually say "You should see my gun collection!" That'll make them think twice about saying or thinking anything.

I used to keep my BAR 1918A1 on top of my old book case when I lived in LA, everyone kept their distance and asked before touching... Still no touching was allowed.

[Rabidweezil]

I have all my stuff sitting in display cases in the living room. The main case has a giant sliding glass door that's kind of tricky to open.

Having visitors I don't know is rare. But when I'm dating and I bring a woman over, right before I put the key in the door I say something like "oh, by the way, I have a dead spider collection (or shrunken heads)" when they see they are only robots they are actually pretty relieved

[charger69]

Hey Benson

Tell them you got the purple one from a nerd from Istanbul, Turkey >> Watch their expression

[Benson13]

Hey Benson

Tell them you got the purple one from a nerd from Istanbul, Turkey >> Watch their expression

I've gotten stuff from all over the place Oslo, Istanbul, Japan, Hawaii, just to name a few. I have gotten some looks, that's for sure.

Good news guys, pipes busted again and that means more strangers for me to rant about.

[Scyla]

Given how popular the whole super hero flicks are I would buy a Hot Toys Iron Man and put it in a prominent place where everyone can see it. They will recognize it and all the fancy jets will be forgotten. Since you don't care about the Hot Toys stuff they can touch it and break it. Best advice is to put a $3000 price tag onto the Iron Man so they know it is the most valuable thing in your house/flat.

Camouflaging and deceiving is the name of the game.

Don't forget no one is interested in 1/6th scale man dolls (they are creepy) only collecting transforming jets is a proper lifestyle!!!

...

Honestly if you really have a problem with other people judging you just leave them in Jet-Mode they camouflaging themselves very well. Most of the people that look at my Transformers Alternity stuff think they are car models and its the same with Macross jets. However I always have to explain why I have a giant purple Ironclad Gunboat displayed.

Just be careful when talking about prices. First people don't understand what it means to import stuff from a foreign market economy even if you explain it to them. Secondly toys, even the ones made for collectors, are no abstract art pieces so most people seem to have preconceptions about how much they should cost (other than abstract paintings ).

That said in general I found that most people are cool with that stuff if you are not defensive about your hobby. Be offensive and you will see that most people collect some kind of stuff some of them might be as obscure as your Macross toys. Sharing pictures of my VF-25S with a friend of mine he told me that it's pretty cool and want to know more about it. In addition I now know that my friend collects Lego sets.