What Kind of Collector Are You?

 Back on the X entry of this year's A to Z "Challenge," CD Gallant-King remarked:

You would know better than I, but I don't understand how they decide to make which figures. Like Amanda Waller, while a major characater, I guess wouldn't be a very INTERESTING figure. Yet that made that infamous "Bob the Goon" figure from the original Batman movie...

And it got me thinking.  First, I wish I really did know how they choose what figures to make.  But more than that, I think there are a few factors that go into it.

The most obvious one when you have something like DC, Marvel, or Star Wars is:  What new movies/shows are coming out?  Because usually if there's a new movie, you're going to want to try to take advantage of it with some new figures from that.  So with the Flash movie coming out, McFarlane of course made a few figures and vehicles from the movie:

That's the most obvious reason, but to dig deeper, I think collectors generally have a couple of different philosophies on what they buy.

There are those who collect mostly one character or maybe just a few characters, but they want basically everything of that character.  So you might have someone who really loves Batman and wants every single Batman McFarlane can pump out--which is a lot.  Or every Deadpool Hasbro can come out with.  Or every Darth Vader Hasbro can make.  Or every Optimus Prime or Starscream or Megatron Hasbro can make.

Then there are people like me who are more interested in collecting breadth.  By which I mean, I like to have lots of different characters.  I get one Superman I like and that's enough.  Same for Batman, Deadpool, Wolverine, etc.  I don't fixate on just one character, not even favorites like Azrael or Batgirl.  Getting back to CD's comment, I would absolutely love an Amanda Waller figure or especially a Bob the Joker's Goon figure.  And for me, the wackier they are, the neater it is to have a figure of them.  I would be thrilled if McFarlane came out with Kite Man or Condiment Man or some of the weirder ones like that.  But if you're the sort who's more into Batman, you probably wouldn't be.

Adding to that is another huge factor:  Money, ca-ching!  In Empires & Puzzles, some people talk about "whales," ie the people who can spend hundreds a day on the game.  Then there are poor-ass bitches like me who can't afford $2 on the game.  With action figures you have the same thing.  Some people have the money (and space) to get every single thing.  Others, like me, have to be choosier.  So I can pass on another Batfleck figure or Flash figure.  But the Keaton Batman or the Supergirl one that haven't been made before are much more interesting to me.

But everyone is different, so if you collect anything, what's your philosophy?  That can apply to action figures, comics, or even regular books.