IS TROOP/ARMY BUILDING BAD? IS IT HOARDING? WHAT IS MY OPTIMAL NUMBER?

[@Pop.Culture.In.Plastic666]

I don’t troop build but i do like seeing photos of collections of folks who do it. They look great. If you want to do it then do it. Spend your money your way.

[@francoisregis2155]

I personally do troop building with my old gi joe and star wars figures. Most of them I found them in flea markets and I usually have at least 8 figs each and even if they aren’t complete I usually put them in vehicles. My biggest army would be my clone troopers that with time I found at least 50 clones to put in my at-te walkers And I did something similar with the original kenner stormtropper that I mostly bought in garages sales or flea markets. My magic number is 8 but I also have to consider space…

[@kenten]

There's a panel in GI Joe #76 (page 9) where Cobra troopers are stacking trashed BATs. It would take 14 to make that pile, so I ended up with 14 Classified BATs.

[@loganpark2530]

Army building is completely fine. As with any kind of *potentially but not automatically* addictive behavior, it’s about the relationship you have with the figures (the motivation why you’re accumulating) and little to do with how many you have. It moves the needle between a fun pastime and maladaptive coping behaviors. Put another way, does the army building enhance your wellbeing or undermine it? There’s the answer for any individual. Is it a planned, bounded creative project or emotional junk food behavior? For me I’m troop building a set of G1 Jetfire transformers to make a ginormous custom combiner. Clear and specific project.

[@TransformsIntoAGuitar]

I think 'hoarding' is keeping stuff that serves no purpose, or might come in useful one day but probably won't. I don't think troop building is the same. I'm not justifying my own troop building because the closest I've come to that is having Insecticons from four different 3rd parties displayed together.

[@TransformsIntoAGuitar]

Troop building MIB *is* hoarding.

[@sj_harris]

There can be something very visually appealing at seeing multiples of certain figures. The only things I’ve ‘troop built’ are Red Shadows from the Palitoy Action Force line (have about 20), and also the Maruka Change Robo line (3 Dracbots, 4 Skullbots, 1 Frankey, 0 Kongbots)

[@Thangarth]

I collect Transformers. There isn't as much troop building, but there is still some. When it comes to Quintesson characters. I wanted to have 5 each of the Allicon (WFC), Sharkticon (SS86), and the Battle Masters Slitherfang (WFC). Also 5 of the Deseeus Army Drone (WFC). Otherwise the only other figure I've picked up multiples. Is the SS86 Sweep which I have three. 5 of a figure is my cut off point.

[@kenten]

I bought 4 Scourges not thinking they would (obviously) put out a Sweep. Then I replaced 3 Scourges with Sweeps. But I'm the same with the Alicons, Sharticons, etc.

The question should be WHY they are troop building ,because they actually love that character or to show off on IG or a FB group so people can ewwww and awwww over them ? I say its probably the latter and indicates an insecurity needing some form of compensation . Ofcourse i dont see why ppl buy every spiderman or batman repaint either .

[@BlackArroToons]

While I don't have any armies, I think it's pretty cool to see other collections with a lot of troop figures on display.

[@jerrycorrea5974]

Haven't bought anything in a hit minute but I used to collect 3.75/4" Cobra and Lego Star Wars clone troopers.

[@masavant]

There is no issue with buying multiples of things or in some of my cases family gifting multiples, in my opinion the issue is when those multiples serve no purpose, for example I do have 5 of the Bandai Storm Troopers with 2 of them been the Han Solo and Luke Skywalker head variants, 6 if you include the Sand Trooper, likewise I do have multiples of X-wings, Tie Fighters (including the New Order), New Order Troopers, Seekers and Sweeps all that can be displayed as a variation with the exception of the Sweeps, heaven help me if Bandai made the Clone Trooper variants for the clone wars show. With all things in collection spaces is to know your limits, if there is no purpose then buying this stuff is junk filling the void and what is worst is there are people who do go into debt to feed the void.

[@thetitan914]

People saying mean things on the internet??? Kind of hard to believe.....😊 I agree, I think 3 is a good number for troop building depending on the scale and line.

[@gregarcher8177]

I started troop building classified and 10 crimson bats are the most ive gotten. I wish I had 10 regular bats but have 6, 4 alley vipers may get 4 more bats and 6 Alley vipers while bbts still has them and I think 6-7 crimson guards, one with fred head and one retro and put up some of the crimson bats or just line all my different bats up together. Also troop built pp vipers, bats and officers but as many figures as they are dumping out RN I had to stop although I want 4 retro troopers to go with my other versions of the trooper/officer(fire team, regular and others) classified is getting too expensive and im outta space anyway so I'm forced to sell off my marvel legends and McFarlanes to make room. Also preordering the 4" hiya GI Joe line but probably won't troop build even though I prefer the looks of those vipers troopers and crimson guards. Overall 10 is a good number for me as far as ranks of your army, they look great lined up in rows surrounding the main characters.

[@kirbymarchbarcena]

The Autobots or Decepticons can be considered an army. No one complains when a completionist buys them all.

[@Cyril29a]

That isn't the same thing. The complainers assume that the volume of these toys is far lower than it really is. Companies want to make money so they are very aware of what the market will support. Buying one of every figure on the other hand is not considered hoarding with these people because their imagined rules of fairness allow for one figure per collector per skew. I bet these types of people read Karl Marx and think they are owed these figures blaming shortages on the evil capitalists deliberately depriving them. Morons the lot of them

[@gtoney]

Great vid ✨️😎

[@holonet1]

Yeah, unfortunately, I do have the troop-building bug. I typically like to do at least one squad, of each type of trooper, unless it's the main type, such as Stormies or Vipers, etc. Ideally, I'd like at least one Platoon of Alley Vipers, Eels, BATs, so on, while having a Company of Vipers & 2 Platoons of blue-shirts. The same with Star Wars. Alas, it's rather costly, so to keep it reasonable, 1 squad of specialized troopers & 2 to 4 of the main troopers.

[@Thor13332]

I used to army build 3.75 cobra and stormtrooper figures 10 to 20 years ago when they were a lot more affordable. The problem is that most of them sat in package in storage for a decade until I eventually sold most of them. It's never crossed my mind to army build black series or classified due to cost and space issues. Personally if it makes you happy go for it. BUT you have to decide on the reasons you are doing it. I just wanted to build the armies I saw on TV as a child but couldn't. It was mostly nostalgia.

[@JRJohnson1701]

For me, I'm doing stop motion, so I need the extra figures to fill out scenes.

[@TK-yz3wt]

So troop building drives one BATS? It depends on the scale for me. I wouldn't troop build 6" figures but I would with 3.75" figures to a limited extent. I did this with the 3.75" SW figures in the mid to late 2000's especially the clone troopers. I got about four or five of the standard clone troopers and their clone commander (501st, 212th, 41st). Tbf, it was encouraged since a few multipacks were released such as the 327th Star Corps and the Mace Windu one. As for the stormtroopers, there weren't that many variations released during this time (stormtrooper, sandtrooper, and biker scout). Since then 4 packs have been released of death troopers, shore troopers, Fleet troopers and Hoth troopers.

[@christopherbee8800]

Just depends on the situation. I was in a store and a guy had a transformer in hand. After a little kid had spotted it. He was troop building. However if I wouldn't had been standing there. The little kid wouldn't had got it. I reminded him, they are our future collectors.

[@robertwantland646]

Only collect Classified and my troop number is 6 except for Cobra troopers I want them all. I am still pre-ordering more and more of the retro card back onesso I don't have to pay ebay prices for the previous one

[@deadlinked7041]

My Cobra Army is somewhere around 687 troops, partly apart of looking cool, and partly bragging rights. This isn't hoarding, it's collecting, you horde newspapers, you collect toys.

[@Hurricanelive]

If it's for Copeium the numbers don't lie.

[@Roadpigjohn]

Who's channel is that one army building Phyton Patrol Mike? I love that sub line and I bought several of the classified Vipers and BATs...😀💡✌️ I see nothing wrong in army building as many as you want. You can have 10 of one figure and I may have 5 but it's how they will fit in our collections at home 🏠...😀💡☕✌️

[@tydiriumhanger1320]

Here is a link to one of his vids kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6mrXoSCaad3d6M

[@joshmorales770]

I'm not big on troop building but have nothing against collectors who do; 9 times out of 10 the figures at the center of a collector's army are ones that are in stores in great abundance so its not like army building is keeping others from collecting figures they want.

[@rickytoddbotelho9555]

I started to ' army build's mcfartlane Warhammer space marines. Got up to 200 but then had to throw them out because the weight of them broke the axel of my mom's trailer 😂❤

[@goaway3487]

15 Random Maketoys recolred seekers later and I'd say no. 😆 They made too many Autobots to Decepticons and I needed them to balance the displays. They don't match the originals but a few look a lot like Thundercracker. 😆 Thankfully I don't collect GI Joe or Starwars or I'd do the same and then they would all match or at least closely. 😂

[@douglasrood2650]

I am right there with you brother, i buy all the seeker recolors as well

[@michaelcarter9138]

Man i army build i have star wars i have g.i joes i have joy toy figures and gundam i f..king love it 🖖👍💥✌

[@wasabi-in-my-eye3134]

Mine's 2 each.

[@lordmegatron8444]

My troop building is 4. 3 still feels like a team and not an army battalion.

[@stinkyshawn]

well u can army build if u r rich

[@SpiritOfBagheera]

Troop building does not look impressive or cool. It screams “I am single and throw my money away” or “my wife puts up with me throwing my money away.” It also looks exceedingly childish and ridiculous. If you want two of a trooper/guard to flank, say, Cobra Commander? Cool. Now stop there. Or you are seriously running the risk of appearing as a “man child” to the rest of us.

[@WarillaGorefare]

I actually enjoy seeing other people's collection, especially troops builds. There's nothing wrong with it. It's not a crime. People buy what they like. It's all gravy.