What do you call them?

[AnnieM]

If ever you feel like you are a bit of a sad b@stard being a toy collector, go to the Memorabilia Fair at the NEC in Birmingham. I've been there about six times looking for Action Force, Star Wars etc. It is the land of the Uber-Geek. And I should know, we can smell our own.
As soon as you arrive you are confronted with large numbers of people dressed as Storm troopers and some Jedi all wearing Specsavers glasses

Hey Shaunyboy, see attached threads....

viewtopic.php?f=19&t=3699
viewtopic.php?f=24&t=3711

I know that some of us are doing the November show as well

[mark]

If ever you feel like you are a bit of a sad b@stard being a toy collector, go to the Memorabilia Fair at the NEC in Birmingham. I've been there about six times looking for Action Force, Star Wars etc. It is the land of the Uber-Geek. And I should know, we can smell our own.
As soon as you arrive you are confronted with large numbers of people dressed as Storm troopers and some Jedi all wearing Specsavers glasses.
I once saw a man dressed head to toe in a stretched lycra Spiderman suit. He was strolling along happy as could be seemingly unaware that you could see his penis.
In my experience it splits non collectors right down the middle. Some will appreciate a collection, others will rip the piss out of you. I keep all my stuff behind closed doors. It's there for me and anyone else who will appreciate it. You either get it or you don't.

Do you get much action force stuff there? I live in essex so i wouldnt go that far if they only had a muton for example. Not that there is anything wrong with mutons of course, i hasten to add!

[AnnieM]

gung-hoeddie got a reasonable haul there, there's LOADS of Star Wars stuff

we didn't go just for the AF/Joes, but because it's a good day out

[SteveD]

Do you get much action force stuff there? I live in essex so i wouldnt go that far if they only had a muton for example. Not that there is anything wrong with mutons of course, i hasten to add!

The trick is to get there before Eddie and Annie! If they get there before you you've got no chance! (not that I'm bitter!)

In fairness Mark, there wasn't a massive amount of AF, as a lot of the sellers think they can't make any money on it, compared to Star Wars etc. A good fun day though, and I know Eddie did get some good bargains.

You also get to meet the incomparable Dave Tree and laugh as he rummages for my Little Ponies. Although the down side for me was that Mrs D (in waiting) spent my entire months toy fund on Queen Memorabilia! (the band, not the monarch!). Why I oughta take it out of her housekeeping!!!

[Shaunyboy]

Last time I was there they had Dirk Benedict signing pictures of himself as Starbuck and if you were lucky, Face. He seemed happy to be there and treated the fans with respect.
I was a bit put off by the Red Dwarf bit with Crag Charles. Every time someone gave him money for an autograph he stuffed it in this bum bag he was wearing round his waist. Felt a bit like a market trader banging out autographs. Seems like you had a better experience with him so fair enough! I haven't been this year yet.
I like the pictures from the threads you posted Annie. It is a fun day out isn't it?
I wouldn't go there expecting to see much Action Force as you point out, there's loads of Star Wars and LOTR etc. I saw the surviving members of the 1966 world cup team signing autographs there too. It is a memorabilia fair after all not just toy collecting. A picture of the entire squad signed by all of them at the time was going for £3,500 on the day.
Also, my apologies if it was one of you who was wearing the Spiderman outfit!

[mark]

Last time I was there they had Dirk Benedict signing pictures of himself as Starbuck and if you were lucky, Face. He seemed happy to be there and treated the fans with respect.
I was a bit put off by the Red Dwarf bit with Crag Charles. Every time someone gave him money for an autograph he stuffed it in this bum bag he was wearing round his waist. Felt a bit like a market trader banging out autographs. Seems like you had a better experience with him so fair enough! I haven't been this year yet.
I like the pictures from the threads you posted Annie. It is a fun day out isn't it?
I wouldn't go there expecting to see much Action Force as you point out, there's loads of Star Wars and LOTR etc. I saw the surviving members of the 1966 world cup team signing autographs there too. It is a memorabilia fair after all not just toy collecting. A picture of the entire squad signed by all of them at the time was going for £3,500 on the day.
Also, my apologies if it was one of you who was wearing the Spiderman outfit!

Wow face man! I watched that celebrity big brother with him in it avidly, i dont normally watch it by the way.

[gung-hoeddie]

Do you get much action force stuff there? I live in essex so i wouldnt go that far if they only had a muton for example. Not that there is anything wrong with mutons of course, i hasten to add!

The trick is to get there before Eddie and Annie! If they get there before you you've got no chance! (not that I'm bitter!)

In fairness Mark, there wasn't a massive amount of AF, as a lot of the sellers think they can't make any money on it, compared to Star Wars etc. A good fun day though, and I know Eddie did get some good bargains.

You also get to meet the incomparable Dave Tree and laugh as he rummages for my Little Ponies. Although the down side for me was that Mrs D (in waiting) spent my entire months toy fund on Queen Memorabilia! (the band, not the monarch!). Why I oughta take it out of her housekeeping!!!

You will have to get there early mark otherwise i will buy all the good stuff. You should remove the funds from Mrs D's (in waiting) housekeeping steve i was shocked dare i say upset that she did that to you,

[mark]

Ive been going around local toy fairs and bootsales but its not really worth the effort, ive only found 3 or 4 figures, mind you i did get a red shadow bazooka which was cool. Sometimes you do see something that jogs your memory and you say oh yeah i remember that! So that reason i still go - and it gets me away from the missus!

[Golden Puma]

I've started going to a car boot sale in the hopes of finding some old stuff, all I seem to come away with are Scooby Doo videos and the odd comic.

on the collecting front, it's amazing how some peoples attitudes change when you tell them that it will cost them £100 for this figure or that.

any collector of things regardless of what will appreciate that your a fellow collector even though they may not see the attraction in what you collect, but each to their own.

[SteveD]

I find that GP. Most people walk into my toy room and start calling me a big kid. Then they ask the inevitable "which one is rarest" or "what's your most expensive" and once you start talking about an item worth as much as a few hundred quid their tone changes completely. Especially if they go the step further and ask how much you paid for it, which is often a fractin of what it's now worth. That's when i get my little smug feeling inside! If I'm being really cruel I point out that I sold most of my banking shares a year or more ago and ploughed all the money into toys!

Then there's the "you sad bastard you collect toys" who become "Christ, I remember that/had that/always wanted that/so and so down the road had that and I used to go round and play with it" as soon as they see something they like.

Always good fun, but when all is said and done, I collect for me, not for anyone else, or for money.

Currently really excited to have Silver on his way for ! Simple things are sometimes the best!