It's FanChat Friday! This week's prompt is: Do you have any physical merch? How do you choose what merch to get? Now's your chance to show it off!

Reply or tag your response #FanChats25 so others can see.

@FandomChats A lot of my collection is still back in my old house in Puerto Rico, some of it seen in the four photos attached here--but as an adult, I like collecting stickers or keychains if they are below 5-10 bucks including shipping XD Sometimes some chibi figures. Otherwise I try to not collect much due to space or money, unless it's something super rare that I know I will never see again, like very obscure manga. Thankfully that hasn't happened much lol. Thank you, second hand markets that sell things super cheap!

The dolls featured in these photos from my house, I brought with me to my home here in the US but OVA!Belldandy's head broke when getting her out of the protective casing, and I think Ryoko's sword broke Not sure how to fix them, and some of the stands (the pole thing that helps them stand up) are missing but I'm sure it's because they're still in storage. Not sure how they would be replaced...But I love them, anyway

#FanChats25

@okilies

I've done repairs on similar-sized figures and smaller by very carefully making small holes in each half (tiny drill bit in a pin-vice) and then inserting a chunk of a paperclip as a permanent pin. (maybe a drop of model superglue if I'm sure I want it permanent)

Beautiful collection, btw. I keep trying to stay out of merch-heavy fandoms but it doesn't work. ^^;;

@kalloway Haha I know that feel! I think my heaviest was just Sailor Moon throughout the years...I haven't bought much from it since entering college a lifetime ago, because ironically enough it became way more expensive since, than even importing the manga in the 90s (to a small island, no less.) IMO, of course. I look at fandoms like hmm, I'll say Star Wars and kinda go

A way I try to control is just to repeat the mantra my mother taught me: when you can get it, you'll get it ^^; Works when you see the costs of stuff LMAO At the same time, most of my fandoms are old ones, so luckily no new merch if I want it, old merch is a coin's toss if I feel like splurging.

And oooh, that's a thought! Just unraveling the paperclip and cutting it in some way that can fit in the hole, then? I'll have to consider that one of these days when I get time to reorganize stuff >.>

@okilies

I've been taking advantage of Suruga-ya's free shipping sales and picking up a lot of stuff lately, but it's a lot of artbooks and then smaller stuff like keychains.

Here's a quick-pic of an example repair with a paperclip-as-pin, fixing poor Ryuna's broken staff.