What's your most expensive prop purchase regret?

[Funky]

If you've been in the hobby for twenty minutes, I KNOW you've dropped a few more greenbacks than you were comfortable with at the time to get that piece you just "had to have".
We've all done it.
Now let's talk about the time you got caught up in the moment and just happened to have the cash, and you made the leap to buy something you hadn't given a lot of thought to. Now you get it home and it doesn't take long before you think to yourself, "WHAT THE HELL WAS I THINKING?!" Now you can't unload that thing for a fraction of what you paid for it! Just an overall poor investment that you will never forget!

I suspect Art will be on in a few minutes with his screen used 300 costume.

I myself have been lucky enough to dodge that bullet several times. One time I came so far as paying for a 1,000.00 item and I was 50.00 short so the guy sold it to the next person who had the green. It turned out the movie it was from fell flat and the piece today is quite literally disintegrating! But if I would have had that extra 50.00... :eek

Okay, what's yours?

 

[Tom1971]

Macrobinoculars. Really wishing I never started on these.

Trying to decide whether I should give up and sell what I have.

Highlander sword that was never in any movie or show:facepalm:facepalm No clue what I was thinking.

National Treasure as a whole. Never should have pulled the trigger on that one. Never would have had I known the cost of the two coolest props.

 

[Funky]

Ah, the macros. Yup, I'm feeling your pain on that one myself! :cry

 

[STEVE THE SWEDE]

SDS trooper lid. Nuf said.

Cheers,
Steve

 

[Michael Bergeron]

I myself have been lucky enough to dodge that bullet several times. One time I came so far as paying for a 1,000.00 item and I was 50.00 short so the guy sold it to the next person who had the green. It turned out the movie it was from fell flat and the piece today is quite literally disintegrating! But if I would have had that extra 50.00... :eek

You've gotta tell us the film!!!

I've never had any of my big ticket items truly disappoint me. I have been disappointed with a few smaller items though, some people's definition of "high quality" is different than others! :lol

Nothing that stands out to me right now. They weren't awful, just less than I was hoping for.

 

[Serenity]

This is kind of related, but my biggest regret thus far would be selling most of my Firefly collection a few years ago. It's proving to be much more expensive replacing those things today because most of it is harder to find now...

 

[GeneralFROSTY]

I'm having a hard time re-selling my Willy Wonka collection right now. Looks like it will have to go for a lot less than what I paid.

 

[Robert412]

Pics, or this thread is... Slightly less interesting?

Seriously, though, I'd like to see these items.

 

[nick daring]

I'm always surprised when people throw down hardcore for brand new movies or movies that haven't even come out yet. Most modern films just be one "classics" and for me the desire to own objects from a film stems from a deep love and long term admiration of the creative gestalt behind the thing. That usually takes a few years at least.

Hype is a cruel temptress. Beware and follow what you love.

Nick

 

[Birdie]

Universal Armourer Pulse Rifle.

Newbs don't know they're born :lol

 

[nolatron]

Not "props" per say, but....

Sometime around last years SDCC I wanted a Sideshow Iron Man figure, so I got one.

Then I got Obi-Wan Kenobi... then a darth vader... the all 4 Matty 12" ghostbusters... then almost a storm trooper, then I pre-order 2 other Iron Man figures, and i wanted the the 2 new batmans...and the tron lightcycle...and...and....

I was about $1,000+ into it and went "WTF AM I DOING!?".. along with the wife. Luckily I was able to sell it all back off on ebay and recoup it all.

 

[tripoli]

Dropping thousands on Icons only not to get anything in return. Biggest regret by far.

 

[Risu]

Both were Back to the Future. An oversized hoverboard kit that weighed a ton, made about $20 back after shipping. And MarkPoon's Nike Mags. Lost about $50 on those. Not as big as some people's, but both happened at the same time and it made me rethink BttF collecting for a long time.

 

[VS Tony]

What a great read.!! All I can add is not necessarily a specific purchase I regret....but as a Star Wars collector, there is SO MUCH stuff out there, and you run out of room!! There are certainly pieces that I thought would be worth the investment when the money would have been better spent on something different (but still SW related!) I dedicated a room in my house to SW....I could let it take over other rooms but I never wanted my house to scream "doesn't get laid"

 

[Zombie Killer]

$500 plasma molds from a certain Houdiniguy that are nothing more than molds of a sideshow plasma.

 

[hydin]

The only "big" purchase I can really think of was a long time ago, and it wasn't even that "big".

Way back when Larry did the MPP run, I hopped on. Got it in, and it was a beautiful piece. Only problem was, no 3' red blade came out of it.

I was disappointed, and while I knew intellectually that there is no such thing as a lightsaber, when I got it in hand and it was just this... metal tube, I was sad. Sold it later that week iirc.

It was an amazing replica, and terrific craftsmanship, but just... a metal tube. It's why I don't collect sabers anymore.

One of the reasons I am happy that I am independently poor is that I never have the chance, or the real ability to follow the whole "GOTTA THROW MONEY AT IT" feeling that happens when something awesome from a movie or tv show comes out, or goes up for bid.

Chris

 

[Jedifyfe]

I can honestly say that I have NEVER lost money on any prop I've bought because I don't go out and buy a prop just because I "NEED" it.

The best rule to live by in the hobby is:

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING REALLY BAD, THE CHANCES ARE, IT WILL COME BACK AROUND AGAIN...USUALLY CHEAPER. HAVE PATIENCE.

 

[BrundelFly]

Two TERMINATOR batteries (Fuel Cells) of the Four that were made for production.
They were JUST slightly different, probably the one that stayed IN the chest, (and its back up). I wont even say what I paid for them. It was ALOT.

 

[thegreatgalling]

I cry far more for the things I don't have than for the things I have, but great thread!

My wife loved the Blind Side so I bought her a slew of props from the movie, but they are a little weird in comparison to the rest of my collection.

 

[TheNickFox]

I have BOXES of welding, brazing, safety, and laser goggles from when I was trying to frankenstein a set of Dr. Horrible goggles together. I just bought anything that even had remotely the same shape of any of the components. (some came in looking completely different than their picture too)

I probably had about $400 invested in random goggles by the time I found the screen accurate models. By that point I just didn't have the energy to try to sell them all. Now I don't even know where they are. (except for any screen accurate pieces I pulled off of them of course)

$400 doesn't seem too bad until you figure that the largest lot of these I was buying we probably 6-8...so this took time, and a hell of a lot of goggles.

-Nick