I was doing a convention roundup when I ran across some Mara Jade mini-bust photos among RebelScum's Toy Fair coverage.

Assuming they're releasing it - and I'm guessing yes, Toy Fair being an industry thing - it would be the first Mara figure over an inch tall since the POTF2 figure back in '98. Now I like Mara and all, but I wouldn't buy a 1/6 scale reproduction of anyone in SW. (I never even got the POTF2 figure.) I'd love to see some EU Bust-Ups though. Hell, for $5 I'd buy a whole set.

On one hand I'm pleased to see an EU character rate something like that, but on the other hand I'm doubtful. I'm not a collector, but even Gentle Giant's "mini" busts are 6 inches tall. And, I'm sorry, those kind of things just scream "fanboy" to me. Maybe because the only place I ever see them is comic shops and conventions, but... no.

Remember that episide of The Simpson's where the Comic Book Guy has actors and actresses displayed on his walls in mylar bags? Larger collectibles often hold a touch of that sentiment for for me. See, I tend to consider fannish stuff as fun kitsch - until you overdo it. There's a fine line between being fanboy and being kitsch. I'm never going to be one of those folks with an entire room full of Star Wars stuff. Not that there's something wrong with that, it's just not me.

In fact, something about having an entire space devoted to one thing... I don't know. It doesn't sit well with me. I'm not going to get all philosophical here, but I think having a giant collection devoted to only one thing or type of thing - whatever it is... it doesn't say much besides "I am a giant honking fan of [insert here] and I think of nothing else." And that's not the person you met. I've known collectors, I've been to their houses, and while it many not surprise me to see Dave's Wolverine collection or and Kim's Beatles room, it's not the only, or even the main part of them that I know. And I don't want to be some girl with a Star Wars collection. I want to be me. I like Star Wars, but it's not the only thing in my life. I want a mix.

So, what is my houses like? Well, I do own toys and stuff, but I don't like to go overboard with it. I don't have any SW posters and all my toys are confined to my china cabinet - and even there, I like a mix of different things, both fannish (Xena, Scully, Death, Jawas) and random strange (Po, a Beetle model, plastic sharks.) I buy random stuff - just Friday we were at Target and I bought a tiny Breyer horse. As a kid I used to collect them (I still have about a dozen boxed in my closet) but I wanted a small one to add to my collection of stuff.

Come to think of it, maybe I can blame Breyer for my anti-collection bent... Those things can be huge!