On the Move! The G4 space gets condensed

Inching ever onward toward a sustainable Geek Cave, one must consider the space to pony ratio.  My plan to split the Cave into vintage and modern sides will result in quite a drastic adjustment on the modern side.  Although the G4 portion of the collection is still growing, the ponies themselves are the smallest in the 4 generations.  The G3 portion, while being very close to complete, also requires more display space.  Therefore, the G4 space needs to condense.

It started with castle hacking, and continued with a relocation of Ponyville.  The majority of the G4 playsets have now moved from taking up more than two full-sized Billy bookshelves (shameless and unsolicited Ikea plug - the Billy may be the ultimate collector's shelving system, unless you can custom build your own) to half that space.  Naturally, I am also keeping some extra space free and clear for the inevitable G4 expansion.

I'm extremely happy to say that all three Canterlot-style castles are now living together on top of the half-Billys.  I love how this is now looking like a cohesive design, and that I can easily reach the entire display space.  Rarity's boutique fits cozily under the shelf extension, and makes a nice transition between Canterlot and Ponyville.

The majority of the Ponyville sets have relocated to the half-Billys, where they display nicely above Seaquestria.  The Princess Army is currently living in the space as well, but that is likely to change later on.

The Shortcakes were living in this space previously, and they are on the move to the vintage side of the room.  The few modern Shortcakes I have are still hanging out below the Princess Army for the time being, with a decision on those coming at a later date.

Further developments coming soon!

Elf

Castle Hack!

Some of you may recall that I have a great weakness for castles.  However, I also have a problem.  It's this:

It actually doesn't look quite as big in this picture.  The picture lies.  IT'S HUGE!

As I said in a previous blog post, I haven't been happy with the G4 section of the Geek Cave for a while now, and it's partially to do with the castles.  In theory, I should be able to display all my G4 ponies within the playsets.  In practice, the playsets take up a lot of space, both horizontally and vertically.  This limits my choices as to where and how to place them on the shelves.  Finally, in the summer of 2018, I got fed up with this limitation.  It's time to hack some playsets.

Canterlot

Seaquestria

That giant castle above was the first step.  In particular, I didn't like that the Seaquestria portion took up so much prime real estate when the number of sea ponies to display would be so few.  I soon realized that if I could separate the Canterlot and the Seaquestria portions, it would fit easily on two separate shelves, giving me more options for display.  After we realized that this hack would work, we went to town on redesigning Canterlot, the Crystal Empire, and Ponyville.

Twilight's Castle has some lovely features, but the rainbow slide wasn't one of them.  I removed that quite awhile ago (and recently added the staircase from the wedding castle), and instead joined it to the earlier, smaller Twilight's Castle, making a more interesting picture (and a lovely venue for the Reformed Villain's Support Group).

The Crystal Empire is a lovely display piece, but not actually a great play piece (IMO).  It's also tall, and mainly one large lump of crystal.  Still, there was an option to hack it, taking the taller spires off (displaying them nearby) and re-purposing Flurry Heart's swing into a mini throne.  It's not an ideal situation, but it does mean that the set can fit where I need it to.

With this work I feel that I'm getting closer to the Geek Cave I desire (as well as the Geek Cave I need).

Elf

2018 Canadian Collectors Extravaganza

Last weekend was the inaugural Canadian Collectors Extravaganza.  A small but enthusiastic group of Collectors from three different countries got together in Montreal to celebrate all things pony.

Maples!

This was a one-day con with dealers, contests, and a special guest:

Giant Sundance

It was great to see some old Pony friends again, as well as making some new friends.  I forgot to take many pictures, as I was too busy chatting with people and taking part in the trivia and paint-a-pony contests.  And shopping, of course.

Paint-a-Pony in 30 Minutes Contest

Megan and TJ came out again to be my custom contest entries at the event, and they won!

I really enjoyed attending the smaller conventions this year.  Both the Fair and the Extravaganza were, in different ways, reminiscent of the pony meets of years past, where collectors got together to spend the weekend geeking out and hanging out with friends they might only see once a year.  Personally, I prefer these more intimate conventions to a larger, more impersonal con.  It makes for a more fun weekend.

Our Booth

You can see more pictures here.  Can't wait until next year!

Elf

Bought more stuff, have to reorganize the Geek Cave

A girl's Geek Cave is never done.

Every time I think we've added the last piece of shelving, we seem to find room for more (not that I'm complaining).  And so, more shelving is on the way, as well as a new and long-awaited display space for me.

Along with the new shelving comes the first major re-org of the Cave since we moved it into a larger room early in 2017.  Since that move I've been quite happy with the vintage side of the room, but I've never felt that the modern side of the room was quite right.  Roomy and I have been talking it over, and I think we've come up with a cunning plan to adjust the display space to work better.

Read: move everything.

My main issue with the modern side of the room is the G4s.  As much as I love the playsets, most of them are huge while the ponies are comparatively tiny.  I feel like the playsets are taking up too much real estate, and that's going to change with the new set up.  This will also mean I can move the G3s entirely to the modern side of the room, while the SSCs will move to the vintage side and the G1s and G2s will have a little more room to expand.

At least that's the plan.

I'm looking forward to this project, and I'm hoping to be much happier with the look overall once we're done.

You know...`done`...

Elf

Pony purchases

2018 MLP Fair purchases, pick-ups, and prizes, Day 1

Once a year, I go to a place where I get to spend the entire weekend surrounded by like-minded collectors, where we can indulge in our collections pretty much non stop.

I also spend a lot of money and come home with a lot of new pieces for my collection.  And when I say a lot, I mean let's reorganize the entire pony room to find space for this stuff kind of a lot.  Does this look like pony gluttony?  Perhaps, but for three things: budgeting, planning, and time.

1. Budgeting
If you've read any of my blog before, you probably know that budgeting is my be-all and end-all as collecting goes.  I would not get nearly as much enjoyment from my collection if I felt bad about the money I was spending on my purchases.  So before I go to a con I have to think about three things: how much do I want to spend, how much do I have to spend, and how much am I comfortable spending?  If I can come up with an amount that answers all three of those questions, I'm ready to start spending.

How much do I want to spend is easy: all the money for all the ponies!  But of course that's not realistic, so I have to consider how much I have to spend.  This amount depends on what my 'fun money' budget looks like at the time.  Back when I was paying off my student loans, that amount wasn't huge.  Now that the loans are paid off, I have more money to play with.  That leads to the third question, how much am I comfortable spending?  I have never brought as much money as I could have to a con, because I have never wanted to (actually) spend all my money.  I feel much more comfortable having a buffer, which also gives me the option of spending a little bit more if either I find a rare piece or a fun, unexpected side excursion comes up.

2. Planning
Planning goes hand in had with budgeting, because you have to know how much money you have before you can decide what to spend it on.  I always make sure my wish list is updated prior to a con (I actually try to review the wish list several times a year, at the same time that I'm updating my collection catalogue.  That way it's not a huge project at any time).  As much as I know what I have and what I want, it's easy to get overwhelmed in a room full of ponies.  The wish list also helps keep me on track while I'm shopping.  I don't like to start a con by looking for one or two specific things, because I feel like I'll miss other things I'd be interested in.  I prefer to just look around and see what catches my eye.  Later in the con, I may choose one or two pieces to hunt for, but I like to keep my options open and be on the lookout for things I didn't think I'd find.

Although I don't do any buying beforehand, I do tend to spend a lot of time on ebay, but looking at sold items.  It's good to get an idea of what the current market value is for items you're interested in, so that you know a good deal when you see one, and a bad one too.  Buyers and sellers should both be doing their homework before a con, because if you get taken for a ride, you have no one to blame but yourself.

2018 MLP Fair purchases and prizes, Day 2

3. Time
I do about 80% of my collection buying for the year on my Fair trips. So when I come home with a car full of ponies, it doesn't feel like gluttony, it feels like Christmas.  Buying this way means I have to bypass those fixes of getting things through the year, but I do save on shipping (and therefore have more money for ponies).  The 20% of buying that I do during the year is mainly new items, and the occasional second-hand local find, so I do get some fun additions throughout the year.

I do posts like this not to justify my own collecting, but as a way of exploring the possibilities of collecting on a budget while still enjoying the act of collecting to the fullest.  I've been actively collecting for 20 years, I'm not in a rush to 'catch 'em all', and I'm still excited every time I add a new piece to my collection.

Oh, and this year?  I get to go to TWO Pony Conventions!  Come on Canadian Pony Collectors Extravaganza!

Elf

2018 MLP Fair

The 2018 MLP Fair took place on June 16-17th.  As usual, Roomy and I drove down to take part, and after not having a Fair to attend last year, we were even more excited than usual.

Designer Kirk Hindman's ponies

The Fair went back to its roots this year, with a smaller convention reminiscent of the earlier Fairs.  Personally, I found this to be a great decision for a variety of reasons.  The con wasn't terribly crowded, and many of the attendees were the usual suspects who have been coming to the Fair for years and years.  This made the atmosphere more relaxed and fun, and allowed for time to visit with old friends as well as shopping, attending panels, shopping, participating in contests, and shopping!  I suspect it also made for a more relaxed experience for the first-time Fair attendees.

Roomy meets a personal hero

The panel put on by the lovely and talented MLPWhitney, Ashlyne, and KitKatVintage

This year I made it to nearly all the panels I wanted to see (I did miss a couple from losing track of time).  The Accessory Addicts panel and the Merchandise panel were particular favourites of mine.  The Hall of Fame dinner was also excellent, both in food and entertainment.  The G1 Sea Ponies, G4 Applejack, and Hasbro designer Kirk Hindman were all inducted this year.

The custom, art, costume, and handicraft contest entries were spectacular, as always.  The vendors had some excellent stuff for sale (MLP, and other 80s toys), and I certainly had no problems parting with my money (more on that in a future post).  Roomy apparently also started and finished her Christmas shopping for me that weekend.  And I came first in the trivia competition this year!

Ponywear display

In short, the Fair was great fun, well worth the wait, and over far too soon.  I can't wait for the next opportunity to see all my Pony Friends again!

You can see more pictures here.

Elf

"The Unicorn lived in a lilac wood, and she lived all alone."

Hello Pony People!

I apologize for being away for so long, but the custom below is one of the reasons I haven't been posting much in the last few months.  I've been focusing on getting her done instead.  Please say hello to The Last Unicorn.

The Unicorn was made from a base sweetheart sister pony.  Her neck was extended and her cloven hooves added with Apoxy Sculpt.  Her horn, mane, tail, and feathers were also added with Apoxy Sculpt.  She was painted in acrylic, with shadows added to her hair, and her hooves and horn are pearlized.

Her lilac wood was created on a wooden base.  The topography was made with Apoxy Sculpt over an armature of wire and foil.  The lilac trees were created of wire with plastic leaves and papier mache flowers.  The daffodils were made entirely of Apoxy Sculpt.  The entire thing was then painted in acrylic and sealed.

This was a custom I had planned to do for myself for several years, but as you may know, projects that artists plan for themselves often go unfinished. For that reason, I decided to enter this piece in the 2018 MLP Fair custom contest so that I had a deadline to work toward.  I couldn't be happier with the results.

Elf