do MOC or MISB collectors evolve from loose collectors or are you one or the other?
I have pretty much completed my joe collection, money is short lately, so I have to put off the last handful of joes i need until the november toy show in cincinatti ohio.
at first i had no interest in collecting carded or boxed items. and specifically I recall giving a MISB zartan and MIB G1 soundwave to my kid to open (when he was younger than 6 (but it was Xmas)- D'OH! for the life of me i could never understand how you could keep something cool carded.
we still struggle keeping things that we don't own loose carded or boxed, but the attractive art on the packaging has become somewhat obsessive for me now. to the point where i am actually reboxing things (egats!):eek: .
so in general, did carded /boxed collectors start loose, or do they have an eye for the art, or just as an investment?

I've been a lifelong fan of GI Joes and have great memories from opening the packages and playing with them as a child. Over the years as we got rid of my toys my GI Joes were one of the only things I could never get rid of (although I had to get rid of most vehicles). The loose Joes and a few smaller vehicles were sitting in a box for years but the 25th line really got my into collection again. I loved the look of the artwork on the 25th cards and bought several of my favorite characters, usually one to open and one to keep carded. I put the carded ones on a shelf and liked looking at the artwork and figured that since I'd never be able to get the vintage ones this was good enough. However, recently, I decided I could afford some of the vintage ones, so have been getting into vintage MOC joes recently and been very happy with it so far. Part of the fun is opening the package when it arrives from the seller and you get to look at your purchase for the first time, but I also just really like the way they display on a shelf too. Investment isn't a big concern but I try not to overpay, since what MOC figures I want sometimes changes so I do resell some of the ones I had previously bought, etc...

The only stuff I open now is for dios and customs.
my entire 82-9? collection is loose because I didnt start keeping things MOC untill around that time when I graduated high school I suppose. ever since then I just buy wave after wave and (gasp) toss them in a storage tote. Space is becoming a premium and I used to buy every vehicle with a figure but now it has become more pick and choose. I got most 25th vehicles but passed on a lot of ROC stuff. It is more a routine thing now, like watching Chuck every Monday I just do it.
as far as vintage goes, I might buy a couple of my old favorites if they were not AFA graded and fairly cheap, I have no desire to go back and buy everything I already have.
My pleasure from my collection derives from the hobbies that spring from it like drawing, dios, customs, art projects, writing scripts, ( i have a ton of scripts and video ideas just no actors at the moment) rarer production/behind the scenes items are fun to chase after too when they pop up.

I guess it's more of an evolution for me. I collected vintage loose figures until I completed the whole run. Don't really collect loose vehicles like most people do, just a few popular/favorites plus the ones I had as a kid. The reason I started collecting MISB vehicles is because I didn't want to buy someone elses dirty/dusty/crappy stickers-in-the-wrong-place vehicles. Coupled with not wanting to open and just preserve things, my collection grew. Also investment was in the back of my mind also, but not the primary reason. Being an investment also helps me justify some of the prices I've paid for things, knowing that I can get the money back, if not more. And I do really enjoy the art and packaging of the line.

I do have handful of MOC figures, some graded, but I'm a little concerned for them. Once the o-ring or t-hook snaps, the party is all over, lol.

I have a few MOC figures. I could never let myself buy any that are really expensive, but I'll buy one if it's $40 or less.

I've opened a lot of ARAH and Action Force figures that were in baggies or vehicle driver type MOC bubbles. I opened a MOC Dusty because it was cheap and card was damaged. I purcased a Gold Steel Brigade sealed in baggie in order to open. Sealed Maggot to open. Prices on all this stuff I opened was about what a mint complete version would cost.

I don't buy anything MOC or MISB that I don't intend to open. So if the price is too high I won't buy and thus won't open.

Half the fun in buying them carded is in opening them. Usually I buy at least two of everything that way I can have a loose and boxed version

I usually collect loose complete figures but if the price is right then i would buy MOC.

like everyone else said, I snatch up loose stuff. but after picking up some relatively cheap carded joes (until i got a large box full of carded stuff) I never paid much attention. I paid a little more to get a couple carded joes, and i have 5 carded POTF figures (84-85 ish).
then i started getting 80's joes boxed, with a couple MISB. the last straw is now i have a box for my terror drome. I love this box! but i love my terror drome. I wanted to crop the box into a couple really nice posters, but with me reboxing stuff, I am really wanting to rebox my favorite playset.
it's like gaining an appreciation for something you thought was rediculous. in this case, collecting carded/boxed items used to seem laughable, now, not so much so. I am by no means ready to drop 2000 on v1 snakeyes, but 40-150 for a carded figure (to leave moc) every now and again doesn't seem so silly anymore.
it's like christmas. you can see the item, but the tension just stays there when it's carded or boxed. it's not this awesome rush from getting it and opening it, the awesomeness just hangs out there- you know what's in the box, but not opening it just keeps that excitement there. kinda like swim suits.

I started collecting loose back in the mid-90's. Then came across a huge collection (in baggies with weapons and FC's) for cheap. Now I am a hybrid. I fill the holes in my loose collection and collect '82-89 MOC. As far as vehicles, I collect them either MISB or with really nice open boxes now.

I never thought I would collect MOC/MISB, but there are some good deals to be had. I try to hunt and stay away from sellers with "premium" priced stuff. That way when I find the same thing for far less money it adds to the thrill of the hunt.

I never open anything sealed, no matter how ratty. I prefer to sell it and have someone else open it if they would like. I know that there are plenty of mint loose examples and I just don't have it in me.

I consider myself to be a loose collector. But what I found when trying to complete the later years of the ARAH line was that MOC figures were often no more expensive than loose/complete ones. So I have managed to accumulate almost 80 MOC Joes - all from 1992-1994 - that don't really fit into my collection per se but I don't have the heart to open them.

I also have found myself accumulating boxes for vintage vehicles. I only own maybe two ARAH vehicles MISB, but I have a TON of boxes to display with loose vehicles. The art is too cool to pass up.

When I buy the newer stuff, though, it all stays MOC/MISB unless it's something that really attracts my attention. I army-built several of the Cobras from the 25th line, so I opened all but one of each of them (what good is a MOC army?) and I bought extras of the VAMP and Stinger to open and display with my VAMP collection but the rest of it is MOC. Ditto with MOTU Classics and the 20XX MOTU line and any other new lines I dabble in.

I mainly collect loose, but I started dabbling in collecting MOC figures during the 25th line. I bought some extras of figures that I already had loose. Just ones that I thought had the best card art. I like the overall presentation of the figures carded and I have them on display. Plus, they bring back a lot of great memories.

I, also, have a lot of 25th army builders MOC from when they were going cheap at Family Dollars and Big Lots at $3.00 and $4.00 each. I didn't really need them, but I couldn't pass them up at those prices. I have them stored in case I need them for a future project. I'll just pass them along to someone else at some point if I don't.

And, I have PoC army builders MOC. I only have one Alley Viper and one Jungle Viper loose. I left my duplicates carded. I think it's because I don't really need multiples of those figures at the moment, but I wanted to make sure that I had them in case I did. I'm sure the Alley Vipers are going to come off the cards once I get the new Cobra Fury.