I normally do not see much reason to own the exact same toy multiple times. ToQger is starting to change my mind because a duplicate does not really feel like a duplicate when I am using it to display a completely different combination.
I have been going pretty deep into Super Sentai mecha lately, especially ToQger, and I caught myself thinking about doing something I normally would not do.
Buying the same robot again.
Maybe more than once.
At first that sounds ridiculous. Why would I use limited shelf space to display multiple copies of the same toy when there are still plenty of things I do not own?
Then I started thinking about how I actually want to display these toys.
That changed the answer.
I Do Not Want to Constantly Rebuild Everything
A big part of the appeal of Sentai mecha is the combinations.
You have the main robot, auxiliary mecha and different combinations you can build from them. That is fun when you are sitting down and playing with the toys.
It becomes a little different once they go onto a shelf.
If I only own one copy of the base robot, I have to pick one form.
If I want to change the display later, I have to pull everything down, take the combination apart and rebuild it.
That is fine once in a while, but I do not really want my entire display to work that way.
I would rather look at the shelf and see several different forms at the same time.
A Duplicate Can Serve a Different Purpose
That is why I have been looking at additional copies of the main ToQger robot.
One could stay in the standard form.
Another could be used for a different combination.
Another could potentially be incorporated into the larger display with the other trains.
At that point, I do not really look at them as three identical toys anymore. They are three display pieces serving different purposes.
It is the same toy underneath, sure, but the shelf does not necessarily look like I bought the exact same thing three times.
It looks like I am showing off the different things the toy line can do.
The Display Is Becoming Part of the Collection
This is something I have been thinking about a lot while reorganizing my collection.
I am trying to get away from simply putting as many toys as possible onto a shelf.
I want displays.
I want things arranged in a way where I can actually appreciate what I bought.
That is also why ToQger has me thinking about buying train track for the display. I like trains, even though I have never really collected model trains, and the idea of having all of these Sentai trains sitting on or moving around a track sounds ridiculously fun to me.
It turns the shelf into something more than storage.
It becomes part of the experience of owning the toys.
There Still Has to Be a Limit
This does not mean I am suddenly going to start buying doubles of everything.
Space is still space.
Money is still money.
If a toy only has one form I care about, I do not need another one sitting next to it just because I found another copy.
The duplicate has to actually do something for the collection.
That is the difference for me.
I am not buying another one because I need a sealed copy and an open copy. I am not buying another one just because I found it cheap.
I would be buying another one because I have another display I want to build with it.
Final Thoughts
I used to look at duplicates as wasted shelf space.
I still think they can be.
But collecting is not always about owning one of everything. Sometimes it is about deciding what you actually want the collection to look like when you walk into the room.
With something like Super Sentai, where transformation and combination are such a large part of the toys, multiple copies can actually let you show off more of the collection instead of less.
And if I end up with a shelf full of transforming trains in different robot combinations, I am perfectly fine with that.
