A side area of my collection that is growing by leaps and bounds is the area of 'created collectibles'.

It was not my idea to pad my collection by creating unique items. Far from it. My preference was to collect only legitimate items.

My family on the other hand wanted to take an active role in adding to my TRON Shrine and since they are not always as adept at finding items as I am, they branched out into new territories of their own. They made me stuff.

This section of messages will deal with these 'created collectibles'. The reason I am posting this information is to hopefully inspire others, especially those who don't always have access to TRON items, to possibly create some of their own. A little creativity and imagination may be all you need.

Here is another unique created item. My step-mother Kathy Arnspiger wanted to give me a TRON item for my birthday in 2003.

She couldn't afford to go big on bidding on Ebay, so she decided to make something instead. She found a sunglasses holder for a car visor that had a space for a picture. She downloaded a TRON logo from the Internet and voila! Instant TRON collectible.

Fun, creative and a neat piece in my collection. Creativity can make your collection more interesting. Just make sure to be upfront about how the items came to be.

Here is a pic.

Dave, your family sure is talented ;^)! The custom Tron paintings are truly fantastic pieces and are no doubt the center pieces of your collection. I can't imagine how good it must feel to be given such a gift with all of the family history behind it. I know one of my favorite items in my collection is a $2 Batman figure that my fiancee bought for me and put on my 28th birthday cake. It's funny how little things (or in your case, awesome art ;^) can become such prized possessions.

DaveTRON Wrote: It was not my idea to pad my collection by creating unique items. Far from it. My preference was to collect only legitimate items.

I think that's where most people start in the 'collecting world' in general. People usually start collecting because of sentimental reasons and look for items with a certain degree of familiarity. Usually this would mean production items that they remember from "way back." After a while though, most collectors branch out in their collecting and take a few tangents every now and then. Personally, collecting bootlegs is one area of toy collecting that I thoroughly enjoy. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be much in the way of bootleg Tron stuff out there so thankfully I collect other lines ;^).

--Timothy C.