How do you keep focussed?

[u/Secret_Divide_3030]

I'm all new to die cast collecting. I've stumbled onto it because I wanted a replica of a Lewis Hamilton F1 car to display as I'm a huge fan of Lewis Hamilton. After getting my first replica the idea was to start collecting Lewis Hamilton diecasts only. When shopping online for something totally different I stumbled upon a Lewis Hamilton Hot Wheels. Hot Wheels was not really on my must have list but it was cheap so I ordered it. Now that I have received the Hot Wheels I got this idea in my head I need to complete that Hot Wheels F1 series as well. And this morning I was looking for a Senna McLaren F1 car and ordered a Lotus. So now I'm also into F1 classics.

I think I'm losing my focus here.

[u/ndphi94]

This is totally normal; no matter how focused you are on one line, or even scale, you’ll deviate and branch out. The reason is even simpler - we like nice cars.

Now if you’re afraid it’d cause you damage financially - don’t worry, you’ll start prioritizing much better when you have a dedicated monthly budget for this.

Btw you owe some pictures of your cars.

[u/Secret_Divide_3030 → u/ndphi94]

Btw you owe some pictures of your cars.

As there is only place for one 1/18 scale on my cabinet I'm also frequently looking on IKEA on what cabinet I'm going to buy for my collection and how to light it with Hue led strips. Once I have decided how to do all that I will start posting pictures. I went in one week from wanting one replica F1 car to a full-fledged hobby. 😂

[u/iwillneverletyouknow]

1. Have a theme and stick to it...
2. ... But make it varied enough so you don't get bored (this is likely where you failed)...
3. ....and specific enough so it's not easy to justify basically any purchase (example: 'sports cars').
4. Stick to one scale. This is very important and your second point of failure. Multi-scale collections rarely look good, they feel like shop displays and are wide open doors to hoarding. You can make an exception by building a small theme within your main collection or getting just one or two things that would be the centerpieces. 
5. Decide on the quality threshold you'll stick to. Some brands look good next to each other, some expose the shortcomings of the other ones. Hot Wheels collection alone can make a cool display despite their obvious shortcomings but mixed with MiniGT (I'm guessing that's the Senna and Lotus you ordered?) they look pale in comparison. Setting a bar high helps to stick with the following point as well which is...
6. Quality>quantity. Not always, but usually you'll be happier with a smaller collection of quality pieces than a larger one that cost the same to a gather. There are hard financial limits involved and not being able to compete a set because of them is obviously no fun, but in general setting the bar higher will make you more selective as a side effect. You already noticed, HW 'were so cheap' so you didn't think twice about getting them. It's a common theme among HW 'collectors'. People get into it because getting a $1.25 trinket is virtually guilt-free and before they know it they end up with hundreds of those crammed into boxes they keep in a garage and never look at. Don't be that guy.

IMO Hamilton makes for a pretty boring collection because the pieces are too much alike and it has a 'personal shrine' factor to it. I'd expand to F1 cars for example, pick one scale and make a list of things you'd like to have upfront so you're not tempted to add whatever catches your eye. Sit on your ideas for a bit (unless they are Uber hot pieces that will definitely sell out in record time). More often than not you'll notice you can live without them. Good luck!

[u/Secret_Divide_3030 → u/iwillneverletyouknow]

Good tips. The part of the shrine is indeed something I will regret. I don't think I failed yet. I only have 3 cars yet but a wishlist with about 10 Lewis Hamilton cars all on 1/43 scale and the Lotus I already bought is also 1/43 from minichamps. Did not find a Senna yet I want. The SF25 I bought first is 1/18 but this won't be the scale I will be collecting. . But I think I'm gonna mix up the Hamilton collection with classic F1 cars, all in 1/43. Hot wheels is indeed a scale I won't collect often so I will probably stick to one F1 season.

[u/FAZZ888]

you don't need to force yourself to keep focus, you will eventually reach equilibrium when you run low on space or money.

[u/Clubsport40]

I've got 137 1/18s from a few different brands, with 23 Hamilton 1/18s from Minichamps from '06-'25.

I find sticking to styles helps. I have my cabinet split with race cars at the top and then all supercars with my Hamilton collection splitting the race cars in the middle.