CHAOS COLLECTIBLES INTERVIEW
Chaos Collectibles is a Youtube channel run by Chad Cilley which highlights and reviews a variety of High end collectibles, particularly statues and figures. In his videos, you can expect him to be unboxing, reviewing and highlighting certain aspects of the figures and statues that he collects. Upon discovering his channel, I felt that it was simple and his review helped pinpoint each aspect of the pieces he would introduce. It felt simple and straightforward and it was a good introduction to collecting for me, as someone who isn’t as knowledgeable on certain aspects of the figures he would collect.
We’ve taken the opportunity to interview him regarding his interest in collecting and reviewing figures online, and we’re happy to say that he accepted our invitation to interview him. We think his added insight on what it means to be a collector and reviewer will help put into perspective what it means to be part of this community.
Below are the questions we asked him followed by an answer from him.
- What about collecting figures, pieces and sets appeals to you? What keeps you coming back to collecting?
“First off, I think now is the best time to be a collector. With social media and eBay, a collector has the ability to acquire any collectible they desire. With technological advances, through 3D printing, collectors now have the ability to customize figures and create characters that haven’t been made. They can also share those creations through social media outlets, such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Current toy companies are creating some fantastic, highly detailed figures today.”
Starting a collection can seem like a big commitment to a lot of people but Cilley’s point in saying that now has never been a better time to be a collector has never been more true. With all these advancements in technology and social media, starting a collection has never been more accessible.
- How do you decide which figures/pieces are worth reviewing/purchasing?
“To keep it simple, I only collect the pieces that I like. I don’t consider myself a completionist, although I may be with certain figure lines. Sometimes, I’ll purchase a figure for parts or accessories to use for a custom figure build.”
As someone who doesn’t collect mythic legions but does collect other types of collectables, it can be hard to purchase as much as possible in order to make your collection look good, but there is never any shame in collecting figures that only appeal to you. This is something I learnt when I first started collecting, and Cilley echos the same sentiment here.
- What does your typical review workflow look like — from unboxing to filming?
“Once I receive the box, I cut it open. I immediately take it to my collection room, so I can open and review each item in real time while recording. This keeps the reactions and reviews authentic for the viewers.”
Compared to other reviews of other collectibles, it’s easy to see that authenticity is something that Cilley cares about. It’s something I picked up on while watching his reviews and it’s much appreciated, since authenticity on YouTube is something that is very hard to come by.
- How did you transition from a collector to a reviewer?
“I did my first video in October 2022 to show my collection to another YouTuber, Watty’s Channel, who inspired me to begin my own Channel. From there, I began recording videos of my own figure and statue pickups. My channel has evolved to also showcase my custom figures, to give other customizers ideas on how to make things work and hopefully save them some of the trials and tribulations I faced while doing them. I just recorded my 300th video last week.”
As I mentioned before, starting a collection can be tough, but starting a YouTube channel can feel a lot more intimidating for people. But Cilley shows here that not all YouTube channels need to be made for the purpose of gaining attention or viewership, it can be to garner a community of people who help one another by showing off their work, similar to what Cilley does on his channel.
- Any advice you’d want to give to someone who wants to collect action figures/Mythic Legions? Where would you recommend they start?
“I would recommend starting with the figures you like most. I have seen many people in the community buy things they later regret. There are many ways to sell figures you no longer want, but there may be fees involved. Patience is key to the hobby. When Mythic Legions, Zoloworld and many of the statue companies make a reveal, the item may not be released for a year or 2. New collectors may view their funds as the limiting factor, but in time, what I have observed and experienced, space becomes the issue.
You can always make more money, but it’s pretty difficult to create more space for your collection. Lastly, if there is a Limited Edition figure that you want, jump on it! In many cases, they sell out fast and the resale market is usually much higher than the initial cost of the figure. If you decide later, you don’t want it, you can, in most cases, easily make your money back.”
Buying figures that you personally love is definitely a sentiment I’d love to echo. In a lot of collecting communities, people think that buying the rarest of the bunch is most important when that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’d also like to highlight that finding space for a collection is also an important factor in starting a collection. When I started collecting, that was something I completely forgot about which led to a huge hassle for me in the future.
- How have you seen the world of collecting action figures/Mythic Legions evolve? Is there any specific direction you’d like to see this niche go towards?
“I started [collecting] in 2002. eBay was the primary way to get figures. As time went on, that evolved. Social media groups, big chain stores like BBTS and even direct from the Four Horseman, Zoloworld, etc. There are so many companies, putting out great products right now. I said it before and I’ll say it again. It’s the best time to be a collector! And that brings us back to the issue with space. A collector at some point, will have to decide to move some pieces to have the room to acquire more.
As far as direction goes, these companies are putting out some amazing products and I am pleased with what I am seeing. However, I would like to see more of them do playsets. They are a hindrance to space, but it’s always cool to have the ability to display your figures in front of a castle or in a gladiator arena.”
As Cilley said before, in his two decades of collecting, he believes now is the best time to be a collector due to the output of amazing products being put out. His point of requesting more playsets with figures is one I see echoed in a lot of other figure collecting communities who enjoy displaying their figures, such as the doll collecting community for example.
As someone with completely fresh eyes to this community, I was surprised to see that my experience collecting other types of collectibles didn’t differ much from the collectibles that Cilley collects. It’s interesting to note that us collectors have issues with resellers and shelf space. I’m also very happy that Cilley made a point to say that collecting today has never been better because a lot of people today may feel intimidated by starting a collection and to those people, we say to start as soon as you feel comfortable.
Making a commitment to collecting feels hard and it can take a lot of patience to get to the place you desire in collecting, but once you do, all your hard work and waiting will pay off.
Thank you so much to Chad Cilley for accepting our interview once again. People such as him will always serve as important staples in collecting communities by offering a transparent and authentic review of products to people who may be unsure of certain figures or pieces.
We invite all our readers to check out his channel if you enjoy what we do and want an extra taste of the kind of enjoyment our products can bring. He made a video on our products about a month ago with the following parts included. Links to those products are below as well as a link to his channel.