I can certainly agree that collecting has only been getting worse over time and finding myself questioning reasons to keep going. I still find it a "cheaper" alternative to collecting 1:1 real cars, but the money spent on models definitely could have been used for something functional. Whilst I don't think I plan to give it up entirely, I think I'll just "slow" down my collection and maybe try to focus on premium 1/64s and larger scale.
It has felt like a depressing waste of fuel and time to go out to stores and find them ransacked, so I finally caved and pre-ordered HW for the first time. Trying A&J Toys which seems legit? So far just did the new German Car Culture set, but I definitely want to get the Mountain Drifters Car Culture set as soon as preorders open. (anyone know where?) I feel like the only car I really care for 2022 is the Celica GT-Four ST205, maybe I'll take a break after getting my hands on that.