Maybe I can add a few points, as I've had the pleasure of meeting Mark. The biggest point is just as Crusader1xxx said, it's not about 1/6. Mark was a talented modeler (1/16 & 1/35) before the incident. As the movie shows, he turned to 1/6 because his motor skills wouldn't allow him to do small scale work. The film also points out that doing 1/6 figures became his physical (and mental) thereapy when the insurance ran out. It also shows how a neighbor saw him walking in WWII regalia pulling his jeep full of figures (so the tires had real road wear) and finally talked to him. He was associated with an art magazine, and the film's director saw the magazine article. I don't believe Mark has posted anywhere but Greenleader's site, which he did before the magazine, and still does today.
I showed Mark some of my figures and mods, and he was very interested, but he is immersed in his world. He appreciates other's 1/6 talents and techniques, but it's safe to say he is obsessed with his own. I'm sure he does not feel he represents the rest of the hobby - anymore than I do. If we're going to be displeased with the fact that people lump us all together based on their only exposure to the hobby (a movie they saw, for instance), then our displeasure should be aimed at the people who assume we're all like Mark. When I was a little kid in the early '60s, by the late '60s I figured out that most of my friends had given up on their GI Joes and I didn't discuss them much.
As for the poverty angle, I think the film portrayed it fairly. The guy didn't have the proverbial pot. And whether it was figures or women's shoes, he fed his addictions slowly and with the help of a lot of people. The fact of the matter is, he is a very likable guy and people respond to that. Besides financial support from his family, a lot of 1/6 hobbyists have given him TONS of stuff. In the last four years, I've lost track of all the stuff other hobbyists have given me, just out of camaraderie. Add his situation, and people have responded in a huge way. And he has given back - it's what we do. And he talked about doing without just so he could buy a particular figure he needed for a scene. How many of us would rather our significant others don't find out how we finance some of our purchases? Reading the posts on GL's site, it is filled with comments thanking each other for this Care Package or that. And since the film, he says total strangers have sent him stuff, too. One of the most amazing things about Mark's story is how he built the bar and the town from junk. His ingenuity in salvaging stuff is great to see.
As for the view of the film, it is just that - the view of the director. It isn't investigative reporting trying to expose something, it's what the director came out with after spending a lot of time with Mark over a period of years. I can see how you can compare it with reality tv, but this is the way the guy lives. What I didn't get from Mark was the reality tv "playing to the camera" to keep it interesting. He was a cross-dresser before the incident, and that is why he got stomped into the pavement. He did his stories long before there was any thought of a film (check GL's archive, it's impressive), and I'm convinced he'll continue long after the spotlight fades.
Do I like the guy? Absolutely. Are we going to share wardrobe tips? Not likely. My take on him is he is very genuine and his attitude is "take me or leave me". I'm curious to see what the feature film does with it (they say a mix reality and fantasy), but that can go in any direction they chose.
erechoveraker, forums are for expressing opinions. Maybe something I said will affect yours, maybe something you said will affect mine. This is just my take on it and I hope it helps.