The Action Figure and Toy Collecting and Discussion Thread!

[Praetor_Shinzon]

some of those GI Joe Retaliation figures look pretty decent. especially the blue Cobra Commander. i might get some of those. haven't bought any Joes since the 25th anniversary line.

[startrekwatcher]

Yep. I not only still have all my old Transformers, Masters of the Universe, She-Ra Princess of Power, GI Joe, M.A.S.K., Super Powers, Jem and the Holograms stuff from when I was a kid but I have all the Playmates Star Trek figures as well as the DST Trek toys that they put out in the mid 00s.

And since 2008 I have been collecting Mattel's DC Universe Classics figures(which are approaching nearly 300 in just 4 years) and the updated Mattel MOTUC line from Mattycollector.com

OdoWanKenobi wrote:

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Best case scenario seems to be that any DCUC revival will be strictly Superman and Batman related stuff. They don't even consider characters like Green Lantern, The Flash, or Wonder Woman to be retail viable. Ridiculous.

I don't have a problem with them reinventing the line simply because I think they have gone as far afield as they can away from the A-list characters--Honestly they did a pretty good job turning out close to 300 characters and digging pretty deep into non mainstream fare like the Metal Men, Doom Patrol, Justice Society of America and characters like Killer Moth, OMAC etc.

I think shifting back to more of a Superman/Batman character focus will help reinvigorate the line allowing for fans and casual buyers alike to pick demanded comic accurate characters i.e. SP deco Batman, light blue Superman with Mytzplk pack in, Balent Catwoman, Garcia-Lopez inspired Supergirl, Battle Armor Lex, Atomic Skull, Conner Kent with Krypto pack in, Composite Superman, Scarecrow, classic Poison Ivy, the Clock King, Mad Hatter, Ventriloquist with Scarface, Metallo, Silver Age Bizarro, Firefly, Ras al Ghul, Green Lantern Batman, Zebra Batman, Earth-2 Superman for JSA fans, Earth-2 Wonder Woman, Alfred, Huntress etc

[OdoWanKenobi]

Except those won't happen. Poison Ivy and Black Mask, both fairly prominent Batman villains are in the subscription line this year. They have said that females won't sell at retail, and you can forget about characters like Clock King, Alfred, or Ventriloquist. Those are guys in suits. The only villains that may ever see the light of day at retail are the Joker, Penguin, Two-Face, Riddler, Catwoman, and Lex Luthor because those are the only ones that moms know. Never mind the fact that the DC Universe package has always had the words "Adult Collector" right on the package. Mattel hates us and only want to sell to the moms and kids, who they think only want Batman and Superman. I guarantee you the average person on the street will at least have heard of Green Lantern, The Flash, Aquaman, and Wonder Woman. But noooooo, those are just way too obscure.

At least DC Direct (or DC Collectibles, as they're now called) know what they're doing. Their quality has been shaky over the years, but has been getting consistently better lately. Their Green Lantern and Blackest Night waves were all pretty fantastic. It looks like they'll be the ones to get our DC toy fix from now. The only downside is the slightly larger scale than DCUC. Some are easy to fudge, though. I have several DC Direct Lanterns mixed in with my DCUC ones.

[RyanKCR]

[cooleddie74]

^
Impressive. I never got into those Voltron-style toys but they always look pretty impressive in their finished form. Of course, thanks to shows like ROBOT CHICKEN I'll never, ever be able to look at toys like that the same way again.

[C.E. Evans]

RyanKCR wrote:

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I've got that exact one on my coffee table right now, except I've got the lions separated currently.

I also got the Stealth Voltron that was released a bit later.

[cooleddie74]

My buddy at the toy shop comes through yet again...the very first 2011 Luke Skywalker(Jedi Knight) VC23 cardfront that was quickly changed to a new, more appropriate photograph and the as-yet-officially-unreleased 2012 Dr. Evazan VC57.




The Luke figure and his accessories remained the same in both incarnations but the name was changed from "Jedi Knight Outfit" to "Endor Captive" because of the Imperial binders(handcuffs) as well as the fact that Luke's hand has already been damaged on the figure and he's donned the black protective glove. At the time Luke first entered Jabba's Palace to rescue Han and his other friends he wasn't wearing the glove and no Imperial handcuffs were ever put on him. The photograph was also changed to show Luke after he is captured on Endor and brought to his father.

[OdoWanKenobi]

If I didn't like you, I would hate you. I wish I had a buddy at a toy shop.

[cooleddie74]

Oh, it's just dumb, random luck that I even know the guy.
I usually avoid getting into long conversations with people who work the cash registers at stores and shops, but if I hadn't started up an awkward, spontaneous discussion with him a few years ago we wouldn't know one another. He's a pretty good guy...he can't always score the stuff I want, but when he does he's very reasonable about the price. If you lived in my area I'm sure he'd try to set you up with a few things you wanted...he deals in all different sorts of toys. He even has the original MEGO Star Trek dolls from the 1970s, including Uhura and the Klingon. If you like it, there's at least a passing chance he has at least one of it in his shop.

[OdoWanKenobi]

I need to start trying to befriend the guys at my LCS, then. There's that whole "talking to people" barrier to break through, though.

[cooleddie74]

I'm kind of the same way. You wouldn't know it from my somewhat blunt online persona, but I'm actually kind of shy around most complete strangers and I'm not the type to just spontaneously start up a conversation with somebody I don't know. I've done it, but it's not a regular occurrence at all. Justin and I just got to talking at the cash register that day, found we had some things in common and traded phone numbers. I've been one of his regular customers these past couple of years and when he gets a real scoop on some new STAR WARS or TREK item(not so much TREK, though...he doesn't get or see a whole lot when it comes to old or even new TREK toys) he'll give me a ring to see if I'm interested. It never hurts to get to know a toy store employee if you can break through the awkwardness/shyness barrier...you might even get a pretty decent friend out of the whole deal.

[OdoWanKenobi]

At this rate, you're gonna win that life-size Darth Maul.

[Mutenroshi]

I am a huge Halo fan and for a long time, I was looking for the McFarlane edition of the Warthog. The details are stunning. One of my warthogs is missing because it's twice as big as the McFarlane one and couldn't fit in the display.



On the following picture, the 12 inches Master Chief is missing. Somebody stole the MA5B assault rifle so I had to make one with Fimo Clay. I'll take a picture later.
In the background you have the Noble Team figures (sold with Halo: Reach Legendary Edition) and in the foreground you can see the 6 inches Master Chief, a few Spartans and an Elite from The Halo Wars toys and a Spartan wearing the Hayabusa Gear.


Next: Kaneda, his bike and Tetsuo, all from McFarlane Toys.





and a general view from my second display. A Spartan Mk V holding a rocket launcher can be spotted in front of the Sovereign class Enterprise:

[cooleddie74]

OdoWanKenobi wrote:

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At this rate, you're gonna win that life-size Darth Maul.

Doubtful. Not with my bloody luck when it comes to those kind of contests. However, there are, I believe, 100 second place prizes and I think that the prize is an electronic f/x replica lightsaber of one design or another. I don't know if you get your pick of which Jedi or Sith lightsaber you get...you might just receive whichever one they decide to ship to you. But it'd be a really awesome prize no matter whose saber you get, so I wouldn't complain.

[Mutenroshi]

Oh, and I forgot this one: