The Action Figure and Toy Collecting and Discussion Thread!

Here's pics of some of my Vintage Collection figures. These were taken four months ago and I've acquired many, many more in the line since then. My grand total of Vintage action figures(2010-present) is now approaching 125. As of right now there are only four figures in the entire line that I don't have:

VC28 Wedge Antilles
VC50 Han Solo(Bespin Outfit)
VC66 Salacious Crumb(2011 San Diego Comic Con exclusive)
VC67 Mouse Droid(2011 San Diego Comic Con exclusive)

 

Hmmm, what should I show off today? Ah! How about my Hot Toys Iron Man figures:



Oooh, I love them, I love them, I love them.

 

Dang. That Tony Stark is a spitting image of Robert Downey, Jr. It's like he's ready to pop off the screen, make some sarcastic comments and nail all my female friends.

 

I know, right? Here's a closeup if you truly want to appreciate just how great it is:

 

Wow. That makes almost every STAR WARS figure or doll I've ever owned look like a stick figure drawing. If I keep staring into toy Tony's eyes I'll have blood-curdling nightmares.

 

Strangely enough, I have a single Star Wars action figure. Grand Admiral Thrawn, who stands atop one of my smaller bookcases, psychic salamander-cat thing draped on his shoulder.

 

I never found the 1998 Grand Admiral Thrawn. I suppose I could always get him for about ten bucks off of eBay but some Expanded Universe characters just didn't interest me when they were first released as action figures. If Hasbro redid Thrawn in, say, the Vintage Collection with up-to-date sculpting and articulation I'd buy one in a heartbeat. My interest in EU characters isn't anywhere near as high as some other collectors', but I like them a lot more than I used to...the brand-new Darth Malgus and recent Bastila Shan are evidence of my renewed interest in non-movie and non-television characters. Ten years ago I'd have skipped both and never given my decisions a second thought, but in this era of vastly improved likenesses and poseability(not to mention much cooler packaging) I always give EU toys at least a second look even if I'm not much of a fan of the graphic novels or books they come from.

 

They did redo Thrawn, in a comic pack with Talon Karde a couple years ago. I have him.

Pics of it right here

 

Nothing against action figures--but ship miniatures seem to get no love.

 

I meant a Basic, single-carded figure like in 1998. I didn't like some of the Comic Book two-packs...I own some of them, but I was very particular about which sets I purchased and don't own too many of them. There were too many with silly kitbashed characters almost nobody had ever heard of. Tons of repaints and leg and head swaps that just didn't interest me all that much. I saw that Thrawn and liked it better than the 1998 figure, but at the time he was released I just wasn't terribly into the HEIR TO THE EMPIRE saga. In the years since that Comic 2-pack hit pegs I've grown to like the Zahn novels more and I'd get a new Thrawn at the drop of a hat if Hasbro bothered to make one. I might end up getting the original 1998 and later Comic 2-pack figures off of eBay if the itch strikes me hard enough.

 

I've got a bunch of figures two. I'll take photos later but here are two of my favorites:

 

My Doctor Who/Torchwood toys:





That's a USB port- it's supposed to make TARDIS noises when something is plugged in, but it doesn't always work.

My Lord of the Rings Barbies and Kens (and a Frodo action figure):



Star Trek Barbies and ornaments, plus a non-Trek Barbie:

 

So, yay. Mattel announced that they were completely unable to get their shit together, and DC Universe is dead at retail. Possibly to return in 2013, or probably not. Either way, I'm most certainly not getting Larfleeze this year. Dumbasses. For being the biggest toy maker out there, they sure have no freaking idea how to run a collector line.

 

Hasbro's license to make STAR WARS toys and collectibles runs out in 2017(unless, of course, the company wants to hold onto it and it's renewed by the folks at Lucasfilm). Some collectors in the SW toy community have suggested the possibility that Mattel could take over the reins and reboot the entire line starting in 2018, but based on what you just said about the DC UNIVERSE toys and other things I've heard and seen about Mattel over the years I don't think it'd be the best hands to put the STAR WARS toy franchise in. For all the problems that Hasbro's had in recent times I think Mattel would find ways to be even worse.

 

but i just started collecting the DC Universe Classics stuff.

 

Oh good lord no! You think the reuse is bad now? DCUC uses a grand total of three different bodies for every single character in the DC universe. You think the distribution is bad now? Try wave after wave of Wal-Mart or Target exclusives that even the Wal-Marts and Targets don't get. Not to mention atrocious quality control, and an attitude towards collectors that goes beyond indifference, and borders on just plain hostile. As many problems as Hasbro has, they are nowhere near the disaster that a Mattel Star Wars line would be.

Shinzon, did you join the Club Infinite Earths? That's going to be the only way to get new DCUC this year, it seems.

 

no. Metron looks pretty awesome but i didn't sign up. the online subscription thing just seems like a giant pain. i have several friends who have constant issues getting their He-Man stuff.

 

Yep. Those are some of the things I've noticed and heard. The last thing I want on the STAR WARS toy franchise are Mattel's grubby hands. For all the issues Hasbro's had with distribution, repaints, repacks and exclusives the folks in Rhode Island are MIT rocket engineers compared to Mattel. I'd just throw up my hands and quit if we got just ten new figures a year and three or four of them used the same bodies.

 

Yeah, I've heard some horror stories about MOTU stuff, too. But if it's the only way I'm gonna get the likes of Atrocitus, Jay Garrik, or Poison Ivy, (or, it seems any DC figures at all this year) then yeah I'm onboard. Metron does look really sweet, too.

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.

 

Got everything I needed to complete my Arnim Zola today. It's the Red Skull version instead of the regular version, since I wound up with Madame Hydra instead of Madame Masque, but it's still awesome. Here's all of Marvel Legends wave 2 (minus the variants that I still need)