The Action Figure and Toy Collecting and Discussion Thread!

[cooleddie74]

If the reports from the floor of Convention VI are correct, then Battle Packs are being replaced in 2013 by a modern revival of the old Kenner "Mini-Rigs" from the early eighties...very small one- or two-man vehicles that were never actually seen on screen but created out of whole cloth in a style where you could sort of imagine them being in the movies but "just off-screen." The new mini-vehicle sets will come with two figures apiece, such as Yoda with starfighter pilot headgear and a Super Battle Droid or a blue-striped Battle Droid Pilot and an Episode I Obi-Wan.

The first peek at the 2013 Mini-Rig line and some of its figures

 

[Admiral_Young]

Those look kind of cool...

 

[cooleddie74]

Not sold on the Yoda mini-fighter, but the Trade Federation MTT fighter is enticing. We haven't gotten a new blue (Pilot) Battle Droid outside of the animated line in many years and that Obi-Wan is a reuse of the impressive Ewan McGregor likeness that was just recently released in the "Duel on Naboo" Battle Pack. Blue Battle Droids look really cool and I don't think we've gotten a movie-style one in close to a decade.

 

[Kira's Mom]

Here's mini Hawkeye:

They all look so cute together.

 

[cooleddie74]

Very sweet stash, KM. Congrats on getting them.

 

[Kira's Mom]

I was tempted to get the whole set from amazon, but I wanted Black Widow and Hawkeye the most. If another set becomes available, I might get it. I'll make earrings out of the extra BW and Hawk!

 

[cooleddie74]

Do they make Star Wars and/or Trek characters? I have to confess I'm not terribly familiar with these.

 

[Kira's Mom]

I'd never heard of Grab Zag before The Avengers came out, so I have no idea.

 

[cooleddie74]

The rundown of the Hasbro Panel at Celebration VI.

Some very interesting stuff here. I'm really looking forward to the brand new Mara Jade.

 

[Admiral_Young]

Only thing that interests me is Mara Jade. Maybe the updated Clone Wars Ankin and Obi-Wan.

 

[cooleddie74]

Celebration VI reveals what's underneath the robes and helmet of the upcoming Vintage Collection Emperor's Guard!

Not too shabby. Though he does look kind of like General Zod. Or Hans Gruber from the original Die Hard.

 

[PopBoy]

have any of you ever valued your collection? and if so would you ever sell it off?

into this, what is your MOST treasured item.

(and why)

 

[cooleddie74]

Oh, sure. If I were ever offered a really sizeable chunk of cash for it or had to sell most or all of it for some reason. I love my collection and I've spent years putting it together but selling much or even all of it for a very good price has always been negotiable even if it isn't necessarily desired. I just have yet to meet the person who wants to buy it, mostly because of volume reasons. I have a little too much for some collectors' tastes or they already own what I have anyways.

My most treasured and beloved pieces? My original Star Wars action figures and other toys from my childhood...the original 1978-85 Kenner products. They're no longer in production, have a ton of sentimental value and cherished memories attached to them and the original, classic and vintage stuff just keeps getting more and more popular as time passes. As primitive and cheesy as much of the really old stuff is, it remains something that tugs at the ol' heartstrings.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

I don't collect for their value. I collect for my own enjoyment. I could get a pretty decent chunk of change for mine, though if I ever wanted to sell it.

Found a 3 3/4 inch Black Widow last night. I guess the reason why the Avengers figures have had less articulation is because she stole it all. She has double knees, ball jointed ankles, thigh cuts, wrist cuts, all the things missing from the rest of the figures in the line.

 

[cooleddie74]

^
How about a ball-jointed neck/head? That's starting to become pretty standard for action figures these days. Almost every Star Wars figure in the past few years has had a ball-jointed neck, although for some sort of design-related reason the new, upcoming Jocasta Nu figure has an old school swivel head and neck joint. Hasbro's reps at Celebration mentioned something about not being able to give her a ball joint for some reason or another.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

All the Avengers figures have had ball jointed heads. I was just listing off the ones that she has that the others all seem to be missing. Though, due to her hair, Black Widow's head has the least amount of movement in the bunch.

 

[cooleddie74]

The long, molded hair on the new Vintage Collection Shae Vizla figure prevents a real range of motion. If you want to move her head around a lot you have to pop off the unhelmeted head with red hair and pop on the helmeted version. But at least Hasbro realized this and gave collectors two different, interchangeable heads to play around with and use.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

Lack of head mobility in long haired characters is just a fact that collectors have come to accept over the years. Not much can really be done about it.

 

[cooleddie74]

Yeah, pretty much. At least the company was thoughtful and creative enough to give Shae Vizla two different heads because of that problem. I wish they'd have done it with some other characters, but whaddya gonna do.

 

[PopBoy]

What is the MOST collectable star wars item...