The Action Figure and Toy Collecting and Discussion Thread!

[C.E. Evans]

I imagine similar scenarios play out in most places. So between iffy distribution and scalpers, collectors--or just regular customers--really don't have a chance getting stuff in some areas. I think I said it earlier in this thread that it sometimes is just a matter of luck or being willing to shell out big bucks for it on eBay.

 

[cooleddie74]

Pretty much. Distribution's gotten markedly better as we entered late summer and the start of fall but even now it's still hit or miss in most places. I have four different Kmarts in my immediate area, though, so I'll score the Ewok and AT-ST Ground Crew sets before too long...they're bound to be in at least one of them. Kmart somehow manages to do a better job (at least recently) of handling Star Wars exclusives than Walmart does. It doesn't make sense, but it's a fact of the recent past.

 

[Kira's Mom]

Hawkeye on the campaign trail:

No idea how he'd actually vote, but Jeremy Renner is a big supporter of President Obama.

 

[cooleddie74]

I get the feeling Loki would be a pretty big Romney fan. But only after the Gingrich campaign tanked.

 

[Nick086]

A scalper swooped into one of my local stores and bought about ten packs of those Kmart Ewok and AT-ST Crew figures. Piled them all into a cart right after the store opened and bought every single one of them. The lady who runs the toy department at that particular Kmart said she's seen the guy more than once and he always comes in, strips and raids the pegs and shelves for the newest stuff and walks out with bags of stuff. She thinks he's a scalper, too.

Some of them will charge double or even triple at the flea markets making it harder for people to find in the stores because those scalpers have them all

 

[cooleddie74]

eBay seems to be the venue of choice for a lot of scalpers these days. I've seen ten-dollar Vintage Collection figures that are harder to find than others (Bastila Shan, Darth Malgus, Shae Vizla) go for forty to sixty on eBay. I've seen eBay samples of the new Kmart 2-packs going for forty bucks each or sixty plus change for the pair. That's borderline criminal and 95% of the reason why nobody really likes scalpers, but there's nothing that anyone can do about it because eBay doesn't care what you ask for an item so long as the item isn't breaking some site rule or law.

 

[Nick086]

eBay seems to be the venue of choice for a lot of scalpers these days. I've seen ten-dollar Vintage Collection figures that are harder to find than others (Bastila Shan, Darth Malgus, Shae Vizla) go for forty to sixty on eBay. I've seen eBay samples of the new Kmart 2-packs going for forty bucks each or sixty plus change for the pair. That's borderline criminal and 95% of the reason why nobody really likes scalpers, but there's nothing that anyone can do about it because eBay doesn't care what you ask for an item so long as the item isn't breaking some site rule or law.

I know they charge an arm and leg for rare hard to find Star Wars vintage action figures on Amazon. Now whenever I go on to Amazon I can now find the figures I wanted from the 1990s less then they were in the flea markets because when they did have them in stores I couldn't find them when I was a kid that even includes the Star Trek The Next Generation action figures there all pretty much under $19.99 now. I'm very lucky Hasbro has yet to make any of my favorite Marvel characters in action figure form yet. So most of my money goes into the graphic novels they appear in. If they did happen to I would spend about two hundred to three hundred dollars just to get every figure I want. Every now and then I'll look through the toy department at my local Target, Wal-Mart, K-Mart, and Toys R Us.

 

[cooleddie74]

I've actually seen a near-mint, carded copy of the 1995 Han Solo in Hoth Gear(Power of the Force 2) on eBay for just $2.99, no shipping and handling included. When the figure was brand new seventeen years ago it was at least $4.99 at any store you went to. Give most figures enough time and they'll be just as cheap as they were when they were new in stores or even cheaper. It's the harder to find, shortpacked and limited production figures you have to worry about buying online.

 

[Shazam!]

I've seen ten-dollar Vintage Collection figures that are harder to find than others (Bastila Shan, Darth Malgus, Shae Vizla) go for forty to sixty on eBay.

Cripes! Makes me glad I picked up an extra Bastila for no other reason other than it was there and nothing new was at the store...

 

[cooleddie74]

The cheapest Bastila Shan I've seen lately is thirty bucks, and that's the Canadian carded version that's considered a lot less desirable by most collectors. The U.S. carded version of her can still top fifty dollars depending on the day or week over on eBay, and if the seller tosses in a protective star case (because she's a rarer and more valuable figure) that'll add several bucks to the "Buy It Now" price if one is an option.

 

[cooleddie74]

A comprehensive Visual Guide to the eight brand-new figures in the final wave of The Vintage Collection.

Incredible looking stuff. I can't wait to get my hands on this wave.

 

[Kira's Mom]

Black Widow and Hawkeye watch the Avengers DVD with me:

Rory does not like Russian food.

He is confused by Hawkeye's name. "He doesn't taste like a bird..."

 

[cooleddie74]

The dreaded Giant Cat of Asgard. I've heard of this.

 

[OdoWanKenobi]

My pets are not allowed near my figures, They tend to eat them. I've lost a T'Pol and a Marvel Legends Gambit that way.

 

[Kira's Mom]

Years ago, my cat Kira nearly bit the head of of my Gul Dukat figure. Fitting, I suppose!

 

[Davros]

My pets are not allowed near my figures, They tend to eat them. I've lost a T'Pol and a Marvel Legends Gambit that way.

When our dogs chewed up one of our old GIJoes we slapped some red paint of him and he became bloody Joe the wounded guy.

 

[cooleddie74]

My pets are not allowed near my figures, They tend to eat them. I've lost a T'Pol and a Marvel Legends Gambit that way.

Mine don't chew on or eat them. They just knock them over, and that's more than enough reason to keep them away from most of 'em.

 

[Kira's Mom]

Clint gets some brutal reminders that he is owned by a female.

Loses a bet, is forced to wear a dress. Tasha laughs her ass off.

FANGIRLS! HALP! "Want me to shoot them, Clint?"

A hug from Hello Kitty makes it all better. Poor Hawkeye.

 

[cooleddie74]

Cute stuff!

As per my own toy acquisitions today, my Toys 'R' Us put out a couple more cases of the Darth Malgus Wave of Vintage (minus Malgus, of course...he always seems to sell out within minutes of hitting the pegs) and I managed to score two more Imperial Navy Commanders from that assortment to beef up my Death Star crew a little more. I also picked up another Clone Wars Commando Boss figure and another "Darth Maul Returns" animated Battle Pack featuring the awesome resurrected cyborg Maul.

 

[Nick086]

Cute stuff!

As per my own toy acquisitions today, my Toys 'R' Us put out a couple more cases of the Darth Malgus Wave of Vintage (minus Malgus, of course...he always seems to sell out within minutes of hitting the pegs) and I managed to score two more Imperial Navy Commanders from that assortment to beef up my Death Star crew a little more. I also picked up another Clone Wars Commando Boss figure and another "Darth Maul Returns" animated Battle Pack featuring the awesome resurrected cyborg Maul.

Hey do you post videos of your collection on YouTube? I like to live vicariously through toy collectors. I myself don't have the income or the space to have such a nice large collection.