Action Figures - Collecting, Playing, Selling A Junky's Commentary
A Recollection
Almost all of us can remember a time when we were small, sitting in our bedroom playing with action figures. For me it was all about Transformers, Voltron, He-Man, Batman, and my personal favorite Superman. With these tiny plastic heroes of my youth, I would entertain myself for hours on end acting out epic stories depicting the eternal struggle between good and evil. What can I say, even as a child I was pretty deep.
As I got older my friends put away their childhood toys, I was a bit more reluctant. I moved my collection from my bedroom to the basement. It shames me to say it today, but I hid my action figure addiction from my friends.
Today I am approaching 30 and the action figure industry is even more glorious than I could have ever dreamed it could be as a child. True, some of the figure aren't as well built as they used to be (I miss the old days when Superman's cape was cloth) but the detail that can be reached is nothing less than amazing.
Todd McFarlane
Todd McFarlane is a pioneer in the industry. This comic book artist turned action figure guru took is impeccable eye for detail and took it to the toy store. With his unleashing of Spawn toys, once childhood toy collectors who had lost their path on their way to adulthood, found themselves surrounded by miniature sculptures of art that made us wish we were kids once again.
Star Wars
With the re-release of the Star Wars movies, and the creation of the prequels, came what we all had hoped for, new Star Wars Action Figures! This was great for two reasons:
1- MORE STAR WARS TOYS! Who doesn't like that? I'll tell you who, NOBODY!
2- The older Star Wars Collectibles sky-rocketed in value! Yes, the new toys were cool, but it made the original Vintage Action Figures even more valuable. Collectors ran to the toy stores to get as many of the new toys as they could because any good collector knows, what's popular today becomes vintage tomorrow, and even more collectible.
Vinyl Toys
A recent craze that is hitting the mainstream is Vinyl Toys. Munnys, Dunnys, and custom viny sculptures by various modern artists are sweeping the nation. Companies like KidRobot, MyPlasticHeart.com, and Giant Robot have brought us these vinyl cuties in droves. Local area shops like Shoparooni in Cleveland, Ohio are popping up all around the country spreading this new found fever. This is the newest craze, and as a collector you have to take notice.
In Closing
Take it form me, if you want the in on Vintage Action Figure Collecting, the first thing you need is passion. Love what you do, embrace your inner child. And two, have patience. Collect what is new and popular today, will become vintage tomorrow. Imagine when the children of today are our age, Yu-Gi-Oh will be almost as big as Star Wars.
Cheers.
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