Tips on Collecting Action Figures

Do you recall those fond memories of going to the toy store with a family member and gazing at all of those amazing toys? A quick sprint to the action figure aisle reveals the latest figures in all of their glory. A good deal of people take their love of action figures into their adulthood, buying action figures on occasion. The detail and accuracy of modern day action figures is incredible, but figures of days past are no less popular. The motives for collecting these amazing toys possibly lie in the fond memories of playing with them in our childhood.

Athlete Themed Action Figures

Athletes, both professional and imaginary, have been modeled in action toy form since their inception. These detailed pieces are often so accurate that you can immediately tell who the figure was modeled after just by looking at their face. Details on these figures include colorful team jerseys with accurate numbers, helmets, bats, and more. To get these figures on the market, toy companies sign licensing agreements. Without these agreements, the company would be limited to making generic toys with no real-life likenesses. Athletic figures allow kids to play out their most imaginative fantasy games, even combining players from different sports into one big game. Posable limbs allow users to leave their figures in iconic stances such as making a slam dunk or pocketing a golf ball on a toy green.

Science Fiction Figures

The popularity of science fiction has made its way into the action figure field. One of the most popular of these figures are the ones from the popular Star Wars films.

Starting with only twelve original figures back in 1977, the lines have since grown as the rest of the trilogy and eventually prequels made their way into the world. Now, there are thousands upon thousands of high quality, amazing action figures on the market. Some of the collections people have are truly outstanding, taking up an entire room or even home. Other science fiction action figures depict characters from Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica, Dr. Who, and even generic things like aliens and monsters. Although originally marketed for kids, they are equally popular with adults, who usually keep the figures in their box for protection.

Todd MacFarlane

A man named Todd MacFarlane started out as a comic book maker and eventually created his own toy company. As a science fiction and comic book artist, he used his skills to create some of the most detailed and accurate toys around.

Collecting

Collectors are a different breed of person when it comes to gathering large amounts of action figures. Instead of playing with the figures, collectors like to protect them by keeping the pieces in their original boxes if possible. They often put them into display cases. While some people collect as a long term investment, the true pleasure of action toy collection comes when you collect pieces you truly love. Regardless, any well kept figure collection is bound to increase in value over time. To gather figures that are both fun and valuable, one must buy strategically. When a new series or movie is premiered, many new products will hit the market. Using toy guides, one can get an idea of which toys will be the most value over time. Unanticipated successes such as Star Wars have spawned highly desired toys which can hardly be found today. Action figure collectors need to be on their toes if they want to snatch up these surprises.

Garner is a toy lover and collects all sorts of Star Wars action figures. He has recently started getting into Marvel superhero figures, buying a Deadpool action figure just recently. His love of toys has spurred him into starting a new toy website called Gamevidia.