Posted on: November 22nd, 2009 Collector’s Edge – Thankful Edition
What I Am Thankful For
Being a Collector is a lot of fun. In a world where everything related to toys is primarily geared towards kids 8 and under, it is nice to see the hobby of collecting growing more and more every year. I have been collecting action figures and statues for well over ten years now. Actually, maybe even longer. I had Jafar on my desk in high school. Yeah, that was a long time ago. I was around for the very first seasonal issue of Toy Fare.
Now as we near the time where we give thanks for our blessing in life, I want to look at what we collector’s have to be thankful for.
First, as the collector’s best friend, is Sideshow Collectables. No other company out there kicks as much ass and takes as many names as they do. From Disney to Star Wars they provide an outlet for whatever you are in to. They have high end collectables, they have low end collectables and everything in-between – all of it just amazing. They take a lot of time on each of their products, like the Star Wars Lightsaber replicas. They have the Disney Masterpiece Collection which is just amazing. And their Muppet replicas? Wow. You will even find item’s they distribute for other companies, like the awesome Hot Toys with their Real Action Hero line. Those are like Barbie on crack. Spot on likeness’ and great articulation make them the best you can get. Sideshow has quickly become THE place to look for the coolest collectables. They are the company that can not be beat.
Though not as heavily present as they used to be, I am thankful for McFarlane Toys for changing the toy industry and making collector’s very happy. Action Figures stepped up with this company. They have had many lines over the years that are well worth seeking out. Right now it is mostly all Sports and Halo, but once upon a time it used to be Tortured Souls and Dragons and all sorts of fun. Each line had a history behind it, created just for that line. The Alice In Wonderland series was bad ass, and let’s not forget their take on Christmas. I miss this company most of all. Their presence is not as it once was. I am hoping for a return to greatness from them if they can just get away from the Halo license, even though that is a cash cow. I want to see more original lines like the Tortured Souls.
Diamond Select came out of nowhere a few years back. It was a place to find a little of everything, much like Sideshow, but for the comic book market. One thing Diamond Select is king of is import toys. Imports are like the Holy Grail of figures to get. Once they were outlandishly priced, then Diamond Select came in and fixed all of that. I for one was happy. I got my Trigun figures for about $20 a pop instead of $75. Outside of the import madness, Diamond also distributes a lot of localized items. Their most popular is the Marvel Figures line, that has included everything from Ultimate Captain America to Zombie Hulk.
Lastly, there is a company who took the reins to get their IP’s done right. DC Direct is truly dedicated to their properties and their fans. Though I am not a big DC guy, I love what DC Direct stands for. They make sure all the items they produce are the best they can be. There is no third party group controlling the products, like Marvel and Mattel, so everything is exactly what you want from them. Their line of DC Universe figures give the fans an awesome set up of heroes and villains. And have you seen the DC Dynamics Statue line? Toys and statues? What more could a DC fan want? You can find everything in the DC Direct lineups, including quite a few of the lesser known heroes.
These are a few of the things I am thankful for. I would love to hear what you are thankful for this year. Let us know and Happy Thanksgiving all of you Squider’s. Now to conquer Christmas!