Community Inquiry: What's Your Story?

[VonVonderful]

Hey there everyone! Not too sure if it belongs in this section, but I'm interested to read about what got all of you into collecting what you collect (PFs, Statues, HT, Busts, etc...). Are you obsessive over a certain format? A certain character/series? What was the first piece that sparked your collecting habit? Is there a piece that you will never part with? Feel free to share anything

 

[Kabukiman]

I feel like I've told this story a million times, but I'm happy to tell it again. In the early 2000's I was a casual Star Wars collector. I'd buy all the Hasbro figures, all the Master Replicas mini lightsabers, some GG statues and mini busts. When I heard some company called "Sideshow" was going to make 12" Star Wars figures, I went over to their web site to see what they've made in the past.

This was during Spooktacular 2005. I was so blown away by everything. I soaked in the madness, oogled over all their products, preordered a Jason X, and won a contest.

The rest is history. Sideshow has a customer for life, and my house is overrun with horror.

 

[lerath666]

lets see. christmas 1984, my grandmother gave me a superfriends, superman Figure

I'm a two year old, and i take it with me EVERYWHERE.
This simple act gets my lifelong obsession with action figures going.

when i'm around 10 years old, my dad gives me all his old 12 inch gi joe figures from the 50's and 60's ( or whenever they were around)

And i'm hooked. Love the larger scale, and everything about them.

Hasbro starts making 12 inch joes, i buy a few.
Hasbro makes 12 inch star wars. i buy alot.
the problem is, poseability sucked balls.

i switch back to 3 and 3/4th inch. and 6 inch scales, every now and then buying a 12 inch figure.

skip ahead several years.

Still a sci-fi fan, and it's summer 2007. i'm working full time as a security guard, ang going to school on-line full time as well. I'm sitting at the security desk one BORING saturday afternoon, on the internet to kill time. I'm trying to figure out what ever happened to the made for tv Stargate films, and on one of the sidebars on Sci-fi .com, is a link for a sci-fi.com preview for the Sideshow 12 inch luke jedi figure, and an interview with sideshow discussing plans for the line. it was an incerdably OLD article at the time.

i'm intrigued. I start looking into it. and start hunting E-bay ffor the figures i missed.
My first two figures were ROTS Obi-wan, and darth maul. I kept loosing auctions on Jedi Luke.
My third was a SDCC vader, and FINALY i won an auction for jedi luke.

Then I learned about Exclusive versions

My FIRSt pre-ordered figure from sideshow was Bespin Luke Ex.

my first purchased figure from sideshow was during Spook. the Corporate zombie.

several thousand dollars later, i'm still a dedicated fan. Having found a "grown up" version of the toys I've loved since childhood.

I only REALLY collect 1/6th figures. i do have a handful of statues, most of which are actually my bride-to-be's ( getting married on the 19th of this month, WOOO) with no sign of stopping.

 

[Cap'n Cook]

Medicom Naked Snake........Mediworld......Sideshow Freaks......Hot Toys.......custom figures........Rainman.......bankruptcy.

 

[King Darkness]

I like to buy stuff.

End of story.

 

[cplhicks]

I used to buy the old vintage Star Wars figures from garage sales to play with as a kid. I was kind of stuck in the "Dark Ages" of Star Wars at the time 1989-1994. I used to play with my second hand SW figures until the modern stuff came out in 95. I was so impressed with the new stuff (OMG the Stormtroopers CAN TURN HIS HEAD!!!!!!!) I went on and played with the new stuff.

Fast forward a bunch of years and I was at flea market and there was this toy dealer who had the vintage stuff in C-9 condition complete. Since I bought most stuff from garage sales as a kid my stuff was worn and incomplete. I saw a Zuckess (As in the gand bounty hunter not the droid) He looked so sweet and perfect so I bought him. He was the start of my madness. I started to buy all sorts of SW stuff modern and vintage.

At some point I started to branch over to other figures I liked. I loved McToys (when they were better) and NECA movie stuff. I am a huge Sci-Fi geek so I was buying lots stuff for that.

About 1-2 years ago I found out Sideshow had made my most wanted figure ever in 1/6 (Before this I was buying a few 1/6 odds and ends. It was my favorite scale but I really didn't know where to get it) So I got the SSC Rebel Fleet trooper and I fell in love with the line. I started to get caught up on the SSC SW 1/6 line. Then that was the gateway for high end 1/6 stuff.

I went out and did my first preorder for a T-1000 Sarah Connor. Then I bought a instock T2 T-800 (for RETAIL!!!!! Last one too) Then I got sucked into Hot Toys. I also buy some unlicensed figures too like the Mask, John McClaine, Harritgan and Tom Jane Punisher.

I also branched out to Statues a bit. I like 1/6 figures a lot more then statues but I got sucked into the DC Direct Cover Girls line. I only have 1 pf but that's Ash and if I could only have one pf in the world it would be him so I'm happy. I love pf's as I am a huge fan of mixed media but I can't afford them. I only got Ash because a local shop had him and I bought him at a boxing day sale for cheap.

 

[Mr. EcKo]

I like to buy stuff.

End of story.

Me 2

 

[preeny101]

I own a private collection of undisclosed value. End of story.

 

[Deak Starkiller]

Star Wars.

 

[The Josh]

Collected sports cards as a kid and as I got older transitioned into collecting high end stuff from Sideshow. My high end collecting started with the SSW LOTR line and has gathered other areas now that we're getting great items. My love will always lay in Middle-Earth.

 

[RagingBull]

I bought the 1/6 SS Indy & I quite liked it, then about a year later I bought the HT Joker Dx, Hoocked. Ventured into other scales but it's 1/6 only for me now.

 

[DeltaForceChung]

I started with the original 3.75" GI JOE ARAH figures back in 1982/83. I got into 1:6 around 1998 with the ULTIMATE SOLDIER from 21STCT. It then evolved into GI JOE CC, DRAGON, BBI, etc. Somewhere around 2000/2001 my focus/interest changed in primary 1:6 female figures (i.e. GI JANE, CY GIRL, etc.). I eventually got into offerings from TRIAD TOYS, SIDESHOW, & HOT TOYS.

To quote EVILFACE . . . I buy stuff, but I buy cases of stuff. End of my story.

 

[occulum]

Id always had an interest in action figures but Id have to say McFarlane lit the fire.
People always complained about how his figures are like statues, but it bridged the gap to statue collecting for me. I quickly realized i didn't "play" with them, I just wanted something that looked cool sitting on the shelf.

 

[brucecamblzchin]

superfriends, superman Figure

Whoa lerath, exact same figure for me.

Anyways, I collected all sorts of figures over the years, Mcfarlane Movie Maniacs got me in to serious collecting, they blew my mind when I saw them on the shelf; Wow, figures from Army of Darkness! I gotta have em! From there I moved to some busts, 12 inch sideshow figs and my collection was all over the place.

I bought the Ash premium format in 2007(in a clearance sale) and I have been PF exclusive ever since. I just dig everything about the format, it's big enough for the WOW! factor so that non-collectors will dig em, the fabric clothing, the bigger format means the sculptor can really nail the face. Yes, collecting one format limits you to what Sideshow chooses to release however I rarely am worried about being stretched to thin finance-wise which I see some other poor Freaks on this board doing as they struggle to collect every rad Hot Toys, Sideshow PF and statue AND dio that comes out.

Some people would say I have too many PFs now. Others would say I have a totally rad collection

 

[Drakul]

I had a bunch of toys as a kid, classic He-Man, MASK, TMNT, Galaxy Rangers, Liveman, Rock Lords......

It probably started there.

 

[karamazov80]

It also goes back to early childhood for me--most of the stuff I was into though age 6 or 7 is primarily what I collect today. GI Joe, Transformers, Super Powers/Superfriends, Secret Wars, Spider-man and His Amazing Friends, Marvel and DC Comics, Star Wars (OT of course), Indiana Jones, Ghostbusters, Back to the Future, Muppets, Superman (movie). I collected toys until I was, oh, 12 or 13 years old. Then stopped and got back into it about 6 years ago. Now, it's out of control.