The characters we like..looking at our collections..
As I've been trying to weed out the weakest part of my collection this past 6 months, it really has become evident that I truly like more obscure characters and B Types than I even realized.
I'm standing back looking at my shelves and think I have amassed the largest collection of B characters in North America:
-Apocalypse has his own section, which includes Cable, Mr. Sinister, BAF, ML & MU
-Azrael has his own section with multiple versions of his DCSH and DCUC AzBats costumes and a space for the upcoming Knightsend version of the red & gold AzBat armor
-Darth Maul has an entire shelf, with both Hot Toys & Sideshow 1/6, the Infiltrator, a bust, various 3 3/4" figures. I realize now I own 4 of the TPM Vintage figure alone
-Captain America has his own shelf as well..with Bucky Cap standing with his ML (both versions), 2012 ML and MU figures in the forefront. Buck has become one of my all time favs ever.
-Cobra Commander has an entire shelf with 1/6, 3 3/4" of all eras, busts, a statue and more.
-The same goes for Storm Shadow.
-My wrestling collection is dominated by Ric Flair
-Even Hush / Jason Todd have their own mini section, considering they have only seen limited releases
I have always a variety of characters in my collection in scales of all size, but as I get older and the technology improves, I have been really cutting it back...and what is surviving is what I've described above and some of the supporting characters. By that, I look at Superman, the JLA and X-Characters other than Wolverine & Deadpool.
When you mention GI Joe, most people say Snake Eyes, while I say Hooded Cobra Commander. Best version of Batman? Either Christian Bale or Azrael.
Favorite X-Character? Apocalypse.
Even my Green Lantern section is dominated by more variants than actual standard GL (White, Black etc)
Anyone else ever notice an odd pattern in how/what they collect?
I mostly just collect reissues and updates of stuff I had as a kid, in the 80s, and even then only reissues and updates that I think are really well-made.
My current favorites: on top of one of my comic book short box gorilla shelves, my MotU Classics villains (large picture!):
I've made a much better wooden display shelf (covered with blue cloth) since that pic was taken. =)
Kenner Super Powers was the line that started my adult AF collecting...and except for trading the off-model Orion, I still have all these. I was a poor grad student when I started collecting, but hey...AFs were only $3-$4 prior to the hyper-inflation...a gift of our last two "Presidents."
The next line that caught my eye was Batman (from the Keaton movie). I only kept the latter seasons of Timm's great animated series and the same went for Timm's STAS figures.
I was always a Marvel Man...too bad their Legends figures have been so sub-par, relative to Horseman DCUC sculpts. (DCUCs & DCDs constitute maybe 35-45% of my total shelf population. They were fun, but pricey, while they lasted.) I do have several shelves brimming with 5" ToyBiz product...simplistic by today's standards, but really nice looking figures. The top shelf contains Silver Age Marvel figures by ToyBiz.
I did break down and snagged a few Silver Age MUs, but just to decorate their stand-alone "Galactus Diorama." I doubt I'll get (m)any more.
Then there are my Japanese anime characters, robots & mechs...most of which I bought at retail locally...decades ago: Robotechs, Voltrons, Zords, a few Power Rangers, etc. I have shelves of "B" figures, too...Zorro, the Shadow, Beetle Borgs, Dapol Dr. Who,etc...along with a handful of 1:8th scale: JJ Armes, Big Jim, Megos, Lone Ranger & Tonto, etc...and a few vintage Marx horses. (I am still awaiting decent & truly 1:6th scale horses...)
But I also have multiple shelves with 1:6 scale guys...many of which are vintage, while most are customs. My definition of a customizer is one, like myself, who cannot leave well-enough alone.
I also have a decent JLA comprised of those 13" DCDs...minus fugly female characters.
Scale was always paramount to me. I'd prefer to display like-scaled figures together...so some of my figures wind up with peculiar shelfmates.
Nice set up. I'm kinda like you, right now I'm only getting that stuff I had as a kid. He-man, Thundercats, Joes, Random DCUC and Marvel stuff.
I used to be hardcore, I'd buy cases of figures, every figure, every variant and all that madness.
Currently sticking to:
MOTUC that I like, can't buy em all sorry Matty not that rich! (+other stuff!)
Thundercats! Tho looks like those are done for now?
GIJoe I get most 25th anniversary styled figures they release, except for the SDCC exclusive, cuz no one ever gets those do they?
DCUC: Love Batman, but i've become one of those "super power" DCUC people, still waiting for Super powers styled Kalibak!
My "style" of collecting seems to change overtime, seems to closely follow the change in the toy industry as well.
What takes up the most space for me are Autobot leaders. I've got 3 4' shelves packed with just Optimus Prime, Primal, and Rodimus. I've hit pretty much every major series, but I'm no completest, it's just that over this many years they kinda build up. I'll probably have to go with a fourth shelf soon. Only thing that rivals it is my Decepticon leader shelf, I've got two of those, but because of the way their leadership changes the shelves are much more varied than just a bunch of Megatrons.
Other than that there are no single characters that I have a huge collection of. Probably the second largest series I have is my Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann collection.
Emerje
MyFigureCollection.net - Most of my Japanese figures
Associate Editor for Tomopop.com
You know, I tried to get into 12 inch Sideshow joes, and they are awesome, but in the end I sold off my collection and went back and bought all the Valor Vs Venom/Joe vs Cobra/Spytroops 12 inch figures that had cool headsculpts and fitted them with 21st Century toys Urban or Black BDUs and weapons. I'm much happier.
Yeah, I totally get what you're saying. The more obscure stuff is more promanant in my collection. But what I focus on *has* changed a couple times over the years.
I have been collecting since the '82 Joes, with a break in high school, and most of what I buy now is reproductions of stuff from when I was a kid. For example, Marx re-released a Johnny West action figure a couple years ago, which I had as a kid.
He stands next to :
an original Lone Ranger figure
a mego Mr. Spock re-issue
a "generic" 12-inch GI Joe
a 3/34 GI Joe Grand Slam
that nifty classic Lion-O that just came out
an original 1978(?) Luke Skywalker
a Dungeons & Dragons Warduke
the Mcfarlane Johnny Quest
a Dr. Mego Shazam.
....now all I need is an original Bionic Man.
Smitty
Hey Lou,
Where did you get the DC Action League Blue Beetle? He wasn't released was he?
Over represented in my own collection:
Batman
Joker
Boba Fett
Hobgoblin
Alpha Flight
Hey Lou,Where did you get the DC Action League Blue Beetle? He wasn't released was he?
Nope, it was never released, but I got one on eBay from a Chinese seller, for something like $6 including shipping. Aside from a little yellow paint smudge on the belt, it's damn near perfect. I don't collect Action League, but I obviously collect all things Blue Beetle, so I'm glad to have it.
The tall Blue Beetle singing into the microphone is a Marvel Legends custom made by our own Rob Lowe, based mostly on a Toy Biz wave 1 Captain America.
Not necessarily a specific character, but a kind of subject.
For me it is Indy. I have Premium Format, Hot Toys, a couple of Mickeys as Indy, a metal 1:1 Staff of Ra Headpiece replica and a few other nicknacks.
Second would be Sorcerer's Apprentice Mickey. I have at least a half dozen of those scattered around the house.
Hmmm... does any one character have a significant presence in my collection? Most likely it would have to be Deadpool as I can't seem to get enough of the Merc with a Mouth. Literally he's EVERYWHERE in my displays-- including standing atop my Hulk Legends Fin Fang Foom BAF with a rocket launcher to ole FFF's head!
Aside from 'Pool it would have to be Cobra Commander. Can't help it-- just love the guy! Sunbow, IDW, RoC, VvV-- I've pretty much got them all but the favorite is still the large-sized Palisades statue of the commander with the hood. Just a work of art, IMHO!