Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Collecting Action Figures - What's Behind This Modern Day Craze

Remember when you were a kid and your mom, dad, uncle, aunt or grandparent would take you to the toy store or some other leading big-box department store. As you rush towards the action figure aisle, your heart speeding in fervour as you make your means to this supernatural toy of imaginativeness.

Now a lot of men still might purchase an action figure or two sporadically. Action figures today have become so detailed, so artistic and so coveted. These so-called "toys" remind us of our freewheeling youth. I personally have purchased around 16 action figures in the past year.

Athlete Action Figures

What I'm really into, just like so many other grown men, are action figures associated to professional athletes. The detail in some of these pieces of new art are spectacular. They have a team jersey down to every tone of color. Currently manufacturers of action figures actually make licencing arrangements with companies who sponsor a specific athlete and professional sports teams. These are reflected in some action figures as well. I am a massive professional ice hockey fan, and really am a great fan of Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin has an endorsement deal with CCM, wearing a CCM helmet, gloves, hockey pants and skates. The Ovechkin doll that I have has all the logos in place just like the real Alexander Ovechkin when he takes the ice in the Verizon Center.

Sci-Fi Action Figures

With the revitalization of sci-fi films and television, sci-fi action figures have also been best-selling. This movement started out with the successful Star Wars franchise films. These love affairs with the figures were rekindled when the original trilogy and the new prequel trilogy were released about a decade ago.

Original action figures were produced in celebration of these films. However this time the dolls were made with such detail and preciseness, it made accumulating these figures by grownups much more acceptable than in the past. The original marketplace for these toys were youngsters, nonetheless this higher level of detail can only be prized by the eye of an adult. This tendency retains today with other sci-fi characters of today's pop culture.

Todd McFarlane Toys

Comic book creator Todd McFarlane has created a toy company that was really at the forefront of this new breed of action figure explosion. Being an artist of sci-fi and comic books he understood the detail that can be crammed into these action figures.

Collecting Action Figures

When garnering action figures, you should collect as if they are fine pieces of art. You must not collect for investing purposes instead for the admiration of these works of art. If you like what you see then buy it. Even if it does not go up in value you can still delight in the aesthetics of your action figure. If you ever desired to collect as an investing opportunity then there are a few things you should know.

When a new film or television series is premiered, especially if it is a sci-fi base project, then chances are action figures will be manufactured in alignment with the premiere of these motion pictures or television series. If this is the case, eBay has hundreds of vendors who deal these investment objects before the film or series premieres. Normally the price for these items will be modest and are fitting for purchase.

After the sci-fi movie or series is premiered, usually the cost of these action figures will rise. Especially if the film becomes an unanticipated commercial success. This is great because once the motion picture is popular there will be more need for their affiliated action figures however supply will already have been dried up. This is where, you as a collector or investor can turn a profit big time. Merely trade your action figure back on eBay. It's that easy. I've been doing it for quite a while, with what I regard pieces of artistic creation that I no longer love or treasure any longer.

Wishing you the very best in your action figure investment opportunities and this incomparable form of art collecting.

New Book

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