by Jarrett Kruse
So the new year is here and all you heard about in 2014 was that action figures are the thing to collect even if you are an adult. But now, 2015 is here and you are still trying to pay off your holiday bills and you are thinking that there is no way that you can afford a cool new collection of your favorite plastic heroes and icons. It is true that the world has been set on fire with some seriously detailed and way expensive collectibles for the toy collecting elite. However that does not mean that a newbie to the game cannot start their very own collection on the cheap. In fact, it is becoming more and more common for both new collectors and seasoned pros to both build and add to their collections by taking advantage of some of the lower end toys of the vast market. Basically there is something for everyone out there so have no fear if you are intimidated by the guys and gals that have been collecting for twenty plus years. Here are a few solid tips on how to start an insta-collection without breaking the bank.
The online retailing giant Amazon is a toy junkies best friend (nearly 100K items to choose from here). I have always admired Internet titan Jeff Bezos’ business model and it was not until I really got seriously into the business side of toys that I started to appreciate how much he has leveled the collecting playing field. There are some amazing toy lines out there that can help you begin a solid entry into the world of collecting. A lot of times I will put things on my Amazon wish list or cart to track items and see the differences in pricing from week to week. You would be amazed at how many items dip below the ten dollar mark or are billed as “add-on items” that you can add to your final tally before checking out of the site.
With that being said there are some terrific grabs right now including Marvel’s Web Warrior and Titan Heroes series. The Web Warriors are about as tall as Marvel Legends and although they do not have the amazing articulation, are decent entries if you are just trying to build an army. Hopefully they will be making some more out of the Spider-Man canon and expand into X-Men, Avengers, Iron Man, etc. These are a steal at just $9.99 apiece and are worth the low, low price. The Titan Heroes wave stand at about 12” tall and will run you from anywhere between $10.99 and around $29.99. Most are squarely in the middle of that price point though so you can really do some damage if you have a spare one hundred dollars burning a hole in your toy pocket. The characters vary from Avengers to X-Men to Iron Man and these pieces are surprisingly sturdy.
DC Comics also offers a few 12” figures on Amazon but if you are into DC I highly recommend the DC Total Heroes line. These will run you anywhere from $6 to around $18 and offer a wide variety of storied characters. The waves have been well received amongst collectors and in my personal opinion, they are total worth the money. You get a lot of bang for your buck when you pick up some Total Heroes figures. Again, you can really get a nice variety of figures if you have a couple of extra bucks that you have set aside specifically for toys. Additionally, some of the more common “peg warmer” DC Multiverse figures can be snatched up for just a few dollars and most fluctuate in price that are dramatically different from what you will find in a retail store. I find that checking Amazon several times a day before pulling the trigger on a basket full of goodies is the way to go. Every dollar counts so it is a good idea to have patience. If you or a friend has an Amazon Prime membership, that is key because you pay a once a year fee for two-day free shipping no matter how much you order. This can be a godsend as your collection begins to get out of control! It is remarkable how much money you can save with the Prime service and it really does “pay for itself.”
Moving away from Amazon, it is a good thing to decide if you are going to be an MOC (Mint On Card) collector or a Loose display type of collector. Most hardcore collectors have flirted with both of these types of collecting but I have found that the best collections usually have their very own room or display case. Collectors are pretty crazy about presenting their pieces in the best light possible. If you are just beginning your journey though the wild world of toys, it is a good idea to first and foremost set aside some space for your toy hauls. This can become a major concern for collectors as their collections begin to grow and grow. If I were starting off today, I would definitely try to get as much as possible in the least amount of time. That means hitting up flea markets, garage sales and finding sale items at the big retailers. This way you can get a nice mix of both MOC items as well as some immediate display pieces.
Another key is to scour the web and find out some tips from toy collector sites on some retail spots that you would not think to get some hard to find toys. I never thought that I would find some majorly solid deals at TJ Maxx, Marshalls & 5 Below but it is true. These places have loads of stock that they are just dying to get rid of so it is really like the Wild West out there. Depending on when you get there, you can pretty much fill your cart with items that are well below their average cost in other locales be it retail or online.
I wanted to give an honorable mention to the relatively new Marvel Mashers lines of figures from Hasbro. These premiered last year at Toy Fair and are a lot of fun to display. They are definitely geared towards a younger crowd but these are still pretty cool. The bonus is that you can mix and match the heads, bodies and torsos to make all sorts of new characters every day. This way you can mix and match in your display making it look like your collection is more wide and varied than it is. I also really dig all of the Diamond Select MiniMates that are out there. These are fun to pounce on when they are on clearance at your local Toys R Us. The characters they offer are from both the comic books as well as dozens of your favorite films. They are pretty delicate to handle but are really a lot of fun to collect. Even if I am not in love with the set, if it is on clearance, it is a solid addition to anyone’s new collection.
If you really know what you are going to collect from the get go, it is important to consider starting to pick up your favorite lines by ordering cases. It may sound daunting but in the end, I assure you that it is worth your time and money. As someone who has driven half the day just to find a certain piece by going to dozens of retail stores in multiple states, I finally sobered up so to speak and realized I just could not do it anymore! After doing a lot of research and tallying up the insane extra costs I was accruing that did not have to do with figures, I was wowed at just how much I was saving. So, my advice, if you are set on your favorite waves of figures, try online retailers Entertainment Earth, Toy Wars or Big Bad Toy Store and go to town. In most cases these sites have pretty much everything up for pre-order months before the items actual street date. When you think about it, if a wave of figures has six to seven pieces, the likelihood of finding the entire wave in one retail location are nil. Trust me, save your gas money. When you order a case, you most likely will receive doubles of at least one or two items as well as receive at least one of the coveted “variants” in the series.
The more I was writing about this I realized that I had a lot more to say about this topic. With that being said, hopefully we will continue this series in the weeks to come that give the new collector more money saving tips on how to build your burgeoning collection of figures. My paramount advice is to collect what you love and do not let any other collectors dictate what is seen as “cool.” It is your money so buy what you want, not what is perceived as the hip trend in the industry. If you have an interesting tip for finding quality collectibles at decent and reasonable prices please drop us a line.
Jarrett founded Action Figure Junkies, check them out! Join us on Facebook as well.