2010 Hasbro Marvel Universe Series 2 #012 Thor

I'm digging back in the files again and pulling action figures that I photographed but haven't blogged before. Since starting on this action figure buying kick last year several things became apparent: there were w-a-y more figures produced than I had ever realized; I can't have them all; I don't want them all. What to do, what to do. I think reaching back into the far recesses of my childhood memories will help steer me in the right collecting direction. Here's my plan (if I decide to actually go forward with it):

First: Collect what I like. I've bought figures this past year of super heroes which quite frankly, I just didn't like. My favorites as a kid growing up in the '50s & '60s were Superman, Batman, Flash, Thor, Iron Man and perhaps about 8-10 more. Considering the Pantheon of Super Heroes is far bigger than that, it's really a manageable number of figures to collect.

Second: Find the sculpts I really like. Case in point. Thor was a favorite of mine growing up and today's Thor figure is nicely done, but he looks like some ghetto back alley street thug to me. I'm not crazy about this particular sculpt even though it's well executed. But that's okay because I know that in the big wide toy world there are more versions available. I just need to find the one I really like. The same goes for all the other super heroes or villains - find those sculpts that I would really enjoy having, probably those that come closest to the visions I had of them when I was younger.

Third: As time and talent permit, build dioramas to highlight and display the figures. Perhaps one or two multi-purpose displays similar to my recently built alien planet display base might do the trick. Just an observation here, but have you ever seen photos of toy collections which showed a whole lot of toys crowded into a bunch of shelving? On the one hand, it's eye candy for collectors. On the other hand, should there be any really special or superlative examples on those shelves they end up getting lost in the crowd. By narrowing the collecting focus, the overall theme doesn't get diluted.

Fourth: Don't constrict the collecting to fit narrow parameters. It's important to enjoy any hobby and have some baseline rules but remember to have fun and make allowances for the exceptions.

Okay, on to today's 4" scale action figure by Hasbro - THOR! Enjoy!

2010 Hasbro Spiderman - Mass Attack Doc Ock

Today on Sunday Comics Sunday we have one of Spiderman's nemesis' - Doc Ock, from Hasbro's 2009 Spiderman series. While this figure is a nice compliment to any Spiderman figure, being well sculpted and not aneroxic looking like others in this series, there was a problem with the toy itself. There are two arm assemblies which fit into Doc's harness assembly on his back. When I opened the package one arm was loose. However, when trying to attach it to the figure it simply would not go in. At the end of the arm is a solid, figure-'8' shaped tab which fits into a slot. This tab was molded way too thick to fit into the slot and had to be carved down with an X-Acto knife. I say this because some little kid could get quite frustrated trying to deal with this and those frustrations may end up spilling over onto mom or pop! If it weren't for that flaw, this figure would have had overall top ratings. I noticed when viewing action figure ratings on YouTube that avid collectors note the use of parts swapping between figures. For example, on one series of figures The Hulks body casting is also used for anotther figure's body. Several more examples were pointed out while watching these videos. Then I happened to notice it myself in the store. The arm assembly you see here on Doc Ock is also used on a Spiderman variant! Interesting, although I don't believe I'm gonna buy it. In any case, for today - Enjoy!

2011 Mattel Green Lantern & Sinestro

Today is the first time that Mattel action figures have appeared on Toys & Stuff. All the other Mattel stuff I've blogged in the past were Batman vehicles - cars, boats, cycles. I never did see the movie and even as a kid the Green Lantern wasn't really one of my favorites, but I decided to pick this set up on a lark because it looked neat. They also fit that 4" scale size of many of the other figures in my growing collection. The sculpts of Ryan Reynolds as Hal Jordan/Green Lantern and Mark Strong as Sinestro are pretty good and after looking at photos on-line the resemblance of the toys to the actors were spot on. But as action figures these are lacking and buyers of Marvel Universe figures by Hasbro are spoiled. Thes Mattel figures have very little articulation. The legs move back and forth and the arms move up and down and the heads swivel. That's pretty much it folks! There's no articulation at the elbows, wrists, knees, or ankles - pretty basic. The figures do stand okay, although Sinestro has a pronounced forward lean, and the set does come with nice detachable twin sword constructs. If you're really into the DC Universe then thes will be okay as display figures but they might leave a kid wanting a little more. Enjoy!