Toys? We no longer call it that - collections, hobbies, collectibles, or some word that empowering. Dolls? Nuh-uh, we call them action figures, figures, statues, arts, anything but dolls!
Over the time these action figures collection has been growing significantly with all new manufacturer lines. Hobbyist and toy collectors should've know some, if not all the name of the manufacturers. But those who just started might not really know the difference between one and another. So to help spreading the information, I would like to describe my own experience collecting some of these items and the difference between one and another. You may know already some of it from looking at one or maybe browsing on the internet, and searching for reviews on youtube. And in this golden age of Internet, I encourage you to look for pros and cons and additional information on Internet.
BANDAI S.H. FIGUARTS Line
One of my favorite toy line, Bandai publishes this Tamashii Nations' product through Bandai corp or Bluefin distribution. One of the longest player in toys, Bandai mainly releases Japan character to be introduced worldwide. Probably Japanese enthusiast will be more likely familiar with this line as it releases mainly Kamen Rider, Ultraman, Mazinger Z, etc. Recently though their product line is becoming more interesting as they have expanding their license to Disney product franchise such as Marvel Avenger's and Star Wars, and some of the DC Comics franchise like their Injustice: Gods among us product line.
Enough with the history, let me tell you a bit of my experience with this product line. Now S.H. Figuarts mainly releases action figures on a 6-7 inch scales depending on the characters. But they also releases statue, under the product name Figuarts Zero. For starting collectors, people might want to familiarize themselves with this, since instead of statue, there's another thing of limited articulated figure, or replaceable statue, or limb movable figure.
It is actually common when people are not aware of this, since many people thought that any toy with the character's face is an action figure. But the difference is actually quite severe, and when you have high expectation of it, sometimes you will be left feeling disappointed.
Why I like this product line is because of the detail, and the wide range of poses it could be made. Though this product line doesn't provide 100% satisfactory, but I am really quite happy with what they done with this line. The limb articulation, as well as torso, waist, and head are averagely good. One thing they made great is the axle for the joint is colored according to the connected part, so it is well disguised whenever you making a pose for photograph.
Most replaceable parts are usually hands and hand/face. Some replaceable hands are used for different kind of hand gesture, while the face usually for some expression from the referenced characters. Having said that, you should be aware that most limbs are not replaceable, so if it happen to come off - well, it shouldn't have done that. But it is quite rigid, so you should not be afraid of that.
Now if you happen to wanted to collect one, may I recommend you with the Star Wars product line. This line is pretty easy to collect nowadays, especially with the Star Wars the Force Awakens release. Another line to recommend is Marvel's Avengers Age of Ultron - but not all of it is a good collectible item, especially if you wanted something referenced from the movie accuracy. I am really impressed with what they make of Captain America, but the Hulk is not well received by general collectors. 
I recommend you having the S.H. Figuarts line because it's by my opinion the average satisfaction by quality and price. The price ranges from USD50-80, some say it quite cheap compare to others (you'll see), and some may say it quite high for 7" figure, but from that price you can have a great range of posable characters with highly detail characters. The packaging also artistically graph. In my experience, the collectors community for this figure is quite large. Sharing and getting to know the people who own it will be great to expanding your knowledge around toy collectibles.
No comments:
Post a Comment