Action Figure Discipline!

You're walking through the toy aisle, and by the grace of the toy gods, you find a rich lot of figures!

"THIS ONE LOOKS COOL!"

"THIS IS A GREAT PRICE!"

"I CAN USE THIS FOR SOMETHING LATER!"

SO many toys... but such limited funds! What should collectors do to solve this dilemma? The wise action figure collector must have what I call Action Figure Discipline!

What is Action Figure Discipline?

Here is Action Figure Almanac's definition:

Action Figure Discipline - the practice of only buying within one's most desired action figure lines

Here are some things to consider before diving into an abundance of tempting but unnecessary action figures!

1. Is this line of figures still alive?

With the oversaturation of figure lines popping up everywhere now (kickstarter/preorder lines included), it is very easy to understand why some figure lines stop new releases. If you are interested in jumping into a new line, consider the growth of the line. Will this line grow into future waves? How many characters can they potentially make? Is the company still releasing this line? Does this seem like a company that will disappear after a few figures? If the line is dead, how easy are the older figures to acquire?

Here is a greatly clearanced League of Legends 1/12 figure that looks pretty cool! The issue here is that I do not think Spin Masters is still making this line.

This is an Apex Legends figure from a video game I never heard of. I am pretty sure this line has ceased to exist. The figure looks to be good quality and the price is nice, but I am not really sure what I would do with him...

2. Is this figure going to stand the test of time?

Toybiz made hundreds of Marvel action figures before their introduction of the 2002 Marvel Legends line. How many of those figures still hold up well today? Not many at all. Chances are that Toybiz or Hasbro has already made a better sculpted, proportioned, and articulated version of any of their 90's Marvel figures. Think about this next time you are pondering a new line or tempted by a clearance figure. What are the chances of a having a superior figure of this character in the future?

McFarlane is currently making 7 inch DC Universe figures. I have always loved the purple/green Lex Luthor power suit, but I also know that McFarlane figures are not the best for articulation, which is high priority for me. I already have a 6 inch Lex from Mattel's DC Universe Classics, but if I truly want an updated version of him, I think I will just wait until another company gets DC's license.

3. Is the price right?

This is a tricky one, because I am always tempted by a striking clearance figure, but is the line reasonably priced? Is each figure worth the price tag? This varies of course, but some figures are just too high. Sure, I can spare $30-$40 on one 1/12 figure, but should I? How much of that cost is actually going toward the production of the figure vs. the company just trying to gouge for cash? What if I want to buy the rest of the line? Can I afford spending this much on each figure of a growing line in addition to what I already collect?

I do not typically care for NECA figures, because of their plastic quality, but these King Features Syndicate characters certainly catch my eye. I have handled these figures, and they are better than average NECA figures, but their prices are close to $40 each. I can get a Lightning Collection Power Ranger with the same articulation and amount of accessories for $20. I also know the license is not expensive, because most people have never heard of King Features Syndicate, so what is the deal with the high price of these?

4. How compatible is this figure with other lines?

Some collectors do not care, but I like for my characters from one universe to all be in scale. Marvel Legends has been supreme for keeping the whole Marvel Universe within 1/12 scale for years. Sometimes though, you're at a store and a really striking figure is on dirt cheap clearance and the temptation to buy is on the rise. The issue is that the figure is completely out of scale with anything you've previously collected. Should you buy the figure if he basically going to be on his lonesome self in your collection? Are you willing to invest in totally new scale just to build a universe around this one figure?

These new Mego's have a cool 70's charm, and they are a phenomenal value for only $15. The problem is that they are 8 inches which I have little of. If I get Superman, I will not have any villains for him to fight. If I get the Van Helsing, I will have to collect a new line of 8 inch monsters for him to hunt.

Mattel's wrestling figures have caught my eyes for years. They are well sculpted, well articulated, and made of a strong playable plastic. They are just solid figures. Unfortunately, I do not have any other wrestlers, so the temptation of this Mr. T would leave him by himself. I guess I could put him with my super heroes. Mr. T is essentially a super hero!

5. Do I really need THAT many?

On that one lucky trip, you're in the toy aisle and there is a fresh case of new figures on the shelf. You're ecstatic, because you have the luxury of first choice to the case. You're so excited in fact you're even thinking about getting multiples of the same figure, especially troop builders. SO how many duplicates should you buy? Well, my article on scalping definitely suggests against buying multiples for resale. Besides that, I would also suggest controlling yourself on buying multiples because of space, money, and the high chance of a reissued variant of the figure. Do you have the space to store multiples of this one figure? What if you run into another figure that you wanted more, but you ran out of money, because you bought too many troopers? Are the chances of the company reusing the tooling to make a second variant of this figure high? Companies are cheap; they WILL reuse the tooling to make a similar variant very soon.

Every once in a while, I get the rare opportunity to open a case of figures from a pallet  in the middle of the toy aisle. Here is a fresh case of Cobra Officers from Hasbro's Classified line. I do not collect this line, but I do understand troop building. If I did collect this line, I would only buy 1. Hasbro will release more Officers with different paint apps and accessories. I do not want to be stuck with a bunch of Officers that all look the same. Also, for practical reasons, an army will have significantly less officers than enlisted troopers.

Here is a fresh case of untampered Marvel Legends "Renew Your Vows" sets with the most desired Spiderman figure of 2023. The temptation to buy multiples is high, just because this opportunity is so rare. In reality, that would be unwise, because Hasbro will soon release a "better" classic Spiderman before we know it.

I primarily collect Marvel Legends, 1/6 Military/Adventure figures, Lego's, DC Universe Classics ,and 3rd Generation 1/18 G.I. Joes. I am pretty strong with my action figure discipline (mostly because of finite funds), but even I will dabble in other lines just, because the figures are too cool.

All of my points above are merely suggestions to help the collector achieve a stronger concentration of a particular line. At the end of the day, it is ultimately your hard earned cash. Buy whatever figures you want with it!

-Chuck