Hey unBLOGGED readers! Welcome to Part 2 of our Toy Collecting Tips and Tricks article. I had to cut the article in half because it was getting too long. Well, that, plus I run out of ideas quickly so I might as well stretch out a good one!
So, last time, we talked about some toy collecting jargons and how making friends is essential to the hobby. Now, we’ll go into some of the finer details of toy collecting.
Attend events and launches
Because you’ve already signed up for that toy collecting forum and you’ve made a bunch of friends already, you’re likely to be in the know when it comes to these events and toy launches. Never ever think to yourself “Meh, I don’t need to go. They’ll show up in retail anyway” because chances are you’d be mistaken. Launches are done by toy lovers for toy lovers, to avoid highly sought after toys falling into the hands of hoarders!
Besides, you never know, you might find something worth your time. Maybe it’s a bargain that you can’t pass up, or a toy you’ve been looking for. Even if you’re not looking for anything, it’s always good to look at the displays, talk to sellers and collectors and ogle cosplayers.
Attending these things can be tricky sometimes, though, because you have to compete with your fellow collectors for bargains and spots in the line. There’s another set of tactics to utilize when it comes to events, but that’s another discussion altogether.
The big ones you should be looking out for are the annual ToyCon, the Metro Comic Con, Toy Kingdom clearance sales, TagCom, Collecticon, multiple Hasbro Toy Launches, UP Komikon, Otaku Expo, Toyfest, Christmas Toyfair, and a bunch of other local events.
Budget your money
As a collector, you’ll find yourself without any expendable cash most of the time because it probably went into getting that new display cabinet or sprucing the old one up. That will totally suck when a toy launch pops up out of nowhere and your credit card is already maxed out. You need to budget your money!
Generally, any hobby is a cash drain, and toy collecting doesn’t really see revenues or returns on investment at the get go. We probably shouldn’t go into a whole financial planning session here so instead, you just have to be aware of your disposable cash. Keeping a hobby fund, an emergency hobby fund and an essentials fund is a good idea.
Buy when cheap
Toy prices fluctuate like crazy and you’ll never really know if and when they go up or down, but you can try to predict. There are multiple factors that affect after-market prices — new shipments, increase in supply, decrease in demand, rareness of figures, new toy releases, etc.
Case in point here would be the 12-inch Toybiz BAF (build a figure) Galactus. When the 19-inch Hasbro Galactus was released, the prices for the 12-inch figure took a hit. Everyone wanted the newer, bigger Galactus.
When you see a figure you like at a reasonable price, buy it.
Know what makes a good figure
What does a good figure make? Honestly, this is very subjective and benchmarks change from person to person. If you’re the type to prioritize sculpt over articulation, then you’d find McFarlane toys to be the best things in the world. If you like playing with the toys in poses and whatnot, then articulation is your ticket.
However, there are general rules that one should follow:
Sculpt – Look at the way the mold is put together. Does this figure have a face that kind of looks like a dried up mango? Does its cleft chin double as a pencil holder? Are the calves abnormally huge? Good figures should be molded proportionally and have good amount of detail, unless of course the being disproportional is a characteristic of the figure/character.
Paint – Paint apps should be clean, without any discoloration, splotches of paint where they shouldn’t be. Bleeding across edges should be minimal if at all present. The color should be consistent throughout the figure.
Articulation – A high number of joints doesn’t necessarily make a well-articulated figure. Joints should provide a good range of motion. However, as long as you can play with it at a satisfactory level, it should be fine. Joints shouldn’t be loose and should stay in place well.
If you’re an MOC collector, the packaging should be free from dents and marks like ink or stuff like that.
Learn toy photography
Toy photography has been emerging as a niche form of art. Although, I highly doubt most collectors who take shots of their toys regard their work as art per se. They do it because they think their toys look cool. You get to share your collection with the world through photos plus you get to extend your enjoyment of your newly purchased goodies.
I’m not very good at it, so here are some examples of great toy shots:
Learn basic customizing or quick fixes
What do you do when you bend a joint so much that it loosens up? How do fix it? What do you do when a piece falls off? How do you shape that stubborn piece of plastic? What do you do when you want to fix up that annoying factory paint defect on your figure’s face?
Well, there are a bunch of tutorials online that tell you how. Learning these tricks is invaluable, plus you get a sense of accomplishment for any job well done.
If the job is way out of your skill range, then you can commission toy customizers to do the work for you. They don’t charge a lot, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how talented some of these guys are. Where do you find them? Almost all forums have a customizing thread.
Do not EVER support hoarders
A basic idea of economics is the relationship between price, demand and supply. Hoarders take advantage of that by buying up all the highly desired figures creating an artificial shortage in supply thus driving up the price.
How do you spot a hoarder? You see that guy with the entire stock of that rare, newly shelved figure? Chances are, he’s a hoarder. Don’t buy from them, or they’ll keep doing what they do.
Well, there you have it — the basics of this very rewarding hobby. I hope you found these tips helpful! Happy toy hunting!