Some may know me as the classic gamer, some may only know me as the fighting gamer. Some of you may not know me at all, and that’s totally fine because you will get to know me. Today I come to you as neither of those personalities but instead as one that I’ve neglected to share with you guys. Though I am first and foremost a gamer of all types, a very large part of me is an avid collector. While I can’t assume direct control, I can bring to you guys my growing knowledge of the world of collecting as we embark on this journey to expand our horizons beyond the television screen.

Most people hear the words toy or action figure and immediately think that only children should be associated with them. What they don’t know is that toys can represent so much more than a plaything when geared toward the right audience. These figures can serve as endless inspiration and nostalgic landmarks in the brain that simultaneous gives the room they are placed in glimpses into the character that you yourself are. For those who wish to learn more, look no further as I am about to give you a brief but sufficient look into the major types of figures available to you.

Let’s start off with the most detailed of the bunch; statues. A statue is a pre-posed model that requires no assembly from the consumer, though some instances occur where you must attach an accessory or two. While a vast majority of them come already painted for your viewing pleasure, not all come with a paint job. These are perfect for the collector who wants to further add his or her own personality to the statue. As these come in a great variety of different sizes and shapes, there are are a few key differences that set apart each statue other than the details of the statue itself. The size, or scale, of the statue is the first thing that set’s them apart as each manufacturer has it’s own preferred size limitations. Special projects that don’t follow a particular line of products are subject to more freedom when determining size. The other key factor is the material the statue is made out of. Most often done from a type of plastic called PVC, statues also usually come in porcelain and die-cast metal, each with their own weight and texture to them. Since statues are primarily focused on painstaking detail and accuracy, they aren’t as mass produced as other types of figures and are usually highly sought after because of this. Supply and demand rears it’s occasionally ugly head because of this truth and the prices of statues vary from somewhat affordable to wallet emptying because of it. You can think of statues as the high end decorative end of the spectrum of toys. They may cost a bit and are sometimes rare, but damn if they aren’t beautiful and satisfying to look at.

Perfectly good example of a pvc statue. Don't look too long now!

Next up we are going to dive into the world of action figures. Depending on how awesome you were as a child, you should be pretty familiar with these imagination party starters. Now these figures are also pre-assembled but have an important detail that sets them apart from statues. They are purposely designed to allow you to pose them in many different ways, hence the name “action” figures. Since these guys are made for more direct interaction than a statue, less effort is spent on fine details and is instead spent on durability. A great action figure balances the need for good articulation for poses and the need for good subject detail and accuracy. Articulation simply refers to the different points on the figure that you can maneuver around to create desired poses and stances. The higher lever of articulation a figure has, the more joints you can move around. Even though the focus is on making sure the figure handles wear and tear well, manufacturers don’t forget to make the action figure accurately resemble the subject of the figure. You wouldn’t want a highly playable action figure of Solid Snake only to have him look like Tom Hanks in a rubber suit now would you? I didn’t think so, though thinking about it now makes me feel like I stumbled onto something here… Hopping back on track here, these figures are made with cheaper material and are easier to produce a large quantity of resulting in more favorable prices and levels of availability. Action figures are more casual of a purchase since they cost less and can even resemble statues pretty well enough to function as them. These are primarily for those who like to have fun with their figures but can be enjoyed by the wallflowers who like to just look on in admiration. 

Halo action figures ready for...uh...action!

Next we have something for the more adventurous collector. Model kits, also known as garage kits, are figures that actually do not come already assembled and instead demand that you, the consumer, build these kits yourself. Now initially one would probably think, “why would I want to go through all the effort of building my own figure if I can just buy it already made?” and there are a few answers to this question. Model kits allow for high levels of customization because you can tweak the different pieces to look how you want them to. Painting individual pieces of a figure is easier and more accurate than painting an assembled figure because you don’t have to fear any of the paint spilling over into unwanted areas. Though not always the case, model kits have been known to include interchangeable pieces such as different hand pieces or attachable accessories. When a model kit is referred to as a garage kit it means that it has no paint job on it leaving full color customization up to the person putting the figure together. Kits can either use joints to allow posing upon completion or remain in a fixed pose due to lack of articulation or being held together by glue. Each kit comes with an instruction booklet that is designed to show you how each piece fits with each corresponding piece correctly. These instructions range from easily understood to annoyingly difficult so pay attention to how complicated the finished piece looks. Although model kits do indeed come disassembled there are places that will sell completed and painted model kits but at a much higher asking price due to the labor and supplies used. Usually in good supply, model and garage kits are moderately affordable but can be more expensive the more complicated the kit becomes. Model kits are definitely geared more towards those who want to feel like the figure is their own personal extension of themselves. It’s very similar to giving a car a custom paint job. Solid Tom Hanks Snake could be more awesome than anyone else’s with your own paint touches to him. 

Super simple garage kit. It can get a lot harder than this.

There are a few more variations of toys but a very large majority of them fall under one of these three categories. I’ll be back to cover the other different types and how to go about looking for them. If that isn’t enough to get you sick of me, I will also bring to you guys reviews and closer looks at some good figures, even some from my own personal collection. That’s right folks I intend to be your one stop shop for all things toy related here on clgamer, from classic figures that are coveted by collectors everywhere, hot figures that are out that you need to get your hands on, to upcoming figures that you’ll wish you didn’t have to wait for. This is Krismas rolling out, I have some gundams to build..

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P.S. …the year end…shall be soon…

As usual, you can download the episode right here

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- OmegaZed’s recap of last week’s antics

- The Kristian and OmegaZed Epic Adventures at Dark Moon Faire

- World of Warcraft TCG Review

- What we are playing

- Magic the Gathering: Innistrad review

- Steve Jobs: a remembrance

As usual you can download the episode right here!

- World of Warcraft TCG Review

- Magic: the Gathering: Innistrad Review

- Tokyo Game Show Bits and Pieces.

As usual you can get the show right here

- The Kristian Otakon Review

- Deus Ex and Catherine Review

- September New Game Release Schedule and what you should be looking forward to.

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- The New 2012 Magic: The Gathering set.

- The YuGiOh Dawn of the XYZ set, ban list predictions, the re-release of formerly limited release cards in upcoming holiday tins.

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