The Ultimate Action Figures!
The Collector’s Corner
Spotlight On: Hot Toys
The most popular collectible for comic book fans has to be action figures. The term “Action Figure” was coined in 1964 by Hasbro as a means of promoting their line of G.I. Joe dolls. Since the term “doll” didn’t appeal to boys or many parents of boys, Hasbro rebranded their Joes as “Action Figures”. They held onto a major share of the market for the rest of the 1960’s until Mego came out with the first superhero action figures in 1971. The 8-inch figures were very popular with the boys and adult collectors as well.
The Mego line held strong and even expanded into films such as Planet of the Apes. Mego was riding high until they lost the Star Wars license to Kenner who began producing 3 3/4 inch figures which became the industry standard for quite a while.
In 2000, Hot Toys out of Hong Kong came on the scene garnering praise for their highly detailed military figures. Since then they have accumulated licenses for a wide range of properties including Marvel, DC, Aliens, Predator, Back To The Future, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes, Disney, and many more. Hot “Toys” is something of a misnomer…these action figures are definitely not toys. They are high end, ultra-realistic and detailed, and come with numerous accessories including extra hands, heads, weapons, costumes and much more. The craftsmanship, particularly on the celebrity head sculpts, is amazing.
And so is the price. The action figures currently retail for $200 and up and on the secondary market (ie E-Bay) they can run 5 times that much and higher. Here’s a look at some of the Hot Toys superheroes from DC and Marvel you can buy or pre-order now.
Hot Toys are available at Sideshow Collectibles and from many online retailers.
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