Update: 8/21

Since people are apparently finding my collection blog here, AND since I've started getting emails about certain things, I thought I'd post occasional thoughts and update notifications.

Today I updated my Super-Hero Knockoffs with some more Batman love and a Superman with very impressive facial hair, so check that out.

I'd also like to comment on the Nerfuls collection. That collection took a long time to hunt down. I don't want to sound arrogant about it, but all the information you find about Nerfuls online was mostly drawn from my Nerfuls.com website which I pulled down when enough people had taken and copied the info and pictures so as to make it irrelevant.

Time changes everything, and Nerfuls collecting is no exception. I think, in part because I threw the information out there that had pretty much existed nowhere before, demand for these figures has increased drastically. Ebay prices for figures are crazy now in comparison to what they were when I started, and that's because there seems to be a lot more people collecting. And as a result of this increased collecting audience those coming into this line now, or even in the last couple of years, want these rare series two figures. And I don't blame them, because they're sweet.

The problem there is that, unlike many toys for many lines, they're not really available. You can look at Nerfuls auctions on ebay all year long and never see a glimpse of one. The very few that exist are pretty much in the hands of collectors like me and those hands are reluctant to open. I don't think anyone who has bought a rare in the last five years has done so with the intent of selling it or making some money off of it. I could be wrong, but my sense is that the people who collect these do so because they have a genuine affection for them.

Such is the case with my own. Probably six years ago or so I was fortunate enough to pick up a number of rares from Jen K, a collector and daughter of a former Parker Bros. employee. A few of those were sold to a fellow collector, one was given to Bonnie Zacherle (creator of the Nerfuls), and one to a friend of mine. The rest have remained in my collection since. Besides a Princess Deb that appeared shortly after on Ebay (that I did not win), I have not seen series two Nerful publicly for sale since, and I do check on a regular basis.

The reason I bring this up is because recently I've been receiving email requests, both for my own series two Nerfuls and for information on where to buy them.

The short answer to the second question is that there's really nowhere to buy them. You have to find a collector and hope they're willing to sell.

As to my own, I am not looking to sell them. I do imagine, however, that there is some price at which I would sell them. I don't know what that price would be, but I imagine it would be very high. I know that, realistically, if I sell the ones I have then I'll probably never have them again. With all the time I've spent learning about and hunting down these little guys it'll take something really compelling to get me to part with them.

So, if you feel like you want to try and buy them from me, please just email me an offer instead of asking if they're for sale, or what I want for them, because I always find myself at a loss as to how to respond. The worst I will say is no.

Super Hero Knock-Offs

My love of knock-off figures and my life-long love of comics meet nicely with this collection.

It's pretty easy to find junky super hero knock-offs, so I sometimes pass over some because they lack a certain something. It's hard to say what makes a specific figure a buy or not for me. I just know what I like when I see it.

Anyway, Batman is probably the most common figure I buy, so while there are other characters, there's a lot more Batman than anything else.

My Collection So Far:

A fun note, all four of these figures have little light bulbs in their chests!

Superman, Batman and Spider-Man were all in a single pack along with two Power Rangers knock-offs. The Spider-Man figure uses the same body as the Power Rangers, and if you look close enough you can see that his head is shaped like a helmet, and not like a head.

I also enjoy Superman's neck beard, which is very high-fashion.

 

I really want to find the Spider-Man and Robin "Super Powers" figures. I guess I don't know for sure that they exist, but I have a hunch. 

The Bat Hero figures are made of a very soft, flimsy rubber, and the glue that connects their capes has become little more than a slightly oozy sticky substance. it only keeps their capes connected for minutes at a time, but it certainly is all over their backs.  

Mr. Sinister seems like a strange choice for a bootleg X-Men villain, however other than perhaps Magneto and Sabretooth I don't know who else you could make that would use so simple a body. I just enjoy that he looks so uncomfortable. 

Brave-Man actually looks like a well put together bootleg, however I don't think I want to open him to find out how well made he actually is.

S.L.U.G. Zombies

I don't pretend to understand the sudden attraction to zombies that seems to have recently hit the mainstream, but I am a fan of clever little toys.

S.L.U.G. Zombies are one of several toy lines, obscure and widespread, cashing in on America's sudden interest in minifigures. Add to that the zombie subject matter which is popular now as well, and the packaging, coloring, scale and title acronym all of which create nostalgic feelings for 80's M.U.S.C.L.E. men, and you've got a sure-fire hit on your hands.

These things really are nice though. The attention to detail is wonderful, and the character designs are very clever. I've gotten all of waves two and three so far, and a few of wave one (which I fear will be terribly difficult to track down moving forward).

My Collection So Far:

King Guts, Grave Lincoln

Headless Halpert, Piece Mail Pete

Decayin' Dom, Jon B. Gone

Flesh-Eatin' Phil, Mash-Up Mike

Stu B' you, Dr. Outbreak

Cleopatra Commin'Atcha, Macho Mangler

Andrew Agony, Jump-Shot Rot

Mr. Jangles, Maximus Cadaverous

Grim Trekker, Teddy Terror

 Singer Mortis, The Deadlifter

Extra Crispy, Tragic Magic

Squeamy Sashimi, Decrepit Katie

Jeet Kune Dead, The Towering Terror

Basehit Bones, Trashcan Sam

 Zero Hero, Louie Fingers

 Buck Wilde, Blazin' Basel

 Gator Jones, Captain Payback

Riled-Up Riley, Johnny Two-Guns

Double-Barrel Carol, Woody The Wrecker

I also have the Christmas Slug Zombies, and will be posting photos soon!

Skylanders

So I've had an attraction to "little rubber guys" for as long as I can remember. My parents would buy me Smurfs as a little kid (one of the few childhood collections I still have), I remember receiving Battle Beasts as a gift while recovering from having my tonsils removed, I had battles in my sandbox for years with M.U.S.C.L.E. figures, etc.

I also LOVE video game gimmicks. I've owned "Seaman", "Samba De Amigo", "Hey you, Pikachu", "Donkey Konga", "Guitar Hero", "Yanya Caballista", and several other games requiring unique peripherals.

So just about the minute Skylanders was released, I was there to buy it.

Skylanders has become a game that both my wife and I play, which makes it an extra beloved collection around here. The characters are different enough that you actually WANT to have them all, and they certainly didn't skimp on the toy designs.

In the pictures below I'm not going to bother posting the little accessories, because a toy of a bottle of potion is sort of boring.

My collection so far:

 Slam Bam, Wham Shell

 Gill Grunt, Zap

 Whirlwind, Sonic Boom

 Warnado, Lightning Rod

 Cynder, Ghost Roaster

 Hex, Chop-Chop

 Spyro, Wrecking Ball

 Voodood, Double Trouble

 Zook, Camo

 Stealth Elf, Stump Smash

 Terrafin, Dino-rang

 Prism Break, Bash

 Sunburn, Ignitor

 Eruptor, Flameslinger

 Drobot, Drill Sergeant 

 Trigger Happy, Boomer

 Trigger Snappy, Gill Runt

Whisper Elf, Terrabite

 Pirate Seas, Darklight Crypt

Dragon's Peak, Empire of Ice

I will be updating soon with the "Skylanders: Giants" figures I have. 

Dick Tracy

Lately I've become a fan of Dick Tracy. I've read many of the old comics and re-watched the 1990 film. I'm not sure what it is about the property that I suddenly find so appealing, but it's lead me to pick up the old Playmates movie figures as I find them.

My collection so far:

 Dick Tracy, Sam Catchem

 Big Boy Caprice, Lips Manlis

 Mumbles, Flat Top

 Itchy, Prune Face

The Rodent, The Tramp

The Brow

I also have a carded Shoulders figure that I'll be popping open soon.