When I was younger I use to have a ton of action figures from the different shows and comic books that I would enjoy. I had figures from GI Joe, Transformers, Marvel and DC mostly. I would play with toy cars as well but being able to recreate the stories and shows that I read and watch was what interested me. As I got older the action figures would become collectibles and see less action. I wanted to preserve them for a long time. For those of you who has owned a GI Joe figure from the 1980s know that they eventually come apart. The rubber band that held the figure together from the inside that allowed the torso to twist was no longer elastic over time and became brittle.

Fast forward to the last decade, figures have come a long way. During the 1990s and into 2000s, we started seeing figures with more articulations and realistic details. And like comic books or sports cards, variants were introduced to Toy Biz's Marvel Legends line, subsequently by Hasbro. Their Build a Figure was immensely popular, as consumers suddenly had to buy the entire set, whether they wanted a figure or not. Not to be outdue by their competitors, Mattel introduced Matty's Collector, a website dedicated to Mattel Collectibles. Their licenses include the popular He-Man, Masters of the Universe as well as DC Universe. They offer new releases that are exclusive to their website and not available at retailer around the middle of each month. Their next offering is scheduled on January 17th.

Whether you had attended San Diego Comic Con or New York Comic Con, it's evident the most popular booths because of their exclusive convention only action figures is the Mattel and Hasbro booth. It's not uncommon to see these convention only figures selling at 5 times what it cost the dealer leading up to and during the week of the Comic Con. With the two companies, usually whatever leftover stock from the convention is then offered for sale on their website at a later date. The company sometimes may offer a retailer version later on, but the convention version may offer a bonus figure , accessory or feature. Another change is that during the 1980s and 1990s, the toy companies at least, the ones making Marvel and DC figures would produce figures for only popular characters. It was not uncommon to see dozens of variations of Superman or Spider-Man. Now toy companies would do polls and produce lesser known super heroes and villains that non comic book fans would not be familiar with.

With the limited space in my home and large amount of clutter of comic books and other stuff I don't buy collectibles as much as I use to. I do have some of my old figures including a NWO Hulk Hogan, Build A Figure Apocalypse and original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Raphael. I've been itching to collect the 3 3/4" Marvel Universe figures that started to come out a few years ago by Hasbro. Whatever it is you play or collect, I think we are very fortunate for the advances made and that these toy companies have continued to listen to the fans and produced figures we want and enjoy.