Say if a person wants to get into or get back into our hobby would you recommend it?

Say if a person what’s to get into or get back into our hobby would you recommend it? If you do recommend it what tips would you give for a newbie?

I actually think us 1/6th collectors maybe in for a rocky time , depending what you collect . If your into Action Man things are not likely to change to much , and my advice to anyone who collects that is to buy the best examples you can afford , when I collected A.M , if I had anything less than in very good condition I was not happy with it . As regarding the newer stuff from Hot Toys ect ect , with the current inflated costs of shipping , and the amount of diss trust a lot of Chinese sellers have brought upon themselves , I fear for us here in the U.K at least , picking up the more recent figures is going to be hard and still very likely costly . There are still a few trust worthy dealers out there from across the water , but I find what most keep stock of , is normally in low numbers and very limiting collector wise .

Gotta say that I pretty much agree with Chip. Import and shipping costs have gone crazy, as have the prices for AM on ebay.  As he said there are a few trustworthy sellers still out there, but they are getting fewer and fewer.

I feel sorry for anyone trying to start a collection now. It's going to be an expensive hobby going forwards. As well as a hobby fraught with frustration and anger at sellers who deceive or outright lie.

That said I'm very happy with my boys n girls. I think I managed to get most if not all that I want with the odd exception. So I ...probably like most of us.... will be concentrating on kit bashing and dio building in the future.

As for the person who wants to start now. Maybe join AMMO...we are as I found out in my early days a very generous bunch.

Words of advice?
BE PREPARED TO SPEND LOTS OF MONEY...specially on clothing and accessories!
I don't think there would be anyone here who would not own up to spending FAR too much money on this hobby.

For a newbie, yes, expect to spend a lot of money.

I was out of collecting for about 4-5 years. And when I came back I
found that costs of collecting have gone way up. Luckily I got a lot
of stuff before my hiatus. What I have gotten since then has been a lot
more expensive. I haven't gotten much lately. I don't have the
collecting budget I used to have.

LeStryge wrote:

Words of advice?
BE PREPARED TO SPEND LOTS OF MONEY...specially on clothing and accessories!
I don't think there would be anyone here who would not own up to spending FAR too much money on this hobby.

Guilty, as charged. I may just have to keep my future figures "nekkid."

Kimono Troop Command wrote:

 I may just have to keep my future figures "nekkid."

Never thought of modelling a "Nudist Colony"!
Would certainly save on all that expensive clothing, but any male figures are going to need a little extra expenditure.

LeStryge wrote:

Kimono Troop Command wrote:

 I may just have to keep my future figures "nekkid."

Never thought of modelling a "Nudist Colony"!
Would certainly save on all that expensive clothing, but any male figures are going to need a little extra expenditure.

How fortunate that a lot of the Phicen male figures come with two sets of "extra expenditure" already supplied; both the hard and floppy kind. Too bad Phicens aren't your thing.

Seriously, when I get around to doing my Anime collection, whenever that starts, they'll rarely be wearing more than a bikini and often much less. Was thinking of modeling a nudist camp actually.

Kimono Troop Command wrote:

How fortunate that a lot of the Phicen male figures come with two sets of "extra expenditure" already supplied; both the hard and floppy kind.  Too bad Phicens aren't your thing.

I have noticed that assortments are available as separates if the necessity....arises?

Kimono Troop Command wrote:

when I get around to doing my Anime collection, whenever that starts, they'll rarely be wearing more than a bikini and often much less.   

Purely from what I have seen on eBay, most of those female Anime figures on offer seem to wear VERY little and are invariably portrayed in very riské poses, if not downright X-rated stuff.

Risqué will be wear I'm going with anime, but not on this forum.

LeStryge wrote:

… if the necessity....arises?

Yes, some of us are paying attention.

Well speaking of modelling say a Nudist Colony as we were, just how realistic a model would it be?
While never having been to an actual full-on (or should that be "off'?) facility, I have in my younger days been to several nudist...(well clothing optional as they put it, but essentially nude), beaches.
Now just how can I put this.
Let's just say that NONE of the bodies of the habituées were anything like the nubile forms of those Phicen/seamless figures AT ALL!
Quite the opposite in fact!
So I think any model representation of such a place is going to have to be very idealised indeed, or involve some extremely serious kitbashing of the figures!

LeStryge wrote:

Now just how can I put this.
Let's just say that NONE of the bodies of the habituées were anything like the nubile forms of those Phicen/seamless figures AT ALL!
Quite the opposite in fact!

The same applies to the males. The few times I have happened across such beaches, they were populated almost entirely by males who were decidedly lacking the physiques of hard-bodied Action Man or GI Joe. More like... picture a sunburned Pillsbury Dough Boy... with sasquatch-grade body hair... the age of your grandpa.

Wait...  ... what was the topic of this topic again? Oh, right, getting in to or back in to the hobby. Right now, thinking along these lines, I'm almost talking myself in to getting out of it!


Actually, "this hobby" is so broad that I would want to know what aspect of it was of interest to a person before offering suggestions. Many people like the collecting aspect, purchasing and owning new, current figure releases. Others prefer the challenge of collecting out of production or vintage figures and sets, finding a thrill in the hunt for rare or unusual pieces. Some collect as a tangent to another interest - certain historical periods, for example, or fashion trends. Some simply find fun in owning a few toys they had when they were kids, or wished they had owned when they were kids. Then there are hobbyists whose interest goes beyond merely owning, collecting, or displaying: those who enjoy customizing figures to create unique characters, or their own versions of characters from books or films, or of course, the detail-oriented modelers who craft detailed replicas of "real world" figures - often military, but sometimes historical figures or workers in modern-day occupations. For a few, the interest in figures evolves from wanting to populate dioramas or to include figures with model vehicles. Photography is a big part of the action figure hobby for many people - ranging from documenting recent purchases to creating lifelike scenes or comic strip style stories.

The first question I would ask someone curious about joining or resuming the hobby would be something along the lines of - what aspects of action figures do they find intriguing?

LeStryge wrote:

Well speaking of modelling say a Nudist Colony as we were, just how realistic a model would it be?
While never having been to an actual full-on (or should that be "off'?) facility, I have in my younger days been to several nudist...(well clothing optional as they put it, but essentially nude), beaches.
Now just how can I put this.
Let's just say that NONE of the bodies of the habituées were anything like the nubile forms of those Phicen/seamless figures AT ALL!
Quite the opposite in fact!
So I think any model representation of such a place is going to have to be very idealised indeed, or involve some extremely serious kitbashing of the figures!  

Well if you take a look at my Kimono Troop collection, they are pretty idealized also. I was a sergeant in the Canadian Army (Reserve Element) when we first started integrating women into the combat arms in 1990. In fact I was the course senior NCO on the first basic trade training, (artillery) course that included women. One of the women on the course went on to become commanding officer of the regiment, a few years back, but that's another story. Yes, I have seen some good looking women in the army, though most are not that good-looking, and generally short and dumpy. None of them look like the girls in Kimono Troop, who more than anything, resemble Wicked Wanda's private army from the Wicked Wanda comics that used to be in Penthouse back in the 70's.

I have likewise looked at some naturist magazines shot on nudist resorts and can ascertain that most of the folks there are in their 40's and 50's and few, if any look anything like the average Phicen doll, male or female.

Finally, I have shot lots of photos of nude and semi-nude women over the years, though I haven't now for several years and can guarantee form experience that there are very few if any perfect bodies out there and almost all require retouching of some sort. I have never seen an issue of Hefner's old Playboy in which there wasn't massive retouching.

so yeah, if I model a nudist colony or something, it will more likely than not be completely idealized, perhaps even stylized using anime heads and bodies.

Getting back to the original topic, I don't think it's my place to advise someone to get into the hobby or stay out of it. That's their call. However is someone were to ask me about the pro's and cons, I would have to be up front about the costs and frustrations as much as I would about the fun I get out of it.

I still find it absurd that I can buy a quite nice FULL-SIZED garment to fit myself for quite a lot cheaper than a 1/6 scale piece.
This alone says a great deal about the hobby.

And regarding "perfect figures" or lack thereof;
1/6 scale figures of men are available such as these: (Pics direct from eBay.)



and



Hardly "attractive", with man-boobs, big guts, obvious signs of ageing etc. but are such less than perfect figures of females available?