Share Your Collection With Other Collectors
Some of us would like others to be able to admire our collections or certain pieces of our collections the same way that we do. There are so many places online for collectors to congregate these days and share images and/or video of their pride and joy: their action figure collection. You can join Facebook groups for Transformers, Marvel, Star Wars—whatever figures you collect, there is likely a Facebook group dedicated to that niche. Another great place to find other collectors is Reddit. Many people share images of their action figures on the action figures subreddit, which is a place for action figure collectors of all types, but you can definitely find subreddits dedicated to specific action figure lines if the general action figures subreddit is, well, a little too general. There are also still some active message boards dedicated to action figures where you can discuss and share your favorite figures as well as discuss action figure news. Here are some examples:
- Toyark (for action figures in general)
- Transformers World 2005 (for Transformers figures)
- Rebelscum (for Star Wars figures)
Admittedly sites like these are not nearly as active as they used to be. Today, social media sites like Facebook, Reddit, and even YouTube are contributing to traditional message boards being phased out. Though Transformers World 2005 still seems to be pretty active, which is really cool as I used to post there myself.
Share Your Action Figures on YouTube
I decided to do a separate section just for YouTube since it is unique in that there are number of things you can do with your action figure related YouTube channel.
Action figure reviews are pretty common and there are number of different channels that do them. These videos by people like optibotimus, SEAN LONG, and TheReviewSpot are the go-to place for many people who are on the fence about buying certain figures. Lets face it, action figures aren’t cheap, and for those of us who aren’t completest, video reviews are one of the best ways to decide whether or not a figure is worth our money. If you’re someone who is really passionate about individual figures, creating action figures reviews of your own could be a good outlet for you to talk about that passion and share it with others in the same way that the YouTubers I mentioned earlier are doing it.
The next thing many people enjoy doing with their action figure related YouTube channel is bringing their action figures to life with stop motion animation. I personally used to do stop motions with my Transformers and Bionicle figures, and I also enjoyed watching other people’s stop motions. Some channels I used to really enjoy were Nightslash2020 and Spidey406.
Stop motion is not easy and takes a good deal of time and dedication, but the rewards of having an epic animation you created with your action figures make it worth it. There are some truly epic stop motions on YouTube that go above and beyond the normal expectation for a stop motion by incorporating special effects that add a whole new layer to the video. Here are a few examples that might inspire you:
Hanging Carded (Unopened) Action Figures on Your Wall
If you have unopened action figures, a great way to display them is by hanging them on your walls almost like you would with posters. This can be done simply with tacks or nails. Action figures on your walls make for very cool decorations. I use to have unopened Transformers hanging on my walls and there would be times I would find myself just staring at all of them.
If you’re going to do this, just remember not to hang them anywhere where they will be getting sunlight. The UV rays from the sun are bad for the packaging and the action figures inside. UV rays are primarily responsible for colors fading or yellowing in your action figures.
Displaying Your Action Figures
This one is pretty much a given, and I’m sure every action figure collector already does this or plans to at some point or another; but one of the most fulfilling things a collector can do with his or her collection is display it in all of its glory. There are many ways you can go about doing this: bookshelves, display cases, mesh shelves, wire shelves, tables, within an entertainment center—really there are so many different ways you can go about it and its completely up to you. You can display them standing at attention or in action/battle poses.
There a number of different ways you can really jazz up your display that go beyond simply setting them all up on a shelf. One idea is to use led light strips around the edges of the shelf. Be sure to check out my post on displaying your action figure collection here.
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