Action Figure Sale History repeated itself, when we stopped to shop on the way home one evening. On the clearance table at the front of the same type of store I found the vastly reduced
pit fighting Wookie in, was the deluxe, oversized, brand new (2024) Paz Visla (the heavily armed Mandalorian) figure with a huge discount putting it at WELL below my acceptable price for normal figures. It was not an impulse buy. I know full well about action figures leading to other action figures. Therefore, I went home and did a bunch of research on the site where the Mandalorian figure was in Beskar clad limbo. There I learned multiple other Mandalorians were also neglected by the purchasing public.
I stopped in on the way to work early the next morning…
AND THE ENTIRE CLEARANCE TABLE WAS GONE!!!
There was much swearing.
(Under my breath as I was in public and do have some class.)
I
tried to look moderately sane approaching someone who worked there. They
pointed me to the clearance aisle in the back of the joint, and the care that location takes with regard
to merchandise in that classification was clear when I found Paz Vizla lying face down in some strewn about gardening
supplies.
My
order of more of his combined clan to keep him company freed up Mando from the shipping twilight zone, and he
was delivered along with the discounted gang of the Armorer, (2020) Bo Katan,
(2021) Axe Woves, (2023) and Koska Reeves, (2021). I gotta compliment the
sculpting on these. Along with how awesome the armor is moldeded and painted, the faces look outstandingly like the performers. They
celebrated their arrival on the Upstairs Shelf with their helmets on. (This is
the way.) However, when they were moved to their permanent display location in
the comic room, next to the Boba Fett group where there just happened to be
space, (I know this game) Bo Katan’s clan are unmasked.
You
know that action figures leading to more action figures thing? This one saved me money.
As
should be crystal clear by now, I still have a problem.
American Werewolf in London is
one of my all time favorite films. I was promised (in yet another early online solicited list that was incorrect) a figure of David as a wolf
from that picture WAY BACK in the Movie Maniacs line in the early 2000s. Neca
finally released one along with an awesome looking two pack of Jack and David.
That two pack is eighty bucks. The wolf is nearly that much on his own. Even
with my problems, I am not paying that for toys. I do have (a slim amount) of
self respect.
But…
The
same site that dropped the price on the Star Wars figures had the American
Werewolf in London Toony Terrors Two Pack (2002) at about half price. WOO!!!! They also
had a Herbert West (2021) on sale which I “needed” as well because, as should
be crystal clear by now, I still have a problem. .
One
of the multiple problems, of which it is crystal clear I still have many, is that not only
purchases, but action figure hunting itself leads to other action figures.
Since I know myself well, part of the reason the Supernatural Marvel gang got a dedicated space was the knowledge that the Blackheart build a figure wave of all
supernatural characters was due to be released. (2024) Sadly, in these times of unsure international shipping, this set was the first wave where the price refused to budge down to the
“acceptable” limit. However, “The Thrill Of The Hunt” beckoned.
A near daily online
auction and “make an offer for loose figures” hunt yielded Lilith to join the
other Ghost Rider villains (like Blackheart (2006) back when they used to sell what now pass for “build
a figure” sized characters for normal prices… not that I’m bitter.)
It also
yielded Damion Hellström, to stand next to his wife Hellcat (2015), making me glad for
a previous Thrill Of The Hunt moment.
The
hunt for those led to a couple of more happy accidents of the “loose figure”
variety. As the collection expands new spaces appear combined with reading
comics producing new “needs.” The pharmacy exclusive Binary figure (2021) I
didn’t care about before, popped onto my radar after her appearance in Kelly
Thompson’s Captain Marvel run, and she fit into a perfect spot in the Kree / Skrull gathering.
Not only that, but she was being offered with another pharmacy exclusive
Helmut Zemo, (2022) a throw back to one of my very first Marvel figures.
Luckily, (ahem) now that a chunk of the villain shelf had moved to the
supernatural location, there was a space for him next to his dad.
With
the lack of price dips, the Marvel shelves had reached equilibrium… again...
for now.
The
Mandalorians and friends had a home on a Star Wars shelf. Anabelle’s Muppet
shelf, following Dollar Store finds and thanks to Diamond Distributors filing Chapter 11, has been
uncontrollably stable for a chunk of time.
The Rotating Marvel Shelf continued its role, first by celebrating Thunderbolts.Of course, there were ulterior motives to hunting down Yelena and the
Sentry. As should be crystal clear by now, I still have a problem.
Random
other collections occasionally expand around the house during times of equilibrium. A Disney World trip
added a Pirates ride vehicle to Rosa and my former favorites, Buzz Lightyear
and Peter Pan.
It also added Kiryu (2018 I think) and Final Wars Gigan (Also
2021, more likely 2025, maybe that’s right for the other one too…I have no
clue.) to the Godzilla shelf, because those were souvenirs and therefore do not
count. (Thanx again, Rosa!)
As
should be crystal clear by now, I still have a problem.
When
it came time to swap out the Thunderbolts from upstairs a miracle happened. Saint Anthony
himself visited the Comic Room, depositing Doctor Spectrum's missing Power Prism right on top of the
table, under the newest shelves, in plain sight.
Note-
Rosa disputes the miraculousness of this happening, having watched me stare
directly at the item right in front of my face that she asked me to go get out of the pantry without seeing it for minutes on end on many occasions.
The
crystal clear problem genes are pretty strong, and along with “Tiny Pennys”
Anabelle began hunting down the blind box mini Strawberry Shortcake figures. This continued a family trend. When Anabelle was little she would often play with Kim's first generation Strawberry Shortcake Dolls. Those had sat in the attic since the Eighties, and the combined scent of all of them when the strawberry shaped case was open intoxicated everyone in the house. The new tiny ones have much subtler scents. Rosa continued her enabling trend, finding the final ones Anabelle was missing and adding them to the line up without telling her. Anabelle noticed when she packed them for Grad School.
Click for Part 5
Of course, there were ulterior motives to hunting down Yelena and the
Sentry. 
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