[Acquisitions] Various Iron Man Goodies

The past few weeks at work have been a grind and I'm really finding it hard to find some free time to write new blog entries, thus the Chain Base Comics overload a couple of weeks back. The kind of workload avalanche we've been experiencing at work has slowly become the norm and even though I don't like it one bit, my only option is to swim along. Anyway, I'm quite free today so I decided to write about some acquisitions which are long overdue. Come on, let's check them out!

[Acquisitions] McFarlane's Sports Picks NBA Basketball Series 19: LeBron James

This figure was released locally at the height of this year's NBA Playoffs, and with the Miami Heat being serious title-contenders back then, hoarders were quick to grab this figure off the shelves to the dismay of real fans and collectors. Originally retailing for 1000 bucks, prices on eBay and on other specialty stores soared to as high as 1900 Pesos. Since I hate patronizing those hoarders and scalpers, I decided not to immediately get this figure and waited for the NBA Playoffs to play out. The Miami Heat eventually lost to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals, and LBJ got the blame for his poor showing throughout the series. 

[Acquisitions] Iron Man 2: 1:12 Mark V

 
Jeez, I'm still on a slump. My sincerest apologies.

Okay, let's just talk about toys. I was able to get this 1:12 Iron Man Mark V armor a few weeks back, and I think I made a good decision buying this one loose for only 500 bucks. This figure was released more than a year ago, but I wasn't able to get one immediately as every figure I spotted back then had extremely bad paint bleeds (the red paint bled on to the silver parts and totally messed up the figure's looks). I actually saw a bunch of carded Mark Vs in Greenhills before I bought this figure, but I will never be caught spending a thousand bucks for a mint-on-card figure with terrible paint apps. The one I got also has the said paint problems, and it didn't come with the extra sets of hands and the "transport" case, but I firmly believe that I made a wise purchase as the value of those extra items will never add up to another 500 bucks. You can call me a cheapo, but I'm just glad to acquire another Iron Man armor to bolster my 1:12 armory.

[Acquisitions] McFarlane's Sports Picks NBA Basketball: Miami Heat 3-Pack

 

Not a lot of people know that my foray into the toy collecting world started when I was introduced to McFarlane's Sports Picks NBA action figures way back in 2003. Long before being a toy collector, it was already my habit to check the toy stores out everytime I visit the mall. One day, I saw a Kobe Bryant figure (from Series 3) at a certain specialty shop and I was instantly mesmerized. The details on the figure were simply amazing, and being a huge NBA fan, I just had to own the said figure. I parted with some spare cash, took the figure home, and things started rolling. I did some research about McFarlane Toys, and next thing I knew, I had a bunch of figures of my fave NBA players on my table that I had to install glass shelves on the wall just to free my table up.

[Acquisitions] Marvel Legends: Ultimate War Machine

As a toy collector that's been in the hobby for quite some time, I know I've made a lot of wrong decisions collecting-wise. Majority of those wrong decisions can be summarized in to one big type of mistake, holding a good toy in my hands and failing to buy that toy, never to see it again.

[Acquisitions] Iron Man: The Armored Avenger 1:12 Initiative War Machine

My first encounter with this figure was when I was checking out the Iron Man thread over at PTK, looking for new 1:18 releases. I remember being so excited about this figure that I immediately asked some fellow collectors & some toy dealers about its availability. Fortunately, I was able to snag one from the pegs of Toy Kingdom (Pampanga) and I didn't have to get one through eBay. So, is this figure worth all the hype?

[Acquisitions] Iron Man: The Armored Avenger 1:12 Stealth Strike Mark IV

Though I'm a huge Iron Man fan, I don't really keep track of the release dates of the new figures from the Armored Avenger Legends Series (1:12) line. To be totally honest, I really don't have any idea about the figure line-up of this line. Not that I don't give a damn about it, it's just that I'm focusing my attention (and budget) more on the G.I. Joe line. I've also been very preoccupied with other things (family, work, this blog, etc.) that I hardly have time to visit the toy forums that I used to frequent (TS118, PTK).

[Acquisitions] Iron Man: The Armored Avenger 1:12 Mark VI

Wow, it has been a long time indeed. The last 1:12 Iron Man figures I purchased were the Iron Man 2: Mission Armors 3-pack, and that was way back last year. The 1:12 figs somehow lost their appeal to me when they became more expensive and harder to find, and so, I switched over to the more affordable and much easier to find 1:18 line. But impressed with this Mark VI figure's bulk and finish, I'm now planning to track the rest of the line down to bolster my 1:12 Iron Man armory. Definitely a great buy for an Iron Man fan.