Our Days May Be Numbered

Our Days Are Numbered

It looks like the open market for the days of the 1/6^th scale collector are numbered boys & girls. I have seen that 21^st Century Toys is scaling down, not from retail but in size. And I say this as I find nothing in our scale but in 1/18^th, 1/32^nd, 1/35^th, and I think someone mentioned (or I saw) a 1/144^th scale fighter for display. Don’t get me wrong, dear reader: those are wonderful & amazing products from a fine & reputable company, and collecting wouldn’t have the hold it has nowadays without the wonderful people at 21^st Century Toys. Sadly, those of us in the 1/6^th area are running low on imagination and supplies without having to pay a premium price or sending away for it via suppliers on the web. After that, most of us are reduced to buying our accessories in package from someone selling bulk lots - meaning the guy has 10 of the same thing & he’s asking $6 for each! – at the toy or collectors shows. Or we’re scouring the corners of flea markets or checking the toy bins of thrift stores. Sometimes we get lucky; maybe the clothing is missing but the figure is intact, with tight joints and a minimum of markings across the face and body. Sometimes all he’s (or she if you’re lucky enough to find a loose female figure intact with no broken limbs or cracked features) needing are new weapons from the spare arsenal in your kit-bashing box. Thus, it becomes your new masterpiece to show off on club nights, a chance to express the smile it gave you when you found it instead of having to destroy one mint/new in package and lose the cost of that collectors’ gem and feeling the tickle of “dang, I shoulda gotten two when I had the chance”. Bragging rights are always the next part of the night, trust me!

Nowadays we are all bouncing in & out of local discount stores for the best effort in collecting. I am recommending the following retailers for your chance to find something new and maybe at a discount that you may have missed when the figure was first put out. These are the ones I have found in this part of the state of Texas. There may be other variable places to shop I don’t know about so I’ll give you some more ideas at the end of the article.

• Big Lots Close-Out stores - http://www.biglots.com/
• Tuesday Morning - http://www.tuesdaymorning.com/
• Dollar General stores - http://www.dollargeneral.com/
• Burke’s Outlet Stores - http://www.burkesoutlet.com/
• KB Toy store - http://www.kbtoys.com/
• Toys R Us - http://www2.toysrus.com/
• Power Team action figures - http://www.mctoy.com.hk/powerteamfigures/
• 21^st Century Toys on-line shopping - http://21ct-store.stores.yahoo.net/
• Then, of course, there’s always eBay – http://www.ebay.com

Now a few examples:

• Big Lot’s had the Hasbro GI Joe Army Paratrooper for $12.99; prior to the withdrawal of the 1/6^th line in favor of the (Gag!) Sigma Six line, the figures like it were being sold by major retailers for $29.99. Currently, Big Lots also has an individual figure with a molded-to-body t-shirt (such as the SAS Commando in black with the H&K, a Coast Guard figure with a cloth life vest, and an Airborne Trooper with a beret and M-16) and some accessories for $6.99. As part of the line they usually carry, Big Lots carries the Power Team figures in an abundance and variety of military groups, races and accessories, such as snow mobiles, kayaks, donkeys, and billet bunks and so forth. And for the low cost they incur it would be wise to consider them for customizing efforts or kit-bashing.

• Tuesday Morning carried the Ultimate Soldier Vietnam Memorial figures with a base and some accessory weapons for $19.99. That’s THREE (3) figures in one box; since the store I went to had two (2) boxes I bought both, that way I could have the extra goodies and figures for kit-bashing. Tuesday Morning also had a Desert Infantry GI Joe with a machine-gun mortar, for (after several markdowns) $5.99! It was originally $9.99, and then went down 20%, then an additional 25% thus leaving it around the price I would gladly pay. When I saw a second figure I scooped that one up also. In the past few years of shopping at Tuesday Morning’s there have been too many good deals to mention! Right now the stores are carrying a few Soldiers of the World figures, which were carried by Target, Wal-Mart and K-Mart, just to name a few of the major retailers. When the lacking of 1/6^th scale began in 2004 or so, the last of the figures went on the shelves (along with the uniforms sold separately) at ridiculously low prices. Excellent for kit-bashing & customizing! Sadly, they disappeared quickly and went onto figures, into storage and onto eBay. Now, if you look carefully, you can find the Desert uniform you want with the mini-sunglasses and the better-than-Hasbro detailed H&K for about $9.99.

• Dollar General was a surprise to me, but albeit a pleasant one. I found on-card Hasbro figures for either $5 or maybe $8 depending on what they had. Most of the offerings were figures with the molded t-shirts, such as the Navy SEAL figure with the scuba gear, H&K, and the knife. The pleasant part was that I found some African-American and Hispanic available. Those figures gave my collection the same rainbow of variety life has within itself. Another item I saw was a small cart/vehicle for the Hasbro GI Joe figure; instead of the $19 to $29 they had been sold for at Toys R Us, the store was asking $10. You can’t beat a deal like that with a stick! They too, carry the Power Team figures but a basic figure: a figure with a uniform (no cover) and either a pistol or machine gun. The racial variety is there as it is in Big Lots but don’t expect a lot of accessories and goodies galore.

• Burke’s Outlet Store was a surprise to me, since I didn’t know there was one in San Antonio. The first time I came across one I was in Corpus Christi visiting my fiancée (now my wife) and she took me shopping in the mall. I saw the boxed set of the Twin Tower commemorative figures for $9.99. If you collectors remember, these are the ones released by Ertl Toys previously as NYPD & NYFD figures; when the attacks took place they became ‘commemorative’ and had a sticker slapped on them and a retail price in Target stores of $29.99 for a few months. After Christmas and the deluge of Desert Infantry figures in support of our troops were released, they went down to $7.99 each to make room for the new goodies. Also, they had some of the carded GI Joe figures with the new muscular bodies (re: Arnold-like biceps) for about $6.99. I haven’t seen a deal like that here but I am keeping my eye open and my fingers crossed to have a little hope and find something new to add to my collection.

• KB Toys is still a major player in the toy game. Not only do they carry the Power Team figures and carded uniforms and accessories (the ONLY place I’ve found them) they’ve also had the Collectors Edition GI Joes in boxes with the uniforms for $14.99! Now that was a deal since some of the on-line GI Joe collector stores are asking $39.99 and UP for the boxed figure/set. I have to admit, it was a real thrill to open a figure with the same articulation as I recall as a boy. Then, to open the accessories card… sheer ecstasy! My wife thought that was the nerdiest thing that would happen, but she was wrong, and I won’t give you the details of what I did to out-nerd myself. That’s another article. Since they had closed many stores in 2005, and Hasbro isn’t doing 1/6^th scale, you’re going to have to try the website first for a store location and see what’s available locally. If you’re lucky you might still find some of the Max Steel accessories, such as his motorcycles, sports car (which puts Barbie’s T-Bird to shame) and/or Action Man’s goodies, boxed figures, and uniforms or the like, previously only available overseas. The on-line store has silly prices and I won’t buy from them as their selection is so limited. I have gotten some deals in the past but unfortunately so have many others and the stock of amazing figures has been depleted. So keep an eye open and good luck there.

• Toys R Us is now carrying Blue Box Toys in their 1/6^th scale line. The Ultimate Soldier, GI Joe, Max Steel, Captain Action and the assorted figures of questionable backgrounds such as the off-name Bruce Lee’s, Jackie Chan’s and the like are all just a beautiful memory now. When the fad had passed and all that as left was the bargain hunting many of us found some amazing prices for some outstanding goodies. Now all we can look forward to is the new articulated BBi figure coming out in the next months. The accessories are okay; they’re molded from metal so have some weight, but aren’t so severe that the figures’ arms will sag or his weapon will look lowered. The figures are $9.99 and $19.99 respectively, depending on which you get: basic or deluxe. Nevertheless, you get a good deal and some amazing parts for your collection.

• I mentioned the Power Team action figure website for one reason: a list of stores. They have a long list of stores so if you see something in your region that I haven’t mentioned, look them up and see if you can find a deal or something special to report on via e-mail.

• I have been lucky enough to find some Ultimate Soldiers in the oddest places. On the east side of town I was taking something to a friend of mine in a local parish. As I went home I passed a place offering bargains and wholesale prices. Going inside I found the boxed red jumpsuit-wearing helicopter pilot (Fire Rescue Helicopter Pilot). Regularly $19.99 he was there for $7.99! I bought two (2) of them immediately. Since it is proving more and more difficult to find Ultimate Soldier accessories I added the on-line store. A year ago there seemed to be a surplus of goodies; now everything is on “limited sales”. Try the link & see what you find; maybe you’ll get lucky.

• Then of course there’s eBay. And if they don’t have it, no one does and you don’t need it.

I wish all the collectors luck and joy in their continued endeavors. Keep reaching for your dreams and putting a smile on your face. Thanks for listening to me and if I cross any place not mentioned here I’ll add it later.

Keep collecting!

Jaime Gonzales – the Fat Guy