Comments on: How do you count your collection?

By: Arsenio3

Arsenio3 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:15:28 +0000

My first thought when I read the topic was: I count my action figures with numbers.

Anyway Wonder Pig is not a new character–she is a variant.

By: John Cage

John Cage — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 23:43:16 +0000

I agree with Jim Abell — if it’s a show accurate repaint, to me it counts as a figure worth getting. The caveat to that though is that the repaint has to really be show accurate for me to want to put it up on the shelf (and considering how many figures have been put out in the line, space is getting a little scarce at this point). So I’ll definitely get and display prison garb Luthor and Legion of Doom green suit Luthor, but not green and black suited Luthor.

Same thing with the various Amazo variants — I only have the gray and gold versions on my shelves despite having at least two other versions. The reason they’re not up is because they might stand as legitimate variants (although even if that’s the case it can’t have been for more than a few moments of screentime), but aren’t as prominant as the others and I don’t really need every Amazo on the shelf. Unless I wind up with eight or so different versions. In that case it’d be neat having them all together.

Where I split with Jim is the ‘battle damage’ figures. Unless they’re from a moment in the show, I’m fine with not having them. But if they put out a BD Superman from his battle with Doomsday that’ll be as important as any original figure. As far as BD figures go most of the time, I think of them as just another repaint.

Have a good day.
John Cage

By: Brainlock

Brainlock — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 03:04:45 +0000

ok, NOW we have a problem.

Most people will consider Skeets a separate character and not an accessory (like R2), but WONDER PIG?

I’d have to put her into the same category as the JLords: unique variation of standard character. If JLord WW counts as a separate character, then so should Wonder Pig.

otoh, JL John vs JLU John…??
SEPARATE DISPLAYS!!!!

and btw, are we getting the Booster repaint as single with Skeets, or in another 3pk?
Skeets is one of the few figures I’ve missed out on, and would C-I-L-L for a second chance!!

and no, it’s never ok to chloroform your friends, Terry!
ro pust dronk!

By: Jim Abell

Jim Abell — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 22:28:53 +0000

Thanks for the comments and insight, guys. I must admit that I do count Star Wars and JLU differently but JLU still has it’s own quirks that could be just as strange as the Star Wars quirks I’ve listed above. With JLU (as I believe most of you do) I count more from a different character standpoint than by different figure. My counts for JLU really concern having each character *and* having any “show accurate” variations. Yea, I count Superman, Justice Lords Superman and Luthoriac Superman as three different characters but “battle damage” Superman would be a variant of the first character and still one I would want. Black suit/blue cape Superman? Not on my radar. Suit Luthor, puprle/green Luthor, olive drab Luthor and prison orange Luthor?… Yeah, I want all of them but I won’t display them together. I want both versions of Huntress even though she counts as one character. All versions of Amazo (we’re up to 5 of those now, right?) to represent his different powers/change of allegience. The normal, Martian-form and phasing versions of Martian Manhunter. Justice League/Justice League Unlimited looks for John Stewart. Hawkgirl and Shayera Hol.

I plan to have three displays for my JLU collection when I get around to re-doing it. One will be the core seven plus Aquaman (since he was actually released before the JLU line, but I’ll use the non-hook version because of the show’s timeline) and the villians that were released before JLU — suit Luthor, Darkseid and Ultra-Humanite. The second display will be the Justice League (with only one version of any given character on display, Shayera will be my choice here instead of Hawkgirl for example) and the third will be the villains and sub-groups like the GL Corps and Fourth World characters (again, only one version of a character will be displayed here). I’ll have the other versions safely stored away along with the 9 POA variants and accessories that don’t display with the groups (I want things like the Phantom Zone projector and Wonder Pig but I won’t necessarily display them).

With Star Wars and DCSH/DCUC I take a much more “Hall of Fame” approach to displaying. With those lines figures go on the shelf by wave. If I end up with two of Vader or two of Superman side-by-side, so be it. With those lines the figures are generally screen/comic accurate and it’s not as easy as dismissing a variant like JLU’s “Anti-Amazo Flash”.

By: TPTBeyond

TPTBeyond — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:33:11 +0000

Personally I concider a new character if it is a sentient being who has or can interact with someone who is definitively a character. Take JLU, for instance (since it’s already been brought up):

-Skeets- Character
-Black Mercy- Character
-Justice Lords- Characters (They’ve been on screen and interacted with regular universe characters, so they count)
-Luthoriac JL Drones- Characters (Same as above. They’re as legitimate as having Brainiac henchmen around)
-Various Luthor paint schemes- Not seperate characters
-Phantom Zone projector- Not a character
-Atom (regular size and small)- Not seperate characters.

Basically, if you were watching JLU and Superman walked up to JLord Superman and Luthoriac Superman at the same time, it would still make sense. If he walked up to 2 differently colored Luthors, it would need some explanation.

But that’s just my criteria.

By: bnjmnrlyr

bnjmnrlyr — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:17:46 +0000

So along the lines of conuting “characters”

Do you then sub-categorize for variations of that character?

For example… Luke Skywalker
DO you count Tattoine Luke as separate from X-Wing Luke separate from Dagobah Luke, etc.
And then … do you count the endless variations of Tattooine Luke individually: “He-Man” Luke, “Poncho and binoculars” Luke, “Jedi” Luke, new “Turban Jedi” Luke, etc.?
Or are they all simply Luke?

For me, if it is a character or somehow independantly mobile then it counts. Robots (no matter how far into the background) are characters, tables are not. Also, I don’t count pieces-parts as being “character/figures”. An arm is just an arm, it becomes “Luke” when attached to the rest of the body … although an argument could be made for Ash’s hand in Evil Dead …

By: superfriend

superfriend — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:50:16 +0000

Lets go back to JLU and Skeets. Skeets is Booster Gold’s robot sidekick. Clearly in terms of the comics and the JLU cartoon, Skeets has become a character in his own right. However in the JLU toy line, he is clearly a pack in with the Booster Gold figure. Just like a Green Lantern battery, a Batarang, or a chunk of Kryptonite. In terms of the toy, “Skeets” appears to fill the accessory role. (Skeets is also the wrong color and has no painted details – but that is another topic.)

to me,
Skeets = accessory.

By: jzachery

jzachery — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 15:21:28 +0000

I consider it a figure if it’s a character.

By: Cantina-Dan

Cantina-Dan — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 13:47:15 +0000

All I know is that if someone is going to put a definitive spread sheet together, you’re the man, Jim!
I found myself going, “Hmm, that’s a tough one.” a few times reading your post. (Like the folded pit droid that came with Jar Jar.) My first gut reaction was that only one figure should count per card but that obviously doesn’t work. Going back to the very first Ewok 2 pack with WIcket and Logray – you have to count them individually.
Well, this is kinda like pondering the limits of the galaxy…

By: H-Balm

H-Balm — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:45:52 +0000

I understand your point. I collect JLU, but in “my world” I don’t count repaints as different figures. Out go the many designs of Superman/Lantern/Batman.

Though, like you stated, their can be fine-print caveats. I do count the Justice Lords as figures. I suppose I base it on the character, rather than their look. Lex Luthor purple, Lex green, and in the future, Lex Orange, are all Lex in my book.

Language flows, to fit each individual’s needs.

By: OddJob

OddJob — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 08:45:32 +0000

Not sure what the point of this blog is, lol, but I’d count anything that is a character a figure. Unless it’s painted in or something like that.

So for JLU, I’d consider Skeets a figure, although he’s technically an accessory.