This is a great thread. Makes me feel better about my collection. For the years I kept buying figures and keeping them sealed and everything. It was taking up way to much space. I have friends that open and display them and I have friends that keep things sealed. They all have great collections. To each their own. I still keep some exclusives sealed but for the most part, I open and display them.....ok, I play with them too.

Most of the time I open my toys to display them. I don't collect for investment purposes but for personal pleasure. Having said that, if a toy looks better in its packaging, then I do keep it in the box or on the card. Perfect examples are the recent DCUC Black Canary and Shark figures. I LOVED how they worked the "Canary Cry" into BC's package, and the bubbles into the Shark's. I actually went out and bought a second Canary so I could open one to display with Green Arrow and still have the Canary Cry package.

I also have stopped opening a lot of my JLU figures because of how they have warped over time if I display them. It's too bad because I really like to have these guys out of the package, but as many of you know, over time their ankles warp and they just won't stand any more without implant surgery. (And yet I am looking at Supermans Red and Blue right now, which I have posed as bookends on my computer desk, each holding their Red Kryptonite in opposite arms. Such a nerd.)

This weekend I finally got all the Marvel Universe Iron Man figures that I could find and opened them for display

Marvel Universe Fury Files
001 Iron Man (red/yellow modern armor)
009 Iron Man Stealth Ops
021 Iron Man (red/yellow classic armor)
033 Iron Man (red/silver Silver Centurion)

Marvel Universe H.A.M.M.E.R. Files
007 Iron Man Extremis Armor
019 Iron Patriot
021 Iron Spiderman
035 Iron Man 2020

I am not too worried about losing value by opening them because I feel the value of my figures is what I make of it. I am collecting to have not to sell. Does that make sense?

That makes perfect snese.

I collect for "me" not for resale.

Too be honest one the main reasons I kept my Star Wars stuff mib was because I new to collection and I felt that was the "proper" way of collecting.

Now I have too much mib stuff to open and no room to display it loose. Lately I have been buying a few Star Wars stuff but I have been opening them. I can't tell you the joy I got from playing with the new AT-ST rather than just letting it sit in a box.

I collect for me too, the number of toys I've ever sold has been minimal, only when I was no longer interested in the line, but I never open anything, for the same reason that, when I collected stamps, I didn't go around licking them. These are collectibles, not playthings, at least for me.

YMMV.

I'm new to this website as well.
In fact, this is my first post.

I do a bit of both. Most action figures I open, but I keep a few MIB.
The action figures I keep in the boxes are usually rare ones.

Example: I recently obtained the 612th out of 1701 of Kirk/Gorn two-pack. There will only be one release of this figure and only 1701 made in this release. I kept that one in the box because of its rarity. While buying this figure I also bought the BSG Apollo/Dualla two-pack. These are not rare at all, rather common in fact. I opened them, and I get a lot of enjoyment out of them. I pose them and (on occasion) have a massive cross-over mosh up sci-fi/superhero/fantasy war throughout my apartment with my friends. Ahhh... good times.

Some figures (particularly older ones) I have no desire to open, but they look really cool in their boxes. So I leave them in. Its these newer, cooler action figures with detail and maximum articulation that I love opening.

When I started collecting I felt an obligation to keep them in their packets. I soon learned that it just pissed me off - having so many action figures in boxes. In saying that, one of my friends keeps his figures MIB and displays them that way. His house looks amazing.


Those are my preferences and what I do. Occasionally I will buy 2 of the same figures, one to open, one to not. I basically decide when I buy the figure.

I myself open and pose everything! Howveer if I was obliged to collect and keep sealed a certain figure it would be the Star Wars figures released on classic photograph style cards... they just look bad ass in their packaging!

I'm an opener. If the packaging looks cool I'll save it, but I like to physically touch the toy, pose it, and look at the details or accessories. It saves space as well.

I am an opener and love to get that smell from the toys, it's a legal high, lol.

Plus I don't see the fascination with keeping them carded, like I have stated before.

A really enjoyable thread.


I am mostly a "in the box" collector. Frankly, I don't have the room to open and display everything. Although I like how the figures look in the packages, I always think about the Prospector in Toy Story 2 being left in the box. . . Well over 98% of my "stuff" is still in it's packaging and in storage. I keep dreaming of the day I win the Lotto and can build a house with a wing for my various loves (toys, comics, toy soldiers/playsets, movies, Star Trek).

I truly love the thrill of the hunt. Tracking down the illusive figure is what gets the blood flowing and the unexpected thrill of stumbling upon something you were looking for, but didn't expect to ever see is a rush akin to your very first kiss.

I admit some of the DCUC figures are displayed really cool in their packaging... Robin (Classic), Captain Boomerang...

Ding ding ding ding!

Exactly!

I'm an opener. Lots of figures look cool carded by I like to display my figures out of the package.