This Week In Your Plastic Crack, Action Figures and Toy Collection 26 26

[KolmarAvenue]

On 8/18/2018 at 4:00 PM, KolmarAvenue said:

I'll bring a bagful to ww chicago if you're attending (or anyone else viewing) just pm me 

Pic with a lego harley quinn for scale

 

[comicwiz]

On 8/18/2018 at 4:41 PM, KolmarAvenue said:

I picked these up at the dollar tree, they're paperweights that look like mini busts and they're actually quite nice! I happened to stumble into a dollar tree for the first time in forever and found out I could buy a broom for a dollar.

https://www.dollartree.com/Marvel-Avengers-Plastic-Superhero-Busts-4-in-/p402387/index.pro

I've had the cap and iron man for a while now and just found the hulk and spidey today.

Yes, they had an Iron Man and Captain America too. I'm always thinking about displaying stuff so it's kind of funny that you posted these because I bought the Iron Man partly for my son, but purely on the hunch the box was perfect for a Batman wax torso that I wanted to display upright.

Eventually I had an acrylic case made for it, but I still used the plastic insert to hold up the wax in the case

[Martin Sinescu]

I've been really impressed with the Marvel Legends figures here lately so finally caved in and started buying one here and there. Just added this guy to my collection:

[followtheleader]

In the recent MUSCLE collection, I bought a boxed MUSCLE ring. 

My brother and I threw down in epic battles with this thing.  Okay, maybe they were just getting slapped against each other.  

Funny having it now.  About the simplest design that a toy could have.  The "ropes" are just some strings wrapped around the posts. 

Nice box

Never played with. 

Figures are in the original sealed package. 

Includes the original inserts (white insert which you see in the ring and cardboard insert in the box). 

Patrick

[rabidwolf]

49 minutes ago, followtheleader said:

In the recent MUSCLE collection, I bought a boxed MUSCLE ring. 

My brother and I threw down in epic battles with this thing.  Okay, maybe they were just getting slapped against each other.  

Funny having it now.  About the simplest design that a toy could have.  The "ropes" are just some strings wrapped around the posts. 

Nice box

Never played with. 

Figures are in the original sealed package. 

Includes the original inserts (white insert which you see in the ring and cardboard insert in the box). 

Patrick

That is awesome 

[Pirate]

On 8/6/2018 at 7:35 PM, Chip Cataldo said:

Added an Ultron to the robot pile this week. If anyone has some kooky suggestions for my next purchase, let me know. I've got Roboto from the vintage He-Man line on my radar but otherwise am open to opinions. I'm trying to keep it eclectic with not a lot of figures (one or two max) from the same line in there. 

I'm sure you're aware that you are still in the Hall of Shame.   How are you even posting here knowing you screwed enough people to be a Shame member?  Just curious.

[Wipple]

I ran into a collection of 500 or so 1990's - 2000's toys. All still NIB..looks like just run of the mill superhero stuff. I think he wants original retail price for them. Worth pursuing? I am not a toy guy. Anything I should look for specifically? thanks

[Yorick]

Any other Super Powers fans notice the Estrela Black Batman sell for $4300 on feebay yesterday?  Pretty exciting...

[Buzzetta]

On 8/16/2018 at 10:53 PM, Lamborghinikid said:

I am new to the boards but i have picked up a few cool pieces through the years. This one took me some time to find but the wait was well worth it

 - Thread is over.  Just wow.... 

[PKJ]

On 8/16/2018 at 10:53 PM, Lamborghinikid said:

I am new to the boards but i have picked up a few cool pieces through the years. This one took me some time to find but the wait was well worth it

Very nice i know Tom well, pretty ruthless in a paintball match. I used to love hearing Eddie A tell stories about rocket fetts when they were finding them back in the day.

 

Awesome grab!

Phillip

[followtheleader]

9 hours ago, Wipple said:

I ran into a collection of 500 or so 1990's - 2000's toys. All still NIB..looks like just run of the mill superhero stuff. I think he wants original retail price for them. Worth pursuing? I am not a toy guy. Anything I should look for specifically? thanks

My initial thought is that it's probably too much. 

Any idea of what toy lines and approx prices? 

Patrick

[Wipple]

7 hours ago, followtheleader said:

My initial thought is that it's probably too much. 

Any idea of what toy lines and approx prices? 

Patrick

20-30 plastic bins full. Going to ask for some pictures. thx

[comicwiz]

Many of you know my online history here has been about sharing important hobby moments and history. As this thread is dedicated to toys, I wanted to share with the members here something significant that happened over the last two days in the third-party grading side of the toy collecting category.

Late night August 21st, I recieved some photos which I still to this moment can't believe really happened. The photos showed "recards" which seemed to have been encased with a graders label on them, and were listed for $2000 on a site called Mercari.

I asked the person who shared these photos with me if I could post them on my Facebook wall and they said no problem. I'm not sure how many of you have Facebook, but the link I provided below of the original post has been set to public to allow everyone to view it even if they don't have a Facebook account.

I will also post a screenshot below for posterity. The gist of it is that a third-party grader encased and "archived" recards. Recards are reproduction MOC's. Anyone who has spent even a few minutes immersed within the Star Wars collecting culture might immediately recognize this discovery was met with a very unwelcoming response by the community, and quite frankly the company's manner of response was underwhelming to put it mildly.

They claimed that someone brought these recards to them at a show, admitted they were fake, and that his mom gave them to him, and that he simply wanted to have then encased. The company complied to their request, and enchased them with what they refer to as an "Archived" assignment.

After the strong response which essentially viewed what they were doing as legitimizing reproductions, the company eventually retracted the service effective immediately and promised to recall the 5 recards they "archived"/graded, but not first without dragging their heels, posting the benefit they saw in doing this, and later posting a poll asking for opinions.

The topic heard hundreds of comments which pretty unanimously asked for the company to cease doing it, with many still wondering how a grading company could ever think this was a good idea.

In my opinion, it is easily one of the worst idea's I've ever seen in any hobby I'm a part of, and what was particularly disconcerting is that one of the people that heads the company is an admin of a SW Facebook group where repros aren't allowed to be shown, nevermind sold.

This is a person who went on a crusade in the past, and has made it a mission to ban reproductions, and the moment he's in a position to set an example, he weakens and decides to grade recards?

How counterintuitive is it to encase/grade something and tell the customer you can't sell this in any group on Facebook?

Anyhow, I wanted to provide some context as the thread is long. Below is a screenshot of the original post showing the images and a link to the thread I started for those interested in reading more about it.

As some may imagine, I took a fair bit of abuse for being the one to post about this discovery from this graders cheerleading section and people who have their heads so far up the of this company's butt they have to breathe through their belly button.

And I'll tell you it's all worth it if even one of you realizes there's only one toy grader (AFA) worth sending your toys in to be assessed and authenticated. Two if you live in the UK, as UKG is a great service. As for the rest, avoid any imitators.

Edited August 24, 2018 by comicwiz

[scumdolly]

@comicwiz The CEO is Todd DeMartino. The guy took pre-orders for a book he was writing--in 2006--and probably still hasn't finished it/ refunded several people their money. He has the time to start a sub-par grading company, but not the time to finish his already-funded book?

[comicwiz]

11 hours ago, scumdolly said:

@comicwiz The CEO is Todd DeMartino. The guy took pre-orders for a book he was writing--in 2006--and probably still hasn't finished it/ refunded several people their money. He has the time to start a sub-par grading company, but not the time to finish his already-funded book?

Yes, it was just brought up in this thread which talked about this very incident of CAS grading recards, by a forum admin, and described as Todd "owing dozens of people thousands of dollars" - not sure about the accuracy of this statement, but it certainly makes me think that doesn't bode well for people to trust him, as you put it, running this "sub-par grading company." There's also an over decade long thread on Rebelscum, with a second thread started about 7 years ago that was meant to open the lines of communication, in an effort to steer the books publication back on course, but it ended-up transforming into a mud-slinging contest, further frustrating people who had been waiting with nothing to show for it.

The other CAS partner and COO, Ken Black has left a trail of victims with his two previous businesses, and the web-based evidence and allegations against him suggest he used bankruptcy as a shield to avoid paying consignors what they were owed. There's an extensive thread about it discussed here. There's also a Morning Call article about it, which cites "their [bankruptcy] filing lists estimated liabilities of between $100,001 and $500,000 to an estimated 50 to 99 creditors.

One of the creditors and victims (and to connect it to the comic hobby as well) by the name of Robert Pitt filed an Objection to Confirmation of Chapter 13 Plan Based on Fraud and Non-Disclosure of assets where he alleges Ken/Sellersville took the comics he had brought to Sellersvile to have auctioned, which included an All-Star Comics #8 (this is the original listing too, showing it hammered at $24K) Sellersville sold them, and never gave him a cent. He further alleges in the filing that the money from that sale was used to start-up CAS.

I don't have anything positive to say about the third partner, especially because he's been allowed to throw his weight around as an admin of a SW Facebook group, and any situation brought up that makes him look bad, makes you a target of either being blocked/banned from his groups or bad mouthed by his cohorts who unequivocally support him and this bad imitator of a toy grader.

Edited August 24, 2018 by comicwiz

[Pirate]

Sounds like they are all rebelscum

[comicwiz]

Just picked up these two clay heads. The tactical suit and battle armor heads were a look I had wanted to add to my sons Batman display. These were intended for a 12" line of Batman figures, however I'm not certain they were ever produced. The battle armor is marked '98 which I thought was neat since we didn't see it in any film until the Batman vs Superman movie, and I'd always looked at it as nice nostalgic tie to when it was first donned in Miller's DKR 4-issue series. 

[Yorick]

@comicwiz I will probably be in the minority here, but I am fine with a graded repro card (it should be the "purple label" of toy collecting).  The grade label states that it is a reproduction card, correct?  The asking price for the item is what would pull in an unsuspecting collector (and seeing that price for those particular figures, one might just hit the buy-it-now without reading or looking closely).  When you are paying that much for any collectible, one should look closely at all photos and read full descriptions.

I do recall seeing a Super Powers Made-in-Mexico Batman that was graded by that same company as a pre-production figure, so I personally would be wary of that company.

[PKJ]

Has anyone located the GEN 1 Wal Mart Transformers? 

[Martin Sinescu]

25 minutes ago, Yorick said:

@comicwiz I will probably be in the minority here, but I am fine with a graded repro card (it should be the "purple label" of toy collecting).  The grade label states that it is a reproduction card, correct?  The asking price for the item is what would pull in an unsuspecting collector (and seeing that price for those particular figures, one might just hit the buy-it-now without reading or looking closely).  When you are paying that much for any collectible, one should look closely at all photos and read full descriptions.

I do recall seeing a Super Powers Made-in-Mexico Batman that was graded by that same company as a pre-production figure, so I personally would be wary of that company.

The situation involved here would be more analogous to CGC grading (or "archiving", what a joke) a color copy of a comic that you or I made at home, so I don't think the purple label comparison would apply. Not even the Cerebus or TMNT counterfeits would be a like-for-like. Furthermore, the sale of repros, as Joe said, is vehemently opposed in most circles of SW collectors. I'm not sure if Joe pointed it out originally, but the Jawa's vinyl cape, not surprisingly, is also a reproduction. As you say, it's not hard to vaguely misrepresent something like this as legitimate because of the appearance that it's been authenticated and fleece a new collector of their hard-earned cash, maybe even driving them out of the hobby when they realize they've been scammed. This same grading company also recently boasted about "archiving" a steak knife. I'm serious. @comicwiz Thanks for bringing this incident up in this forum -- it's at least reassuring to see SW collectors take a hard line against this and hold them accountable for such irresponsible and hypocritical actions.