Action Figures: for the Boys

Toys and games form an integral part of every child’s life. A look at a child’s toys collection can make you decipher volumes about hisher disposition. This is also where a boy child differs from a girl. Girls prefer kitchen sets and Barbie dolls, whereas boys like to play with guns, cars and Superman figures. This is why all toys shops whether virtual or on the high street have compartmentalized the toys and distinguishes between them on the basis of gender.

Focusing on what interests boys, a mention must be made of the plethora of action figures that have engulfed the toy market of UK. Special mention can be made of varied popular action figures like Doctor Who 5″ Action Figure – Captain Jack and the Empty Child manufactured by Character Options, Guy of Gisborne 5″ Figure and Deluxe Horse Set that features a well sculpted realistically galloping horse, and Thinkway’s Spiderman – Interactive Green Goblin.

A plethora of companies have created a brand name for themselves by manufacturing children’s favourite characters in the form of action figures. Getting to play with their favourite characters gives your child a high and fills him up with enthusiasm. Various popular brands in UK that have created a niche market for themselves include Hasbro, Vivid Imaginations, Dark Horse, Tokyopop, Character Options, Play Inc. et al.

Just like the brands, there are several popular characters that have grasped huge chunks of UK market by their mass appeal and liking amongst the kids. Some such popular characters include Transformers, Batman, Gundam Wing, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Power Rangers etc.

Action figures, robots, action figure playsets, super heroes and policefire and rescue can easily be regarded as some of the best gift options when it comes to boys. Also, finding the one that best suits your budget and requirement is no hassle any longer. The World Wide Web offers you with enough options and variety in the same.

Action figure collecting: Action figures for adult collectors

We all know of the cartoons and children’s shows that turn their characters into merchandising gold mines by creating action figures of their characters such as He-man, Transformers, and Power Rangers. Star Wars got movies into the merchandising craze and Spawn has brought the comic books there as well and games just couldn’t be left out.

Action figures aren’t just the GI Joe’s you remember from being a kid. They are now highly detailed figures of your favorite horror stars such as Michael Meyers and Jason Voorheese and sometimes even their victims. Other types of action figures that an adult might own are the Superhero action figures such as Spawn and Venom. Both these types of action figure are generally larger than the common GI Joe and stand roughly nine inches to a full foot in height. There are as many types of action figures as their are collectors to collect them. Serious collectors are almost always adults that are into the action figure because of some other form of media such as movies, comic books or games.

Many adults grew up playing table top board games and role playing games such as starfleet battles and Battletech. These games produce action figures as well but instead of people they are vehicles. Such as the USS Enterprise (one of the best known)from Star Trek or the Madcat omni mech from Battle tech. I know many a collector that collect the giant robot action figures from Battle tech. This is in addition to having Spock, Kirk, McCoy, and Scottie relaxing around their bridge.

Sports action figures are also for adults. I have a couple of friends that collect wrestling action figures, Football action figures, and baseball action.

People that collect action figures are not always children and in many cases are older adults. It just goes to show you that action figures may have started for children but the children grew up and now they are for everyone. Children may play with action figures but adults collect them.

Like a kid in a Toy Shop

The toys of my childhood seemed far more appealing then the dirge of modern remakes the kids of this era are forced to play with. I remember He-man, GI Joe, and Smurfs… even My Little Pony seemed cooler than a skinny plastic Iron Man toy which shoots weak plastic darts. I see my childhood with rose-tinted glasses and the toys I used to play with were hardy, fun to play with and kept me amused for hours on end. Toy Shops were massive and a hidden secret lurked inside each one. When I look at the modern remakes or classic interpretations of my favourite toys, I little piece of me dies inside. As a child from the 80’s, I did not have to suffer the same barrage of media branding which kids today have to accept. It seemed much simpler back then.

Where did it all begin, my earliest toy-related memory that is. I vaguely remember a toy robot that ran across my bedroom floor, shooting sparks from its mouth as I ran away crying like a baby (I may have very well still been a baby). My first real obsessions were the He-man, GI Joe and Transformer toys. Between me, my brother and my cousins, we had every toy and add-on these collections could offer. Hours were wasted creating elaborate setups and episode re-enactments. One should note that these cartoons that our toys were based on where not merely cheap knockoffs, designed to sell more toys to unsuspecting children. No sir, complex storylines and quality animation played a huge part in creating an authentic universe which breathed life into our toys. I do not even want to start with my Thundercats obsession, a craze which due to my constant nagging almost drove my parents into a permanent state of dementia.

It was also noticeably easier to collect toys back then. The price of an average action figure hovered around R20, 00 but it was chiefly because of our parents who would purchase toys for us. If I was to attempt to build my own collection of toys, it would be considerably smaller due to the insane prices of even the smallest action figure or Lego collection. Ah, Lego. Lego was a wonderful construction set. Whole cities could be built from nothing with a little bit of imagination and patience. I was entered into many Lego competitions as a kid, yet won no prizes despite having the most incredible time. The Dutch giants will never be as big as they were in the 80’s, yet they are still capitalising on our childhood dreams by releasing special Lego Star Wars or Indiana Jones playsets. I believe their star began to drop shortly after kids began choking on blocks of Lego, yet funnily enough this type of ordeal never happened back in the 80’s.

It’s strange how time alters your memory of childhood fascinations. These fantasy toys of yesteryear become little more than dusty dolls without curious little hands to breathe life into them. I know that as the children of 2008 grow into adults, they too will share the same idle fascination I do with toys and games. Or more likely they will play video games for hours on end. Yet they may share my same view as well, that of nostalgia and distain for whatever modern generation of toys dare crowd the toy shelves of modern toy stores. I worry what next-generation batch of toys will attract my child’s attention and empty my wallet.

The Jeep Patriot – From Action Man to School Run…

Most young males of my generation grew up with the identical toys to one another. There was the obligatory He Man doll (I mean Action Figure of course), Transformer merchandise and Star Wars figurines. There was, however, one toy that inspired almost fanatical devotion rivalled only by the opposite sex’s love for Barbie. The toy in question was of course Action Man.

Some of my peers enjoyed the sheer wealth of Action Man’s weaponry, some were amazed by his gadgets and gizmos. One rather strange boy was even entranced by the feel of his short afro-like hair. For me, the attraction was the vehicle that Action Man drove; a huge Jeep.

It wasn’t any ordinary Jeep either. It had huge rubber wheels, some kind of roll-cage structure and was adorned with rocket-launchers and other projectile weaponry. Much to my chagrin, as I grew older I realised vehicles of this nature were merely the stuff of fantasy. However, the enduring image of the Jeep has stuck with me since childhood.

The Jeep Patriot is the model in question today and it is very far removed from the image I had of this vehicle as a child. Gone is the roll-cage and windowless vehicle of my youth (there are also no weapons to be seen). What is evident is a disturbing amount of…well…class. These days the Jeep seems to fit more in with the middle-class, aspirational lifestyle rather than the rough and ready all-terrain conquering behemoths that these vehicles were initially designed for.

The phenomenon of the 4X4 school-run has annoyed a large proportion of the population, purely because the whole exercise seems incredibly wasteful. Picture the scene, a huge gas-guzzling MPV with just a mother and a small child in, coughing out CO2 all over the place. Now multiply this effect by 500, slam it down in a traffic jam and you have the average school run at just one of the thousands of schools in this country. It’s no wonder people get annoyed. But let’s not get bogged down in semantics; we should judge these 4X4s on their own merits.

As I alluded to earlier, the Jeep Patriot is a much classier affair than the Jeep name suggests. It seems to have had all those rough edges smoothed down to make it more palatable for modern tastes, but has lost none of the vim and vigour associated with the Jeep brand. In fact, I was not expecting such a sprightly ride from a vehicle of the Jeep’s sheer magnitude.

Amongst the Jeep Patriot’s arsenal of gadgetry is ABS, Electronic Roll Mitigation, Panic Brake Assist, Side Curtain Airbags, Alloy Wheels, Halogen headlamps and Air Conditioning. This would suggest that this particular Jeep is going to be a comfortable and safe vehicle to drive. The handling is accurate and feels light for the size of the Patriot. Combine this with the eager engine which manages pretty much any off-road task you can throw it at with considerably more grace than many of its direct competitors.

In summary, the Jeep deserves to be used off-road as this is what it is primarily designed for. The tragedy is that it will spend the majority of its working life sat either in car jams waiting to drop off the kids, or parked in a supermarket car park waiting to be filled with Pâté foie gras and exotic coffee blends. Justice can only be served if you break through a farmer’s fence and razz the Patriot around like a banshee. Then (and only then) will you witness what this machine is truly capable of.

Before PlayStation: The toys I grew up with – Part 3

Princess Molly was beautiful- her long, blond curls were always drawn back in the latest fashion, and her bright blue eyes, though they sported every color eye shadow in the rainbow, outshone any fancy dress she ever wore. She was welcomed at every party, and she made the best of company in every crowd: the preschool girls, the dance girls, my parents. Molly was my favorite of all the toys I owned.

All of my friends loved coming over- from the box full of old dance costumes, boas and costume jewelry to my mother’s giant bouncy exercise balls to my beaded necklace kits, every girl that passed through my basement brought in a doll and entered into a majestic kingdom where they and their dolls became princesses, wearing tiaras and crowns we made from construction paper, markers, and jewels all while sporting my ballet tutus. We (and our dolls, of course) would address my brother’s action figures not like toys but servants, and we’d push their little legs over to raise their little swords, pushing and fighting off the green balls we deemed evil dragons.

Castle forts made of pillows and blankets were strewn across the couches and we would pretend we were forced into hiding, making beautiful beaded necklaces (which, if they were pretty enough, we kept for ourselves) for the Witch Ladies, the other girls who volunteered to “kidnap” us. Part of our servitude required making delicious Play-Doh sandwiches, made only from the best orange, green and yellow balls and, if we were lucky, accompanied by McDonald’s Play-Doh Fries. Our dolls and the Witch Ladies would devour our meals, often at my plastic table over cups of imaginary tea.

As I grew older and Tamagotchis got cooler, this magical world slowly unraveled and Molly spent more and more time on my rocking chair. But just because technology became a more integrated part of my childhood didn’t mean I had stopped imagining- when the batteries ran out or our Furbies wouldn’t stop asking for food or we were just bored, my friends and I would throw those toys aside and always revert back to our castle forts. After all, a computer game may let your child dress a character up in gowns, go on adventures through forbidden forests and dance with Prince Charming, but it simply can’t compete with wearing a (plastic) tiara and Cinderella shoes, transforming her into a real princess.

Action figure collecting: Whats the attraction?

What is the attraction behind action figures? The answer is to that question is: “Who knows?” It was a question that is used to answer another question. There are many reasons people collect action figures. This can also be extended to the types of action figures we collect. I was into Marvel Comics. My friends were into Marvel Comics. One of my cousins was very much into Image Comics. My best friend is very interested in the Dragon Ball Z franchise. I know a few people who are into Japanese anime series such as Gundam, Fullmetal Alchemist, or Cowboy Bebop. I do know a few people that are into video game series such as Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid, or Street Fighter.

My friends and I back in middle school were very much into the Marvel Comics franchise. This was long before I had started getting into Japanese anime. Back when I was eleven, my mother bought me several Marvel Comics action figures. I had Iceman, Wolverine, Sabretooth, Mr. Sinister, Silver Surfer, and Spider-Man. Throughout the months, I would expand on my collection. That would pretty much explain the reasons I went to buy Marvel Comics action figures. I was very much into Marvel Comics. That would be the contributing factor to why I find the attraction of collecting action figures.

My cousin was very much into Image Comics. That is the contributing factor to why he bought action figures pertaining to Image Comics. One of the most notable action figures he had bought would be things relating to the Spawn franchise. The reason we collect action figures let alone certain types of action figures is because we are interested in those extra franchises. Because of this, we collect those action figures.

If I collected action figures and I was interested in Transformers, I would collect Transformers action figures. It only makes perfect sense. If I was into Power Rangers, I would collect Power Rangers action figures. In the past, I was very much into G.I. Joe. I would collect G.I. Joe action figures. The other attraction is that we like to play with action figures as a way to spark our imagination.

I really started getting into the Gundam series. As an anime fan, I happen to think that mechas are actually cool. At any anime convention, I cannot resist the urge to buy the Gundam action figures and assembly kits. Also, action figures do make for pretty good decorations as well. You can use them as decorations in your room or on your living room.

Several years ago, my best friend started getting into Dragon Ball Z. A few months later, he was buying up Dragon Ball Z action figures like crazy. He would decorate his bedroom with those DBZ action figures. That established the fact that he was a huge fan of the Dragon Ball Z franchise. To sum up everything, the attraction of action figure collecting stems from our interests in various comics, anime, manga, TV shows, video games, and everything else.

If you are a fan of the Metal Gear Solid franchise, you may find the attraction in collecting Metal Gear Solid action figures. If you are into the Capcom franchise, you may find the attraction of collecting figures belonging to: Resident Evil, Street Fighter, Capcom vs. SNK, Devil May Cry, or Dark Stalkers.

If you are into Ghost in the Shell, you may find the attraction in collecting GITS action figures. Why are we attracted to that stuff? We are huge fans of those franchises.

Great toys for men in their 20s

What is that they say about us boys and our wonderful toys! I am no longer in my twenties but I have the heart of a twenty-something and have some definite input on the subject. Let me begin by saying toys are what separates the girls from the boys, and coming from the male perspective we are all big kids despite the grown up exterior.

Video games are probably at the top of my list since every man on the face of the planet no matter how much he denies it can’t resist shooting, driving or playing virtual guitar. Personally I am pretty hooked on the latest Guitar Hero, which the entire series is a must have for any man who ever dreamed of being on stage with his Axe in front of a thousand screaming fans. Racing and sports games are a given since almost every man has a preference whether it be golf, fishing, or full contact sports. Video games are also an excellent outlet for us to pound out our frustration stemming from a bad day at work, whether we are sniping on a military mission or just beating the crap out of some virtual opponent.

Sporting equipment is pretty self explanatory but a membership at a golf course or even a pass for the day at a nice club will be a sure fire pleaser for any man of golf. Any new replacement for all the other sports equipment is also safe bet because only God knows we can’t live without a new hockey stick to add to our collection.

Now I move onto the electronics department. If it has batteries and it does anything by the push of the button we must have it! I say this literally as a self-professed electronic junkie! GPS Navigation, Satellite Radio, Cameras, MP3 players, the list can keep going on and on and so does my inventory of gizmo’s and gadgetry I have accumulated over the years. Just check out the latest cool electronic toy and that will put a smile on any man’s face!

Big toys are what all men really crave even though the budget might not comply! Motorcycles, ATVs and anything that growls and roars at the twist of the throttle. It goes to saying that almost anything with a motor will be the ultimate gift and will guarantee a endless seas of foot rubs or candlelight dinners. Whether it is a snowmobile or a jet-ski, these are the dream toys that anyone in their twenties will not be able to say “no!”

Lastly I introduce the collectibles. Hockey cards, action figures (no not dolls), and any memorabilia that stems from our childhood can usually be a good gift idea. I again admit to be a closet Transformer fan, who admittedly has not given up collecting. These long lost icons of our youth make us feel young again, and if you don’t believe me; just watch your husband as your son opens up his gifts as though he is already imagining himself playing with it! We might not admit it out loud, but we love toys and probably always will!

Action Figures Bridge the Gap between the Present and the Past

As a child I spent countless hours collecting and playing with action figures of all shapes, sizes, and characters. My favorite by far were my Star Wars action figures but I spent many hours playing with G. I. Joe, Transformers, Masters of the Universe. There are so many of them, and they were such a vital part of my childhood experience that I couldn’t really begrudge my sons love of those very same things.

His current collection is of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtleâ„¢ action figures. He is also starting a nice collection of matchbox cars, but he really loves his Ninja Turtles. For a while he was seriously interested in light sabers from Star Wars. I was so excited hoping I could share my old love for my Star Wars action figures with him, but his interest stopped at the light sabers and he never really got into those action figures that were once so special to me.

Ah well, I still have two daughters; perhaps one of them will love those as much as I once did. The real beauty of action figures is that you can keep them and share them with your children, you can sell them, or you can consider them as an investment. However you look at your action figure collection, don’t underestimate the many hours of fun they can provide your children. The right set of action figures can ignite their imaginations and keep them occupied for endless hours on those rainy summer days.

If you wonder about whether or not action figures are good toys for children to have, think back to your childhood and how these action figures enabled you to use your imagination and creativity. Think of the endless hours of fun you had with these awesome toys and how you could share these toys with your friends and double the fun. I know that I feel any toy that helps children use their imaginations is a good toy for them to have.

Before PlayStation: The toys I grew up with – Part 4

Insert imagination here

Children today sometimes forget there is a world apart from their PlayStation. It’s a world that has been around for many years, and is filled with toys that are fun to play with for hours on end. Many don’t even take batteries!

I recently heard that the Toy Museum inducted the lowly wooden stick as this year’s toy, and in the recent past it inducted the cardboard box as well. I’m not going to write any more about these two toys, but if you’re in a pinch give them a try even if you’re only young at heart. If you use your imagination, they can be anything!

When I was growing up I had a few hand-me-down toys like Lincoln Logs, or Tinker Toys that I loved to play with. Every child I know has a few toys like this. These were great toys to me because not only could I make things with them, but afterwards I could pretend with my creations and have even more fun.I didn’t care if they were brand new or not.

But as always the best toys were the ones that I asked for and usually got from my grandparents. My parents were more focused on socks and educational toys, but my grandparents would buy me things like the super big set of Lego! I used to have a huge Lego collection from the original space set with its grey and blue pieces, to the different emergency vehicle sets like police and firemen, and even lots of general Lego pieces. When I was making something, I didn’t care what blocks I used as long as they helped me put my creation together.

When someone mentions dolls, boys look the other way or make fun of Barbies. But action figures like Transformers or G.I.Joe are dolls too. Dolls are great because you can use them to act out anything you want. It doesn’t matter what the doll is it could be a teddy bear and still be crawling along a trench in a war, or swinging down a zip-line to save a damsel in distress.

I’m not sure if you consider bicycles toys, but in my book they are. How many times have you seen children on bicycles that were pretending to be something else? To them the bicycle is a rocket ship, or a police car, or a cowboy’s horse.

The common thread in all these toys, from the cardboard box to Lego blocks to G.I.Joe to a bicycle, is that they all encourage children to use their imagination. If you have a good imagination, anything can be a toy, and it will entertain you for hours on end. So if you hear children say they are bored, help them find the magic of a cardboard box. Chances are you will find some of your old magic too!

Movie reviews: Spiderman 3

Spider-Man 3

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace, James Franco

Rated PG-13

Grade: 3.5/5

I will admit: looking at the “Which Spidey suits you” instant win game on my Burger King Frypod was fairly intriguing. Should I pick the red suit? Or the

black one? Good or evil? The pressure was too much for me to take, and I let my boyfriend choose, delighted when he won me a Double Stacker.

Our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire) is faced with a similar dilemma in the latest installment of the highly successful series, which opened on May 4. However, unfortunately for him, the choices he must make in the film are slightly more difficult than those of a casual fry eater.

The film starts happily enough, with Peter devotingly attending all of his

actress-girlfriend’s (Kirsten Dunst) plays, doing well in school, and maintaining a steady photography job with the Daily Bugle. However, Peter/Spider-Man’s paradise is invaded by a strange black goo (also known as a symbiote, to the scientifically superior) that slowly transforms both the human and the superhero into evil caricatures of themselves.

With all the hype surrounding the release of the movie-Will this be Maguire’s last one? Will it set new box office records? Not one, not two, but three villains!-it is easy to be cynical about whether the multi-million dollar franchise will live up to its expectations. Indeed, with all of the promotional mumbo jumbo circulating through the media recently, it almost feels like we’d have more fun playing with the action figures and winning free french fries than going to the movie itself.

Well, fortunately for Sam Raimi and company, that is not the case.

Though the film is at times a bit overcrowded with excessive subplots, characters, and themes, they all contribute to the main storyline: Peter’s struggle to maintain his sanity and persona while battling the black goo that is feeding off his soul. The film is chaotic at times, yes, but the chaos is a perfect parallel to the turmoil felt by Peter throughout the course of the movie. As the symbiote progressively morphs Peter into a more sick and twisted version of himself, the peripheral characters also play more of a role, eventually leading to the extremely exciting (and surprisingly emotional) climax.

The action scenes, as always, are ridiculously well done and border on hypnotic. One particular

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