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TO OPEN or NOT TO OPEN your MLs


pvbvillegas

TO OPEN or NOT TO OPEN your MLs  

40 members have voted

  1. 1. do you take your MLs out of the packaging or not? and why?

    • Yes
      38
    • No.
      2


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Buying a toy and not opening it is like getting settled for a steamy night of passionate sex with a hot girlfriend whose wrapped up tight in about 100 layers of saran wrap.

 

In other words: what's the fun in that?

 

These toys will NEVER have any long term "investment" potential--only a very few will have any kind of appreciation.

There's several reasons for that: one being that so many other people are archinving their MOC toys for the exact same reasons. that means there's a LOT of other pristine samples out there, just waiting for the day when they will be placed back on the market. From a buyer's perspective........all you have to do is wait for a frustrated seller and get the item as a discount from the asking price.

 

If there's a lot of un-used copies of something out there, there is no rarity/scarcity--the attribute that makes a collectible valuable.

The speculators are doing just that; speculating---speculating that people will still retain interest in the line years down the road, potentially even after its no longer being made.

Consider the rising number of posters from ( petulant) collectors declaring that they are selling off their collections because Hasbro sucks, or because they cannot easily get the figures or........name the excuse. Magnify that by a much larger factor when the line finally does stop. That's not a terribly good scenario fo speculating on toys as an investment.

 

Two; these toys are technically STILL being made. Because Hasbro has the license, its not outside of the realm of possibility for older rarer/less common figures to be re-issued. There's been enough clamor for Kangs and Dragon-Mans that Hasbro has certainly become aware of the demand.

All its takes is a re-issue to seriously weaken the overall "value" of a currently hard-to-find or under produced figure.

 

 

So opening them. They are serious fun posing and displaying, and if someone is truly anal about keeping them MOC, then buy two--one to open and one to keep MOC--best of both worlds there.

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BLACKCAT is the exception to the rule (her collection is teh SHIZZNIT!) She'll be a historian for decades to come!

 

But for all of us other schmoes... Open them and try to pair them up as often as possible?! I had a display set up in my cubicle, All of the X-Men versus my half-hearted Sentinel army... Even people who didn't know a thing about the X-Men were going bananas! But, but... trying to do epic battles between Iron Man and his number one villain was kinda lack lustre. And the Annihilus BAF went over better than the Sentinels?! Same with the Abomination?!?!

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A small quibble of mine: I do not see MOC collectors as toy collectors, I see them as package collectors because that's really what is there and what you can hold. The emphasis on mint packaging becomes paramount because they cannot access the toy inside, regardless of how its posed, packaged or its condition.

Its like collecting cereal boxes to me--the contents are irrelevant, ultimately because the packaging is what gets all the attention.

 

As an opener, I can place my figures in poses and situations that are unique to me and my personality, plus I can set them in displays that can be elaborate and distinct. A MOC collector can only display their items like any other MOC collector, or like they were in the store--still in the package. That seems awfully boring to me.

 

Still its a collecting choice that one can make for their own reasons.

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you know why the 1977 star wars figures are worth so much? b/c they were produced in such small numbers

ML are produced in giant numbers,

 

Its a pretty safe bet you have this reversed.

Given the response to the first movie, the first Star Wars figures were produced in HUGE numbers--easily 10 times anything ML has produced in any run. Kenner could not keep up with the demand.

Star Wars was likely produced in untits of about one million per back then, and I doubt that any given figure in the ML like tops 100k-150K units per today.

The reason those early SW figures are worth so much is that so many were bought and opened by eager kids. Archival collecting never became a significant part of the hobby until almost a decade later.

Marvel just doesn't have the following that SW does.

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I don't open them. 2 reasons. number 1 the toybiz ones are so loose (too many articulations) that they won't stay up so theres no point In opening them. Number 2 the $$ value Is much higher for packaged figures than loose ones,check It out online.

 

 

i remember buying a certain ML which is on a buy 1 take 1 basis. the take 1 happened to be deathlok. i opened it and he can't move both of his arms and his right thigh. i forced them to move so that i can make him strike a pose. and then, the arms broke. so did the right thigh. now, i have an amputated deathlok.

 

my bro bought this longshot fig, and straight right off the packaging, he can't stand. same thing for his mystique fig. and his green goblin ML cant stand on his glider, no matter what effort you give.

 

these are the reasons why i don't open my MLs. but i really want my avengers on my shelves. i have dreams about them posed on my shelves. dut i'm afraid i'd be disappointed if i ever encounter even one of those VERY LOOSE or VERY TIGHT joints that hinder poseability or even just making the fig stand.

 

as for the value of the packaged figures, am i right that the people who don't open their figs coz they would lose their value are people who plan to sell their figs in the future?

your problem with this story is you named just about every bad ML to date when it comes to posing or standing (aside from green goblin, you just got a bad one im afraid)

deathlok has loose joints or very tight joints for the most part, i rarely hear about a good one

mystique and longshot both have very rubbery legs

plus the way they were packaged helped distort their legs so they stand bow-legged

 

open them dude

you know why the 1977 star wars figures are worth so much? b/c they were produced in such small numbers

ML are produced in giant numbers, like some one said, if you are going to cash in on them you should do it now

dont get into a toy line just to keep them in the box just to sell 20 years from now, get into a toy line because you love the characters and want to re-create scenes from your favorite comics, or do a cross over fight thats never happened, or do a dream team-up with characters you never thought you would see together

MLs in the box is ##$%$#ed, open them all now or give me your address and ill come do it for you

 

Thats a croc, Have a look online how much figs from the 80's are worth moc.It's amazing how much some of them are worth. As for ml being produced in large numbers,its true but think about 20 years down the line how many will actualy be left still packaged,not very many and thats why they will be worth alot!

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you know why the 1977 star wars figures are worth so much? b/c they were produced in such small numbers

ML are produced in giant numbers,

 

Its a pretty safe bet you have this reversed.

Given the response to the first movie, the first Star Wars figures were produced in HUGE numbers--easily 10 times anything ML has produced in any run. Kenner could not keep up with the demand.

Star Wars was likely produced in untits of about one million per back then, and I doubt that any given figure in the ML like tops 100k-150K units per today.

The reason those early SW figures are worth so much is that so many were bought and opened by eager kids. Archival collecting never became a significant part of the hobby until almost a decade later.

Marvel just doesn't have the following that SW does.

 

True, but the same logic apply's to ml since everybody opens them.You'll all be kicking yourself's 20 years from now saying damn I should have kept them moc!

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If you have rare ones like certain variants, short-packs or other rare figures, then you might want to keep them in the package, if only to keep them safe. But otherwise, there's not really much fun in keeping them packaged, and it takes up huge amounts of space to store them.

 

In fact, I'm starting to get loose versions of some of the ones I have on the card specifically because it's so boring to just have the packaged versions sitting on shelves like museum pieces.

 

As far as re-sale value, for the most part, keeping them on the card is highly overrated. Go check out auctions for some of the most popular figures like Hawkeye, Juggernaut and Deadpool. The difference in sale prices fo loose and carded might be $10. Big whoop. The way I think about it, $10 is a small price for being able to actually pose and enjoy the figures.

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When I first started collecting the Toy Biz Marvel Legends line, I did open my figures....sorry to say that now.

 

But soon afterwards I started to keep them all sealed. Now I will not open another figure, whatsoever.

I do buy a select second figure to open, but just to build the BAF charactor, I give these opened figures to my daughter to play with.

She has every figure that has a BAF part.

 

I do not collect for the value of the figure, but I do have some very valuable figures. e.g. black dawn psylocke, silver shirt luke cage, flying annihilus, mole monster BAF I keep them sealed for the protection of the figure. I enjoy looking at my figures , even through their protective plastic clamshells.

 

I have every figure except for hydra soilder variant, black marvel girl, backwards black marvel girl and blue wasp. I did bid on the blue wasp last week on ebay, I was the 1st bidder to place a bid on it, but was at work when auction ended, and was outbidded.

 

I only had to opportunity to hear about loose joints, or hard to pose joints as they break in your hands when you first take the figures out of their packs to pose them.

Then as the dust from the day settles on them, and oh, it will. Dont forget about the dirt, sweat and oily grime from your hands as you touch your prize figures when you pose them over and over again. Especially those with runny noses and pets.

Then as they tumble to the harsh floor below from the top shelf of a 5 foot bookcase - ouch, thats going to leave a mark !!!

Then as you and your buddies, slam them together in battle over and over again, uh oh better call maaco.

and all those early figures with all those twist ties as mention in the post above.

 

I perfer to keep my figures sealed, that is my choice, if you want to open your figures, great, by all means, open them and enjoy.

 

mls079.jpg

 

mls070.jpg

 

mls077.jpg

 

MAKE MINE MARVEL

 

briseis_v.jpg

 

 

HOLY FREAKING COW!!!! now that is one fine collection!!!

 

You have a Moleman monster BAF??? where on earth did you get that??? show us!!!

 

 

now, as for me, I love taking them out and displaying the teams all together. I mean, whats the point of the 30+ (most of the time) articulation if its going to go unused? Right now I have 4 figures still in box: 2 free Titanium hulks, a Pee Wee Herman action figure that my girlfriend got me, and a variant Falcon. I am looking to get rid of that last one via trades or something....

 

... by the way, Black cat, where, um....do you live? I have a few missing figures in my collection that I need to get... @firedevil@

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True, but the same logic apply's to ml since everybody opens them.You'll all be kicking yourself's 20 years from now saying damn I should have kept them moc!

 

I've been collecting for 22+ years now already and all of the toys I've had in that time have been opened/loose.

I've never had regrets opeing stuff and I never will--because the hobby, to me, simply is about enjoying the toys, not the packages.

 

The logic doesn't really apply because the toys that are considered valuable are those that come from before the modern hobby of toy collecting--which really gained prominence in the late 80's. Once the MOC aspects of collecting took hold, the numbers of pristine unopened items increased because that became a trend within the hobby. Prior to that, toys were considered more for kids and were opened by most purchasers.

Its like baseball cards......the hobby took a drubbing because there was so many cards all treated as commodities that you could either get the ones you wanted very easily, or the very rare ones were priced so high that it was simply unattainable for the average collector.

That amounted to a combined dissillusionment with the card hobby that caused its implosion.

 

Modern toy collecting has the attributes of a LOT more communication globally, than collecting did 20+ years ago. There's numerous trade magazines, internet news sites ( like this one) and vast extensive collecting networks (again, like this one) making access to collectibles a LOT easier than it has ever been.

20 years ago, the reach of the average collector was civic ( meaning their hometown) or regional at best. Now its national or global. If you cannot find an item in Boston, for example, you can go on Ebay and win the item from someone in, say, the Philipines. The factors that once made an item rare ( local availability) no longer apply.

That's why the "value" of modern toys is really only determined by immediacy of access, (or the stamina/patience of the buyer)--because someone, somewhere in the world has it for sale.

And since a lot of people are archiving for later resale, there's always going to be those things for sale.

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I open almost all of my figures. I have friends that keep theirs in the package and that's fine too. The figures have joints and articulation so I'd like to get my money's worth out of what they're capable of. I'm forty three years old and I actually play with my Marvel Legends (is there an encounter group for that?:))! When my wife sees all these figures in my office I say "it's research!" I'm an illustrator in the comic book, toy and statue industry so my hobbies and profession fit together.

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I don't open them. 2 reasons. number 1 the toybiz ones are so loose (too many articulations) that they won't stay up so theres no point In opening them. Number 2 the $$ value Is much higher for packaged figures than loose ones,check It out online.

 

 

i remember buying a certain ML which is on a buy 1 take 1 basis. the take 1 happened to be deathlok. i opened it and he can't move both of his arms and his right thigh. i forced them to move so that i can make him strike a pose. and then, the arms broke. so did the right thigh. now, i have an amputated deathlok.

 

my bro bought this longshot fig, and straight right off the packaging, he can't stand. same thing for his mystique fig. and his green goblin ML cant stand on his glider, no matter what effort you give.

 

these are the reasons why i don't open my MLs. but i really want my avengers on my shelves. i have dreams about them posed on my shelves. dut i'm afraid i'd be disappointed if i ever encounter even one of those VERY LOOSE or VERY TIGHT joints that hinder poseability or even just making the fig stand.

 

as for the value of the packaged figures, am i right that the people who don't open their figs coz they would lose their value are people who plan to sell their figs in the future?

your problem with this story is you named just about every bad ML to date when it comes to posing or standing (aside from green goblin, you just got a bad one im afraid)

deathlok has loose joints or very tight joints for the most part, i rarely hear about a good one

mystique and longshot both have very rubbery legs

plus the way they were packaged helped distort their legs so they stand bow-legged

 

open them dude

you know why the 1977 star wars figures are worth so much? b/c they were produced in such small numbers

ML are produced in giant numbers, like some one said, if you are going to cash in on them you should do it now

dont get into a toy line just to keep them in the box just to sell 20 years from now, get into a toy line because you love the characters and want to re-create scenes from your favorite comics, or do a cross over fight thats never happened, or do a dream team-up with characters you never thought you would see together

MLs in the box is ##$%$#ed, open them all now or give me your address and ill come do it for you

LOL, well said man! I too say open them! and then post pictures of your set up!!

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When I first started collecting the Toy Biz Marvel Legends line, I did open my figures....sorry to say that now.

 

But soon afterwards I started to keep them all sealed. Now I will not open another figure, whatsoever.

I do buy a select second figure to open, but just to build the BAF charactor, I give these opened figures to my daughter to play with.

She has every figure that has a BAF part.

 

I do not collect for the value of the figure, but I do have some very valuable figures. e.g. black dawn psylocke, silver shirt luke cage, flying annihilus, mole monster BAF I keep them sealed for the protection of the figure. I enjoy looking at my figures , even through their protective plastic clamshells.

 

I have every figure except for hydra soilder variant, black marvel girl, backwards black marvel girl and blue wasp. I did bid on the blue wasp last week on ebay, I was the 1st bidder to place a bid on it, but was at work when auction ended, and was outbidded.

 

I only had to opportunity to hear about loose joints, or hard to pose joints as they break in your hands when you first take the figures out of their packs to pose them.

Then as the dust from the day settles on them, and oh, it will. Dont forget about the dirt, sweat and oily grime from your hands as you touch your prize figures when you pose them over and over again. Especially those with runny noses and pets.

Then as they tumble to the harsh floor below from the top shelf of a 5 foot bookcase - ouch, thats going to leave a mark !!!

Then as you and your buddies, slam them together in battle over and over again, uh oh better call maaco.

and all those early figures with all those twist ties as mention in the post above.

 

I perfer to keep my figures sealed, that is my choice, if you want to open your figures, great, by all means, open them and enjoy.

 

mls079.jpg

 

mls070.jpg

 

mls077.jpg

 

MAKE MINE MARVEL

 

briseis_v.jpg

Man, I didn't even know the Blue Wasp was up! Wouldnt've have got it anyhow for $1600! Got the luke cage variant but could never spend that much on a figure.

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hi there everyone. i kind of agree with everyone with what they said. this is just an opinion of mine. im a big collector of marvel legends. i fell in love with the line ever since i saw the doctor strange in the galactus line. what made me buy them was the baf. i said wow these are cool and i always did like marvel growing up. as to now saying open or dont open, well thats the tricky part. i got every marvel legends (toybiz) version. i only collect single comic carded with cards or not versions (hope u understood that) lol im saying i got every single one. and i got them all pinned to my walls, now when i come home i do like looking at them, and if someone talks about a particuliar figure, i somehow look at my wall to find them. dont get me wrong, i sometimes think that there saying, open me open me, and one of my biggest nightmares is that my newphew or someone will lol, ......i know i know, these figures made me strange with old age lol i can hear my hulk saying open me open me so i can smash iron man, or thor saying u cloned me now bye odins beard im going have to hammer u away mr. fantastic lol... but i do like looking at them on my wall, now as of value, well thats in my heart, i dont think i could ever give them away, im not here to make money but just enjoy looking at them, to me, them on my wall is like looking at the mona lisa, u have to have an appreciation for them, i do have doubles through that are opened, and once u have posed them and made each other fight, well the sensation is over with, so to the question as to open them or not open them.......its up to you. just enjoy them and be content, as to 20 years from now, will u really still wanna give them away? thats another topic to be talked about.

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sorry to hear bout your broken figs, but the next time you take them out, if you know the joint is stuck, just use the warm water/blow dryer trick. i say take the figs out!

 

 

you mean i can use hot water to loosen tight joints? we don't have a blow dryer.. i guess warm water is my only option in case i encounter a fig with immovable joints again.

 

For those not in the know, boiling water/ scalding water will loosen/ soften tight joints caused by hardened paint in the joints. It is also good for bent Wolverine claws that need straightening. Nuff said!!

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sorry to hear bout your broken figs, but the next time you take them out, if you know the joint is stuck, just use the warm water/blow dryer trick. i say take the figs out!

 

 

you mean i can use hot water to loosen tight joints? we don't have a blow dryer.. i guess warm water is my only option in case i encounter a fig with immovable joints again.

 

For those not in the know, boiling water/ scalding water will loosen/ soften tight joints caused by hardened paint in the joints. It is also good for bent Wolverine claws that need straightening. Nuff said!!

 

 

 

cool. i'll try that with my wolvie.

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