Post by lobsterjohnson on Mar 16, 2016 15:22:56 GMT -5
Accessories that come with action figures are a big part of their appeal to me. They can make the figures much funner to pose and play with. A few thoughts:
1. Accessories should be easily usable by the figure they come with. For example, the Greg Capullo Two-Face figure comes with two handguns (although one hand has the coin sculpted into it, so he can only hold one gun, which is not a problem for me). However, his hand that isn't holding the coin has a hard time holding the gun, as it looks like it was not sculpted specifically to hold the gun. It's possible for him to hold it, but only at a weird angle.
2. The more accessories, the better (usually). A lot of figures come with no accessories or just one (like a Batarang), but a lot of recently released figures have had a wider assortment. The BTAS line has some great episode specific extras, and the Diamond Select figures usually have a wide range of extras.
3. Dioramas are cool. That's one of Diamond Select's biggest draws for me: the background/bases that create an environment for the character. I've even considered buying characters I have little interest in (or ones I actively dislike) just for the cool background. I haven't done it yet, but maybe sometime.
4. Holsters or sheaths for action figure weapons are a good design element, I think. My Van Helsing figure came with 4 different accessories, and they can all be stored securely in holsters or sheaths. It makes the figure look better on the shelf, and it just makes me like the figure better overall.
5. I have a love-hate relationship with swappable hands and heads. When done well, they can make a figure much more posable and fun. When done poorly, they can frustrate collectors and sometimes even cause damage to the figure.
6. One hand being a closed fist is usually a good feature for an action figure, in my opinion. This permits them to have better battle poses. This isn't true in every case, though (for example, characters that don't usually fist-fight should be able to hold whatever weapon they normally wield).
7. I recently bought the Batman '66 Batcave diorama/accessory pack. While it's not perfectly executed, it is a lot of fun and comes with some neat extras. I hope to see more things like this that are mostly accessory/diorama based in the future.
Thoughts on accessories, anyone?
1. Accessories should be easily usable by the figure they come with. For example, the Greg Capullo Two-Face figure comes with two handguns (although one hand has the coin sculpted into it, so he can only hold one gun, which is not a problem for me). However, his hand that isn't holding the coin has a hard time holding the gun, as it looks like it was not sculpted specifically to hold the gun. It's possible for him to hold it, but only at a weird angle.
2. The more accessories, the better (usually). A lot of figures come with no accessories or just one (like a Batarang), but a lot of recently released figures have had a wider assortment. The BTAS line has some great episode specific extras, and the Diamond Select figures usually have a wide range of extras.
3. Dioramas are cool. That's one of Diamond Select's biggest draws for me: the background/bases that create an environment for the character. I've even considered buying characters I have little interest in (or ones I actively dislike) just for the cool background. I haven't done it yet, but maybe sometime.
4. Holsters or sheaths for action figure weapons are a good design element, I think. My Van Helsing figure came with 4 different accessories, and they can all be stored securely in holsters or sheaths. It makes the figure look better on the shelf, and it just makes me like the figure better overall.
5. I have a love-hate relationship with swappable hands and heads. When done well, they can make a figure much more posable and fun. When done poorly, they can frustrate collectors and sometimes even cause damage to the figure.
6. One hand being a closed fist is usually a good feature for an action figure, in my opinion. This permits them to have better battle poses. This isn't true in every case, though (for example, characters that don't usually fist-fight should be able to hold whatever weapon they normally wield).
7. I recently bought the Batman '66 Batcave diorama/accessory pack. While it's not perfectly executed, it is a lot of fun and comes with some neat extras. I hope to see more things like this that are mostly accessory/diorama based in the future.
Thoughts on accessories, anyone?
