Last Monday I wandered into landmark and saw the rare BATMAN retro action figure!Yikes! I QUICKLY grabbed it and inquired if there was anymore. The saleslady said that it was a leftover from last month’s delivery. So I walked out and proudly carried my latest catch. I then went to CIBO and bought a TIRAMISU cake and sat down to admire and priss on my latest acquisition.
The sculpting was incredible and the detail work, …wow! I stopped collecting toys almost a year ago. I just didn’t find anything worth collecting. I have two criteria’s for
Getting a figure.
1.The character must be someone or something that I grew up on. Well not just a character but also any item from my pop cultural passes. Such as the BATMOBILE from the 60’s ADAM WEST /BURT WARD series. Or the SEAVIEW and the MINI SUB from THE VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA.
2.The toy must be hard to find. Otherwise why would make your collection special when you can hike up to the nearest mall and just buy it off the counter. (Most collectors would disagree with me on this, but this is my criterion! Having a hard to find toy does not only boost your collection and your pride but it also makes it terribly easy to sell it in a higher price.
But the real reason I think is, if the toy or item is hard to find it makes the search and quest more interesting. Panting and pining over an object is a much more interesting endeavor than actually acquiring the thing.
I knew that then and I know it now. Sitting in the coffee shop in just a space of over twenty minutes the elation and excitement I initially felt began to subside. Now the Holy Grail shrank before my eyes and became what it really was…a toy for 6 year olds.
Well I told myself, I still have a very rare toy. Until I walked into another toyshop and discovered 3 more BATMAN retros.
FLIM: “ I thought these were rare!
STOREKEEPER: “ They are. We just got lucky.”
FLIM: “ Ok, I’ll buy them all.”
As I went home. The feeling of hunting down the sole surviving BATMAN RETRO didn’t feel so special when you’re lugging in 3 more. Hell There’s always EBAY.
