Sports Figures

A Variety of Figures for Sports Collectors to Choose From

Sports action figures have been around for many years - as far back as the 1980s Hartland Plastics issued figures of baseball greats like Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra.

From 1987 to 2001 Starting Lineup figures from Kenner/Hasbro were the most widely produced and collected figures in the hobby. In 2001 McFarlane Toys released Hockey and Football figures, following with figures from all four major sports in 2002. Since then McFarlane Sports Picks have been the top choice for sports action figure collectors.

Over that time several other lines of sports figures have been released: Pro Specialties' Gladiators of the Gridiron, Gracelyn Re-plays, GameBreakers by Upper Deck, and Headliners to name a few. Hartland issued more figures in the 1990s and early 2000s as well. In 2006 Upper Deck issued the first of their All-Star Vinyl figures and initial releases have been extremely well received.
Sports Action Figure.com currently has McFarlane Sports Picks, Gracelyn Re-plays, Pro Specialties' Gladiators of the Gridiron, Hartland Plastics, Mattel, MEZCO, Playmates and Upper Deck All-Star Vinyls in its database.

Game Hunters: The October video game preview

For video game players, this is the most wonderful time of the year.

The holiday season nears, which means the next couple months play host to several high-profile video game releases, starting with a stacked October.

Despite the delays of games such as Evolve, Battlefield: Hardline and Batman: Arkham Knight, there are still a lot of key video games available next month, including Alien: Isolation and Sunset Overdrive.

USA TODAY tech columnist Marc Saltzman joins me as a special co-host to dive into the games of October.
 Brett Molina, USA TODAY 2:33 p.m. EDT September 24, 2014

How to Display Your Collection

How to Display Your Sports Action Figures, No Matter What You Collect

One of the biggest questions you will face as you collect sports action figures is how to display them.

Are you an "opener" or do you keep your figures in their packages? Do you want to organize them by team, by player, by series? Will you show off your figures as part of a larger display with other sports collectibles, or do you show them off by themselves?

Some guys may find this a simple matter. They collect just a certain player or team. Organizing those is pretty easy.

It hasn't been an easy decision for me. I collect figures I like, without regard to the player or team. So how the hell am I supposed to organize that? My family finds me standing in front of my collection about once a month, staring at it and trying to come up with a way to present it in a way that makes more sense. If I put them by team, I have to reorganize the collection every time a new series comes out. By player? The same problem, although not nearly as significant. And most of the players have only one or two figures . . . how do I organize those? I could group them by series, but that looks random. I'd have different Brett Favre figures scattered throughout the collection, which makes little sense.

Obviously, there is no single right way to organize your collection. You set it the way you want and enjoy it. But I wanted to present some ideas here to give you a variety of approaches to consider.

Some members of the spawn.com discussion board have incredible collections, and several of them have graciously consented to provide photos for display here. As you look through these collections, notice how people display unopened versus opened figures, how they keep the figures separate from other collectibles or mix them all together, how they use different shelving or mounting options.

McFarlane Releases Photos of Derek Jeter MLB Collector Edition Figure / Action Figure News

Reissue of 2008 Fanfest Planned for 2009

Source: McFarlane Toys — Posted 2/14/2009


McFarlane Toys pays tribute to legendary shortstop Derek Jeter with an exclusive Sports Picks Collector's Edition.

This action figure commemorates Jeter's salute to the fans at Yankee Stadium after the final game played at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 21, 2008.

Based on the photos, the Collector Edition Jeter appears to be a modified reissue of the 2008 Fanfest figure. The collector edition differs from the Fanfest figure as it includes a regular hat than a batting helmet and has a clean rather than dirty uniform.

Release date for this figure has not been announced.

Jake Meier Creates a LEGO Version of the Digital Duo Daft Punk Published: May 11, 2013 • References: autorazr.tumblr & designyoutrust

Daft Punk doesn't have their own LEGO characters available for purchase, but Jake Meier AKA "autorazr" has created custom, miniature versions of the digital music duo that are simply fantastic. The little characters that Meier has designed come dressed in their signature leather jackets and -- of course -- their digital robot helmets.

Additionally, the characters also have custom DJ equipment that Meier also made using LEGO building blocks. Fans of the music duo and LEGO alike are sure to be delighted by Meier AKA autorazr's creation that is sadly not available for purchase. The artist, however, is encouraging fans to share the creation, let their opinion be heard and support if they can to get the Daft Punk characters made into purchasable pieces that come in a proper LEGO set.

These Iconic Cars From 80s Movies Have Been Rebuilt in LEGO Published: Jun 17, 2013 • References: coolmaterial & designtaxi

If you recognize these tiny building block automobiles that’s because they’re iconic movie rides that have been built in LEGO. These fantastic toy creations focus on movies and television from the 80s, breathing LEGO-style life into them once more.

Among these iconic car recreations is the ‘Ecto-1’ from Ghostbusters. Complete with flashing blue sirens and jets, this little toy car is easy to recognize. The Ghostbusters themselves are suited up outside this flashy vehicle, which makes this supernatural comedy reference easy to identify. Also featured among these LEGO cars is the ‘General Lee’ from Dukes of Hazard, and the van from ‘The A-Team.’

The 80s left us with more than just crimped hair. These 80s movies and TV shows were phenomenal and these car recreations done in LEGO pay tribute to them.