Hot Toy Collecting Tip #1: Remove ALL Batteries!

The ongoing debate continues: To open or NOT to open! To open what? To open the toy: that is to remove the figure from its packaging, to take it out and play, pose or simply admire the figure for what it is, a 3-D (three dimensional) art form. To keep it in its packaging would mean that one cannot truly appreciate the art that went into making the toy (figure, vehicle, playset - whatever it's supposed to be). Nor will you ever know how the back of the figure looks like (since you never get to see it if it remains in the box / packaging) or realize the full potential of the figure with the full accessories and its play value.

You can only truly enjoy the figure when you open it, as Kane found out :)

The term "Mint in sealed box" (commonly abbreviated as "MISB"; variations include "MOSC", or "mint on sealed card") refers to the practice of keeping toys in their original packaging, even after purchasing them. Such specimens are supposedly valued more than "loose" toys i.e. toys that have been removed from the packaging. In addition to the perceived "germ free" nature of such a toy, the owner can be assured that the item is almost certainly complete and intact. The chances of a still-sealed action figure being broken or missing accessories is extremely unlikely; such cases are almost always due to either accidents at the factory (toys being packaged with wrong / no accessories), or the toys being made of materials that decompose relatively quickly regardless of how they are or aren't packaged (such as yellowing – toys discoloring over time, Gold Plastic Syndrome – a toy's plastic decomposing and becoming brittle to the point of shattering or crumbling under minimal-stress conditions, rubber rot – rubber parts drying up, cracking, rotting AND also melting / disintegrating parts – rubber and some leather / pleather materials have been known to disintegrate over time). [source: MISB]

In this case, the clear plastic is meant to melt, courtesy of the alien's ooze

Some fans take offense with the practice of collecting sealed toys, arguing that the entire point of collecting action figures is to free them from their cardboard and plastic prisons and play with them, while fans of sealed figures might compare the process to collecting fine art or artifacts - they enjoy the total aesthetic of toy and package, looking much as it did the day it was placed on store shelves long ago. I say, if you can afford it, buy two of each, one to open and one to keep :)

Remove the batteries located in the helmet and oxygen backpack

Whatever the case, if you have bought an electronic toy figure that has batteries included, you should forget about MISB because the batteries will leak (It's not a case of "if" but "when") and the leaking batteries will damage the electronic components of the toy which will mean that the toy will no longer be in the condition it was supposed to be in, since it will no longer have its electronic functions, having been damaged by the leaking batteries. So if I were you, I wouldn't want to buy any MISB / MOSC electronic toy with batteries included since the batteries will have leaked over time and that MISB / MOSC electronic toy will no longer be in working condition. Better to buy one from a collector who has remembered to remove the batteries so as to ensure that the electronic parts will still work when batteries are re-inserted.

Likewise, for all Hot Toys movie masterpiece series 1/6 scale figures, remember to REMOVE all batteries if they have electronic features / functions because while it's all nice and cool ("oohhs" and "ahhs"), the batteries should be removed once you have checked that they work on the figure because after taking out the toy / collectible and playing with it, it's either you display the figure like I do OR you put the figure back into the box due to space constraints or simply because some of you prefer to display the box with the figure inside instead of the figure itself. Either way, you don't know when you'll be playing with the electronic components again and so, it's best to REMOVE the batteries or they WILL LEAK and DAMAGE the toy / figure / collectible (then it'll be "AARGHHH!")

So as you can see, the Hot Toys movie masterpiece figures in this line-up / blog entry all come with electronic features so please remember to REMOVE all batteries. You may think that because there's a plastic tab that separates the cell batteries inside from connecting and unless you pull out the tab, the switch won't work hence it's quite safe to keep the batteries inside as long as the tab is in place, you are so wrong. That is a bad assumption! The batteries will still leak and I've seen them myself and read of collectors' horror stories as well about rotting batteries left in the battery compartment of these very same figures you see in this post.

Please be reminded that Hot Toys use cheap China-made batteries and it's very very unstable. It can leak anytime! You wouldn't want to have your awesome collection ruined by cheapo batteries left inside the toy / collectible figure. It is really not worth it! So even if you are one of those who like to leave the figure in the box, you should at least remove the batteries. Hot Toys designed the figures such that they can be taken out of the box and be put back in again without any fuss because there are no twisty ties nor sealed parts where you have to break the seal to reach the figure, unlike carded figures. So go ahead, save the toy! Because if you don't, it's gonna look good on the outside while it's rotting inside!

I recently came across a particular collector on facebook who orders the Hot Toys 12-inch limited edition collectible figures, picks them up from the shop in its sealed condition, then proceeds to wrap the boxes up (with the figures inside) to keep out the dust and promptly keeps the boxes in the cupboard, away from sunlight. Never takes out the figures! My question to him was: "How can we really appreciate the figure if we keep it in the box, without ever checking out the articulation, the awesome features including light-up functions etc? Most of the time, we don't even know how the back of the figure looks like if we don't take the figure out. Even if you choose to keep the figure in the box, the batteries will still leak inside and damage the electronic features if we don't remove them first before sealing up the box!"

His answer: "I don't need to check it! I know it's there! Anyway, without exposure to the sun and dust, the figure will be in pristine condition." He doesn't realize that keeping it away from the sun is only to protect the paint and prevent the colors from fading, it doesn't stop batteries from leaking! That's part of the natural process of things in this world! We (a bunch of us concerned collectors) tried telling him so but it just seemed to fall on deaf ears. He was as stubborn as a mule and really believed that the made-in-China piss-poor quality batteries will not leak since he has managed to seal everything in.

I know some of us have space constraints and have no place to display all the figures. Hence some of us choose to keep the figure in the box to protect it from the sun and hopefully, the figure will still look as good as new in a few years. Furthermore, Hot Toys box packaging are like art pieces and deserve pride of place too. I'm okay with that but I would like to think that at least you still open the box occasionally to look at and admire the figure that you paid so much good money for, maybe even taking it out for a while before putting it back into the box again. So I take this opportunity once again to tell you to REMOVE all batteries ;p

I cannot understand the logic of a collector who buys the figure and then seals the figure inside the box and puts it out of sight, hidden away of the sun for fear of the precious toy losing its value, not realizing that the figure is already rotting inside the sealed box because he doesn't want to REMOVE the batteries! Everyone has the boxes, especially the shops that sell these figures. They display the boxes, not the figures. As collectors and not TOY hoarders or investors, let us see the figures. They are action figures after all, NOT rectangular boxes. Displaying the figures also enhances the beauty and demonstrates the art that went into making them. Most importantly, they look way more AWESOME when they are displayed. It's still all a personal preference, of course :) but I've had many bad experiences with figures having melted outfits (leather or pleather) because they were kept inside the box for too long and not allowed to "breathe". The same figure that was opened up and displayed did not suffer from the melting costume syndrome. And if figures are not meant to last forever, isn't it nice to be able to see them displayed everyday rather than opening the box one day after many years and see that the figure is already ruined while it was sealed inside the box. Where's the joy in that? It will be a great pity for you and the toy.

You know, if you like the box art so much, why not just buy the box and display them. They do sell the empty boxes on e-bay and they are much cheaper. If you are NOT EVER going to take the figure out of the box and play with it or even to look at it, then why pay good money for the figure but only choose to display the box?! Scalper scum buy the figures in the box and then resell them to make profits, purely for monetary gains. Some people buy the toys and HOARD them, hoping to resell them at a higher price when demand picks up! They never look at the figure and they don't care for the figure, only for the money that it brings them. We collectors are not like them. We are way better than scum! We ENJOY the figure. We APPRECIATE the figure. The figure is MORE THAN just the box! Open the TOY.

Remember, MISB doesn't mean that your stuff is SEALED and SAFE, especially if it has batteries!

So make sure you REMOVE all batteries from all your Hot Toys Iron Man figures, from Mark I to Mark II, Mark III, Mark IV, Mark V etc. All toys / collectible figures with batteries in them are not safe from harm until they have been removed. Don't even think that the small plastic tab will prevent the batteries from leaking! A good toy / collectible figure is a working one and those with leaking batteries are no longer considered good, nor do they work :(

Most importantly, have FUN with your toy and remember why you bought it in the first place!

For full reviews of the figures you see in this post, you can click on the labels at the bottom and they'll bring you to the desired post you wish to see, be it Iron Man, Predators (under "Creatures") or Movie SciFi (Hot Toys Nostromo Executive Officer Kane). You can also click on the pictures on the left and right side bars to read the reviews I did on them.

Here's me, just toying around with some backgrounds ;p also to show the size comparison of the Hot Toys Iron Man Mark I and WAR Machine side-by-side.

Click on the picture for a bigger and better view :)

I also did a comparison between the Hot Toys Iron Man Mark III armor with the new and improved Mark IV armor HERE

Just toying with some backgrounds ;p