Are you very picky concerning paint apps and card quality when purchasing figures?

Scoop · 03-18-2008, 04:40 PM

I am very picky when it comes to buying anything. As far as toys are concerned I look over the figure to see if I like its paint apps as well as the card quality. I collect both loose and carded figures, but I can't bring myself to open a figure that doesn't meet my standards when it comes to paint.

I wish I could walk into any store and see at least 10 of every figure I need on the pegs. That way I could look through them all and pick the one I thought looked the best. When I go into a store and there are only 2 to choose from this becomes a problem for me. If it's a rare figure I will buy 1, but keep searching for another one that might look better. I keep the figure sealed until I can find a worthy replacement, then I return the first one I bought back to the store. I've been doing this for months now, and not opening a thing. My "compulsiveness" is getting out of hand.

I want to be able to enjoy these figures the best I can, but their crappy paint apps have been upseting me. I'm beginning to think that there is no such thing as the perfectly painted figure, or even the perfect card without a crease or nick. So with that in mind I decided to start opening my figures and making some touchups. I wish I had some paint pens, but for now good old Sharpies will have to do.

So far I used a black Sharpie on parts of Stalker's and Breaker's boots where the black paint didn't come up all the way to the top of the boot. I also did this on Breaker's webgear. Then I touched up the gold blades on Destro's shoulder with a gold paint Sharpie. There was a dark spot on the grey neck of my Cobra Officer which I tried to fix with a silver Sharpie. It didn't exactly match, but if you rub it in it blends in a bit. I also had a problem with the paint on Duke's head because his flesh color was painted all the way up into his hair. I tried to scrape it off, but that made it worse. I ended up using some kind of make-up paint that matches his flesh color to fix the damage I made.

I might sound a bit crazy doing all of this, but the way my figures look is important to me. I still will not purchase a really bad looking figure with badly painted eyes, logos, or some other area that I might not be able to fix so easily. I just wish that Hasbro painted thier figures better like the original ARAH line was. I don't remember seeing many paint problems with them.

If anyone here is as crazy as I am and tries to search for that "perfect" figure please let me know. If you also have any advice about quick paint touchups, or if you think I need help and want to suggest a place for counceling...LOL, I'm all ears.

snakeeyes8877 · 03-18-2008, 04:42 PM

Yes, i look for the best i can get. I am mainly a MOC collector, but will recently be obtaining loose figures to start army building.

The Commander · 03-18-2008, 04:45 PM

I'm not too terribly picky when new waves come out. First figs I can find of a new wave are my 'openers' and then when a wave starts to show up in more abundance then I'm picky for what I keep on-card.

Porkchop Sandwiches · 03-18-2008, 04:46 PM

As long as the card isn't to messed up and what is supposed to be behind the bubble is actually there...I'll buy it. Especially when it is a troop builder or something I don't have.

gunslingercbr · 03-18-2008, 04:48 PM

it doesn't bother me. I never even pay attention to paint apps. I open them, pose them, and put them on display on top of my desk, so at about three feet distance all paint apps look perfect. I'm never staring at them close enough for any discrepancy to be noticeable.

CaptainDinobot · 03-18-2008, 04:49 PM

No, but if 3 figures of the same character were put out I look to see which which figure look best but the cards dont matter.

mikeTime · 03-18-2008, 04:53 PM

Ya I look over a figure to see if it's worth buying. I see a lot of defects comming out. It was verry hard to find a good looking shark tat Shippy. Even with the troper I've seen major defects on the face and extra plastic on the arms. I open almost everything and appearance is everything. Especialy with the two packs. The quality on those is sub par.

cornbot · 03-18-2008, 04:55 PM

i'm picky. but not a jerk about it, just very serious about perfection

Da_Last_2_Walk · 03-18-2008, 05:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scoop

I am very picky when it comes to buying anything. As far as toys are concerned I look over the figure to see if I like its paint apps as well as the card quality.

I wish I could walk into any store and see at least 10 of every figure I need on the pegs. That way I could look through them all and pick the one I thought looked the best. When I go into a store and there are only 2 to choose from this becomes a problem for me. If it's a rare figure I will buy 1, but keep searching for another one that might look better. I keep the figure sealed until I can find a worthy replacement, then I return the first one I bought back to the store. I've been doing this for months now, and not opening a thing. My "compulsiveness" is getting out of hand.

If anyone here is as crazy as I am and tries to search for that "perfect" figure please let me know. If you also have any advice about quick paint touchups, or if you think I need help and want to suggest a place for counceling...LOL, I'm all ears.

I suffer from OCD.

I will look at every figure/card they have, and examine them thoroughly to find the one in best condition. Then like you, I will return/sell the first one when I find a perfect one.

You're not crazy, if you are like me, you can't help it even though you question what you do!

Mr. Focus · 03-18-2008, 05:46 PM

It's good to see so many others share my OCD aka attention to detail, although at times we're standing in the toy aisle looking at the only two Torpedos left like a deer caught in headlights. In the midst of suffering from comparitive paralysis it helps to rejoice that our collection is building, buy both figures and decided later that evening from the comfort of your desk with the ultra-bright/sun lamp!