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The 2008 Poppies - the Judges!
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For our
second year, I decided to up the judges to almost 150 folks from 5
different categories - Companies, Websites, Collectors, Retailers, and
Artists. The final list shows a fairly even distribution
amongst these groups, with a grand total of 140 people. They
come from all aspects of the industry - large companies to small,
general websites to niche, online to print, contract artists to
customizers, and fans of just about every major license. I'm
also happy to say that there's a global influence, with judges from
North America, Asia, Australia and Europe.
And so
without further ado, here's the folks that will be selecting the
winners of the 2008 Poppies:
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Companies:
In this
category of judges, 33 companies are represented by 39 different
judges. The companies represented range from one guy
operations to multi-billion dollar organizations, from mass market to
specialty market, with headquarters around the world.
- Scott Tipton serves
as design consultant and copywriter for Toynami, and also
currently writes STAR TREK and ANGEL comics for IDW Publishing.
His first book,
COMIC BOOKS 101: THE HISTORY, METHODS AND MADNESS, will
appear in bookstores in June
2009. He has a startlingly large toy collection, but in this
crowd it's probably
about average.
- Scott Neitlich is a
Associate Brand Manager for Mattel responsible for
daily management of the DC Universe Classics, Infinite Heroes, Justice
League Unlimited and Masters of the Universe Classics lines. A lifelong
toy fan himself, Scott began his career in advertising but quickly
followed his heart to the toy business to help start up
MattyCollector.com
and run Mattel's convention and fan relations
presence.
- Shingo
Nakagawa works as the Media and Marketing Coordinator For Kotobukiya's
International Division. - Jim Wampler is the Director of Sales for Quantum Mechanix, Inc. He's been a
toy collector and fan for longer than he wants to remember and has 20 +
years experience working in the toy and hobby industries.
- Richard Gottlieb is
a well known toy industry commentator and President of Richard
Gottlieb’s USA Toy
Experts,
a provider of business development services to the toy industry.
Richard combines an MBA in Global Management with thirty-five years of
toy industry experience to help small, medium, and large toy
manufacturers increase their market share. Richard is frequently
interviewed by media worldwide, and has been called on by CNN, PBS, ABC
and other media outlets. He is also a Contributing Editor to Playthings
magazine in the US, Toys n’ Playthings in the UK, Juguetes in Spain and
other European toy magazines. Richard has written a book,
Ambassador to the Kingdom of Wal-Mart and his blog, “Out of the Toy
Box” is a popular destination for those who want to know what is
happening and is going to happen in the toy industry. Richard
produces a monthly bulletin called “What’s Next” which focuses on
coming trends. In recognition of his prominence in the toy industry,
Richard was recently selected as a voting member of the National Toy
Hall of Fame voting committee.
- Frank Supiot,
VP of Kotobukiya - Japan's #1 Collector Toy Company. Aside
from
overseeing the North American business operations, Frank also works
creatively in product development for US based licenses, such as
Marvel, Star Wars, DC, Halo and others. Frank has been in the
toy
industry for over ten years (with two of them spent in Japan), and is a
lifelong collector. - we have a judge who will remain nameless from Hot Toys.
Hot Toys is a Hong Kong based production house, established in 2000.
They devote their efforts to designing, developing, and manufacturing
highly detailed collectibles with actual likenesses to worldwide
markets. They started initially producing 1/6 military special
force gear sets and have grown and expanded to specializing in 1/6
scale movie character action figures and collectibles as their focus.
- Ethan
Collings is the Manager of International Licensing at Jakks Pacific
INC. As the title says, he manages international licensing
for the numerous toy lines at Jakks. He has been working in
toys for the past three years, but has been a toy collector/fan ever
since he got his first fast-food job and was able to buy toys for
himself.
- Ken
Lilly is president of Creatus Maximus,
a company he formed after leaving Palisades Toys. CMX has
produced their first product this year, the Smart Bombs, and have many
other products in the hopper. While at Palisades, Ken was the
driving force behind many lines, including the very popular Muppets
action figure line.
- Corrinne Robinson is
the Brand manager of licensed products for Mcfarlane Toys.
She is currently working on product for Halo, Halo Wars,
Guitar Hero, Call of Duty, and all "in-house" McFarlane brands. She has
also worked in both public relations and sales, but she attributes most
of her success in the toy industry to her child-like wonder and
inordinate fascination with things that are shiny. - Rick Phares
is well known in the action figure industry. He was a Executive
Vice President at Full Moon Toys, and they produced a variety of
figures including the popular Puppet Master line. He started Majestic
Studios, and produced sixth scale figures based on the past and present
Battlestar Galactica series, as well as some very cool horror
properties. Currently, he runs Boom Ltd, a full time consuting company
working with manufacturers in Hong Kong and China.
- Amanda Burns is
working as Marketing Coordinator at Bandai America by
way of Gentle Giant Studios and Lucas Licensing. She's traded Star Wars
for
Power Rangers and loving every minute of it!
- Ashly Powell is the
Senior Manager of Product Development at Gentle Giant Studios.
Before landing on the west coast she worked for DC Direct/DC Comics
making Batman and Superman action figures, and before that, she found
her real love and passion of urban vinyl while working for Kidrobot in
New York City. Slogan: "I Love Vinyl" (and marshmallow
peeps!)
- The Phrenologist: This
anonymous judge has worked in some area of the toy industry for over a
decade. He oversaw all action figures for what was once the
largest toy specialty retailer in the US and Mexico. He has
handled contests, press releases and public relations for several toy
companies. As a writer his work has appeared in Fangoria, Baby
Boomer, Omni, Psychology Today, Playboy, ASB Magazine, Time Out New
York, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and numerous other
publications. He is the author of two books currently available
on Amazon (and at a bookstore near you!) has just finished a book on
the artwork of imprisoned artist Michael Lee Ford, and is working on a
new book about Halloween in New York City. He believes that the
MAC Rescue Center (aka MAC Mountain) is one of the greatest toys that
ever was, and misses old fashioned toy commercials of the 70's. - Jess
Bansal has been involved in the toy industry for years,
working with companies like Toycom, SOTA and the Stevenson
Entertainment Group. He's leadership with sales and marketing has been
a key factor in seeing many of the cool action figures, statues and
busts from these companies make it to market. He's currently VP of
Sales for Huckleberry Toys.
- Damien Glonek is
product manager at Mezco
Toyz
and co-creator of Living Dead Dolls. He is a horror movie
junkie
and collects everything dealing with horror, please find him a bigger
house to hold his collection.
- Mike
is the owner of Peril Unlimited, a toy maker,
horror movie, and comic book fan, and works for the local fire
department.
- Mark Weber is the Sports Brand Manager for McFarlane Toys.
He worked as a producer and host for sports radio stations in Phoenix
and Washington D.C. for seven years before joining Mcfarlane as their
Sports Brand Manager in 2003. He guides the planning and
creation of the Sports Picks lineup.
- Terry
Scott is a senior vice president at Hasbro. His
responsibilities include management of global creative services, which
includes the packaging team, and creative director for Cake Mix Studios
which is Hasbro's internal IP creative engine and video production
team. Terry's team is responsible for all packaging graphic design for
both boys and girls toy lines including; Star Wars, Transformers, GI
Joe, Spider-man and other Marvel lines, My Little Pony, Littlest Pet
Shop, Nerf, Playskool, Easy Bake Oven and many more Hasbro core brands.
He's a lifelong action figure collector of Transformers, Thundercats
and the Thunderbirds.
- Jesse
Falcon has been a featured performer at the Upright Citizens
Brigade Theatre in NYC since 1998, which helped launch the careers of
comedians like Saturday Night Live's Amy Poehler and The Daily Show's
Rob Corddry. Falcon also performs with the comedy group "Mother" and is
the co-creator of "Video=Nasty!" and "Telethon" and has been a featured
player on "The Chipperton Family", "Showgirls = The greatest Movie ever
made....EVER!", "Cracked Out" and "Girl Crush 2040". He has also
appeared in the comedic short film Running with Scissors. When he's not
bringing laughter to the masses, Falcon has created some of the world's
most popular action figures for Marvel Comics, like Marvel Legends and
Legendary Comic Book Heroes. In 2005, Falcon was named a Contributing
Editor to the national humor magazine "Cracked".
- Bill
Kerner is co-founder of Far East Monsters Ltd.
He's responsible for all graphics for the company's packaging, web
graphics, co-developing new product and marketing/PR. Bill is a huge
fan of japanese toys and kaiju movies.
- Charles Howell is
the Art Director for Toy
Factory,
an amusement and crane plush company that produces original designs as
well as licensed designs for some of the top properties out there. He
has worked in the creative end of the toy industry and the amusement
ride industry for over 12 years, plus has produced illustrations for
magazines and books including Star Wars Kids Magazine for Scholastic.
“I
have always wanted to be involved with art, toys, and licensed
properties early on. Along the way I have amassed a good sized
collection. So, yeah I’m a collector as well, I think it comes with the
territory.”
- Mike Kochis was
formerly an intern at Palisades. Mike has
been an account rep with Master
Replicas since August of 2005.
- Randy
Falk is the Director of Product Development for NECA.
He manages the development and production for all of NECA's action
figures. He is also an obsessive completist when it comes to his toy
collection especially 3 3/4" Star Wars and the classic MEGO
Super-Heroes.
- Brock
Otterbacher is the licensing guy over at Sideshow Collectibles. Lover of
all things Terminator, Aliens, Predator, and pulp (esp. Conan), as well
as many other geeky things. He prays to Crom every night, and before
climbing into bed with his stuffed Cthulhu, he makes sure that his
Devilman UnderoosŪ are nice and snug. In all the right places.
- Brant
Bridges is the Operations Manager at Sideshow Collectibles, providing
support to the creative services and production management teams, and
assisting with the product marketing and forecasting. He's a sucker for
all things Lego and Star Wars, but has a weakness for great sculpts
from any property.
- Between
volunteering as a crash test pilot for NASA and serving 10+ years in
the toy industry, Deihl
Betz is about as tough as they come. He
currently resides in Chicago, IL enjoying his gig as Sales Director at
MGA Entertainment. Over the years, Deihl has also spent time
with
McFarlane Toys, Play Along Toys, and Art Asylum. Deihl's Wii
Fit
age is 192.
- Jesse DeStasio is
the Sales Director for Mezco
Toys.
He started in the industry as an intern cutting out millions of Care
Bear packaging comps, before stints at Jazwares as Product Manager and
then New Line Cinema as Associate Director of International Licensing
and Merchandising. He also created SubCultures: Art of the Action
Figure, a traveling exhibit showcasing original toy creations. If you
put rolls in front of him, he will fill up, and ruin his dinner. His
Wii fit age is currently 30 years old.
- Steve Forde, Owner
Go Hero / Designer / Consultant.
Steve’s first word was "Batman"! His affection for heroes, monsters,
and
toys led him to work for Kay Bee Toys & Toys "R" Us. His love
for art moved
him on to hone his skills over 10 years with corporate &
freelance media
design for celebrities, multi-million dollar companies, as well as many
of
the independent designer toy companies. In 2004 Steve launched Go Hero,
an independent toy & entertainment company
at the forefront of the vanguard movement in designer collectibles,
making
original and licensed lifestyle products and properties. Go Hero
products,
art, and designs have been featured in several leading edge books,
magazines, online publications including Sci-fi Channel, Giant Robot,
Juxtapoz, MTV Books, Wizard Publications, Lee's Toy Review, Dot Dot
Dash,
Full Vinyl, and many others. Steve's work has also sold at the Philips
de
Pury Auction houses in New York and London.
In 2007 Go Hero re-launched and began work on creating never before
made
licensed retro collectibles based on Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,
Flash
Gordon, works by Ray Harryhausen and more. These new products represent
the
highest quality, expert engineering, and a variety of disciplines in
plastics, woods, metals, soft goods, electronics and more. One of the
notable offering is a patented internal MP3 player for a new line of
1:6
scale figures called the ATOMedia. In 2009 look for more 1:6 scale
figures,
vehicles, replicas as well as a return to vinyl.
- Jason Lenzi is the
founder and CEO of Bif
Bang Pow!
Jason lives and works in Los Angeles, as a freelance writer/producer
for television, and as a voice over actor for television and radio. He
started Bif Bang Pow! over three years ago, and in that time has
released action figures and bobble heads for 'The Big Lebowski', the
1980 movie version of 'Flash Gordon' (with figures 'art directed' by
Alex Ross), Showtime Networks' hit series 'Dexter', and Scott Ian of
Anthrax. He is a Leo, loves long walks in the park, and has no time for
mean people. This is his first year voting on the Poppies, and he hopes
to win in every category.
- Michael Leavey
has spent most of his 10-year professional career in the toy industry.
Most recently at Diamond Select Toys as the head of the
marketing
department and oversaw tremendous growth
and change. Aside from DST, and action figures, Mike has worked in
several other boy’s toy segments including model trains, slot car
racing and swim toys. Since leaving DST Mike continues to consult for
both toy retailers and manufacturers. - David Lee is the co-owner of Cast-a-Way Toys,
and long time action-figure collector and customizer. Starting back
into toys in 1995 as a collector, he has progressed from aficionado
into toy maker, along with best friend Jason Schiermeyer, to make 8
inch toys reminiscent of their favorites MEGOs from childhood. - Matt Peck
was a (self-described) lowly internet fan-boy who spent all his time
discussing Buffy the Vampire Slayer before connecting with Diamond Select Toys. He now serves as Marketing Assistant when he can take time away from getting his Minimate collection organized. - Patrick York Ma
was born in Brussels, Belgium and at the age of 4 years, moved to the
United States. On a whim he enlisted in the US Army at 18 and
after jumping out of various wheeled and flying machines, shooting
machine guns, blowing things up, wearing lots of green colored clothes,
and other army stuff, went to "Art School". Patrick received his
BA in ART at University of California, Santa Cruz, and his MFA in 3D
ARTS at San Jose State University. Currently residing in
the California Bay Area, Patrick works in his studio on a variety of
projects, from sculpture and digital photography to furniture, apparel,
and product design.
Much of Patrick's earlier sculpture was
created with an emphasis in metals and glass casting. Some of the
works presented here at Rocket World are ongoing investigations into
science fiction as a form of contemporary popular mythology combined
with sculptural objects created as "artefacts" found within that
context. Other projects include installation work with motifs and
sculptural icons from the natural world created in a pop-contemporary
visual language, prompting viewers' reactions on various levels.
A
number of Patrick's photographs use motifs and icons from "pulp science
fiction" media, and portray contextual vignettes which tell a story or
a captured scenario. Some of the other photographs presented are
simply snapshots from various travels and/or subject matter the artist
found interesting.
Many of the images and "artefacts" on view here at Rocket World,
were created as commentary on the human dynamic regarding exploration,
pursuit of the unknown, and the objects we create, which become
cultural-techno sign posts. These works are created ultimately to
provoke a better understanding of ourselves as one people who are
homogenous in many ways, by demonstrating how advantageous technology
and the motivation to explore, crosses any cultural , national, and
perceived "ethnic" borders.
Patrick's interests and explorations
of the studio arts and design are also colored by his awareness of our
intrinsic participation in the natural, "Darwinian" world. The
characters of the "Insurgents Wilderness Gruppo" were created as
irreverent commentary of how our zoological heritage & natural
world are being decimated and squandered. Part of the proceeds
from purchases made from this area of Rocket World are donated to a
variety of non-profit groups and organizations such as the Gorilla
Foundation, the International Rhino Foundation, Zoo Conservation
Outreach Group, Friends of the Sea Otter, and the World Wildlife
Fund. When time permits, Patrick spends time in the field with
wildlife groups, often in remote locations which are difficult to
pronounce, doing conservation work. His favorite color is
still green...it reminds him of the forest. - This is Alex Schondorf: - International Licensing at Paramount Pictures - Includes Hard Lines & Collectibles worldwide - Japan to Hong Kong - Look after all the Studios properties for licensing - Collector of Vinyl & comics - Los Angeles Native - Gamer with a passion for Call of Duty franchise - Licensing networker extraordinaire - Lived in Milan, NY, Holland working in licensing for licensee - Pop culture fiend & lover of the arts and more so the artists hehehee - Peter Ki-Bong Wong: Head of Public Relations at Symbiote Studios.
Peter has worked in the industry for over thirteen years. Five of these
years were as a quality control inspector in China under the direct
supervision of General Mao. As a boy he was always interested in
toy creation. At the age of six he built a cage out of Legos in which
he locked his younger sister in. Sadly, she escaped, disowned her
family and moved to America were she became an underwear model. Peter
still stays up at night drinking and building complex Lego traps with
the hopes of returning her back to Communist China.
- John Wong will represent PopBoxCollectibles.com.
Besides having found ActionAce.com, a pop-culture entertainment
content/community/ecommerce in 1997, which was sold in 2001, he also
started up ActionHQ.com in 2003
which he is still a director. In 2006, he founded and is the
managing director for PopBox, providing leadership in biz dev/product
dev. He also works closely with production to ensure the
realization of the items and collectibles. - and
there are 3 additional company judges that wish to remain Anonymous.
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Media:
Where would
our hobby and the industry be without the many websites and magazines
out there that report the news, promote the collectibles, and provide
the social networks for our geek selves. The judges in this
category represent websites and print publications that cover every
aspect of the industry, from niche licenses and products to general
themes and news. There are 30 judges from 25 outlets, some
of which I'm sure you'll recognize.
- Justin Aclin is the
Editor of ToyFare Magazine from Wizard Entertainment,
the #1 action figure magazine. Prior to the past six years with the
magazine, Justin was merely an amateur toy, comic book and geek culture
enthusiast. Justin is also the head writer of ToyFare's award-winning
humorous comic strip, "Twisted ToyFare Theatre," a fact which he never
fails
to use as an excuse to promote his own comic book, "Hero House,"
scheduled
for release in 2009 from Arcana Comics. - Zach Oat is the editor of TelevisionWithoutPity.com and MoviesWithoutPity.com.
Before that, he was the editor of ToyFare magazine. He is currently
working on a book about sculpting action figures, and he still loves
C.O.P.S.
- D. Martin Myatt is photographer/ editor/ creative director for Cool Toy Review, and photographer/ editor at Rebelscum.
For more than a decade, he has been contributing to the toy collecting
community through numerous media outlets and has been a contributing
editor and photography covering Star Wars collectibles for Rebelscum
for seven years. Myatt's Cool Toy Review continues to grow in
content and popularity as it approaches its third year of toy news and
photo archiving. - Brian Slivka
has been covering the designer toy industry for 5 years. It
started with a few Happy Meal toys and a dream. But that just
lead to eating thousands of unnecessary calories and waking up from the
dream 30 pounds heavier. Plastic and Plush
started up over 3 years ago, and it continues to deliver daily news and
reviews from the designer toy and limited edition toy worlds.
- Mark Picirilli is
the admin and webmaster of several large collecting websites,
including Yodasnews.com,
GentleGiantCollectors.com,
IndianaJonesCollectors.com,
HaloCollectors.com
and VoldemortsVault.com.
He has been involved in the collecting online community for over 11
years.
- Adam
Pawlus has been writing about toys online since
1995. As a contributor to ToyFare Magazine, several web
sites, and other publications, his currently best known for his daily
"Figure of the Day" and weekly "Q&A" columns at Galactic Hunter.
He maintains a general toy news blog at 16bit.com, and his
day job is the merchandiser/Toy Evangelist for
Entertainment Earth.
- Jess
C. Horsley, like Luke Skywalker, grew up on a farm and dreamt
of escaping his small-town life to travel other worlds. After enlisting
in the USMC as an infantryman, he realized this dream. A decorated
combat veteran, Horsley continues to escape the monotony of a routine
life as the managing editor of Figures.com,
where he's free to play with toys and actually gets paid to do so.
- Daniel
"Julius Marx" Pickett is the co-creator/co-owner of Action Figure
Insider, a toy news site with a focus on the creators and
process of making pop culture collectibles. He has been
writing about toys for just under 10 years and has been collecting his
whole life. He also consults with many companies on projects,
hosts panel discussions at conventions, and answers questions from
readers all over the world. Action Figure
Insider has recently been featured on Wired.com, G4's "Attack
of the Show", and USA Today's "Pop Candy" blog.
- Norman
"Ronin Six" Apalis is the co-founder, and senior editor of
the OneSixthWarriors,
a prominent website devoted to showcasing the best of 1:6th scale
action figures of all brands, genres, and eras. Having been an action
figure buff for over a decade, he has amassed a collection of
"man-dolls" ranging from science fiction to modern military bordering
on excessive. Supported by a horde of highly passionate 1:6 hobbyists,
along with an equally fanatical group of staff members, Norm hopes the
OSW continues to remain an integral part of the ever-growing action
figure community focused on collecting, kitbashing, and customizing.
- Jeremy
Wilcox (aka blueduck37) is the administrator for the Simpsons Collector
Sector web community, the largest Simpsons collecting website
on the net. His collection was recently featured in Time Out
New York magazine, making his mother very proud.
- Matt MacNabb is the
owner / editor / webmaster for Legions of Gotham.
A driving force in the collecting
community for over five years, LOG has taken leaps and bounds to break
down
the barriers between the industry and the collectors. Their coverage
focuses on Batman collecting and animation. Matt is a lifelong Batman
fan,
and has been a serious Batman collector for over a decade, with well
over
3,500 pieces in his personal collection.
- Ben Leach
confuses most of the other media representatives at major conventions
like Toy Fair and Comic Con, and has even been accused by some
convention attendees as not being old enough to be a media
representative. His driver's license says 25, but that still
doesn't explain why he's obsessed from toys that came out before he was
born! Ben has written for Lee's Toy Review, about.com,
thejawa.com, and Toyfare magazine, and as long as there are action
figures to collect, he will spend money on them!
- Andy Livingston:
From Product Management in the video game industry, to Marketing
Management in the toy industry, and now a freelance writer for ToyFare
Magazine, Andy has all your money-wasting vices covered on his resume.
And he's very, very pretty.
- David
Stephan has worked in motion picture distribution for many
years, but his true love is for the collectibles of classic
Sc-Fi/Fantasy entertainment. To that end, he is the creator
and administrator of the fan forum "Sideshow Freaks",
the largest website and forum dedicated to Sideshow
Collectibles. Residing in sunny Southern California, he
constantly battles for living space with piles and piles of Sideshow
boxes. - Jack Muramatsu - Founder and editor of Vinyl Pulse,
the premiere news site providing coverage of designer vinyl toys.
After opening countless toys over the past four years, he's got a
strange gleam in his eye -- one too many sniffs of vinyl fumes. He's
living the dream of blogging full-time about toys and loving every
minute of it from sunny Pasadena, California.
- Phil
Reasoner (philnjill) aka Darth Dug is a father of five and
collector of too much. He did image guides for the late great Palisades
and now is the primary Image Guide supplier for GentleGiantCollectors.com.
He's been collecting Star Wars since 1977 and in the past decade has
diversified into everything from Palisades Muppets to Medicom
Be@rbricks, from DST's Battlestar Galactica to KidRobot Dunny's, from
NECA's NBX and Gentle Giants...everything...to Rocketworld I.W.G.,
Jamungo BUDS and October Toys GWIN's. - To his few remaining enemies, Ron "SamuRon" Mirasol is known as "The Adversary" - the evil mastermind who engineered the takeover of the internet by TheFwoosh.com
(your home for action figure news, reviews, and discussion.)
Outwardly, SamuRon remains the amiable customizer of legend, polite and
caring - you may admire his customs at his woefully stale website,
ron.mirasol.us. His pleasant exterior, however, hides an utterly
ruthless man whose forces are responsible for countless bannings and
flame wars across the interwebs.
- Mr.
Stinkhead is the editor of MillionairePlayboy.com,
and he also runs
NonToxicReviews.com to review baby/childrens' toys and
gadgets for Dads. He has written for ToyFare Magazine and the
Washington Post. If any playmobil has been nominated, it's his fault.
- Chris
Holoka is the graphics designer for such Star Wars sites as Rebelscum.com, TheForce.net, and ToshiStation.com.
- Jeff
Saylor - Editor of www.Figures.com.
Artist, writer and admitted toy addict, his passion for pop culture
collectibles dates back to a Micronaut/Star Wars/Shogun Warrior laced
childhood. If not online, Jeff can be found playing video games,
painting or rearranging his extensive toy collection. Currently trying
to find more space for his growing army of robots and
Aliens...
- Pete Svab
is the Director of Marketing & Promotions for ACME Archives in
Burbank, CA. He is also the co-owner of GalacticBinder.com,
the largest Star Wars themed directory on the internet.
- Frank
Patz Batista left the weird and wonderful world of Mexican
Lucha Libre to start,
Eternal Collector.
The internets ultimate gallery of Collectors and their Collections from
all over the world. While this career choice is just as fun as his
first, it certainly is easier on the back. He has been a toy Collector
is entire life and even remembers sneaking out of arenas before a
wrestling show to run to the local toy store to see what is available.
"Everyone had a time in their life where they stopped collecting toys,
because of school, work, or girlfriends. I have never stopped." Eternal
Collector has been featured on G4TV, the Discovery Channel, Treasure
HD, various magazines, and websites.
- Karen Ross is the
webmistress of KrossToys,
the first Spanish website about Toy Collecting. It started back in 2007
and there she works on her own, writing the articles and reviews and
posting interviews to people from the Toy Collecting world.
- David Yeh is
a product of the 80's, raised on true gems such as G.I. Joe,
Transformers, He-man, and yes, even M.U.S.C.L.E. David had
outgrown toys until the
1995 release of Star Wars lured him back for more. Since
then, he has gotten
hooked on dozens of other toy lines as well. David has
written for mwctoys.com, galactichunter.com,
Geek Monthly and currently writes toy reviews
for Figures.com and
Yojoe.com.
- Paul
Rudolph is the
chief writer monkey for the toy collecting themed blog Toybender.com. His
work has also appeared in ToyFare and on
WizardUniverse.com.
- Bradley "Crazyjaco" Jacobs
is a co-founder, admin, and contributor for Powet.TV,
a site dedicated to bringing high-quality web programming on pop
culture subjects to a new level. Crazy is probably best known for his
regular video series called PowetToys, a segment where he gets to show
off the latest and greatest toys he has encountered in an
information-rich format all his own. As an avid collector of many lines
(Transformers, Marvel Legends, Marvel Minimates, MOTU and the Four
Horsemen's Fantastic Exclusive project to name just a few), Crazy
decided he wanted to give back to a fandom that he had so actively been
a participant. Thus, the launch of Powet.TV and PowetToys, its first
regular feature. - Eric Resnick is a long time collector and has been writing about the
industry for the last five years. After working as a features writer and
collectible reviewer for Toy Shop Magazine until it closed, Eric just
launched You Bent My Wookie, a site that blends collectibles news
and reviews with entertainment news and exclusive interviews.
- Curtis (aka.
lilwingman) is owner/admin of The Harry Potter
Collector's Guide,
and specifically, among other things, a big Gentle Giant collector.
"Being a collector and student means sometimes I miss a really cool
piece. But most times, I get the piece and just skip eating
for
the week. It's all about priorities. - Eric "measle" Lind:
Works in the glamourous and sexy world of IT by day to fund his various
movie, game, comic and toy collecting addictions, and then money
allowing, buy food, pay the mortgage, etc. Eric is a cofounder of
the sorta new pop-culture website Criticalmess.net.
Criticalmess is a pop-culture community that affords any and all
members the ability to contribute site content, submit reviews,
commentaries, rants or raves, or just hang in the forum, it exists as a
vehicle for the fans to be heard and/or use as a creative outlet.
- and there
is 1 anonymous media judge.
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Artists:
You can't
produce amazing products without designers, fabricators, sculptors,
painters and other artisans. These judges come from that side
of the business. Many are freelancers, but some work for
specific companies. Others are well known and respected customizers,
who do commission work for individuals, magazines and others. There are
22 judges in this category: - Jin Han is the Lead Concept Artist for McFarlane Toys,
and colorist on the Spawn monthly comic book. Prior to becoming a
full-fledged member of Todd McFarlane Productions, Jin’s career as a
designer/illustrator partnered him with clients such as Mattel Inc.,
Playmates Toys, 20th Century Fox, Marvel Comics, DC Comics, and
award-winning author of Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card. How he was able
to weasel his way into these gigs still remains a mystery. But one
thing is for certain; he is the geek who recently purchased an Optimus
Prime voice changer helmet, which, luckily, happened to fit over his
gigantic dome. It’s a good thing he stuck with art and not science
while in school.
- Bill
Mancuso - sculpting your favorite Dog Poo, Vomit and Spilt
Wine Glass novelty items since 1994. MWC note: Actually, Bill
has sculpted some of the best action figures on the market today,
including many of the Muppets, Marvel Legends and and Marvel
Toys. He's just too shy to tell you.
- Cason
Pillod - Not satisfied with the limited options available at
retail, Cason Pilliod has been crafting his own toys since he was a
child. his passion for toys merges with his background as a
theatrical prop designer, allowing him to find unique customizing
solutions, which he shares with the ever-growing customizing community
via Inanimate Objects.
- Jonathan
Matthews is an eight year veteran sculptor for the toy
industry, currently on contract with DC Direct as a sculptor of action
figures and statues.
- Joe
Dunaway has been a painter of resin model kits for over 15
years, and is also an avid toy collector. He loves his aliens
and monsters, but also enjoys any figure that's well
sculpted. Check out his work at his site, ModelZone.
- Timothy
K Miller (but please just call me "Tim") sculpts for
Mcfarlane Toys and Sideshow Collectibles, usually portraits.
Teaches Sunday School. Likes puppy-breath, snowboarding,
sushi, and women. Hates writing bios.
- Ed
Wires: Prototype Painter. Ed has been painting toy
prototypes since 1998. He has painted thousands of prototypes
for all of the collectible genres: Marvel, DC, Muppets, The Hyborian
Age, Star Trek, NFL, 2,000 A.D., and many others. - Rudy Garcia
is a mid-west based artist working in the action Figure,
industry. He started off, way back in 1996, working as a
Conceptual artist for a St. louis based toy company called
Trendmasters. His duties included lllustration concepts and
product development for both boys and girls. By 1998, his
attention turned to the 3D side of the business and he began to
sculpt as well as design.
In I999, he left Trendmasters and went
to work for the biggest name in action figures at that time, McFarlane
Toys. He was hired on as an in house designer and sculptor,
creating lines such as Tortured Souls and Spawn:The Dark Ages Samurai
Wars. During his tenure at McFarlane, he also worked on other
licensed product such as Shrek, Austin Powers and of course the 18"
Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on elm Street.
As 2001 rolled
around, he relocated back to the mid-west and started freelancing with
a relatively new, toy and collectibles company called Diamond Select
Toys. There, he sculpted mostly Marvel Characters in statue or
bust Form. He has also worked on a handful of licensed product
including Star Wars, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Trek.
In
the Fall of 2002, he landed an in-house, out-of-state sculptor/designer
gig with NECA, creating action figures for the Hellraiser line and
bobbleheads for Nightmare Before Christmas.
As of 2005, he has been a full time employee of Diamond Select Toys, designing and sculpting product for a whole new generation of collectors.
- Jin
Saotome of Jin Saotome's Dangerous
Toys. Customizing maniac and keeper of the sacred 'steel
Wolverine claws'. Responsible for the plague of Iceman
customs on Ebay years ago that mankind shall never forgive him for.
- Andy
Bergholtz ---- Professional sculptor and founder of A.B. Sculpture Studio.
Andy has been in the industry for 9 years and has worked as a sculptor
for such companies as McFarlane Toys, Palisades, Diamond Select,
Sideshow Collectibles and DC Direct.
- Adam
Hughes is a world-famous comic-book cover artist, who
regularly misses deadlines because he loves playing with his 1:6 scale
toys a bit too much. When he DOES get to the drawing table, his covers
have graced WONDER WOMAN and CATWOMAN for DC Comics, and STAR WARS for
Dark Horse. He is designing a line of comiquette statues for SIDESHOW
COLLECTIBLES based on MARVEL super-heroines.
- Matt
'Iron-Cow' Cauley, probably best known for his custom action
figure work, formed Iron-Cow Prod. LLC to better serve his
illustration, animation, design, and toy production clients. In
addition to being a featured contributer to ToyFare Magazine, there are
over 50 ICP-designed DC Direct, Battlestar Galactica and Marvel Comics
Minimate action figures currently on sale. His artwork is exhibited and
published worldwide and he is currently hard at work developing a line
of t-shirts for Macys featuring his illustrations. Matt's illustration,
broadcast, fine art, and toy design portfolios can be seen at the
official Iron-Cow
Prod.
- Mat
Falls is the resident sculptor and a co-founder of Sideshow
Collectibles. Falls moved to Los Angeles from Northern California in
1983 and established himself in the burgeoning make up effects
industry, working for Oscar winners Rick Baker and Greg Cannom. After
several years in the waning effects make up industry, Falls realized a
transition was in order and helped co-found Sideshow Collectibles as
the Dir. of 3-D design.
- The
Shiflett Brothers,
Brandon and Jarrod, are professional sculptors who have been working in
the comic book statue industry for 12 years. Their body of work
includes The Hulk, Juggernaut, and Grendel Prime Statues for Bowen
Designs. Also, the Draco and Kabuki statues for Moore Creations and
collaborations with Alex Ross including the Earth X Captain America
Statue for Dynamic Forces. Their work has been featured in three
Spectrum books, which collect the year's best fantasy art.
- Jean St. Jean
is a musician turned sculptor, who began his career in a small upstate
NY toy sculpting studio doing mostly preschool toys and dolls. Five
years later he joined McFarlane where he spent almost 7 years helping
them develop their hyper realistic style, the last 4 years as Sculpting
Supervisor. In 2004, he left McFarlane to start his own company, Jean
St. Jean Studios offering sculpting, painting and prototyping services
working on such licenses as Diamonds Select’s Stargate SG-1, SG
Atlantis and Battlestar Galactica lines, Mezco’s Cinema of Fear, DC
Direct’s World of Warcraft and Ame-Comi and Amoktime’s Killer Klowns
and Day of the Dead lines.
- 2dtoys
loves toys. He makes, plays, and talks about toys for a
living.
And like the circle of life, he spends that paycheck buying toys. Then
he turns that circle into a triangle by coming home and making custom
toys, then plays and talks about them. He dreams of someday
kissing a real live girl.
- Tony Robles of TonyzCustomz.com.
Up and coming customizer that specializes in made to order customs for
private clients, as well as some recent professional work for toy
company Shocker Toys with more on the way.
- Kat Sapene has been
a prototype painter for the toy industry since 1999. Kat has
painted everything from Disney characters to monsters, from action
figures to
statues and busts. She was head painter at Sota toys for a number of
years before
deciding to try work as a freelancer. She now runs her own studio, WAK! Toys, with
the help of her cat who dutifully wears a tie to work everyday.
- Chris Howes
has been a designer and sculptor in the toy and giftware industries for
20 years. His wide ranging career has included a strange assemblage of
works including maniacal axe wielding Garden Gnomes (as seen on TV's
"Third Rock From The Sun"), high end Star Trek cold cast figures,
talking light up "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" ornaments,
Celebriducks (rubber ducks that look like well known personalities),
ID4, Jurassic Park and Godzilla model kits, Beatrix Potter collector
plates, many different action figures... In other words, from the
ridiculous to the ultra cool. Actually, he thinks it's all pretty darn
cool when you get right down to it. He has had the privilege of being
involved with creating product for many of the most popular motion
picture, television and pop culture properties of all time, and he's
thankful for every moment of it! When asked what he does for a living,
Chris likes to sum it up like this: "When I was a kid I used to love
playing with rubber alligators..... now I'm the guy who MAKES the
rubber alligators!" - Joe Allard
is a toy designer that works with companies like Hasbro, Mattel and
Sideshow Collectibles, as well as in the Comic Book industry. His
resume includes everything from action figures to board games, from
collectible to plush, and a lot of other fun stuff in between. You can
see an impressive display of his work at the official Design Devil website.
And there is 1 additional judge in the Artist category who wishes to remain anonymous.
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Retailers:
Without
retailers to sell the stuff, there'd be a whole lot less to
buy. In fact, that's one of the current issues for the
industry, as fewer and fewer retailers carry the figures, statues and
busts we love. These 25 judges represent some of the best known
specialty and mass market retailers, from small to large.
- Joel
Boblit is the owner of the retail website Big Bad Toy Store
and lifelong fan of 80's action figures. To quote Joel "I'll
use my experience dealing with the manufacturers as well as customer
feedback and order levels when voting this year".
- Thomas
Gaul is the owner of the CornerStoreComics
and AmazingToyz
online retail stores, as well as the CSC Comic Shop and Collectibles
Showroom located in Anaheim, California. He became a slave to
the plastic back in 1977 (at age 7) when he purchased his first Kenner
Star Wars figure (Han Solo/Fat Head/ 12-back) for $2.29 at the local
department store.
- Dat Ma is the buyer
for multi-channel retailer and distributor Entertainment
Earth,
Inc. Entertainment Earth, Inc. is a worldwide multi-channel retailer
and wholesaler of action figures, toys, gifts, and collectibles with a
state-of-the-art website and popular print catalog.
- Marc Bowker is the
owner of AlterEgoComics.com
and the Alter Ego Comics retail store in Lima, OH. Alter Ego
has
been around since 2003 and Marc has been a fan of comic books, figures
and collectibles for over 20 years.
- Jason Dorough is the
general manager of Comics
Infinity,
an online retailer in the business of selling toys, busts, comic books,
statues and other collectibles for almost a decade. He also is the
managing editor and founder of Fandomania
and is the co-host of the weekly Fandomania Podcast.
- Adam
Stinson is the founder of Dark Shadow
Collectibles, which started online in 2004 and is based in
Leander, TX. Dark Shadow Collectibles sells products such as
statues, busts and prop replicas. Adam has been a collector
of Marvel and Star Wars items since the early 90's. - Steven Loney is the founder and CEO of Toynk.com.
Toynk is a toy, collectible and costume company specializing in
licensed pop culture related products. Toynk markets/distributes its
product library worldwide through various retail and wholesale
channels. Toynk is also involved in the creation, development, and
manufacturing of similar licensed and non-licensed products through its
subsidiary company, Locoape, LLC. Toynk is primarily based in Elk Grove
Village, IL USA. Toynk recently opened its first distribution center
overseas in Adelaide, Australia in June of 2007.
- Russell Kay and Jason Forkos, are
the owners of krazykingsoftoys.com,
which admittedly is a bit of a newbie to the online retail circuit, as
they officially opened for business on August 2nd of this year. Russell
Kay, also known in the majority of the toy community as KingRandor for
many years, has done several reviews for action figures for mwctoys.com,
and was responsible for the original Suncoast Area Report, back in the
day. Russell was first introduced to the world of action figures back
in 1985, receiving the MASK Jackhammer as a present for his 3rd
birthday- and he's been hooked ever since.
- Rick
Whitelock is the owner of New Force Comics and
Collectibles, and has been a collector of action figures and
comics since the mid-1970's, as well as a retailer and wholeseller of
both since 1995. Collectors of Star Trek or World of
Springfield figures will certainly recognize Rick, as he has been a
huge factor in the online success of both lines.
- Patrick
Wang is the president of
Action Figure Xpress, a worldwide retailer and distributor of
exclusive and limited edition products since 1997. - Noel Lee will represent ActionHQ.com.
He has been in the collectibles retail business for over 8 years.
First with his own collectibles store in Singapore where he was one of
the first to feature glass cubicle showcases. He has frequented
Japan regularly on buying trips and attending many shows.
In 2005, Noel joined ActionHQ.com as head merchandising
manager. He is also a very proficient hobbyist, and builds and
paints models.
- Matt
Williams is the owner and operator of Toys and Cool Stuff,
a Canadian source for awesome action figures and toys. Like
many people in the toy world, he got his start with an addiction to the
original Kenner Star Wars figure line back in the 1980's.
- Kevin
Kriese is the founder of Time and Space Toys,
an online retailer that specializes in several key areas of
collectibles, including Buffy/Angel, classic television shows and
Christmas related lines. He also founded the Buffy Collector Club,
where members can get discounts on Buffy and Angle
merchandise. He is also the proud owner of the original
puppest of Santa and Rudolph from the classic Christmas TV special
"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer". You can read all about the
discovery and restoration of these two critical pieces of Americana at the
website.
- Joshua K is a huge
toy collector, has been selling online for 10+ years,
and is the owner of PastGenerationToys.com.
His love for toys started as a child and returned when in college where
he trolled AOL message boards and Internet newsgroups (remember those
days?)
which has now turned into a professional business. Joshua currently
sells
all over the web including on Amazon, eBay, and through his newly
designed
website. Past
Generation Toys is headquartered in Virginia (no physical location,
yet) and
fulfills orders via a fulfillment center in southern Florida. Although
they
sell toys, Past Generation Toys realizes that this is service oriented
business and has made customer service the first priority – go and see
for
your self!
- Joe Donato is Vice
President of Sales and cofounder of HobbyPlanetUSA.com
a
worldwide retailer and distributor of high end collectibles and prop
replicas. When
not spending hours upon hours hanging out a various Toy Message Boards,
Joe likes to
watch professional sports, movies and cook. He has been invovled in the
Toy
Industry since 2001 He has a decent size collection of movie posters,
80's GI Joes
and Sideshow Premium Format Figures.
- Andrew McIntire is
the Online Marketing Coordinator for Things From Another World
and an independent art director. He has been a comic and toy enthusiast
since he was a boy, and to his great pride (and his wife's great
embarrassment) boasts that he owns enough classic Star Wars figures,
vehicles, and play sets to stage reenactments of almost every pivotal
scene from the original trilogy. An endeavor which his long suffering
wife would probably prefer he not indulge in when company's over.
- Jeff B. is
co-founder of Urban
Collector and a passionate collector of LOTR, Star Wars and
DC collectibles. - Andrew Agnello
has been an avid Star Wars collector for well over a decade. While he
holds Star Wars close to his heart, he enjoys collecting many other
collectibles such as Batman, Iron Man, and Harry Potter. He started Andrew's Toyz
out of out of his passion for collecting action figures and statues.
When Andrew isn't working he enjoys spending time with his family in
New Jersey. Andrew has a B.A. in Economics & Business Strategies
from the University of Rochester and is looking forward to
participating in the Poppies this year!
- The
online toy store, PalOOza!
Toys, was started in 2005 to bring a select group of imported
toys and games based on popular video-game characters to their fans. Roland Edwards, Jr.
(“Pops”), the store’s owner, continues to build an extra special web
site, adding interactive games and unique offerings.
- Emmanuel Tanghal is
the owner of Showpiece
Collectibles,
an online retail store that offers premium collectibles such as action
figures, prop replicas, statues, and more. He is also an avid
collector of movie and comic book figures ranging from action figures
to prop replicas. His passion for “toys” began when he read
his
first superman comic book at the age of 8 years old.
- Michael Richards is
the owner of Razor’s
Edge Collectibles.
Razor’s Edge is an online store / retail warehouse open to the public.
Razor’s Edge is located in Valley Stream, New York. Mike has been in
business for over 20 years with several store locations in Brooklyn,
New York before moving to one larger location in Valley Stream several
years ago. Mike started out selling collectibles on Ebay under the name
mrichards2002 for over 8 years and is a power seller with over 18,000
positives. Michael has worked with several companies (like ACME and
Master Replicas) to produce several Star Wars Exclusives specifically
created and sold exclusively at Razor’s Edge. Razor’s Edge is a direct
dealer with just about every toy and collectible company including
Hasbro and Sideshow Collectibles. In addition to running his business,
Mike is also an avid collector and owner of many high end collectibles
produced by Sideshow, Compulsion Gallery, Master Replicas and Gentle
Giant. His Lord of the Rings Collection which consists of every
Sideshow / Weta piece ever produced adorns his Living Room as does his
7 foot Tall Sideshow 1:1 Endoskeleton. His customer service,
participation at collectors’ websites and message boards and extensive
product knowledge has made Razor’s a collector’s favorite and common
household name in the collectibles industry. - George Zotti is the Manager of Silver Snail Comics.
For over 32 years the Silver Snail has been a Toronto hobby
cornerstone, a must see destination for both locals and tourists alike.
When George started working for the Snail, at 16, he was already an
avid fan of toys and action figures. As Manager George was a driving
force for the Silver Snail to carry both new and vintage toys. His
passion for toys has just grown with working in retail for over 18
years.
- and there
are 2 additional retailer judges that wish to remain Anonymous.
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Collectors:
In the end,
it's the buyers that decide what gets made and what doesn't.
They vote with the money in their wallet, and smart companies and
retailers listen. I selected 24 collectors that I feel are
opinionated, respected, and experienced. Some are collectors
of very specific lines, while others buy just about anything, but they
all know the industry well. - Brian Ashmore
is an illustrator that has produced work for many companies including
Marvel and DC Comics. Among his work is a painted Batman
hardcover and a series of painted Hulk comics. To irritate his
wife, he is also an avid toy and classic videogame collector. His
studio is teeming with little plastic people.
- From 1977
to 1989, Action
Figure Insider blogger Jason Chirevas'
parents
bought him action figures to play with. Since 1993, he's collected
action
figures, this time with his own money and everything. A lot happened
between.
- Willie Goldman is an
LA based screenwriter and television producer, and also the co-creator
and co-executive producer of Ace
of Cakes,
currently entering its sixth season on Food Network. After
starting his career at NBC in Burbank, he moved to Warner Bros.
Television where he worked on the Emmy-winning drama ER for seven
seasons. In addition to selling two original drama pilots
recently to Sony Pictures Television and CBS/Paramount Television
respectively, he is currently seeing his feature film screenplay The
Last Good Kiss (hopefully) enter pre-production. Goldman has
also
worked and written for Master Replicas, Sideshow Collectibles, and Sony
Computer Entertainment, and consulted with several studios and
licensors on several projects including various home video and video
game projects. He also maintains the website, alienscollection.com.
- Joshua Izzo
has been leaping around the toy, licensed brand and entertainment
industries for over a decade. Joshua has had the pleasure of
hanging his proverbial hat in the hallowed halls of such industry
giants as Topps Trading Cards, 4Kids Entertainment and
Hasbro.
During his career Joshua has manufactured trading cards and magazines,
sold and bought some of the biggest brand licenses in the world and
helped createover 100 plus cartoons. Joshua has also been
going
to the local comic book store every week for close to 20 years, and has
an ever-expanding toy collection that threatens almost every inch of
his home. Joshua's wife is extremely patient and forgiving
about
his mania....
- Jason "Poe Ghostal" Clarke writes Poe Ghostal's Points of Articulation,
a blog about action figures and the industry at large. He has written
for Toyfare magazine and for websites such as IGN, OAFE and
ToplessRobot.com. - John Bonavita
is the author of the very successful action figure guide book, Mego
Action Figure Toys (currently in its third edition by Schiffer
Publishing). John is a early pioneer in action figure collecting and
was instrumental in organizing collectors and spreading hard to find
action figure information during the decades leading up to the advent
of the Internet. His early 1980s fan-produced action figure photo
guide books are still used today by thousands of Mego, GI Joe and
Captain Action collectors world wide.
- Jeff Parker
aka Wookster, is a freelance illustrator and designer whose work has
graced everything from BBC television titles through to a burlesque
fetish artist’s logo (you should have seen the perks!). Though it has
to be said toy collecting and reviewing seem to be taking up more and
more of his time. He’s interested in all areas of pop culture and
collects anything and everything, with a special penchant for high-end
1/6 scale, especially if it’s from the ALIEN series of movies. He also
has a soft spot for Bettie Page memorabilia, Guinness (the drink, not
the book of records!) and kicking back with a good DVD (new ones are
increasingly hard to find you know!).
- Mark
G. Meyer - "The Tekwych" is owner and editor of Go! Figure.
he is a figure collector and industry historian believing that
knowledge of the toy industry's history and an understanding of the
manufacturing process can make one a better collector. While
Japanese robots and Microman make up the bulk of his collection, almost
every format and scale can be found some where on his shelves.
- Joranthalus
spends a lot of time on various toy message boards while pretending to
work. A full-time Network Engineer, part-time Musician, and a
pop culture junkie with a multitude of obsessions that include the
classic Universal Monsters, pre-80's B-movies, cigars, running and
obviously collecting toys.
- Tommy
Sanchez is the co-founder of the "Custom of the Year"
competition (coming soon for 2007!), a collector of many things 6 inch
scale, a freelance artist, and an overall decent guy.
- Sean
Whigham, aka MaulFan, is a freelance graphic artist and a
diehard collector of pop culture memorabilia.
Sean's mix of creativity in his graphics and passion for collecting
have blended into a steady stream of creative imagery posted around the
various thread of the Sideshow
Freaks forums, and has even made its way to
SideshowCollectibles.com.
- Engineererd
(John V.) has been collecting Star Wars figures since the original 12
came out. To appear to his wife that he's doing something
with his varied collection, he posts reviews, action figure comics, and
other related items on his website, TV and Film Toys.
- Khalil
Quotap aka Kastor is a toy and comic collector who runs the
blog Kastor's
Korner. On the blog, Kastor mixes toy reviews with
the joys and frustrations of collecting. Khalil also writes a
weekly column on Fwoosh
called Demanded Characters which is a short biography on DC characters
that fans want to see made into toys.
- JediJones
(Eric
S.) is a programmer/analyst by day and an action figure collector by
morning, noon, night, and later night. He began collecting when his mom
bought him Kenner's original Han Solo in 1982 and he hasn't stopped
since. His favorite toy lines of the way too many he collects include
Hasbro's classic and modern Star Wars and G.I. Joe lines, Playmates'
Simpsons World of Springfield, 6" Marvel Legends and DC Universe, and
movie tie-ins from the smaller companies like Mezco's King Kong and
NECA's Ghostbusters. Good sculpting is more important to him than high
posability and he believes accessories such as vehicles and playsets
are what have truly set the great action figure lines apart from the
rest.
- Guy
Klender - A Los Angeles based
toy collector, he moved to California ten years ago and brought my love
of toys to the sunny state. IHelucked out with a collectors show or a
major show, i.e. SDCC nearly every week so the lust for toys is easy to
nourish. He started years back with the new STAR WARS line and it all
grew from there. He gained recognition as a toy collector with the film
STARWOIDS that made for a fun time at shows with the occasional
autograph and he did receive a fan letter as well. He moved on to the
higher end products and Sideshow Collectibles sees his bank statement
nearly as often as he does. He loves finding the rarity or the obscure
toy that he may not have known of but for some reason must have. It's a
wacky life sure but he wouldn’t trade it for anything in the
world….except for a 12 back vinyl caped Jawa perhaps.
- Scott Rogers
is a video game creative manager for THQ by day and an action figure
customizer by night. He is an amateur comic book historian who has
served as a creative consultant on several toy and game lines including
Heroclix and Corgi and is the world's foremost authority on Matchbox's
Fighting Furies line. When not working, Scott's convincing toy
manufacturers to make toys of his favorite comic character: The Killer
Moth.
- Chip Cataldo
burst on the local New York internet collecting scene in 1984, Usenet's
in 1991 (post #13 on rec.toys.misc), helped found The Star Wars
Collector's Archive in 1994, and launched The Bruce Timm Artwork
Archive in 1996. He has been in Bruce Timm's office, gotten drunk with
Pinky & The Brain, and had a private conversation with Chuck
Jones...all within 24 hours. He's even bummed around Toy Fair with
Jason Geyer the Toy Otter multiple times. He currently
collects
DC Universe Classics, Justice League Unlimited, and carded Super Powers.
- Paul M Kelly
prefers to operate under the liberating anonymity that internet
pseudonyms provide. You may also know him from RTM's ToyBuzz, where he
posts as gonzo, simian* and JJJason*.
*This info
may be fabricated.
- Monte Williams has
been collecting and photographing toys for two decades. He is the
founder of the Geek
Creek weblog and a columnist for PopMatters.com. - Jason Jerde,
aka TCM Hitchhiker, is a toy photographer and toy collector. He has
been collecting toys for 22 years after discovering an ad in Starlog
magazine back in '86 for a collectibles shop that was selling new/old
stock Mego action figures from his childhood. Since then he has been
seriously collecting and has amassed a very diverse collection over the
years. You can find all scales, styles and companies on his shelves. He
collects vintage, as well as modern, loose as well as carded. He spends
most of his Interweb time browsing and interacting on forums and
websites dedicated to the hobby. He is in it for the long haul.
Collect them all! - Josh Long:
Computer Technology Teacher/Avid Collector. Josh has collecting
something in some form for as long as he can remember. When he was a
kid, he was very big into sports cards of all the major sports but one
athlete in particular. That athlete was Michael Jordan. During his
playing career he hit nearly 2,000 different cards filling multiple
books and shelves so they could all be displayed. After he retired the
second time, Josh decided to take a break from collecting but he didn't
know what he would find that he was so into.
In 2003, just about
the time Return Of The King was going to be hitting the big screen, he
found a little site called Sideshow Collectibles. Josh saw all the
various statues from the movies and kicked himself for not having found
them sooner. He didn't waste any time getting into it though going back
and getting several that he had missed and getting his Pre-Orders for
ones that where still to come.
At one point, Josh was very close
to having all the Sideshow Weta statues but have since cut back on that
to balance his collection out. However, he has replaced that with
several items from Sideshow's Lord Of The Rings lines, The Dead,
Indiana Joines, and Star Wars. He has also ventured off into buying
some pieces from Hot Toys and Medicom with the great products they've
been producing.
- There are 3 more judge in the collector category who wish to remain
anonymous.
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And there
you have the 147 judges for 2008! I'll be looking to expand
this group of judges in 2009, so if you or a colleague are interested,
please drop me an email.
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