Keeping Hot Toys in boxes

[T'Challa]

Is it wise to keep your Hot Toys figures in their boxes to keep them mint, or is it a bad thing for the long run?

 

[Darth Madden]

Open the dang things up and enjoy them... they are not a retirement plan.

 

[Collectorcol]

Check the thread section/header before starting new threads.

There's a whole section dedicated to 'Action Figures'

 

[VintijDroidGutzz]

Is it wise to keep your Hot Toys figures in their boxes to keep them mint, or is it a bad thing for the long run?

..if you let them out.. they'll run away, & they're *******s to try & chase down again.

 

[Taibhse]

Is it wise to keep your Hot Toys figures in their boxes to keep them mint, or is it a bad thing for the long run?

There is probably no definitive answer to this.. some collectors like to display and pose their figures, others prefer the 'Mint in Box' side of collecting.. there are pros and cons to both.. however in the case of Hot Toys, I would recommend keeping the Art boxes and the outer shipping boxes, even if you are displaying your figures.. Should you wish to sell any figures at a later date, having the Art box in particular, is important to resale value.. and the shipping box, protects the Art box.

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[EVILFACE]

Is this a serious question?

 

[Steve Conard]

I always keep the packaging. I have space enough to display 8-12 figures (depending on what the wife allows) which, fortunately, is less than my collection. So every couple months I repackage a figure or two and add new ones. Keeps things fresh for me.

There are a few figures I have mint-in-box though. Like some of my very favorite that I can't seem to bring myself to take them out of the box. A curse I guess.

 

[potato]

Depends what materials are involved, you might wanna open it up & throw a couple of desiccant bags inside, even though Hot Toys does include 1 bag.

You might wanna be extra careful on Black Fabrics as they stain, leathers might get fused together with the plastic trays, rubbers might sweat and cause mold to grow due to increase in humidity, if it's just basic plastic + fabric should be no problem.

 

[AIR]

Is it wise to keep your Hot Toys figures in their boxes to keep them mint, or is it a bad thing for the long run?

I don't think it's harmful to the figures, if that's what you mean. But if you are talking about resale value, **** that.

 

[hoodonit00]

Best not take it out of the brown cardboard shipping box. Can't be too careful. Don't want to lose any of that value.

 

[potato]

I always keep the packaging. I have space enough to display 8-12 figures (depending on what the wife allows) which, fortunately, is less than my collection. So every couple months I repackage a figure or two and add new ones. Keeps things fresh for me.

There are a few figures I have mint-in-box though. Like some of my very favorite that I can't seem to bring myself to take them out of the box. A curse I guess.

do you display them in cabinets or outside, coz if you put them out there for too long they might catch some mold spores or bug eggs, putting them back in box without cleaning them off can cause problem in the long run especially when you don't plan on checking them out every few months.

 

[Racetrack]

I don't have space so a lot of my stuff is sealed up. I check most of them for faults but haven't even opened the shippers on a few.

They say that you want to remove batteries as they can leak and damage the figure so mint in box isn't always a good thing sadly.

 

[TheFiend]

Crack them off open, chuck those boxes in the trash and let your kids play with them. If its resale value your worried about than no worries. Collectors are very understanding

 

[ZE_501]

I have the boxes for now, because my collection is still new and in flux; I bought a Mark VII and (uncharacteristically) sold it within weeks because the proportions began to bother me; if I had discarded the packaging I would have lost money on the resale.

Some day I'll know what's permanent and may discard the boxes, because I don't believe in keeping things unless I'm deriving enjoyment from them or they serve an active purpose.

Personally, I'd never buy a toy and leave it in the box. Kinda defeats the purpose in my mind.

That said, I really like some of the HT art so have considered placing them on a shelf, maybe even integrated with the display.

What bugs me is they aren't all of a standard size.

I currently have eight 1/6 pieces. In terms of locks that I will absolutely buy, I'll go up to about a dozen or so. If figures I want get made I could max out at 20.

20 boxes is a lot of dead weight and I'm not sure how I'll deal with that...I'm lucky enough to have the spare closet space, but it almost becomes a philosophical issue for me. I love art, design and the pop culture these toys represent, but the very act of collecting is at odds with my minimalist bent, so I'll have decisions to make down the line. I've already sold some beautiful customs because they don't fit with the big picture.

I'm lucky in that I'm not a completist, and I'm generally sure about why I want a given figure, I look at it and just know that it's the right piece for me.

I could be accused of over-thinking and taking the hobby too seriously, but with money, space and time involved, better to overthink than not at all.

Edit: I should add that I've heard too many horror stories about figures deteriorating because they were sealed into packaging that degraded and took the figures with them or vice versa. OPEN ALL THE TOYS!

 

[potato]

I have the boxes for now, because my collection is still new and in flux; I bought a Mark VII and (uncharacteristically) sold it within weeks because the proportions began to bother me; if I had discarded the packaging I would have lost money on the resale.

Some day I'll know what's permanent and may discard the boxes, because I don't believe in keeping things unless I'm deriving enjoyment from them or they serve an active purpose.

Personally, I'd never buy a toy and leave it in the box. Kinda defeats the purpose in my mind.

That said, I really like some of the HT art so have considered placing them on a shelf, maybe even integrated with the display.

What bugs me is they aren't all of a standard size.

I currently have eight 1/6 pieces. In terms of locks that I will absolutely buy, I'll go up to about a dozen or so. If figures I want get made I could max out at 20.

20 boxes is a lot of dead weight and I'm not sure how I'll deal with that...I'm lucky enough to have the spare closet space, but it almost becomes a philosophical issue for me. I love art, design and the pop culture these toys represent, but the very act of collecting is at odds with my minimalist bent, so I'll have decisions to make down the line. I've already sold some beautiful customs because they don't fit with the big picture.

I'm lucky in that I'm not a completist, and I'm generally sure about why I want a given figure, I look at it and just know that it's the right piece for me.

I could be accused of over-thinking and taking the hobby too seriously, but with money, space and time involved, better to overthink than not at all.

Edit: I should add that I've heard too many horror stories about figures deteriorating because they were sealed into packaging that degraded and took the figures with them or vice versa. OPEN ALL THE TOYS!

Just cut out the front cover, frame them & discard the rest. You'll save lots of space this way. And don't worry about reselling without the boxes, you can always split the parts apart and sell them individually, you'll get more money out of them compared to selling a BIB set.

Typical price for a HT head is $50-$100, body is worth $40-100, hands are worth $30-$50, feet are worth $20-30, pegs are worth $10, weapons can cost between $20-80 each, clothes $15-40, then we have the Toy Stand, the manual probably can be sold for $5.

Already way past normal HT retail price and you get to keep whatever parts you desire.

 

[potato]

Edit: I should add that I've heard too many horror stories about figures deteriorating because they were sealed into packaging that degraded and took the figures with them or vice versa. OPEN ALL THE TOYS!

the only reason it degrades faster in box is because it comes in contact with the plastic trays which cause chemical reaction & fuse together, other than that, i'm pretty sure keeping it in box is better than out of box, unless there's humid & heat. The only materials you need to worry about are soft rubber, vinyl, pleather & for medicom broken joints. some soft rubber tend to sweat in & out of box so the liquid adds humidity which in turns increase chance of mold growing.

 

[Rainpaulo]

This thread is insane...open the box display figure...when bored return to box and chuck it into loft/basement.

 

[Joda]

I have the boxes for now, because my collection is still new and in flux; I bought a Mark VII and (uncharacteristically) sold it within weeks because the proportions began to bother me; if I had discarded the packaging I would have lost money on the resale.

Some day I'll know what's permanent and may discard the boxes, because I don't believe in keeping things unless I'm deriving enjoyment from them or they serve an active purpose.

Personally, I'd never buy a toy and leave it in the box. Kinda defeats the purpose in my mind.

That said, I really like some of the HT art so have considered placing them on a shelf, maybe even integrated with the display.

What bugs me is they aren't all of a standard size.

I currently have eight 1/6 pieces. In terms of locks that I will absolutely buy, I'll go up to about a dozen or so. If figures I want get made I could max out at 20.

20 boxes is a lot of dead weight and I'm not sure how I'll deal with that...I'm lucky enough to have the spare closet space, but it almost becomes a philosophical issue for me. I love art, design and the pop culture these toys represent, but the very act of collecting is at odds with my minimalist bent, so I'll have decisions to make down the line. I've already sold some beautiful customs because they don't fit with the big picture.

I'm lucky in that I'm not a completist, and I'm generally sure about why I want a given figure, I look at it and just know that it's the right piece for me.

I could be accused of over-thinking and taking the hobby too seriously, but with money, space and time involved, better to overthink than not at all.

Edit: I should add that I've heard too many horror stories about figures deteriorating because they were sealed into packaging that degraded and took the figures with them or vice versa. OPEN ALL THE TOYS!

I know I'm not the OP, but thank you for this post. Really. You really hit the nail on the head for me in that I love art, design and pop culture as well, but also find I feel far better in a non-cluttered, minimalist environment. It really does fight with my need to be surrounded by awesome collectables...

Some threads like this ask important questions, and it always surprises me at how many useless, derivative responses some of them get. For someone to put down their thoughts on the matter and take it seriously - well, it's appreciated.

 

[Henry Morgan*]

I keep them in the box because space

I always keep the packaging. I have space enough to display 8-12 figures (depending on what the wife allows) which, fortunately, is less than my collection. So every couple months I repackage a figure or two and add new ones. Keeps things fresh for me.

There are a few figures I have mint-in-box though. Like some of my very favorite that I can't seem to bring myself to take them out of the box. A curse I guess.