sladesuperagent
Mine's bigger.
I just picked up Toyfare issue #134 and I have my 4TH LETTER published in the Fanfare section--and that's MY SECOND ONE THIS YEAR! 
It's kinda gratifying to see your comments and questions printed on paper in a great hobby mag you love--especially in these modern times where every bit of news that's brand "new" and fit to print gets posted on the 'net.
I've been a big fan of Toyfare for a long time--since the beginning. I have every issue, but oddly I've never had a subscription. I remember buying Wizard for a few months just for the Toying Around section before the first "pilot" issue of Toyfare hit the newsstands. I had just really shifted my collecting focus from comics to action figures and I was carrying The 1992 Tomart Guide and a copy of Toyfare wherever I went. Comics shops were really beginning to cater to the toy collector and they all carried Toyfare, so it gave me a reason to stop by at least once a month.
The mag has had it's ups and downs. During it's early years the first 4-6 pages were all whole page ads for Todd McFarlane's multiple toy lines, so you can assume that his advertising dollars helped get the magazine off the ground. It tried to do TOO much for awhile--giving away pages to other non-toy related comic book, film, and TV interests, then also adding statues, busts, and movie prop collecting into the magazine. There were certain things that got squeezed out because of space--like anything from Asia that wasn't a Kubrick, so Toyfare listened and readjusted--partially by adding more pages and going to larger size format in April of last year and adding vinyl and other imports to it's regular Incoming rotation. It got rid of the hilarious Big Shots and opted for a more tabloid-esque news section--two things the mag surely regrets since the Big Shots are finally back and the tabloid pages were killed after a few months--again going back to what the mag knows best. The mag is also responsible for putting together the great minds behind Robot Chicken--something fans of the show don't realize started as Twisted Mego Theater YEARS ago. If you've never read the one were Hulk runs over a Smurf--you've missed out on some of funniest Smurf violence in the history of Smurf violence.
Don't get me wrong--I still think Toyfare has some work to do. There is pretty much an absence of anything Hot Toys and only recently have they began to include Sideshow Star Wars figs in the price guide. I always felt like 1/6 figures have gotten the shaft in the mag, so hopefully we might see more coverage of 1/6 in the future now that Amok Time and Go Hero have entered the race.
And just a few months ago, 9 year editor Zach Oat left the magazine for what I would hope would be greener pastures. I wanted to take the time to thank Zach--he helped make the mag great and his replacement has big shoes (and sideburns) to fill.
So this thread is for any fans of Toyfare magazine or anyone who has something great to remember about the mag throughout the years. A lot has changed in the last decade of figure collecting and I'm really glad Toyfare has been able to hold up for it all.
It's kinda gratifying to see your comments and questions printed on paper in a great hobby mag you love--especially in these modern times where every bit of news that's brand "new" and fit to print gets posted on the 'net.
I've been a big fan of Toyfare for a long time--since the beginning. I have every issue, but oddly I've never had a subscription. I remember buying Wizard for a few months just for the Toying Around section before the first "pilot" issue of Toyfare hit the newsstands. I had just really shifted my collecting focus from comics to action figures and I was carrying The 1992 Tomart Guide and a copy of Toyfare wherever I went. Comics shops were really beginning to cater to the toy collector and they all carried Toyfare, so it gave me a reason to stop by at least once a month.
The mag has had it's ups and downs. During it's early years the first 4-6 pages were all whole page ads for Todd McFarlane's multiple toy lines, so you can assume that his advertising dollars helped get the magazine off the ground. It tried to do TOO much for awhile--giving away pages to other non-toy related comic book, film, and TV interests, then also adding statues, busts, and movie prop collecting into the magazine. There were certain things that got squeezed out because of space--like anything from Asia that wasn't a Kubrick, so Toyfare listened and readjusted--partially by adding more pages and going to larger size format in April of last year and adding vinyl and other imports to it's regular Incoming rotation. It got rid of the hilarious Big Shots and opted for a more tabloid-esque news section--two things the mag surely regrets since the Big Shots are finally back and the tabloid pages were killed after a few months--again going back to what the mag knows best. The mag is also responsible for putting together the great minds behind Robot Chicken--something fans of the show don't realize started as Twisted Mego Theater YEARS ago. If you've never read the one were Hulk runs over a Smurf--you've missed out on some of funniest Smurf violence in the history of Smurf violence.
Don't get me wrong--I still think Toyfare has some work to do. There is pretty much an absence of anything Hot Toys and only recently have they began to include Sideshow Star Wars figs in the price guide. I always felt like 1/6 figures have gotten the shaft in the mag, so hopefully we might see more coverage of 1/6 in the future now that Amok Time and Go Hero have entered the race.
And just a few months ago, 9 year editor Zach Oat left the magazine for what I would hope would be greener pastures. I wanted to take the time to thank Zach--he helped make the mag great and his replacement has big shoes (and sideburns) to fill.
So this thread is for any fans of Toyfare magazine or anyone who has something great to remember about the mag throughout the years. A lot has changed in the last decade of figure collecting and I'm really glad Toyfare has been able to hold up for it all.
