Dilemma
 

First off I want to say I'm more than supportive and a fan of Hot Toys, Marvel Legends and SH figuarts. :D
Just I have to budget and I'm curious what the people think.
Because either I save the majority of my money towards a Hot Toy or go for the SH figuarts and being able to get more smalls. Of course I'm waiting on reveals nonetheless just curious what people would choose :D
I'm definitely going for Marvel Legends and Funko to collect. :D

I mean, it all comes down to what kind of fan you are.

Do you like the spectacle of a Marvel "world"? As in, would you like to see a large team (or several teams) of figures on your shelf? If this is the case, you can get 8-12 Marvel Legends figures for the price of one average Hot Toys release.

Or are you more of a fan of a few characters and having a team-based display doesn't really make or break your collection. If, say, you're just a huge fan of Deadpool but you could care less about having a set of Avengers or X-Men then I'd definitely go with Hot Toys. In this case it's quality over quantity.

Also another factor is that while Marvel Legends figures are cheap (in comparison) and have a huge roster, they do sometimes look really cheap, especially if you get one with a little paint slop or tons of unpainted plastic.

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I've personally always been happier getting more sufficiently good toys that cost less than blowing a fat stack on just one big shiny thing, but I definitely understand the allure.
Man, this is tough. Maaaaybe if you just get one or two or five of the Hot Toys figures you want, you'll have more room for the other stuff? I will probably start trying to put in extra hours and sell a few extra things here and there now to set aside a small fund because I want a whole damn lot. My tentative vote is to stick to the Figuarts and Marvel Legends (and inevitable Legos!), but I need to see them all to make a more informed decision. If the sculpts end up being just perfect, which they very well could be, that might make it easier to let your inevitable Hot Toys Star Lord purchase wait a few extra months.

I have yet to be able to pull the trigger on a Hot Toys figure. They look amazing but the prices are crazy. I would say if you really love the figure and can afford it then go for whatever makes you happiest.

Also consider the sizes though as well. Do you have the display and storage room for substantially larger figures? That is actually one of my biggest pain points right now.

I'd go for S.H. Figuarts. You're basically getting a six inch Hot Toys figure but for considerably less money and without the fabric clothing and electronics. The head sculpts have even improved over the past couple of years (just look at the difference between the AOU and CW Captain Americas). And if you're patient, you can get most Figuarts figures from Amazon for $50-60 whereas places like BBTS might charge $75-100.

I've followed Michael Crawford's reviews since the Hot Toys Iron Man Mark 3. While he continues to give the HT figures good scores, they aren't as high as they used to be. Part of that, as Kirathis mentioned, is the price. It keeps going up but some figures just don't have the accessories to justify the higher price. The unmasked head sculpts have also been criticized for being expressionless due to scanning the actor's face for the toy. You also have to be careful of figures using pleather or rubber in the costume. While the plastic and cloth elements have been fine, rubber and pleather pieces may deteriorate over a short period of time, hinder articulation, or become creased after to posing. The clothing may also make it difficult to change the batteries for the light up effects pieces.

I have a few higher end pieces like a Hot Toys 89 Batman and the QMX Malcolm Reynolds from Firefly / Serenity. The bulk of my collection is smaller scale figures though because they use up less space, they're not as expensive and I'm not scared to death of breaking them like my more expensive stuff. I know the Hot Toys aren't all this way, but the Batman figure I have is basically just a statue. His suit makes him hard to pose and I'm always worried that I'll damage it by handling it. I don't think Hot Toys gets many of the likenesses right on most of their figures. Their RDJ, Hugh Jackman, Doc Brown, Finn and Rey figures look more like they could be the actors' stunt doubles than the actors themselves. This is a problem for many figure lines of course, but for the ammount of money Hot Toys command they should look dead on. Why couldn't you just collect both? For example, if you are a big Guardians of the Galaxy fan you could collect Hot Toys Guardians as the centerpiece of your collection and the rest of your collection could be less expensive figures.

THAT...all day long...

but i honestly would have purchased the Groot and Rocket..i've seen them so many times in my LCS..and they look amazing...and I'm NOT even a Guardians fan like that...
If it was like a dry spell...and i had extra loot...which hasn't seemed to have happened yet...

i say buy whatever makes you damn happy....this is life....enjoy..

Thanks for all the great feedback guys! Update: I preordered the Marvel Legends Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Star Lord! Star Lord is my favorite character, I'm interested in collecting all kind of figures in the marvel universe my favorite female is Jessica Jones. But I'm probably cherry picking on Star Lord since that would make me very happy :D So I preordered him from BBTS, slated to arrive March 1st 5-10 days shipping wise would get it right in the nick of time for my birthday March 17th. :D So now the dilemma for me is Hot Toys or SH Figuarts. I'd love to get both I just have only so much money. I do have a Hot Toys 1/6 Star Lord. And currently trying to repair some things as all of you are right a lot of wear but he's still in amazing condition some things were lost though. I'm still in particular waiting for Hot Toys and SH Figuarts to reveal their figures. I'd like to pick up a Gamora too and Drax for both. Figuarts seems to be very great on likenesses. How do you think the unmasked Star Lord headsculpt will look for Figuarts? I also can't wait to see what Hot Toys reveals. Hot Toys I think are one of the most lifelike and I think they're very great on likenesses just the prices are out the wazoo.

Btw I'm watching a review of the Iron Man figuarts one where it's him in his clothes. And I agree it is just like a mini hot toy even cheaper and I have to say it has a way better likeness in terms to the Iron Man HT I've seen. Looks just like RDJ. Are the joints like Revoltech though? Cause I have to say the DP Revoltech scared me a bit seeing the review lol.

No, the joints are nothing like Revoltech. The joints on Figuarts are pretty similar to Marvel Legends except more thought is put into making sure the sculpt isn't broken when the joint is moved. Also, there isn't any kind of ratcheting system so all of the points of articulation move smoothly. One thing to be aware of with Figuarts is that sometimes the joints can be too tight. You'll want to use a drop or two of 100% silicone oil to get the joint moving properly. Mineral oils will damage the plastic and dry out after a time while the silicone is safe for plastic and will last a while. I put some on the Iron Man Mk. 45 a couple of years ago and it's still good. I use Factory Team Silicone Shock Fluid, 80w. The bottle doesn't say 100% silicone oil but I called the manufacturer to confirm that it is indeed 100% silicone. Plus, it's meant to be used in plastic RC cars so it can definitely be used on action figures. I bought my bottle off of Amazon but you might be able to find some at a hobby store.

Thank you so much! My brother got the SH FIGUARTS ANT MAN FROM CIVIL WAR and showed me some pics and it looks like an amazing figure. He introduced me to to the line. I'll definitely keep that in mind about the silicone oil :D

I'd like to collect more Hot Toys but they have a very narrow focus. I'd like to customize 1:6 figures too but, again, that extremely narrow selection rears its ugly head.

Both.

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If it has to be one or the other.. I'd probably go with hot toys.. I think they're just more impressive.

I pick up a bit of both with more of an emphasis on hot toys.

No kidding, that's why I got out of collecting these types of statues...size and price...