[cellardoor]

Anyone else remember that issue of Toyfare in 2009 that had Nick Fury and The Thing on the cover?
That was the first time I was aware of the Marvel Universe toyline.

I'd just caught up on about 3 years worth of marvel back issues, inspired by the movies, and became a dedicated fan of Marvel.
Before this i'd been a toy collector, focusing on Star Wars (POTF) and Lord of the rings but had grabbed random pieces here and there for fun.
I gave up those collections, realising there isn't time in the day to keep track of star wars merchandise, plus those star wars prequels really knocked the wind out of my sails!

So, for the past 5 years i've steadily and diligently collected those lovely little Marvel Universe figures.
And what a journey it has been, from the lump-headed, awkward wave 1 through to the incredible Sentinel and SDCC exclusives, to the end of the universe and the start of the infinite.

But my time has run out and today I officially have stopped collecting.
With the help of two great arkers (Shinobi and UKMU) i've sold the lot, in one go!
I stopped reading Marvel comics a few months ago, I just can't keep up with the volume, and that's dampened my love of the figures a bit.

I think the real point where I decided "this is it" was the SDCC exclusive announcement for 2014 and the Guardians of the Galaxy wave.
I don't believe the line is dead but it's not for me anymore.

I have wave 1 & 2 of the Infinite figs and they are pretty good but the plastic is lesser so they tend to bend and hold poses less well but I think the lack of direction has put me off.
As an aside I don't think it's fair on distributors or collectors to release waves with re-packs and limited numbers of new figures.

I refuse to call them "hasblo" as they have worked wonders on the line but the shift is enough to make me sell up and re-invest in some big lego sets and a holiday.

It's not a turn in the tide but it's the end of the road for me.

Fare thee well marvel universe and this wonderful community, may your shelves bow with the weight of your toys, may the dust stay far away from your collection and here's to the future of your favourite line.

Collectors, hoooooo!