I’ve been in the action figure world for about 20 years.  So, it’s safe to say I’ve got a fair bit of knowledge on the terms that tend to be thrown around by collectors with little or no explanation as to what they mean.  I generally try to explain a concept on its first appearance on this site, but much as Stan Lee once said to assume every comic book was somebody’s first, I too must assume that every review on this site might be the first to be read by a new visitor.  As such, I’ve decided to put together a guide to some of the more frequently used terms and names that might show up.

BUILD-A-FIGURE

What is it?:

A way of releasing larger or less desirable characters.  The figure is divided into several pieces and a piece is included with each figure in a given series.  It is common for figures in that series to be related to the Build-A-Figure in some way, but not necessary.

Example:

The idea was pioneered by Marvel Legends, where it was used to release larger characters such as Galactus and the Sentinel.

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COLLECT-N-CONNECT

What is it?:

The Mattel equivalent of a Build-A-Figure.  Exactly the same idea, just under a different name.

Example:

Used in just about every series of DC Universe Classics, for characters such as the Ultra Humanite