Kyle Barton
S: How and when did you start collecting?
KB: I had never been a collector of anything before, but then on the 07th of July 2018, I was given my first Funko Pop from my best friends as a birthday present. I honestly had no idea what Funko Pops were until I was given number 285 Iron Man from Avengers Infinity War. I looked at the back of the box and it showed all the Funko Pops in the Avengers Infinity War collection and I thought to myself... “I may as well finish the collection”. This was my first Funko Pop. After going to a local comic bookstore to look at Funko Pops, I discovered figurines and statues and I proceeded to purchase my first Diamond Select Gallery which was Thanos from the Avengers Infinity War saga and at the same time my Marvel sleeve tattoo was started.
S: What do you collect? Does your collection have a theme, such as Star Wars, Batman, superheroes, etc.?
KB: Up to this point 90 percent of my collection consists of Marvel (movie and comic related) as I have always been a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the last two years of collecting, I have collected Funko Pops, Diamond Select Gallery, Premier and Milestones, Kotobukiya, MacFarlane, PCS statues and XM Premium Collectibles. The other 10% is Mortal Kombat, Batman and Pennywise figurines and Funko Pops.
Up to this point in time I have acquired 430 Funko Pops, about 60 figurines and 7 ¼ statues with more on the way in the near future.
S: What are your favourite or the most prized pieces in your collection? And why?
KB: I would say my favourite piece is my ¼ scale PCS Shao Khan as this was my first ¼ scale statue that I ever bought. Now I own six XM ¼ scale statues and I adore all of them equally. XM is definitely in a class of its own when it comes to quality. My new favourite statues are on pre-order and that is the XM Thanos which goes with Lady Death and XM Red Hulk which I am super excited to receive. I also know that these will end up being my favourite pieces in my entire collection.
S: What items are on your wishlist?
KB: I was lucky enough to find my ultimate grail piece that I thought I would never own due to this specific statue being sold out. However, I managed to obtain a mint condition statue from another collector. This is currently a secret and will be unveiled when it arrives in my collection. On my wish list I would really like to add to my XM Spiderman range. I still do not own a Wolverine which is my favourite Marvel character nor an Iron Man. My other wish is to someday own a Queen Studios life size bust.
S: What do you think of the collecting community in SA?
KB: I am of the opinion that the collecting community is a tight knit group, and everyone shares the same passion towards this hobby. It might be a bit separated and segregated with different companies having their own unique social media. Having to buy from them specifically, to be a part of their community, might confuse new and upcoming collectors as they would not have a clue understanding how to be a part of a collecting community.
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