rec.toys.action-figures FAQ (1 of 2)
Scott J. Gordon
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* F R E Q U E N T L Y * ** ** *
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The rec.toys.action-figures FAQ Part 1
Volume 13 July 9, 1997
INTRODUCTION: The rec.toys.action-figure FAQ will cover information
relevant to the usenet newsgroup rec.toys.action-figures
and the collecting of action figures and related toys in
general, as well as specific frequently asked questions
that arise about toy lines discussed on rta-f.
AVAILABILITY: The rec.toys.action-figures FAQ will be posted to
rec.toys.action-figures twice a month (on or around the
first and fifteenth of each month) and can also be found
on the Raving Toy Maniac Page (http://www.toymania.com).
AUTHOR: This FAQ is maintained and compiled by Scott J. Gordon
with major contributions by many readers of
rec.toys.action-figures (and formerly rec.toys.misc)
(see Q9.1).
A WORD ON The FAQ is divided into sections, each with its own
SECTIONS: numbering starting with Q1. When a question is referred
to by another question, its section and question number
will be used as identification. For example, Q5 in the
first section will be indicated by: (see Q1.5).
LEGAL This FAQ may be distributed or referenced in whole or in
DISCLAIMER: part in any forum as long as the Author and Contributors
sections remain with any portion of the FAQ that is
referenced outside of the rec.toys.action-figures forum,
and no profit is gained from the use of this FAQ in any
forum.
INDEX: (* indicates a new question, + indicates a new/updated response)
PART 1: GENERAL INFORMATION
Section 1: General Questions
Q1: What toys are within acceptable posting matter on rta-f?
Q2: So, how does one define an action figure?
Q3: Is there anything else I should read in order to become better
acquainted with rta-f?
+Q4: Are there any other toy newsgroups?
Q5: Are there any WWW sites that have information about toys?
Q6: What stores sell action-figures and related toys?
Q7: What are some common abbreviations used on rec.toys.action-
figures?
+Q8: What books or magazines have information about or sell action
figures and related toys?
Q9: Where can I find guides to new and old action figure lines?
Q10: How can I find out the packing ratios of various action figure
lines?
+Q11: I'm trying to find the address of a toy manufacture/distributor,
where should I look?
+Q12: I'm trying to find the address of a specific retail store that
carries toys, where should I look?
Section 2: About This Document
Q1: Where can I send additions, corrections or updates for the FAQ to?
Q2: How can I obtain the FAQ?
Section 3: Restoration/Maintenance
Q1: What is the best way to remove the price stickers put on the toy
packages by retail stores without damaging the package?
Q2: Is there a way to restore or replace worn out decal sheets?
PART 2: SPECIFIC TOY LINES
Section 4: DC Comics
Q1: Why so many Batmans and Robins and so few villains or other
characters in the various Batman lines?
Q2: Are rumors about AB&R figures of Batgirl, Harley Quinn and a
Commissioner Gordon mail-in true?
*Q3: Who is Harley Quinn?
Q4: Which Superman: Man of Steel figures have been released and will
more be released later on, or have they been canceled?
*Q5: Has Total Justice been canceled? Will Wave 3 be released?
Section 5: Marvel Toy Biz
Q1: Whats an "interim" Fantastic Four figure?
Q2: How many different Invisible Woman figures have there been and
which one is the hardest to find?
Q3: Was the Adam Warlock figure pictured on the back of the third
series Iron Man and Fantastic Four assortments ever released?
Q4: Why is everyone so excited about U.S. Agent figures? You can buy
them just about anywhere.
+Q5: What are the different versions of Iceman?
Section 6: Star Trek
Q1: I used to see a bunch of Thomas Riker action figures at the toy
store, what's the big deal about them?
Q2: Did they make the Red Data/Data in "Redemption" figure, I've never
seen one?
Q3: Is the Movie Edition U.S.S. Excelsior the same as the Generations
U.S.S. Enterprise-B?
Q4: What are the various Star Trek variations I see being sold or
mentioned on rta-f?
Q5: What's a Tapestry Picard and why are there so many posts about it?
Q6: Why does Vina As Orion Animal Woman from "The Cage" assortment
have a Collector's Edition No. sticker on her package instead
of the on-the-foot numbering that is common for all other Trek
figures?
Section 7: Star Wars
Q1: What new Star Wars figures are coming out?
Section 9: Contributors
Q1: Who should I thank for contributing to the FAQ?
SECTION 1: GENERAL QUESTIONS
Q1: What toys are within acceptable posting matter on rta-f?
A1: The following is the official newsgroup charter for rta-f:
*******************************************************************
CHARTER: rec.toys.action-figures
Rec.toys.action-figures is an unmoderated newsgroup for the
discussion of action figure toys and related accessories. The scope
of discussion within this group includes action figures, as well as
action figure playsets, vehicles and other accessories intended for
use with action figures. The types of posts within this group may
include (but not be limited to) posts of news, release dates,
collecting, customizing, and reviews related to action figures and
their accessories. Until the creation of a more appropriate forum,
posts related to the buying, selling, and/or trading of action
figures and related toys are acceptable in this group. Crosspost-
ing to other rec.toys.* groups is discouraged.
******************************************************************
Q2: So, how does one define an action figure?
A2: Like the meaning of Life and other age old questions, the
definition of an action figure may never be truly known to the
mortal world. In other words, their is no point in trying to
define what an action figure is, because there will always be
disagreements over any given definition. The best way to decide
if something is an action figure is to answer these two questions:
1) Is it a toy?
The following definition by Aaron Newton
(amne...@starbase.spd.louisville.edu) of what a non-toy is,
in other words what is *not* relevant to rta-f, should make it
clearer as to just what is relevant to rta-f.
"'What?' you may be asking yourself. 'There is no such thing
as a non-toy toy.' Well, you're right. You are also wrong (do
you get the feeling that I am a Douglas Adams fan?). To this
category belongs, among other things, baseball cards and comic
books for instance. Some people consider these their toys,
their playthings. However, these are not the objects of
discussion of rec.toys.action-figures. Neither are cars,
guitars, boats, or computers, which many people also refer
to as their toys. Besides the fact that all of these items are
not really 'toys', almost all of them have one (if not
several) newsgroup(s) for them already.
As a general rule, ask yourself these questions:
1) Is this item I'm posting on normally purchased from
a toy/department store?
2) Is it meant to be *played* with?
If the answer is no to either of these questions, don't post
to r.t.a-f about it, or may the Flame Gods, Holy Sons of Eris,
descend upon you (^_^)."
2) Do you think it's an action figure?
Chances are if you think a toy that fulfills the above
qualifications for a toy is an action figure, so will someone
else. As long as every poster uses his or her own judgement and
does not try to argue that toys like yo-yos or remote-controlled
cars are "action-figures," little conflict should arise and
rta-f should have a peaceful existence without ever actually
defining "action-figure." This however, should not negate the
appropriateness of discussing the topic, just don't expect
to come up with a definition that everyone else has to agree
with.
Q3: Is there anything else I should read in order to become better
acquainted with rta-f?
A3: "Welcome to rec.toys.action-figures" post - Like this document, the
Welcome post is a good beginning for anyone looking to join rta-f.
It is posted weekly to rta-f and can be found at the Raving Toy
Maniac page (http://www.toymania.com).
"B/S/T/A FAQ" - This document covers all of the etiquette of
buying, selling, and trading on rta-f. It is posted bi-weekly to
rta-f and can also be found at the Raving Toy Maniac page
(http://www.toymania.com).
Q4: Are there any other toy newsgroups?
A4: The following newsgroups are either partially or solely devoted to
toys:
alt.food.pez
alt.toys.gi-joe
alt.toys.transformers
rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.customizing
rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting.misc
rec.arts.sf.starwars.vintage
rec.collecting.dolls
rec.toys.cars
rec.toys.lego
rec.toys.misc
rec.toys.vintage
Q5: Are there any WWW sites that have information about toys?
A5: Below I will attempt to list the most essential action figure
related sites (divided into three categories: Fan and Information
Sites, Customizing Sites, Official Sites).
For a complete list of action figure related sites and toy sites in
general, checkout The Internet Toy Off-White Pages at
http://www.toymania.com/links.
FAN AND INFORMATION SITES
Action Girl's Guide to Female Figures
http://users.aol.com/sarahdyer/index.htm
Maintained by Sarah Dyer (ali...@aol.com)
An incredible guide to every female figure ever made. If you like
to learn about toys you never knew existed or you're just looking
for a comprehensive guide, this is the place to go.
Final Frontiers
http://www.nashville.com/~final.frontiers/
Maintained by Sue (final.f...@nashville.com)
A guide to every Playmates Star Trek item ever made, and some that
weren't made. With pictures and information on every item, and
news and shipdates for upcoming items.
Raving Toy Maniac
http://www.toymania.com
Maintained by Eric G. Myers (e...@toymania.com) and Jason Geyer
(wv...@ttacs3.ttu.edu)
This newly revamped site has all of your old favorites like The
rta-f FAQ, Cool Toy Site of the Week, The Custom Corner, The
Ultimate X-Men Figure Guide as well as serving as the new home of
some of the best toy pages on the web, including the Batman: The
Animated Series Archive, the Spider-Man Archive, the Super Powers
Archive, John Gersten's Action Figure Column Archive and The Action
Figure Web Pages action figure archives.
rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting FAQ
http://pages.map.com/~amyshea/faq.txt
Maintained by David Halstead, Gus Lopez, Chris Nichols, and
Martin Thurn
An excellent FAQ on collecting Star Wars toys with quite a bit of
general information that will help out toy collectors of any action
figure lines.
Star Wars Action Figure Web Page
http://www.xmission.com/~gastown/cfti/starwars.htm
Maintained by Fawcett (Faw...@interramp.com)
The goal of this page is to have a picture of every Star Wars
figure ever made, including mass produced, prototypes, and custom
made figures.
The Star Wars Collector Online
http://www.teleport.com/~dpip/swc/swchome.html
Online site for the bimonthly newsletter that covers all facets of
Star Wars, including the toys. At this site you can read
back issues and find out when Star Wars merchandise is suppossed to
be available, and check out other features that should be of
interest to any Star Wars fan.
The Star Wars Collectors Archive
http://www.toysrgus.com
Maintained by Gus Lopez (lo...@cs.washington.edu)
From the rarest Star Wars pieces to pictures of the newest figures.
Choose from picture galleries of Kenner U.S. figures, non-U.S.
figures, prototypes, custom-made figures, bootlegs, and more.
Pictures you'd be hard pressed to find anywhere else, and other
resources.
CUSTOMIZING SITES
Byrt's Figure Page
http://www.best.com/~byrt/FigStart.shtml
Maintained by Byrt Martinez (by...@netcom.com)
Check out some of Byrt's cool customized Star Trek figures.
Fig Newton's Custom Action Figure Home Page
http://www.spd.louisville.edu/~amnewt01/custom.html
Maintained by Aaron Newton (amne...@starbase.spd.louisville.edu)
When you can't buy a mass-produced figure of your favorite
character, you can do the next best thing and check out the fan-
made figures at this site.
Mike's Custom Action Figure Page
http://www.magpage.com/~spidey/FIGURES/figs.html
Maintained by Mike Fichera (spi...@magpage.com)
An extensive array of customized figures and recipes featuring
Spider-Man and X-Men related figures by Mike. Definitely worth
checking out.
Mike and Nirah's Custom Figures!
http://rocinante.colorado.edu/~mnowak/figs.html
Maintained by Dr. Michael A. Nowak (mno...@rocinante.colorado.edu)
Very nice custom figures of BTAS, The Tick, and the Legion of
Super-Heroes with links to other custom figure pages.
OFFICIAL SITES
Bandai America
http://www.bandai.com
Official site of Bandai America. Pictures and information on Bandia
America's toy lines: Power Rangers, Masked Rider, Sailor Moon, Big
Bad Beetle Borgs, and WMAC Masters.
FAO Schwarz
http://faoschwarz.com
Learn the history of FAO, find stores near you, order catalogs, get
information, and look at toys.
Galoob Toys, Inc.
http://www.galoob.com/welc.html
Official site of Galoob Toys. Includes information and pictures
on MircoMachines, Johnny Quest, and Dragon Flyz.
Hasbro Toys
http://www2.hasbrotoys.com/hasbro/home.html
Official site of Hasbro Toy and Kenner Toys. Many of the products
made by Hasbro Toys and Kenner are available here with information,
pictures, and vrml clips. Much of the info and pictures are new
product information presented here for the first time.
Irwin's Toy Home Page
http://www.irwin-toy.com/
A site from the makers of Reboot toys which also includes Spawn and
Power Rangers, ways to win toys, and rebates on PR stuff.
Playmates Toys, Playmates Interactive Entertainment
http://www.playmatestoys.com
The official site of Playmates. Check out Star Trek, WildC.A.T.S.,
Earthworm Jim, Exosquad, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Primal
Rage with pictures, contests and shipping information. Also the
site of Playmates Interactive Entertainment division.
SPAWN: World Wide Web HeadQuarters
http://www.mcfarlane.com
The official site for Spawn and McFarlane Toys. Check out
prototypes for upcoming figures.
Tomart
http://www.tomart.com
Official site of Tomarts Action Figure Digest.
Toys"R"Us
http://www.tru.com
Look at toys or give TRU feedback.
Toy Story
http://www.disney.com/ToyStory
Official home site of THE toy movie. Includes pictures, sounds,
movies, screen savers, games, and more.
Trendmasters Presents
http://www.trendmaster.com/
Official home page of the makers of Godzilla, Tarzan and
Independence Day and Mars Attacks!.
Q6: What stores sell action figures and related toys?
(stores that specialize in toys are distinguished by an *)
A6: Ames Bradlees Big Lots Caldor
Circus World* Eckerds FAO Schwarz* KayBee Toys*
K-Mart Meijer Odd Lots Service Merchandise
Spencer Gifts Target Toy Liquidators* Toys 'R' Us*
Toy Works* Venture Wal-Mart Walgreens
Woolworths
Many comic book stores also sell toys, albeit at higher prices.
(See Q1.12 for store addresses and phone numbers).
Q7: What are some common abbreviations used on rec.toys.action-figures?
A7: AB&R - Adventures of Batman & Robin
AFNTR - Action Figure News & Toy Review
BF - Batman Forever
B&R - Batman & Robin
BTAS - Batman: The Animated Series
CS12 - Star Wars 12" Collector's Series
EWJ - Earth Worm Jim
FF - Fantastic Four
FS - For Sale
IM - Iron Man
LOB - Legends of Batman
MIB - Mint-in-box
MIMB - Mint-in-mint-box
MOC - Mint-on-card
MOMC - Mint-on-mint-card
NBC - Nightmare Before Christmas
NRFB/P - Never-removed-from-box/package
POTF - Star Wars: Power of the Force (the original line)
POTF2 - Star Wars: Power of the Force (the new line)
POTF95 - Star Wars: Power of the Force (the new line)
PR - Power Rangers
rassc - rec.arts.sf.starwars.collecting
rta-f - rec.toys.action-figures
rtm/RTM - rec.toys.misc
SLU - Starting Line-Ups
SOTE - Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire
TMNT - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
TRU - Toys 'R' Us
TB - Toy Biz
TT - To Trade
WTB - Wanted to buy
WTT - Wanted to Trade
XM - X-Men
Q8: What books or magazines have information about or sell action
figures and related toys?
A8: ACTION FIGURE NEWS & TOY REVIEW
556 Monroe Turnpike
Monroe, CT 06468
Sample copies are available for $6.35. Subscriptions are $21.95/six
issues and $39.95/a year for 12 issues.
COLLECTIBLE TOYS & VALUES
P.O. Box 569
Ridgefield, CT 06877
Subscriptions are $29.95/year.
COLLECTING TOYS
P.O. Box 1612
Waukesha, WI 53187-1612
1-800-533-6644
Subscriptions are $19.95/year for six issues.
MASTER COLLECTOR
Fun Publications, Inc.
12513 Birchfalls Drive
Raleigh, NC 27614
Means of ordering and rates are available on-line.
SEARS WISHBOOK
1-800-948-8800
$3/issue (200 pages), comes with $5 coupon.
THE STAR WARS COLLECTOR
Martin Thurn
20982 Homecrest Ct.
Ashburn, VA 20147-4015
URL: http://www.teleport.com/~dpip/swc/swchome.html
e-mail: dp...@teleport.com
Subscriptions are $18.00/year for six issues.
TOMART'S ACTION FIGURE DIGEST
3300 Encrete Lane
Dayton, OH 45439-1944
URL: http://www.tomart.com
e-mail: t...@tomart.com
Sample copies are available for $8.00. Subscriptions are
$65.00/year for twelve issues, $35.00 for six issues.
TOY MANIA!
268 S. Dellrose
Wichita, KS 67218
URL: http://www.toymania.com/fanzine
e-mail: Jared Vandeventer (jv...@southwind.net)
Sample copies are available for $1.50/issue (black and white
covers), $3.00/issue (color covers). Subscriptions are $18.00/year
for 12 issues (black and white covers).
A fan publication by the people of rec.toys.action-figures.
TOY SHOP
Circulation Department (ABAKCR)
700 E. State St
Iola, WI 54990-0001
URL: http://www.tias.com/mags/krause/ToyShop/
Means of ordering and rates are available on-line.
WHITE'S GUIDE TO COLLECTING FIGURES
Collecting Figure
Subscriptions
P.O. Box K-46
Richmond, VA 23288
$4.95 per issue US, $5.95 per issue Canada, $5-$10 per back issue.
Subscriptions are $34.95 for 12 issues, $18.95 for 6 issues.
WIZARD: THE GUIDE TO COMICS
Subscription Dept.
151 Wells Avenue
Congers, NY 10920-2064
Subscriptions are $24.95/year.
Wizard deals mainly with comic books, but there is also a few pages
included each month with toy news and custom made action figures.
Q9: Where can I find guides to new and old action figure lines?
A9: In-depth guides to Batman: The Animated Series, Spider-Man,
Superman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Man of Steel, Super
Powers, Total Justice, and X-Men, as well as Randy Matthews general
listings for just about ever sci-fi and super-hero action figure
line can be found on the Archives page of the Raving Toy Maniac
page. (http://www.toymania.com)
An In-depth guide to Playmates' Star Trek is available at Final
Frontiers. (http://www.nashville.com/~final.frontiers/)
Q10: How can I find out the packing ratios of various action figure
lines?
A10: Many people post packing ratios to rta-f when they come across
unopened cases. There was also a newsletter called "Toy
Assortments" by Mike Heun (vad...@execpc.com) that provided
information on packing ratios of years past, back issues are
available at the Raving Toy Maniac page (http://www.toymania.com).
Q11: I'm trying to find the address of a toy manufacture/distributor,
where should I look?
A11: Below is a listing of many of the more common manufactures/
distributors.
Bandai America
Bandai America, Inc.
12851 E. 166th Street
Cerritos, CA 90703
Phone: (310) 926-0947
e-mail: http://www.bandai.com/email.html
URL: http://www.bandai.com
Cap Toys
Cap Toys, Inc.
26201 Richmond Road
Bedford Hts., OH 44146
Phone: (216) 292-6363
Fax: (212) 807-6822
URL: http://chelsea.ios.com/~bnz/acap.html
Exclusive Premiere Collectibles
Exclusive Toy Products
2029 Century Park East, Suite 2880
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: (310) 284-5777
Fax: (310) 284-8333
URL: http://www.exclusivepremiere.com
Galoob
Galoob Lewis Toys Inc
500 Forbes Blvd
South San Francisco, CA 94080
Phone: (415) 952-1678
Phone: 1-800-4-GALOOB
e-mail: info-...@galoob.com
URL: http://www.galoob.com/welc.html
Hasbro
Hasbro Inc
1027 Newport Ave
Pawtucket, RI 02861
Phone: (401) 431-8697
Phone: 1-800-255-5516
Fax: (415) 583-4996
URL: http://www2.hasbrotoys.com/hasbro/home.html
Irwin Toys
Irwin Toys Limited
43 Hanna Avenue
Toronto, Ontario MGK 1X6, Canada
Phone: (416) 533-3521
Phone: 1-800-268-1733
Fax: (416) 533-3257
e-mail: ir...@inforamp.net
URL: http://www.irwin-toy.com
Just Toys
Just Toys Inc.
50 West 23, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10010
Phone: (212) 645-6335
Fax: (212) 741-8793
URL: http://chelsea.ios.com/~bnz/ajust.html
Kenner
Kenner Products
A Division of Tonka Corp.
1014 Vine St
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: (513) 579-4000
Phone: 1-800-255-5516
Fax: (513) 579-4704
URL: http://www2.hasbrotoys.com/hasbro/home.html
Mattel
Mattel Toys, Inc.
333 Continental Blvd.
El Segundo, CA 90245-5012
Phone: (310) 252-2000
Fax: (310) 524-2179
Consumer Information Line: 1-800-524-TOYS
URL: http://chelsea.ios.com/~bnz/amat.html
McFarlane Toys
15155 Fogg Street
Plymouth, MI 48170
Phone: (313) 425-0340
URL: http://www.mcfarlane.com
Playmates
Playmates Toys, Inc.
16200 S. Trojan Way
La Mirada, CA 90638
Phone: (714) 739-1929
Fax: (714) 739-2912
e-mail: to...@playmatestoys.com
URL: http://www.playmatestoys.com
Toy Biz
Toy Biz, Inc.
333 East 38th Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10016
Phone: (216) 682-4700
Fax: (212) 633-2181
Customer Service Line: 1-800-634-7539
URL: http://chelsea.ios.com/~bnz/abiz.html
Trendmasters
611 N. 10th Street
Saint Louis, MO 63101
e-mail: webm...@trendmasters.com
URL: http://www.trendmaster.com
Q12: I'm trying to find the address of a specific retail store that
carries toys, where should I look?
A12: Below is a listing of many of the more common retail stores that
carry toys:
Ames
Ames Department Stores Inc
2418 Main St
Rocky Hill, CT 06067
Phone: (203) 257-2000
Fax: (203) 257-2198
Bradlees
Bradlees Stores
1 Bradlees Cir
Braintree, MA 02184
Phone: (617) 380-8000
Caldor
Caldor Corp
20 Glover Ave
Norwalk, CT 06856
Phone: (203) 846-1641
Fax: (203) 849-2019
Circus World
Circus World Toy Stores
100 West St
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Phone: (413) 499-0086
Fax: (413) 499-3739
FAO Schwarz
767 5th Ave, Suite 401
New York, NY 10153
Phone: (212) 644-9410
Catalog Phone Number: 1-800-426-TOYS
Fax: (212) 644-2485
URL: http://faoschwarz.com
Kay-Bee
Kay-Bee Toy Stores
100 West St
Pittsfield, MA 01201
Phone: (413) 499-0086
Fax: (413) 499-3739
URL: http://www.kbtoys.com
K-Mart
K-Mart Corporation
3100 W. Big Beaver
Troy, MI 48084
Phone: (810) 643-1021
e-mail: webm...@kmart.com
URL: http://www.kmart.com
Meijer
Meijer Inc
2929 Walker Ave NW
Grand Rapids, MI 49504
Phone: (616) 453-6711
Fax: (616) 453-6067
Puzzle Zoo
Puzzle Zoo Mail Order
1710 22nd Street
Santa Monica, CA 90404
Phone: 1-800-627-8523
Phone: (310) 449-9150
Fax: (310) 449-9166
e-mail: puzz...@earthlink.net
URL: http://www.puzzlezoo.com/
Service Merchandise
PO Box 24600
Nashville, TN 37202
Phone: 1-800-251-1212
Fax: 1-800-582-1966
TDD: 1-800-367-2744
URL: http://www.servicemerchandise.com
Spencer Gifts
Spencer Gifts Inc
6826 Black Horse Pike
Pleasantville, NJ 08232
Phone: (609) 645-3300
Fax: (609) 645-8062
URL: http://www.spencergifts.com
Target
Target Stores
33 S 6th St
Minneapolis, MN 55402
Phone: (612) 370-6073
Fax: (612) 370-5807
URL: http://www.target.com
Toys 'R' Us
Toys 'R' Us Inc
461 From Rd
Paramus, NJ 07652
Phone: (201) 262-7800
Fax: (201) 262-8919
URL: http://www.tru.com
Toy Works
Toy Works Inc
Fiddlers Elbow Rd
Middle Falls, NY 12848
Phone: (518) 692-9666
Fax: (518) 692-9186
URL: http://www.kbtoys.com
Venture
Venture Stores Inc
2001 E Terra Ln
O'Fallon, MO 63366
Phone: (314) 281-5500
Fax: (314) 281-5152
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores Inc
702 SW 8th St
Bentonville, AR 72716
Phone: (501) 273-4000
Fax: (501) 273-1931
e-mail: webm...@wal-mart.com
URL: http://www.wal-mart.com/
SECTION 2: ABOUT THIS DOCUMENT
Q1: Where can I send additions, corrections or updates for the FAQ to?
A1: Please e-mail any suggestions you have for the FAQ to
scot...@ix.netcom.com. If its a suggestion that warrants the
opinions of rta-f readers, it is also best to post it for
discussion.
Q2: How can I obtain the FAQ?
A2: The FAQ is posted to the newsgroup rec.toys.action-figures around
the first and fifteenth day of each month. The FAQ is available in
html format at the Raving Toy Maniac Page
(http://www.toymania.com).
SECTION 3: RESTORATION/MAINTENANCE
Q1: What is the best way to remove the price stickers put on the toy
packages by the retail store without damaging the package?
A1: From Eric G. Myers (e...@toymania.com):
"Far and away, I recommend a product called "Goo Gone." Its
available at retail outlets like K-Mart. It can be found in the
cleaners section or sometimes in the automotive section. It is a
citrus product and will not damage the card if used correctly (do
not over-apply and allow to soak into the card). Others will tell
you to use things like: rubbing alcohol, nail polisher remover
etc. These things also work but may leave a dull spot on the card
by removing some of the card coating. In some cases, these types
of products can actually remove paint or ink from the card itself.
Some will tell you to use a hairdryer, set on low. This does
loosen up the glue on some stickers but does not work for all
stickers. Plus, you run the risk of softening up the bubble
(potentially misshaping it). Its a bit tricky, but it can be done.
Get the Goo Gone first. You won't be disappointed. If you can't
find it, then try one of the other methods carefully."
Q2: Is there a way to restore or replace worn out decal sheets?
A2: One commonly suggested method of replacing decal sheets is to take
them to Kinkos and have them color-copied onto adhesive paper.
--Scott Gordon--
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SCOTT J. GORDON
scot...@ix.netcom.com ____________ _-_
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Maintainer of: || \----._________.----/
The rec.toys.action-figures FAQ || / ,'
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and /___ 1:1 ||(-
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http://www.toymania.com/news/startrek.html
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