New Collector Questions - Ask your general questions here

Hello,

I tried to stay away from 3A... not buying but always had an eye on what is happening.
was this one a release? An upcoming release? Or just for the show?

thanks_Rudi

The Shibari Show Girl was an exclusive at the Toy Soul HK limited to 5 pieces

Thanks Gregory, I should have asked You directly.

The head sculpt is just amazing nice. Yes; I mean the head.

Hey guys,

I was wondering if whether joining the 3AA membership is a good investment for a new collector? And what exactly are the benefits? I came in late to collecting so the enrollment period was closed. So far I've collected all of my figures from Ebay and other online vendors, which works out o.k. but there are a few that I "REALLY" need but can't find. What are your thoughts on the 3AA membership? Thanks!

3AA membership is only good for figures moving forward.  In other words figures that Threea will be putting up for preorder that membership year.  If the 15% membership discount that you end up saving over the year ends up totaling or higher than the cost of the  membership of that year then yeah it will be a good investment.  So if you know for sure you are going to spend a lot that year to cover that cost then yeah I would buy in.
To me it seems like you are chasing down older figures.  If that's the case, and that is your main focus for now, keep chasing. Go onto BST here and on FB or elsewhere.  You still have until January of next year to think about if you really need to buy into membership that's when they usually go up for sale.
If you haven't done already, put up a Want to Buy thread of what your'e looking for on this forum in the appropriate section and you might get a few bites.

Thanks Chivo! That cleared it up for me. I'll hold off on the membership for now as it doesn't make sense for me personally. As you mentioned, I'm mainly focused on older figures so I'll go with your recommended routes. I'll get my list together for the BST thread, and see what pans out. Thanks again!!

No worries. Good luck!

I've got a question about figure repairs.  As I mentioned I'm a new collector.  My very first figure I got from and online seller a month ago.  The Blind Cowboy Superset.  It hadn't even been opened.  Well, I was a bit disappointed when I removed two of the guns from their holsters.  For some reason the holsters began to tear, and now their crumbling it seems.  I looked on Ebay for a replacement Belt and set of holsters, but as many of you may know finding any spare parts for the Blind Cowboy is few and far between.  I contacted a guy I follow in on Youtube (Yama86) and he told me to contact threeA ate the following email: cs@threeaonline.com, so I did.  So far no word yet, granted it's only been 2 days since the email.  Does anyone have any recommendations in case I don't get contacted back by threeA about either sending a replacement belt and set of holsters, or repairing it for me?   I'll try and post pics below of the disintegration.  My only guess is maybe my particular set was maybe over weathered...maybe?



https://i.servimg.com/u/f86/19/46/28/96/picbc10.jpg

https://i.servimg.com/u/f86/19/46/28/96/pic2bc10.jpg

Man they look terrible but for now you could remove the belt & rearrange the holsters & put the good ones up front (assuming they're not all like that.) Do contact CS as well as Combat on these forums, hope you get fixed up.

Thanks Skipper, will do! You can imagine my disappointment. :cry

titan1979 wrote:Hey guys,

I was wondering if whether joining the 3AA membership is a good investment for a new collector?  And what exactly are the benefits?  I came in late to collecting so the enrollment period was closed.  So far I've collected all of my figures from Ebay and other online vendors, which works out o.k. but there are a few that I "REALLY" need but can't find.  What are your thoughts on the 3AA membership?  Thanks!

One other thing to consider with the membership aside from the 15% discount for a year, is that every membership includes a figure (or figures) and sometimes some other goodies.  If you really like the included figure, that alone can be worth the cost and the discount is just a bonus.  

I was on the fence this year, but I liked the membership figure enough that I re-upped, knowing full well I will most likely not recoup what it cost me with the savings the discount provides.  It's nearly the end of April and other than the membership itself, I haven't bought a single thing with my discount.  It's quite possible I may not buy anything else from 3A this year.  But I still don't regret it because I liked the figure.  And if 3A does release something I like before my membership expires, 15% off definitely helps.  Win-win.  

Last year was a different story.  I had zero interest in the included figures and in that case, joined purely for the discount.

@ Hogarth, thanks for the info. That's definitely a perspective to keep in mind. How much are the membership fees every year?

I think $180 but if you were a member the previous year then you also get 15% off renewal. My interest and budget has fallen lately but I liked Von so much that even if I didn't buy anything this year the Von figure was worth it alone. I know I'll end up buying more stuff anyway. I think if you spend $1200 the membership pretty much pays for itself.

Good to know, thanks!

titan1979 wrote:@ Hogarth, thanks for the info.  That's definitely a perspective to keep in mind.  How much are the membership fees every year?  

Like Skipper said:
Between US$150 and US$200 per year. (US$180 for this years Von Nom).
Available around January 15 of every year for 24 hours
15% discount of the previous year applies on the 3AA membership set as well.

Here's an overview of 3AA exclusive releases through the years.

My question is what do you guys do to fix loose ball joints (add more friction) to your figures? I have a particular character that won't stand up straight because the ball joint seems to be too loose I've seen some post online recommend using some kind of adhesive or floor polish to gum it up. what do you recommend?

I have found that using nail polish reckon 790 Matte Top Coat works great! Dries quickly, clear and the matte doesn't leave a gloss finish at all. It's about 4-5 dollars per bottle but I have applied to the knees, popped off legs and added to inside the hip sockets and sockets where legs snap to hip ball socket and apply to ankle ball and hole in foot and hole in leg that connects the ankle shockes works great. With 2 coats I can make a heavey duty tomorrowkings stand without any need of a support stand. Try it out but be sure you get the matte. Long term not sure if there would be concerns of drying plastic out. I have yet to experience any issues. I recommend to all to try. No more sloppy knees and feet. The torso is harder to get at and figure out.

Revlon 790 matte top coat. Fucking auto spelling.

Awesome! Thanks boltman! I'll pick some up in the morning.

titan1979 wrote:Hey guys,

I was wondering if whether joining the 3AA membership is a good investment for a new collector?  And what exactly are the benefits?  I came in late to collecting so the enrollment period was closed.  So far I've collected all of my figures from Ebay and other online vendors, which works out o.k. but there are a few that I "REALLY" need but can't find.  What are your thoughts on the 3AA membership?  Thanks!

Alright, some advice from a veteran 3A member - the 3AA member ship is only really worth it if you regularly buy ThreeA figures. By that, I mean you buy at least $500 to $1200 in ThreeA products over the course of a year. If you can't see yourself spending around that price range it simply isn't worth it. I'm a huge WWR collector, so typically I can spend $200 to $500 every time there's a big WWR release (the last big one was the Civic Defense drop, which single-handedly paid for that year's membership in savings).

If you're talking about wanting a specific figure, or are just paranoid about missing a 3AA exclusive release - bear in mind that eBay typically has around a 40% markup on hot new releases. That sounds like a lot, but if you pay $150+ for a 3AA membership and only use it one or two times over the year, you would actually save money by going the eBay route.

So in conclusion, only go for 3AA if you can honestly see yourself spending quite a bit of money over the year. If you're not sure, just check out past ThreeA releases and get a feel for how much you like the products. Hope this helps!

- Argentix

Revlon Transforming Effects Top Coat, 790 Matte, 0.5 Fluid Ounce https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005B5GB5M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awd_rLWgxbD1Z0A5H

Here is the stuff

I never fit into the 3A scene, and I never belonged!

No matter where I go I'm the stranger! KOOKOOKACHOO!

You are in control of yourself. Form yourself to fit in any situation. Don't expect the environment to form to fit you. In any new environment you will always be the stranger. Be open and open minded to others so that you can grow and learn and transform. Chi-coo-coo-coo-kah!

Thanks Argentix, I've decided to stick with the Ebay route for now. I've been steady collecting the older figures, and almost have all the must haves. I'll reevaluate later after I have all of my must haves.