Click on the picture to see this Collection!! Name: Chris Franklin Location:

1- What is it that you collect?
Super Hero toys and memorabilia. Mostly Batman and other DC heroes. Mainly focused on action figures and vehicles.

2- What was it that brought you to collecting? And what is that keeps you going?
I was a big Super Hero/Comic Book fan as a kid, and I never changed. I’ve pursued a career in art due to comics, and I am a member of Shooting Star Comics, LLC, a new independent comic publisher, as well as a commercial graphic artist.

3- When did you start collecting?
Straight from the womb, baby! Well, I guess I actually went from playing with toys, to collecting toys in 1989, when the first Batman movie hit, with it’s ton of product to gobble up.

4- Why Superheros?
Nostalgia, love for the art form, and just the heroic ideals the characters represent.

5- When did you start displaying them?
1989 again. My sister also got married that year, so as soon as she moved out, BAM! I had a collectibles room, dubbed the Batcave by all who visited there.

6- How do you get your inspiration to organize and display your collection?
There really weren’t too many publications (and of course no internet) to guide me in the early days. I just put the carded figures on the wall with thumb tacks, and put the loose figures on any kind of shelving I could find.

7- Do you have a favorite character(s) you collect?
The Batman characters are my primary concern. I’m just a big a fan of Dick Grayson, either as Nightwing or Robin, as I am of Batman himself.

8- Which item in your collection would you say is your absolute favorite and why?
Oh geez, that’s a tough one. I’d have to say my ride-on Batmobile from 1977. I think it’s fairly hard to come by. I had one as a kid, but one of the wheels broke, and my dad threw it out. I gave him grief for years over it. My wife scoured ebay for a year looking for it. She finally came across it, and my parents chipped in and helped me buy it. It’s huge, it’s a unique design, and it’s just plain cool.

9- Which item was the most difficult to obtain? And which one is your prized possession?
See the answer to #8 (laughs).

10- What is the oldest item you own? and the one with the most value?
I’m not a real stickler on monetary value, but I do try to keep a basic idea of current market value. I have the Robin Dragster from the Batman: Animated Series line. I just picked it up at TRU, because I like Robin stuff. I looked in a price guide a few years later and saw it was going for $400 MIB. I thought it had to be a misprint. Then I heard the story of how the mold was destroyed in a factory fire. The story alone is worth something! The oldest item (other than a few Golden Age comics) is probably one of the 1966 Batman items I have. The Captain Action Batman suit, drinking glass, milk mug, etc.

11- What inspires you to purchase an item to add to your collection?
If it’s a chracter or property I like, if it’s well done, or if it has nostalgic value are good parameters for me. I don’t worry about what will be valuable in the future. I don’t sell much.

12- Customizing figures and statues has become very big, have you ever purchased a custom figure or statue and have you ever tried making one?
I think much of the custom work out there is FANTASTIC. Equal or often times better than professional work. Guys like my pals Matt “Iron-Cow” Cauley and Scott “Yer Pal Boneyard” Rogers set the bar REALLY high. I’ve dabbled in customs, but I usually try to keep it simple, as my skills aren’t up to professional looking status otherwise.

13- What do you think of the custom Craze?
I think it is a great sub-hobby, and that there is a lot of professionally untapped talent out there.

14- Where do you make most of your purchases from? ebay seems to be a favorite with collectors these days, are you an ebayholic?
I love ebay, but I have to be careful. It would be so easy to buy something from it every day. My wife collects Barbie dolls, so we both frequent ebay a lot. I’m a big Mego fan, and I’ve recently been really into growing that collection. Ebay definitely helps with the older stuff. Newer lines I pick up either from on-line or brick and mortar stores.

15- Is your collection insured?
We took out extra house insurance to cover it. But no, it’s not insured in and of itself. Probably should though.

16- What is missing from your collection that you hope to one day acquire?
I’d love to own several Mego items I don’t have. Aqualad, the Green Arrow car, 12” Lex Luthor, 9” Robin, etc. I’ll get them one day.

17- What is the usual reaction when people see your collection?
Most people gasp. I’m a fairly normal acting guy, so even though I wear the occasional comic T-shirt, they really don’t know the extent of my sickness. Everyone seems to get a kick out of it, even if they’re not into comics. I love showing newbies around.

18- Do you attend conventions for some of your purchases? could you tell us about that?
I don’t attend a lot of cons, but I do always pick up some things when I go. I like that last day of the con, when dealers don’t want to have to pack everything back up. You usually get some nice deals.

19- Most collectors today go on what they call a toy run, do you participate in that as well? And what are your favorite spots? Do you have a routine?
I live in a small town, with only a small Wal-Mart and a Big Lots, so a toy run to the bigger cities is necessary. I seem to have the best luck at Target. I hit the TRUs, Kbs and K-Marts as well. We have Meijer’s in our region, and I have found a few things there.

20- How do you decide what to take out of the package and what stays sealed?
For years I was an MOC guy. If I wanted to open a figure, I’d buy two of them. When the collector lines like DC Direct started, that got VERY expensive. And I was running out of wall room to display those large cards. So one day, I went on an opening spree, and opened all of the DCD figures I had up to that point. Since then, I rarely leave any toy I buy carded. It’s much more liberating this way, for me, and the toys!

21- At what stage do you think your collection will be at 10 years from now, do you think you would have grown tired of it?
I can’t see myself ever growing tired of it. I will probably lean more toward vintage items in the future. I’m heading that way now, despite all the exciting new toys that are out there. With the advent of ebay, and the web, I’m more aware of the great old stuff out there to be had, so it tempts me more. At some point I will probably weed my collection down some, just to make room for more new stuff!

22- What advice would you give someone who just started a collection?
It sounds clichéd, but, collect what you like. Don’t worry about values (although it is nice to own a rare piece) and don’t try to build a retirement plan through your toy collection. If you’re a B’wana Beast fan, collect B’wana Beast toys, if not, don’t. And even though the toy companies tell you to “Collect Them All!”, you don’t have to. Don’t be a slave to your collection!