Action Figure Photography – G.I. Joe Hazard-Viper

gi joe hazard viper action figure

Hasbro G.I. Joe Hazard Viper action figure (2011) I finally got around to taking some pictures this weekend using my new photo backdrop. The new GI Joe action figures from Hasbro make for some great subject material. I saw this Hazard Viper figure at Target and immediately bought it just so I could take pictures [...]

Action Figure Photography DIY: Build your own custom diorama

halo master chief mcfarlane action figure

Over the holiday break, I was itching to do something creative that didn’t require sitting in front of the computer. One of my passions is photography, so I thought I would build something to help me take better photos of action figures, since I do a fair bit of that for this website. I started [...]

Cool & Collected’s Winter Break Recap

O-scale christmas model train layout

Don’t listen to the rumors, I am still here! I took a hiatus for the last 10 days and virtually disappeared from the digital side of life. Christmas is the one time of year that I actually kick back and relax. Being self-employed, vacations are a rarity, but no one else is working over the Christmas [...]

Action Figure Nativity Scene

Christmas action figure nativity scene

Reis O’Brien over at “Hey Look At My Toys!” is hosting a fun action figure nativity contest to get all of us into the true spirit of Christmas. Here’s my entry… Be sure to check out the contest to see all the great photos, and while you’re there, cast your vote. Number 2 is a [...]

GI Joe and Star Wars Toy Haul

vintage 80's toy haul - gi joe and star wars toys

Oh Craigslist, how do I love thee? I have been stocking the shelves for the long cold winter ahead, and made a big purchase of 80′s toys today. How big? Well, it almost didn’t fit in my car… Six large boxes full of toys! Let’s see what was inside… There was quite a variety of [...]

Weekend Toy haul – She-Ra? Yep. She-Ra.

collection of vintage she-ra action figures (He-Man Masters of the Universe-MOTU)

Hey, look what I got off Craigslist today! It’s a massive lot of 80′s She-Ra toys! She-Ra really is on the fringe of what I would normally buy, since she is a part of the Masters of the Universe line, but I can’t say I didn’t feel a little silly handing over the cash for [...]

M.A.S.K. Rhino photo shoot

1980's vintage M.A.S.K. Rhino truck vehicle

Whenever I get a great vintage toy, I can’t wait to photograph it. Here are some pictures of the M.A.S.K. Rhino truck with a couple of the figures. This really is a fantastic vehicle, and it was so much fun to shoot! If you want to see larger versions of these photos, head over to [...]

Yard Sale Haul – Video Game Swag and more!

garage sale score - Star Wars Jabba's rancor beast

Well, I had fun on Saturday morning… I always search Craigslist for nearby yard sales and this week one particular listing caught my eye. It mentioned lots of video game swag. Well, I love swag! So, I targeted that house first, and I’m glad I did. The seller was a really nice guy who used [...]

Photo backdrop in action

1988 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT complete set of figures

The other day, I showed you how I made a new photo backdrop for some action figure pictures I wanted to shoot for my new online shop. Here are some of the results so far… I really like the way these are turning out, especially how the “cheap” Burger King Dr. Doom looks like he’s [...]

DIY photo backdrop for better toy photography

DIY tips for taking better photos of your toys and action figures

Well, I got a little crafty again this weekend, and did some hot glue gun slinging to make a new backdrop for action figure photographs. The fun thing about making a backdrop like this is that you don’t need to be precise, and you can use pretty much anything you have laying around. The first [...]