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HELPING YOU TAKE CARE OF YOUR FIGURE(S)!
Do You Collect NBA Basketball Figures?
The first basketball figures were released in 1988 by Kenner under the Starting Lineup brand which also encompassed NFL, MLB and from 1998 NHL figures. Approx 4-inches in height each figure had joints at the shoulders, neck and waist and a base that resembled a basketball court. Each figure also came with a trading card of the player. Kenner's Starting Lineup basketball figures proved to be a huge success and despite initially being released solely to retail stores with large sets which were regionally targeted they soon released that they were actually selling more to hobby dealers. Kenner therefore re-thought their marketing strategy and dramatically decreased the number of figures in a set but added smaller production runs of "variant" figures thereby unintentionally introducing the concept of "chase" figures into the hobby. Things seem to be going well for Kenner/Hasbro but in 998 Hasbro they lost the license to produce NBA figures to Mattel Inc. who were awarded the exclusive license to produce toys and games for the NBA.
Mattel's Jam NBA Basketball FiguresMattel's deal however came at a difficult time for the NBA who faced the retirement of superstar Michael Jordan at the end of this season. Also the behavior of many players both on and off the court was souring the games name and fans were beginning to get bored of their high demands, pay increases and attitudes. Many of the games sponsors where considering pulling out of licensing deals due to these concerns. Expectations were high at the time and Mattel planned to use the NBA logos in its Cabbage Patch, Hot Wheels, action figure and collectible lines in order to encourage a greater range of buyers. The NBA also had high expectations of Mattel to "really get behind us because this is their only major sports licensing deal", as an NBA spokeswoman was quoted saying. Mattel released a series of basketball figures with the NBA license including:
The first sets released in 1998 were the NBA Jam basketball figures which were small 3-inch figures with oversized heads similar to the Corinthian Headliners. Then in 1999 they released a larger 7-inch version of Ultra Jam figures. Mattel also released a series of NBA Superstar basketball figures. These figures were 6-inches in height and resembled the players and like the earlier Kenner Starting Lineup figures each one came with a trading card from Upper Deck. Mattel was released a line of 13-inch NBA Shooting Sensations "dolls" which were produced in 1999 and were a Barbie style doll aimed at trying to attract more girls into the "sport".
A New Era of NBA FiguresOn November 19 2001 McFarlane Toys announced that they had been granted the exclusive license to produce NBA basketball figures. With their already renowned reputation for detailed and accurate figures McFarlane Toys had already won numerous awards for its picture-perfect facial likenesses. Bringing an incredible new level of detail to the NBA action figures and representing some of the NBA's leading players each action figure features official team logos and colors, and comes with authentic game apparel specific to that player. Additionally, each player will be in an all action pose. The first series hit toy stores in March 2002 and included six players:
But that's not all as like their cousins, trading cards, each series also has Chase and Variant figures available.
Each of these 6-inch basketball action figures was sculpted in the player's official kit bearing all the team and NBA logos. The first series proved to be a big hit with fans and remain so to this day. McFarlane raised the bar yet again with these figures proving that a high end quality product could be produced for a reasonable retail price. There are three different "brands" that come under the NBA Sports Picks umbrella: Basic Series: Each season there is generally one basic series of basketball action figures released based on the top players and/or rookies of that season. Legends: The Legends series highlights those players who have achieved a high level of success within the NBA or have entered the Basketball Hall of Fame. This series represents the "Best of the Best". Collectors Edition: The Collectors Edition series of basketball action figures consists of 'one of' releases to celebrate special events or occassions such as the All-Stars game. Many collectors will leave their figures in their packaging as an "investment" but generally I prefer to take them out of the packaging and allow them to "breathe". In recent years there has been a big debate on how much "articulation", i.e. moving parts, there should be as the trend since the 90's has been to keep articulation to a minimum, usually 5-6 points, but companies such as Hot Toys seems to be bucking this trend and pushing the "art" of articulation to its limits with some figures having as many as 30-40. Upper Deck has also done well with their line of Vinyl figures but these are fixed pose figures rather than true action figures so I have left them out here. All in all McFarlane have created an excellent line of high quality, well produced and excellently sculpted basketball action figures that have captured the hearts and minds of fans and collectors alike and look likely to continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
Upper Deck All-Star Vinyl Basketball FiguresNoticing the popularity of McFarlane’s Sports Picks figures Upper Deck decided to enter the Sports Figures market with their All Star Vinyl Line. The first of this new line was a LeBron James All-Star Vinyl figure which was released in 2006, followed by two four-figure sets of The LeBrons in partnership with Nike. Later in 2007 Upper Deck added Football, Baseball and Hockey figures to the All Star Vinyls brand. Similar to the earlier Mezco's Extreme Athlete series (2003) these figures proved to be a hit with collectors. Each of these figures stands approx. 11-inches in height, and have a very limited production run with limited articulation. Upper Deck got their inspiration for this line from the increasingly popular Urban Vinyl figures which have become the latest "fashion" in Japan and have started to become highly collectible.
All the latest news and updates on NBA Figures
Do you have any information or news to share on NBA Action figures? Or have any comments to make?
McFarlane NBA SPORTS PRODUCT RELEASE SCHEDULEPre-order Basketball Figures and Collitibles Buy Basketball Figures and Collitibles McFarlanes 2010 NBA Sports Picks Release Schedule McFarlanes 2009 NBA Sports Picks Release Schedule McFarlanes 2008 NBA Sports Picks Release Schedule
McFarlanes 2010 NBA Sports Picks Release Schedule IN STORES FEBRUARY 2010 NBA SERIES 17
McFarlanes 2009 NBA Sports Picks Release Schedule NBA SERIES 16- Due: March, 2009
SEPTEMBER 2009
NBA LEGENDS, SERIES 5**
NOVEMBER 2009
NBA WAVE 2 (SERIES 17)**
McFarlane's NBA Basketball Figures McFarlanes NBA Basketball Series 13
March's NBA 14 series features the Sports Picks debut for Greg Oden, Adam Morrison, Tayshaun Prince and Carlos Boozer, as well as all-new sculpts for Steve Nash and Kevin Garnett.
NBA Series 15 (due in stores November 2008)
McFarlane"s NBA Legends Series 3
NBA Legends Series 4 (due in stores in September 2008)
NBA Legends take the spotlight as we offer Sports Picks for six memorable hardcourt heroes. This series offers Sports Picks debuts for four players and the sequel figures for Larry Bird and Julius Erving.
McFarlane"s 3 Inch NBA Basketball Series 5
3-INCH NBA Series 6 (due in stores November 2008)
McFarlanes 2007 NBA Sports Picks Releases
McFarlanes 2006 NBA Sports Picks Releases
McFarlanes 2005 NBA Sports Picks Releases
McFarlanes 2004 NBA Sports Picks Releases
McFarlanes 2003 NBA Sports Picks Release
McFarlanes 2002 NBA Sports Picks Release
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