AFHub Handle: Porky Pig
Real Name: Jennyfer Tan
Year of Birth: 1976
Location: Quezon City
This week, I’m delighted to feature one of the very few female action figure collectors we have on AFHub. It probably seems a little strange for the uninitiated how and why a girl would indulge in this geeky hobby that is so typified among overgrown boys like myself. But it’s really no mystery to many of AFHub’s regulars that Jennyfer Tan aka Porky Pig is serious about her action figures and statues collection.
Her focus on a select number of characters to collect is possibly the embodiment of dedication to this hobby – a discipline that is quite lacking among many of us male species. One only has to look at her complete Marvel Select collection that has all been kept mint in their packaging to know what I’m referring to. Apart from focus and discipline, Jenn is also very generous when it comes to sharing information among her co-collectors – be they male or female.
As she has aptly put it, this is “girl power.”
1. When did you start collecting?
I’ve been collecting Porky Pig memorabilia since I was a little kid, I don’t really remember the exact date but I remember relatives giving me trinkets of Porky Pig stuff like key chains, postcards, etc. and I keep it inside a small drawer, until the collection started to have Porcelain Coin Banks and huge stuff toys that I had to have a cabinet for it. But I only started to collect “toys” when my husband gave me a Catwoman action figure and the rest is history.
2. What toy lines do you collect? And why?
Marvel Select – I’ve been drawn to this line ever since my husband and I got Ultimate Hulk, Thor and Green Goblin for a steal (I think it was around 8 dollars each shipped) online. The sculpt and paint apps were a lot better than the Marvel Legends line and we thought of completing it since the release date was then once a month for 36 months. Even if it’s MOC, it’s really great for display.
Catwoman Action Figures – Who can resist the Catwoman? I can’t. She’s such a kick-ass character and I love her different costumes per age, so I decided to collect her, my only DC character.
Elektra Statues/Busts and everything Elektra – At first, I decided to collect only “stone” versions of Elektra. I bought my very first Elektra bust at a cheap price online and I fell in love with it. Then call it fate, I won a Sideshow Premium Format Elektra in an online contest. I then researched about all the Elektra toys and statues/busts and found out that they released only a few action figures and statues/busts – so I decided to complete the Elektra line.
Disney Pixar Cars Diecast – main reason? For my toddler. I’m collecting it for him. He loves the movie and I then decided to complete this line for him… although I’m having fun hunting down these little buggers.
Different Marvel Statues/Busts – no preference on what character or line, depends on the price, the sculpt, the paint apps, anything beautiful that I can afford, I might decide to buy it.
Archies Bust – my latest line, it came out a month before and I have the first two busts (Archie and Jughead) already, I think this will be the first complete line that I’ll have, no need for backtracking! And it’s gorgeous by the way.
3. What was it that brought you to collecting? And what is it that keeps you going?
My husband introduced me to the wonderful (but wallet-busting) world of toy collecting. I love the feeling of finally finding the right toy, saving up for a certain figure, the ups and downs of collecting. Sometimes you’re deliriously happy because you’ve finally gotten your holy grail (which by the way will have a replacement holy grail in a couple of weeks, make that days, hehehe), sometimes you’ll be disappointed that the one toy/statue that you want can’t be yours because you don’t have enough money for it, or enough space for it. All of it, that’s what keeps me going.
4. How do you display your collection?
My Cars and Marvel Select are not displayed, they’re either in our attic, collecting dust on the floor or in our son’s room where it’s stored inside the highest part of his cabinet since we don’t have enough space for it to be displayed. Our (hubby and mine) statues/busts are in one wooden cramped book cabinet that needs to be replaced by hopefully a much larger glass cabinet but we still don’t know how to pay for it and where to put it.
5. Do you have a favorite character(s) among those you collect?
Elektra and Catwoman
6. Which item in your collection would you say is your absolute favorite and why?
The Sideshow Premium Format Elektra Statue. It’s the most beautiful piece I have and I got it for free!
7. What prompts you to purchase an item?
- the price
- the character
- for statues/busts, the sculpt and overall paint apps.
8. Where do you do most of your toy purchases? Do you shop online?
Druid’s Keep, Ptoys, Toy Kingdom for their SRP prices. And if I don’t find them here, I do most of the shopping online.
9. What do you think of custom figures/toys? Do you buy them?
Custom figures are great! It shows the creativity of the person, although I haven’t bought one as of now. I might get a custom figure if it’s to my liking and if it’s worth the price.
10. Do you purchase items online like on eBay?
Yes, I’m a suki at BBTS, www.toynk.com, cornerstorecomics, Amazon.com and of course, Ebay.
11. What’s the first thing people tell you when they see your collection?
Well, my non-collecting friends’ usual reaction’s “are you out of your mind?” hahaha. But for fellow toy-collector, they usual are happy for me when I find a certain figure or busts that I’ve been searching for. They’ll say it’s cool especially since there are only a handful of female collectors out there.
12. What does your better half say about your collection?
He’s the one who’s to blame why I’m collecting right now so he can’t complain, hahaha. But seriously, he helps me look for the stuff that I still don’t have in my collection, he’s the one rearranging them for “better view”, since he’s creative-spacial and I’m crap when it comes to arranging. All out support on his end and I love him for it!
13. How do you decide which items to open and which ones to keep mint-in-package?
I’m a sucker for MOCs, I’m a MOC’er all the way! Except for the statues and busts, all my action figures are still MOC. Easy decision for me.
14. In the next 5-10 years, do you see your collection growing or would you have grown tired of all this?
I don’t see myself growing tired of collecting. I started when I was a kid, it may not be considered as a legitimate toy line (Porky Pig) but it’s still is collecting something. Hopefully, in the next 5-10 years, I still have my collection, still call myself a collector and have the money that I dream of to collect more, more, more.
Abadi abadi abadi aba- That’s all Folks!
Photos of Jenn’s collection…
