To collect action figures, figurines, dolls, vehicles or statues etc?

Toys come in many forms such as action figures (which are poseable,), figurines (non-poseable), human or animal dolls (with brushable hair, e.g. Barbie and My Little Pony), vehicles (e.g. die-cast model cars) and statues (for display only) etc. 

Which ones make better collectible toys and what are their differences?

Action figures are the easiest to collect and manage.  These are quite ‘durable’ since they were made to have their movable parts manipulated by kids during ‘rough’ play. 

Figurines (e.g. mini Pokemons and coin machine toy figures) tend to be made of non-fragile material and are suitable as cute display items. 

Vehicle toys are bulkier and hence require more storage space, especially if they are collected as Mint-In-Box (MIB).  The vehicles made of die-cast are more ‘at risk’ from paint scratches if the collector is not careful. 

Dolls and any toys with brushable hair need to have their hair styled in original form as much as possible or at least be kept neat.  If not, they would not look attractive. 

Statues, well they can only be put on display and not to be touched.  If not they are kept in their boxes and stored away.  Statue toys are usually fragile too so great care is needed.

Many toylines have a combination of the above forms of toys.  When starting out, it is good to focus on a particular series or set.  For me when I started collecting X-Men action figures, I focused on collecting the toyline (made by ToyBiz) based on the X-Men Animated series.  It was after I finished collecting those did I move on to other Marvel characters like the ToyBiz toylines based on the Spiderman , Fantastic Four and Iron Man Animated series of the 90’s. 

For My Little Pony, I started by collecting the pony characters that appeared in the My Little Pony cartoons.  After the cartoon series ended its run in the late 80’s and a later series in  the early 90’s, Hasbro continued to produce new pony characters that were outside the cartoon series.  In the process of buying ponies in lots from Ebay, I tended to get random ponies from various sets and that made me start collecting many sets concurrently.  Gradually, I ended up collecting almost every pony.

Different forms of toys require different care and management.  What toys you collect also depends on the display and storage space you have allocated for them at home.  Most collectors tend to buy first and settle the storage issue only after they bring the toys home.  This is usually the Rapid Growth stage when all logic thinking fly out the window.  The Rapid Growth tends to ‘grab’ the toys while they are still available at ‘good’ prices instead of buying them after planning and settling the storage issue.  Remember, this hobby is about managing your emotions as you collect and acquire your toys.

Looking back, I now know I should have managed my toy collecting process better.  Then my room would not be ‘overrun’ by all kinds of toys of all forms.  If you are still starting out on this hobby, these are some points that you can take note of and settle early.  In the long term, these will help you manage your toy collections better and hence enhance the enjoyment derived from your hobby.