6 brilliant action figures that will empty your bank account

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This Steve Jobs action figure was barred from release by Jobs' family. But the others on this list weren't. Photo: In Icon
This Steve Jobs action figure was barred from release by Jobs' family. But the others on this list weren't. Photo: In Icon

Everyone loves action figures, right?

With the rarer offerings regularly carrying price tags that put them out of reach for most allowances, however, they’re no longer exclusively for kids. With that in mind, here’s Cult of Mac’s list of the must-have figures with price tags to match. Featuring everything from pro wrestlers to sci-fi characters, we’re sure you’ll find something to tempt you.

Play nicely, now!

You'll be working overtime at the Daily Bugle to pay off this figure. Photo: awesomeactionfigures
You’ll be working overtime at the Daily Bugle to pay off this figure. Photo: awesomeactionfigures

Spider-Man

We’ll start this list off nicely, with a figure that — while costly — is still within the realms of affordability for most people. An instantly-recognizable action figure of the 1970s, the 8″ Mego Spider-Man figure not only boasted superb levels of articulation, but also Mego’s trademark cloth clothing.

There have been many, many Spider-Man figures since 1973, but probably none with the same kind of iconic status as this one. Interestingly, the Mego collection features characters from both DC and Marvel: making it something of an anomaly to modern collectors. A boxed 8″ Mego Spider-Man should fetch up to $170.

What you could buy with that money: The downpayment on a top-tier iPhone 6, on contract.

Owning this rare He-Man figure is as close as you'll get to being a true Master of the Universe. Photo: eBay
Owning this rare He-Man figure is as close as you’ll get to being a true Master of the Universe. Photo: eBay

Savage He-Man

He-Man has the power — and if you have Savage He-Man you’re in the money. Created as a promotional offer by Wonder Bread, Savage He-Man is the rarest of the Masters of thee Universe figures, with even a loose figure removed from its packaging starting off at around $1,000. But beware: there are plenty of fakes around. This handy guide should sort you out.

What you could buy with that money: A contract-free 128GB iPhone 6 Plus, and quite a bit more if you’ve got the original Savage He-Man packaging, I’d assume.

This WWF figure will make a "big splash" on your toy collection. Photo: wwf-hasbro-wrestlingfiguren.de.tl
This WWF figure will make a “big splash” on your toy collection. Photo: wwf-hasbro-wrestlingfiguren.de.tl

Kamala

I’m a big fan of pro wrestling, and particularly loved it during the 1990s: a decade which spanned the end of Hulk Hogan’s main run in the WWF through the classic Steve Austin-heavy days of the “Attitude” era. While most people will remember names like The Rock, Mankind, Bret Hart, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels from that decade, however, Kamala the Ugandan Giant is a supporting character at best. Not so in the action figure world, though!

The Kamala Hasbro figure released in 1993, as part of the Yellow Card Series 7 line, is somewhat of a rarity. In particular, there is a lesser-known variant with a moon painted on its belly instead of the star that came as standard in that series. Today, no more than 24 of these figures are thought to exist — and they can command big bucks as a result. How big? Think $3,000 – $10,000.

What you could buy with that money: How do three fully-stocked 15-inch 2.5GHz MacBook Pros with Retina display grab you?

A hit -- and your money's outta here! Photo: McFarlane Toys
A hit — and your money’s outta here! Photo: McFarlane Toys

Babe Ruth

The newest figure on the list and also the only one based on a real person, McFarlane Toy’s Babe Ruth figure was clearly something of a passion project for baseball fanatic and Spawn creator Todd McFarlane. A regular edition of the toy sold for $19.95, but a special variant edition — featuring a rare blue cap — was produced in seriously limited supply.

Just five were made, and only three ever left the factory, with the other two winding up in McFarlane’s own toy collection. Back in 2009, one of the blue hat figures went under the virtual hammer on eBay and raked in a massive $13,600. Talk about hitting it out of the park!

What you could buy with that money: At 2015 prices, you’d probably be looking at four 6-Core Mac Pros, each of which retail at a not-inconsiderable $3,999.

Photo: Thestarwarstrilogy
The Force will be with you, even if your savings won’t be. Photo: Thestarwarstrilogy

Jawa

When you think of rare Star Wars figures, do you picture some early Luke Skywalker model or fan favorite collectable like Boba Fett? In fact, the rarest regularly-produced Star Wars figure of all time is a vintage Jawa action figure released as one of the original 12 movie figurines in 1978.

While an original card-on-board copy of any of the originals will set you back a pretty penny today, what made the Jawa worth exponentially more than the rest of the $1.99 set was the fact that Kenner came to the conclusion that the diminutive size of the figure would leave customers feeling shortchanged.

As a result, they modified the Jawa figure so that it came with a cloth cape rather than a vinyl one, as was the case with the larger Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader figurines. Today, there are thought to only be a tiny handful of the original Jawa figures on the market — and a mint condition packaged one will command upwards of $18,000.

What you could buy with that money: Prices haven’t been announced yet, but I’d be surprised if you couldn’t pick up two 18k gold Apple Watch Editions for the price of this one Star Wars collectible.

War will cost ya! Photo: Heritage Auctions
War will cost ya! Photo: Heritage Auctions

Prototype G.I. Joe

It makes total sense that a Real American Hero would be a super-capitalist, so it’s no surprise that the original, hand-carved G.I. Joe prototype — lovingly crafted by original creator Don Levine — should carry such a high price tag. Arguably the action figure that started it all, the figure sold for $200,000 a few years ago, although subsequent auctions have ended without a single buyer able to offer the asking price.

Unless your name is Tim Cook or Jony Ive, chances are very few people reading this are in a position to change that. Without remortgaging their house, that is!

What you could buy with that money: Around 1,550 shares of AAPL stock. Unless you want to walk into an Apple Store and buy several of everything, that is.

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