UPDATED: March 28, 2012
GUIDELINES FOR THE ADDITION OF ACTION FIGURES TO THE DATABASE*
(*Note: Statues and figures are handled in much the same way)*
Please follow the same guidelines when adding an action figure, statue, or bust title to the database as you do when adding a comic book, GN, TP, or HC title:
In order to make the Change Request process as quick as possible and to ensure the accuracy and consistency of our database, we have established the following guidelines.
1) Before getting started, take time to familiarize yourself with these guidelines, the “Visual Help Presentations” found on our message board Help Desk (http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/forum/Default.aspx?g=topics&f=28) and the desktop software’s current information and formats.
2) Before submitting any Change Request, use the Comic Collector Live website to research what we already have in the database. Sometimes you just need to update your software so your local data matches the CCL web site. The website is always up to date. So, check the CCL web site and update often.
3) Make the change as complete as possible. If you are updating a series be sure to make the change as complete as you can. For example; if you are attaching a story arc to an Action Figure Series, be sure to check that the other information is complete as well (i.e. cover price, publish date, artists, characters, etc…), especially if the item is right in front of you. Add all missing information if possible.
4) Include a comment and, when possible, a link to supporting information. Explain why you are making the Change Request. This will help us approve your requests much more efficiently. It will also help us to better communicate with you. Please be aware that any inappropriate comments will result in account deactivation for the offending member, so keep it clean.
Our goal is to have the best, most informative database for the comic book community, while providing a cool and FREE approach to organizing that data. You can find a "QUICK TIPS FOR NEW USERS" list for new submitters attached at the end of the guidelines. This is a great tool for "newbies" on CCL.
Policy On Quoting From Other Resources
1. Issue and title bios may include short pieces of text originating from the publisher and or creator and originally intending to act as a solicitation for the issue or title. If such text is included, it must be properly sourced, using formatting detailed in the guidelines.
a. Acceptable sources for quoting include:
i. Publisher's websites: marvel.com, dccomics.com, boom-studios.net, etc.
ii. Creator's websites: Jinxworld.com, neilgaiman.com, busiek.com, etc.
iii. Publisher sponsored title/character specific websites: spawn.com, astrocity.us, etc.
iv. Locations on the issue/item itself: Inside Front Cover, Back Cover, Dust Jacket Flap, Back of Package, Front of Card, etc.
v. Solicitations in other publications from the same publisher: Previous Issue, Marvel's Bullpen Bulletins, Marvel Age, etc.
b. Unacceptable sources for quoting include:
i. Independent fan sites and wikis: wikipedia.com, wildstormresource.wetpaint.com, marvel.wikia.com, dc.wikia.com, etc.
ii. Comics news sites: comicbookresources.com, newsarama.com, ign.com etc.
iii. Independent collector sites: comicbookdb.com, comics.org, comicbookrealm.com, collectorz.com, etc.
iv. Independent retail sites: ebay.com, mycomicshop.com, milehighcomics.com, etc.
v. Publications not from the same publisher: Previews, Comic Shop News, etc.
vi. Any site with a legal notice or terms of use that restricts usage or claims ownership of the text: Most, but not all of the above unacceptable sources have this notice.
The examples given of acceptable and unacceptable sources are not meant to be all inclusive, but are meant to illustrate what sort of sites are acceptable and unacceptable sources. Even if the text being quoted most likely came directly from the publisher, if the site it is being quoted from is unacceptable, the text may not be used. An alternative, acceptable source must be located in order to use the text.
If there is question/concern over whether a particular source is acceptable for quoting, it must be brought up for discussion before it can be used.
Add Missing Action Figure Title
1) Look first! Use the website to research, and make sure that the Title does not already exist or listed under an incorrect format (e.g. Teen Titans (Series 1) title listed under Teen Titans).
a) As an example, if the Cover Title that you want to add is "Batman Hush (Series 3) Action Figures," you would search the database for "Batman." In this example, you would also want to search for "Hush," just to be sure that it is not already in the database, incorrectly. Avoid using the entire title as the fewer keywords will improve search results. This is important for preventing duplicate titles and ensuring the accuracy of the existing data.
b) "Add Missing Title" Change Requests are only for adding Titles that do not exist in our database. If you find a Title with inaccurate data in the database, please submit an “Edit Title” Change Request.
2) Titles should be entered using the following format:
a) Titles should match the wording on the actual package or manufacturers site most of the time and as much as possible. There are times when we can't use this information perfectly, but we try to pattern after it.
b) Titles may not begin with an article (a, an, the). Even if the official title according to the package begins with an article, the article should be dropped. Example: "The Dark Knight Returns" should be entered as "Dark Knight Returns" (see… not always by the indicia, but as much as possible).
c) Capitalize the first and the last word of a title and any internal words except:
i) prepositions of less than five letters (to, from, with, of, in)
ii) articles (a, an, the)
iii) coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so)
iv) the "to" in the infinitive verbal form ("I'm Going to Lose My Mind" rather than "I'm Going To Lose My Mind")
Example: "Batman and Robin: The Official Adaptation of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture"
3) When adding a title, please put the Series denotation in parenthesis.
Ex: 24 (Series 2)
Ex: Marvel Legends (Icon Series)
Some other examples of parenthesized information include: Super-Sized, Animated, Movie, U.K., and other denotations that separate one series from another.
Ex: Ghost Rider Movie (Titanium Series)
Ex: Ghost Rider Movie (Deluxe Figures)
Ex: Ghost Rider Movie (Series 1)
Ex: Ghost Rider Movie (Series 2)
4) Do not use spaces before colons.
5) Do not use a period after vs or Vol
6) Box Sets - A box Sets should always be listed under their own title. This is because they are almost sold separately of a series and are almost always a different retail price than other single packaged figures from the same family. A Box Set usually contains two or more figures. Even if the item in question is not referred to as a "Box Set" via packaging and / or manufacturer's site, teh term should still be denoted in the title. Please only specify an item as "deluxe" if denoted by manufacturer.
Ex: Marvel Minimates Box Set
Ex: Spawn (Series 2) 2-Figure Box Sets
Ex: Star Wars: Clone Wars (Animated) Commemorative Box Sets
Note: When adding a title, please note the difference between a wave and a series. Series are always denoted in the Title as parenthetical information.
Caption Field - These should be some variation of a “Manufacturer Year (# Figures) in Series” format for figures, and "Manufacturer Year (# Items) in Series" format for Statues / Busts. Manufacturers in the Title Description Field should be an exact match of the name in the Manufacturer field. If there is a change in manufacturer, or other pertinent information in regards to a title, please note this within brackets. *Note: Try not to confuse the TITLE FIELD with the DESCRIPTION FIELD.*
Acceptable examples would be:
a) DC Direct 2003 – Current ::: for any series that is currently being published.
b) Kenner 1995 - 2000 (25 Waves) [Manufacturing switched over to Hasbro after the 15th Wave] ::: for an ongoing series that had a break in the middle or other info necessary to understand “missing” info or other gaps. Please place the additional information in brackets.
c) Toy Biz 1996 - 1997 (20 Figures) ::: for a completed series (ongoing or mini) with cover dates spanning more than one calendar year.
d) McFarlane Toys 1978 (1 Item) ::: for a box set cover title, vehicle, or any set that contains more than one figure.
e) Hard Hero 2005 (5 Items) ::: for a completed set of statues.
Note: The term "Figures" should be used for Action Figure Titles and the term "Items" should be used for boxed sets, statues, busts, etc.
Add Missing Item
1) Look first! Use the website to research, and make sure that the issue does not already exist.
a) "Add Item" Change Requests are only for adding an item to a title that is not currently there (i.e. – a new item release for that title). If you want to make a change to an existing figure, please submit an “Edit Item” Change Request.
b) If you are adding a missing variant or a missing reprint, be sure to select the check box under the Add Missing Item radio button. That way, top level information will be filled in for you, and this makes adding them much easier.
c) Be sure to refer to the actual packaging or manufacturers site to prevent from adding a figure into the wrong title.
2) Due to the amount of research time involved and the volume of submissions being generated and reviewed daily, we do not approve any “Add Item” or “Add Variant” submissions without the cover image included. Add item requests submitted without a cover scan will be rejected, unless the cover is adult-oriented (See section "c" below).
a) The image must be an exact, but packaged representation of the figure. If no image of the item in the package is available, then an unpackaged image may be accepted.
b) We cannot accept a cover image that is watermarked.
c) There is an exception to this rule when a title contains adult/sexual content, nudity or adult language. We will not accept cover scans with this content, nor will we accept censored scans with "black boxes or bars". Instead, please use the special CCL created adult cover title stock image.
*Please Note: Your personal scans will default over stocked images.
3) "Issue numbers" on action figures and statues / busts only come into play if the item is numbered as part of the series as a whole. Otherwise, they get added in the order that the submission comes in. If Spider-Man gets submitted first prior to another character in a series, he will be issue #1. However, if he is denoted as #10 in the series, then he needs to be added as item #10.
4) Cover dates should be entered in Month/Day/Year format. Always enter the month and day as "1", even if the actual release day is available for the item. Example: 1/1/1999.
4) Cover price should be entered as 0.00 unless the item has a specified manufacturer's price printed on the package.
5) Caption: Please briefly state what the item is in this space. You may put the character/s that is replicated and/or the specialty item included.
a) Luke Skywalker (Yavin Ceremony) w/ Collector Coin
b) Dash Rendar's Outrider
c) Catwoman
d) Mask of Tengu Batman
e) Marion Ravenwood and Cairo Henchman 2-pack
f) Superboy (Conner Kent / Kon-El)
g) Prince Xizor vs. Darth Vader Multi-Pack w/ Comic
h) Archangel 1/3000
i) Archangel (Deathmask) WWLA 1/1000
7) Printing Field: In a series that includes multiple waves; please use the printing field to denote the wave # of a figure or the phase # of a statue or bust. In all other instances, this field should default to 1.
8) Item Bio: The Item Bio can be anything that describes the content of the package, or any information that might be relevant about that figure. Item Bio is where you can put any pertinent information about the story that the figure is based off of, as well. While CCL approves requests with item bios from other sites as long as they are referenced, we encourage the community to provide all-original content. Do not plagiarize. Make sure that the description is in your own words or that you have given credit to the source. Acceptable examples would be:
a) *The Teen Titans Koriand'r was a princess from the planet Tamaran as a child...but she had an older sister, Kornand'r, who was passed over for a royal position because of her sickliness. Now a powerful alien warrior, Kornand'r has returned as Blackfire to threaten the Titans! Measures approximately 6 5/8" tall and features multiple points of articulation. This figure includes a Teen Titans Logo Display Base and is packaged in a 4-color blister. *Source DC Comics Website
b) *In the time between Han Solo's capture by the Empire and his delivery to Jabba the Hutt, a secret struggle for power took place within the shadows of the Empire. A clash between power hungry crimelord Prince Xizor and the dreaded Darth Vader meant certain death for Luke Skywalker. As the Rebel Alliance's only hope, a band of heroes l;ed by Princess Leia, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, and Dash Rendar set out to rescue Solo while protecting the young Jedi from a horde of bounty hunters and assassins.
Xizor is the head of Black Sun, an intergalactic criminal empire that supports literally millions of outlaw organizations and activities. Since entering the service of the Emperor, the Dark Prince is widely considered one of the powerful individuals in the galaxy. He controls his operations with cold, deadly accuracy assuring that those who dare challenge Xizor meet with swift death, often by his own hand. His hunger for power has put him at direct odds with Lord Vader, But Xizor is afraid of no one; his hunger for power has driven him to dispatch an onslaught of assassins with orders to eliminate Luke Skywalker. Xizor plots to spoil Darth Vader's promise to deliver Skywalker to the Emperor alive -- a maneuver that would undermine Vader's reliability and secure Xizor as the Emperor's most favored ally.
Darth Vader, Dark Lord of the Sith, has instilled terror throughout the galaxy since the beginning of the Empire. His devotion to the Emperor and mastery of the dark side gives him more power than any single individual in the galaxy except for the Emperor himself. Draped completely in black and wielding the ability to take a life with a mere gesture, Darth Vader stands as the incarnation of evil. His dislike of Prince Xizor is intense and his distrust well-founded. Though Vader would gladly eliminate Xizor, Emperor Palpatine has need of Black Sun's shipping operations to speed construction of the new Death Star. Xizor had best watch his back however, as Vader's control of the dark side of the Force makes him a most formidable foe. *Source: Rebelscum.com
c) *Obi-Wan Kenobi attacks General Grievous and his droid army on Utapau with the assistance of the Parjai Squad, 2nd Airborne Company, part of the Commander Cody's 212th Attack Battalion. The clone troopers descend upon the droid armies and decimate them while Obi-Wan dispatches Grievous, ending the Clone Wars.
Based on the character from the film Revenge of the Sith, this articulated action figure has detailed styling and comes with accessories and a weapon. It also comes with an exclusive collector coin!
*Source: Hasbro.com/starwars
d) Available at WW Los Angeles in 2007.
e) Porcelain Cold-cast statue limited to 1000 pieces.
9) Image File: The image must be an exact, but packaged representation of the figure. If no image of the item in the package is available, then an in out of package image may be accepted.
* Note: Please try to make all images as uniform as possible.
10) In an attempt to keep the database as clean and neat as possible, we ask that you group certain items together under a title. Titles that include figures from more than one wave or have differences in packaging, etc. should have the similar items added next to each other. Take Star Wars: Clone Wars (Animated) for example. Notice that the "New! Season III" figures are grouped together as the last 6 items in the title. Another good example would be the DC Super Heroes Justice League Unlimited (Animated) 10" Action Figures. Please note that the packages of different colors are grouped together. This is especially noticeable in the "Grid View".
Variants & Rereleases
1) Variants in action figures can be as common place as in comic books. Therefore, it's important we understand and clearly define a guideline for what constitutes a variant action figure.
CCL considers an action figure a variant if the item meets one of the 4 following requirements:
A) a manufacturing change which DIRECTLY or DRAMATICALLY changes the item itself (EX: Color changes, size of accessories, etc)
B) the figure's placement in the package (EX: running in one pose, or punching in another)
C) the figure's packaging (Examples could include placement of words, images or even safety information)
D) the figure's secondary mass market value according to at least one verifiable source. (Examples could include Chase Variants or Club Exclusives, but chances are both of these examples would probably meet one of the other 3 criteria anyway.)
Please remember that if you have an item you're not sure about, please contact a CCL approver or CCL directly for resolution.
Note: For a better understanding, please take a look at Spawn (Series 1) Violator (Black). This is listed as a variant, while Spawn (Series 1) Violator (Gold Edition) is it's own item and not a variant. This is because it is a special edition and has a difference in value. Even if the package were the same, it would still be listed as it's own item.
2) Mis-Packaged or "Error Carded Figures" - A mis-packaged or error carded figure refers to a mistake made by manufacturer. An example would be if the card presents a different figure than what had been actually packaged. Some collectors consider error carded figures to be sought after; however, usually value increases only with vintage figures. This is why only error carded figures with a significant value difference will be entered into the system as variants. This is similar with the Newsstand / Price Variants in the comic book category. Only Newsstand variants with a price difference are added to the database, not ones with the horizontal vs. vertical UPC boxes, etc. If there is a significant price difference in a mis-packaged figure, please add it to the database as a variant with a caption similar to "Misprinted Figure 1A". The above guideline will help to eliminate the too often attempted "bootleg" figure, also.
Figures with and without offers on the packaging for various free figures, or "Offer Cards", qualify as variants, as well.
A purposeful or accidental manufacturing error to the FIGURE inside the package (such as color or accessory difference) DOES qualify as an addition to the database as a variant, provided supportive data can be found of multiple instances.
Custom Figures - Custom figures are created by fans or collectors, taking a sculpt from one figure and making another out of it. These are not considered variants, unless under special circumstances.
Credits
You can link artists to an Action Figure, Statue, or Bust.
The “Artists” credits should include sculptors, painters, and/or creators. If an artist does not exist in our database you can add that person to the list. Please check all spellings when looking for names. Be sure to add a comment before submitting. Please put the title name and series number, if applicable that the creator is from as it helps greatly in research.
Characters
You can also link characters from that particular series to an item. When searching for a character, please use the character's full name. ADDING COMMENTS WITH THE SUBMISSION OF A CHARACTER IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT - this cuts down on unnecessary research.
You can also add any missing characters. Characters can only have one name. We list Spider-Man as a single character. Refrain from using parenthetical information on a character.
Only fictional organizations will be accepted into the database as characters (i.e. S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, etc.) Real world organizations will not be accepted (i.e. Interpol, NYPD, FDNY, etc.)
Only include a character's title when it's actually integral to the character's name or persona (i.e. Doctor Fate). Be sure to spell out the title (i.e. Doctor, Mister, Sergeant, etc.) if it applies. Do not include a character's title when it's a title applied to a character with an existing name (i.e. Doctor Bruce Banner).
Please use Jr. , Sr., and Mrs. - with the period as that is the proper form of the abbreviation.
Please do NOT list characters that are not included in that specific series. The character must be part of the actual set.
Examples of acceptable Character Submissions for the Action Figure Title: Teen Titans (Series 1):
1) Blackfire
2) Death-Stroke
3) Robin
4) Timothy "Tim" Drake
5) Wonder Girl
6) Cassandra "Cassie" Sandsmark
We only allow one unique character name in the character list with NO parenthetical info. Otherwise character reference could get way out of hand.
Story Arc
You can associate a story arc with an item. When searching for story arcs, be sure to type in a relevant word to find it. For example, when searching for "Deadly Foes of Peter Parker" you could simply type in "Deadly" for a search criteria and you would be able to pick from a list of story arc's with the word Deadly in them. The mentioned story arc should be there.
You can also add a missing story arc. A story arc is any story title that spans across 2 or more issues, and in this case, that the figure is based off of. Be sure to spell correctly, and add a comment when submitting new story arcs.
For example, Green Lantern (Series 3) Batman as a Green Lantern Action Figure would list " Sinestro Corps War" as its story arc and Batman Hush (Series 3) Action Figures: Scarecrow Action Figure would list "Hush" as its story arc.
Loose Figures
CCL will allow a single entry of a loose figure (with accessories) as a variant of a matching packaged figure. If there are multiple packaged versions of the same figure with the same accessories, there should be only 1 loose figure entry. Packaging variations do NOT result in additional loose figure variants. Only production variations of the figure itself and intentional production variations of accessories result in additional loose figure variant entries.
Example: Obi-Wan Kenobi with Long Lightsaber/Long tray would have 1 loose figure entry. Obi-Wan Kenobi with Short Saber/Long Tray and Obi-Wan Kenobi with Short Saber/Short Tray would have 1 loose figure entry total since the packaging difference cannot be determined by the loose figure.
The loose figure entry should be added following any packaged figure entries. The loose figure entry would be the next highest variant letter used for that figure.
The Caption should include the word “Loose” to be easily discernable from any packaged entries.
The image of the loose figure should include all accessories.
If you are adding a loose figure that has not yet been added to the CCL database, please attempt to find an image of a packaged figure to add as the initial figure entry. After the initial figure has been added, a loose figure variant Change Request can then be submitted.
Loose Figure Grading
To grade loose figures, please use the CCL grading choices as best as possible.
- A loose figure with all of its accessories and no wear and tear would be a NM or better type of grade.
- A figure missing some accessories or one with minimal wear and tear (scuffed/missing/scratched paint) would be typical of a VF to F grade.
- A figure with no accessories and significant wear and tear (large portions of paint missing/scuffed/scratched) would be typical of a VG to G grade.
- A figure that looks like it was shot with a BB gun, run over, gnawed by a dog, or generally abused (missing digits, limbs, etc.) would be a Poor to Fair grade.
At this time, CCL is not configured to utilize any standard Action Figure grading scale. The grading recommendations listed above are provided to give you an idea of how figures can be graded using the scale we do have available.
Prototype Figures
There are a number of common and rare prototype figures for both released and unreleased toylines. CCL recognizes the secondary market exists for this niche in the hobby, however CCL is not currently accepting loose prototype figures in the CCLdb.
Loose Figures (Packaging/Manuals/Media Accessories)
Many different items can come with an action figure besides the main accessories used during play (weapons, clothing, equipment, backpacks, maps, etc.). These might include:
1) Instruction manuals
2) File/Bio Cards (usually found on packaging)
3) Blueprints
4) Inserts/Promotional Catalogs
5) Build-A-Figure pieces
CCL currently defines a complete "loose" figure as one that does NOT include any of the items in the list above. If you're buying a loose figure from a CCL SELLER, it is the responsibility of the buyer to research the purchase thoroughly. Individuals can add images of the associated items that come with a figure to their own personal CCLdb.
Sexual Content and Adult-Oriented Material
1) Items that contain sexually-explicit or adult language will not be accepted.
2) Once a title is added, if the item's image contains either adult/sexual content, nudity or adult language that would normally need to be edited out with "black boxes or bars", the image will NOT be accepted. The submitter may add the scans into their personal version of the software. You CAN submit an add figures using the CCL made adult stock scan.
3) Characters who have names or nicknames that contain adult language will not be accepted when adding characters to the item.
QUICK TIPS FOR NEW SUBMITTERS
5) Double check the database before adding new information to it.
4) Do not submit scans with watermarks.
3) Please note the differences between "Waves" and "Series".
2) No adult-material scans will be accepted.
1) Variants can be tricky. Usually repaints are variants, but not changes in packaging or rereleases. This can vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.