Sideshow Featured Collector: Mario Candelaria

Collector: Mario Candelaria

Location: Philadelphia, PA

How and when did you start collecting?

I started collecting back in 2010 after seeing the Hot Toys Mark IV Iron Man figure. At the time I had never seen anything like that before and I was instantly hooked.

What do you collect? Does your collection have a theme, such as Star Wars™ collectibles, Batman, etc.?

I mainly collect 1:6 scale Marvel action figures but I do dabble a bit in DC and Star Wars figures (especially the troopers).

What makes your collection unique?

I try to let my collection speak for itself in displays that I have started tailoring the room around instead of placing them in existing spaces. I like to rearrange the furniture in my den every four or five new pieces just to keep it fresh. I like it when my visitors go from figure to figure examining the craftsmanship and what new displays I have them in.

What are your favorite or the most prized pieces in your collection?

This is a hard questions to narrow it down. Every figure means something different to me. I absolutely adore the Hot Toys Ghost Rider’s design and look, but at the same time the First Order Finn is a character that touched me from his first appearance on screen and to have him immortalized in that form is something that I cherish.

What items are on your wish-list?

I would honestly love a Hot Toys Captain Phasma figure. It is one I purposely did not purchase myself in hopes my wife would get it for me as a present. Other than that, I am a huge Doctor Doom fan and I am infatuated with his premium format figure but I am afraid of what starting down that path could look like.