Martin Cheetham
S: How and when did you start collecting?
MC: Growing up as an only child I always had a fascination with action figures. GI Joe, Masters of the Universe, Thundercats and TMNT were among my favourites. I always loved comics, but we didn’t really have a lot of access to Marvel and DC figures when I was young. As I grew up, my appreciation for design and love for the art in comics and graphic novels grew, but my passion for figures waned until my wife bought me a highly articulated Spider-man figure for Christmas in 2008 and that re-ignited my love for all things comic-related. I then found a few local comic stores like TCT, Cosmic Comics and Smallville, and started my collection.
What started as figures quickly changed to statues when I first saw a Venom vs Spider-man piece by Kotobukiya in a comic store. The design and detail of it blew me away, so this inspired me to leave posable figures behind and move from small 1:10 scale statues like the black and white Batman range from DC to the larger 1:6 scale fine art statues from Kotobukiya and eventually the 1:4 scale premium format statues from Sideshow. Thanks to Symbiote Premium Collectibles, I have recently been exposed to the incredible quality of XM Studios and don’t think I’ll ever go back!
S: What do you collect? Does your collection have a theme, such as Star Wars, Batman, superheroes, etc.?
MC: When I started I pretty much collected anything that I liked the design of, however over time (and due to the fact that I now have two toddlers) I’ve narrowed it down to statues of Star Wars, Batman, Green Lantern, Watchmen and a few select DC characters, as well as a few Marvel characters like Spider-man, Iron-man and Hulk. I also collect some graphic novels, comics and CGCs.
S: What are your favourite or the most prized pieces in your collection? And why?
MC: Without a doubt, my XM Boba Fett is my absolute favourite piece. The detail is insane and it has such a presence in my display area. Phenomenal statue.
S: What do you love about XM?
MC: The attention to detail. From the packaging, to how the carefully crafted every piece is when assembling, everything has been considered and meticulously made. Premium is the best word to describe it.
S: What items are on your wishlist?
MC: Man there are so many! But right now I’m really looking forward to the XM Wolverine and Hellboy - the detail on them is crazy.
S: What do you think of the collecting community in SA?
MC: It seems to be growing year on year. I think the popularisation of the Marvel films has really boosted the community. It brings me great joy seeing how many collectors, cosplayers and fans get together for events like Geekfest and Comic-Con, and the market just seems to be steadily growing.
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