Chapter 3.1: Where to find it
This isn’t a complete listing, but these are the most popular vendors:
Troll and Toad: trollandtoad.com
Miniature Market: miniaturemarket.com
Strike Zone Online: strikezoneonline.com
Auggies Games: store02.prostores.com/servlet/auggiesgames/StoreFront
Cool Stuff, Inc.: coolstuffinc.com
The first thing we need to discuss is where to find the figures needed to play. There is a Superhero game called
Heroclix that has produced a ton of superhero figures over the years. Those figures are the same scale as Heroscape, so they are ideal for use. I want to emphasize that Heroclix is a completely separate game system than what we’re discussing here. The customs I’ve been discussing all use the Heroscape rules. We’re only using
their figures to play
our game.
Unfortunately, Heroclix is sold through the dreaded blind booster system. That means that you simply buy an opaque box containing figures, but you don’t know when you buy them what you’re going to receive. Fortunately, there are several online vendors who sell singles. So if you’re looking for Batman, you don’t have to empty your wallet on a case of boosters in the hopes of getting the figure.
The price of these singles varies wildly. The good news is that most of the high profile superheroes are inexpensive and provide more than one figure. I’m looking at one vendor’s website for Batman, and I count at least 17 different sculpts, with many in stock. The one I bought, #107 from the Hypertime “wave,” currently shows 7 in stock from this vendor for 99 cents. Many customs creators don’t have deep pockets either, so they tend to gravitate towards the less expensive figures anyway. For the cheap figures, expect to pay anywhere from 50 cents - $4.00.
Some of the figures are more rare, and are very difficult to find. When they are available, they can cost anywhere from $10 - $50 per figure, with some even going higher. For figures in the lower range of that spectrum ($10 - $20); I find that when I purchase a bunch of cheap figures ($0.50 - $1.00), that I can toss a couple of these higher priced figures into my shopping cart and still get a reasonable final total. In other words, I’ll let the really cheap figures offset the cost of the more expensive figures to reach a grand total that balances out to what I would expect to pay for the set. But some figures that I’m less interested in playing, or expect to play less often, are simply more than what I’m willing to pay. That is where using proxies comes in handy. I’ll discuss that topic in a future chapter.
Availability also varies wildly. In order to build my collection, I have needed to order from more than one vendor. If the figure you’re looking for is out of stock at all of the places you check, keep checking for them periodically. Eventually, they do return to stock.
One word about Troll and Toad: There have been occasions when they have something listed as in stock, but I get a notice that they are actually out of stock after I've ordered it. This is understandable, as they have a massive inventory. Still, it's important to mention.
Online vendors, such as those I’ve linked above, have a search feature that allows you to search for the specific figure you’re seeking. For example, typing “Batman” will give you a list of Batman singles. Customs creators will usually name their cards to match the names you need to search. There are a few, rare exceptions. For example, Sherman Davies has a custom for Tommy Monaghan. But the actual figure you need to search for and buy is actually called Hitman. If you do run into a case where your search results from everywhere turn up empty, you can always ask the customs designer which figure they use. Do
not ask customs creators about figures that do show, but are out of stock. That’s just rude.
Squad figures can be trickier. For example, there is a squad called Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. When doing the search for this, I find it best to zero in on just one word, and search the singular form of the word instead of the plural. In this example, I would search for SHIELD (without the periods).
C3G actually provides the name, and even model number and wave title, in their Books. For example, C3G’s Black Canary lists models #034, #035, and #036 from the Cosmic Justice “wave.” When you know the name of the “wave,” you can usually find the figure by following links on the vendor’s website instead of searching. For example, if I wanted to find this Black Canary on Troll and Toad, I will click the “Collectible Miniatures” tab at the top of the site, then click “Heroclix” under Categories, then click “Cosmic Justice.” I can now just scroll down and look for #034, #035, and #036.
You may wonder what the difference is between these three units, as the sculpts for all three look identical. The Heroclix game system releases superheroes at different power levels. Examples are Rookie, Veteran, and Experienced. This is part of the collectible aspect of Heroclix, and this is how they get you to buy more booster packs. You may have bought a Rookie Batman, but he will have less powerful stats than an Experienced Batman. For use as customs in Heroscape, we don’t have to worry about those designations. So you can purchase whichever is available and least expensive without worry. It’s only an issue if you decide to also use these figures to play Heroclix.
Remember that you don’t have to select the same figure that the customs designer uses. I use a different Batman figure than recommended by C3G because I like it better.