Congratulations to Abel Yu (iTaggit member name: olokin).  Abel is this week’s iTaggit Member of the Week!  He resides in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines and has been a member of iTaggit for three years.  Abel collects action figures (Transformers are his favorite), comic books, autographs and graphic novels.  CLICK HERE to check out his awesome collections!

Tell us a little bit about yourself: Where are you from and what are you interested in outside of collecting?

I’m from Cagayan de Oro, a southern city from the Philippines. I’m employed as an asset analyst for a major beverage company. I’ve had toys when I was growing up, but nowhere near the amount I’ve amassed recently.  I really like the Transformers, which is a toy line from Hasbro and has 2 blockbuster movies. These toys fascinated me as a child. Growing up, I have a couple of them and I really liked it that they were cars or planes or dinosaurs that turned into robots.

How long have you been collecting action figures, comics, and graphic novel?

I’ve been collecting comics and graphic novels as a teenager in the 90’s. I’ve only started seriously collecting action figures around 5 years ago.

Why do you collect action figures, comics, and graphic novels?

I collect comics and graphic novels because I enjoy reading them. Especially hardcover graphic novels, I’ve bought a special book shelf for them. Those books really looked great displayed with their spines facing outward. Once the number of books grew, I thought it would be neat if I have few action figures embellishing the shelves. From those few figures grew my action figure collection; they now have their own section in my display case.
 
What is your favorite collectible you have posted on iTaggit? How and where did you obtain it?

I have lots of favorites among my collectibles and it’s hard to choose only one since they cross a lot of categories. If I have to choose, it would be my Hellboy Library Edition volume 1 for comics and graphic novel. This hardback tome collects the earliest issues of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy character. Those issues are pricey and hard to find in the secondary market. I really liked it that this collection reprints those issues in an oversized format. It really showcases Mignola’s incredible art and the characters just leap off the panels.

For my action figures, my favorite is my Masterpiece Optimus Prime DVD edition from Hasbro. This was a major purchase for me at the time as none of my toys cost beyond the US$100 mark. This toy has everything. A display base, a complicated and realistic transformation from robot to truck, weapons, lights and sounds and other detail a Transformer collector can appreciate in a figure. This toy is around 13 inches in height and hefty due to its metal parts.

Do you collect anything not posted on iTaggit? If so, what?

I have a small collection of autographed items signed by people of varying celebrity. Most of what I have are auto-penned photos but I have item that I can be certain are authentic. They are not posted for two reasons, one is I’m to lazy to get a quality photo or scan of the item and second is that iTaggit doesn’t seem to have a category for autographs, except for books.

How long have you been a member of iTaggit?

I have been a member since 2006.

Why did you choose iTaggit to manage your collection?

Before iTaggit, I barely kept track of my collections. When I discovered iTaggit, I thought it was the perfect solution to my record keeping problem.  iTaggit makes it very easy for me to maintain my collections. In fact, it one of the main reasons my collection is growing. Logging on iTaggit daily gives me an instant update on the status of my collection. I’ll know immediately what I need to but to complete a run of certain comics or a sub-line of action figures.

What is your favorite feature on the iTaggit website?

I haven’t really used iTaggit new features. In fact, I haven’t even sold anything through iTaggit at all. I only use the site to maintain my collection. I guess I like the Create a Report feature. It makes it very easy to print a tangible list of all my items. It makes very convenient to check the gaps in my collections.

What other websites do you frequent and why?

Besides iTaggit, I visit various websites featuring news on my interests, like Seibertron.com, TFW2005.com, TFormers.com and CBR.com. I also interact with other collectors on forums in Seibertron and Cybertron Philippines.
 
If you had one piece of advice to share with other collectors and iTaggit members, what would it be?

Never start a collection for the sake of making a profit when a collectible appreciates in value in the future. Collect for the joy of collecting, and when your collection starts to grow, use iTaggit to help maintain your collection.
I’ve had much joy from collecting and maintaining my collections in iTaggit.

Think you have what it takes to be the next iTaggit featured member?  Shoot me an email at sbrown@itaggit.com!