ComicFigs.net

[Nessex]

When i was a youngen, i collected the 5" ToyBiz range of X-Men & X-force characters. I have quite a collection of them. It's not complete - but it's getting close. When ToyBiz stopped making them, i stopped collecting. I didn't collect anything as an adult until ToyBiz managed to WOW me years later with their Marvel Legends line.

Marvel Legends got me back into collecting with their great range of classic characters, detailed paint jobs & super-articulation. I felt the rush of being a kid again for the first time in years.

One of the first sites i ever found dedicated to cataloguing these figures was called MarvelLegends.net. Some fantastic nerd with a budget much bigger than mine & better HTML skills created a database that became my point of reference for available Marvel Legends figures.

As the line dwindled, MarvelLegends.net started to branch out and catalogue other figures; Comic Legends, DC Direct Stuff, Marvel Universe etc . . . and changed its name to ComicFigs.net.

It was a pretty basic site, but with a really great collection of pictures of a number of great toy lines. Each figure had multiple images taken of it in action poses from different angles & links to all the other figures that character had had. It was not unlike Ivan's Database, except for Action figures.

I have spent hours browsing the site - much like i have over at the database - killing time, drooling & compiling various 'Wants' lists.

Earlier this month, the site was hacked (i'm not even 100% sure what that means) and it is rumoured that the creator has had enough of 'the game' and is not putting it back up again.

http://www.toyark.com/comicfigs-net-18163/

With the announcement that ML's will be back in full swing in 2012, the thought of not having the site around as my favourite non-minimate reference makes me a bit sad.

It's be such a shame for a great resource like this to disappear because someone who was once a rabid fan can no longer be bothered dealing with hackers.

Does anyone else here use the site? Does anyone else have any solid information on why it went down & if it is in fact staying down as is rumoured?

Here's hoping the rumours i've heard have been just that.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Nessex

[Ivan]

I didn't use the site, but I might be able to give some insight into the 'hacked' comment. If you're not careful writing database code it's quite easy to leave holes open that a malicious person can exploit. With such a hole a carefully crafted URL could delete all the tables (and therefore data) in a database.

I'm careful but not perfect, so I've got backups of my data scattered in various locations. I've never had to do it, but if MMDB went down I could probably restore it rather painlessly. Without backups it might just be more trouble than it's worth for the creator to resurrect it.

Not to speak for the creator, but the hack might just be a convenient excuse to move on. Although with that type of following one would hope the site would be passed on to another caretaker.

[Nessex]

Hey Ivan,

Thanks for giving me a little insight into the world of web design & hackers.

It's a shame that someone who is clever and insightful enough to 'hack' wastes there time on someone's little fan site and not on a web-site that 'deserves' screwing with.

Well - it's been about two weeks since i noticed the site went down. I'm guessing it's staying down now. Shame :sad:

[TM2 Dinobot]

We're lucky. Or blessed. Depends on how you look at it. Our UK heritage has saved us more than once IMHO.

I wish more sites could be like Rebel Scum or Cool Toy Review. I know MarvelousNewsI tries, but they fail. ComicFigs I always found useful but incomplete.

[Punisher]

Incomplete? The site owner had everything! Including all the MU variants never released.

[mini nugget]

is that really why its gone? shame, one of my favourite websites and i dont think any website (besides ivan's database) could compete with the greatness of comicfigs.net

R.I.P comicfigs you will be missed