How I Built an Action Figure Website: The Story Behind FantasyActionFigures.com
Launching fantasyactionfigures.com wasn’t a business plan, a trend chase, or an attempt to “go viral.” It came from something much simpler: a lifelong love for action figures, storytelling, and nostalgia—and a desire to build the kind of website I always wanted to see.
Below is the story of how the site came to be, what I’ve learned, and why I’m more passionate than ever about keeping the fantasy alive.
The Spark: What Inspired FantasyActionFigures.com
The idea came from noticing a gap no one seemed to be filling. There were plenty of YouTubers, livestreams, influencers, and collectors—but not many dedicated blogs that embraced the positive, welcoming, and nostalgic side of the hobby. At least, not in an in-depth way.
I’m actually a shy person, so going live or starting a YouTube channel never appealed to me. But writing? Building a space that anyone can enjoy? That felt right.
I wanted to build a unique, high-quality space for the community. Originally, I intended to keep the site entirely ad-free, hoping to run it on Patreon support alone. However, as the sites monthly visitor rate grows, several unforeseen costs have piled up—specifically regarding the high-speed offloading of high-resolution images and other technical incidentals. To ensure the site remains fast, accessible, and sustainable for the long term, I’ve decided to introduce non-intrusive ads. My priority remains the same: the hobby comes first, and every cent goes back into keeping this archive alive and thriving.
Above all, I wanted to create a place where everyone is welcome. No politics, no drama, no negativity—just fun, nostalgia, and a break from the stress of everyday life.
Choosing the Niche: Why Fantasy Action Figures?
The niche basically chose me.
I grew up in the 80s, right in the golden era of toys. I was there the first Christmas Masters of the Universe hit shelves. Same with G.I. Joe and Transformers. Before that, I was collecting Star Wars figures and the famous Shogun Warriors Godzilla. I loved it all—Marvel, DC, Conan, Arak, X-Men, Superfriends, you name it.
But like many kids, I hit the teenage phase where toys didn’t seem “cool” anymore. I got into heavy metal, got interested in girls, and thought collecting would hurt my chances. So I gave it all up—something I regret deeply today.
Years later, with more life behind me, I realized something important: you don’t have to give up who you are to be accepted. Anyone worth being with will embrace your passions. Any girlfriend/wife worth keeping will understand that. My wife is very supportive. I found the right one.
Then came 2015. My son was three, and we were just walking through the toy aisle at Walmart. Something was missing from the shelves compared to the 1980’s. Money was tight, so I began sculpting fantasy characters out of polymer clay, inspired by Ray Harryhausen. That became The Quest for Kimel Drago, my own line of original characters—forty of them.
I copyrighted everything and even submitted it to a toy broker. It didn’t go anywhere, and eventually the project went into a box for ten years.
In 2018, I tried again, launching a site called Polymer Clay Fantasy Figures. I built tutorials, created an Instagram, and discovered the adult collector community—a peaceful, supportive world of people just like me. But the clay site didn’t feel right. I shut it down and renamed my Instagram to Fantasy Action Figures, returning to collecting the lines I loved.
And then everything snowballed: new lines like Classified, Origins, and Masterverse came out, my collection grew, my passion grew, and eventually… the website idea returned.
I tried Blogspot first—lasted a week. Then I turned to WordPress, where I’ve built sites before. That decision changed everything.
Now Instagram is growing again, traffic is building, and even though most of my time is spent on the site, I’ve never been happier.
FantasyActionFigures.com feels like home.
The Hardest Part: Behind-the-Scenes Work
Creating content? That’s the easy part. I could write, photograph, and talk about action figures all day.
The challenge is everything behind the scenes:
- Fixing 404 errors
- Managing Google Search Console indexing
- Learning more advanced SEO
- Handling plugin updates
- Dealing with the hosting company
- Debugging theme issues
- Writing snippets of PHP
- And just the constant upkeep of a growing website
It’s nowhere near as simple as it looks from the outside—but I love it.
The Most Surprising Part of Running the Site
I came in with basic SEO knowledge, but I’m shocked at how much I’ve learned: Google Analytics, Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, deeper SEO techniques, even coding.
I already run a completely separate business, but at this point, I could easily run a web design and SEO business if I wanted to (though I don’t have time for that). Still, it’s nice having that skillset in my back pocket.
My Advice for New Bloggers or Website Creators
Go with your heart. Never give up. And don’t do it for the money.
Most bloggers quit before their 100th post because they went in with dollar signs in their eyes. I’ve been through the “quit your day job!” blogging trend six years ago. I fell for it too. And like many people, I burned out.
This time, my approach is 100% passion-based. Since the last week of July, I’ve already created around 40 pages and 160 posts. I’m doing it because I love the niche and the community.
If money comes later? Great. If not, that’s fine too.
Balancing Life, Work, and Content Creation
Most of my blogging happens at night to wind down from the day. It’s time-consuming, but it feels meaningful.
Honestly, if I wasn’t working on the blog, I’d be scrolling social media anyway—and the blog is a much better use of my time. Social media doesn’t move fast enough for my creativity or the ideas I want to share.
Handling Community Challenges and Criticism
I’m following my heart. If the audience grows, wonderful. If not, I’m still having fun.
Constructive criticism helps. Hateful criticism happens—haters are going to hate. Anyone creating something publicly needs to accept that. I just keep moving forward.
The action figure community has been incredibly kind overall, and I’m proud to be part of it.
Goals for the Next 6–12 Months
My goals are simple but important:
- Continue building a content-rich website
- Make every post meaningful
- Prioritize quality over quantity
- Maintain a clean, fast, enjoyable user experience
- Grow the site into a place people genuinely enjoy visiting
That’s the mission.
How My Background Shaped the Site
My years in the earlier blogging boom taught me exactly what not to do. I’m so grateful I took those five years away because it allowed me to come back with clarity.
This time, the focus is on building a high-quality, sustainable archive—putting the passion for the community first.
The action figure community welcomed me from day one. This website is my way of giving something back—something positive, helpful, and fun.
Closing Thoughts
FantasyActionFigures.com is more than a website to me. It’s a creative outlet, a return to childhood joy, a celebration of collecting, and a place for anyone who loves action figures to escape, smile, and feel at home.
If you’re reading this… thank you. Truly. I appreciate every single visitor, every comment, every like, every follow. You’re a friend to me.
And this is just the beginning.
