New Jersey Collector Fest upped the ante for their Fall edition this year by turning their one-day show into two! Held inside the gym of the Wayne PAL on October 16 & 17, Collector Fest took advantage of the bigger space this time around and filled it with nearly 100 tables of vendors, artists, and celebrity guests that didn’t disappoint. Complete with a reunion of The Warriors, other guests included Edward Furlong (Terminator 2), Stephen Constantino (Star Wars), Artie Pasquale (The Sopranos), voice actor Tony Daniels, and a number of published comic book artists and illustrators.
One thing’s for sure: true to its name, Collector Fest always has an amazing variety in collectibles! You’re bound to find all scales of action figures, statues, video games, trading cards, LEGO, diecast cars, comic books, vintage toys… covering a vast range of properties like Star Wars, Masters of the Universe, Wrestling, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, and beyond!
First-time Collector Fest vendor Rogue Arsenal (above) brought along a display of galactic proportions with their custom lightsabers, prop replicas, and other accessories. Fans were able to try out one-of-a-kind sabers of all price ranges. Many other vendors also displayed really unique items for sale like Japanese imports and hard-to-find Transformers. And let’s not forget the incredible pieces of original art you could walk away with by all of the talented artists at the show:
The Artist Alley this time around boasted more names than ever before: Keith Williams, Carl Potts, Dan Khanna, Dave Devries, Chris Batista, Ray Felix, Will Torres, Kevin Liell, Angel Santiago, and Jason Baroody… just to name a few! In addition, Rudy Nebres & Christian Espiritusanto each had an exclusive art print that VIP ticketholders received (in addition to a 90-minute early entry, which is a huge advantage when hunting for collectibles)! But whether it’s a print, a sketch card, or a custom commissioned piece, the artists at Collector Fest have got you covered!
Above, a collector poses with a sketch cover drawn by Will Torres. And there were lots of other great opportunities for photos because, on top of the artists and cosplayers at the show, the celebrity guests were around all weekend signing autographs and taking pics with fans.
For a fee, fans could get one of the provided prints signed by special guests or bring their own personal item. For example, there were a lot of Warriors vests going around getting signed by the cast members… and this was definitely the event to do it! Some guests even offered video shoutouts, voicemail recordings, and other fun ways to remember your meet & greet with them. Or if you’re lucky enough, maybe you’ll find a cool collectible on the show floor while shopping the rows & rows of booths! You can never go wrong with getting a Funko Pop signed, and there was certainly no shortage of those:
We’re talking about variants, exclusives, Limited Editions, Chase… Pops you likely haven’t seen before! And New Jersey Collector Fest doesn’t just have retro & vintage memorabilia but all the latest in collecting, too. Even though they just released, you were able to find the new McFarlane Toys action figures, 25th Anniversary Pokemon Celebrations cards, and even the massive 26.34 in. tall HasLab X-Men Sentinel:
All this and so much more at New Jersey Collector Fest! Be sure to check out the video recap below as well as more photos here. And for more information and updates on the next Collector Fest event, stay tuned through their Facebook page and website.
LesDudis 