CollectionDX defines an action figure as a toy based on a character that was designed for action posing. A robot that does not transform, but does pose (has moveable joints) would fall under this category.

At the heart of the Otaku soul is the sexy anime figure.

LEGO Brand toys, Mega Bloks, and other types of toys you can put together (that are not model kits)

CollectionDX defines charcter toy as a toy that falls into none of the other defined categories, but its primary draw is the character itself. Examples would be DORAEMON, PARMAN, or POKEMON.

Chogokin (超合金) is Japanese for "Super Alloy" and is a fictitious material first appeared in Go Nagai's Mazinger Z comic. It was later adopted by the Popy toy company in early 1970s as a new line of die-casted metal robot and character toys sold in Japan. While Bandai, the parent company of Popy toy owns the trademark to the brand, the term is generally used to describe any Japanese diecast robot toy made from zinc alloy.

Chogokin toys were generally produced in ST and or DX sizes. ST meaning standard and usually in the range of 5" tall. The DX versions were deluxe and usually much larger. In addition to the larger size, the DX versions usually came with more features such as separating parts and more complex weaponry, usually with launching projectiles. (Wikipedia)

CollectionDX uses the term here to represent any toy with a significant metal content

Custom Toys

CollectionDX defines a Designer Toy as any toy that was designed as an art piece first, and a toy second. These toys are made for display more than play. Toys commonly known as Art Toys, Urban Vinyl, Boutique Toys, etc.. fall into this category.

CollectionDX defines a doll as being a figure with removable detailed fabric or plastic clothing, often with emphasis on the realism as opposed to the play value. A doll can also be an action figure. We tend to think of dolls as figures in 1:6 scale or larger, but exceptions may occur.

ephemera is the other stuff, the things that defy categorization. Books, mugs, bowls, slippers, kites and the the other random junk associated with our favorite characters.

CollectionDX defines a figure as a character toy with limited (if any) articulation. A good example would be Yamato's Story Image Figure Line. Not quite a statue, due to the materials and accessories.

Gashapon (ガチャポン in katakana - more accurately, gachapon), also referred to as "Candy toy" or "trading toy", is a Japanese onomatopoeia, made up of two sounds: "gacha" for the turning of a crank on a toy vending machine, and "pon" for the sound of the toy capsule dropping into the receptacle. It is collectively used to describe both the machines themselves, and any toy obtained from them. Though "gashapon" is the more common spelling as seen in the United States, it is primarily a corruption of gachapon, which is more technically accurate. "Gachapon" is a far more prevalent spelling/pronunciation in Japan than "gashapon," which is rarely, if ever, seen.

Gashapon machines are similar to the coin-op toy vending machines, seen outside of grocery stores and other retailers in the United States. While coin-op vending toys are usually cheap, low-quality products, sold for a quarter or 50 cents, Japanese Gashapon can cost anywhere from 100 - 500 yen (Equal to $1–$5 US) and are normally a much higher quality product. (Wikipedia)

This category is for anything Gundam, regardless of what series, toyline or character the toy is of.

CollectionDX defines a Jumbo Machinder as a character toy made primarily out of Polyethylene (Shampoo bottle material), and is around 20-24" tall. Smaller toys made out of Polyethylene may also be under this category, although these are more commonly called Mini-Machinders or Junior Machinders. Some Jumbo Machinders may also be made out of, or contain Vinyl.

Kaijū (怪獣), literally meaning strange beast or mysterious beast, is a popular Japanese term referring to strange creatures, especially giant monsters as portrayed in Japanese fantasy films and shows, especially tokusatsu and anime. Most are more precisely termed daikaijû (大怪獣 - "giant monster"). The similar term kaijin (怪人) refers to humanoid monsters in related genre. The most famous Kaiju is Godzilla and other well known Kaiju include Gamera and King Ghidorah. The term Ultra-Kaiju refers to monsters in Ultra Series. (Wikipedia)

The Super Dimension Fortress Macross (超時空要塞マクロス Chō Jikū Yōsai Makurosu) is an anime television series. Most of its animation (with edited content and revised dialogue) was adapted outside Japan for the first saga of Robotech. (Wikipedia)

In this category you will find all things related to both Macross and Robotech.

Robotech was one of the first anime released in the United States that largely managed to preserve the complexity and drama of its original Japanese source material. Produced by Harmony Gold USA, Inc. in association with Tatsunoko Prod. Co., Ltd., Robotech is a story adapted with edited content and revised dialogue from the animation of three different mecha anime series: The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada. Harmony Gold's cited reasoning for combining these unrelated series was its decision to market Macross for American weekday syndication television, which required a minimum of 65 episodes at the time (thirteen weeks at five episodes per week). Macross and the two other series each had fewer episodes than required since they originally aired in Japan as weekly series.

Metal Heroes is a series of tokusatsu superhero TV shows produced by Toei Company Ltd. in Japan. The Metal Heroes are mainly space and police-related characters who wears an "metallic" suit or transform into a metallic warrior. (Wikipedia)

Also included in this category are the US versions of these shows, namely Beetleborgs.

The Japanese toy company Takara made a toy series in 1974 called Microman that was a miniature spin off of their Henshin-Cyborg1 figure. Interestingly, this figure was a modified doll produced in recycled molds originally used to produce Hasbro toy company's G.I.Joe doll. The Microman toys were made in a smaller 3.75 inch figure that had a similar level of articulation to the 12 inch GIJoe. These smaller toys had the advantage of being cheaper to produce as well as allowing a play pattern that included vehicles and accessories that the larger size prevented for cost reasons.

The story of the Microman toys in the US is a very tangled web of toy lines and companies. When the toys were imported into the US they were divided into different lines by different US companies. In the US these toy lines became very popular in their own right. Two popular US toy lines to come from the Microman toy molds. The first is the 3.75 inch action figures and some accessories imported by the Mego Corporation that where known in the United States as Micronauts. The other US toy line adapted from Microman started when some smaller transforming vehicles were imported to the US by Hasbro and combined with another, similar Japanese toy line known as Diaclone to become know as Transformers. (Wikipedia)

Model robot, which may alternatively called Gunpla (derived from "Gundam plastic model"), arised from the marketing schemes for Gundam and numerous model anime (Indeed, some hardcore mecha show fans complained modern mecha shows is nothing more than 20 minutes of model commercial) Usually, they are marketed in scales 1:100 and 1:144, like model aircrafts, which seems strange to some westerners as they believe that they are best displayed in scenes crashing against houses, and thus should use natural model railway gauges instead. Still, as there are 1:144 model railways, in Japan itself this does not matter much; and numerous after market accessories for mecha models (as well as scratch building, which is what makes this hobby fun) render this "strange" scaling matter into non-matter.

Currently, Bandai is the main producer of mecha models, commonly called Gunpla, as most of them are models for Gundam. (Wikipedia)

A motionette is a figure, usually released as a holiday decoration as opposed to an actual toy, that features movement and sometimes sound and light. Telco produced the original, official line of "Motionettes", but other companies have since copied the idea.

Sentai (Japanese: 戦隊), the Japanese word for task force (literally fighting team or squadron - Sentai was also a term used for Japanese squadrons in WWII), is most commonly used for classifying the "superhero team" genre of shows produced by Toei Company Ltd. and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi. The shows are of the tokusatsu genre, featuring live action characters and colorful special effects, and are aimed mainly at families. (Wikipedia)

Power Rangers is an ongoing saga of television series about the epic adventures teenagers or 20-somethings who transform into the titular superheroes. The show is directly tied into a vast merchandising empire largely owned by Japanese toy company Bandai.

While the concept is based on the Super Sentai series of yearly serials, it is not an English dub of the original, but rather a 'new' production with English-speaking actors spliced in with the original Japanese footage to varying ratios. Due to the very Japanese nature of many of Sentai's stories and design, the American shows are always at least slightly changed to fit a Western audience. (Wikipedia)

A fixed-pose figure, with no articulation, made out of polystone, resin or PVC. Usually statues have no accessories, and are for display purposes only.

"Talker" is a generic term commonly used to refer to any toy that "talks", either by way of a pull-string, button or some other mechanism. Some toys that do not actually speak words, such as a roaring monster toy, may be included in this category.

Tokusatsu (特撮) (sometimes just called "Toku") is the Japanese term for special effects and often used to classify Japanese live-action sci-fi/fantasy/horror movie/TV productions. (Wikipedia)

Although Tokusatsu refers to all live action Japanese sci-fi, including Sentai, Kaiju and Metal heroes, CollectionDX is using this term mainly for live action super hero shows such as Masked Rider, Akumaizer 3, Gransazer and Ultraman.

CollectionDX uses this category to group all transforming toys, including non-Transformers lines such as Go-Bots, Brave Series, Machinerobo, and even some Macross toys. If it transforms from one thing to another, you will find it here.

This category is for non-character toys such as vehicles, spaceships and motorcycles. Examples of this would be the Varidorin from Goranger, and the Jet Scrander from Mazinger Z