"You've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed."

Its been a busy week on the Super Hero Squad collection front. Ive been snapping up every one i can find on eBay for Opeie's collection when he's older. Welcome to my obsession. I don't think i need to say anything else so just a short one tonight until my next update.

"Alright squaddies, time to hero up!"

When i first started writing the blog i planned on it mainly being about toys and what me and the boys collect but as time has gone on its become a lot more personal and although i do write about toys on many of the posts there is a lot of posts about the general things that we get up to. A few of the earlier post were taken up by a collection i started for Opeie before he was even here with us. I'm a huge Marvel fan and on finding out about the Super Hero Squad range and how many characters there were available i knew i wanted to start collecting them for that boy of mine.

It's been over two years now but for the last 6 months i hadn't brought anything to go with the collection. To be fair they have been in a sealed crate and basically i had forgotten about them... that is until last week when i decided to have a look on eBay and noticed that quite a few had been listed (strange because apart from the 3 special Amazing Spider-man boxes and the 3 Avengers boxes they haven't released any for a while). I purchased 2 boxes but that afternoon i realised why they had re surfaced on eBay. I had popped in to our local B&M to buy some tea light candles and as usual i had a quick look in the toy isle and there staring back at me were a couple of boxes i needed for my collection.

Obviously i made the most of my find and as i was writing a post about them i thought i would also include the pictures from all of my previous posts. I wanted to get them out of the crate and retake the photos but the boys don't know about them and i didn't want to risk them being seen. These are this weeks purchase...

Finding these has really catapulted me back in to my collection and ive been looking on eBay every day since. I'm still desperate to get hold of the three Avengers boxes from the movie but no luck yet. The main problem is that many of the waves of figures that were released were not released in the UK (story of my life!) the US gets all the best toys. Ill start the pictures with the three Amazing spider-man boxes from the movie...

Rather than just waffle on about them as I'm sure that might just come across a little boring here is the photos from the rest of my collection and the previous posts. I really hope that Opeie continues to be into super heroes or these are just going to end up sealed in that crate until i get my own room for my toys.

"You're a wanted man, Peter Parker. "

Since i started the Super Hero Squad collection and wrote my First Post i have found myself really obsessing about certain packs of them, at the moment its the Captain America and Avengers Movie sets as i don't have any of them. These have only moved in to first place of my must have list today as i had a delivery this morning and now finally own the Amazing Spider-man movie sets that were pretty much dominating my eBay searching over the last few weeks.

I'm still surprised I'm so into these as Ive never really been that interested in smaller action figures but its still the fact of the variety of characters you can actually get. Plus Opeie really loves playing with Seth's ones that arn't boxed away. I think when i wrote my Second Post was when my obsessing was at its worst. i was literally searching eBay 10 times a day for 'Super hero squad' in hope that a rare find would pop up for 99p or something. I think this was mainly fueled by the fact that Mrs M had managed to find 4 hulk boxes and won them in one lot for 99p. yes she's a legend!

Since i wrote the Third Post my compulsive behavior has died down a little but this in only because were saving for a holiday and other things. Most of my items are brought with money i make on eBay selling unwanted bits around the house so its not to bad, i very rarely use our money. Both me and Mrs M are Hoarders so there's always something to get rid of.

Seeing the film made me want to get hold of them even more, these will be great toys to own in years to come and Ive managed to get quite a collection together so far.

I'm sure there will be many many more Super Hero squad posts as I'm always looking to bulk out my collection. i cant wait for Opeie to start really getting into all the other characters so i can explain who they all are, but then again there's always the chance he wont be as excited about them as Seth was when i first introduced them to him. Time will tell on that one i guess. It does work in our favour that he always wants to get involved in what were doing though. and he's desperate to get into some super hero costumes. Plus so far he's Spider-Man and Hulk crazy so it should keep me in the toy purchasing for at least a few more years.

"Well, one day a mommy spider and a daddy spider fell very much in love..."

To quote Mrs M "what have you created?". It seems that our little cutie has become Spider-man obsessed and it makes me very proud. It was about 2 weeks after we got back from Florida that the obsession began which is a shame as while we were there we met spider-man and Opeie wasn't very impressed. If it had just been a couple of weeks later he would have been a very excited boy. We've started looking at holidays to the US again so I'm sure he will meet his hero very soon.

As you can probably imagine from reading the blog there is quite a bit of Spider-man merchendise in the house but a large percentage of that are things that Opeie has seen while we have been out and about and has decided it is a must have item. We cant seem to go to boots without coming back with a Spider-man toothbrush (which to be fair i don't really mind, because of this Opeie loves having his teeth brushed which i believe is quite unheard of in a 17 month old).

It was Mrs M's idea to write a post about all the Spider-man stuff and one day i came home and they had found all the things they could that had Spider-Man on and it was all piled up in the lounge. I think Opeie was in Super hero heaven.

wherever we are Opeie will always spot a Spider-man item no matter how small or insignificant it is. One day at home he was desperately reaching up into the air and we couldnt work out what it was he was after. After getting practically everything down to see what it was i lifted him up and carried him over, turns out all he was after was a sticker that the Dentist had given to Seth on his last check up. 

Even as im writing this he is desperately trying to get at the computer because he can see the pictures of himself surrounded by spidey. Weve had to come home from Asda on more than one occasion with their gift cards because they've got the wall crawlers face on.

Action figures, shoes, cuddley toys, balls, books, bags, drinking flasks, Pez dispensers, Opeie doesnt care what it is he must have it. Mrs M's mom and dad came round a few weeks ago and had brought the boys a Spider-man rubber ring for the summer, Opeie proceeded to crawl about with it around his waist for most of the following week, at one point i walked into Seths room and he had the ring round his waist and was wearing Seths Spider-Man bike helmet (clearly he's going to be a bit of a fashion disaster like daddy was back in the day).

He's quite a snob when it comes to all the other comic characters too, a week or so ago i got out all the loose Super Hero Squad figures that i have been collecting him to play with, and what did he do.........?

.......he seperated the 4 Spider-Man figures from the rest of the group. Obviously the web head is far to good to be associating himself with that bunch of scum bags.

He loves the chunky figures but I'm starting to think i might start a collection of all the more grown up Spider-Man figures for him for when he is older as there are probably hundreds of variations. I really love that he is so into something that I'm into already and in return he has got me into Yo Gabba Gabba.

Most days he's got a different Spider-Man T-shirt on which i don't think Mrs M is to pleased about but that's what happens when i dress him, plus i like the thought of him looking like a mini me because he is in fact a mini me. Ill be writing a post about the boys T-shirts soon, i thought about it 2 weeks ago when i saw them all hanging on the washing line. (Thanks again Chris [http://gingerjamphoto.com/] for the great pic's).

I'm so proud of the way he is turning out and not just the obsessing of super hero's although it is a bonus. We have 2 very beautiful little gentlemen and everyone that meets them adores them. What more could you ask for? They are both very affectionate and always love lots of hugs and kisses and i wont lie me and Mrs M love dishing them out.

Spider-Man is always going to be one of the main topics of conversation in the house, at least until the boys are teenagers anyway then god knows which way they will go. I may end up being Seth and Opeies weird comic book loving dad.

Either way I'll always be Opeie and Seth's caring Dad who is happy to dedicate all his time to them and their beautiful mommy.