How to Collect Ben-10 Action Figures

Ben-10, a Cartoon Network show about a 10-year-old boy who has the power to transform into numerous alien beings, has been immensely popular ever since it first premiered in 2006. It has also launched a very successful, ever-expanding line of action figures. One fun thing about collecting Ben-10 figures is that Ben keeps adding more and more aliens all the time (in one episode set 20 years in the future, he is up to 10,000!), and the more aliens Ben can transform into, the more alien action figures are produced by Bandai, the licensed manufacturer of all Ben-10 products.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 
   Alien Collection Ben Tennyson (Series 1)

   Start off with the Alien Collection. These figures are the smallest ones, about 4 inches high. Series 1 includes Heatblast, Fourarms, Diamondhead, Grey matter, XLR8, Ripjaws, Stinkfly, Upgrade, Wildmutt, Ghostfreak, Vilgax, Ben Tennyson, Upchuck, Hoverboard, Cannonbolt, Wildvine, Kevin 11, Sixsix and Benwolf. Series 2 includes Gwen Tennyson/Lucky Girl, Benmummy, Benvicktor and "battle pose" versions of Heatblast, Diamondhead, Fourarms, Upgrade, Stinkfly, XLR8, Wildmutt, Ghostfreak, Benwolf, Upchuck, Vilgax, Wildvine, Cannonbolt and Ben Tennyson.

2. 
   DNA Alien Heroes Wildmutt (minus slime)

   Graduate to DNA Alien Heroes, the next step up. These action figures are about 6 inches high and each features some special sort of action, i.e. Fourarms punching, Heatblast and Diamondhead lighting up, Upgrade stretching his arms and Wildmutt being able to drool special alien "slime". Stinkfly, Kevin 11, XLR8, Upchuck, Benwolf, Wildvine, Ghostfreak, Benmummy, Benvicktor and two versions of Ben Tennyson are also available in Alien Heroes form.

3. 
   Metamorfigures Grey Matter (not entirely folded up, since it's kind of tricky)

   Be sure to check out the 8-inch Metamorfigures, all of which transform from action figures into something else. Heatblast becomes a flashlight, Grey Matter folds into binoculars, Fourarms becomes a lock, Wildmutt turns into a motion sensor, Ripjaws is a squirt gun, Cannonball becomes (surprise!) a ball, Upgrade can turn into a race car and Benwolf opens up into a megaphone.

4. 
   Epic Alien Fourarms

   Make room for the Epic Alien figures, a whopping 12 inches tall. These are so far only available as Fourarms, Heatblast and XLR8 with Diamondhead coming soon (we hope!), and are not as posable as some of the smaller figures, but they are amazingly detailed and look incredible.

5. 
   Sumo Slammers Vilgax and Diamondhead (from series 1 and 2)

   Get a giggle out of Sumo Slammers. Although these are not technically action figures, as they're only about 1 inch tall and, well, weeble-like, you should definitely check them out to see the tubby, round sumo versions of all of your favorite alien characters. Series 1 includes Heatblast, Ripjaws, Upgrade, XLR8, Greymatter and Vilgax. Series 2 has Fourarms, Diamondhead, Wildmutt, Ghostfreak, Stinkfly and Kevin 11. Series 3 features Cannonbolt, Wildvine, Benwolf, Grandpa Max, Dr. Animo and Sixsix; forthcoming Sumo Slammers include Vilgax, Ben Tennyson, Vulkanus, a silver Heatblast, Hex and Upchuck (Series 4) and "Game Over" Cannonbolt, Gwen, Ishiyama, Kenko, a Sumo Robot and a Ninja (Series 5).

Tips & Warnings

• Some of the earlier versions (such as Alien Collection Series 1 Ghostfreak) are now very rare and hard to come by.
• Some of the newest models (particularly Benvicktor and Benmummy) may not yet be available.
• The actual Sumo Slammer game is kind of lame, but the figures are fun to collect anyway.