This Week In Your Plastic Crack, Action Figures and Toy Collection 26 26

[MetalPSI]

4 minutes ago, Buzzetta said:

Available for pre-order

https://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Studio-Voyager-Scourge-Action/dp/B08KYFQ3WP/

Thanks, cheaper than BigBadToyStore

[F For Fake]

8 hours ago, Buzzetta said:

Studio Series 86' Grimlock and Jazz arrived two months earlier than the projected release date... pics for scale... 

I am beyond impressed with Grimlock.  If they make the other ones in this scale and price point, I will be selling off all of the older incarnations.   There are no leg gaps.  The side profile is streamlined.  Wheelie is kind of useless as he is more of an accessory than anything else.  They could have at least given him knee joints to stand.     They are really giving us junior masterpieces at a fraction of the cost.  

 

 

I'm loving the figures based on the movie. I have this set on preorder at BBTS, so I should be getting it, oooh, within the next five years or so.

[F For Fake]

Found a pretty good deal on this set of 52 figures on eBay a few weeks ago. Took forever to get here, but they appear to be in decent shape. This is one of the best examples of why I loved DC Direct: an entire wave of figures based on a single comic series; no "BIG" characters like Batman or Superman to anchor the wave, instead you get TWO of my personal favorites (Animal Man and Booster Gold), a character that was relatively new and unproven at the time (Batwoman), and two characters that would never appear again outside of that series (Isis and Supernova); and the sculpts are sooooo good. I really enjoyed Mattel's DC Universe Classics, but they couldn't touch DC Direct on sculpting at their peak. That Isis figure is simply gorgeous. I had these back in the day, and still have my original Booster, but I'm glad to have a nice set of these again. As McFarlane continues to leave me cold, I find myself diving deeper into rebuilding my DC Direct collection. I think it's the best series of DC figures ever, when comparing sculpt and character selection. There's really no contest.

[F For Fake]

This next one may stretch the definition of "toy", but I think it's still the best place for it.

This game was where my Alien obsession started. I got a Commodore 64 for Christmas one year, and on my birthday a couple of weeks later, I got a handful of these cheap "Load n Go" games. I played this game endlessly. I think it may be the true first "survival horror game." It was very simple, but supremely effective. When the game began, someone had been killed by an alien, and someone was an android, but you wouldn't know who until you got into the game, as this was randomized every time. The sound was so eerie, as you often only heard the beat of the selected character's heart, slowing or racing as they grew more or less scared. Suddenly you'd hear a grate opening in the distance. Maybe it was just Jones the cat preparing to run across the screen, or maybe it was...THE ALIEN! Suddenly, flashing lights and warning sirens! I swear, this game scared the out of me, but I never got tired of it.

A couple of years later I finally saw the movie (and Aliens), and I was a fan for life.

I've been tracking these for a while, but last week I finally landed a beautiful sealed copy. And it even has the K-Mart price tag, which takes me right back to those days of seeing the spinning rack of Green Valley Publishing Load n Go Games, including this one. Best $5 my parents ever spent on me.

The other game that made an impact on me was the Aliens The Computer game for the C64. I was high bidder on a sealed copy this afternoon, put in my "safety bid", increased it in the last ten seconds, and still managed to lose out. Damn and blast. Not sure when I'll see another of those.

Edited March 1, 2021 by F For Fake

[MetalPSI]

13 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

This next one may stretch the definition of "toy", but I think it's still the best place for it.

This game was where my Alien obsession started. I got a Commodore 64 for Christmas one year, and on my birthday a couple of weeks later, I got a handful of these cheap "Load n Go" games. I played this game endlessly. I think it may be the true first "survival horror game." It was very simple, but supremely effective. When the game began, someone had been killed by an alien, and someone was an android, but you wouldn't know who until you got into the game, as this was randomized every time. The sound was so eerie, as you often only heard the beat of the selected character's heart, slowing or racing as they grew more or less scared. Suddenly you'd hear a grate opening in the distance. Maybe it was just Jones the cat preparing to run across the screen, or maybe it was...THE ALIEN! Suddenly, flashing lights and warning sirens! I swear, this game scared the out of me, but I never got tired of it.

A couple of years later I finally saw the movie (and Aliens), and I was a fan for life.

I've been tracking these for a while, but last week I finally landed a beautiful sealed copy. And it even has the K-Mart price tag, which takes me right back to those days of seeing the spinning rack of Green Valley Publishing Load n Go Games, including this one. Best $5 my parents ever spent on me.

The other game that made an impact on me was the Aliens The Computer game for the C64. I was high bidder on a sealed copy this afternoon, put in my "safety bid", increased it in the last ten seconds, and still managed to lose out. Damn and blast. Not sure when I'll see another of those.

I was a huge fan of the Atari Jaguar Alien vs Predator 

[F For Fake]

2 minutes ago, RearAdmiralSwank said:

I was a huge fan of the Atari Jaguar Alien vs Predator 

Man, the Jaguar was soooooo expensive when it came out, so nobody bought it, and then eventually you could grab them on clearance at KB Toys for next to nothing. Really wish I'd picked one up at the time, along with AvP. I, instead, invested my clearance gaming dollars in the Dreamcast. Sigh. Oh well, Dreamcast was still a pretty cool system at the time!

[MetalPSI]

8 minutes ago, F For Fake said:

Man, the Jaguar was soooooo expensive when it came out, so nobody bought it, and then eventually you could grab them on clearance at KB Toys for next to nothing. Really wish I'd picked one up at the time, along with AvP. I, instead, invested my clearance gaming dollars in the Dreamcast. Sigh. Oh well, Dreamcast was still a pretty cool system at the time!

I never had either, but dreamcast was awesome 

[F For Fake]

5 minutes ago, RearAdmiralSwank said:

I never had either, but dreamcast was awesome 

I got my Dreamcast at either Babbages, or whatever Babbages turned into (Electronics Boutique, maybe?) Anyway, I remember at the time I was dumbfounded, because I got the console, two controllers, two of the memory pad things, and a couple of games, all for $60! I eventually sold it, but it was a sweet system. It really was ahead of its time with the online component, amongst other features. Spent a lot of hours with Crazy Taxi, Sonic, etc. Very underrated system.

[Ducky13]

I just got the 1989 Batwing lego for my birthday last week, started on it last night. I plan on mounting it to the wall on a glow in the dark painted moon (wood plaque). I will update upon completion 

[D84]

My latest man dolly.

Captain James T. Kirk by QMX.

[followtheleader]

13 hours ago, F For Fake said:

Man, the Jaguar was soooooo expensive when it came out, so nobody bought it, and then eventually you could grab them on clearance at KB Toys for next to nothing. Really wish I'd picked one up at the time, along with AvP. I, instead, invested my clearance gaming dollars in the Dreamcast. Sigh. Oh well, Dreamcast was still a pretty cool system at the time!

Wish I'd bought one too. 

My buddy had the Turbo Graphx 16.  REALLY loved that system.  Would love to own another. 

Friggin Bonks Adventure, Splatterhouse, etc. 

It was so different at the time.  Don't remember anyone else having it in our school.

Patrick

[F For Fake]

34 minutes ago, followtheleader said:

Wish I'd bought one too. 

My buddy had the Turbo Graphx 16.  REALLY loved that system.  Would love to own another. 

Friggin Bonks Adventure, Splatterhouse, etc. 

It was so different at the time.  Don't remember anyone else having it in our school.

Patrick

One of my best friend, going all the way back to our middle school years, was the first of any of us to get a job, when he was 14 or 15, and he put ALL of that money into video games. So growing up, if there was something you wanted to play, he probably had it. He was the only person I knew with a TurboGrafx16. We played a LOT of Bonk's Adventures. He was also the only person I knew who had all of the various Sega  add-ons for the Genesis, including the CD, the 32x, etc. He had it hooked up to his Dad's old Quadraphonic sound system, so when we played Ecco the dolphin, it sounded like we were underwater. Great times.

Now that we're all old, he has a dedicated gaming room in his house, with pretty much every system released domestically. The one he's missing? A Jaguar. 

Luckily he bought a house just a few blocks away from mine a couple of years ago, so when the pandemic is finally over, I can run over there anytime to play pretty much anything!

This is the same friend I've mentioned in the past who has a more or less complete GI Joe collection from 82-91 or so. He has finally completed his "GI Joe room", and it's pretty amazing. Once I'm able to get back over there, I'll take some pics to share. Puts my piddling collection to shame!

[ADAMANTIUM]

Has anyone heard from @STORMSHADOW_80

I've sent him some messages of the months, but I hope he is doing ok....  

 

[followtheleader]

Happy to add a Triggerhappy to my collection.  Was super cheap.  Does not have his accessories which are not cheap.  Such great shape.  Very often discolored in the white portions.  Instructions included.  Don't think this was played with.

Patrick

[F For Fake]

8 hours ago, ADAMANTIUM said:

Has anyone heard from @STORMSHADOW_80

I've sent him some messages of the months, but I hope he is doing ok....  

 

I know last time he posted, he mentioned not being on the boards as much, so hopefully he's just been busy. Always enjoy hearing from him!

[followtheleader]

Picked up a few more of the Giant GPKs.  Found these killer top loaders for storage and they have a built in stand.

Coue of packs from Series 13 and 14.

Patrick

[F For Fake]

10 hours ago, followtheleader said:

Picked up a few more of the Giant GPKs.  Found these killer top loaders for storage and they have a built in stand.

Coue of packs from Series 13 and 14.

Patrick

My LCS got in a collection of GPK's, complete sets of each series they made, plus some giant sized cards as well. I don't know much about them, they're asking $999 for the complete series 1 set. Is that insane, or about right?

[F For Fake]

So, I guess I've decided to go back and re-buy the Toy Biz X-Men figures, at least the first wave.

My connection to the series is odd. When they came out in 1991, I was a teenager in high school. I still occasionally read comics, but I no longer "played" with toys, and didn't really have the money or interest to start collecting them at that time. I bought a couple out of duty to my younger self. All I wanted when I was a kid was X-Men toys. We got Secret Wars Wolvie, and Iceman, and that was it! I so desperately wanted X-Men toys, in the scale of Star Wars and GI Joe.

By the time X-Men toys came out in 1991, I wasn't interested in playing with them, they also weren't in that coveted GI Joe scale, and frankly, the initial figures were kinda ugly. So, aside from the few I bought out of supposed obligation, I didn't LOVE them the way I might had they come out a few years earlier.

Throughout the 90's, there was a glut of X-Men product on the shelves, a seemingly endless supply available on clearance at KB Toys, and all of the flea markets littered with old stock. It seemed like you couldn't give them away. Then Marvel Legends happened, and whatever shred of relevance the original X-Men line may have held was completely done away with.

Now, fast forward 30 years, these are vintage, and suddenly everything that made them cheesy to me as a teen, is now charming. So, I thought I'd pick them up on the cheap.

BUT...they're not that cheap anymore! At least not what I'm looking for: the original release, which came with punch-out cards and Marvel Impel cards that related directly to the character in the package. As far as why these are no longer common as dirt, I'd imagine it's a variety of factors: Rule of 25/30; the retro card Marvel Legends releases further stirring nostalgia; and the boom of the Marvel Card market. The cards included with these toys are nearly identical to the Marvel cards, but they have a Toy Biz logo on the back, which makes them a variant. I think folks are finally wising up to these as well, so all of the cheap figures have been sucked up off of the bay.

They'd soon be replaced by cards with hang-tabs and random cards, which are still fairly easy to find, and then repaints on hanger cards, which are easy as well. But that original wave, on NICE cards? Not so easy to find. Toy Biz used some sort of cheap cardboard to make these packages, as nearly every figure you find has a warped card.

I'd really like to get some unpunched cards, and have my eyes open, but this is the start of the collection. We'll see how long it takes me to complete the set at a price I'd find reasonable. I really love the orange TRU sticker on Nightcrawler. Hits the nostalgia button hard.

Also, I remember this back in the day as well: Nightcrawler was easily the nicest sculpt in the initial wave, but they stuck GD giant suction cups on him, which ruins the effect! Oh well, he still looks pretty cool on card.

tl;dr: I'm having a midlife crisis.

[followtheleader]

1 hour ago, F For Fake said:

My LCS got in a collection of GPK's, complete sets of each series they made, plus some giant sized cards as well. I don't know much about them, they're asking $999 for the complete series 1 set. Is that insane, or about right?

It's hard to answer.  I think it's high, but there are so many factors that could make it worth it. 

Condition is huge.  A marginal condition set should not be going for that.  But people get nutz on card grading (centering, whiteness, sharpness of color, etc).   

Another factor is whether it has both Set A and Set B (same cards w/ different character names).  Most people want both now. 

There is Glossy finish versus Matte finish.  Guess they ran out of one during production so they switched.   

In this environment, crazy prices doesn't surprise me as much.  

You see crazy things like this that sold for $13,100:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GARBAGE-PAIL-KIDS-1st-SERIES-GLOSSY-COMPLETE-SET-GRADED-PSA-8-0-NO-QUAL-RANK-5-/224357646843?item=224357646843&ViewItem=&nma=true&si=aRLSpEiVLGX7XmkPY2G%2BU9oyEt4%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Depending on price of other items, I'd definitely be interested. 

Patrick

[followtheleader]

1 hour ago, F For Fake said:

So, I guess I've decided to go back and re-buy the Toy Biz X-Men figures, at least the first wave.

My connection to the series is odd. When they came out in 1991, I was a teenager in high school. I still occasionally read comics, but I no longer "played" with toys, and didn't really have the money or interest to start collecting them at that time. I bought a couple out of duty to my younger self. All I wanted when I was a kid was X-Men toys. We got Secret Wars Wolvie, and Iceman, and that was it! I so desperately wanted X-Men toys, in the scale of Star Wars and GI Joe.

By the time X-Men toys came out in 1991, I wasn't interested in playing with them, they also weren't in that coveted GI Joe scale, and frankly, the initial figures were kinda ugly. So, aside from the few I bought out of supposed obligation, I didn't LOVE them the way I might had they come out a few years earlier.

Throughout the 90's, there was a glut of X-Men product on the shelves, a seemingly endless supply available on clearance at KB Toys, and all of the flea markets littered with old stock. It seemed like you couldn't give them away. Then Marvel Legends happened, and whatever shred of relevance the original X-Men line may have held was completely done away with.

Now, fast forward 30 years, these are vintage, and suddenly everything that made them cheesy to me as a teen, is now charming. So, I thought I'd pick them up on the cheap.

BUT...they're not that cheap anymore! At least not what I'm looking for: the original release, which came with punch-out cards and Marvel Impel cards that related directly to the character in the package. As far as why these are no longer common as dirt, I'd imagine it's a variety of factors: Rule of 25/30; the retro card Marvel Legends releases further stirring nostalgia; and the boom of the Marvel Card market. The cards included with these toys are nearly identical to the Marvel cards, but they have a Toy Biz logo on the back, which makes them a variant. I think folks are finally wising up to these as well, so all of the cheap figures have been sucked up off of the bay.

They'd soon be replaced by cards with hang-tabs and random cards, which are still fairly easy to find, and then repaints on hanger cards, which are easy as well. But that original wave, on NICE cards? Not so easy to find. Toy Biz used some sort of cheap cardboard to make these packages, as nearly every figure you find has a warped card.

I'd really like to get some unpunched cards, and have my eyes open, but this is the start of the collection. We'll see how long it takes me to complete the set at a price I'd find reasonable. I really love the orange TRU sticker on Nightcrawler. Hits the nostalgia button hard.

Also, I remember this back in the day as well: Nightcrawler was easily the nicest sculpt in the initial wave, but they stuck GD giant suction cups on him, which ruins the effect! Oh well, he still looks pretty cool on card.

tl;dr: I'm having a midlife crisis.

Pretty cool.  Got a list of 1st waves? 

I'm almost positive I donated my Wolverine not that long ago.  Seems like I'm saying that a lot lately.  
But like you, it was a bit later in life for me so I passed on all but the canuck. 

Patrick