GeneticNinja

The G.I. Joe Classifed and other exclusive figures are a mess to me. I'm not crazy about the Classified line. I do like the artwork on some like Scarlett and the newly revealed Baroness. Craig Drake drew a Jem illustration that I'll attempt to find to post. I think it's a gif or short movie though so we'll see if it works here. But he did this Aeon Flux illustration as well. But why are they making these possibly limited and store exclusive? I remember the times of going to Toys R Us and I don't think it was difficult to get any figure. If it was sold out, it would be there in the next week or so. I'm fairly certain that you could have purchased a whole line up at once. I know it was rare that I only purchased one figure. I probably picked up a bunch at a time close to winter holidays. The price for the Baroness with bike on ebay is crazy. I don't like the bike much at all. But if people are willing to pay ebay price for that, then they should have purchased the old Sideshow Baroness 1/6 figure. Perhaps if more purchased that one, Sideshow would have made a Scarlett 1/6 figure. Which still upsets me that they couldn't make that one. How do you make Baroness and no Scarlett? But then Prime 1 Studio did the opposite. Make Scarlett and no Baroness statue. Prime 1 Studio even made a Destro statue. I still have my original Zartan figure and bike. I remember I had to get that figure when I saw the commercial. I thought the idea of a figure that could change color was the coolest thing ever. I might get this Sideshow Zartan vs Flint. I probably don't like it enough which is why I didn't get it originally.

I mentioned a while back about having an idea for a toy topic. Here it is. https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/473011-remembering-your-first-or-favorite-toy-store-and-the-items-they-sold/ I didn't want to get the stories mixed up with the pick up talk here.

Probably seeing how much of Storms at Sea is in the Carbon books might be a good gauge. If the next Carbon book doesn't collect all of them like Portfolio, I'm probably out anyway. Unless there is original art or a good poster. I have deluxe Storms at Sea and Portfolio. So I'm waiting on the new hopefully deluxe Xenozoic and the collected Carbon books.

I had the original idea for this topic from the Remembering that First Comic Shop topic here. Also, all the recent talk about vintage sealed video game auctions. Plus, seeing how many normal toy stores are no longer around. I can't believe that Target and Walmart are the places to get toys from now more than a Toys R Us. And I'm disgusted by the quick sellout of exclusive figures at places like Target and Walmart. But I knew something was wrong with Toys R Us when I wasn't able to find new Star Wars figures there after multiple morning visits but happened to see them at a random Target. Anyway on to the topic, I went to so many toy stores when I was a kid that I can't remember the exact first one. I'm pretty sure that these are my first comics and that they were either purchased at Toys R Us, a book store like Kroch's and Brentano's, or a department store book area. I kind of remember a section with either records or some kind of cartoon related music stuff at the end of a Toys R Us aisle near the back of the store. But it's also possible that I got them as a gift or at a Kay Bee toys. But I remember buying some NES video games more than figures at Kay Bee. I know I purchased NES Legend of Zelda at a Kay Bee because I remember the lady behind the desk saying this game can't be beat. There was a toy store at another mall that had other odd toys but I think that was an FAO Schwarz. I think the majority of my vintage Star Wars toys came from FAO Schwarz. And I know I purchased records on another floor in that mall. I vaguely remember owning an old plastic record player that folded up into a box like carrying case. I probably played the records on that unless I was at my Grandmother's house. And I remember that plastic record player was more toy like and probably not something that would be sold at an actual record store. Or at least that's what I'm assuming. I'm sure Toys R Us was my favorite store. That's where I purchased the majority of my NES video games. I loved the ticket system and looking at the front and back box images to decide which game to purchase. Also seeing all the games behind the glass in the pickup area and how the shelf was like the length of half the store. I would always go to the game section then action figure area. They had the G.I. Joes,Transformers, MASK, Visionaries, and others in a few middle aisles towards the back of the store. I remember the ticket system for the big playsets like the Aircraft Carrier and the Terror Drome. During Christmas time, people were in the aisle just looking at the box for the big toys. I was never disappointed in those aisles unlike when I glance at the small and many times messy toy sections in a Target or Walmart these days. I did go to Circus World back then. I remember the castle exterior. But according to wiki, Circus World was originally Child World. But that name isn't clear to me. It's possible that I went to a Circus World in the mall as the some of those pictures I found feel familiar. I know I went to Circus World years after after Toys R Us though. Probably around the time that I came across Moondog's comic shop in a mall. I went to another toy store in a mall. I think this is the mall. I only remember a few outdoor malls with water features. I think there is another big one in Illinois with an underground water feature. Also a slide near an A&W Root Beer. Anyway, there was a small toy store here that had many foreign type smaller toys, figures, and playsets. That was a cool store. A bit more family oriented I think. Another reason for me starting this topic is because I'm attempting to remember old comic toys that were thrown away. Perhaps stories of your first or favorite toy stores might help with my memory.

The next Carbon Kickstarter is coming up in a few days. And they confirmed a new edition of Xenozoic will happen as well with the new story.

That would be a good idea. I'm probably going to frame my Jim Lee set like Gem Mint on youtube did with his Jusko Masterworks set. Since Artgerm tends to favor drawing women, I would probably like to see him have an X-Men set.

I only remember owning a bad Tron game and Snafu on Intellivision. I probably had a few more. I guess I'll check wiki on that. I know Last Gamer had a episode where he talked about getting sealed games, if not unopened boxes of games for some of those old systems for dirt cheap.

I never heard of a VHS rewinder before. I vaguely remember a few VHS machines behind the counter in that old rental store. I think they were just using those to rewind tapes. This was in the days when it was either Beta or VHS. I'm pretty sure we had a Beta machine too. I think we did have some kind of card membership. But I can't remember. I know Blockbuster had a card too. But yeah, I remember the tapes were behind the store countertop. We just took the names to the counter to rent. I never knew of any NSFW tapes in the store. I would only get lucky with the occasional horror movie that would have a peak of nudity. Or this scene in Golden Child.

Why does Hasbro need to do crowdfunding for a Sentinel? That's a popular character that I assume many want.

Cool topic. I want to check out the older Shadow comics. I only have a few of the newer ones and the knife prop from the movie.

I still have a bunch of VHS tapes. I remember the days of the small video stores and rentals. People crowded into a small area to rent a maximum of 3 to 5 movies for a few days. Seeing Basic Instinct and a few others for like $100 to own in glass display cases. Laserdisc was high end. I still have my TRON box set edition laserdisc.

My Amano poster from the Bloodstained Kickstarter campaign finally showed up. They didn't forget to include a rolled version of Ayami Kojima's Bloodstained poster too. I love her artwork. Hopefully it isn't a cover I'm looking for. I do gravitate towards the Japanese covers. But I know a few of the ones I would like to own are not by Japanese artists. I just started with the NES because when I think video games and covers, there are certain time points. 1. The time period when I played Oregon Trail on probably some Apple computer. Also, I have my old Commodore 64 disc drive but no keyboard or games for that matter. I've been going through the titles on wiki and only strongly remember the Olympic Games titles. I know I had two Atari systems but I don't remember them fondly at all. Wiki says they were probably the VCS / 2600 and 5200. I do remember the wood of the VCS and because of that time period wood details were fairly popular I think. I know I had Pitfall, Empire Strikes Back, Spider-Man, and a James Bond game for the Atari systems. The others I can't remember. I need to check wiki on the Atari games too. I had other systems like Intellivision and Vectrex. Also, many small portables like Game & Watch titles, Frogger and other small arcades by Coleco. I still have my old Odyssey system, I need to check which version. 2. The arcade time period, which I enjoyed because of all the lights and sounds. And of course back then arcades were the top end games. Many of the arcades in malls were near the food area. So I remember the smells. That is something Disney World uses to make people happy. Also some arcades were in larger entertainment places that had batting cages, miniature golf, and go carts. I remember playing the original Street Fighter, the one with the large cushions buttons that you had to hit. As well as all the big moving SEGA arcade games like Thunderblade, Afterburner, and Outrun at the larger entertainment places. 3. Then the NES time period. This was the real start of things. Shigeru Miyamoto once said how the transition was from selling game time to selling game play. And although not every NES game was great. The thought put into so many of those titles compared to the old ones and games coming from arcades was fairly apparent even to a kid like me back then. Take Castlevania. Even with a time limit. As a kid, you feel like you are exploring the castle. Encountering all the classic monster characters. And the majority of sequels kept building better worlds in terms of graphics and sounds. That's some Contra collection. I was the kid who cut the box covers and put them on his wall. Contra 1 and 2 were up there. I stopped doing that when the SNES came around. That's interesting that they used the European artwork for the Contra cover. I love those first 3 games on NES and SNES. I know I played first two a lot in arcades but I can't remember beating them. But I do recall Contra being one of those games that I remember being better at home in terms of gameplay compared to the difficulty of the arcades although the arcade looks better. I own Shattered Soldier but I remember calling it Contra Boss Battles. And I made it to the final boss once without dying only to die because I switched to the wrong weapon by accident. I broke a controller because of that. I never played Contra Force, Hard Corps, or Contra 4. I'll give them a look.

Yeah, the Japanese version is just Macross. Southern Cross and New Generation (Mospeada) aren't related to Macross at all. I didn't figure that out till years later myself. But they do look similar with the animation and transforming military mechs.

I'm sure someone posted some Robotech toys here. I just started this auction topic for sketches of Rick Hunter from the opening of Robotech / Macross. https://www.cgccomics.com/boards/topic/471674-robotech-macross-cartoon-rick-hunter-opening-sketches-auction/ I really want cels from G.I. Joe and a few other 80s cartoons. But someone showed this to me. Would be nice if I could get just one but they have a lot of 16 sketches in the auction.

$350,000! Can you say which game cover it was? Dragon's Lair's art really didn't do much at all compared to that. I would really like to know a top 5. I'm attempting to search Heritage. But right now, I can't even think of a cover I would want that I would pay $350,000 for. I guess I thought Dragon's Lair would be in the high range. Kind of depressing to know that people are getting to $350,000. There are a few titles I'm kind of slowly looking for. Not really seriously though as I would rather see modern poster commission projects over the original artwork for the most part. Just like a Dragon's Lair I and II poster, I would take a Castlevania 1, 2, and 3 poster for example. But that Castlevania NES cover is really good. Same with Contra 1, 2, and 3. Gradius 1, 2, 3, and maybe Gradius V. Life Force. Ninja Gaiden 1, 2, and 3. Golgo 13 1 and 2. Double Dragon 1 and 2. Ghosts n Goblins and Ghouls and Ghosts. You get the idea. Those classic long running series.

This auction might be worth a watch. I still look for cels from G.I. Joe and other 80s cartoons. But someone just showed this auction to me. It's the first shot of Rick Hunter in the opening of Robotech in America or Macross in Japan. https://www.jauce.com/auction/s752544246 They are auctioning 16 sketches as a lot. Going by the sketch above, it seems like there are only 22 sketches in the sequence. If I had my VHS with jogging function hooked up I could check to be positive. But one of these could be by the character designer of the show since it's the opening. Just getting one would be good enough for me. But you have to win the whole thing.

With video game original artwork, what would be the top 5 or 10 priced pieces that you've seen? Perhaps I need to look into more video game art listings. I think that Castle of Illusion was the first original cover that I remember seeing for sale. We talked about it some time ago when Heritage didn't mention that it was used for the cover. That is one of my favorite Genesis games though. Perhaps I should have tried to win it a bit more considering the offers that people are making now.

Ok. Most of these books are deluxe for me anyway.

$5,000? That's crazy. I'll take a look. You need to log in to check prices and I have a few lots from the previous auction that I want to check anyway. Is there any reason Section Z is that expensive? Section Z's cover is good. That's probably why I got the game as a kid. And the background that was on those Capcom games. But the game was a let down for me. Just like with Deadly Towers, I tried it again when I was older before selling it. I think I got to the first section as I remember the cinema / check point scene. But figuring out the maze on your own is extremely difficult. But other map type games like Metroid, Goonies, and Golgo 13 1 and 2 on NES are still favorites. I missed or misread that link. Thanks. Good win. And nice collection. I probably saw your gallery before with the Star Trek 4 artwork. I need to watch Alphaville again. I remember it was a pretty cool detective type story. I know I screen capped some scenes including the opening. What are your plans for the Dragon's Lair art? Game room type setting? I'm slowly starting to look for old mall brochures that mention the arcades. I wish I kept more of that stuff. Last Gamer on youtube probably got me to remember the arcade designs when he made his arcade room.

2nd print of the collector's edition? Where are they posting this information? I believe Sensuous Frazetta deluxe still hasn't sold out.

I haven't ordered from TFAW in a while. I believe they are connected to Dark Horse. Usually I would get paperbacks and the occasional comic from them. Mostly Dark Horse stuff. Always bags and boards. No problems for me that I remember. I think they were always shipped in a box though. I even remember reading somewhere that people didn't have problems with their nick and dent stuff. Which I was concerned about getting a nick and dent instead of a new comic or collected edition. I can't remember ever purchasing a nick and dent myself. But I do remember always getting good deals during their holidays sales. I do want to get back to going to a comic shop. I have received damaged comics before from Midtown. But it was only once or twice. But I usually attempt to order a lot so I get a box and not a mailer from them. In my experience, mailers getting to you intact are really dependent on the mailing conditions. But if you go to a comic shop, there are no worries about condition when you pick your own comics. And even though there are only a few comic shops I remember really enjoying. I want to still find a good one and even start my own comic shop one day.

Those Dragon's Lair and Space Ace auctions were interesting to watch. Space Ace seemed to have more of a fight for the win. I guess we'll see in the future if a gamer puts these in their room on a youtube room tour. I don't know much about The Simpsons cels. There are a bunch on ebay. I don't think I've ever seen a full episode of The Simpsons. I've only seen this gif that people post around the Internet for various reasons. And I remember a scene with Bart calling a bar making alcohol jokes. When I think Mr. Plow my mind goes to a dirty place and I think of that robot in the Heavy Metal cartoon movie. Speaking about other video games, I was looking at next week's auction and saw Section Z on NES. Another nightmare game like Deadly Towers which I mentioned somewhere around here. When I hear the music for both I feel a certain level of disdain and disgust. For some reason, I think I had an original copy of Section Z. I know I never beat Section Z just like with Deadly Towers which is on auction as well. Right now at $210 for a sealed copy! For the complete high grade collector's collection I guess. But back to Section Z, I checked youtube for a play through and searched for a map of the levels. Supposedly a map came with the game. But I can't remember the map in my copy. Perhaps that was a later edition if kids were having problems completing the game.

I'm curious how high that NYX X-23 cover and concept lot will go. I remember getting the cover by luck because I was reading NYX.

I'm just waiting on the new version. I saw a story somewhere from the cinematographer that said the released Justice League is almost all reshoots. Which I can't believe that they would basically film two different movies. But we'll see when the original version comes out.

Anyone see this? It made me remember an Inspector Gadget figure I wanted when I was a kid. I never got it but remember seeing it in one of those holiday Toys R Us catalogs that would show up in the paper. Or perhaps it was a Kay Bee Toys catalog I can't remember. I just know after Thanksgiving or so, my Grandmother would have those catalogs out of I think the Sunday newspaper. I remember it was in plastic. Anyway, I might get this set. As a kid, I thought Inspector Gadget was cool with the helicopter hat and that transforming car. But I watched the first episode a year or so ago and it was terrible. Gadget was really incompetent and buffoonish. I recognized the voice as Max from Get Smart. But Max is funny and I can still enjoy that show. As well as many of my favorite old cartoons. Maybe I just wanted to see if Gadget would catch Claw in the cartoon. And the opening was cool. But man that first episode was hard to watch. Perhaps I'll watch a few more to see if my opinion changes.