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

[Gonzimodo]

On 5/15/2023 at 12:55 AM, factory sealed said:

 

I really enjoyed this time period for the red card POFs and in particular discovering these Boba Fett's had hand variant editions was absolutely spectacular.

This was a chance for allot of folks to get some vindication this time around in leaving that bubble/card in factory sealed condition! I would hit various stores early in the morning or knew specific times when new toy inventory was pushed out to the aisle as did many others. Made things very interesting and competitive especially that first few weeks of the release. Certain stores even had quantity limits on purchase amounts.   

I spent a lot of time lurking the aisles of Toys 'R Us waiting for the new cases of Star Wars figures during that period, too.  That lasted only for the first couple of waves before I came to my senses, and I stopped collecting them right when Hasbro switched to the green cards.  I still have all of them on their cards... in a storage tub under my pool table in the basement.  Time well spent 25+ years ago... 

[Gonzimodo]

On 5/15/2023 at 9:16 AM, F For Fake said:

This was indeed a fun time to collect, as SW started to creep back into the public consciousness. First the POTF2 toys, then the special editions, then the prequels. I was working at a comic shop at the time, and we'd get a box or two of the POTF figures, and they'd sell out within a couple of hours each time.

There are a lot of fun variants, like the various saber and tray lengths. The good thing is that for the most part they're not expensive, and you can find them mixed in with other figures pretty regularly. A few years ago I cleaned up all of the SS/LT and LS variants at a Flea Market, the figures mixed on a peg wall with the "regular" figures, for $4 a pop. Hard to believe enough time has passed to be nostalgic about this line, but there you have it all the same. 

Sadly, I'm not putting my kids through college with all the money I made on my investment in PoTF action figures back in the mid-90s. 

[Gonzimodo]

On 5/15/2023 at 9:16 AM, F For Fake said:

This was indeed a fun time to collect, as SW started to creep back into the public consciousness. First the POTF2 toys, then the special editions, then the prequels. I was working at a comic shop at the time, and we'd get a box or two of the POTF figures, and they'd sell out within a couple of hours each time.

There are a lot of fun variants, like the various saber and tray lengths. The good thing is that for the most part they're not expensive, and you can find them mixed in with other figures pretty regularly. A few years ago I cleaned up all of the SS/LT and LS variants at a Flea Market, the figures mixed on a peg wall with the "regular" figures, for $4 a pop. Hard to believe enough time has passed to be nostalgic about this line, but there you have it all the same. 

Looking back, it's strange to remember how dead as a property Star Wars was from about 1985 to 1995.  I was a Star Wars maniac as a kid, but even I moved on from the toys and didn't buy the original Power of the Force collection, even though Kay Bee Toys had huge bins of the figures for $1 each.  Oh, to have a time machine...

[F For Fake]

On 5/16/2023 at 10:04 AM, Gonzimodo said:

Looking back, it's strange to remember how dead as a property Star Wars was from about 1985 to 1995.  I was a Star Wars maniac as a kid, but even I moved on from the toys and didn't buy the original Power of the Force collection, even though Kay Bee Toys had huge bins of the figures for $1 each.  Oh, to have a time machine...

It's true, SW was D-E-A-D. Eventually Heir to the Empire came out, and the Dark Horse comics, but for the most part there was practically zero SW product for about 10 years. Then POTF2 showed up, and even when those launched, it was a pretty meager rollout. Toys R Us had a few pegs, hedging their bets on whether or not anyone would still care about Star Wars. Pretty soon the Special Editions came out, the toy line cranked up, then the prequels, and bam, Star Wars has been on the shelf without pause for 25+ years. I dropped out of SW collecting before the prequels wrapped up, it was just too much stuff. I eventually got into SW Lego when they first came out, but even that eventually became too much to follow. So, I like watching SW from the sidelines, but am glad I no longer collect them.

[Brandon Shepherd]

OMG OMG OMG!

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/lego-batcave-tim-burton-batman-returns-1235492333/amp/

[Gonzimodo]

On 5/16/2023 at 10:39 AM, F For Fake said:

It's true, SW was D-E-A-D. Eventually Heir to the Empire came out, and the Dark Horse comics, but for the most part there was practically zero SW product for about 10 years. Then POTF2 showed up, and even when those launched, it was a pretty meager rollout. Toys R Us had a few pegs, hedging their bets on whether or not anyone would still care about Star Wars. Pretty soon the Special Editions came out, the toy line cranked up, then the prequels, and bam, Star Wars has been on the shelf without pause for 25+ years. I dropped out of SW collecting before the prequels wrapped up, it was just too much stuff. I eventually got into SW Lego when they first came out, but even that eventually became too much to follow. So, I like watching SW from the sidelines, but am glad I no longer collect them.

I'm the same way.  I like to see what comes out, but I haven't actually bought any Star Wars toys since those first couple waves of POTF2.  GI Joe, on the other hand... 

[Gonzimodo]

On 5/16/2023 at 1:34 PM, Gonzimodo said:

I'm the same way.  I like to see what comes out, but I haven't actually bought any Star Wars toys since those first couple waves of POTF2.  GI Joe, on the other hand... 

Wait, no, I take that back.  I bought a Kenner Death Star playset and a Kenner Millennium Falcon about ten years ago since my original ones are long gone.  I also bought an AT-AT because I never had one as a kid, so I had to rectify that.

I'm always still eyeing the Imperial shuttle, Y-Wing, and B-Wing, but I can just never pull the trigger on them, mostly because I have no room to display them.

spoon, now that I think about it, I really am a filthy liar, because I did buy a Jabba's sail barge from HasLab.  I'm not sure how I forgot about a $500 purchase in that gigantic box in my basement... 

[F For Fake]

On 5/16/2023 at 1:42 PM, Gonzimodo said:

Wait, no, I take that back.  I bought a Kenner Death Star playset and a Kenner Millennium Falcon about ten years ago since my original ones are long gone.  I also bought an AT-AT because I never had one as a kid, so I had to rectify that.

I'm always still eyeing the Imperial shuttle, Y-Wing, and B-Wing, but I can just never pull the trigger on them, mostly because I have no room to display them.

spoon, now that I think about it, I really am a filthy liar, because I did buy a Jabba's sail barge from HasLab.  I'm not sure how I forgot about a $500 purchase in that gigantic box in my basement... 

So many lies! Tsk tsk!

I get it. For me the ships are the part I sometimes have a hard time passing up, as that's really what I like best about SW. I woulda/shoulda/coulda the Sail Barge every time I see one. I passed as I don't collect SW, but damn, at that price I really should have just bought the dumb thing. it's too cool. 

[F For Fake]

I've been planning on picking up these Mezco Five Points Destroy All Monsters sets for a while now. I did buy the Mothra set as it was about to sell out (and has since doubled in price), but the first to DOM sets don't seem to be moving very fast, so I haven't been in a hurry. Last week BBTS put the first set in one of their One Day Sales, and their price of $49.99 was the best I'd seen so far. So, I went ahead and grabbed it, and it's really nice. I love how the figures in this line aren't stylized at all; they're not updated or made to look smooth. They just look like miniature versions of the actual suits used in the movies, which is exactly what I want.

They come with several alternate heads and legs, allowing for different display options (crouching versus standing, flying, etc depending on the character). Includes two stands, one being a flight stand for Rodan which cleverly allows for him to be displayed in two different poses. And of course, Zilla's Atomic breath, and Mothra's silk. There simply aren't many figures of Mothra in larva form, so that alone is pretty awesome.

It's a really nice set. I'd still have enjoyed it at $80, but at $50 it's a steal. Hopefully the second set will go on sale at some point. The heavy hitters were in this set (I love you, Anguirus!) but the King Ghidorah in that second box looks really sweet. (Minya can suck it.)

[Gonzimodo]

On 5/16/2023 at 3:06 PM, F For Fake said:

So many lies! Tsk tsk!

I get it. For me the ships are the part I sometimes have a hard time passing up, as that's really what I like best about SW. I woulda/shoulda/coulda the Sail Barge every time I see one. I passed as I don't collect SW, but damn, at that price I really should have just bought the dumb thing. it's too cool. 

The sail barge is definitely too cool.  I just wish I had a place to display it.  I'd have to take down my USS Flagg, though... 

Edited May 16, 2023 by Gonzimodo
Typo

[Dave2739]

On 5/16/2023 at 3:32 PM, Gonzimodo said:

The sail barge is definitely too cool.  I just wish I had a place to display it.  I'd have to take down my USS Flagg, though... 

Just put it on the deck of the Flagg. Problem solved! 

[Gonzimodo]

On 5/16/2023 at 3:45 PM, Dave2739 said:

Just put it on the deck of the Flagg. Problem solved! 

I thought of doing, that actually!  

[Gonzimodo]

I've been really getting into the Marvel Retro 3.75" line recently.  I don't like most of the similar lines out right now, but for some reason, this one just feels right to me.  (I should absolutely be the target consumer for the GI Joe ReAction figures, but they mostly just irritate me.)  I got this guy in the mail today, and I love it!

[Dave2739]

On 5/16/2023 at 4:08 PM, Gonzimodo said:

I've been really getting into the Marvel Retro 3.75" line recently.  I don't like most of the similar lines out right now, but for some reason, this one just feels right to me.  (I should absolutely be the target consumer for the GI Joe ReAction figures, but they mostly just irritate me.)  I got this guy in the mail today, and I love it!

He fits on the deck of your Flagg a little bit better than Jabba's barge, I bet.

[factory sealed]

On 5/15/2023 at 9:16 AM, F For Fake said:

This was indeed a fun time to collect, as SW started to creep back into the public consciousness. First the POTF2 toys, then the special editions, then the prequels. I was working at a comic shop at the time, and we'd get a box or two of the POTF figures, and they'd sell out within a couple of hours each time.

There are a lot of fun variants, like the various saber and tray lengths. The good thing is that for the most part they're not expensive, and you can find them mixed in with other figures pretty regularly. A few years ago I cleaned up all of the SS/LT and LS variants at a Flea Market, the figures mixed on a peg wall with the "regular" figures, for $4 a pop. Hard to believe enough time has passed to be nostalgic about this line, but there you have it all the same. 

I had some great luck at this general grocery/drug type store that had a couple aisles of toys in scoring two SS/LT Lukes. I still remember the elation I felt when stumbling upon these to this day!

Did you ever get the theatrical "rare" green jedi Luke card? That was another big score I recall. 

[factory sealed]

On 5/16/2023 at 10:04 AM, Gonzimodo said:

Looking back, it's strange to remember how dead as a property Star Wars was from about 1985 to 1995.  I was a Star Wars maniac as a kid, but even I moved on from the toys and didn't buy the original Power of the Force collection, even though Kay Bee Toys had huge bins of the figures for $1 each.  Oh, to have a time machine...

I went to a gigantic toy show, think it was around 1998. Guess what I bought? All modern re-released SW stuff. Remember the deluxe 2 pack Han/Luke in Stormtrooper disguise? Well I landed that for $40 and thought what a deal!

So long story short, I was able to buy a bunch of items as moderns could be had on the cheap. There were so many tables and now it's later in the day and I'm ready to leave. Low and behold I run across a table with a guy who could stunt double for Santa and there layed out in toy shelf like condition are nearly all the G1 Transformer Decepticons mint factory sealed including a pre-rub SOUNDWAVE for $100 and MEGS for $150!!! It was at this moment I realized I had made a mistake putting all my eggs in one basket. I had no money left.

Speaking of your memories on vintage SW pieces, years later I would score a unicorn sealed C9 G1 SHOCKWAVE without rub sign. These were the very first release, not many existed, could have been a production error. I traded this for a tightly sealed C10 SW Death Star. Vintage slabbed SW is now so expensive, most average collectors are priced out of the market. To give you a reference point back in 2006ish, a collector was going through a divorce and offered me all of the original SW 12 backs graded and slabbed AFA 90 for $12K cash if I took them all. That same lot today would fetch in the $250K range.  

[Namtak]

Update on alien 1/2 scale figure 

The 1st arm is done and already halfway done with the second arm,here is a quick snapshots of the finished arm

Edited May 17, 2023 by Namtak

[Buzzetta]

Where are your toys?

Crushed or at the bottom of the sea.  Should be public and desktop accessible. 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrI-plpAqzR/?fbclid=IwAR0jjMY1uAZ5cXPPJGN5u35Dju7OpbgHiV53UMcW7vMXCdTYgmsNtjU_EoE

 

[Buzzetta]

Breaking news today that Mark Boudreaux passed away.  He had designed basically every Star Wars Millennium Falcon evah... from the original in the 70's to the Legacy version that was labeled the BMF... Falcon. 

https://outerrimnews.com/collecting/designer-of-the-kenner-millennium-falcon-mark-boudreaux-passes-away/

 

 

[F For Fake]

On 5/16/2023 at 9:43 PM, factory sealed said:

I had some great luck at this general grocery/drug type store that had a couple aisles of toys in scoring two SS/LT Lukes. I still remember the elation I felt when stumbling upon these to this day!

Did you ever get the theatrical "rare" green jedi Luke card? That was another big score I recall. 

Yes! I was working at a comic shop at the time, and we had a deal with the local alternative weekly, where they'd advertise the store, and we'd serve as their spot for ticket giveaways and such. So we used to always get sneak preview passes to new movies, and opening day tickets for free, which included the Star Wars Special Editions. So, I actually got mine at the theater. He's long gone, but that really was a fun time.