Recent Toy Show Score

Last Sunday was the annual toy show in Albany.  I went last year, and found some pretty good stuff(you can read about it here, here and here).

It’s a small affair, but there are plenty of deals to be had.  There were a few more vendors then there were last year, and about twice as many people in attendance.

Below are my action figure scores.  I also purchased a handful of packs of older trading cards, but that’s for another time, and another blog.

Everything you see above, cost me a total of $16!  Not a bad deal at all!

Lion-O was originally priced at $8, but I was able to get the seller down to $6.  He came with his claw shield, but it looks like one of his eyes could be burnt out.  The seller and I were unable to confirm this, which is why we agreed $6 would be fair.

Snout Spout, Sgt. Bananas and Robocop were purchased in a lot deal for a total of $5.

Snout Spout’s head is incredibly loose, and his legs are very loose at the hips, but I’ve wanted to add him to the collection for a while, so this one will be fine as a placeholder.

Robocop is from the Robocop and The Ultra Police line.  He is missing his gun, but he does have his helmet, which is missing almost all of the time.  If I can find strip caps(is that the right phrasing?), I’m sure the cap-firing action will still work.

Sgt. Bananas is in almost pristine condition, and he’s not a figure I have come across in the wild.  He’s one of the more wild looking figures, and fits my collecting focus for old-school TMNT(which is secondary characters).  The only variant Turtles I’d like at this point, are the cartoon Turtles and the Movie Star Turtles.

And lastly, we have the Cobra Viper from the 1990 G.I. Joe Sonic Fighters line.  This was a steal at $5(there was no need to haggle here), since he is complete.  Not only is he complete, but the batteries were still in the backpack, and the sounds still work!  The sounds are pretty generic, but it’s still a pretty awesome feature.  Had I known that the backpacks still worked, I would have bought the other Sonic Fighters he had(all were only $5, and they were all complete).  This came from the same seller I got Shockwave from, and this guy has great prices, and all of his figures are complete.

Breakdown of Auction Awesomeness!

Finally!

*This is a little long-winded*

In my last post, I showed the video game scores I was able to add to the collection.  For this post, we will see my share of the toys we were able to win.

Literally, we will start off small.

Here we see a couple of dinosaur erasers, a pterodactyl stamper and a generic pterodactyl.  But the real stars of this group are the 2 TMNT mini “sidekicks”.  Pictured above is Fish Stix(who came with Ray Fillet), and Mutant Fly Friend(who came with Napolean Bonafrog).  These Sidekicks are basically accessories for certain figures, and as such were commonly lost.  But they appeal to me, and I am now sort of collecting them.

Three of these are McDonald’s Changeables.  The French fries on the left, and the Quarter Pounder are from the first Changeables series(the first series were robots), while the fries on the right are from the second series(the second series were dinosaurs).  I’ll never pass up ones that I don’t have, and they’ll typically run you 25-50 cents(I’m partial to the robot variety), but expect to pay way more if you decide to look for them on Ebay.

The second toy(the ones that I haven’t already mentioned), is another carton of French fries, but I have no idea what it is from.  It’s stamped 1989 Hallmark Cards, and I have no idea what, or where it’s from.  I would guess that it’s another fast food toy, but I can’t be sure.  Any help identifying it is appreciated.

And now we’ll move onto some larger, more familiar action figures.

Any Ghostbusters I usually find are broken, or extremely played with.  These 2 are from 2 different lines, but I didn’t have an Egon or Peter until now(and they’re the 2 best ones).  Egon is from the Slimed Heroes line, and Peter is from the Fright Features line.  The Fright Features figures were pretty cool(I also have Winston from this line).  You would activate the features by pushing down(the obvious), outstretched arm.  The feature makes their faced go all crazy-cartoony scared.  It’s actually a pretty cool gimmick.

Here is 3 different lines of awesome!  First up is Witterquick from Visionaries.  I already had him, but my previous figure was missing his helmet, as well as a thumb.  Upon closer inspection, you will also notice that his chest hologram is not correct.  His hologram is supposed to be that of a cheetah, not an eagle(?).  The funny thing is that the figure that was previously in my collection also had the incorrect chest hologram(don’t remember what it was, it’s already been passed on).  These figures aren’t exactly common, making it a nice find.

The we have a DC Comics Super Heroes Robin.  It’s basically the same figure as the Robin from the Super Powers line, with a few differences, of which I don’t know the exact specifics.  I would love to get a Batman to accompany him, as he is displayed next to my only Batman figure(it’s from the Nolan trilogy, but I don’t know the exact figure, it was a gift).  The figures from this line I have a few memories of, specifically the black suit Batman with the grappling hook belt(currently looking for one).  Robin’s kick feature works well, and his cape is intact!

Then there’s Steelwill from Silverhawks!  I haven’t crossed paths with a Silverhawks figure since I got Quicksilver back in 1986.  When I found this guy, he was missing an arm, but it was included, and an easy fix.  The action feature works well, and although worn, it still displays pretty nice.

And the hits just keep on coming!

I never thought that I would ever be able to find and purchase Rock Lords somewhere other than Ebay.  On the right is Boulder, and on the left is Magmar(I know that there is also a Pokémon with this same name).  What’s pretty neat that these two just happen to be the leaders of the respective good and evil Rock Lords.  I was pretty amped to find ’em!

Lock Lips is the star of this group(and maybe of all the figures found).  Madballs are hard enough to come by, so Never in a million years did I ever think that I would come across any of the head-pooping action figures.  It’s feature works very well, and the figure itself is in pretty nice condition.

The Masters of the Universe knock-off only has MACAU printed on the side of one of the legs.  I have nothing else on it.

And rounding out the trio is a Rambo figure.  I had a few of these when I was a kid, and while nice, I’m actually indifferent with this one.  At least he’s wearing his trademark bandana.

The following all came ion the lot with the TMNT Sewer Playset(as well as other figures and accessories), and we got it all for $25!!  Insane!

I thought that it was pretty awesome to fins the Tiger Force “Tiger Shark”.  We have Tiger Force Recondo, and Tiger Force Frostbite.  Destro is the second version of the figure, and is a fine addition to the Joe collection.  The Tiger Sharks stickers all seem to be there and are in great shape.  I wouldn’t mind adding a couple more of the vehicles from this line in the future.

And obviously, there were TMNT figures to be had.  There were a pretty decent number of figures, and I needed these.

Ray Fillet’s accessories(including Fish Stix), are accounted for.  Tokka’s fingers are chewed on the left hand, but now Rahzar has his partner.  He’s basically Slash, and I’d compare, but mySlash fell ofo of his shelf, and his head broke off(can’t be fixed).  Panda Khan had a few accessories in the mix.  There were a lot of accessories in the lots, and a good amount of them actually went to the figures in the lot.  There were also weapons and accessories for figures that weren’t in the lot.  Almost everything that goes with Mutagen Man was present, except Mutagen Man himself.  But considering the amazing luck we had at this auction, I have zero room to complain about a figure not being there.  But I now have the small, easily-lost parts for the Mutagen Man I will eventually add.

The Party Wagon is in pretty good shape, with a few flaws.  The side mirrors have been chewed and mangled, as has the radar on the, windshield shield?  You know what I mean.

It’s missing on of the Foot Bombs, and that’s about all that’s wrong with it.  Maybe I can do a comparison post of this and the 25th Anniversary Party Wagon.

And that’s what stayed with me!  I sure hope future auctions yield similar lots.  If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

Raphael 2012

The fourth and final of Turtles, Raphael.

I was able to snag Raph for $7.77 at my local Wal-Mart about a month ago(Wal-Mart now has them priced at$8.88) Just like the rest of the Turtles, Raph was included with a “Ninja Arsenal.  He has the same 9 points of articulation as only the Turtles have, and a pretty decent range of motion.  His skin tone is also the darkest of the four, just as he is in the show.

You can see that his trademark crack wasn’t forgotten, which shows that the sculptors were paying attention.  This line so far, for me, has been aces.  And it looks like it’s sure to get even better.

There was enough attention to detail, that we are treated to having a Raphael figure that can hold one of his sais in his trademark manner(you know what I’m talking about).  I have to give Playmates an A+ for the amount of playability that the line has thus far.

The future looks promising for this line, and I’m excited to see how it’ll turn out.  The show is great, and the stores I have been to lately, have had most of their stock depleted.

Here’s the mean, lean, green incredible team.

Albany Comic Con : The Haul

So, yesterday I went to Albany Conic Con.  This is the second year that I attended, but this time I didn’t take any pictures.  The attendance seemed to be higher this year(it actually runs twice a year, but I attend the fall one), and at times, it was a little hard to maneuver through the crowd.  Keep in mind that this is a small con held at the Holiday Inn.

It was a great time, and there were plenty of great deals.

I’ll highlight everything in a few different posts.  Today, I’ll just highlight a few of the comics that I picked up.

This one is long over due.  This has got to be one of the most iconic covers in Marvel history!  This was a big series when it came out, and this is the first time I’ve owned it since.  I couldn’t get the dollar out of my pocket fast enough!

Like Spider-Ham from Marvel, you can’t go wrong with DC’s Captain Carrot.  These are good, fun reads!

I know close to nothing about the TMNT comics from IDW.  I do know that this is a 1 in 10 variant sketch cover though.  The seller had it marked for $10, but said that everything was 50% off.  I ended up getting it for $3.50.  I’ll probably have to pick up the collected editions(if they exist), if I actually want to read the this(micro)series.

The Punisher is the first comic that I actively collected.  I’m always happy to fill the early gaps in the series.  I picked up issue #13 as well.

This is another title I collected in my first years of comic collecting, although I think the title had changed to Avengers West Coast by that time.  50 cents was too hard to resist for issue #2!

Those are just the highlights of 11 comics that came home with me.  I also got a few toys, as well as some packs of some great early 90’s trading cards.  We’ll get to that stuff in a few days.

Trade With Action Figs & Things – Part III

This is the third, and final part of the recent trade with Action Figs & Things.

Everything in this trade was awesome, but I saved my favorite for last.

These were 2 needed additions to my old-school TMNT collection.  My focus on the line is diverted to unique characters, with little focus on Turtle variations(there are a few exceptions).  I’ve wanted to add Splinter to the collection for a while, but I always seem to find him without his robe.  For me, the robe needs to be included, in orderr to warrant a purchase.  This remedies that situation.

Triceraton is another figure that I’ve had at the top of my list, and he even came with his blaster.  This figure was released in 1990.  But the Triceraton race actually has it’s roots in the old-school TMNT comics.  So this figure has a lot going for it.

Due to limited space at the moment, Splinter will probably be the only one of the 2 to be displayed(the M.U.S.C.L.E.s and Nemesis Enforcer will be on display as well).

Thanks again Anthony!

Michelangelo 2012

Just like how Krang is now “Kraang”, Michaelangelo, is now “Michelangelo”.  The little differences in these 2 names, is the only thing that I don’t like about the new TMNT line/show.  It’s no secret that I love the new figures.

Just as he always has been, Mikey is still the fun-loving jokester of the crew.  When Ninja Turtles first hit the cartoon scene back in 1988, Mikey was my favorite.  This didn’t last long, as Donnie became my favorite a short time later.  So I guess you could say that he would be my second favorite.  I think part of the reason I originally like Mikey, was because he was the one wielding nunchucks.  And a lot(and I mean a lot), of kids loved nunchucks, me included.

As is the case with the other Turtles, Mikey’s skin shade differs from that of his brothers.  He is also the shortest of the four, or the “runt of the litter”, as the card back refers to him.  He has the same articulation as the other Turtles(the other non-Turtle figures in this line have much more limited articulation, which is a minus for me).  I think that this is probably the best articulation that a Turtle figure has had(with the exception of the NECA figures).

I’ve always hated that the nunchucks never had real chain links.  I’m not saying that they have to be metal, but even if the plastic was individually linked(like the ‘chucks old-school Panthro came with)it would look that much better.  But, they work, and it’s not like I didn’t know they were plastic in the first place.

He’s a great figure, and I can only hope that the Turtles catch on with the kids of today(as I’m sure they will), and we get some more awesome figures.

I already picked up Raph, so the team shall be complete soon!

New Stuff and a Pretty Awesome Find

Where does the time go?!  We’re already in September, and the cooler weather is moving in.  I had my last camping trip of the summer this past weekend, and I had one of my best friends visit me the weekend before.  Before I knew it, almost two weeks had gone by without a single post.

So that’s the story.  But in the time I was away, I managed to have a few items come my way.

Whether good or bad, I always love to get new NES games to add to the collection.  In my opinion both of these are decent games.  Stinger was given to me from my friend Mike.  He was at a video game store, picked up two copies, and gave one to me.  The boss at the end of the first stage is a giant slice of anthropomorphic watermelon!  Mystery Quest was an Ebay find, nothing too special.  I had this game when I was a kid, but I don’t remember much of it.  The only thing that I specifically remembered, was that your health was referred to as “vitality”.  It’s a little bit of a rip-off of a mario game, but it’s different enough to be enjoyable.

Not including shipping, I paid $2.05 for this 1992 April.  Not bad.  Not bad.  The card is a little warped, but may be able to be fixed.  It’s also unpunched.  As you can see, this is a 5th anniversary figure(“New for ’92!”).  Any time I can get a carded, old-school TMNT figure for a great price, I won’t pass it up.

And here is the most recent, but also, most awesome find.

Ready?

Bam!

This has to be one of my favorite finds ever!  And I almost didn’t see it.  I was at the “Red Barn”, and happened to catch it out of the corner of my eye when I was starting to leave.  I grabbed and just could not believe it.  It’s just one of those toys you don’t expect to find in the wild anymore.  Voltron is a long time favorite of mine, but I was much more into the show when I was a kid.  This was one of the toys that I always wanted, but never got(I do have one from ’97-’98).  My friend Rob got it for me, and said it was the birthday gift he forgot to give me.  What a guy!

The best part?  The lions are in excellent shape!  As you can see on the box, this is the blue and red lion set.  We’ll take a closer look at these in the near future, but here’s this for now.

Finds From the Thrift Store

This past weekend, I was introduced to a new thrift store(new to me anyway).  Of all the thrift stores that I have been to, this one seemed to have the best selection.  They had NES games, Genesis games, toys, and lots of other cool stuff.  The best thing of all though, was that they were having a 75% off sale.  Video games and electronics were not part of this sale(they were 20% off), so I decided to check out the toy section.  There were a few TMNT figures that I already have, but there was one that I had never realled seeing before.

This is Antrax.  I know that there were characters for almost any animal that you can think of, but I don’t remember this guy.  I thought he looked cool, so I decided to buy him.  His original asking price was $8(way too high, I think), but with the 75% off, he only set me back $2.  He’s completely void of accessories, and missing his antennas, and mandibles.  Still, I’m glad I picked him up.

I was informesd, when I bought Antrax, that I found him in the vintage toy section.  There was another toy section in the back with more current toys, but other stuff had been found there.  So I figured it was worth a peek, and found this beauty!

It’s the Captain Power – Powerjet XT-7!  The box is still sealed on one side, and the other side has been taped shut.  The contents of the box is loose(and rattles around in the box), but I was assured that everything that was supposed to be in there, was in there.  I would like to get some adhesive remover to get the tape off of the box, and then I’ll have a peek inside(I of course, want the box to look as nice as possible).  Now most of the time, I’d be ripping into the box before I bought it, to make sure it’s all there.  But, with the sale, I got it for $5, instead of the $20 it was originally marked for.  I love when I can find 80s toys in their original packages for a price that I’m comfortable with(which seems to be getting to be a rare thing).  The box is nowhere near mint, but I still love the look of packaging.  I’ll definitely be going back to that store soon.

Leonardo 2012

I picked up Leo here when I got Donatello.  I originally was going to just get Donnie, but at $8.99 a piece, it made it easy to buy two(Wal-Mart has the for $7.77, but that’s a story for another time).

Leo’s shorter, and his green skin is a different shade than Donnie’s.  This is a nice touch.  Each of the Turtles have a little bit more uniquenesss because of this, and that’s a good thing.  I love the old-school figures, but I’m liking the differences that they have made.

As is the case with all of the Turtles, Leo came with his standard weapons(in his case, katanas), as well as a rack of other ninjas weapons(each figure has a different set).  They’ll just end up in a ziplock bag, stored away.  I think that it’s a nice that they’re included, but I don’t have any use for them at the present time.

I plan on getting all 4 Turtles, but I’m not so sure about the other figures that came out in this wave.  The other figures have less articulation, but they do look cool.  Once the show airs, I may be swayed into picking them up.  And the next wave is shaping up to be awesome, with the addition of Metalhead!  I’m really interested in how he’s going to look.  Could be good, but could also be very bad.  Time will tell.

I am pleased so far, and I hope this line and show does great.  It’ll be really cool to see the new generation of kids get into the Turtles just like we did.  I can’t recommend the figures enough.  Once you have one, you’ll want all four.

Donatello 2012

I haven’t anticipated a toy line like this in a very long time.  As you should be able to tell, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is one of my all-time favorite toy lines.  I got into the toys and the cartoon series early, and moved to the older Mirage comics in my early teens.  And though there has been quite a few carnations of the Turtles in the past, this incarnation looks interesting.  It’s almost like a mix of the original Turtles from the comics, mixed with the ones we knew as kids.

I stopped at Toy R Us this past weekend, and they had every other scale in stock, except the ones I was looking for!  They even had the Classics.  I was about to purchase the Classics Donatello(he is my favorite), when I figured I would check out the nearby Target.  My plan was, if Target didn’t have any Turtles, I would go back to TRU and buy the Classics Donatello.

And as they have in the past, Target came through!  They had at least one of every figure in this scale, except for Krang(I know, I know, he’s now Kraang).  I already knew I would get Donatello.  But at $8.99 each, I bought two(you’ll see him in a few days).  I love the new look of the Turtles, and think that the figures(so far), are prety nice to look at.  I always get nervous when new incarnations of shows and characters I grew up with go into production.  But just like Thundercats, this line will get my money(and of course I’ll be watching the series).

The other 3 Turtles all have their teeth showing, but not Donnie.  From the back of the card, we can see that Donnie has gap-teeth.  While this seems a bit weird, I’m curious to see how it fits in to his personality.  The articulation is better than the old-school figures, and it works.  Besides his trademark Bo, he also came with a weapon rack(similar to the ones we got with the originals).

I will have all four of them.  In my opinion, you need to have all four Turtles.

I’m not going to have any time to write this weekend, so, we’ll see the next one in a few days(I may have a few more by that time though 🙂 ).