Yard Sale Finds #15

I had high expectations for yard sales for the past couple of weeks.  And while I have found some things, there hasn’t been much that has interested me.  On top of that, some people are asking for too much for a lot of things.  This past weekend, I found a handful of things.  The weekend before, I hardly found anything.  So I lumped both weekends together, to make a more robust post.

First we’ll start with some reading material.

I am nowhere near as into wresting as I was back in the day.  I stopped watching somwhere back in 2002.  It seemed like it was more of a soap opera more than anything else.  I liked to watch it for the matches, and it seems like there’s too much dialogue, and plots to actually give you that consistantly.  But Hulk Hogan has been a favorite of mine since I was like 5 years old.  And from what I’ve read in the past, wresting biographies are a decent read.  This book has a cover price of $26!  But I got it for 25 cents.  So even if it’s horrible, I won’t be kicking myself for buying it.  The Guiness Book of World Records, is a bit dated since it’s the 2004 edition(not to mention it’s the paperback).  But it’s always a good book to flip though, making it perfect bathroom reading.  And for 25 cents, it was hard to resist.

Everything above set me back $3.75.  The Game Cube games were a mere $1 each.  Which was refreshing, because you have people these days, trying to sell the crappiest PS2 games for $5 or more.  The same people were also selling Wii games for $3 each(these people had great prices for everything), but there wasn’t anything I was interested in.  Bloodsport was still in the factory shrinkwrap, and was sold to me for $1.50.  I bought it at “The World’s Biggest Yard Sale”(it really wasn’t), from a seller who had probably more than 1000 DVDs(some brand new, and some used).  I didn’t stick around for too long to check everything out, as people were all up on this great deal.  The Pee-Wee’s Playhouse tape was 25 cents at a sale we stopped at later in the day.  It’s one of the original VHS releases from 1988.  The funny thing is that I found a brand new VCR head cleaner(still sealed with the FYE price tag in tact), which comes in handy, since I do have a small collection of VHS tapes.

Pretty much the only toys I saw were either newer toys from properties that were from somwhere in the last 10 years, or they were of the fast food variety.  So it was slim pickin’s.

Although her nose seems to be chewed off, there was no way I could turn down this Cheetarah figure for 50 cents.  She was my last fing of the day, and I almost didn’t see her!  I’m happy if I could find figures from the eighties, as they are getting harder and harder to find in the wild.  My old-school Thundercats collection is lacking, so I’ll take what I can find.  And lastly, I found a Micro Machine for 25 cents.  Unlike my last yard sale post, this one is an official Micro Machine by Galoob.  I checked on that before I inquired about it.  I probably still would have bought it even if it “wasn’t the real thing!”.

And that’s it.  I did pick up a few new things that I plan on reviewing this week.  I know I was MIA in July for the most part, but I would like to rectify that.  I have the urge to write more, and I have some stuff that I want to write about(a winning combination).

Yard Sale Finds #12, Dino-Riders & Reppin’ “The Pizza”

Has it been a week?

Well, the Rangers got eliminated from the conference finals on Friday(I’m a big fan of the Rangers, and they had a great season), so I’ll probably be posting stuff more often now.  This past weekend was pretty good for yard sales.  But surprisingly, there weren’t nearly as many as there usually are, considering it was Memorial Day weekend.  I did pretty good, and only spent a total of $5!  The bad news is that I only took 1 picture of everything together, and didn’t get any up close shots, as I had already put the things in their respective(new)places.  So here it is!

Not bad.  The Game Boy Pocket was only 2 bucks(it works), and Paperboy was included!  “The Empire Strikes Back” Burger King glass was a steal for a mere quarter.  I’ve been a fan of those little fuzzy googly eye things(not sure if they have a formal name) since I was a kid, and a kit where I can make as many as I want for only 50 cents?!  Sold!  The Flower(from Bambi), figure was in a “free” box at one of the sales, as was the Deiner dinosaur eraser.  Some of these can fetch some good money, but I’m not planning on getting rid of it.  The Pee Wee’s Playhouse Christmas special was 75 cents, and I found it at the same sale that I found my favorite items.  Skeletor, Bruise Brother and the Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos figure were only 50 cents each!  These are the things I specifically look for when I’m out yard saling.  And they’re getting harder and harder to find in the wild.  The Madball(Bruise Brother), is definitely my find of the weekend.  Now, he is displayed right next to Touchdown Terror.

And check these out!

Now, I don’t plan on opening these.  But I do plan on doing a post with some more insight on these great little figures.  I got both of these together for $15 including shipping(do a search on Ebay right now, and you should be able to get them for $9.99 each with free shipping.  She has 6-8 packs of each different 2-pack).  I’ll save the story for when I do a more detailed write-up.

And reppin’ “The Pizza”!

If you have never read the words of The Surfing Pizza, get on it now!  “The Pizza” is one of my favorite blogs that I regularly read.  Pizza’s writing is far better than anything I’ve ever written.  And if you like what you read here, you’ll be a fan of “The Pizza”.  Recently Pizza got a batch of stickers promoting(is that the word I’m looking for?)The Surfing Pizza, and was sending them to anyone who wanted one(not sure if he has any left, but here’s the link).  He sent me 2, and the one you see above is on my car.  Get yours today!

I’ll be back in less than a week this time.  Ha!  I’ll try anyway.  🙂

Yard Sale Finds #11, and…

It seems like that time of the year is upon us.  The time when the weather’s warm, and you need any excuse not to be in the house.  It’s late spring, and it is now, yard sale season.

There were quite a few sales in my surrounding area.  But I didn’t find a whole lot that caught my interest.  I did find some neat stuff though.

First is this freebie.

This was unmarked at one seller’s table.  And when I inquired about the price, she told me I could have it for nothing!

Another angle.

I’m not sure when this promotion ran at McDonald’s, but the last copyright date on the glass is 1965.  Anybody know?

There were tons of vhs and dvd’s available, but they were either horribly overpriced(and some in pretty rough shape), or they just weren’t very desirable.  That being said, I did manage to find a few that peaked my interest.

I am a New York Rangers fan, and these dvds peaked my curiosity, as I’ve never seen anything like these.   One is a random Rangers game from 2009 against the Washington Capitals.  And the second is a National Hockey League “Rule Enforcement” dvd for the 2008-2009 season.  I’ll try to find out some further info on these.

The vhs tape is The Trolls and the Christmas Express.  From what is depicted on the case, this movie seems very familiar.  The animation is unique, and I’d love this to be another holiday movie I can watch during the season.  For 25 cents, there wasn’t much risk.

And video games.

(not pictured : The Genesis controller that I got for free.)

Typically, I wouldn’t buy a carrying case for a handheld system, unless it’s one for the old-school Game Boys.  But, the case that I keep all of my Game Boy games in, it getting crowded and I could use the room.  I can use the case to primarily house my original Game Boy games, while the carrying case can hold the “SP” itself, as well as many games as I can fit.  50 cents well spent!

I went to the sales with my buddy Mike, and like me, he collects NES games(although not on the same scale as I do).  At the first sale we hit, I found the 2 games pictured, in a spot he had just looked at.  He couldn’t believe that he passed right by them.  They’re nothing special, but a great find at $1 a piece.  I have never learned how to play Othello, but it’s a great addition, nonetheless.  The other cart is Flying Dragon : The Secret Scroll(it says this on the top part of the label, while the face says it’s The Secret Scroll : Flying Dragon.).  I have never played this one either, but I have never come across it before, so I hope it’s decent.

Also, Lilo & Stitch for PS1.  I don’t know if the game itself is any good, but a PS1 game for 50 cents is hard to leave behind.  🙂

Now, as you can see, I didn’t find any toys!  That’s the bad news.  The good news, is that I did get all of my Ebay purchases in the mail.  So we’ll take a look at one of those.

G1 Cosmos!!  Cosmos has long been my favorite of the little Transformers.  How could you not love a transforming U.F.O.?  His alt mode is a very classic looking flying saucer.  He cost me a total of $7, but $4.50 of that was for shipping.  But he also came with his Tech Specs, so that’s not too bad.  It’s always nice when I get the opportunity to add another G1 figure to my collection.

I did get a few other things.  The other items are all MISB.  My question is…should I do individual posts?  Or, do I showcase them in a single post?  There a re a total of 3 items.  But 2 of them are related, and have to be written about together.  So, I’ll let you guys choose.  If I don’t get any votes, I’ll see how I want to go about this.

League Assignment and Extras

For this week’s assignment, Brian asked…

Besides the Batmobile, what is the sweetest ride cruising the streets of pop culture?

There are so many great possibilities for this(the Tim Burton Batmobile is the best, in case you were wondering).  Before we get to the ride I would most like to get behind the wheel of, I’d like to show you guys my runner-up.

(photo credit – http://www.flickr.com/photos/winterwoman/2180330085/)

Pee wee’s bike just looks awesome!  I don’t care that it probably really slow and clumsy.  But theres so much awesome in this bike, that it doesn’t really matter.  But ther is one vehicle that would be really fun test drive.

(it’s the best shot I could find on Google)

The Thundertank was probably my favorite 80’s vehicle/accessory.  A real life version of this beast would be amazing!  This would make for the party wagon!  I remember my yonger brother and I having remote-controlled versions of the Thundertank, and even finding a Thundertank(as well as some Thundercats figures), on the curb headed for the trash, while we were on vacation in Ohio!  It’s a ride that I have always thought was co0l.

And speaking of Thundertanks…

This was the mystery item that I eluded to in my last post.  But I’ll go more into detail with the review I have planned for this.

I hit up a few thrift store in the last couple of days, and I ended up finding some pretty cool stuff.

I purchased all of the above games at a new local thrift shop for $1 each, with the exceotion of Toughguy Contest, which was 99 cents at Goodwill.  With the exception of Bubble Bobble, I didn’t have any of the other games in my collection(I’ll sell the extra Bubble Bobble to offset the cost of my hobbies 🙂 ).  I did pretty well with these, but they’ll be staying with me.

Both the Starfox 64 Player’s Guide and the “Coming out of Their Shells Tour” vhs were $1 each at the same thift shop.  These are 2 more items that are for the personal collection(nobody should want the TMNT tape, it’s horrible!).  These were some good finds on the first trip to the new shop, so I’ll stop by again sometime.

Check out some other sweet rides at Cavalcade of Awesome (I knew that would be your #1 pick Paxton!!)

You can read about lok’s pick over at That Figures.

Ashely from Life With Fandom had some really good picks.

Triple Play #1

The title of this post refers to the 3 items that will be showcased tonight.  As you may have guessed judging by the number in the title, this will be an ongoing feature here.  The items that will be featured will be random, and will cover recent acquisitions as well as other items that I may not have much commentary for.

We’ll start off with the newest addition.

I found this gem at Richie Rich’s(I definitley know I’ve mentioned this place recently).  Myself and two friends found ourselves there because one of the said friends was looking for something in particular(as portable range, like a stove-top).  There were a few things that caught my interest(Upwords, which is a pretty cool boardgame, and a Joe Camel ashtray, to name a few), but I did’nt have much in spending cash.  I’ve been going to this place for years, and I get along with the people who run the place, so I usually get pretty good deals .  This tape would normally cost 2 dollars, but they sold it to me for half price.  I not only like it because it’s an old-school TMNT tape, but because it’s an old rental.  I can never say no to tapes like this because you never know what kind of advertisements or commercials may proceed the actual content.  And you just don’t see that with today’s advancements in technology(most notably, DVDs.

I have had this Blanka figure for about 5 years now.  This was one of the first five purchases that I ever made on Ebay.  Ken and Ryu are the characters I tend to gravitate towards when it comes to Street Fighter.  But there is no denying that Blanka is by far, the coolest looking character from the franchise.  This was released in 2005 by Sota Toys.  On the left side of the package it says Round 2.  I believe this means this is from the second wave.  I assume this because on the back of the package it shows the figure assortment.  The figures shown are Blanka, Ken, T. Hawk, Cammy and Vega(which all look great).  I would think Ryu and Chun-Li would be among the first figures released, due to the popularity of the characters.  The regular variation of this figure is a flat green and orange(I don’t know if they did alternate color schemes or not), while this one is transluscent green and orange.  There is also a variation of this figure which glows in the dark.  The figure comes with an alternate head, as well as alternate hands.  There also appears to be something else, but I can’t make out what it is, as it’s obstructed by label on the front.

I ended up getting this Pee-Wee’s Playhouse children’s cup from my step brother.  He had it with the rest of his glasses and cups, and, one day I happened to notice it.  I think I traded him a few cigarettes for it(he wasn’t attached to it).  There is also a matching plate and bowl, which my step brother didn’t have.  I’ve seen the complete sets on Ebay a few times over the years, and they don’t come cheap!  Even though the handle is broken off on this one, I love it just the same.  I love the show and the character, so this uncommon piece is right at home with me.

Yard Sale Finds #9

Before we get to what I was able to find at the sales this weekend, I want to share my thoughts on the latest Transformers movie.  For what it is, it’s a good movie.  I have realized that movies cater to the masses, and everything evolves and changes as time goes by.  If this helps get the newer generations into the property, that’s cool.  Of course it’s not exactly what I wanted to see, but I’m happy it’s come as far as it has.  It was entertaining and that’s the bottom line.  I could be selfish and go into how I would have made it the perfect movie, but that would only be my opinion.

Now that that’s over with, let’s get to what I was able to find on this past weekend’s excursion.

We left for the sales this weekend a lot later than usual (12:15pm).  This may have been a factor in why little caught my attention.  The best deals are to be had early in the morning.  But I did manage to score a few deals.

I bought the vhs tape, hoping that there might some old commercials on it.  I haven’t been able to screen it yet, so I don’t know if it was a valid purchase.  But it was only 25 cents, so it was worth a shot.  The Rubik’s Cube was a good deal at a quarter as well, being that it’s not in the greatest condition(but it’s an original).  The Halloween II dvd is in pristine condition and was a steal for $1.00.

Here we have a Muppet Babies growth chart(1991) and the February 1987 issue of Radio Electronics.  I am saving the growth chart for when we have a child of our own, and it was free!  The magazine was a dime.  There is an ad that I want to share for a later post, and than I want to donate it to a site that can appreciate it.  Here’s a full size shot of the growth chart(it’s pretty cool).

The items that you have just seen are the least interesting of what I was able to find.  Now you’ll see the stuff that I was more than happy to take home.

Each of these guides cost me a quarter each.  There was a stack of them that also included Animal Crossing and a few Star Wars games.  They were all either Nintendo Power or Official Prima Strategy Guides.  I have only played Super Mario Sunshine once, but you can never go wrong with Mario(i’ll get the game someday).  Wind Waker is my second favorite Zelda game(i know a lot of hard core gamers hate this game, but I love it).  I have beaten the game numerous times, but this will help me finish it 100%(getting all of the figurines is hard as hell!).

Each of these games cost only $1.00 each!  I bought Defcon 5 at the same sale I bought Halloween II at.  It doesn’t have the instruction manual, but it’s my first”tall box” PS1 game, and it only ran me a buck!  I found the 3 SNES games in a box of SNES games, but all of the games were sports games.  The 3 I bought(while still in the sports genre), were ones I needed and were the best of the lot.  At this sale, I also found Pokemon Red for Game Boy Color, and the guy running the sale gave it to me for free.  I tried to play it when I got home, and it instantly powers off when you try to turn it on.  If anybody knows why this would happen, please let me know.

And lastly…here’s the toys I was able to score.

From left to right we have a Burger King Capitol Critters toy from 1992(remember that show?).  I believe this is Max at the Jefferson Memorial.  Then we have Breakfightin’ Raphael from 1989, but his Wacky Action doesn’t work.  The Jawa is a Burger king toy from 2005.  Reptar has a sparking action(that works).  I don’t know where this specific Reptar came from, but he’s really cool(Brian also found him about a week ago).  The Stegosaurus has 2 things going for him.  1)- Dinosaurs are awesome and 2)- He glows in the dark.  Each of these items ran me a quarter a piece.

The Jawa has this neat feature.

Kind of creepy, huh?

And lastly, we have this.

I haven’t been able to identify the vehicle, which is stamped 1988.  The figure which is stamped 1991, is Bushido(version 2), who is from the Shadow Ninjas line.  Although he’s stamped 1991, this figure was actually released in 1994.  These figures had a cool gimmick that was a great gimmick in the eighties and early-to-mid nineties.  From yojoe.com….”When exposed to water and light, the figure’s color would change.”

Well, that’s all this time around.  Not too bad considering how late we left.

And before you go, I have a little poll for you guys.

You guys know that Transformers is one of my favorite lines, right?  Well, over the past couple of months, I have accumulated a handful of carded figures from various lines(around 4 or 5), and plan on reviewing them all eventually.  My question is…which would you like to see?  I will not give their names, but I will give you a choice of different lines(please see below).

1)- Transformers: Dark of the Moon

2)- Transformers Animated

3)- Transformers Generations

4)-Transformers Universe

5)- Transformers: Hunt for the Decepticons

Some of these have been stewing for a little while, while others have been picked up recently.  Maybe I’ll do them back to back until I review all 5 of them.  If that’s the case, list the order in which you’d like to see them in.  Maybe a Transformers Week is in the cards?

Yard Sale Finds #7

Howdy!  I know it’s been a while.

This weekend was great for me on the yard sale front.  I got some good deals on some really cool stuff.  There are a few items that you will not see today because they are going to get their own separate posts in the coming days.  One of the items we’ll see in it’s own post, should not have survived this long(I was stoked to find this, you’ll see it tomorrow).  Almost all of my finds were toys(yay!), and I paid the price I had in my head every time.

I was quite surprised at the volume of children’s books people were selling.  And even more surprised at how many were of interest to me.

With the exception of the Calvin and Hobbes(50 cents), each book cost me ten cents.  The Masters of the Universe book is the only one with writing in and on it.  The Voltron book made me laugh because all of the pictures within it appear to be screen caps of a specific episode.  The little pink heart was my first find of the day in a “free” pile.  The Matchbox vehicle was thrown in with 4 books to make an even 50 cents(one of my nephews will end up with it).  The TMNT vhs was found at a mini flea market that was being run at a couple of lockers at a storage facility.  I purchased the video because it has one thing the dvd doesn’t have.  The Pizza Hut commercial.  Yes, that Pizza Hut commercial.  Plus it was only a buck, and one of the first finds of the day.  I did find something else at that storage facility that I have wanted since I was a kid, but we’ll see that in a few days(any guesses?).

Our next item was found at the same sale I found the Calvin and Hobbes book.

A bubble light night light!  When I was growing up, these were my favorite lights on our Christmas tree.  For years I have been searching for strands of these lights(I know I could find them on Ebay for probably a lot more than I’d be willing to pay), with no luck.  I would’ve paid up to 3 dollars for this, but got it for a quarter.  It looks great and will hold me over until I can find a strand of these beauties.

Bring on the toys!

These guys were found in a old “collector’s” sale.  By collector, I mean that he collected older stuff.  From old advertising pieces to vintage glassware to records.  The box I found these two in, had them selling for 3 bucks each.  Even Raphael from TMNT, who had a broken arm was going for 3 dollars!  If there’s anything I have learned from American Pickers(moreso with Frank), it’s bundling.  I ended up getting these 2 guys and a secret item for 3 dollars!  Stinkor’s scent gimmick is very faint, but maybe finding a replacement chest plate will rectify that?  I’m really surprised I found Buzz-Off with his wings intact.  I remember regularly removing his wings back in the day.  The joints are pretty good on both figures and their action works as well.

And lastly….

Darth Vader was found before everyone else.  I couldn’t seem to find any trademark or copyright stampings, so I’m not sure of his origin(anyone know?).  I figured the dollar they were asking for him was reasonable.  He’s twice the size of the regular figures, and he he has a cloth cape.  A cloth cape!  The other seven guys we’re found at a single sale for a buck a piece!  The lady wanted 2 dollars each, but we made a deal of a dollar each if I bought them all(I remembered from last time).  Greedo is stamped 1995 so I know he’s not one of the classic figures(and he looks extremely faded).  All of the others are stamped with either a 70s or 80s copyright.  I was across the lawn when I spotted these guys.  From there I only could see Chewbacca and Admiral Ackbar.  Only when I got to the table did I see that there were a total of seven figures.  The lady selling them was talking them up, telling me what she was seeing them sell for on Ebay.  I explained to her that I collect old-school toys and she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.

So how do you think I fared this weekend?  I have other posts lined up for this week that I hope to put up starting tomorrow.  I’m actually a little excited about the things I plan on writing about this week.  And you know how it is around this place…it could be anything.