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.

Prized Possessions and the “Tip of the Iceberg”

This week’s assignment from The League is “Prized Possessions”.  Brian asked us, “What is the one item in your collection you would save if your house was being swallowed by a sink hole, carried off in a tornado, and then swept away in a flood.”

It was a pretty quick decision.

I believe I bought this from a Toys R Us back in 1999.  When I was a kid in the eighties, I would’ve killed for the original(it was diecast, ya know).  But, I only owned the green lion, and my brother owned the red lion(the black lion is my personal favorite).  I happened to hit up the Toys R Us in White Plains on pay day, and there were 3 of these on the shelf.  It was the 5 lions, the five pilots and the “Blazing Sword” and shield.  A pretty good deal for the $29.99 asking price.  I didn’t even flinch…I wanted this!  While waiting for the train to go back home, I opened up the package and began to assemble it.

The box it came in is long gone, as I wasn’t the dork collector I am today.  One of the horns on the robot form’s head is missing, as is it’s spring-loaded missile on the back and one of the “wings” is also absent.  The only other thing missing is Pidge(the mini pilot for the green lion).  But it’s mine, and it’s also one of the toys that’s been in my collection the longest.

Check out what Colbey couldn’t leave behind over at Random Toy Reviews.

Shawn from Branded in the Eighties chooses to save a cuddley(sp?) friend.

Jon from Doubledumbassonyou picks a figure I never even knew existed(but it’s awesome!).

And, I went to a toy show today!  It was a small affair, but I did manage to get a few deals.  I want to spread them out over the next week(this gives me a few posts), so I’ll just show you guys the smaller stuff today.

These ALF figures were given away in Wendy’s kids meals sometime back in 1990(that’s what they’re stamped).  I’m a fan olf ALF, and for 50 cents each, I grabbed all 3.  They’re based on the short-lived animated show(that I liked, and the toy line is something I’d like to find a few of), but these look like they’re more specifically from ALF Tales(which were poplular fairy tales that featured ALF in the title roles(I have ALF Tales on dvd, and I can’t believe I haven’t watched it yet!  I’ll have to get on that).

And in the same box, I also found these.

Also, 50 cents each.  Any E.T. toy for fifty cents is a deal in my opinion, plus these are my favorite representations of the lovable alien.  The Happy Meal Koopa Paratroopa was in a line of toys given away in Happy Meals at McDonald’s back in 1990(check out a commercial for it here).  Just like the other one in my collection, it is missing the tube and bulb required to make it hop.  There are loads of these guys in the games, so I don’t mind owning 2 of them(they’re my favorite old school Super Mario enemies anyway).  The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle candy dispenser is made by Topps, but this piece is missing the bottom cover, so I don’t have a date for you.  But I would assume that it’s from around 1989-1990.  I remember buying tons of this candy back in the day, and it’s something I have never came across for sale, and at the price I paid, I’m happy.

I also managed to score a SNES game at a very nice price.

There was a kid there selling a Super Nintendo and 6 Super Nintendo games.  So I asked how much the games were.  He said that they were all $10, but Aladdin was $3!  I already own the other 5 games that were there, and this one usually sells for $10 or more.  It’s a fun platformer, and it’s from Capcom, so it’s also very visually appealing as well.

The best is yet to come.  I have a few really awesome toys we’ll see in the coming days(quite possibly tomorrow).

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.

New toy display

Well, my computer is out of commission for the moment, so I’m posting this on the Clarkinator’s computer.  Recently, I got a bookshelf to display my loose toys in my bedroom.  The funny thing is, is that it was my wife’s idea.  Now, there are mostly MIB figures and such in “The Vault”.  Without further adieu, toys.

There’s the beast in all it’s glory!

Here’s a shelf by shelf breakdown

On top, we have my boxed N64, boxed Starfox 64 as well as a few random pieces.  You should know what the other stuff is(if you don’t, just ask).  If you look closely you’ll notice Superchicken!

The first shelf is the Transformers/robots shelf.  A mix of Transformers, Rock Lords, Battle Beasts, Voltron and Rokkon from MOTU.

Going down one shelf, we have the TMNT shelf.  This shelf is exclusively dedicated to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, except for the picture of Penny, remembered from Pee-Wee’s Playhouse.  The picture of Penny is actually cut out from the box of the talking Pee Wee I traded to my brother a couple years ago.

The third shelf is for my wife and I’s wedding memorabilia.

The third shelf of toys is a mix up of lots of great lines.

Here you will see Marvel super heroes from different lines, M.U.S.C.L.E. men, Thunder Cats, Ghostbusters, G.I. Joe and many other toy lines.  See how many different ones you can name.

The bottom shelf is stuff that I couldn’t fit on other shelves, or just didn’t belong on them.  I know this is blurry, so, below are a few shots from different angles(of all the shelves).

Well, there you have it.  My new toy display.  That’s not all the toys I own, but it is a nice chunk of them.  Others are stored away, the ones still in their package are still in “The Vault” and I’m certain that I’m not done with the collection yet(far from it).  So, what do you guys think?  Was it worth the wait?  Please share your thought in the comments.  You can even comment on what your favorite piece is.  And later in the day these pictures were taken, I acquired a big ALF plush from The Clakinator, in exchange for an E.T. that I had.  He is now seated on the shelf on the right side of the N64.  Pictures of him will surface at another time.

Awesomeness!!

Well, the readers have responded.  Well two readers responded.  Although Paul didn’t actually vote for the awesomeness, he did ask what it was, so I’ll take that as a second vote for the aforementioned awesomeness.

As you may know, I paid a visit to my younger brother a couple of weeks ago(remember? He sold me the two SNES games).  Anyway, I have some of my stuff stored at his place, and he asked me if I would mind taking some of back with me.  Of course I don’t remember everything I have there, and thought, well, yeah.  So we hauled out a suitcase I had there, and it was filled with CDs, toys and other random things.  As soon as I opened the suitcase, I was greeted by this guy.

That’s right.  Voltron:Defender of the Universe(when you read this, make sure your brain says it in that cool robotic voice from the show).  I’ll give you the story on how he originally came into my posession.

Growing up, I had always wanted Voltron, as it was was one of my favorite shows.  As you may have guessed, I never did get one.  Although, one Christmas, my little brother and I both got our very own remote controlled Voltrons.  By remote controlled, I mean the had a control box wired to the toy it self.  Using this box, you could control your Voltron’s movements.  Not to mention, this thing was enormous.  It’s been about 25 years, but if I remember correctly, this thing must have been about 2 and 1/2 feet tall.

Fast forward to 1998.  I was in White Plains NY with some friends, and we decided to hit up the local Toys R Us.  As we were strolling through the aisles, I look up and I see about three of these Voltrons up on a shelf about seven feet off the ground.  I immediately saw it and proceeded to knock down a bunch of other insignificant toys while grabbing the toy that eluded me oh so many years ago.  I looked at the price tag, and saw the price of $29.99.  Now, this was on pay day, so I said I’m not going to miss out a second time.  I believe this one is from a short lived cgi version of the show or some shit.  But I didn’t care, as it is a faithful representation of the classic toy I pined for.  When we got to the train station, I sat on the platform, and started putting this guy together.  I can’t tell you how much joy my 19 year old self felt doing this.  It came with a whole bunch of accesories, but all that is remaining is what you see in the photo.  Now, being that I never had the original, I don’t know if that version came with the pilots you see here.

From left to right we have, Lance, Princess Allura, Keith and Hunk.  Pidge was lost about 8 or 9 years ago.  All of the Lions have cockpits in which their pilots sit in.  As you’ll also notice, the head of Voltron on the black lion is missing his left horn.  He is also missing one of his wings as well as the firing missle on his back.  When I stored him, he was not missing any of these.  But I’m just happy to have him in my posession again.  You see, someone went into my brother’s previous home and stole my hockey gloves as well as my electric guitar.  I thought Voltron was also stolen.  My brother must have thrown him into the suitcase for safe keeping, knowing how much that toy meant to me.  And I’m glad he did.  Now you know the story of why I thought this awesomeness was long gone.

I also found something else in the suitcase that I had forgotten about.

To the naked eye this might appear to be a run of the mill New York Rangers hockey jersey.  I will let everyone know that I am a die hard Rangers fan.  But this is no ordinary jersey.  No siree!  If you look closely, you will see five or six autographs on there.  I obtained said autographs at a Rangers open practice at the Ice Casino at Rye Playland in Rye, New York, back in 1998.  While a lot of my favorite players managed to elude us fans after the practice, I managed to get a few from some of the lesser known players.  The ones I remember are as follows…Jeff Beukeboom(Boo-kuh-boom), Niklas Sundstrom and Mike Eastwood.The others may be Mike Keane and Bill Berg, but I can’t remember.

Well I hope you enjoyed my long lost awesomeness.  I know I did.  Oh, NHL pre season starts tomorrow.  The NJ Devils will be at Madison Square Garden facing off against the Rangers tomorrow night for some pre season action.  If you live in NY, the game will be on MSG at 7:00PM.  If you live outside of NY, check your local listings(I never thought I’d have the opportunity to say that).