I've got B.A.T.s in my belfry!!!!!

Since my Cobra Viper post I've added a new addition to the Museum. Jboypacman at revengefromthecosmicark got me thinkin.....I need a B.A.T. !!! So a search of eBay and here it is. Took me a few years to finally get one, dont know why it took so long but...

He a bit battle worn but I dont want to shell out for a minty one....

Dig the holo decal though, a nice suprise !!

I gotta say...I'm impressed. I was getting out of Joe about the time the B.A.T. was released and never had one. Actually of the '86 series I only got Beachhead (a favorite) and Dialtone. I still remember going to Hills department store and buying them, then getting the maybe your getting too old for toys talk by my Mom, being on the cusp of  the teenage years. YEAH RIGHT!!

I've always thought they were cool and even when my Joe collection was at its peak, I never got one. Glad I have one now! Highly detailed and I really like the accesories for his arm. One thing, why only one arm with attachments? Couldnt have been that hard to make a right and left arm peg! Oh well....

REMCO AWA...... RUN its the ROADWARRIORS!!!!

If you happen to be standing in the squared circle and hear "Iron Man" playing, RUN! FAST!

The Road Warriors were a Epic Tag Team and in 1985, Remco made them epic in Plastic!!

Animal!!

Hawk!!

The Legion of Doom.

The Road Warriors.

Remco AWA figures are awesome. Check out the accesories!!

Dog collars, Belts, Chaps....and the detail on these figures is great! The whole line is well put together and accesorized like a mother!

The best thing is that if He-Man or his weirdo friends get mouthy, these bad boys come flyin in  to put the beat down on em!!

Now I explore the dark side of Action Figure play.....

cannon fodder.

The poor extra figures that were bystanders.

The guys that drew the fire from the Joes.

The ones that got the marker.

Yes, I was a sick little bastard! Judge if you want, but YOUR reading this and remembering where the bodies you buried are!!

BUT................. there had to be carnage and a red marker was a good simulation. These are the ones I kept. A reminder of the poor "other" figures that took the bullets so the glory boys could save the world.

A treasure chest FULL of MEMORIES!!!!!!

At my Grandmothers house, in the attic, lived a Weebles Haunted House. I played with it like mad as a child and then one day, when I was older,  I saw the treasure chest and thought.......

That would be great for my Action figures!!!

I mean ... look at it!!!! To cool for Weebles!!!

Its a pile of treasure inside and a couple of bats to boot !!!

Crap!! Warduke!!! I was just LOOKING at it!!! He has some anger issues.......

ANYWAY............. this piece lends itself to some great play. It was made for the D&D figures. I had alot of the AD&D pvc figures but not the ones with treasure so this chest was a main theme for quests. Alot of blood was shed over that plastic chest!!

.....and it is really cool to think, as a kid, their are toys that can be transferred to other adventures. That Haunted House is long gone to a landfill somewhere but this little piece became a treasure chest of memories!!!

Sgt. Rock needed bad guys so what should they be called?

How about the BAD GUYS!!

Yeah, I know......someone got paid for that.

Here's Snake!

and Hawk!!

Pretty generic on the name front, but clad in black, loaded with weapons.....why not!!

The card does say enemy of ALL mini action figures so they must have been pretty bad ass!! These two specimens are hangin on the museum wall, encased so that they do not get loose and wreak havoc on the world! Actually, they are pretty cool MOC so I'm leavin em that way. I'll wind up getting some loose ones to display pretty easily.

I had all the Sgt Rock good guys, of the bad, and I have to admit, even though I just spent alot of space rippin them up there, I really liked these figures. Sgt Rock was a cool line to go along with the Joes. The RPGs, machetes, walkie talkies and guns were really cool accessories. They also came with premiums all the time like dog tags and patches. The bunker set and river boat were really cool accessories and they were all compatible with GI Joe!!

Quick aside about Sgt. Rock. When I got the Airborne patch with one of the figures one day I thought it would be cool to put in my wallet and carry around. I was 9 at the time so money and fake IDs weren't on my horizon yet. Anyway, I still have it to this day. I transfer it to each new wallet I get and unless something happens to it, it'll probably be there til I die. I pull it out whenever I get a new wallet, about every two years, and look at it and remember putting it there so long ago :)

I have to remember to tell my wife to throw my wallet in my casket when I die. Don't worry, she'll pull all the money out first :p

MING the MERCILESS, 1978 Mego, Flash Gordon WATCH OUT!!

In 1980, Mego Corp made possibly their best line of toys, in 10" format no less. From the Flash Gordon line of toys.........MING the MERCILESS!!!!

I just picked up this carded version up for a unbelievable price. I've wanted at least one figure from this line for some time, but this was a steal!

Wonderful card art!!

Smooshed bubble, but the figures intact and complete!!

Maybe the best backer I've ever seen!!!!

What detail for the advertising on the back! The figures just jump out at you. You can see so much detail!!

As a kid I had em all except Dale, a girl figure, not happenin. I remember the accessories, the clothing, the detail, everything was perfect on these guys!! Now looking at my newest addition I know I remember correctly. I just can't bring myself to open it just yet. The card is great and I just think its perfect together, but I'll want to see those accessories an put the decals on so maybe later!!

I really don't know what show this was based on, They look nothing like the movie, maybe a cartoon from before my time, but I had alot of fun creating adventures with these guys!!

League of Extraordinary Bloggers: Kurt Russell.....HAN SOLO !?!? what could have been....

This weeks assignment form the League of Extraordinary Bloggers:

Kurt Russell.

OK. Short and sweet. But as soon as I read that, I thought of how close Kurt Russell came to being Han Solo. Can you imagine Russell's Solo makin fun of Luke? or sitting next to Chewie in the Falcon? would he have kept the dice throughout the movie??

Here's something to ponder thanks to Youtube:

Now, Harrison Ford made the character an Icon, but, I cant help but to imagine what Kurt would have done with the role. Maybe a better looking, ladies man kinda hero. Roguish and smart. Would Lando hang out with him? What would he and Hamill be like in the roles together? Maybe an eyepatch??

Alot of food for thought!!

Check out coolandcollected for more form the league!!

Also:

Kurt in plastic at action figure chat!!

A child star is born at moviehodgepodge !!

Kurt Russell awareness week at themanwhostaresattoys!!!

KURT HAS THE POWER at claymationwerewolf !!

 

Book Review Time: REDSHIRTS by John Scalzi, What every sci-fi knew but wasnt talked about!!

YES! John Scalzi's new book; Redshirts, Doherty books, gives you the story going on around the main characters. Did you think that it wasn't lost on the rest of the crew what happened to the non credited actors that beamed down on an away mission? Did you think that they didn't have lives of their own?

DON'T WORRY! NO SPOILERS! I WONT GIVE THE PLOT AWAY!! :)

This book was on my radar for some time and I preordered it when Amazon first offered it up! This is quite a well written parody of the Original Star Trek series, more directly the "Redshirt theory" of the nameless redshirt security that beam down and are the ones who suffer for the glory of the stars. The story is set on the USS Intrepid, Flagship of the Universal Union. Sound familiar? The main characters all seem to be immune to the dangers of away missions, except for one unlucky bastard, Lieutenant Kerensky, who gets beat up constantly but always heals quick enough for the next mission. The "Redshirts" are not so lucky, as they are constantly in harms way. They have found a way to adapt to their circumstance but a new Xenobiologist, Ensign Andrew Dahl, finds out the awful reality of their situation and decides that he and his group of friends must find a way to fix it.

Now, the premise of this book was awfully interesting to me and the expectations going were really high. I gotta admit that, at first, I was a bit disappointed, thinking that the book was going slow and not really what I expected. Until page 103 (You'll know when you get there). That was the WOW moment of the book and it just flew from there!!

Twists, turns, unexpected coincidence and a whole lot of  intrigue was the story after that!

I really liked Mr. Scalzi's take on the life and role of the "extra" characters in the universe. If you were the kid who thought that when you weren't playing with his toys, or watching the show, they had lives of their own, you'll appreciate this book. One thing in particular - how the Senior Officers acted when the action was over - priceless!

This was a great read and much appreciated. It'll go into my library and will give me pause whenever I think of the poor, hapless extras hat have to beam down with the Senior Officers.

and a side note.....

Nice dedication to Wil Wheaton!!

What kind of Federation sent down the most senior people on every dangerous mission?

And why did they have a security team on board who were about as effective as a mall cop? Why not a Marine detail for missions and strike force?

I bet the Romulans ran their Empire much more efficiently :)

The coolest GIJOE figure ever produced 1990's BULLHORN!!! or is he....

YEP, I said it! In 1990 Hasbro deemed us worthy to give us the best figure you could ever own. Bullhorn!

I know what your thinking......

Kinda lame...

has a gas mask...kinda cool....may benefit other figures...

but his function is to YELL AT YOU!!! so what.....its my gym teacher?!?!?

whats that case he comes with ??

what the?!?!?

is that??!?!?!?

IT IS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes it is. This lame ass comes with a briefcase that hides a frikin sniper rifle that can be assembled and disassembled!!! His regular rifle is so lame that I chucked it cause I have it around all the "cool" rifles. But seriously the case and rifle is so cool that it makes owning a Bullhorn worth it. Just have him leave the case for safekeeping and kill em off!! Looks better on his guy anyway :)

RUSH new album Clockwork Angels EPIC in CONCEPT!!

RUSH's new album CLOCKWORK ANGELS is out and as the title of this article says......its a new concept album and IT IS EPIC!!

WOW...I listened to this album 3 times today and it gets better each time I listen to it! I have read reviews comparing this album to 2112, but its more in the line of the previously released Hemispheres.

Layered, dynamic, intense and diverse, this entire album does not disappoint.

From the cover photo that has a clock set at 9:12 (21:12 military time), to the steampunk, futuristic theme, to the music soundtrack, Clockwork Angels is a RUSH fans dream.

2 songs that were previously released (Caravan and BU2B) now start this set and make a ton more sense in the scheme of the album. You are then taken on a journey that grips you, pulls you in, and then, with the last track (The Garden), releases you to take in the experience of possibly the perfect RUSH album.

Most bands that have remained active this long begin to become caricatures of themselves by the time they reach RUSH's tenure, but Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart have only let their experience and incredible talent lead their music to new heights. Like fine wine, age has only made it better.

With a novel tie in on the way by sci fi novelist Kevin J Anderson (look for that review later) this album will keep steamrolling forward!

I have been a RUSH fan since a very little kid thanks to my cousin, THANKS MARK :), having listened and experience most of their career, one that inspired me to become a musician and pick up the Bass , THANKS GEDDY :), I have to say that I could not have expected more form Clockwork Angels and Epic does not do it justice.

Clockwork Angels is what musicians should aspire to. Take experience, talent and unbelievable longevity, and continue to make masterpieces instead of cashing checks.

This fan says, "Thank you for having enough integrity to be musicians in every sense and put forth such extraordinary effort, so that at least in this fans opinion, the experience of being a RUSH fan is not lost, only intensified."

I'll see them this fall in Buffalo and cannot wait, it should be quite an experience!!

You think you had a long game ?? How about playing Sid Meiers Civilization for ten years!!!

Came across this story reading Yahoo today - man-plays-same-game-civilization-ii-10-years !! That sure caught my eye...playing the same game of Civilization for 10 years?!?!

Yahoo reports this man has been playing the same game of Civilization 2 for ten years !! TEN FRIKIN YEARS!!! Now I prefer Civ 3 and have a bit of an addiction for that game but I have never thought that was possible!! You make up your own opinion....IF its true.....that's some commitment!!

Its the Six Million Dollar Man from Kenner Toys !!!

Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man. "We can rebuild him, we have the technology..." I wonder if they said that at Kenner when they constructed the prototype..... OF COURSE THEY DID !!!

THEY BUILT AN ICONIC TOY !!!

YOU COULD TAKE HIM APART AND REPLACE HIS LIMBS !!

This figure is the bomb! HUGE 12" Tall!! An eye that can see long distances !! Removable chips in his arm!! Rubberized "skin" that peels back to reveal his bionics - time has taken mine. Limbs that come off and you could buy replacement limbs to change out....or if you go to a garage sale and find other Austins with the other versions of the Bionic Arm you could use.

In short, this figure RULES!!!

I played the hell out of this figure and have such fond memories of it. When I got some Star Wars 12" - Han Vader IG88 Fett- along with Maskatron and Goldman from this line I had some cool adventures. For some reason Six Million Dollar man accessories were always at garage sales and I had a ton. For 12" figure play you had to have a ton of stuff to go with em!!

In 1975 Kenner Ruled the Toy world and Thanks to them for making such awesome memories !!

The League of Extraordinary Bloggers Keeps it REAL !!!

This weeks topic for the league of Extraordinary Bloggers:

Pawn Stars, American Pickers, Hollywood Treasure, Storage Wars, Toy Hunters, Auction Hunters, Auction Kings — the list of reality TV treasure hunting shows goes on and on. If you could spend a week with the crew from one of these shows (or one that I missed) who would it be?

Now....I'll modify this a bit cause I have a different "Reality" show I watch ..... I'll pick a person that is a host of my favorite "Reality" Game Show, but would be the one guy I'd love to hang out with, listen to some stories and pick the brain of!

I'd like to skip across the pond and have a pint with ...... DAVID DICKINSON!!!!

Host extraordinaire of my favorite show BARGAIN HUNT!!!

The premise of the show is simple: Each team is given  £200, 1 hour at a antique show and expert to help if needed. They have to find cheap but valuable items to sell at auction and whoever makes the most money wins!

Now that's a reality show!!

For me though.....Mr. Dickinson would be awesome to hang with. Not only is he a major player in the antiques world, He is also an extremely interesting character. "The Duke", as he is known, has led a very interesting life according to his biography, and is a well established entrepreneur. I've always said that if you want to learn from someone, seek out the best! Usually these people are very interesting characters and are alot fun to be around!

He's original, a class act, flamboyant and a successful man of the world!

Married to a Cabaret Star, likes fast cars, an encyclopedia of knowledge....I'd have a pint with that guy!

Head on over to coolandcollected for more from the League !!!

What else does the League think?!?

shezcrafti would change the world of picking!!
Store it up at geekittillithurts !!
Short and funny as hell at that-figures !!!
Go on a Roadshow at greenplasticsquirtgun !!

CLICK THIS LINK!!! lairofthedorkhorde YOU WONT BE DISAPPOINTED !!! :)