Iron Man, Iron Man, friendly neighborhood Iron Man !!

Iron Man from the Marvel Secret Wars line circa 1984. I remember wanting one of these quite a bit but never getting it til a few years ago.

By far my favorite Iron Man figure.

I was a huge fan of the Iron Man comic pre #200 and this figure is a great representation of the red and gold version armor.

 

 That's the face of a hero!
This figure is perfect.....



Just don't get out of line!!!

Iron Man: "Originally I came with a gun....but threw it away cause I don't need it."

Punisher: "I got a gun right here.."

Iron Man: "I got a boot right here."

Iron Man: "Got myself a new utility belt!"

Originally Iron Man came with a shield and a gun.....I guess Mattel figured that Iron Man needed some accessories but for me I don't need em. I snagged this guy sans accessories and display him like Stan Lee intended. Gold,Bold and Invincible.

Golobulus vs. Discobolus UFC 151 Cancelled but this fight will rage ON!!

UFC 151 was scheduled for September 1st, it was cancelled, but I will bring you a match to span CENTURIES!!!! These two figures of art have been itchin to get it on for some time now. Which is the REAL piece of ART!?!?! Lets find out.....

Here we have Golobulus:

Ruler of Cobra-La.

Mostly made of Bio-Technological replacement pats.

His original Brain and Central Nervous system is all that remains of him.

He leaves no Carbon Footprint.

This is Discobolus.

He is made of Marble, but originally was Bronze.

Created by Grecian sculptor Myron.

He was once owned by Adolf Hitler.

Golobulus has a tail.

Discobolus has no tail.

Golobulus has a torso covered with  a hard, chitinous armor, similar to that of crustaceans.

Discobolus has softer features.

Golobulus has a face that only Burgess Meredith could voice.

 

Discobolus speaks to your soul.

 

This is truly a tough one. One is a plastic representation of a character reviled by most fans of GI Joe and whom Larry Hama refused to write into the RAH continuity. The other is a priceless work of art from the Severe period of Greek sculpture, a copy of which resides in Jim's fish tank. Which one is the true piece of art? Which one is just a piece of ?!$%?

 

I've made my conclusion.

 

What is yours?

 



Dragonriders of the STYX Black Knight stands up to any Dungeons and Dragons figure !!!

This figure was one of my all time favorites as a kid. I had a bunch of the Dragonriders of the Styx figures, but the Black Knight was my favorite! DFC (Dimensions for Children) produced some excellent figures for this line in 1983, and I finally have the one that I've been looking for. Obviously produced to catch the D&D craze, but they do stand well against their LJN counterparts. In my opinion, the Black Knight could have been one of them. I used him alot as the silent sentinel of Lord Drex (Drex was always the leader of the villains).



The card art and backboard detail is awesome! I always marvel at the detail put into the packaging back then and it was done with such inferior technology! The only bad memory I have of this line is that the Wizard exploded (completely fell apart) within a few days of purchase, and I was excited to get him cause I didn't have Kelek or Ringlerun yet, making him the first Wizard. Oh, the calamities of childhood!!

Cobra Mercenary Major Bludd GI Joe's First Nightmare !!!

Been on a GI Joe kick lately as it was my all time favorite as a child and still is...

So, here is one of the Bad Guys .... MAJOR BLUDD.

Cobra Operative, published Poet...

....and a damn cool figure too!!

.....and clearly the right arm was armored because of the rocket launchers thrust trail, not a cybernetic arm like I have read a few places!! The gun doesn't stay there too well though.....

Anyway.....I had the Cobra, the Cobra Officer, Cobra Commander (Mickey Version) , but this guy was the first bad guy with a face and personality I could capture. Got him as a mail order when he was first offered, then for some reason, I felt the need to get him again carded and wound up having two. He wasn't a faceless minion, he was a Bad Guy, a personality, a wild card that could give the Joe's a challenge.

I even had him challenge Destro for the Baroness's attention .....and she liked it :)

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.

Its Pocket Super Heroes Batman nanananannananana!!

In 1979 and 80 Mego produced 3 3/4 versions of everybody's favorite superheroes! Batman was one of the first and WHO didn't have this guy ?!?!

This was a great way to have Batman swoop down, kick Vader in the colostomy bag and run off with Scarlett !! When toy manufacturers started to adopt the 3 3/4 size it was great could you could crossover some of your favorite characters !!

This Batman has a really interesting feature....

 HIS HEAD IS REMOVABLE !! That'll freak out the badguys !!

The best thing is that as a young growing boy he made me feel comfortable with myself...

If Batman could live with that.....unfortunate pose.....well....I could deal with anything :)

OK, Bats...you don't have to flaunt it !!

Gabriel's Legend of the Lone Ranger Figure

I remember the day I got this one. Gabriel made a 3 3/4 version of my childhood hero. The Lone Ranger.

This is an awesome figure!!

Whats not to like. Great detail. Two pistols! HOLSTERS !!

This figure line is so under appreciated for producing an awesome set of figure.....kinda like LJN's Dungeon and Dragons line....but that'll be later.

If you wanted 3 3/4 western figures....this was the line to beat.

I have never seen the movie the toys were associated with (I actually own a VHS version and will watch eventually but I just cant bring myself to it) but I had all the figures and horses. I matched The Lone Ranger against my Legends of the West figures constantly.

 It was a great time to be a kid and into western figures !!

NANANANANANANANA.....Mego Batman!!!

There are many like it but this one is mine, Mego Batman!

Anyone who grew up having there figures will tell you that you cant beat what Mego figures did for the imagination. The articulation and detail that went into em are outstanding, but not over done like the stuff being pumped out today.

Batman had many variations but this standard version is great. At 8 inches tall it was perfect to act out any scenario that you could imagine. Of course the first thing that got lost are the gloves, they added nothing to the playability and really got in the way of any play. Blue painted hands would have been a better alternative but cost probably had something to do with that. The suit is durable and could be washed if dirty. I gotta admit; I learned how to sew by fixing split seams from a tough battle and sewing on the clasps that might have fallen off the back of this uniform.The removable utility belt had enough detail where you could imagine anything spawning from there to help the Caped Crusader in his fight against evil. The style, detail and character this figure has lends to play and imagination. If you happen to get Robin and a Batmobile.....the Joker didn't stand a chance !! I remember once Ponch and Jon pulled old Bats over for speeding, lets just say it didn't go over well :)

All in all, Mego produced a Batman figure that could stand up to a young boys adventures but would be capable of repair in case of any damage. This toy is so durable that some decades later he can still party with the best of em :)

Cheers !!

League of Extraordinary Bloggers Weekly Theme: "When was Twelve...."

This weeks assignment...... "When I was 12......."

1985, this is the last year of my being a "kid"......cause in '86 I heard Metallica's Ride the Lightning and when Master of Puppets was released.... I turned into the little metal head that didn't care about toys anymore. (Although secretly I was playing with the Joes and LJN superstars in the shadows:)

I know this was a turning point because it was the last year I wanted all the GI Joe 3 3/4 figures but oddly I had no interest in the vehicles. Toys were becoming a waning interest. Dungeons and Dragons and Comics will be filling the void. Soon, music would engulf it all.......

The funny thing is .....it was the break in my life that took me to that path of adolescence thats necessary in every boys life, but if not for that break, I wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't be doing a blog about toys as a well adjusted(?) adult. I wouldn't have a showcase of plastic surrounding my basement bar that my friends call the Museum. I wouldn't have my wife asking me "What did you buy now?" :p and  I wouldn't change it for the world. To quote Jean-Luc Picard:

"There are many parts of my youth that I'm not proud of.
 There were... loose threads - untidy parts of me that I would like to remove.
But when I pulled on one of those threads - it'd unravel the tapestry of my life."

"Make it so."

Click over to coolandcollected.com and  The League of Extraordinray Bloggers for more on this topic !! GO !! You wont be disappointed !!!!!! GO NOW!!!!
Trip back to '82 at AEIOU and Sometimes Why !!
Repeat the summer of 89' at Branded in the 80s !
Hit on 88' at Flashlights are Something to eat!! (What a cool name!!)
Find out about 84' at cool and collected !!
Skate through he mid 80s at Lair of the Dork Horde !!
Check out 93' at lifewithfandom !!

GI Joe Breaker vs. GI joe Breaker.... Breaker, Breaker!!

My first joe.....

It was 1982,  I was at the local K-mart with my mom and saw these gems on the pegs. When my mom said I could get 2, I could barely contain myself. Of course, the first one I picked was Breaker. The real reason was I thought he was GI Joe ( you know the flock haired ones - I was only 9...). I also picked Short-Fuse, he had alot of accessories. It did suck when I realized that I picked 2 that did not have guns, but a couple of stormtrooper blasters fixed that.

Anyway... Breaker was my first. This little piece of plastic started me with an obsession that lasted all my life. The one pictured is the one had and still have from my childhood. I've always kept care of it, made sure he always had a role in my play and was devastated when Marvel killed him, but the fact that they killed off a bunch was a good trade off.

When I saw they remade Breaker in the new line I was excited, went on Ebay and snagged Corporal Breaker.

 Let me just say that I was sorely disappointed.

First the good: Has 2 pistols, detail is nice, holsters for pistols.....
The Bad: Everything! - flimsy, cant stand on its own, hands cant hold the pistols steady,very articulated, but to a point where it compromises playability, the helmet falls off at any bump and the backpack falls off way too easy (and its Flash's for some reason!)

Old school:

New.... falls flat:

You just cant beat the old joes. I recognize that the new line is detail focused and I REALLY appreciate the things like holsters, pistols that are to scale and removable clips and stuff, but it does not overcome its faults. Best thing to do, take the new accessories and apply em to the old ones.

If only Warrior Nun Areala had a CHAINSAW!!

For Chainsaw:

Badass girls ROCK!!

.....and Warrior Nun Areala fits the bill!! She's a nun with a Bad Habit !! (pun intended) but that is not the story here......

You see, my friends and I have an annual gift exchange called the 30$ challenge. Rules: you can spend 30 bux and get whatever you want for the others and the gifts have to rock!! They usually do :) In true Geek form there has been dice involved in picking, board gaming and even a certain Klingon weapon involved but that is another story....

This year I  got the version above but also.....

......THE GOLD VARIANT ! Oh, your not impressed? ITS SIGNED BY BEN DUNN!! Freakin awesome!! The bigger deal is that there was really alot of thought behind this gift and the backstory, which will remain a secret, is one I forgot until my friend reminded me. BTW, I rarely forget anything so it was a pleasant surprise and one I really appreciated. When I comes down to it, this figure will occupy a spot in my museum but when you can attach a meaningful story to it...well...thats really what this is all about:)

I had about a million of these when I was a kid......

The TOPPS Darth Vader candy filled head!! In 1980 Topps made a ton of these, and I had an army of Vaders. There were little candy pellets that came out of a hole at the base.....kinda feels like hamster food or something now..... They made only a few versions; Vader, Chewie, C3PO, Stormtrooper, and Boba Fett. The second series included Yoda, Bossk, 2-1B and a Tauntuan.There was also a Return of the Jedi series that had an Admiral Ackbar,  Jabba, Sy Snootles and Wicket.  I've seen the Bossk and Jabba and they're freaky. Look em up on Ebay....messed up!!

I searched high and low for one of these and found a sealed specimen filled with its candy intact :) Now... I understand that this is a 32 year old artifact and the candy was not meant to be eaten this far in the future but..... I DONT CARE !! I had a few and the candy is as I remember !! I am going to eat a couple a year until I die (or it kills me) so I remember the flavor!!

How often can you take a trip back in time to your childhood and try something that was lost long ago ?

Mego Kirk ...... is the SHAT

Yep! There he is....THE SHAT !! In Mego form.

DAMN ! The man himself.

Even in plastic he just oozes cool.....

I gotta admit, I was young when I first watched Star Trek and I didn't get it. The action,space...all the stuff that would entertain me I got, but the story...not so much, a bit over my head. The one thing I knew was that THIS GUY WAS THE MAN !! (BTW thats my beer on my Keg o rator in the background) If I had a little sister he'd be over there bangin Barbie. Maybe even paint her green on Freaky Deaky Night :)

I've had this Figure since I was a very little boy and to this day I still think Kirk is the man. He is cool, collected, a leader and makes all the women on his ship wear short shorts.....

Here's to you James Tiberius Kirk ..... your the Man!!