Ladies and Gentlemen its ........... d30 !!!!

I LIKE DICE.

How could you not?

What could be better than a 20 sided die you ask?

Take a peek....

Now I remember this game called Dungeons and Dragons came along one summer day to a young boy and when it was explained to him how it works he thought, "Just a boardgame.....I've seen dice."

But when he saw a 20 sided die for the first time it was like his future before his eyes. He would game with dice, collect different kinds and settle disputes with them. Even into his later years he and his friends would find ways to incorporate dice into anything.

It wasnt until those later years til he would put his eyes on this. A magnificent, 30 times faceted wonderful object. 20 sided die were all he knew but now he there was more. If d20 is good then d30 must be GREAT!!!!

Who doesnt like dice.....

AWWWW YEAAAHH!!!!!

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!!

This is not a reminisce but a wish I had that when I was a kid! This post proves that the Japanese are WAAAAY cooler in regard to the toys they produce.....I present:

ITS A BARBED WIRE WRESTLING RING!!!!!!!

wait maybe you didn't hear that....

ITS A BARBED WIRE WRESTLING RING!!!!!!!!!!!

 I had to hang silver thread around my WWF ring ropes to simulate this!! THEY ARE BARBED WIRE!!! wow, just.....wow.

I used to wrap my ropes in silver thread and used a washable red marker on my LJNs for blood for the Barbed Wire match. This is way cooler. I didn't get alot of facts about this ring, its scale, the affiliation or nothing, I just had to post this. Its f'n cool :)

What happens when you have an imagination, lots of toys, but not one that can represent your new interest?? You learn to customize your figures !!

The day I went to the Super Flea and picked up my first Punisher comic I was hooked, but the question was..... " How do I act out the violence that the Punisher inflicts on GI JOE?" First you take Snake Eyes' chest, Flint's arms, Zap's head and I forget where the legs/torso came from and BOOM, a custom Punisher GI JOE !!!

A paint marker makes the skull, red paint for the eye scar (just looked cool) and pencil for the five o'clock shadow. Bib Fortuna would give up his robe so that Punny here could have his trademark overcoat (time has claimed the overcoat and is now lost).

The idea of customizing GI JOES came from a friend. We were playing one day and I noticed he had a few different ones. After asking where these new and previously unknown gems came from he showed me the small screwdriver that could take out that screw recessed in the back. After that, the less popular figures and the ones who would become disabled from finger and crotch damage, you got to admit it sucked bad when the crotch blew out of your favorite JOE or Cobra - OUCH, could be reborn as another character that back then would have never seen the light of day in plastic !!

You, the reader will see that I was not stopped by Hasbro, LJN or any other toy company in my desire for realistic play. If they didn't produce it, I made it. Like many other children from my generation, plastic, paint, a dremel and imagination could create whatever was necessary for the next adventure !!

Where it all started...... I remember having toys as a young child but Super Joe was where my obsession with toys began. These are the two I had and they were enough. The accessories kept me playing and their height lent to the eventual fights with the Megos that came next.

The commander was great!! His backpack, powered by a AA battery, let other accessories (sold seperately) plug in to him and have power. In my play he was the leader that set the rules and commanded men.

The adventurer was the grunt that did the work. Check out those sideburns! Must've been auditioning for Star Wars :)

As you can see the hands and joints deteriorated as is common for these figures but a couple of stands and they are ready for action !!

Soon the random reflections of a childhood full of (mostly) plastic memories.....stay tuned :)