Oh Yeah, the GI Joe Comic Pack Kwinn Came First ....

Back in 2004, Hasbro's GI Joe line produced a Comic Pack three figure set as part of its twentieth series (2004). Showcasing the figures that played a role in Marvel's issue # 2 "Panic at the North Pole." And Oh Yeah, there is an O-ring Kwinn in this set !! we'll get to that in a minute ....

 

 

GI Joe Makes Kwinn the Eskimo a Reality !!

KWINN. I've been waiting a long time for this figure. The Eskimo mercenary that graced the pages of the Marvel GI Joe comics from issues 2 - 19 finally gets made into plastic reality.

 

While I am not a fan of the new figures, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to get Kwinn. The packaging is nice. He sure is packed full of stuff and it will display well. Roadblock on the cover looks really weird to me .......

 

I missed my Anniversary / State of the Blog Address !!!!

Yep. Missed my anniversary. 1 year of bloggin on April 3rd.....just a little late. Oh well, you may have noticed that the posts have been sparse as of late. Currently I am preparing to move myself, my family and the enormous amount of stuff we've accumulated to our new home. As most of the collection is packed up, it is difficult to post. I have a few pics left over and maybe I'll revisit some old posts if I have time.

 

So for now I'll be reading everyone else's posts and try to get a few in occasionally but rest assured I shall return ....

 

 

 

 

 

Vintage 1975 Deka Star Trek Cup and Bowl Set !!!

This set brings back some serious memories for me.

 

This cup and bowl set was made by Deka Plastics circa 1975. Both the cup and bowl are marked "C 1975 Paramount Pictures Corporation". The cup is marked on the bottom "DEKA Elizabeth N.J. 14 269 Made in U.S.A."; the bowl is marked on the bottom "Deka Plastic Inc. Elizabeth New Jersey 07208 Made in U.S.A.".

 

The detail and art on these pieces are great. Well made, great likenesses and detailed art are the showcases of these beauties. The only question I have is why does Spock have a purple shirt ....

and Kirk have an orange shirt .....

For some time I thought it had to do with the Star Trek Animated series; I have seen some pictures of Kirk with a darker shirt but no purple Spock ....

My Grandmother bought these for me some time when I was really young and kept them at her house until she passed a few years back. They were in the same spot, in a cupboard above the fridge all those years. I can still picture them up there any time the cupboards were opened, and still remember using them as a kid. I always wondered why they were so detailed yet the colors were off. They were thrown away when my Mother cleaned out her house but I tracked down these samples to add to my collection. That's some of the fun about this addiction, reliving memories when you can track down a piece that spurs the memories. Its like taking a time machine back to when life was simple and a plastic cup and bowl can stay with you forever.

 

Got something to add ? All are welcome to leave a comment !

Vintage Matchbox Car Erasers !!

The memories of these guys !! Matchbox erasers !! Back in the 80's there were so many cool things to steer our attention from schoolwork. A pile of car shaped erasers in the Matchbox Car scale sure did the trick !!

I remember the weird stamping on the bottoms of these guys.

The next two look they were hand etched into the eraser after they were molded. 

I had tons of these things in school. WAY more fun racing these around than schoolwork :) Setting up roads and courses with our books and supplies. Taking pencils and making bullet hole divots in them when they got shot up .... what fun !

 

I remember airplanes and all sorts of different styles of erasers, and they never were used for erasing ! Why use these wonderful toy like pieces of art for the purpose they were designed for ?!?!

 

Got something to add ? All are welcome to leave a comment !

The Many Uses of Fleer Candy Lockers !! (Besides the Candy)

Back in the 70's / 80's candy was bountiful. Sugary candy came in all shapes and packages.

It was great to be a kid.

Fleer packaged candy in many different packages; coffins, fire hydrants, peanuts, lunch boxes ...

One of the most useful were the lockers !!

After devouring the candy, they became storage for GI Joe equipment !!

One of the cooler features were the tabs on the sides (red arrows).

Snap them together and .....

Ya got a whole row of lockers !! Having them linked together made them less vulnerable to toppling over, and created a whole bank of them ! To top it off, they are very detailed, with opening doors and shelving on the inside. 

 

I am a big fan of sugary candy (PEZ, Smarties, etc) and all these little "boxes" of candy were, and still are, my absolute favorites. These lockers were plentiful. When I got the GI Joe Headquarters they were a fixture of the rear where the storage was:

I made a locker room back there for extra weapon storage. Its amazing the kind of things that kids think of. You have these plastic candy lockers and what do you do with them ? Put the Joe's weapons in them and include them into your play !

 

Got something to add ? All are welcome to leave a comment !

Dreadnok Buzzer takes the Fisher Price Adventure People Motorcycle for a Ride !!

In the late 70's and early 80's, Fisher Price was producing one of the iconic action figure lines of our time: "The Adventure People." The Motorcycle Racing Team (#356) is perhaps one of the best items they managed.

The set comes with the driver, a passenger, the motorcycle and sidecar. Each piece is tremendous. These figures are well made and durable so putting them to serious play was always an option. The figures could always be incorporated into other 3 3/4 play, as they are generic enough to fit any option. The motorcycle is awesomely detailed, but it is difficult for figures with no leg articulation to ride it. The sidecar is perfect and the footrest at the bottom does a good job of keeping the passenger intact through serious riding.

One of the coolest features of this set is the driver. His knees are articulated and he is in a bit of a saddle pose to allow a perfect fit on the bike. Both hands are posed palms down to allow him to grip the steering wheel, which pivots and directs the motion of the motorcycle.

Of course once I got Dreadnoks, the motorcycle was transferred to Buzzer, who was my favorite of the pack. The motorcycle is a perfect fit and allows him to wreak havoc with his chainsaw !

If you can't tell I am a big fan of the Adventure People. They were my main toys before Star Wars, and then GI Joe. The best thing about them is how they were so easily incorporated into my GI Joe universe. These guys were used as cannon fodder, smugglers, couriers, assassins .... all kinds of roles ! The bike got used along with the RAM and the C.H.i.P.s 3 3/4 motorcycle as the Dreadnoks main rides.

 

I remember setting up a dirt track in the garden (the one where I lost my "Mickey" Cobra Commander) and riding this sucker all over it, doing tricks and jumps and whatnot. The figures and motorcycle were built so you could just hose em of and had no problems. Even the Joes would start to rust around their screws if you kept getting them wet. These figures are perfect for outright play or in tandem with any other line, which is one of the reasons why it is truly an Icon of the Action Figure legacy.

 

Got something to add ? All are welcome to leave a comment !