I shared with everyone on Christmas day the stuff I got from friends and family. Today, I thought I would share with you the spoils of the things I picked up for myself for the holiday.
BIG BOSS I've been looking for a Big Boss ever since I picked up a Bullet-Proof from The Great Starasburg Emporium. Unfortunately, I quickly learned Cops figures aren't the easiest to come by on secondary markets - At least not complete.
Two of these, mint in the package, have cropped up on ebay in the past month, and while I missed out on the first one, I was determined to at least nab the second. I was glad to do just that.
While I'm not typically a fan of keeping toys carded or in boxes, due to the high cost I'm having to invest in this line, I've opted to keep both Big Boss and Bullet-Proof in their packages. I went the extra step and also picked up two Zoloworld cases to keep them in pristine condition.
I am interested in a few of the other figures from this line, but taking into consideration I've essentially started a mint in package collection, I don't think I'm going to branch out past these two. If something changes where I can pick up Big Boss and Bullet-Proof complete and out of the packages, I may consider selling these two off and attempting a loose set of the other figures I want. Time will tell if that happens.
MASK
Back in the day, my brother was the MASK collector. He had a ton of them, including the Boulder Hill Playset. However, he quickly turned from toys to video games and bikes, and I soon inherited all the toys he no longer wanted.
I didn't necessarily play with these, nor did I watch the cartoon, but I remembered the toy line fondly as something which had its charm. As such, I decided I'd dabble, very limited, in the line. More so as a nod to my brother, than a desire for the actual toys to be in my collection.
I decided I would start the line on the right foot, with the leader of MASK, Matt Trakker and his Thunderhawk.
The guy I bought this from also had another one I wanted, which oddly enough, was T-Bob with Scott. I can't say I've met many collectors who have been actively looking for this particular pair.
Last on my list was the leader of VENOM, Miles Mayhem with his Switchblade.
There are a handful of other toys from this line which intrigue me, but again, really only because I remember my brother having them. I may grab a couple more here and there, though I have to be careful. Space is already an issue in my "toy room", and vehicles are a major real estate eater.
TRANSFORMERS
I have tried so many times to watch the Transformers cartoon series, but really can't seem to get into it. Still, the urge hit me, and the OCD kicked in during the holiday season. I absolutely had to have the movie, which I love the soundtrack for. Because I had the movie, I also convinced myself it made no sense to not have the complete series along with it.
Since getting these in the mail and this post, I did manage to make it through the mini-series of the show, but got bored during episode one and turned it off. I'll try again later, but right now, I'm on a big kick of watching all the original series G.I. Joe episodes again.
Speaking of which...
G.I. JOE
I remember when I started my G.I. Joe collection. It was July 1st, 2017 at the Dave Hart Toy Show. I went for Remco's Karate Kid figures, and when I didn't find them, went on the hunt for other items. I came away with a ton of CD's, a couple Thundercats, and ten (10) G.I. Joe figures - eight of which were Cobra members.
Buyer remorse quickly set in. It wasn't that I didn't want the figures, but rather I just didn't feel it was the best time to start a new collection. The end result was the figures sat in plastic bags for a couple months. Even after returning to the Dave Hart Show in December of that same year and coming away with two more, I did nothing with them.
It was around January of the following year (2018) that I finally put them on a shelf. While they weren't my main focus, as I was busy rebuilding my long lost Kenner Star Wars collection, I eventually came back around to them.
Since then, my collection has blossomed. Exploded even. I have about twice as many figures than I did as a kid, and see the finish line on the horizon for what I'm actively looking for. With this latest hull, that line is getting all the more closer.
Lampreys
Lampreys was a late comer to my list of wants. It wasn't until I started whittling down my Cobra list, and taking a second look at the line, that I came around on this one. I'm glad I did. It's a fantastic figure. I love the blue and silver paint scheme.
Raptor
I actually picked up a Raptor quite some time ago. However, when it arrived, the figure was in worse condition than the seller stated, and he packed it so poorly, the bird's feet had snapped off. It was always my intentions to come back around to this figure, but other, better ones, always ended up taking priority.
Cross-Country
While Cross-Country was on my list of wants, he wasn't a "top priority". I have to admit, I only ended up with him now because I got him for three bucks. Don't get me wrong. I would have gotten around to him eventually, but at just a few dollars, now seemed like a good enough time to do so.
Probably the worst G.I. Joe figure from the vintage line, Deep-Six also wasn't a high priority on my list. While I looked for him here and there, I never came across him "complete" with the tube and bellows. When this one popped up right before the holidays, I decided I would go ahead and grab him, mainly since it was the first one I had ever seen.
RAMBO
Fire Power Rambo, Or First Blood Rambo, as I like to call him, wraps up this line for me. It also wraps up the toys I picked up for myself for the holiday.
CD'S
Last up, I decided to pick up four CD's. I'm using "stock photos" because only one seller shipped via First Class, while the rest shipped via Media Mail. As a result, only the Depeche Mode CD has been received as of this writing. Because of this, I didn't bother taking a photo of the lone one I received, but still wanted some form of visual to go along with my write up.
Madonna's Rebel Heart, is the last CD I needed in order to complete my studio album discography from her. I'd looked at it here and there, but always ended up passing in lieu of something else. I'm actually several albums behind, listening wise, in her career, so I won't be listening to this one just yet.
Culture Club's This Time, is actually a greatest hits album. While I normally pass on compilations, this one was on my list for one reason - It has Time (Clock of the Heart) on it, which was only released on US pressings of the album, "Kissing To Be Clever". I've never found a CD version of this album with this track, which leads me to believe you can only find it on cassette and vinyl releases. Not an issue anymore since I've nabbed this CD.
Like Madonna's Rebel Heart, Rush's Snakes & Arrows was the last studio album I needed from the band to complete my discography. Admittedly, their music hasn't appealed to me since the band's 1993 album, Counterparts. However, I figured, may as well close the loop. Maybe it will be good. Only one way to find out.
The final CD I picked up was Depeche Mode's Some Great Reward. This one has been on my list for quite some time, and I even got punked on it once at the Dave Hart Show where I picked it up on CD, only to find out only the case was correct. The CD inside was Depeche Mode's Violator. I'm glad to finally stop having to chase this one down.
That wraps up my Christmas...Revisited post, but coming in the next day or so will be one final Christmas related post - Chirstmas ebay Gift Card Spoils. Until then, thanks for reading!
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