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Painted Memories: It's A Good Knife
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Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!
Say his name three times and he'll appear!
Beetlejuice...
Beetlejuice...
Beetlejuice!
Today I received the larger than I thought Vanishing Vault. This thing is almost twelve inches long, and a good four inches wide.
For those of you who read my post on obtaining Beetlejuice figures, then you recall I settled for picking up the Phantom Flyer. You'll also recall, shortly afterwards, my lack of patience as I opened them all.
I knew right from the start that the ideal way (for me) to display this line would be with the Vanishing Vault, so I immediately went to work on seeing if I could track one down. The key was finding one cheap, because quite honestly my initial reaction to the line wasn't a strong one. I'm happy to say that not only did I find one for under $20.00, but it was also in brand new, unopened condition.
You saw the box above, but let's rip into this thing and get it all assembled!
So far, so good. Love the detail and all the way the figure displays inside.
For a line that relatively disappointed me, the Vanishing Vault is doing quite the opposite. I love all of that wonderful detail etched into every inch of it. Not to mention the paint job. It all just works perfectly.
For those of you wondering what the tiny version of Beetlejuice is all about, look no further then the instructions above on the back of the box. He's all a part of the shtick of the toy. Make your full size Beetlejuice figure vanish, and reappear as a tiny one. It's a goofy trick that kids would fall for.
Overall, I'm really happy with this particular "playset" and the figure I've incorporated into it.
Speaking of which, with my purchase, I also received a loose version of Shipwreck Beetlejuice. He's missing his three headed green monster, but overall he's in pretty good shape.
He has an action feature where when you squeeze his legs together, green tentacles pop out of his head and his arms fly up. That's the photo way at the top of this post.
Now that I have the Vanishing Vault in my collection, and I've actually taken a moment to set up my toys, I actually dig this line a lot more.
I'm by no means going to actively expand on it. I won't rule it out. However, it's not a line I would turn my nose up at if I had a few dollars to spare, and found one of the figures for really cheap / complete.
Just goes to show you. Sometimes you just need the right piece to tie it all together.
Retro Spins: Kajagoogoo - White Feathers
Kajagoogoo
White Feathers
1983
Have you heard Kajagoogoo's White Feathers album from April 1983? Yeah, you don't need to hear Kajagoogoo's White Feathers album. Too Shy seems to be the best the band could do. The album...Well, it kind of stinks. To the point that it is right on the cusp of being annoying background noise.
The band found major success with their one hit wonder as early as May of 1983 when it hit the charts at number eighty-one. From there it climbed all the way up to number five before heading back down to oblivion. Hang On Now, the eighth song from the album somehow managed to chart in August of that same year, but was gone the following week. Even though I had just heard the album I had to go back and find out just how this second song made its way to number eighty-nine and quite honestly I have no clue. It's not good.
The album's biggest problem is that it's just bland. It plays out in the same tempo from start to finish never deviating from this. It's as if the drummer only knew one beat and stuck with it for all thirty-five minutes. I can picture him in the studio just beating the drum to the same beat over and over and telling the rest of the band, "Go ahead and fill in the gaps whenever something comes to you. I'll just keep playing until then."What's interesting to note is that it's actually the only Kajagoogo album with lead singer Limahl. The band fired him prior to releasing their follow up album in 1984 stating he was an egomaniac and had become increasing difficult to work with. Despite this, as the story usually goes, the band eventually reunited (in 2008) and ran a series of successful concerts - Probably singing Too Shy over and over for two hours straight before calling it a night (picture the scene in The Wedding Singer where George keeps singing "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"). Oh well, for what it's worth, the band appears to have some form of following. I'm just not one of those people.
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Part Man, Part Machine, All Cop!
The toy collection around here has been growing at a rapid pace this past week, and with Fairfax Comic Con on my list for this coming Saturday, I don't see it stopping any time soon.
Today brought with it yet another one to add to the pile. For those of you keeping up with my explosion of posts as of late, you know ED-260 from the 1988 Robocop: Ultra Police joined my collection on Friday of last week. Today, the other half of that want list was completed with the arrival of the man himself...
...ROBOCOP!...and a pound of dust on the cardboard backer. Clearly this toy was not loved at its prior home.
The back of the card shows all those wonderful toys from the line. I may have to pick up the Robo-1 cop car here soon to give Robocop something to display in as opposed to just standing around next to ED-260. That or the Robo-Cycle. I haven't decided which one I like more, but I'm leaning towards the cycle for cost and space maximization. We'll see.
For now, let's take a look at Robocop himself.
Without his helmet, he looks kind of silly. His head is a little too skinny. Especially the top of it.
He comes with two accessories - A gun and his helmet. Two questions. 1) What is up with the gun? It doesn't at all match the traditional look of his Auto 9, which was indeed represented in the cartoon. 2) Why does his helmet look like a bicycle helmet with the two slits at the top?
Here's a closer look at the gun in his hand. It's a bit bulky.
With the helmet on he's at least passable as Robocop. The look is certainly there. However, I'd be lying if I didn't say the gun and helmet detract a bit from the overall design.
I have to be honest and say I'm not a fan of the "bumpy" helmet as a result of the slits. It detracts...and looks like someone bashed his head in with a wrench.
On his back he features the cap firing "system" which was predominant in the line.
In comparison to the Toy Island version, I definitely prefer it over the Kenner version. It's more accurate in terms of overall design and paint...And of course the helmet is rounded at the top. Still, the Kenner version isn't terrible. It has its nostalgic charm.
It also looks fantastic sitting next to the ED-260 counterpart.
Overall, I'm happy with this purchase. It's not a perfect Robocop figure, but it's a fun figure, and that's what counts the most.
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Superman: Man of Steel (Kenner)
Superman: Man of Steel
Kenner
1995
Christopher Reeve will always be the one and only Superman in our book. Fun fact - David Prowse, the man behind Star Wars, trained him to bulk up for the role.
Sadly, the line we're looking at doesn't revolve around the original 1978 film, but rather he period leading up to Fox's new animated series. In 1995 Kenner had already had great success with a Batman series based on the extremely popular animated series. So it only seemed natural for them to spearhead a line based on another iconic DC property.
The toys themselves take a page out of the Death and Return of Superman era (1992). You'll see from the figures the many representations of Superman as found in the story arc (even if they're not named as such); The Man of Steel, The Man of Tomorrow, The Metropolis Kid and The Last Son of Krypton.
Conduit*Laser Superman*Power Flight Superman
Steel*Superboy
Lex Luthor*Solar Suit Superman
In addition to Street Guardian Superman, Kenner had plans to release Street Guardian Superboy. Unfortunately this figure never came to light.
Street Guardian Superman*Ultra Shield Superman
Deluxe Ultra Heat Vision Superman*Deluxe Blast Hammer Steel
The two pack figures can be found in two different versions - One comes packed with a comic book, and later "limited edition" releases contained a pair of trading cards.
Cyber-Link Superman and Cyber-Link Batman*Hunter-Prey Superman and Doomsday
Massacre and Full Assault Superman
Kenner also produced three two-packs which were limited released in Canada. The packs contained, Crusader Batman and Power Flight Superman, Future Batman and Solar Suit Superman & Ultra Armor Batman and Ultra Armor Superman. To date these are the most difficult ones to track down.
Kryptonian Battle Suit*Superboy VTOL Cycle
Matrix Conversion Coupe with Clark Kent
12 Inch Superman*10 Inch Ultimate Superman
It's an interesting (if not controversial) era in Superman history which Kenner chose to depict in their toy line, but a great opportunity for fans to nab up some amazing Superman related figures. For those looking to do so these days, you shouldn't have too many problems. On average you'll spend between $7.00 and $15.00 for each one mint on card. Granted the vehicles are a little more difficult to come by, but still won't set you back more than $40.00 mint in the box.
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One Last Hoorah For The Week
To close out the week perfectly, my brother and sister coordinated a visit for lunch and an afternoon of bowling.
Of course, with that wrap up came a few more toys and gifts.
My sister got me a Visa gift card which will work great for something in the very near future. What, I don't know at this point in time.
My brother brought with him a box of goodies he had picked up on my behalf at a flea market in his area, which I promptly paid him for.
Check it!
Ever since I got back into Captain Power, I have wanted to get the Power On playset for the perfect display option of the figure. Because this was bought in conjunction with some other stuff, I was able to talk the guy down considerably (over the phone via my brother). Let's be honest here - Captain Power is a tough sale to make. Take the money and run where you can. I ended up paying $15.00 for this mint in the box.
Of course, you know me an boxes. That had to go.
Love that crystal clear, perfect emblem of untouched paint on his chest. Tops my loose one all day long (which isn't in terrible shape either).
With the help of four AA batteries, the Power On playset was good to go!
On a side note, it makes terrible noise. This thing must have driven my parents nuts back in the day.
The next items I picked up were ones I have been patiently seeking out for a while now.
Kenner's vintage Star Wars MovieViewer.
This one came with the box and instructions, but was already open - Perfect for someone like me who would have opened it anyway. It also included the packed in cassette, May the Force Be With You.
The guy also had two other cassettes which I picked up, Destroy Death Star and Battle in Hyperspace. I only need two more cassettes to complete the set, Danger at the Cantina and Assault on Death Star. These things used to be in abundance when I was first looking for them, but have since gotten a little scarce. Especially in the boxes.
Speaking of which, these two came in their (opened boxes), which weren't in terrible shape at all. They also all worked perfectly when inserted into the viewer.
Take a peak inside, won't you!
It's toy and home video release all in one! Win / win! Really begs the question of why I never got these before with that thought in mind.
These really are nothing more than Super 8 tapes which are hand spun through a "projector".
Lastly, I got a handful of CD's which my brother found at another local flea market. Nothing "special", but they do fill in some cracks in my collection.
Bon Jovi's Lost Highway*Billy Ocean's Love Zone*Erasure's Wonderland
Bon Jovi's Have A Nice Day*Motley Crue's Girls, Girls, Girls*Flaco's Helden Von Heute
Next Saturday - Fairfax Comic Con!
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A Trip To Lost In Time Toys...
...Was nothing short of wasted time and a drained gas tank.
This is why it is imperative if you are a company, and you close or go out of business that you remove your content from the web. I wasted three hours on the road for nothing.
Fortunately the mailman brought tidings of gifts with him. Check out what arrived!
I was able to pick up Kenner's ED-260 from the Robocop: Ultra Force line new in the box for incredibly cheap due to the water damages. Despite some mold and mildew within, the "figure", which was packaged in sealed plastic bags, was in great shape.
I'm going to have to get some rubber cement for the stickers in order to adhere them properly. Unfortunately, the water damage got them pretty good (or bad I suppose). Only parts of them were "sticky" enough to attach.
Still, I've been looking for this guy for a while now, and I'm really happy to have found him.
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