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Painted Memories: Who Ya Gonna Call?
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Retro Spins: Lisa Lisa And Cult Jam - Spanish Fly
Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam
Spanish Fly
1987
I'm honestly surprised the album Spanish Fly only had two hits from it. The May 1987 entry from Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam wasn't the bands first time to see chart success nor would it be their last. Which is why it's surprising that the band is really only known for two hits - Lost in Emotion and Head to Toe - Both of which charted in 1987.
Head to Toe hit the charts in April of '87 and from there skyrocketed to the number one spot by June. As it worked its way back down the charts, it was met in August by the albums second single, Lost in Emotion. Emotion too went straight to the top, hitting number one in October.
The success of the two tracks didn't help any of the other songs from the album, but rather pushed a prior hit back onto the charts - Someone To Love For Me (for at least one week). However, this is kind of baffling to me as the whole album is one fantastic song after the next - Sort of. There are some duds in there.In fact, I liked the album so much I quickly looked up their prior and latter albums from the 80's and nabbed them both off of ebay. If the other two play as great as this one did, I'll consider grabbing their final album from 1991. I know, I know - Why not just buy it now and have them all? I have such an aversion to albums from the '90's. For some reason I automatically attribute them to being bad - Regardless of who the artist is.
Initially my IPOD only had two tracks on it, and if you've read this post up until now, you know what they are. However, after listening to it today for Retro Spins, I now have six of the ten tracks in my shuffle, and to give you a little insight, two of the four tracks that didn't make the cut are only (less than a minute) snippets of talking.
This is going to be an album I highly recommend to people who ask me for obscure 80's albums.
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Strange Friends (Archie McPhee)
Strange Friends
Archie McPhee
2017
These figures go all the way back to oddly enough July 16 of 2017. Yes, exactly one year ago The Toy Box hosted and posted a contest based on a spree I had at Rocket Fizz. It was at this very store on this very day I picked up these three very odd action figures, and coincidentally included them in the prize package for said contest.
Roscoe Pug
These things are seriously the stuff of nightmares. These guys look like either mass murderers, defunct bank robbers, or a combination of both. While the "story" on the back of each card touts them as your every day ordinary people who just like to be everyone's friends, I'm not getting that vibe at all.
Maggie Squirrel
I have to admit, the Funko Reaction type style which Archie McPhee went for was the lure and intrigue to these figures - Although like I said, I kept them only long enough to give them away in a contest the same day. The price point was ridiculous! At $11.99 each, this is definitely way too much money for such an unknown figure. I mean, I don't even pay that much for Funko Reaction figures let alone commonly for off brand things.
At the time, the line was referenced as being series one. I'm not sure if a series two was ever produced.
At the time, the line was referenced as being series one. I'm not sure if a series two was ever produced.
Yuji Pigeon
I'm not sure where these guys are now a days, but I hope the person who won them still has them. If anything, they're certainly a conversation piece.
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I Pity The Fool...
...What doesn't know who this figure is based on this;
2 Minute Toy Break has been fueling my infinite desire for an A-Team BA Baracus figure not in just one, but two posts featuring this great plastic iteration of Mr. T from Galoob. Now that I finally have one of my own, I'll take a moment to clear up a mystery for him - If he hasn't already figured it out.
In his post from February 2016, Tony makes note of the back of the figure which reads, "Cannell Prod." and questions what this is. This refers to Stephen J. Cannell. As in Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo, the creators of The A-Team. This is why you won't find on any of the A-Team toys with the Galoob logo as they're all credited to him / his company. This has lead many toy collectors to mistaken the company name on the back of the figures to be some form of foreign released equivalent.
As for the figure itself, love it! It captures all the greatness that was Mr. T in the 80's. Check him out!
There are several facets I want to focus in on for this figure.
First and foremost, dig those socks! Only Mr. T could get away with this in the 80's. Mainly because he could destroy anyone who dared tease him about them.
Second, love that tattoo! It can be a little bit of a challenge to find a figure where the tat hasn't rubbed off. This one looks perfect! T.C.B. Mr. T - Taking Care of Business Mr. T!
Third let's really dive into that awesome tool box accessory!
Galoob could have left it as a simple piece of plastic which did absolutely nothing beyond what your imagination could think of. Instead, they crammed it full of little plastic and commonly lost tools!
They even gave the figure an additional tool belt, but those were permanently sculpted in. The belt can be a challenge to get on and off of the figure, so I don't recommend removing it often (if at all). It is a very flimsy rubber which over time may break if handled too often.
Last, they gave the figure an M-16 for all those awesome action gunfight scenes from the show where nobody ever got killed.
One of the biggest flaws in the figure are the knees which are prone to be wobbly in the joints. Mine unfortunately has this same issue. Fortunately a good quality action figure stand will rectify that issue indefinitely.
I've actually wanted the entire A-Team team members for a while now. Since I've broken the seal and finally grabbed BA, it's really only a matter of time before I grab up the rest.
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Painted Memories: Yo Adrian!
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Retro Spins: Living In A Box - Living In A Box
Living in A Box
Living in A Box
1987
Truth be told, I really only know Living In A Box and their subsequent April 1987 album and song of the same name because of the Masters of the Universe movie. It was played during the scene where Gwildor snipes the chicken and ribs from the car of the two teenagers kissing.
The song of the same name from the band of the same name managed to debut at number eighty-eight on the charts of June 1987 and worked its way to number seventeen by August before working its way back down. The second single, So The Story Goes, debuted in October of '87, but disappeared the following week making the band officially a one hit wonder.
Overall it's a pretty terrible kind of album. Definitely one of those records that became annoying background noise fast and I had to force myself to stick it out. I can sum it up as such; It's like Hall and Oates meets diarrhea. The album just craps in your ears for the forty-two minutes it drones on.
In fact, Living In A Box (the song) really isn't all that great either. I guess these guys lucked out by having a mediocre hit during the decline of the 80's. Hey, take your prize where you can get it, right?
Living In A Box has a spot on my IPOD, but nothing else made its way from the album to the shuffle. Honestly, I don't know how long Living In A Box will hang out before getting the ol' trash can icon. Unless these guys managed their money well, I'd say chances are high they really are living out of cardboard boxes right now.
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Far Beyond The World I've Known...
Far beyond my time,
What am I,
Who am I,
What will I be?
Where am I going,
And what will I see?
Searching my mind,
For some truths to reveal,
What thoughts are fantasy,
What memory's real?
Buck Rogers and company!
Before I get further into this, I have to give a shout out to ebay seller relivingthepastagain. I bought these figures from the guy on July 7th, literally in the parking lot of the place we stopped for lunch after the Timonium show. They arrived on my doorstep on July 9th in a solidly packed box full of bubble wrap with each individual figure also wrapped in bubble wrap. The package must have been strapped to the rocket Buck Rogers himself was on. I don't think I've ever gotten a package so fast.
I've made mention about not being able to find these figures in pretty much every article I've posted regarding my trips to Timonium and my last visit was nothing short of disappointing in that regard as well. However, this time I came prepared with a backup plan.
I had seen this complete set of nine Mego Buck Rogers figures on ebay a couple days prior to the show and I told myself if I didn't find them there (and nobody swiped up this listing in the interim) that I would dive at it and make them mine. Well, obviously you know the rest of the story from there.
This set has always been special to me because as kids I and my two siblings each got a full set of figures for Christmas. I remember as a kid I was always so disappointed that none of the figures came with any accessories - You know, like basic pistols. One day I had this brilliant idea and sliced the holstered ones attached to their hips off. Wallah, pistols! I won't be doing that with this set.
Speaking of which, let's have a closer look, shall we?
The man himself, Captain Buck Rogers played by Gil Gerard!
The paint job on the figure - Well, honestly, all the figures, is spot on near perfect. There's minor flaws that you'll pick up on if you critique minutely, but for the most part they look great.
Colonel Wilma Deering played by Erin Gray.
Ah, Wilma Deering - The Princess Leia equivalent of sci-fi television.
Twiki played by actors Felix Silla, Bob Elyea and Patty Malone. His voice was proved by the awesome Mel Blanc! Dr. Theopolis on Twiki's chest was voiced by Eric Server. Five actors for one character!
Anyone remember the episode where Twiki met the gold female version of himself and he got all exited? He was all, "Biddibiddibiddi" and she was all, "Bootybootybooty." True story. Check it out!
Dr. Huer played by Tim O'Connor.
Emperor Draco played by Joseph Wiseman.
Kane played by Henry Silva.
Princess Ardala played by Pamela Hensley.
Ardala needed a bit of an action figure doctor when she arrived. The o-ring inside was so twisted up and overstretched that she was suffering from wobbly legs and hip syndrome. A quick popping of her open and giving her a fresh one and she was good to go. It happens with older figures - Which is why I always recommend toy collectors verse themselves with repairing their figures, no matter which line they're collecting.
Tigerman played by Duke Butler in the pilot movie and H.B. Haggerty in the series.
Draconian Warrior played by many characters, but notable for Don Maxwell.
I'm so happy to have these figures in my personal collection. I've been looking for them for quite some time now - Well, Buck Rogers and Twiki, but to have the whole collection again is just pure awesome!
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Bon Jovi (McFarlane Toys)
Bon Jovi
McFarlane Toys
2007
It was difficult for a lot of 80's singers / bands to survive the 1990's. 1994 to 1995 saw a ton of "old" acts trying to shift from the pop and / or glam rock styles of the 80's to the heavier grunge style of the 90's. Many tried. Many failed. Those that failed either tried again, while others sunk into oblivion only to emerge later hoping to ride the coat tails of their 80's hits into retirement.
Bon Jovi not only survived the 1990's, but proved they had more to offer in terms of a band well into the new millennium. Over the span of their 30+ year history, the band has released thirteen studio albums - Their latest being 2016's This House is Not For Sale.
In 2007, McFarlane Toys were producing a fair amount of figures based on bands and / or singers. The company glanced Bon Jovi's way when they released a figure based on Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora. Unfortunately for the rest of the band, they were ignored.The figures really don't stretch far beyond what they're intended to be. In fact, they don't at all. They fit their purpose of being plastic iterations of the two musicians. As such, they reach for a niche audience - Bon Jovi fans who may or may not be action figure collectors as well.
For those not into hunting down individually carded figures, McFarlane Toys also produced a limited two pack.
The figures while not scarce will set you back a decent amount. You can expect to spend anywhere from $40.00 to $50.00 a piece for them. The two pack will set you back roughly a hundred dollars.
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A Trip to Lost in Time Vintage Toy Store
As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I made a pit stop at Lost in Time Vintage Toy Store on the way back from the Dave Hart Show. While there, I found a ton of stuff I wanted to buy, but the prices were way out there - Well, for my budget anyway. Still, that didn't stop me from enjoying a nice tour around the place. The store seemed to have a little bit of everything.
Lots of loose stuff, but sadly the majority of it was incomplete. That's always a deal breaker for me.
Don't get excited - The box for the U.S.S. Flagg looks like it's being used for trash.
The place is packed from floor to ceiling with stuff, stuff and more stuff...
...And they deal a lot in AFA graded figures. A whole shelf of 3 3/4 and 12 inch Star Wars figures / dolls.
There were even more treasures to be found in the glass cabinets...
...Which of course had more things piled on top.
I was interested in the boxed Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in this cabinet, but it was missing the instruction booklet.
There were also a lot of incomplete loose vehicles scattered around the shop. This Sky Striker was one of many...Not Sky Strikers, but vehicles in general. There was a vintage Millennium Falcon which I was interested in, but it was missing three pieces. When I priced them out on ebay I would have had to spend around sixty dollars to complete it - So I passed.
I also really wanted these Movie View Cassettes from Kenner. I've been wanting them for a long time and these mint in the box ones were gnawing on my mind to take them home with me - As was the mint in the box Movie Viewer in one of the cabinets. Between the $65.00 per cassette and $145.00 for the viewer I had to pass.
More good stuff from the cabinets...
You can't see it in the photo below, but one of the books is Geoffrey T. Carlton's Star Wars Super Collector's Wish Book Fourth Edition. I jokingly asked the guy, "Do you want me to autograph that for you?" For those of you who know me personally, you know I am a credited "Super Contributor" in several volumes, the Fourth Edition included, for the home video section.
...And all of the above was just the first half of the store. Check out the second half!
I've never seen a Masters of the Universe Titus in the wild, let alone AFA graded and in super sweet condition. I doubt I'll ever see one again. I said to the guy, "Let me guess, there's three zeroes in the price tag." He confirmed my guess was right.
He also had a pristine and graded Kenner Alien.
The second half of the store had just as much awesome stuff!
I just recently compiled and completed a full set of the WWF Head Squirts from MTC as seen in the photo below. That post will go live in June of 2019 - Yup, I "work" that far in advance on The Toy Box posts.
You can't see them in the photos, because I didn't take any, but the second half of the store was reserved for quite a bit of "newer" toys such as those from DC Direct and the recently defunct Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line.
...And of course they had Funko Pops. While I was wandering around taking photos, my girlfriend had a conversation with the owner about her collection. Overall, he seemed interested to hear stories from his customers (at least us anyway). I really got the sense this wasn't just a store for him, but rather an extension of his hobby and personal passion for toys.
After rummaging around the second half of the store I headed back to the front to decide on what I would actually want to buy - As well as snap a couple more photos. Look at the top shelf of the photo below - Two AFA vinyl cape Jawas with hefty four digit price tags to go along with them. He also had about three blue Snaggletooth figures.
Like I said above, there was a lot of stuff I wanted to buy from Lost in Time Vintage Toy Store, but a lot of it was really out of my price range.
I didn't walk away empty handed though. I found the two motorcycles from the 1989 Batman movie line and decided to pick them both up. Granted they weren't high priority items on my list (or better stated - not on my list at all) and I more so got them because they were affordable and part of a line I really like.
They came mint in the boxes, which I immediately retrieved the toys from and told the owner of the store, "You can have the boxes back if you want them." After all, I would have just thrown them out.
I wanted to share the below photo yesterday when I added Superman to the shelf, but decided it would give away my purchases from the store, so I held off until now.
I'm only missing the Joker Van and Batcave - And neither one of them are fitting on that shelf!
With the help of my better half, I also found one of the many McDonald's Changeables I've been looking for. It was priced at a buck, but the owner ended up giving it to me for free.
The store was a lot of fun to wander around, but admittedly a little too expensive for me to take the plunge on most of the items I wanted. The staff was also really friendly and incredibly helpful and accommodating. If you're around the Fulton, Maryland area I would definitely recommend stopping in to check it out - If for nothing else than to take in an eyeful of everything they have. The pictures seriously don't do it justice.
***UPDATE***
I returned to Lost in Time a few weeks later, and well, let me tell you - It was a horrible experience. Apparently it is only worth the time if the actual owner is there because the person he leaves in charge in his absence is...Well...Useless.
I asked if he had certain items as well as what the price was on some. I got the same answer to both questions, "I don't know. You'll have to talk to the owner when he returns on Wednesday." Mind you, this was a Saturday. Furthermore, since the shop is over an hour away, I had no intentions of returning on Wednesday.
Overall it was a futile waste of time and begs the question of why bother opening if you aren't capable of selling anything? If anything, I would have been better suited to arrive to the shop to be greeted by a closed sign vs. a bumbling fool who couldn't make any transactions.
Bottom line, won't be returning here.
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