Non-SW Collectibles v 2.0

Awesome! The castle is cool great find on that! Sounds like you got some awesome goodies

I hit thrift stores this weekend, nothing overly thrilling other than a Mighty Muggs ROTS Obi-Wan for me. I did score a ton of Barbies to customize and sell dirt cheap. Saturday was 1/2 of day. One place I got dolls individually at like 35 cents each.

 

Yeah, it's complete too, which is tough because it comes with a weapons rack full of various easily lost weapons, including a tiny (for He-Man anyway lol) pistol. It was filthy, though, so I talked the guy down to $40. Nothing 30 minutes and twenty or so wet wipes couldn't fix though .

I was surprised that I didn't see more Barbies or dolls in general. I kept my eyes peeled for her, Rainbow Brite, She-Ra and other assorted 80s ladies. Was also looking for Shirt Tales, My Buddy, Care Bears and the like with no luck. But this was a huge show and my buddies and I lapped it a dozen times and found stuff we'd missed on every pass, so I probably walked by a ton of such things.

Congrats on the Barbies! That's a steal.

 

Lol that's awesome.

Hey you know it's amazing what Clorox wipes can do. I can't tell you how many toys I get that were thrown out that only needed to be scrubbed clean to make them look brand new. That's great that it was complete!

Toy shows are weird, they do tend to focus on boys stuff. Most doll sellers just look for doll shows. Sadly we don't have doll shows in my state

 

I bet. I'm a big believer in refurbishing toys. With 80s G.I. Joes you can take them apart, so I'll replace rusty screws, broken O-rings and set aside the good pieces of damaged figures or vehicles until I can pair them up with better pieces. I kinda think of it as cultural preservation.

Boo! I would say the mix was 60/40 guys to girls at the show I was at. Definitely a missed opportunity. But doing some searching, it looks like there are quite a few doll shows in my area this year. There's the Mid-Ohio Doll show in Columbus June 5th. The Toledo Doll, Bear and Toy show April 10th, and something called the Olentangy Valley Doll Club of Ohio (Rolls off the tongue doesn't it?) is promising central Ohio's largest doll show w/over 100 vendors.

I also saw the same venue I went to Sunday is hosting a similar show w/a focus on video games and I'm soooo there.

 

Juke Skywalker, I know what you mean about the '80's G.I. Joe: ARAH figures. I don't have any from that era anymore, but in the early 200X's there were some cool TRU comic book ARAH three-packs with some excellent re-done ARAH figures. I got many of these sets & in looking through them a while back, in some cases the rubber band(s) holding the figures together in the middle had deteriorated & broken. However, other than that the figures are in perfect shape. So, I'm definitely going to keep the figures & try to find those specific rubber bands to replace them - once I do so, the figure will be as good as new.

That being said, note that some '80's-era toys have deteriorated past the point of no return - in some cases. As I noted on another thread I posted last Fall, the foam on my 1983 Chewbacca Bandolier strap had fallen apart completely, and as a result I ended up having to get rid of this - since this was useless as both a carrying case & as a collectible.

Also, I have noticed that many Vintage-era Star Wars figures are now sticky/tacky to the touch - and, I don't know how to get rid of this. Obviously, the plastic has deteriorated to the point that it's broken down to some extent. Not much to be done here....

And, this issue isn't restricted to Vintage-era SW figures. I have also noticed that my excellent 2010 3.75" ROTJ Jabba the Hutt w/throne (Wal-mart exclusive) also now has the sticky/tacky residue issue. Who knows. Maybe Hasbro designed it this way so it would accurately reflect the way Jabba's slimy skin felt in ROTJ?!

 

Blur, replacing a broken O-ring in a Joe is a snap. Even I can do it, and I am not what you'd call mechanically inclined.

Here's a vid on it and here's an article. I actually really enjoy repairing Joes. I recently took two Ace figures I had, took the best parts from each and made a C-9 figure out of them. O-rings are super cheap. usually a few bucks for a lot of 100 or so on eBay. Same with the screws.

I remember those comic sets from TRU. Very cool. Wish I'd picked them up at the time. Oh well, one more thing for the list .

Yeah, you can do your best to preserve these things by keeping them away from light, excessive temps etc., but the fact is they weren't created as collectibles. In many cases they were simply made to last a few years, if that, and then be thrown away. Not sure if there's anything that can be done re: that sticky/tacky texture. Those plastics are made from petroleum, so I think that accounts for a lot of that.

 

Guh I really need to be able to have some days off work so my sister and I can go organize our storage container. Don't ask me how but a big bag of my vintage SW toys ended up out there. It's not air conditioned here in AZ.

 

Thanks for the info. - very good to know. I need to pick up some of those O-rings so I can repair my Joes.

Yes, the TRU comic packs were nice - here's a link to pics. from some of them - about mid-way down the page.

http://www.yojoe.com/action/06/

One of my favorite packs was from Marvel G.I. Joe #26 - this had three figures: Snake-Eyes (before his face was disfigured), Stalker, and Storm-Shadow - all told from the Vietnam flash-back - as told in the comic. This was one of my favorite G.I. Joe comics, and the detail of the figures was amazing - you could even make out the small picture of Snake-Eyes' sister in his hat band! Very nice.

I guess it depends on how hot it gets - though I've been to AZ in the summer (Phoenix) and know it gets quite warm. I have some of my vintage SW toys stores in an attic somewhere in an area that gets hot in the summer - the heat doesn't seem to be affecting them too much - or at least I don't think they're that much worse off than if they were in a cooler storage place.

A while back, I mentioned in another post that my fantastic latex?! full head mask of Darth Maul (1999) started to deteriorate several years back, to the point where it completely fell apart - I just trashed it at that point. As Juke said, no matter how much we care for these collectibles I don't think they were meant to last that long...

 

Pheeew, yeah, that's gotta be like an Easy Bake Oven. But that Castle Grayskull I bought a few weeks ago had been in a shed or garage for years I believe the guy said, and aside from some dirt, it wasn't any worse for wear. And believe me, it gets hot here in Ohio during the Summer, with high humidity to boot.

Oh yeah, I remember that. It was a two-parter, and the first time we really got a chance to learn about Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow's backstories. I was a Joe fanatic, and I loved Larry Hama's writing for the comic. I would often finish reading it and then turn right back to page one and start all over.

Yeah, latex is a bit like foam in that regard. Very susceptible to deterioration.

 

Not sure if there are any Transformers fans here but this was outside the local Entertainer today, along with the Bumblebee Camaro. Lots of excited kids waiting to sit inside both and get their pictures taken by a parent.

 

Well, I bid on a vintage, unused Star Wars lunchbox yesterday and lost BIG TIME. I bid $230. Final bid was north of $400. So, to console myself, I bought a G.I. Joe Stalker figure (1983, "swivel arm" version). I feel a *little* better. That puts me at 40 80s Joes, not including vehicle drivers. I'm now 12 away from completing the "must have" portion of my Joes list.

 

Well glad to hear about the Joe. Going after vintage stuff is tough. I've had to back off from getting vintage dolls, out of like 6 lots that I won only 2 didn't reek of either smoke or must. So, I'm done w/ wasting my money - I now have 3 huge bags of stinky dolls and clothes that I need to figure out how to clean.

I've moved all of my doll rerooting stuff into the living room so I can reroot while I watch TV, it's more effective than being bored out of my gourd and trying to do it in my craft room w/ nothing else to do. Result, at least w/ getting new dolls up for sale, my sales have gone back up again.

I've decided to get back into scrapbooking and last night opened my photos I recently got printed for a Hawaii trip I did 2 1/2 years ago and CVS did a HORRIBLE job of printing them, they were:

A) all out of order which was just great considering I have about 4 nights worth of sunsets where the sunsets look similar, the only way I know when they were taken is due to the order of the prints
B) some were upsidedown in the packs
C) some you could tell the printer just had pixel problems,
D) many were just horrible w/ being either blurred from blasting through their giant printer too quickly, or were ultra bright and faded
E) there was a big scratch mark on all of them as they obviously slammed through their printing machine.

Mind you have a fantastic Canon camera and all pics were entered at like 5800x 3500 resolution. Yes some were going to be a little bright due to the time of day I took them, I expected that, BUT when even photos that I knew were bright and that I'd used to print onto calendars before came out looking faded and horrible, it's not my photos fault. My sister was like "take them back and make them redo them." Honestly I don't know that their printer is working very well anymore so I have no confidence that a new round printed off would look any better, so I guess I'll have to delay my project again and reorder them all via Shutterfly. My sister ordered her prints from there and they came out great.

I'd printed off pics from another Caribbean trip also from CVS, I guess I should look at those and see if they're any better Grrrrrrrr

 

Yeah, it's always a gamble with vintage stuff, but thankfully I've been really fortunate over the years. I love eBay and it's still my first choice, but thankfully we have tons of shops around here devoted to vintage toys, figures and games, and lots of toy shows. It's always nice to be able to see things up close, as even the most hi-rez cameras still can't capture everything, and of course you can't smell through your monitor.

Sorry to hear about your photo experience. A lot of stores are phasing out their photo labs or "digital media centers" as the one where I work used to be called. When I first started we had a dedicated photo lab with a fully trained staff that was supplemented by kiosks and digital scanners. Then they got rid of the lab and the techs and had Drug/GM cover the kiosks if there were issues or questions and then they got rid of even those and used the space for something else. Most of these various digital media centers and labs either send their stuff out to be processed or are manned by people who only do it when there's a customer and aren't highly trained.

 

I was really disappointed, only a couple of years ago I could go there and the photos were excellent. I know the whole photo industry is on the decline, I think scrapbooking is about the only thing that's keeping those machines going. On the plus side, Shutterfly has huge offices here in Phoenix, if I send my orders into them, I'm supporting local jobs.

*Sigh I bought another doll lot last night on ebay, we'll have to see how it is. At least they're only 70's and 80s dolls and not older.

 

Yeah, as with so many things today, digital technology has taken something that was once a skill or craft and made it nearly obsolete. When we were kids my Mom had photo albums full of pictures of my brother and I. Today my brother and sister-in-law have flash drives full of pictures of my niece and nephew.

Good luck with your doll!

 

I love old school promotional glasses. The ones that were typically used as restaurant premiums to help promote a movie, TV show or just the restaurants themselves. I have the three vintage Burger King sets that were used to promote the original Star Wars trilogy, and I count them as perhaps my favorite SW collectibles. Not only do they bring back fond memories of going to BK with my Dad each week to grab the latest glass, they're just really neat.

Been chasing a set of the 1979 Battlestar Galactica glasses issued by Steak 'n Shake for a while now. When they show up on eBay or at toy shows and shops, it's almost always as singles or incomplete sets. Finally a complete set of four were listed on eBay, BIN $40.00 or best offer. I felt $40.00 was a reasonable enough price, but I took a chance and offered $35.00 and it was accepted!

Definitely a cool set of glasses of the kind and quality they just don't make anymore. Here's a pretty nifty video some guy uploaded to Youtube showing off his glasses.



Anyone else collect these kinds of glasses or have fond memories of them from their youth? I also love plastic promotional cups, and have over 30 different ones from the various SW promotions '78-83.

 

i've got a couple of the old SW Burger King glasses and some more recent Fett-related mugs but that's about it.

 

They were a staple in the 70s and 80s. You still see them occasionally (I know JJ Abrams' Star Trek had them at BK). It wasn't just the big FF chains getting on board either. Taco Bell had glasses for Superman: The Movie and Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (Spoileriffic ones at that, featuring the destruction of the Enterprise and the previously dead Spock). And Pizza Hut of all places got the promotional tie-in for E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial.

 

I've got all but 1 of the Star Wars ones - and that's because I broke it. We used to have the ones for The Muppet Movie. I've never seen those BSG glasses, they're cool!

 

I've got a few of those Great Muppet Caper glasses too. Found them at a Goodwill a few years ago for a buck apiece. You'd think McDonalds would've been the leader in movie premium glasses, but they never really seemed to land or pursue the biggies. I mean, E.T. glasses at Pizza Hut? Seems a 'natch for Mickey-D's to me. To see Superman: The Movie end up at Taco Bell or Temple of Doom at... Brown's Chicken and/or TacoTime? Maybe McDonald's only wanted to associate with G-rated fare (though I specifically remember them having Batman Returns cups). I might be forgetting some they had.

Yeah, I think the BSG glasses are pretty nifty, too. I already have a vintage Mattel Colonial Viper. Want to add a Cylon Raider and a BSG lunchbox (which is one of the cooler from the era IMO) and that'll do me for Galactica.

 

Great memories, fellow '80's kids Those Battlestar Galactica glasses are great - I don't remember them, but do have fond memories of the TV series. I still need to watch my BG Blu-ray set.

I do remember that I got some ESB promotional glasses @ Burger King back around '80-'81. I had them for a while, but eventually they broke

I do recall that back in the 200X's (I think) a company did produce some replicas of some SW glasses - I saw these sets @ Target; fortunately, these replicas were made of plastic, so they wouldn't break. I regret not getting them....

 

Yeah, I don't remember ever seeing those BSG glasses until I got into collecting. They were sold at Steak 'n Shake, and I don't think we got a S'nS around here until the mid 90s. Doing research after I bought that set, S'nS was mostly concentrated in the Midwest at the time (odd we didn't have any in my area of Ohio then), so folks on the coasts likely never saw 'em. I did grow up a huge fan of the series though. Saw it first run as a very young kid (4 to be exact), but the bulk of my memories are of when a local station would run marathons on Saturday afternoons. Got a few more vintage BSG items to grab before I'm done.

Good news is those original BK SW glasses are still affordable. Prices for vintage SW items have shot up in recent years, but I get the sense they made so many of those glasses that the prices have stayed down. I'd say you would be able to get sets in the $40.00 range on eBay. Just a tad more than I paid for my sets 10 years ago.

I know the Target glasses you're talking about. They were Target exclusives, paired with a repacked (typically POTF2 and POTJ era for the OT ones) figure. They're very much in the spirit of those old BK glasses. I didn't buy them at the time, as I only wanted the glasses, and I think they retailed for like $12.00. But I did win a lot on eBay with half a dozen or so of them for under $20.00.

 

Thanks for the info. about the BSG glasses - sounds cool that they're still available for good prices, but I wouldn't want to own any actual collectible glasses - made out of glass - at this point. Fragile collectibles like this are too prone to breakage.

Yeah, I'm still regretting not getting those plastic Target SW re-issued glasses from around the early-mid 200X's. I remember seeing them in stores & not wanting to get them since I already had the figures they came with. But, I should have gotten them anyway!

With all of the interest in SW now with the new movies (with no end in sight), maybe we'll get lucky and they'll be re-issued....but I won't be holding my breath

 

Yeah, there's definitely a risk with glass. I got mine today and it was almost comical to see all the trouble they had to go through to pack them securely (though thankfully they did, and they arrived undamaged).

That's why I passed on them initially. $12 a pop (I believe) was a tad too much for a single glass and a figure I had or didn't want. I haven't looked, but you might be able to pick them up loose in a lot on eBay. Would give you the classic look of those old BK glasses, but without the fragility.

Lol, you never know.