COMMENT TIME IV
9/25/09
OTSN Update
Photos are finally up for the Barzso Zorro Playset and the TSSD Custer playset. The first impression on the Barzso playset is nice, but do we really need to have a film crew with it? Sergeant Garcia has his sword out. Seeing the box of the playset I see that it is copyrighted Zorro productions and not Disney so I have corrected it my other posting. The hacienda is nice and a worthy addition to any scene. The hacienda can be incorporate with the fort. I hope Ron is doing add on walls so you can make the fort bigger.
TSSD Custer playset is nice and if you are a Custer buff may want to look at it. Rick Eber has two Johnny Ringo Playsets (one of which sold) and a Gunsmoke Playset at the show. We will try to contact people today around our schedule to get more impressions of the show.
I have posted the link below for the photos if it does not work paste it in your search engine or go to playset magazine.
http://www.playsetmagazine.com/OTSN200/Pa...otsn_2009a.html
9/24/09
Barzso Zorro Playset
The Zorro playset is copyrighted by Zorro productions. According to one report the playset has Zorro dueling with Commandate while Bernardo and Sergeant Garcia look on. The playset comes with a hacienda and playmat. Also to give Zorro problems are about 36 Presidio Lancers. No note on how many different poses for the lancers. The extra set is a Spanish fort. So far no one has posted any pictures of this playset. We will keep you posted.
It looks like the secret is out
We are waiting for what the next Barzso playset and it looks like it is Zorro. One of our readers spotted this up at www.fortressfigures.com. This is the company that does the resin figures for Ron and as you can see they are noting the figure will be used in playset that will premier at OTSN. Now we waiting for the details. Check out below.
http://www.fortressfigures.
9/22/09
OTSN
OTSN is only a few days away and like last year we will be observing and calling people to get dates on the show. (It is great when you have lots of minutes to use.) The big thing is to see if what Barzso's new playset. There has been lots of speculation so we have a few days to wait and see. We will keep you posted.
9/10/09
Odds and Ends
Beside the OTSN show there is also a WWII Days in Rockford Illinois that same weekend. The show will have reenactors with vehicles. It is only an hour west of of the show and could be an interesting diversion. TSSD is showing their second set of Sioux Indians. The poses look like nice. One thing I like is not all of the Indians have Winchesters so it make for a nice diversity of figures. Their mounted Sioux Indians figures will be out in 2010. They are waiting for their foam painted pieces for the playsets. Still no word on what Barzso is doing for this year. Lots of speculation so we will have to wait until the show.
The History of Spanish Plastic has sold 316 books and there are only a few more days before it will be published. It is not a cheap book, but if you are into foreign plastic this book will be a major reference source for years to come. We just help a collector find out his figure was made in Egypt! That's right Egypt, our very good friend Peter Evans help in indentifying two six inch cowboys. It is amazing how many figures have been made in plastic. I am estimating that I have seen 15,000 to 20,000 different figures and I know there is more to see. Just recently I saw some PVC figures from Australia that included a nurse figure.
We have been busy with our projects. The first phase of my book project is nearly done. I have been writing a sword and sorcery book the last few years. I get to write on only at night usually, but it has been fun with the things I have had to come up. I am hoping to have the final draft done this January baring any delays. One of the delays so far I had with this project was a writer's block which lead me to write a side story relate to two characters in book which end up 57 pages! I will tell you more once it is done.
Another project we are working is our Ebay store. If you have watch the store you have seen we are adding lots of items from movie stills to figures. As I telling people I am dealing with a massive collection of items I don't know what will turn up. I open one box recently and found figures I had not seen in five years. Because Laurie has been helping me we have moved the photo area upstairs. For now it has been a temporary set up, which soon will get a permanent spot once I clean out an area. Once that regular area is up we can add new items to the list.
Since starting the new shift I have gotten back to the flea market I use to do on a Wednesday. The first Wednesday was great I found a ceramic dinosaur for Laurie and I found figures. One person had three Marx pirates a reissue 3 inch Marx fireman and some Hong Kong figures for $2.00! This week I got only a Munster book, the market has a great buy on food products so it was worthwhile. Next week I will try a different market and hope to find a few items there.
End of Summer
We ended our summer hunt last week as I started new shift which does not have Sunday off. I will pick up my Wednesday market again. I have already block out the Sundays I need so I will be at the Hackensack plus we will be doing the Chiller Theatre show the same day.
The summer was good and bad this year. I found the main source in the past Renningers a disappointment with one exception. The exception was our very good friend Gerry Watts. Those who get to shows where Gerry sets up know he is a legend for the items he finds. I was able to get a nice array of items for resale and a few items for myself including a MPC figure I had not seen before. I found very little else there. We also did Lambertville in New Jersey as Laurie has started to deal in jewelry which you will find up on our store at Ebay. I did find a few items there including a 6 inch Napoleon and Marx Fort Apache playset for $10.00. The best show was the Marx Convention which we did for the third time. The material that showed up was great and I even found a few foreign figures for the collection. We will be back next year.
OTSN
OTSN is less than a month away. We know that TSSD will have its Custer Playset, Weston Toys will have the new Replicants Harpers Ferry and Cunnyngham Collectibles may have some of their new Confederates for the show. The mystery will be what Barzso's Collectibles will do this year? We will have to wait and see. As I mention before we will not be their due to work and some projects we are doing. We will be watching and getting reports and we will be passing them along.
8/27/09
Chiller Theater
Chiller Theater is the same weekend as Hackensack. This is a great show to meet stars from our childhood. The line up so includes Stefanie Powers, Ann Margret, Mickey Rooney (Friday and Saturday only), Roger Smith and Peter Fonda amongst others. Check their web site for more details.
8/17/09
Spanish Plastic Figure Book Finally to be Published
The long awaited Spanish Plastic book from Juan Hermida is finally coming out. The book is over 540 pages and will contain history and photos of the various Spanish plastic companies. It will also contain a DVD of commercials for Jescan. The book will be available for a very limited time. International buyers the price for the book will be 104 Euros with postage charge of 18.60 Euros for the postage to the United States ( Cost in U.S. dollars is around $175.00). This is not a cheap book, but if you collect Spanish plastic this will be the definitive book on this subject for years to come. If you have more questions go to http://spanishtoysoldiers.blogspot.com The information is in Spanish exception for the information on international sales. You can see pictures of sample pages. If you have questions for Juan you can write him at juan_hermida@hotmail.com
Replicants Next Playset
Steve Weston of Weston Toys has announced the next playset from Replicants. It is Harpers Ferry recreating the attack by John Brown and his men at Harpers Ferry to capture the federal armory. Brown's plan was to arm the slaves and start a rebellion. This plan failed miserable.
The playset will recreate this important moment in the history. The set will contain all new marines and John Brown Raiders and existing Replicants in new colors for civilians and militia. The set will have two character figures one will be John Brown no mention of what the other character figure will be. Also in the set will be a form board Engine House where Brown made his defense. The price will be around prices of the previous Replicants sets.
The Next Plastic Warrior Show
The next Plastic Warrior Show will be May 8, 2010 in Richmond a suburb of London. I can not say enough of this great show. Put together every year by Paul Morehead the show is a diversity of plastic for collectors in every price range. You can find rare English plastic figures or cheap figures to do conversions. There are figures from around the world one table may have figures from Portugal next to a table with figures from Germany. The show is always full of surprises. So mark your calendar and plan to be there you will have a great time.
Shows
We have heard reports that some of the shows that have been held this month have not been good. The Macungie show was disappointing and one person who had money to spent for resale and found very little. The Michigan summer show was on a different day than before and people did not come out. One dealer on his web site thank anyone who came and bought. Likewise the show in Gettysburg had poor attendance and the dealers complained that no one was there. Hopefully this was a temporary glitch and the shows will be back to their old self. We will know more after OTSN. Laurie and I will not be there as we have to work and can not get the time off and have other projects that are filling our free time. We will be watching reports from various source on seeing what is going on.
8/04/09
Marx Toy Kings Book
Rusty Kern has written a series of four books on Marx Toys. The first one up is Marx Men the history of Marx from 1919 to 1946. The book will be loaded with information from Louis Marx's own scrap books. The next one will be on playsets. For more details you should go to
http://www.playsetmagazine.com/MarxToyKings.html
Comic-Con
The Comic-Con as just ended. This is the convention gets 126,000 people through it for the 4 days and has a wide selection of items for the collectors and fans. Hollywood has discovered the importance of the show for promoting their shows and brings in many of the stars. You should check the various for your favorite show or movie. If you are a fan of Iron Man I can tell War Machine is in the next one as well as Whiplash and Black Widow. One television series that got little notice was Spartacus Blood and Sand. The show is being produced by Sam Raimi who did Hercules and Xena. Speaking of Xena, Lucy Lawless is in the show as Lucretia. The trailer is up on www.imdb.com. The trailer is bloody and gory as it looks they are trying to go for the Gladiator style. It is being made for the Starz network. Check it out.
7/28/09
TSSD Custer Last Stand Playset
If you are into the Plains Indians wars, you should check out TSSD's next playset Custer Last Stand. The playset will jammed pack with dismounted Indians, Cavalry a terrain piece plus much more. This set will have two character figures Custer and Crazy Horse. The set is priced at $259.95. If you are interested you can check it out at their web site.
Dracula
One of the disappointment of collectors of the 6 inch Marx Universal monsters was they never did a Dracula. The story I heard that Universal was in a dispute at the time with Bela Lugosi Junior over the rights to using his father's face. Because of that dispute we got the Hunchback of Notre Dame instead of Dracula. I have heard a rumor that a prototype was done, but I have never been able to confirm it. Terry Beatty has gone corrected this mistake with his 6 inch Dracula figure. The figure is made of resin and has Dracula with a candle. You see pictures of the figure at www.universalmonsterarmy.com. The figure is $40.00.
Michaels and Lemax
Laurie and I were out on Sunday and trying to get to some flea markets before it rained. We stopped at a strip mall and found they had a Michael's which we checked to see if they had any of the Halloween Lemax. We discovered they did but the selection is down from last year. We only got a cowboy skeleton with a guitar and pirate skeleton with a pistol on a cannon. Gone are the Egyptian undead and the other fun items we got last year. I will not need to go back. I will check AC Moore to see if they have anything different but I have little hope. One other thing the Lemax was being sold at 25% off
7/21/09
Conte Collectibles
On Conte Collectibles website it has been announced that they will be doing the Raleigh Toy Show on September 26/27 at the North Carolina Fairgrounds. As this show is the same weekend as OTSN they will not at be OTSN. Conte Collectibles will also doing Hackensack Toy Soldier Show on November 1. Check out their web site for further shows.
Worker
I love going through boxes of figures as I never know when I will find an interesting figure for the collection. Case in point the above figure which I picked out our very good friend Gerry Watts fifty cent box this past Sunday. I call the figure a worker. The figure is 90mm high. On the bottom is a stem which means it was the part of another toy the fun will be now trying to find what toy it was part of.
7/14/09
A C Moore
We had a new strip mall open up in our area and we decide to check out some of the new stores. The first one was called the Christmas Shop which I did not find one Christmas item. It is a close out store for Bed Bath and Beyond. The only figures I saw were some Stars Wars figures that were on sale for $3.50 which was no bargain when you can get three or four figures for $10.00. We then went into AC Moore as I wanted to see if they had the Halloween Lemax. I like some of the pieces they have done in the past and wanted to see if they were pushing Halloween yet. They were not but I did discover that they had a whole display of figures from Stevens Hobby. It was like going back in time. I was able to get another bag of Saracens and another bag of Crusaders. I was able to get the Supreme Dragons and knights. This bag comes with 12 figures and two winged horses. The knights are 65mm and stylize. The mounted knight may have a problem to sit on their horse due to the wings. Still I like them. I will check back in a few weeks and see if they get their Halloween items.
Supreme Russian Knight Figures
One of the items I was happy to get recently was the Supreme Russian knights. The figures are 65mm and nicely detailed. In the bag you get twelve different poses. they are a good companion to the other figure Supreme makes.
Some interesting figures
I pick this group of figures up at Plastic Warrior Show. My very good friend Andreas Dittmann told what they were but my mind has forgotten them. The figures are 65mm and have removable heads.
MPC Army Figures
Here are the 10 different poses that Mark has of the MPC figures I found recently. It is an interesting mix of poses.
Odds and Ends
If you are looking for a nice show to go to put on your calendar the Marx Convention for 2010. It is fun show. In fact we just got a postcard from Allan Miller thanking us for coming to show. That is really nice.
If you hear Laurie say that I just have her along to carry the packages don't believe it. Laurie is an active part of my hobby as she is my backstop and my support. Many times I will get her feedback on an item. She is also looking for unusual items for her collection or dinosaurs. Recently we were at a flea market and she spotted some bronze dinosaurs which I missed. Sadly only one was good which we purchased. At the same show I picked a Marx Fort Apache for cheap price. I was going to leave it at the stand, but Laurie felt it was best to take it back to the car. She is the extra pair of eyes I have been looking for at a show.
It seems that Hobby Bunker has produced some more Marx reissues including the Inaugural Set. This Set was of three presidents Washington, Lincoln and Eisenhower and their wives in 60mm. The figures were done unpainted U.S. and painted Germany. This set had been reissued before. Another item that has been reissued is the 60mm western saddles.
We did pick up the Weston Toy cowboys and the TSSD dismounted Sioux. I like them both. TSSD is planning on having a Custer playset at OTSN. Cunnyngham Collectibles does not think they will have their Confederate figures for OTSN. On their web site they are giving a tease on the Union figures which will be their second line. Some people are complaining that they are finding very little at the flea markets. While there has been less I have still surprised in what I have found even when I have not been out there with a flashlight. This past weekend we went out and it was a disappointment but I don't let it get me down. I look it as a nice walk and a great time.
Get back to the Kruger Toy and Train Museum Allan Miller has only one reissue on display in the museum the Marx Jackie Gleason figures that we did years ago. They are in the box we did for the figures. I recently had to correct a dealer that had misinformation on the figures. The VIP on the bottom is the licensing mark of the company we got the permission from. There is actual a second reissue in the museum which Allan was not aware it was a reissue. The figure is the Nutty General Hai Saki. The color is black which was the color a friend got run from Dapol years ago. The originals are next to impossible to find and when they come up they are quite expensive.
Marx Convention 2009
Laurie and I had a great time at the Marx Convention. It was great seeing old friends and meeting people that you use to have on your list/ Case in point was Fred Bauer who use to get my list. Laurie is amazed how many people I got started in this hobby. This is a great show where prices are reasonable on many items and everyone is friendly. Listed below is my report of the show.
Kruger Toy and Train Museum
Here are two interesting photos we took at the Kruger Toy and Train Museum
Several of the Ancient Chinese Ladies
Some hard plastic Marx Figures that were not sold in the U.S.
6/28/09
Marx Museum Fund Raiser
The Marx Museum Fund Raiser was held in Glendale West Virginia at the local Fire Hall. On a row of tables playsets and loose pieces were available for sale. The loose pieces carried the gambit of figures and accessories Marx made and there was unusual colors to be had including the Marx dinosaurs in yellow. Some of the items were from the Marx land fills but most items looked like they were made yesterday not 30 or more years ago. Some items had prices on them while other items you had to go to Francis Turner to get prices. Some of the prices were reasonable I was able to pick up the Marx six inch pioneer shot with an arrow in chocolate brown for $20.00 and six inch Viking in the standard green for $10.00. Another person was able to get some of the Marx American beauties done in Germany and one of the reclining female nude for $13.00 each. On the other hand some prices were high. A set of the Marx 60mm Mounties in brown set of 4 for $400.00. Laurie overheard one person asked a price on a gate they thought was $5.00 and it was $50.00.
It did not seem like many of the playsets sold that were for sale. We heard of a Roy Rogers Rodeo Display selling. Many of the people over were buying pieces to help fill in their collection. We were there for about a half hour and got to see the Marx Museum DVD which was interesting talking about the history of Marx and the Marx Museum in Moundsville.
6/23/09
The Boys
In this picture it looks like Percy laying alone
Surprise Sparky is hiding under the blanket. Sparky likes to do that
The boys are doing very well. This month marks one year with Percy. He is learning not to bark at every dog and person that we see. Percy and Sparky get along very well.
A Conversion Figure
Can you identify the Figure use make this conversion? The head is from a Britains Figure.
The body of the figure is B.O. Plenty from the Marx Dick Tracy Group. I like conversion figures as they give you poses you never had, but you wish had been made. I will keep this figure. I have not figure where he will be used in my stories as right now I am busy writing my sword and sorcery book.
6/21/09
AIP French and Indian War
AIP is going to be releasing French and Indian War figures. The first set will be Rogers Rangers. The set will have 16 figures in 8 poses. The Figures will be available in 5 different colors. That will be followed by a set of woodland Indians. The poses are based on retired John Jenkins figures.
Surprise
This Sunday we decided to go out and check a flea market that is open the first and third Sunday of the month. The weather had been bad and I was having cabin fever. So we decide to go as the weather was only cloudy. Also if there was no one out in the flea market there was to be a toy show. We got to the the flea market and found a few outdoor vendors. Some of the dealers set up out in the open and others were under cover. I was going through one dealer that had figures for sale. Most of his Marx figures were priced near market, but I was able to find a few figures. Laurie told me to look at the glass cases he had. After making my purchase I walked over to the cases I got a surprise he had two Merten Centaurs! I had not seen these figures in ten years when Laurie had purchase some in England. I sold them and she was upset that I sold as she like them. I promised the next ones we get would be hers. It took ten years to find more.
We purchased the figures and they now part of Laurie's collection.
6/15/09
Roy Rogers
Daily Variety is reporting that Roy Rogers is returning to the silver screen. A film company called 821 Entertainment has partnered with the Roy Rogers Family Entertainment Group to produce film trilogy as well as animated television and merchandising efforts. The CEO of 821 Entertainment state that the film trilogy will not be a biopic and will not be a traditional western, but rather a family fantasy venture. We will keep you posted on this news
Victrix
Victrix a company from England that does 28mm Napoleonic figures has listed that they will be doing 54mm British Napoleonics. The set will have 16 figures and will be multipose. No date when these figures will be release
OTSN CHANGES
There are some changes coming to those who set up at OTSN. The biggest change is those who are selling out of their rooms but not setting up at the show on Sunday will be required to pay $40.00 or have a peddler's license from Schaumberg. In the past you did not have to have a license or pay a fee to sell out of your room. Also there is restrictions on having a sign on a door. There will be no large signs in the elevator foyer. The only signs will be a list of the dealers and a map. If you put out a flyer it can only be 5inches by 8 inches. There are various restrictions on the room furniture. If you have items being shipped to the show the Hyatt will charge for the deliver of packages. If you are going to have a table at the show you need to confirm by July 18 with a payment to get your previous location
6/04/09
Last Marx Hurrah
Marx in the 70's did four sets called Emergency Rescue. Each set contain three figures, some accessories and half of a vehicle. This is the Emergency Rescue Copter.
5/30/09
Playset Magazine 45
The latest issue of Playset Magazine was not bad except for two annoyances. Issue 45 spotlighted Ideal toys including sample pages from the 1964 catalog. Also featured it the Ideal Flying boxcar and Ideal sub. I had not known the the boxcar had been sold as the Globe master. The flying boxcar was a toy from my childhood which I still have with the box but not in great shape. The sub was something I saw for sale as a child when we went to Atlantic City. The sub was reissued by Glencoe Models. I like the article by Jesse Hampton on the Bum Tarzan. He noted the big mistake Bum made calling it Tarzan of the Apples. Jesse did not know that figures were originally made made by Pech of Spain. That is understandable as I did not have hard evidence until recently purchasing a copy of a Pech catalog. Pech made six different Tarzan figures plus Jane and boy. I hope to do an article for this web site on the Pech Tarzan series this summer.
The first annoyance in issue 45 was the treatment of the Aurora Tarzan. This nice set is given a short shift in its article. The photo of the Aurora Tarzan is cut off on right side not showing the knife. The figure is a hard plastic and if found usually has the knife missing. We could have a a list of what is on the card. The rest of the space is given to the Airfix Tarzan set which is also given short shift. There is no mention that the set was based on the Tarzan television show that was done from 1966 to 68. The Airfix set was put out first around that time not the 90's. The Hat set of the Airfix Tarzan is sold as Jungle Adventure to avoid paying rights.
The other annoyance is listing of the Lone Star Afghans as Arabs. Yes you can use them as Arabs but they are Afghans figures and should be listed as such. This the second time Playset Magazine has gotten it wrong as they had a picture in the last issue of these figures. I complained about the mistake then. To have it done twice is very disappointing.
Figure Identity Update.
In the last few months we have listed a number of figures which we have some or no information. The figures pictured above we had found these Indians at flea market. Our very good friend Peter Evan identified these figures as early Elastolin.
We heard from two people on the Marx Indian. Our friend Mark Hegeman was the first to tell us that these figures were sold on a card. Mark told me that the figure was sold on a card. Marx also did soldier and cowboy in this style. J.J. Schbetta told us that he remember getting these figures as a child and was hunting to get the soldier figure.
Ebay and Bidding
There has been much discussion about the Ebay auctions. People have been upset about some of the actions they have seen going on the site. I would like to give you some insight so you have a successful auction.
A. Know your item
The key when in bidding on item is know the item. You should know if the item is original or reissue. If you have question ask the seller. If you are unsure of an item ask someone who should know.
B. Don't assume
Just because an item says Marx it might not be Marx. There are many fantasy items being made.
C. Bidding use your head
There are two different bid options. The first bidding option is you set a maximum you will pay. This method is best as it disciplines you that you do not go over your bid. The other bidding option is go for it until you have the item you want. This second option is dangerous as it opens you to shill bidding. Shill bidding is where a party selling items has people who bid on its items to push the price up. People can easily get caught up in the moment suddenly find they paid twice for an item.
D. Realized that hobby is suppose to be fun.
5/28/09
New MPC Figure Uncovered
We were out at the flea markets this past Sunday and we ran into our very good friend Geri Watts. I always enjoy going through Geri's mix boxes as I can find from time to time unusual figures. This time I found the figure above in a small plastic bag. I put the figure in with my other items and bought him. When we got home I took him out and notice some printing on the base. It said Multiple Toymaker Made in Hong Kong. This would mean the figure was produced in the late 60's early 70's. I don't know if he is suppose to be an green beret or something else. I found out why Geri put him in a plastic bag as he has a separate rifle. The rifle has a little stem that fits into a hole in the figure. Has to how many figures are in the series is anyone guess. I check a few sources and have not come up with anything yet. We will keep searching.
5/21/09
Chiller Report is now up here.
5/17/09
New Plastic Company
It was announced today that a new company will be producing plastic figures. The new company is Connyngham Collectibles. The company's founder Beau Connyngham. In his preamble on his website Beau states his company's figures with an eye toward historical accuracy. The first set will be Confederates. The prototypes will be displayed at the Texas Show. No date has been given of their release.
Back Again
It has been a busy time for us here. First we had our annual trip to the Plastic Warrior show where we were able to get see many of our old friends and get some items for the resale and the list. I will be working on that article as I have time as I have items to get up on Ebay and the human job takes up most of my time. I have been trying to get out to the flea markets but the weather has not been good. The last time I went there was nothing. The week I was away I was told lots of plastic was available. This week they threaten a storm in the morning so I did not bother to go out. I did a local train show and sale which I found a few items.
Laurie and I will be Marx Meet in West Virginia in June. Last year we had to cancel as we had adopted Percy and got him that week. We are looking forward to the show and hope to find some interesting items for the collection and resale.
An Interesting Figure Found
I found this figure at the Plastic Warrior Show. At first glance you might think it is a variation of the cowboy fighting. Closer inspection shows it is a conversion that someone started then stopped. The hat had been taken off and they were starting to make changes when they dispose of it. I will be selling the figure for $5.00 soon in our list.
I am Shocked
I had been informed that some put up 10 issues of my World of Past Figures which we did too many years ago. I had forgotten about that part of our history until recently when I found a few issues in the files. The party got $56.00 for the lot. Several people have asked if I still have issues. I will be checking and let you know.
Replicants Latest Figures
Replicants has done three new figures: Simon de Montfort, Thomas Paine and Buffalo Bill Cody. The first figure may not be familiar to our U.S. readers. Simon lead a successful rebellion against King Henry the III of England. Simon set up a Parliament which would have been representative of the people but it was stopped by the barons fearing they would lose power. Thomas Paine is a famous figure of our Revolutionary period who wrote Common Sense. Buffalo Bill us shown as appeared during Wild West show days. Buffalo Bill brought hid attraction to England in 1887. These are three nice figures to add to your collection.
Weston Toy Mounted Mexicans
One item that we purchased for ourselves was the Weston Mounted Mexicans. These figures have been out awhile, but I held off buying them until I got toe the Plastic Warrior show as I knew I could get them cheaper than in the states. The wait was well worthwhile Steve has done eight great poses to add to his foot Mexicans. Each of the figures are in action poses and Steve has done three different horses including falling horse.
Steve decided to do the mounted figure with the saddle between his legs. Some collectors will like not that arrangement others will. These figures will work well with your Marx 60mm figures.
5/01/09
Odds and Ends
I have finally gotten some time to do my report on the MFCA show. We did not go to the Gettysburg show this year as we had too many other commitments to take care of. Reports I have seen reported that the crowd seem smaller and the show was over by lunch. We will keep working on getting more feedback on the Gettysburg show.
I will have a report on Chiller coming up with pictures of many of the stars that were there. This show was a little different too. The crowd was down on Sunday when we went, Saturday was busy and people had to wait to get autographs. The dealers were willing to deal. Laurie bought two action figures that were $10.00 each for $15.00.
The hobby is quiet right now. The Supreme Russian knights have finally surface and we will be getting a set or two for ourselves. TSSD Indians have arrived in the country and you should be able to get them shortly.
Plastic Warrior is a week Saturday in England. This is a great show and is loaded with plastic.
MFCA
I have finally gotten a chance to put up my report on the MFCA show
Go here for the report
Figure Packaging
When my mother was alive I would take her on various day trips to flea markets and malls. One of our trips was to the Montgomeryville Mall in Pennsylvania. At the mall was a Woolworth's on the second level. The one time there I purchase knights in a bag. When I first looked at them I thought they were Marx, but then noticed they were different and marked made in Italy. Since that time over 25 years ago I have never seen them in their original packaging until the MFCA. Alan Ford of Brandywine Toy Soldiers had the knights in the original packaging. He also had the cowboys and the Indians. The uncovering of these figures in their original packaging answers some questions on who imported them etc. The importer was Woolworth's themselves so it was an exclusive for the store. Each bag had thirty-four pieces and sold for $1.00. The Knights are listed as Medieval knight figures. The cowboys and Indians are listed as cowboy figures. Whether the Indian bag is labeled wrong is anyone's guess until we have more samples. Alan has these bags for sale If you are interested let us know.
MFCA
On Friday April 24 and Saturday April 25 the MFCA will be held again at the Chase Center at the River Front 800 South Madison ST Wilmington Delaware. this is the grand daddy of toy soldier shows. You will find a wide range of plastic and metal figures. Laurie and I will be there on Friday to see what we can find. One of big stops is to see our friend Gerry Watts and see what new surprises will be there. Hope to see you there.
4/13/09
Chiller
For fans of Tony Curtis, Michael Dorn, Larry Storch and Erin Gray you will get a chance to meet them and other stars at Chiller on April 17 to 19. Once again Chiller will be at the Hilton Parsippany in Parsippany New Jersey. The show is always a great place to meet many of your favorite stars. Laurie and I have enjoy the shows we have attended. You can walked around see the various stars and if you want get an autograph for a fee. We will go on Sunday and hope to see Larry Storch and see if he remembers us from previous show where we played a joke on a friend. Larry wants to see how tall Michael Dorn is and we will decide whose autograph we will get. There is a dealers room where you can great items including hard to find television shows. If you go on Saturday you will have to prepaid for your tickets. For more details check out www.chillertheatre.com
Gettysburg Show
The Gettysburg Toy show and sale is on for April 26th 2008. The show will run from 10AM to 3PM at the Gettysburg Hotel. The show is right down in the city square. The show will have dealers with metal and plastic. Admission is $5.00 per person.
4/11/09
Do you recognize these figures?
I recently pick these three Indians at a flea market. They are in a hard plastic and about 65mm. I do not know if they are missing their bases or not. Let me know if you have seen them before.
4/06/09
Be Careful
At a recent toy show I saw a Marx header card with bag of figures. I stop from picking it as I saw the bag was too short. I later heard from another collector that the bag had mixed up figures in it Comic book and Disney and some were damaged.
Marx Knights?
When you go shopping on Ebay you have to be careful when you see some figure for sale. Sometimes the person is paying fast and loose other times the person does not know what the figures are. This what happen in this case the person listed them as Marx. From looking at his other listing this was not an area where he was familiar with and assume they were Marx. The figures are actually Manruba of Germany. The mold was sold to a company in Mexico and they are making them and selling them. The figures are nicely done is silver soft plastic. The originals were done in blue and green. The set has eight poses. I mislaid the knight with the rolled paper in one hand. A nice addition to the collection.
4/04/09
Barzso New Foam Piece
At the recent Indianapolis Show Ron Barzso offered a new foam piece to go with his Daniel Boone Boonesborough Fort. The new piece is blockhouse over the gate which a Marx covered wagon can drive through. The gate is moveable and you can take the roof off of the blockhouse so you can put figures in it. Ron has a features where they add whatever name you want to put on it. I have no idea on price so you will need to check with Ron for the price.
3/29/09
EXPO 2009
With the new schedule I was able to go to Expo 2009. They had moved from their previous location to the PAL building in Wayne NJ. Since the weather was to be bad for the day we decide to do the show. We arrived at the show about 15 minutes after it opened and noticed right away the show was sparsely attended. Also the number of dealers were down from the last time I had done the show. A number of the dealers had decided to do Indianapolis show instead. Marxman had tables at both two shows. We walked around and found a number of items for resale. Our very good friend Gerry Watts had some Britains which we could used. I had to pass on the Emhar Vikings due to my purchases. The only new item I saw at the show was a three foam rock formation by Marxman. It is nicely done and I hope to get a picture at the MFCA show. We were there for a hour and half before we left. the only collectors we saw that we knew were Al Striano and Paul Osiadacz.
Some Enhancements for your Castle set up
I have been looking at pictures from the London show on a forum when I noticed some great items for your medieval layout. A company called White Tower Miniatures does a metal 54mm Robin Hood series. They also do some accessories for their Robin Hood series: a hut, cart, gallows and stocks. The gallows has a working trap door, the cart wheels move and stocks move up and down. They are not cheap the hut is is 14 pounds, the cart is 20 pounds, the stocks are 14 pounds and the gallows is 34 pounds. The company is in England so you will have shipping charges as well. The cart can be bought as a casting. They also had a saloon front which is 10 inches high and 10.5 inches wide. The saloon is made of resin.
One aside the metal Robin Hood figures were designed by Peter Cole the owner of Replicants. White Tower Miniatures has also license to do some of Peter's figures in metal. So check out their web site.
3/27/09
Sales List
After much delay the sales list is up. It still needs a lot of work, but I can not wait any longer. I have two pictures in Auburn and one in Jean not showing up. I hope to have that straighten next week. I will be adding more pages including Payton, Lido, and American Miscellaneous. I will be adding more every chance I get. I also have a page of Replicants figures coming soon with the figures at only $3.00 each. We will strive to give great figures at reasonable prices. It is a thrill to have a sales list up again and sharing with you are finds.
3/20/09
Germany Plastic Show
We have heard from our good friend Axel about the latest Germany plastic show which was held on Sunday. The dealers were nervous on how they would do due to the economic conditions. Several dealers were missing including Duart from Belgium who always has surprises. The dealers were conservative in what they brought. Their fears were unfounded once the doors opened as the crowd came and bought. The crowd may have not bought as heavy as before, but the sales help fill the cash boxes of the dealers. The crowd seem in the mood to buy despite all the negative news of late.
Axel said he was able to get some items for his collection. He collects Timpo solid and found several of their WWII GI's which were first done in metal then in plastic . Axel found several cowboys in the boxes of the British dealers that showed up. His best find was the Custer swoppet head. Timpo took its cowboy head and did the hair blonde so to do a Custer figure. Axel was able to get the head for much less of the internet prices.
We would like to return the good wishes from our friends in Germany Axel, Alfred, Andreas, John, Wolfram, Peter and the others and hope to see them at a show in the future.
Ebay Store
We are happy to announce the opening of our Ebay store. The stores name is Stadsstuff and contains a wide selection of items of toys, lobby cards and magazines. Right now we have a Lobby card from Khartoum with Charlton Heston and the Roy Rogers Gate from Marx playset in the store along with many more items. So check it out as we be putting more up in our store and auction listings.
Hyatt Woodfield
Laurie received a notice from one of her travel magazine on the changes to the Hyatt where the OTSN Show is held and thought people who would like to know of the changes.
Hyatt Regency Woodfield Completes $32 Million
Revamp
Published on: March 17, 2009
The Hyatt Regency Woodfield in Schaumburg, Ill., has completed a 12-month, $32
million renovation featuring a modern redesign and upscale services and
amenities. The hotel is conveniently located near Schaumburg-area businesses and
Woodfield shopping centers, 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The 470 guestrooms
now offer a contemporary design with flat-screen HDTVs equipped with Suite Linq
HD programming, providing free TV channels and a variety of video-on-demand
content. Updated baths include Portico products and Rainfall showerheads. The
hotel’s restaurant, Fresh 1800, and its accompanying bar offer mid-priced,
French-inspired cuisine using fresh, local produce and close-to-farm foods where
possible. This spring, Hyatt will add an outdoor herb garden where, in season,
fresh herbs will be picked for use by Fresh 1800 culinary staff and for
table-top use. The property also now offers the StayFit@Hyatt Fitness Center,
and an indoor and outdoor pool, as well as more than 30,000 square feet of
flexible event venues, including ballrooms, outdoor spaces and exhibit areas.
Special services include the Hyatt Fast Board, PDA and express check-in. In
addition, the hotel offers the Hyatt Business Plan Room Type, which includes
daily full breakfast for one; daily Internet access for one computer; a bottle
of water refreshed daily; daily newspaper; one pressed shirt or blouse per room,
per day, during standard business hours; and unlimited local, toll-free and
long-distance calls to the U.S. and Canada.
Marx 60mm Army sitting for Sale
A collector has placed on Ebay the Marx 60mm Army sitting. The figure is already at $61.00. The auction closes on March 24. The Ebay number is 250391642622
3/16/09
Congratulations
I just heard one of my old friends Kevin Zimmer has been selected as Man of the Year for his hometown of Boyertown Pennsylvania. Kevin is known for playing Santa Claus for the children and has been scoutmaster for 25 years. Kevin runs four different business as well. Kevin has four children the oldest is 19. I wonder how Kevin has time.
I have know Kevin for over 30 years through the collecting business. I first met Kevin when I started to drive. My parents did not drive and I would take them to various flea markets and farmers market. I met Kevin when he had part of his grandparents' stand at the Gilbertsville Farmers Market. Kevin went on to set up his own collectible stand. Kevin has a stand these days at Renningers Antique Market. To Kevin Laurie and I wish our congratulations on your new award.
TSSD Next Figure Offering
TSSD showed at the West Coaster Show its next offering Plains Indians. The next set due out in April will have six different foot Plains Indians in action poses. The set will two sets of the six poses and will sell for around $16.00. After that will be a set of six more foot Plains Indians followed by six foot dismounted cavalry. You can get more details at TSSD web site.
New Marx Figure Uncovered
At the New Jersey meet we picked up this interesting figure for the collection and it is Marx. I was buying some figures from a dealer when in the bag I was pulling figures from this figure showed up. It is 54mm Indian and when I inquired about it the dealer said it was Marx. The light at the show was not the best so I asked the price. The price he wanted was reasonable so I bought it figuring even if it was not Marx it would be a nice addition to the collection. Getting the figure home I put it under a strong light and using a magnifier found the Marx logo. The figure is missing head dress and I do not know if that shield is correct. The dealer said it was sold on a blister card so we will have another item to look for in the future.
New Jersey Show
Laurie and I went to the New Jersey show in Secaucus. The show use to be at Schutzen Park, but they moved a year to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, which we knew from going to Chiller. The ride up to the show was uneventful and we arrived like last year about 45 minutes after the door open. It seems the crowd was less from its old location, but we had a good time walking around. We saw many old faces and I was able to add a few items for the collection. We found one table this flat of a child in western garb. Another dealer had a 54mm military drummer figure which I thought was Jim but it is an early Starlux. Then a final dealer had the Marx figure listed above. I also got some fencing that had been done for Wal-Mart. The action seemed slow. One source said that many of the high rollers were missing. He figured that these high roller having smaller 401K's did not have the money to spend as before. Also missing were two plastic dealers Allan Ford and Glen Finke. We left around 11:30 with the room almost empty of collectors. One bright spot of the show was a father buying figures for his son. Most of the figures were from junk boxes that several dealers, but I could see the boy was going to have hours of fun. We need more of those people like that.
Playset Magazine
One of the reasons to go the New Jersey show is to get Playset magazine for a friend in Europe. I read them first then pass them along. Issue No 43 is a tribute to Charlton Heston. If you are a fan of Charlton Heston then you will enjoy it. If you are not an fan then you will view the contents as fluff piece and waste of space. Issue 44 is on Captain Gallant playset and it is a major disappointment. The article feels rushed and does not answer two major questions of the playset. The first is why the Foreign Legion figures are in early uniforms, while Captain Gallant and Cuffy are in modern day. It had been speculated in an article done in another toy magazine years ago that Marx was thinking on doing a Foreign Legion playset just added the Captain Gallant character figures to make it more marketable. The other thing is the Arab set has only 7 different poses no mention is made why only seven poses. The issue also missed the missing Arab pose that pose was found by Glencoe Models. One other minor error the Lone Star figures are listed as Afghans though can be used in the Foreign Legion setting. Showing the other Foreign Legion figures made by other companies was nice.
3/03/09
Marx Figure Goes Record Price
Photo courtesy of Rick Koch
The rare prototype Mark McCain figure with Winchester from the Marx Rifleman playset has gone for the astounding price of $4550.00 That's right one Marx figure has gone for $4550.00. There have been various stories why this figure was never issued. The seller stated that Louis Marx did not feel boy should have a rifle (odd when Rusty from Rin Tin Tin had one) Another story I heard unconfirmed it was the show itself that said no rifle. According to the seller he was told that only 15 were made. The amazing thing on this auction is four bidders went to $4000.00 or higher. I am trying to get permission to show the figure from the seller. In the meantime you can go to Ebay and put the following number 120383113760 in their search engine to see the figure.
We would like to thank tindragon for the heads up on this one
One of the items for the new sale list coming soon.
Odds and Ends
My second Sunday off the weather was not great so I decided to work around the house. One project I was working on was the sale list. This will be the first sale list I have had on the web in six years. I had hope to have it up this week, but I hit a major problem: the pages are not loading all of the pictures. I think I have figured the problem but it will require a major redo that will set the list back a few weeks at worse. I will keep you posted.
Laurie and I are planning on going to the show in New Jersey weather permitting. Last year we had a lot of fun and it is a chance to see people. It also gives a chance to stop for a good meal at the Clinton Diner. It is my policy after a show to stop for good meal to celebrate the day. I learn this from my father and follow the practice. It will be interesting to see what shows up and what sells. I will be curious to hear how the action is at other shows such as West Coaster.
Conte Collectibles
We are receiving reports that Conte Collectibles is in their final stages of moving to North Carolina. This delay has held up the release of new product. Their web site is showing photos of new items including metal. I like the hunters especially the lady hunter in top hat. So check out their web site for updates
First Sunday
Yesterday I had my first Sunday off from the human job. While I had a couple of Sundays off last year they were few and far between. My first Sunday it snowed but it did not amount to much. I decided to go to a local train show. I have been lucky in the past and did so again as I found a nice bag of figures for $25.00. I also found the Alligator from the Yogi Bear Playset for $2.00. After the train show I went over to a local collectibles mall. I wanted to see if they had anything interesting in the bid board auction. They did a wooden zoo from FAO Schwartz. It looked from the 30's or 40's. The bid on it was $50.00. the animals were the plastic Britains animals. They also had Marx Super Circus and Prehistoric Playsets for sale. My very good friend Les told me the night before that they were having a garage sale. I was able to find three nice lots of farm figures from Auburn and Marx. I was pleased with this first Sunday and I am looking for many more good times at the shows and flea markets.
Western Clippings
Here is a great web site for old television and movie westerns www.westernclippings.com
2/18/09
Memphis Film Festival
All you fans of those good old western television shows should head down to Memphis Film Festival. The festival will be held at Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center in Olive Branch Mississippi south of Memphis. The festival will be presenting "A Gather of Guns A TV Western Reunion. The guests scheduled to appear are Will Hutchins (Sugarfoot), Denny Miller (Wagon Train), James Drury (The Virginian), Robert Horton (Wagon Train), Robert Fuller (Laramie), Ty Hardin (Bronco) Jan Merlin (Rough Riders) Henry Darrow (High Chaparral), Peter Brown (Lawman), Don Collier (High Chaparral) and Les Gilliam. Also appearing will be Jeff Connors Chuck Connor's son who will have various of his father's memorabilia including the "Rifleman" rifle.
For more details go to www.mephisfilmfestival.com
2/11/09
Marx 60mm GI sells for $325.00
Our Good friend Brian Johnson sent us this auction of a rare sitting 60mm Marx GI. The figure went for $325.00. The auction had 14 bids. I can not remember if I have ever seen this figure. You can check it out at this auction
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/
2/5/09
Odds and Ends
We have not receive any full reports on the Michigan show yet. We have been told that sales were slow. We are waiting to hear on the portions of Joe Saine's auction which had Glen Smith's items. We did hear the Warlord prototype furniture went for over $300.00. I am hoping to have the sale list up in two weeks. I have been held up with a heavy workload and I finally figured how to transfer my old information from the old computer. If you remember last July the old computer complete crashed. Both the mother board and power supply died but the shop I had it at was able to pull the information off the computer on to a disc. I had a problem to pull the information from the disc until yesterday. I figured a way to transfer the word documents to the computer and convert them from a read only document. It is a slight complex process, which takes time but it necessary for me to get my book I have been working on the last year.
Soldier news is quiet. People are mention BMC is doing a Battle of Lexington and Utah Beach sets. No details have surfaced as to what is in it and who is making it. Please remember just because people are saying its BMC it might not be. This is due the numbering system of Stevens Hobby. The New York Toy Fair is in two weeks and while I could go to it this year I am passing because when I did go there was very little new I could use for the business. With me now concentrating on old items it is more of non starter. I will wait for reports on various web sites. I have heard the English Toy Fair was a disappoint only some new Shleich and Papo items in 90mm. As to TSSD we will have to wait and see if he will have an item out for the West Coaster or his Texas show. The Texas show has moved check TSSD's web site for details.
Speaking of shows Laurie and I will be at the Marx Meet in West Virginia. We had to cancel last year as we adopted Percy that weekend and need to bond with him. He has come along swell, but we can not have him with other dogs or people yet. He really like to wear a sweater unlike Sparky who can not wait to take it off when we put it on him.
1/27/09
More on the New Ray
Our good friend Chris Salomon contact us with some more information on the New Ray. Chris got their farm playset with Barn from 3000 toys. When you see the picture on 3000toys website farm house comes with a shed not a barn which Chris said attaches on to the back. The one problem he had with the set the windmill he got was modern instead of the classic one pictured. The farm set picture shows a thresher machine which will go great in your western settings. Chris said that he got some modern figures in his western set. If you check out the miscellaneous section of New Ray on 3000 toys you will see some other variations of the Wild Hunting. Chris said that 3000 toys gave him a 15% deduction on his order so check them out
Odds and Ends
Chris passed along some other information. He saw at Target a new line of 1/32 scale tanks all plastic. He said they are from FOV and are new molds. The tanks have less detailed very few separate parts. I checked my Target on Tuesday I did not see the tanks, but I did see Bravo Team. Bravo Team is an exclusive for Target. One aspect of Bravo Team is two 54mm figures on a card for $4.99. The figures are modern soldiers and are made Unimax. Also from October Toys comes 54mm Zombies. The figures are being sold ten figures for ten dollars. Chris also mention that New Ray does a Amish horse buggy which could be in a western scene once you take off the modern features. The Amish forego modern features but the various states where they live require the buggies to have reflectors and rearview mirrors. I look for them when we are in the Pennsylvania Dutch country where some of the flea markets Laurie and I willing be visiting soon.
1/21/09
Attention All Dealers, Pickers and Collectors in Eastern Pennsylvania
Effective February 22,1009 there will one more person out looking for plastic figures; ME. That's right I will have Sundays free again in about a month. My human job has shift bid every six months and last bid I got stuck on Tuesday and Wednesday off. This time I was able to get a great shift with Sunday and Monday off. Those who have been checking out a Wednesday market I am giving it back to you.
New Ray Update
Our good friend Chris Salomon review on another source for the New Ray Western series. Chris noted a web site www.3000toys.com which is selling the new western covered wagon, stagecoach and house for $28.95. They also have some of the Wild Hunting series available so check it out.
1/21/09
Attention All Dealers, Pickers and Collectors in Eastern Pennsylvania
Effective February 22,1009 there will one more person out looking for plastic figures; ME. That's right I will have Sundays free again in about a month. My human job has shift bid every six months and last bid I got stuck on Tuesday and Wednesday off. This time I was able to get a great shift with Sunday and Monday off. Those who have been checking out a Wednesday market I am giving it back to you.
New Ray Update
Our good friend Chris Salomon review on another source for the New Ray Western series. Chris noted a web site www.3000toys.com which is selling the new western covered wagon, stagecoach and house for $28.95. They also have some of the Wild Hunting series available so check it out.
New Figure Offerings
We got a nice email from Lynn Graves alerting us to two more new items for this year. The first is from McFarlane's which is offering 54mm military figures for around $5.00 Check out Toys R Us for these figures. The second new item is a new western series from New Ray. The figures are 60mm and are being sold various ways. Lynn said he got at a feed supply store a set with the plastic cabin that has been used in the Wild Hunting series and western barn. TSSD has the New Figures with a wagon or stagecoach. We thank Lynn for sharing this information and we will keep you posted of any additional offerings as we hear them
Pik-A-Toy
Recently another site talked about a company called Pik-A-Toy and their rack toy offerings. I wanted to share another sample of Pik-A-Toy a Howdy Doody String toy. This toy had been originally used as a giveaway and this was one of the leftovers that Pik-A-Toy purchase for resale. From the other examples I have seen so far from this company I feel that this company bought closeouts or end runs to fill their racks. As you can see they did a plain header for their product. I pick this one along with some other of this figure out of drugstore in the 70's. I figure that they sold to smaller business and very likely was out of business in the 60's. Hopefully more research will uncover more on this company.
01/01/09
Year In Review
It has been an interesting and tough year. Many of the outside factors first the high gas prices and then the economy have effected the hobby. The shows were slower than in years past and the dealers are finding the action over sooner than ever before. We got the Conte Collectibles Spartan figures which have found favor with many people. Barzso did a new playset, AIP came out with a number of new sets Weston Toys added to their Western line, Replicants did some new figures and playsets and TSSD had two new sets for this year. That was about it, Pegasus did not follow up with anymore plastic figures in 1/32 scale. Likewise Call to Arms did not have anything new though there is a report of them doing something new for 2009. Hat has gone back to 1/32 scale but for how long. Imex finally released their Mexican Lancers but the plastic is brittle. In the general toy market Supreme from Hong Kong came out with Crusaders and Saracens. Many of the figures are copies of the King and Country metal figures. I like these figures very much and plan to add more to my collection in the future. (A review of these figures will be up in the near future.)
The shows and flea markets have had a rough time this year. The effects of the internet and the high gas prices have taken a toll. One of the major flea markets saw the number of dealers setting up go down. One of the dealers I know at this market has plans to reduce the size of his stand due the lack of business. The shows have seen a drop off in sales. Even shows like Chiller which gets large crowds from the movie and television stars they bring in, the dealers had a hard time. A source who attended Chiller told me that one dealer said he had broken even on Sunday the last day of the show. This source said the crowd was tight with its money saving it for the autographs with the stars. The shows we attended we saw the same thing or we saw little or no items to buy at reasonable prices.
For Laurie and myself it has been good and bad. We added a new friend Percy to be a brother for Sparky and they are getting along great. Percy has learn to jump on the sofa and bed and is a very happy little dog. Another bright thing was Laurie winning the tickets to England or we would have not gotten over to England. We got to see many of our European friends and meet an new friend Axel. We got to enjoy through him the show again even though the show is doing like other shows ending early. The collection got some great new items including some Polish figures and Hong Kong Kung Fu figure from the Plastic Warrior Show. I was able to add other nice figures through out the year including the Conte Spartans and the Supreme Crusaders and Saracens. One of my favorite figures that I got this year was medieval figure reaching for his sword I got in a junk box at a flea market The figure was made in China and I have no idea where it was used.
On the other side a number of projects did not get off the ground due not having enough time for them due to my human job tiring me out. I hope to get them off the ground in 2009 including my sale list. I made a few missteps which I have corrected to make me stronger in the coming year. The computer died in June throwing me off track on a number of projects well and I am still fighting to get transferred to the new computer. Laurie saw her work go down this year which has been a strain on our plans.
For 2009 we will working to get back on track with our plans and begin a new era for ourselves and the hobby.
Dollar Store Find
When I was out looking for presents this season I found this cute playset called Marine Life for $1.00. It comes with what you see here and would be a great addition to any underwater scene. I have planned use it with my MPC Sea Creatures in a display some day.
Happy Holidays
Laurie and I would like to wish everyone Happy Holidays. We both had Tuesday and Wednesday off. I will have to work on Christmas Day, if it is slow it will be a half day or less. Tuesday we went to a local museum to see a display on Hess's Department Store. This store was an important part of our lives. Laurie and her father worked there. We both had great experiences with the store. Their toyland was really wondrous especially when they had the Marx playset displays. Most of my Marx playsets came from Hess's. Like many other great things the store is gone, just memories.
After that we went to Bethlehem to get some treats for the boys from a Doggie Bakery. I stopped at comic book shop called Dreamscape to see if I could get three remaining Who's Who's DC Figures I need. I was able to get the figures which are really great. After we got the treats we checked a toy shop called Toy Magic and I got the Playmobil catalog and several PVC figures. Once that was done we went to one of the few chain restaurants we go to regularly Texas Roadhouse. We like Texas Roadhouse for their chili and ribs. After doing a bookstore nearby we headed home and caught up on a DVD we had not seen.
Today once the weather gets a little better (we had a ice storm) we went to Beachhead Comics to pick up my books and wish the owner and his dog Omla happy holidays. Once that was done we did a holiday tradition of going out for a dinner before Christmas then we will be in for the night. This we went to the Hometown Diner.
One quirk I have at the holidays is I must get some toy soldiers for Christmas. It goes back to a Christmas when my mother bought nothing but clothes for me. I was so disappointed that I had to go out and buy some toy soldiers after Christmas. This year I took care of this problem by going to the local Hobbytown and ordering the Supreme Crusaders and Saracens. The figures are great some of the poses are copies of King and Country metal figures. I have place them aside along with some Schleich knights for Christmas Days.
England's Woolworth's Closing Down
This is a picture of an U.S. Woolworths store that closed years ago and is now used for other business
We have received news early this month that Woolworths in UK is closing up. The chain has been on hard times due competition from various stores. Woolworth's tried to find a buyer, but was unsuccessful. Like our Woolworth's the store was source for toy soldiers in the 50's 60's and 70's for many English collectors. In my trips to England, it was a joy to go to Woolworth's as Woolworth's here was important part of my life as my favorite aunt worked for them many years. I would walk into the Woolworth's in England and feel I was back home. I did not get much out of the English's Woolworth's except Kinder Egg. Still it will be missed by many people. Our very good friend Peter said that he passed one closed to see elderly women crying.
12/11/08
Breyer Spirit Collection
As promised I have taken pictures of the Breyer's Spirit Collection. There two items in the collection the first one is mounted Indian with a cloth teepee. You also get some animals and accessories.
The other is a blacksmith with two horses. The blacksmith is about 65mm and does not have a base. I figure the Indian and blacksmith are resin. I may be wrong. Let me know if you have opened the display.
12/10/08
Odds and Ends
Things have been quiet around here, I have gotten out to few flea markets, but the pickings for figures have been slim. I did see one of the large Wild Hunting sets. I was able to get two of the Breyer spirit sets for half price. I will be doing pictures soon of them. The craft stores have been selling the Lemax items for half price. We checked one of them out yesterday and they were out of many items. Reports coming in on the London Toy Soldier Show have said the sales were very good. We are waiting to hear how the panel our very good friend Peter Evans was on. This time of year which is tough for many of us try to give something to those that are less fortunate. Laurie and I will be giving to the local shelter. I will be also giving to Toys for Tots. We hope to have pictures of the boys in their sweaters. Percy likes his sweater while Sparky hates his sweater.
I will have a few new articles up in the next two weeks. Take care.
Forrest J. Ackerman
A name from our childhood Forrest J. Ackerman has died. Forrest J. Ackerman was the editor and writer of Famous Monsters of Filmland for many years. That magazine introduce a generation of young fans to the great Universal horror films and much more. It inspired many young people to enter the film industry such George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Forry was noted for his collections, props, photos and books. At one point it was over 300,000 items. I had the privilege to see it many years ago. Forry had many interesting items which only the collection of Bob Burns surpass at that time. Sadly much of the collection was sold to help Forry's medical bills. Forry was 92.
11/29/08
Supreme Knights
Here are the foot knights that go with the mounted knights. They are a little stylize but they would go well with with any knight army you are trying to put together. The company that makes them is Supreme in Hong Kong not BMC. The misnomer on the BMC connection is due to Stevens Hobby a distributor of hobby items uses the BMC coding in its listing. In fact Stevens has TSSD figures with BMC code number. Going through their listing of items I found two interesting items. One his for a Robin Hood castle which should the Supreme Robin Hood figures. The other item is Supreme Russian knights they are not yet available, you can see a small picture at the Stevens Hobby web site. You can not order direct unless you are a dealer. I am going to try a local shop and see if I can order my crusaders and Sacrens. Another item they have for sale is the Trojan horse incase you missed it when it was out a few years ago. The Trojan horse comes with Playmobil like figures and a battering ram an fort. something to fill your stocking this Christmas.
11/26/08
Back Again
It has been really awhile since I last posted. We are still waiting to see the new TSSD Civil War and Weston mounted Mexicans. It has been reported that AIP will be doing more mounted figures: 1882 Life Guards in red, Royal Horse Guards in blue, Northwest Frontier 1880 Hussars in gray and Boer War 13th Hussars in khaki. Future release to be Mounted Russian Cossacks, Mounted German Uhlans and WWI Mounted British Lancers.
We did some roaming recently as I had a Sunday off. We got to see one flea market that I had reports that had not been doing well. Sadly the reports were true. Several of the stands were empty and the dealers had the look why am I here. I knew it was bad as one of the eating stands was closed and the other food stand which usually had a brisk business was dead.
Still in all I did fine at this flea market and another market near by getting some interesting items for resale. I also got the above figure from our friend John it is a hard plastic spaceman I have never seen before. Sadly part of one foot is missing. I would normally pass on a damage figure but I got this sample until I find out more of this figure.
Laurie and I did a flea market another day which was much more busy and I was able to get some figures including some Beton figures. I was also able to get two Remco Federal Express figures, which I will keep. I like to get civilian figures as they show how society changes. I once picked up a large set because it has a figure on a mobile phone.
We have not talk about our two mascots Sparky and Percy lately. They are doing well, but Percy has figured on how to jump up on the sofa and the bed. This has annoyed Sparky as these spots were his special domain. They are get along well, but Percy is still not friendly with other people and especial other dogs. Next year we hope to get him straighten out this bad habit with obedience training.
Our very good friend Gerry Watts passed along a report on the Langhorne Toy Soldier Show. The show only had fifteen dealers but he and a friend did very well. Gerry is the go to guy to find hidden treasures among his selection.
I should be putting up sections of the sales list shortly. I am not happy with many of the pictures, but will have to use them for now. The problem is I can not control the quality of the pictures. It has been a hit and miss on the pictures. I hope to have this corrected with some Christmas sales to get a better camera. We will also be selling movie lobby cards and other items in sales list. Laurie is amazed with some of the items I have turned up in the last few months.
11/11/08
Hackensack 2008
Go to the link below to see our article on Hackensack
Herne
We have hear from our good friend Axel Sohnius and our very good friend Andreas Dittmann about the German Plastic Show held in Herne Germany. The show was very successful as the show had the largest crowd in two years. The sellers reported they had good sales. Stephan Kuckuck has switched over from selling Timpo to Playmobil but is still selling Dom figures. Despite the economic downturn the prices remain high. The number of foreign dealers were down. There were two from Belgium, two from Holland, one from France and John Begg from England. Axel was able to get a Kinder Egg Tarzamn Figure to complement his Kinder Egg Jane figure. He was able to get some Timpo pieces for one of the Timpo Solids he collects. Andreas said he got some interesting items as well. Andreas said he got a Elastolin medieval wagon. A skin-diver which was an advertising item from Shell Oil and Dinky German halftrack with a Pak gun. He was able to get many of the new items that are available here in the states. If you are into Timpo or Elastolin this is the show. The next show will be in March and we will information for it.
Playset Magazine
At Hackensack I finally got a chance to get the last three issues of Playset Magazine. Overall I did not miss not getting the magazines on time. There was one major gaffe in the Wagon Train article, John Wayne did not play Ulysses S. Grant on the episode of Wagon Train directed by Ward Bond. He played General William Tecumseh Sherman. John Wayne would play the same role two years later in How the West Was Won. The role of Grant was played by Paul Birch who had done Grant and Lee in other shows. In looking up his biography on IMDB. I found this comment he made on playing the two roles "There were times when I was switching those two roles so fast I could have surrendered to myself."
I agree with Sean Beans on his reason there are more Flint McCullough figures over Seth Adams. He did some research and check with the diggers in the landfills and found that runner for Seth Adams had be closed off. This is a practice that Marx used before. I was shown years ago the 45mm Indian kneeling mold now owned by Glencoe Models. In the mold we discovered that the paddle part had been sealed off. Glencoe opened up the paddle part so you now have the figured as it was originally planned.
I will do an future article on the rarest Marx Figure. I also notice that the magazines are no longer carry the UPC code. Does this mean the magazine is no longer available except through certain shops and Playset Magazine itself.? There had been a unconfirmed rumor that the magazine was going to be available at Borders or Barnes and Noble.
Something that Upset Me
In issue No 40 of Playset Magazine under a picture of a figure bag of the Men of 76, it is mentioned that Effren Arenstein of Lido who later started Toy Innovations was proud of his knock-offs of Timpo swoppets. This comment annoyed me, if statement is correct the man thought there was nothing wrong to copy Timpo figures and be proud of it. Timpo spent time and money making the figure which this gentleman copied and stole their design. If the statement had been on the Men of 76, then that is different story as while the figures are of the same concept as the Timpo swoppet type figures they are original poses unlike the Transogram poses which were close copies of the Timpo figures. I do hope Playset Magazine misquoted him.
11/05/08
The Big Question
The big question people have been asking is what new items are coming from Conte Collectibles. At the East Coast Toy Soldier Show we were able to get an answer from Richard Conte on his future plans. First up for metal are Zulu and 24th Foot figures. Richard showed us samples of the metal figures which are coming from a new factory in China. These figures look great. For plastic collectors next year we will see Immortal figures to fight against Spartans. Also just reported on the Conte Collectibles website that the warehouse will be moved to North Carolina which is where Richard is living. This will allow a more hands on to the day to to day operation for Richard.