Friday, July 31, 2015

A Rack Toys Thank You!


I wanted to take this moment to say something important to me.

Just a over two years ago, I received my shipment of Rack Toys, a very proud and scary moment as the printer saddled me with many, many extra copies and I really worried I'd never see the end of them. 




So, the sight of 2 pallets of books was joyful aaaand i also had this feeling of dread, mostly because I don't have that many friends or family members.

What happened over the course of the last two years I really couldn't have predicted.

People started buying it and not returning it! Celebrities phoned me, people I'm a fan of, just to tell me they liked it. 

Most importantly though, a lot of people reached out to me every week to talk about how it made them happy. 

It almost makes me sad to show this next picture:



That's all that's left, without those overs, I'd be out of Rack Toys a long time ago and my fun journey would have ended a lot sooner.

This seems like a good as time as any to say Thank You from the bottom of my heart. The book was a mad dream of mine and it's so incredibly redeeming to know that so many shared the love.

I will be sad to slide that last copy into the mailbox in the coming weeks. When it's gone, I promise to release Rack Toys in a digital form down the line.

There will an announcement on future publications this Summer, I think you may enjoy the subject matter.

Thank you for reading, 


Brian

Thursday, July 30, 2015

Battlestar Shogun-lactica


As a kid, had I seen this page I would just torn it out and handed it to Santa...

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Junior Sports Anchors of America!


No matter how obscure the sporting activity, the Junior Sports Anchors of America are there! Watch for them at your next Ping Pong match or when you just decide to fool around on a trampoline. 

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Sears Interplanetary Star Fortress


I miss the days of Catalog store's slipping in their own items to catch the latest trend, the Interplanetary Star Fortress and space case are wonderful examples of Sear's tagging onto the Star Wars Juggernaut.

Monday, July 27, 2015

The Magnificent Leopard


I can't remember which comic company published his adventures, was it Atlas or was he a Mighty Crusader?

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Spotlight: Funko Jaws Reaction Figures


It's been a long time since I did a photo review of a modern toy, this is mainly because I don't buy that many modern toys. 

Funko's Jaws line was a break in that drought. I haven't been much into the ReAction stuff as I thought I would be, mostly because the licenses don't appeal but also the figure aesthetic hasn't always been to my liking.

However, the stars lined up pretty swell for this line, it's the perfect license combined with a nice job. More after the jump:


Friday, July 24, 2015

1975 Lone Ranger UK Catalog


The brilliant Gabriel Toys Lone Ranger action figure line was a big hit in North America but it was also a smash in the UK, where is was sold by Marx Toys.

Today, we've got the 1975 catalog for the British Lone Ranger series which includes some sweet photos of store displays like this:




And once you're finished, we've got the most Gabriel Lone Ranger content on teh interwebs!


Lone Ranger Figure Archive legend of the lone ranger catalog

Lone RangerJohnny West toys

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Carded Space Sword



Not long after I finally reunited with my childhood fave, a kind soul passed along an ebay auction for this carded version of Space Sword. Something I probably haven't seen or thought about since I was about seven years old.

While I seem to also recall these being sold in bulk "dump bins" as a kid, I couldn't resist the image of beautiful copyright infringing "droid".



 

You can just hear him say "Suck it Lucas". The quest is totally over, thanks interwebs!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

The cowhide brothers



These men are easily tracked by following the trail of broken hearts left in their wake....

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Action Apeman from Australia


The AHI Action Apemen are one of my favourite knock off lines of all time because they're just so flagrant. This carded example is easily one of the rarest because it's the Australian version and it features a more articulated body and well, look at that card art, shiny!




Monday, July 20, 2015

Saturday, July 18, 2015

Meet Wonder Woman at Walgreens!


I would really enjoy it if somebody sent me pics from one of these appearances. We get tons of Spider-Man here and the occasional Batman but Wonder Woman? Never.



plaid Stallions mall appearance gallery
Send me your mall appearance photos!

Friday, July 17, 2015

Peruvian Star Wars Figures

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I had a real nice surprise while visiting a friend over the weekend, as I learned about some toys I didn't know existed before.  These Star Wars figures were only sold in Peru and they're super neat, more after the jump!



Thursday, July 16, 2015

Junior Missanizer



Lenny was heir to the third largest knitting supply company in the state, the world was his oyster..

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Evel Knievel Road & Trail Adventure Set


I was scrounging through an Ideal advertising book when I remembered this somewhat more sedate Evel Knievel set. 

This has to be Ideal's response to Big Jim, who was pretty much the king of Camping related toys in 1975.



Turns out, this is a pretty rare set that got limited release and a sealed one probably commands much more than I've got in my wallet right now. The box is also reportedly the largest produced for the Evel Knievel series. 




I don't collect Evel Knievel toys but I do sometimes like to walk by the bakery and smell the donuts if you get what i mean....


More Daredevil stunt goodness.
evel knievel comic book1975 evel knievel catalog1976 Evel Knievel Catalog Ideal Scare Cycles

Monday, July 13, 2015

Woolco Man


The Woolco swagger is sadly in short supply these days.

Friday, July 10, 2015

Pod Stallions Episode 32: Worst Picks 1




This month's episodes was supposed to be a "Minisode" but we just ended up doing a regular length  show. This time we pick the worst things from a variety of genres such as Worst Happy Days character, Worst Muppet Show Guest and Worst Star Wars action figure to name just a few.

During the course of this we discuss JNT era Doctor Who, Kenner toys, San Diego Comic Con, Dickie Goodman, Gamera movies,  the genius of Herb Tarlek, Comic Cons in the 80s and we end the show with age old question, Bailey or Jennifer?


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Show Notes:


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Thursday, July 09, 2015

Wednesday, July 08, 2015

Spock Shirt

donmoor spock shirt

At this year's Mego Meet, I was gifted this amazing vintage Donmoor Star Trek T Shirt by my pal Corey. I'm told it's pretty rare but even if it wasn't, it's genuinely bad-ass.


donmoor spock shirt

As a kid, I really wanted a Donmoor Star Trek uniform shirt but never got one (probably for the best), so collecting these is likely cathartic. I should point out that as an adult, I still don't wear Star Trek shirts.


donmoor spock shirt

A sample from my growing wardrobe that I can't possibly fit into.

Tuesday, July 07, 2015

The Amazing Spider-Watch



It doesn't look like much but this would have been a proxy web shooter to me as a kid and probably gotten days of use until it fell apart.... 




Friday, July 03, 2015

Vintage Toy Store Photos Volume 17




Yes! A new installment of  one of my favorites, vintage toy store photos. A journey back to the days of oddly named department stores and independent mall toy stores and chains that are fondly remembered but sadly mostly gone.



Vintage Toy Store Photos Volume 17 covers the US and Canada this time and features appearances by Big Jim, Kenner Bionic Woman,  Barbie, Shogun Warriors, Mego Star Trek, Space:1999,  Ideal Star Team, Mattel Donnie and Marie and Kenner Star Wars.