Once Upon a Geek » toys

Geek Decorating: Action Figures as Hooks

Shag — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 10:45:13 +0000

Here is a great idea THE IRREPRESSIBLE GENA found and sent to me… Action figures as hooks! From Real Simple:

Use action figures (that aren’t seeing action anymore) as Herculean hooks. Position the arms of each toy straight out in front and apply a two-part epoxy (available at home-improvement stores) over the arms, the shoulders, and the torso, following the package directions. The epoxy will make the outstretched limbs strong enough to support clothing, hats, and even towels. Mount a figure on the wall using two screws placed through the torso.

Brilliant idea! Maybe I’ve finally found a use for those dozen Aquaman figures!

READING: Micronauts

Shag — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:45:58 +0000

If you grew up in the early 1980s, chances are you’ve heard of The Micronauts. Perhaps you played with some of the toys, read some of the comics, or were just aware of their existence. I fell into that last category. I was aware there was a toyline and comic for Micronauts, but that was about it. Recently I decided to learn more about these interesting characters.

The Micronauts was a successful toyline and comic book property in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In fact, the Marvel comic series outlasted the toyline. The first volume started in 1979 and went 59 issues, while the second volume went another 20 issues ending in 1986. I’d heard many people sing the praises of the Micronauts comic, specifically the work of Bill Mantlo and Michael Golden. I found this surprising as typically comics based upon toylines were pretty forgettable. For every successful toyline-related series like Micronauts or G.I. Joe, there were tons of flops like Robotix and Sectaurs. I recall running across the Micronauts in the occasional guest appearance or team-up book, however, I was never able to really connect with the characters from those brief meetings.

On a whim, I recently decided to check out these early Micronauts adventures. I looked for an Essential or collection, but found none. So I ordered the first 20 issues from Mile High Comics for about $20. Not a bad deal in my opinion. So far I’ve read through issue #7 and I’m really enjoying this science-fantasy epic. It’s definitely a product of the bronze age, but that doesn’t prevent me from appreciating the work. It’s also interesting to note that both Captain Universe and Bug (currently of Guardians of the Galaxy) got their start in this toy tie-in comic.

One of the stand-out features of this series is the breathtaking artwork by Michael Golden and Joe Rubinstein. These guys really knew how to draw! To demonstrate their phenomenal artwork, Marvel ran several house ads and pin-ups for the Micronauts series. You just don’t see cool bonus features like these anymore. Check these out!

Below is an ad that ran prior to the release of Micronauts #1.

Below is a house ad that ran in Micronauts #2.

This one-page explanation of each character was invaluable to me. This appeared in issue #1 in lieu of a letters page.

Below is a bonus poster that appeared in issue #2 in lieu of a letters page featuring the mysterious Time Traveller.

Below is a bonus poster that appeared in issue #3 in lieu of a letters page featuring the villainous Baron Karza.

Below is a bonus pin-up page featuring the Microship Endeavor. This map and history appeared is issue #4 in lieu of a letters page. Click the image to enlarge.

On the letters page of issue #6, it was revealed that a secret code had been used through out the series. Many people noticed the weird symbols in the artwork but didn’t possess a key to decipher it. Below the alphabetic key was shared with the fans.

Below is the house ad that ran in issue #7 promoting the Man-Thing guest appearance.

I’m really enjoying the comic series so far and plan to continue reading as long as it holds my interest. If you’d like to check out the series, you could possibly find issues in your local 50 cent bins or can order online for very reasonable prices. For further information on the Micronauts comic, check out the Wikipedia page dedicated to the four-color adventures of these heroes from Inner Space.

If you are interested in learning about the toyline, there are several references:

Empire Strikes Back Dack figure with retro packaging

Shag — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:45:46 +0000

Dack from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back has taken on near-mythical status with geeks. When we first meet Dack he demonstrates his boundless enthusiasm with the line:

“Right now I feel like I could take on the whole Empire myself!”

As someone that’s watched the film a few times, this line is quite sad with the foresight that Dack has mere minutes of screen time until his death.

I was in Target last week and came across this amazingly cool Dack figure! I had no idea they’d finally produced a figure for this hero to expendable pilots everywhere! It’s even on retro-packaging, including the “Free Boba Fett” offer! So very cool.

Here is Dack’s other well known line:

“Luke, we’ve got a malfunction in fire control. I’ll have to cut in the auxiliary.”

So, what can we learn from Dack? If you ever have a problem with “fire control” while flying, get the hell out ASAP!

Dalek Light Painting and Light Warfare

Shag — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:45:11 +0000

Awesome light painting featuring a Dalek!

Also, check out this freakin’ amazing light painting video below. Nothing to do with Daleks, but still really cool!

If you can’t view the embedded video above, please click here. Thanks to my buddy Adam for sending me both of these!

My Daughter and the Invasion of the Toys

Shag — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:45:06 +0000

I have a four-year-old daughter. Let’s call her the Precocious Princess for discussion purposes here. As many children do, she idolizes her older brother (he’s 10). She sees him playing with superhero and sci-fi action figures and emulates his behavior. Recognizing that, I’ve been trying to buy her girl-centric superhero toys. If she’s going to play with superheroes, I want her to understand that girls can kick butt and save the world also. I’ve been buying her toys of Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Wonder Girl, Hawkgirl, etc. There is not a bunch out there, but I’m doing my best to get them in her hands.

She was playing in my home office the other day while I was straightening the house. I came in to check on her, and these were the toys I found her playing with…

Not exactly the particular combination of characters I was expecting to find! The heroines on the left are hers and she’d somehow managed to get hold of this 15-year-old Dalek toy I had lying around. When I walked in the Dalek was in a very animated discussion with the heroines shouting “Exterminate”. I’m not sure she knows what that means, but she certainly knew the catch phrase.

I guess she’s trying to be like her brother and her daddy. Makes me proud. It also demonstrates kid’s natural interest in the Daleks (a phenomenon dating back to 1963).

To hear my four-year-old daughter doing her best Dalek impersonation, play the audio file below.

Download audio file (exterminate.mp3)

If you’re unable to play the file above, you may download it by right-clicking here (17 KB).

Blue Devil DC Universe Classics Action Figure

Shag — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:45:50 +0000

Mattel’s DC Universe Classics Blue Devil action figure has finally hit stores! A friend of mine was kind enough to help me obtain one since I’m lousy at finding new figures before the collectors snatch them up. I’m happy to report that this is a really nice looking Blue Devil figure!

If you’re a long time reader of ONCE UPON A GEEK, then you know I’m a big Blue Devil fan. I’m always excited when the Weirdness Magnet gets a new piece of merchandise. This time Mattel did their best to capture artist Paris Cullins’ Blue Devil (as seen below). They did a good job on the face, skin color, trident, and costume. The only areas I would recommend improvements for are the horns, the belt, and the shoulders. In fact it seems most DC Universe Classics figures need help with the shoulders.

Below you’ll find the packaging for the figure. Notice it comes with a Blue Devil button.

Below is the backside of the packaging. It includes Biography and Statistics information on Blue Devil. Click the image below to enlarge.

Backside of the figure

Close-up of the face

Below you’ll find all the Blue Devil figures produced to date.
(from L to R): Mattel’s DC Universe Classics Blue Devil; Mattel’s Justice League Unlimited Blue Devil; (top) DC Direct History of the DC Universe Series 1 Blue Devil; and (bottom) DC Heroclix Collateral Damage Blue Devil

Be sure to check this space tomorrow for a BIG Blue Devil exclusive. Seriously, this is gonna blow away the Blue Devil fans!!!

Star Wars Resume – Vintage Action Figures

Shag — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:45:41 +0000

I’ve had Star Wars on the brain lately. My fanaticism normally cycles like a washing machine through: comics, Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, and then starts over again with comics. Seems like I’ve been firmly in the Star Wars spin cycle for a while now. I’m nearly finished with the ninth novel in the Star Wars: Legacy of the Force series. I’ve been reading recent issues of Dark Horse’s Star Wars Legacy comic. And I’ve been thoroughly enjoying the Two True Freaks Monthly Monday Star Wars podcasts.

With all this Star Wars in my brain, I thought I’d do a week of posts displaying some of my Star Wars collection – we’ll call it my Star Wars Resume. This past weekend I went up in the attic and dug out my vintage Star Wars action figures. Growing up I had every Star Wars action figure released through The Empire Strikes Back. I picked up quite a few of the Return of the Jedi figures, but that was about the time I started losing interest in the toys. In the late 1990s I started buying some of the newer Star Wars figures. Primarily I focused on figures that didn’t have a corresponding toy in the original Kenner line (like Biggs and the Sandtrooper). I’ve got about 50 of those figures, but I’m not going to display them here since they’re fairly recent by comparison. My step-son also has about 50 of the Star Wars Galactic Heroes figures which are lots of fun and super cute. For the photo below I was too lazy to match each and every gun with the appropriate figure (though I can probably still do it from memory), so the weapons are all in one big pile. Click the image to enlarge.

If memory serves, the really jaundiced Stormtrooper was the victim of a sandbox Sarlacc pit.

Below you’ll find my remaining vehicles and playsets. I used to have the Creature Cantina Action Playset, but I must have pitched it at some point. Interestingly, the base from the Land of the Jawas Action Playset below was reused two more times by Kenner. They used the same mold with white plastic to create the Hoth Ice Planet Adventure Set and the Rebel Command Center Adventure Set. The coolest of my remaining vehicles and playsets has to be the Death Star Space Station. It was friggin’ huge and provided hours of entertainment and adventures. I’m pretty impressed with myself for not losing the tiny pieces all these years (i.e. the swinging rope). Click the image to enlarge.

If you are a fan of the vintage Star Wars figures, then I highly recommend Star Wars: The Action Figure Archive. This book was produced in 1999 and covers every Star Wars action figure, vehicle, and playset produced from 1977 – 1997. It’s very informative and has over 2,000 gorgeous pictures. It’s not in print anymore, but you should be able to pick up a copy used. Definitely worth your effort.

For my Star Wars Resume this week I’ll also cover my novels, comics, and RPGs. Below are some things I don’t have time to feature this week, but have contributed to my Star Wars fandom over the years. This certainly isn’t a complete list, but it includes some items that come to mind immediately.

Video

Four different copies of the first three films – Original video release, 1995 video release, 2004 DVD Special Edition release, and the 2006 DVD Special Edition release that contained the original theatrical versions.
DVDs of Episodes 1 through 3
Clone Wars movie and animated series
Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) – so painful to watch nowadays, even for a geek like me.
The Ewok Adventure (1984) & Ewoks: The Battle for Endor (1985) TV movies
Droids cartoon & Ewoks cartoon
Various behind-the-scenes videos

Audio

Original Motion Picture Soundtracks for each of the six films
Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire soundtrack
Cocktails in the Cantina
Original Radio Dramas for Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi
Numerous books on tape – primarily the New Jedi Order novels

Games

Escape from the Death Star board game (1977)
Star Wars arcade game (1983)
Return of the Jedi arcade game (1984)
X-Wing video game (1993)
Tie Fighter video game (1994)
Dark Forces video game (1995)
Rebel Assault II video game (1995)
Star Wars Collectible Card Game (1995)
Monopoly: Star Wars board game (1996)
Monopoly: Star Wars video game (1997)
Star Wars Galactic Battle Strategy board game (1997)
Rebellion video game (1998)
Trivial Pursuit: Star Wars Classic Trilogy board game (1998)
Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast video game (2002)
Battlefront video game (2004)
Trivial Pursuit DVD: Star Wars Saga Edition board game (2005)
Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy video game (2006)

Reference books

Star Wars Encyclopedia
The New Essential Guide to Characters
The Essential Guide to Droids
The Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels
The Essential Chronology
The Empire Strikes Back Sketchbook
The Action Figure Archive

Other things that come to mind are: tons of trading cards, Happy Meal-style toys, posters, mousepads, kid’s books, drinking glasses & dinnerware, and so on. I’m sure I’m forgetting about a zillion things. While my house isn’t covered in Star Wars paraphenalia, there certainly is a bunch of it lying around. Check back here the rest of this week for my continuing Star Wars Resume.

Feel the Force… For Real

Shag — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 10:45:26 +0000

Okay, this thing creeps me out – Star Wars Science – Force Trainer. It’s been out for about seven months, but every time I see it advertised it freaks me out a little. Here is the description of the product:

May the Force be with you! The Force Trainer by Uncle Milton actually allows you to control a Jedi Training Remote with your mind, by tapping into cutting-edge brainwave technology. Utilizing dry neural sensor technology, the headset reads and interprets your brainwaves. The deeper your concentration and mental focus, the greater your ability to move the Training Sphere up or down the Training Tower.

I understand the science, it just uses EEG readings, but it’s still weird. Teaching kids damn Jedi mind tricks. What’s the world coming to? You can read more at the links below:

The First Kyle Rayner Green Lantern Figure That Doesn’t Suck

Shag — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:00:12 +0000

They’ve finally managed to produce a Kyle Rayner Green Lantern action figure that doesn’t suck. Check it out.

Admittedly, this figure is more muscle-bound than Kyle truly is. Y’know what? It doesn’t matter, this figure just looks awesome! The previous Kyle figures have been very disappointing. Click here to see a few of the previous DC Direct figures. There have also been figures from the Total Justice line as well as Justice League Unlimited. This one beats them all hands-down.

This figure was released as part of the JLA Classified: Classic: Series 2. The package is shown below. It was released in February, so you may still be able to find it in stores. Otherwise ask your local comic shop to order it for you.

Battlestar Galactica Colorforms – 1978

Shag — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:00:32 +0000

The Battlestar Galactica Colorforms Adventure Set Deluxe Edition was released in 1978. I remember playing with these and other Colorforms sets for hours and hours. Somewhere along the line I lost my BSG Colorforms, but my good buddy Ravenface was kind enough to supply me with a set he bought in a garage sale back in the late 1990s. I think he got it for $1. Nowadays you can find them online with prices ranging from $23 – $36.

What a gorgeous cover! I used to have a poster of that image! Loved it! The set is huge too – the box measures 12.5″ x 15.5″. Above you can see the exterior of the box with the quote, “Create exciting scenes from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA with Coloforms plastic that Sticks like Magic. Can be used over and over again. Never wears out.” I don’t know about “never”, but 30 yahrens later and they still sort-of stick. However, the typographical error on the box cover is driving me mad! On the fourth line the word “Sticks” is capitalized. There is no reason for that! Arrgghhh! The proofing Nazi in me is unforgiving. With that said, my grammar is terrible, so I really can’t fault them.

Below you’ll see the interior of the set. I always loved the booklet as kid. You could see example play-scenes and other available products. In this booklet they are advertising: Mickey Mouse, Snoopy, Ernie & Bert, Cookie Monster, Barbie, Holly Hobbie, Batman, and Raggedy Ann. There is also a note to the parents worth repeating:

To the Parent – Colorforms’ toys help your child develop and improve these six important skills: 1) Finger dexterity, 2) Sense of spatial relationship, 3) Size matching, 4) Building ability, 5) Color Sense, and 6) Sense of neatness and order.

Who knew we were learning while having fun?!?!?

Here is a close-up of the yellow Colorforms. The dork in me can easily recognize the characters. I’m pretty confident that is Baltar, Cassiopeia, and Apollo.

Close-up of the blue Colorforms. Clearly the Cylons. I like their big meaty helmets.

Here we’ve got Athena, Muffit the Daggit, and Starbuck. I’m pretty sure this one is Starbuck based upon the longer hair and the cape. It’s possilbe that I’ve got Apollo and Starbuck backwards, but does anyone but me really care that much?

Here we’ve got Boxy and Ovion bug monsters from the casino on Carillon.

And finally, here is the playset depicting one of the greatest moments of Battlestar Galactica. It’s the … It’s the… Escape from Hoth? WTF? I have no idea what this setting is supposed to be. Turrets and a crazy looking X-Wing fighter? Maybe someone from the 20th Century Fox studio got drunk and barged into the Universal City Studios Colorforms department. Yeah, that’s makes sense.

There are those who believe that life here began out there, far across the universe, with tribes of humans who may have been the forefathers of the Egyptians, or the Toltecs, or the Mayans. Some believe that there may yet be brothers of man who even now fight to survive somewhere beyond the heavens…