Cough. Wow, it’s dusty in here. Excuse me a minute while I pull these sheets off the furniture and shake them out.
I’ve neglected this site for far too long. It’s not as if I was in the hospital or laid off of work, I just got despondent and lazy. Over the last few months, I’ve become a huge lurker in various Facebook groups for collectors and a big follower of fellow collectors on Instagram. These two mediums sapped my blogging strength and made me wonder what it was that I was doing here. So many people are on social media posting items and interacting with one another, that writing on a blog just seems off somehow.
But to be honest, I really miss it, and I need to shake off the cobwebs and get back to work!
So, without further adieu, in stream of consciousness sort of way, here’s a quick run-through of some of the cool and collected happenings that have been going on with me for the last month or so…
Despite my best efforts to sneak the Batman DVD set into our cart at Costco, once my wife asked how much it was, the gig was up. This thing won’t be coming home until it goes on a deep, deep discount. Sigh.
It looks like I became a Hallmark ornament collector this year. Three of my favorite things all in a row.
I snagged this NECA Christmas Story set off of a local Facebook yard sale site for three bucks! It even had a bonus Ralph in his pink bunny suit bouncing around inside the box. Of course, I was happy to get these figures, but I was REALLY happy to get that leg lamp — the wheels are already turning about how I can use that prop in some photos next year. I’m also sorely tempted to replace the dad’s head and hands with Dr. Zaius’. Don’t ask me why.
Speaking of Facebook yard sale groups, if you haven’t ventured into this arena yet, I strongly recommend it. 99.999% of the items are household goods and baby clothes, but every now and then something good will pop up. Since joining a few local groups, my time on Craigslist has drastically reduced.
I picked up this pair of twins at a show last month. Again, don’t ask me why, but really, how can you resist vintage super hero toys — the stranger the better!
I got a new saw for Christmas and have been playing around a bit, making some divider boxes for the small items in my collection. I’m going to keep churning these out and maybe eventually turn them into drawers for a custom cabinet of curiosities.
While we’re on the topic of Christmas, here are a few of the fun items I found under the tree. There’s so much awesome stuff out there right now for us 1966 Batman fans, that it’s hard to refrain from wanting it all!
My ape army continued to grow with these recent additions. Neca is absolutely killing it with these figures.
Everyone has there annual Christmas movies. In addition to the Christmas standards, I tend to watch the original Planet of the Apes movies, but this year, I didn’t get around to it, but was happy to rewatch both Rise and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
Not too long ago, I purchased these rare Superman and Wonder Woman string holders to complete the set. These things are ugly and magnificent. I’m curious about the somewhat glossier paint used on those two pieces and wonder if I got scammed — they seem legit, but why are they different from the Batman and Robin busts?
I had so much fun visiting the toy stores prior to Christmas. These huge Mario figures tempted me every time, but I have been trying to stay focused with my collections. But seriously, why aren’t these selling like mad — they’re great!
I was fortunate to visit the annual Greenberg Train Show when it came to town a couple of weeks ago. The show is dubbed, as a toy and train show, but this time around, there were only two toy vendors. This area really needs a good toy show.
Santa placed this beauty under my tree this year — and by Santa, I mean me, of course. Sideshow Collectibles had an incredible pre-Christmas sale, and I was able to get this guy for about half of what he normally costs — still not cheap, but much, much easier to digest.
Expect to see more of this guy in the future. This is my first Hot Toys figure, and I have to admit that it is scary realistic — frightening really, Seriously, I have to keep this thing locked up at night for fear it will just get up and wander around the house.
Outside of collecting, I have become a huge fan of BBC shows, and recently binged through both Black Mirror and Broadchurch. These shows are so well done — I wouldn’t say they are “fun” to watch, but boy do they make you think and squirm. I’m also addicted to reality TV shows like Gold Rush, Prospectors, and Ultimate Alaskan Survival, and as a lark, I agreed to watch this season of the Bachelor with my wife. God, help me — we’re only one episode in and I’m already doubting my resolve.
In addition to lurking around the Facebook groups, I’ve been amazed by Philip Reed’s energy over at Battlegrip. I received his latest book “Transforming Expectations” and have purchased his next two books via Kickstarter as well — he’s been busy (and I am INSANELY jealous of his work ethic). I’m also constantly amazed by the output of my brother from another mother, Calvin, over at his Canadian Cave of Cool — I visit his site every morning, while sipping that first cup of coffee. How do these guys post so much stuff, so often?!?
Other than that, I’m truly embarrassed with how little interaction I have had with my fellow bloggers and online friends. For example, I actually just heard about Dex’s craptastic holiday visitor — what an awful thing to happen!
I really do feel bad about going dark for a while and hopefully, it won’t be another month or two before I post again! With the start of the new year, I’m starting to feel some creativity bubbling to the surface again, and it’s time to get back to writing and creating content for this site, but most of all, I want to reconnect with my fellow bloggers and collectors. What have you guys been up to? Give me a shout out in the comments below, I want to hear from you folks.
Welcome back, and Happy New Year! What’s the Batman ’66 book next to the Star Wars guide? I, too, have been tempted by that big Mario. Maybe once he goes on clearance…
Happy new year to you too Will — I’m looking forward to your future posts this year, once the baby arrives! That’s actually not a book, it’s a puzzle that my kids got for me.
Welcome back, Brian! Definitely guilty of being lazy here too. No new posts since November. Gotta get back into it.
Nice finds! Those string holder are SUPER creepy. They all look like they’re in the midst of being punched. And those WW skates are so weird they’re actually kinda cool.
Super jealous of your new Hot Toys figure. I’ve eye-balled quite a few of their pieces but their stuff is just a little out of my price range. Looks great though. Love the detail.
Hey Ben, it’s been a slippery slope for sure — once you slow down, it’s hard to ramp back up to speed.
The Hot Toys figure are certainly beyond my typical budget and this will probably be my one and only foray into their product line, but I can’t say I regret the purchase yet. 😉
Happy New Year and welcome back! Been guilty of the same, but have been collecting my butt off. Been working on getting back on track. Lots to share.
John, it’s been far too long since I’ve heard from the Batcave. Glad to hear you’ve been adding to the cave!
Back online! Good to see a new post Brian. I admit Instagram is a LOT of fun and a bit addicting with the buying/selling/trading going on but honestly nothing beats a slid blog post. Hope all is well!
Thanks Cody, and I hope things are going well for you too!
This might not be everyone’s cup pf tea, but I recently decided to start collecting weird candy containers. I can remember back in the 90s seeing candy coming in plastic cell phones, beepers, boom boxes, etc. I started just this past weekend by buying to containers of Toxic Waste candy that came in little toxic waste barrels. FYI, do not actually eat that candy, it is beyond horrible. Now, whenever I visit the store, I always check out the candy isle.
Jeremy, that is an excellent collecting pursuit! I remember the coffins and plastic heads that stored candy in my childhood years, and have a couple of Batman-themed containers in my current collection. Happy hunting!
Oh its easy to get lost in the blahs and laziness but like most you always make it back to the blog…i guess this is way i like taking a break at the end of the year but i will admit that instagram is my new favorite way to post about my toy happings.
I’ve been enjoying all your photos over there John. Instagram has been a great fit for you!
Good to see you surfacing Brian! Looks like you’ve had an awesome holiday season!
I did Derek! I should also thank you and your site for helping me select the Christmas music I used in a home video montage I put together over the holiday. 😉 I hope you guys don’t get slammed by the snow too much this winter!
Welcome back Brian! Happy new year! You’ve grabbed some pretty awesome stuff as of late! I personally have been on convention/toy show withdrawal. Got some pretty cool stuff for the collection this past fall including one holy grail 😉
I gotta say I miss the league! Any chance of a revival?
Rich, I’ve been amazed at your recent scores — you’ve been branching out! 😉
I don’t think anyone misses the League more than me, but I’m not quite ready to bring it back. Maybe someday!
I’ve noticed a lot of string holders showing up on eBay recently, and wondered if some secret cache of them had been discovered, or if some sweatshop somewhere had discovered a technique for making them new that looks passable as antique.
I really like your divider boxes, it is nice to have a place for everything and everything in its place. I wish I were handy instead of being forced to shop at Bed, Bath and Be Expensive for organizing supplies…
And I totally get Facebook sapping your blogging strength, I feel the same way sometimes. I should say something here about SEO best practices and using social media to your advantage, but the truth of the matter is I have not been doing very well at that myself, so it would be hypocritical of me.
Happy New Year!
Aw man, you’re not making me feel any better about those string holders. 😉 For the most part, they “feel right” but because i have the other two to compare them to, it just got me thinking.
Those divider boxes are going to work well for me, because I can make the sections whatever size I need. The material costs per case is less than a dollar or two, so it’s definitely better than retail!
I actually run a couple of other websites for my business and live and breathe SEO and social media marketing, but over here, I slack off big time. This site is more personal and much more fun as a result. Not having to keyword pack the titles and spend hours rewriting posts for optimal results is much simpler — unfortunately. 😉
Hey good to see you back….I was wonderin when you’d be updating your blog. Truthfully, I have been neglecting my blog too. I’m usually on instagram or flickr these days but I’m really trying hard to come back to the blogging sphere. You might have just inspired me to do so.
Good luck on your reemergence! 😉
What’s your instagram handle?
Try and look for zackzakaria on IG. Mine isn’t 100% on geek stuff although I tend to post more and more pop culture-ish pictures every now and then!
Welcome back!
I have yet to get a Hot Toy but I hear they are frickin amazing! Now that they’re doing Star Wars, I may have to break down and get one once I”m settled in my new job.
I think every collector needs at least one. 😉
Congrats on the new job!
It’s ridiculous to the point of STUPID how expensive the Batman television series is on DVD. That thing should have been $50.00 to $60.00. Even maxed out at $80.00 would have been a higher selling point for it. But for close to two-hundred bucks I’ll be sticking with my decade old convention bought bootleg for a while longer.
Yep, I’ll just keep watching the Saturday marathons on IFC.
Welcome back!
I am in the EXACT same boat as you, perhaps maybe even a bigger boat. It’s been quite sometime for me as well and is pretty much for the exact same reasons.
Glad to see you got your blogging juices flowing again and look forward to more posts!
Thanks Jeremy. Hopefully, we’ll see an update or two over on Geek Chunks soon! 😉
Happy New Year, Brian!!! Beware of the dust, it can damage your health!
I wastched A Xmas Story a couple of times and I found it extremely funny (yeees, it was aired in Perú!! but sadly, I doubt somebody here remembers that movie)
Also I have no idea how some people make to post so often in their blogs (I can barely make a new post each week). I’m reading Dex’s story right now, funny!
About Cal, what I like about his blog is its total randomness 😀
Nice collection of new stuff, hope you can get the Batman DVD set.
😀
OMG!!! I’ve read it now!! What I supposed it was a fun joke entry, it actually was everyone’s nightmare! Oh gosh, I’m so sorry for Dex… having an stranger inside your house and touching your stuff is something horrible and emotionally disturbing, I’m so sorry…
Boy, do I know how you feel. I’ve been out of the swing of things for a bit myself, and it’s hard to get the momentum back. Every time I start to write, my mind slams on the brakes and I sit there drooling and staring at the screen.
Anyhow, glad to see you back Brian. I’m always looking forward to what you have hiding up your sleeve.
P.S. That Mystery Box I bought from you was awesome. Thanks again!
Glad you liked it! I still have a few of those lying around if anyone wants one. 😉
Welcome back. Your website is one of my first stops on Monday mornings. I was getting a little worried that you weren’t going to come back. So glad you are back. I’ve also added Calvin to my regular Monday morning stops. Going to try and get back on the horse and restart my blog again. You’ve inspired me. Stop by from time to time.
You got it! I’ll be over in a minute. 😉
Welcome back Brian and everyone else. I noticed I hadn’t posted anything since the last League Assignment, but that’s not my excuse. My workload quadrupled but now I am in a steady state at the office.
I finally started posting again at http://gijigsaw.blogspot.com/.
Love the Hallmark Alien ornament – cause nothing shows the spirit of the holidays (joy, peace) than the ultimate killing machine in the universe.
The NECA Planet of the Apes rock. I finally caved and purchased the classic series as well.
My latest craze are the ReAction figures from Funko/Super7. Nice lineup coming in 2015.
Any insight into finding the Facebook yard sales is appreciated.
Merry New Year!
Things got busy for me at the end of the year as well, but unfortunately it was mostly family stuff rather than work. Glad to see you started posting again as well. I LOVE those ReAction photos you’ve been taking!
For those Facebook groups, if you want a local selling group just search for your city and the word “yard sale’ and you’ll probably get a hit. The toy groups are also great if you’re looking to buy and sell and don’t mind the shipping process.
Same with my Wifey. We didn’t get the Batman 66 collection either because of price. Arghh! It also happens to be the suckiest time of year at the cafe. No one drinks cold beer when they are freezing their butts off. I sure hope it warms up.