Tom Krohne lives in New Jersey, and spends his nights working on The Indescribable Watchamcallit and The Giantastics. I met Tom through Twitter, where I learned that he had a monstrous collection and he was kind enough to share it here. Thanks, Tom!
How did your collection start? What was the first item in your collection?
Jeeze, I’ve had toys my whole life so I really can’t say when it started. I do remember getting the Shogun Warriors Godzilla to the exact moment. At one time I had an entire room filled with nothing but Japanese Godzilla toys but I sold all of them and now just have some of the rereleased Bandai items.
Approximately how many items are in your collection?
I’m not sure, and quite frankly, I’m afraid to count! There’s alot in storage that I have no room to display.
Do you have a favorite item in your collection?
Oh, I hate to play favorites.
How do you store/display your collection?
Shelves, lots and lots of shelves.
Is there a “holy grail” item that you would love to add to your collection?
The Great Garloo by Marx. I’m too young for the original and not rich enough to afford it now.
Do you collect other things?
I collect old monster comics and old Hanna Barbera Super Hero cartoons.
Do you have a favorite collecting story or experience?
I was buying a birthday present at Toys R Us for my daughter and heard someone in the next aisle loudly telling someone they had to hand over a toy because he knew someone willing to pay top dollar for it. Well that set off my “Scalper radar” and I mosied around the corner to find the real life version of the Simpson’s Comic Book Guy who was unloading his verbal assault on two young kids. I calmly asked the kids if they had the figure first. They replied yes, and I told them to run along and find their moms. The scalper just stood there and said nothing… this was one time it was good to be 6′ and built like a rectangle. The karma gods rewarded me with the JLU Blue Devil figure which I found hanging on a peg next to me, as the scalper stomped off.
Do you have any advice for new collectors who are just starting a collection?
Yes, remember…the 11th Commandment…Thou Shalt Collect Them All.
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A special thanks to Tom for unlocking his vault and letting us take a peek inside.
You can visit Tom online at www.tomkrohne.com and check out his blog at www.tomkrohne.blogspot.com. You can also read his comics at www.thewatchamacallit.com (no little ones, he curses alot), and www.thegiantastics.com (all ages fun).
If you want to share your collection with other like-minded collectors, fill out my Collector Profile and I’ll help you spread the word!
[All images are the property of Tom Krohne]
That’s one hell of a collection, Tom! That Godzilla/Kaiju wall in particular brings a shiny tear to my eye.
Definitely going to have to find me one of those Pumpkinhead figures as well. 🙂
Tom Krohne rules! And he’s even got WISHMASTER up there!