Vancouver Toy Junkies Show 2016

The fall season is in full swing and that means it's time again for my favorite toy show of the year!  I don't go to many "shows" for toys or anything that I collect. We do hit a couple of comic cons and local toy shops here and there but this is the premiere show to buy vintage toys in Oregon. It's the one that I can go to and know that I will be coming home with something that fits my unique interests. There are vendors that sell more modern toys but this is mostly made up of folks that have a big passion for old school items.

The Vancouver Toy Junkies and Record Show is held in Vancouver, Washington at the Pearson Air Museum at Fort Vancouver National Park.  It's about a 90 minute drive north for us but worth the trip. We have been visiting this event for a few years now and attend the "early bird" opening of the show to get first dibs on all the amazing items that many of the vendors have.  Mike McLaugherty is the spearhead of this show.  He has really managed to bring together many of the local toy shops and various private collectors to come to one place in unison.  It's the most easy going and friendly show that I attend.  I'm sure it's not an easy thing to do but it comes off to the patrons as a well oiled machine.

What else can I say about this show?  Well how about some of the great items I was able to find. I am a HUGE lunch box collector.  I look for everything from the super old metal boxes to the newer plastic boxes.  I purchased about 6 boxes through out the day and a couple are below.

I couldn't say more about the lunch boxes.  I believe The Karate Kid is from a short lived cartoon. We all remember Tiny Toons and the Wonderful World of Disney is just pure classic.  I love the old man from the Haunted House attraction.  So old school!  Most of these boxes came with thermoses also!  Anymore the thermoses are harder and generally more expensive than the box itself.

Being a collector in his 30's I think I can speak for a lot of people my age that tend to look for toys that they either had when they were kids or had wanted as children.  You are more than likely guaranteed to find something from your child hood at this show.  An example above are a couple of Terminator 2 action figures I owned as a child.  Their is nothing special about them.  I don't even know how successful the line was overall even.  I ended up purchasing 4 in the set but these 2 are the coolest.  They look as if they hadn't even been pulled from the original plastic shell.

I could go on and on about this show.  It's something I highly recommend experiencing for yourself. In all their is a part of us that still has that child inside.  A part of you that sometimes you want to revisit and connect with.  This show is a place for that.  It's a place to see old friends and make new pals.  It's a place to take your 6 year old son who is only really learning about life.  A place to bring your 22 year old daughter who hasn't quite let go of the child hood spirit we all have.  It's a place to make memories and be fond of for years to come.

**Update 9.28.16 - Check out Krystal D's review of the show by clicking here!  It's a great read!

Oddities

If you know anything about me or have read anything on this website then you know first and foremost I am a collector.  My collections have ebbed and flowed over time.  Looking back on some of my old posts on here I see toys that I have parted with many moons ago.  As I grow older I tend hold onto things for a while and then let them go to only desire them again later on.  It's that eternal hunt over and over for the goodies.  I love sharing my collection with people and the many cool stories that come along with the many items that I own.  Tonight I thought I would share with you a few random or perhaps odd items that are currently being stored.

Who doesn't know or love this guy?!  Yes, it's Freddy Krueger from the Nightmare on Elm Street series of films. I'm not the worlds biggest fan of horror but I do enjoy a good scary film.  These films are classics to me so when I saw the doll I knew I had to have him.  He came with no box but seemed to be in good shape otherwise.  He does have a pull string and speaks which is cool.  I really thought the likeness was very close to the movie and his hat even comes off.  His sweater is in great shape and he stands with the help of a doll stand. He's about 12 inches in height all together though he is slightly hunching over in this picture.  I picked this up at a local toy show and considered it a great find for the collection!

Next is this creepy Ronald Mcdonald.  What can you really say about this ugly thing.  I have never been a fan of clowns ever and never too fond of Ronald Mcdonald in general. When I saw him in a friend's toy shop it caught my eye and frankly made my spine slightly crawl. It is so different and strange that I had to have him.  He was already sold.  Turns out the original person it sold to didn't want it and when I returned to the toy shop a few weeks later there he was standing up on the window seal just scratching to get out and go home with someone.  He's pretty clean for his age with no rips or tears in the clothing.  His face is hard plastic and very clean with no smudging or scratches.  He's close to 15 inches in height and never sits still in the right spot.

This guy is a newer toy but as odd and creepy as the rest of them.  This is "Billy" the doll from the Saw film franchise. He stands about 16 inches and literally scares the crap out of my children.  They absolutely hate him and would not be sad if I sold him to someone else.  I don't recall off the top of my head who made him originally but he stands on his own and his red ugly eyes makes you think he is really watching you. With that being said he is super cool and brings a little flavor of something different to the collection.  I enjoyed most of the Saw films so I am pretty proud to have him standing guard to sway away any children who think they might be able to sneak in and snag a random toy for their liking.  Sweet dreams.

Purchase the Hoverboard from BTTF Part 2!

If you have ever wanted to own an actual replica of the famous hoverboard from Back to the Future Part 2 then this is your chance! Mattel is finally producing a 100% replica. Of course it does not float but supposedly glides over surfaces with ease. This sale is specific from March 1st to March 20th. It is a pre-sale and the board will ship in November/December of this year. It is $120 and you even get a cool little replica that will work with most of the Mattel action figure lines.  You can click on the banner below for more information.  Don't forget that you have to order it by March 20th!

1984 MOTU Toy Poster

Hey everyone! I had a great time at the annual Palmer Wirfs antique show at the Portland Expo Center this past weekend. You never know what kind of old stuff you will find at this show. I wasn't sure what to expect but have been pleasantly surprised every time! I found a few Ninja Turtles, an awesome Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure toy set and a very cool 1984 Masters of the Universe poster showcasing all of the action figures from the line that year.

New He-Man Toys!

I have been sooooooo backed up on getting my recent toy purchases posted online.  I'm sorry guys!  I have been focusing more on my Real Ghostbusters collection more than anything but ran across the 2 guys above and had to add them to my ever growing He-Man and The Masters of the Universe collection.  The first guy on your left is Buzz Off.  He is a bee like character and I am not even sure if he is good or bad?  The second is Rattlor.  I am assuming he is a baddy and is actually pretty cool because his neck pops up like a snake which practically make his twice as tall. In other news I will try and get some of my Real Ghostbusters purchases up here also and with Christmas coming I am sure my collections will grow even more!

New Toy Purchase: John Cena TRU Exclusive!

I had the chance to add yet another John Cena figurine to my collection of wrestling memorabilia.  This is an exclusive "TRU" or Toys R Us toy that is sold only at their store.  It is very cool although he does not have his newest shirt but the red wrist and arm brands. He also comes with an exclusive Wrestlemania sign.  In other wrestling news I was at my local Hot Topic and sure enough they had one of the newest WWE Cm Punk t-shirts.  It was a great find and nice to be able to purchase this locally and not just online at the WWE Shop. You can check out an image of the shirt by clicking here!

New TMNT Toy Purchase! Invisible Mike!!

It's turtle time once again folks!  I have been wanting my newest figurine for quite a while but haven't been able to find it locally or at least a good auction on Ebay until now!  I purchased a few months ago the Universal Studios TMNT Monster line.  This was a small line of turtles that were made to resemble the classic Universal Studios monsters from back in the day.  They were a short lived series and even came with discount coupons to the Universal Studios Theme Park.  You can check out a picture of that line below courtesy of the TMNT Figure Archive.

As you can see we have Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman and The Mummy.  Later on a second Universal Studios monster set was released and today my first figurine arrived in the mail. It is Michaelangelo as The Invisible Man.  I find this character very cool and unique because he is partly see through which makes total sense but is the only one of it's kind that I have seen.  I plan to purchase the others in the series also but wanted to start with this guy first.

New TMNT Toys 8.28.11!

This past week I had the opportunity to cash in on some more new and very cool vintage Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles off of Craigslist!  I am now the proud collector of over 100 action figures and many different vehicles and play sets.  The thing about the ninja turtle line of toys is that their are so many different and unique characters that were made.  I would guess their are around five to ten times more toys than what I have in my early collection.  I am also a bit picky.  I am not interested in anything newer than the late 1990's.  I grew up as a kid with the cartoon show and collected many of the turtles growing up so I have a special connection there. The newer line of toys are too anime looking for me and don't hold a torch to the old line of toys.  Being around 20 years old the toys are especially hard to find with their accessories or complete at all.

These are only a few from the vast collection I acquired.  Overall it was a great find.  Out of the 60 figurines I was able to add about 20, will sell around 20 and the rest were broken.  I was fine with taking the broken ones because the broken pieces were still with the collection and can be easily super glued back together and in working order.  It also came with around 200-300 accessories.  Some or most went to the toys that I have or perhaps extras from other long lost and forgotten pieces.  Still great to have and can add to other action figures in the future.

The number one item that attracted me to this sale was the photo to your left.  It is called the Technodrome and is a very hard piece to find without shelling out a lot of money.  It is a complete piece and goes great with my ever growing collection.  Thanks to Ryan for the sale.  It was his personal collection that he had from when he was a child.  Feel free to comment and let me know what you think!

Birthday Weekend: New Ghostbusters Toys!

Here are some closer looks at some of the new Ghostbusters toys that came into my possession this weekend.  First off is a new Ghostbusters Zapper Light Gun.  The gun originally displayed images of random The Real Ghostbusters ghost images on your wall.  I purchased one earlier in the year but was missing a film cartridge with images to light on the wall.  So happens I was at one of my fave toy shops in Portland, Billy Galaxy, and they had another zapper with 2 cartridges! How cool!  Now I have a pair with all of the parts.  Next is a vintage Ghostbusters VW car that transforms into a bug ghost.  My wife purchased a Slimer piggy bank made by Diamond Select toys.  My brother Dave found some very cool vintage The Real Ghostbusters figurines.  From left to right is Peter, Egon and Ray.  For those that do not know, The Real Ghosbusters is the cartoon that was on in the 1980's early 1990's and most if not all of the older toys are from that show.

Birthday Weekend: New TMNT Toys!

Another entry into the famous "Birthday Weekend" log!  You can see from below the new and cool Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toys I was able to pick up while in Portland and also receive at my birthday party.  The turtle submarine was a cool find from Billy Galaxy in Portland.  I had been eyeing it off and on the past few visits and decided I needed it bad enough for my collection.  I believe it is pretty rare and even more rare being a complete piece.  Next is the TMNT Soap Dish. The van as you can see is actually a plastic dish that holds the mini bars of soap.  A very rare find from my brother Rusty and a great addition to my collection.  The TMNT Double Barrel Plunger Gun is another find from Billy Galaxy.  Another great and complete piece.  Last is a more current version of Raphael on a skateboard.  I am really not sure if he originally went with the skateboard and is a more current piece dating in the 2000's somewhere.  Still very cool!

New Toys: The Real Ghostbusters Mini-Mates!

As most of you know, I am a big collector of Ghostbuster merchandise.  I currently own pieces from the 1980's all the way up to products that are being made today. Diamond Select currently makes toys called Mini-Mates. They are basically glorified Lego men.  They are highly detailed and crafted after characters in the Ghostbusters universe.  I had the chance today to visit my local Toys 'R Us and purchase some Mini-Mates from The Real Ghostbusters cartoon line.  You can check them out below.

New TMNT and He-Man toys!

This past weekend my family and I had the opportunity to scour Portland Oregon for any and all Comic Book/Toy shops in the greater area.  I must say there are many shops in Portland and I don't know my way around that well.  Thank God for Google Maps and my oldest daughter navigating from the back seat of our mini-van.  Today I want to talk about 2 new and very cool shops that we were able to visit and then show you some cool pics of my purchases.

Our first great stop was at a store called Billy Galaxy.  You can check out their website here or visit their Facebook page here.  Billy Galaxy is located on Burnside St across from Powell's Bookstore. Billy Galaxy is my dream store!  From what I can tell they deal specifically in toys from the 1950's to the 1980's.  Vintage Star Wars to He-Man to many toys you won't recall until you are once there. Yes, I was in Heaven because he did have quite a few He-Man toys and even some Ninja Turtles. Unfortunately the prices were a little high so I did not buy much but I do recommend this shop for anyone that is looking for older vintage toys or general nostalgic things from years ago. Below is a picture of the He-Man horse "Stridor" I purchased from there and a couple of Ninja Turtles also.

Our next stop was in Beaverton at a shop called Mad Max's Heroes and Hobbies.  This place I have been trying to visit forever and it has always been closed.  I guess on Saturdays they don't open until the mid evening.  Me living about 80 miles way makes it kinda hard to show up at night but I was in luck this time around!  I first heard of this shop from a college student at OSU who had similar interests in comics etc.  She said that if I was looking for action figures that this was the place to go to.  She was right and it was worth waiting for this place to open because he had a TON of action figures, comics and cards of all liking.  There I was able to pick up some more Ninja Turtles including a rare "Krangs Robot Body" toy.  Heroes and Hobbies is a very cool store but be aware of there hours and call ahead especially if you don't live around Portland.  You can check out pictures of my purchase below.

I also wanted to thank my father and brother in law.  They came across some Ninja Turtles on a recent trip to an antique shop and brought me home a few.  The antique shop is on the coast and I find a lot of the turtles have sand in them and missing parts but it's still great to have them.  One in particular I am fond of is a turtle called "Beach Combin Mike".  He is very cool and one that I have not seen very often.  I also picked up a duplicate of "Chief Leo", a Native American turtle at Heroes and Hobbies.  I already owned the Chief but it was incomplete so this was a great chance to pick up a whole one.

Amazing 1986 He-Man Toy Display!!!

I just came across this really cool article of at IO9.com.  Apparently back in 1986 Mattel had a traveling display of He-Man toys to show off at local malls.  The video below is from Indianapolis.  I only have one word to say and that is WOW!  What a freaking awesome display!  Where is that stuff today?  Does someone own that display or was it destroyed?  I want the suit of Hordak with the light up arm!  You can watch the video in it's entirety below.

Vintage Toy Purchase: Ghostbusters Firehouse!

This past weekend was my 5th year anniversary with my wonderful wife.  We decided to venture to the Oregon coast and spend the day.  If you know the Oregon coast then you know that it usually rains and is kinda dreary and cold most of the time.  This day was no exception!  We had no problem enjoying the great clam chowder and cheese bread from famous Moes or the great salt water taffee. Another great thing about the coast is the many antique stores that they have there.  My wife and I visited a quaint store called The Rocking Horse Mall in Lincoln City via word of mouth that they had some old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles there.  

This store is 2 stories of stuff.  When I say stuff I mean they had everything from old vintage doll houses to blown glass to records and sea shells.  The first floor was mostly a bust for me and decided I would head up to the second floor.  At first sight I saw a vintage Masters of the Universe Castle Greyskull.  It was very cool but nothing out of the ordinary.  I had seen these before in many a toy store or antique shop.  I began to devour the second floor but still nothing.  I did come across a couple of old ninja turtles but nothing that I didn't already have or that wasn't in good shape.  I began to head back to the stairs when I saw a familiar site.  It was an old action figure of Egon from The Real Ghostbusters tv show.  Now I had watched this show as a kid hundreds of times and knew whom he was instantly.  As I gaze at him I start to widen my view as to what he was actually sitting in.  Holy shnikes!



I was looking at The Real Ghostbusters Firehouse!  In a nutshell, this is a doll house that holds the Ghostbuster action figures and Ecto-1 vehicle.  I really couldn't believe it.  Like most toys from the 1980's these are becoming rare and harder to find except for on websites like Ebay for hundreds of dollars.  So here came the big question.....how much?  The tag said $20.00.  My jaw dropped and I walked out the door the owner of a vintage The Real Ghostbusters Firehouse.  I was a kid leaving the candy store.  I am posting some pictures of what it looks like.  These are not pictures of my item but very similar.  The one I bought is not 100% complete but very close and is an amazing toy to own.  Below the photos you will find a couple of videos I embedded that talk more about the toy.  Thanks for reading!

New TMNT Vintage Toys!

Hey everyone!  I am back again with a new post about some old school toys that arrived in the mail today!  Ebay seems to be the best place for all of the stuff you used to own but don't and want to have again.  I spoke in earlier posts about having Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) action figures as a kid and have slowly been purchasing many and more of them to my ever expanding collection.  I am currently at 69 figures in all.  I added 2 more today and thought I would share them with you.  Check them out below!

The turtle above or should I say the robot turtle above is called "Metalhead".  This toy I was very fond of as a young man and very excited to add it to my collection.  It came intact with all of it's accessories and the information card from the original bubble box.  It is in really good shape and looks like it hasn't been played with.

The next turtle is "Sewer Surfin Mike".  I'm not exactly sure what series or year he is from but I purchased him because he looked outrageously different and came with that cool surfboard.  He looks great on my shelf with the rest of my collection.  Both toys came from Ebay seller 22ktoys.  Click on the link and you can check out some of his other auctions.  Stay tuned for more toy posts later this week!

Vintage Toy Pick This Weekend!

Hey everyone!  I got the chance to hit the town of Eugene Oregon this weekend and visit some of the comic book shops that I don't normally get to.  In my searches I came across a really cool comic shop called Nostalgia Collectibles.  It is in downtown Eugene and actually sits behind the Smith Family Bookstore on the corner for Fifth Street and Willamette Street.  You would almost miss it if it wasn't for some old comic posters tapered to the side of the building.  I found this store to be very cool and unique.  I am told by the shop curator that they are the only shop in Eugene that buys vintage toys like the ones below.  I was ecstatic when I found this out.  I have spent many hours bidding on toys on Ebay only to lose at the last second to someone else.  This is my place to find a lot of the old toys that I have been searching for from my child hood.  Don't be swayed. They also have many comic books, new and old, character busts and other various fandom to meet any geek's needs.  Favorites of mine have been collectin TMNT or also know as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and He-Man Masters of the Universe action figures.  No, these are not "man dolls" like some of my relatives like to call them.  I have posted some pictures below and their names.  These toys are loose, not in a box or on a card, and surprisingly come with most of their accessories.  Enjoy!

New Toy Purchase: The Incredible Hulk!

HULK SMASH! To give you a little background information on this post, I have been going to my local comic book store the past year or so and been eying this toy. First of all, you can not miss it sitting on the shelf. It is a massive piece of sculpted plastic! This toy is at least 2 or 3 times bigger than your normal action figure. From the moment I saw it I knew that one day I was going to purchase it for my collection. Anymore, a lot of toys/collectibles that I purchase I tend to leave them in their original plastic shell on card, but this one I could not resist to take out and sit on my desk. This thing could be a paperweight or a bookend or something! It is truly a work of art and something that attracts your attention when you first see it! It's part of the Marvel Select Series made by Diamond Select Toys.  I have added a gallery of pictures below for a better look!

Matty Collectors Ghostbusters 2 Review

Ok guys, if you know me then you know a little fact that for the past couple of years I have been collecting movie memorabilia including many movie toys.  The toy company Mattel has an adult collectors line of toys that it makes for dorks like me called Matty Collector.  These toys are generally made for a short period of time and that is it.  Once they are sold out, good luck purchasing one other than on Ebay for double or triple the original price.  A lot of the toys Matty Collector makes are throwback or remakes of older toys, especially toys that I played with as a child like He-Man.  Matty has been producing the Ghostbuster line for the past year or so and have done an amazing job at recreating the characters from the iconic films!  I am one of the lucky few to have been able to purchase the set above.  Click on the picture to read more and an depth review.

Goonies Toys!

I have never heard of the toy company Mezco before. After visiting their website, they are one of many companies licensed to produce toy replicas from television and film. If you have ever heard of Mcfarlane or Matty Collector toys then you are in the right realm. These toys are more for the adult collector rather than younger children. As you can see above, Mezco produced these awesome Goonies toys. This is news to me, undiscovered relics! I feel like a Goonie right now discovering One Eyed Willies treasure for the first time. It looks like they are sold out on the official Mezco website but a quick search on Ebay and they are all on there. Beware, these are not cheap and usually aren't after they have been sold out on the official site.