Captain Planet!

Hey peeps!
It's been a while...a looong while since my last post. Been really busy with some stuff. Let's just say I had some time for some "self-improvement". Well, I've found some time to post now so here we go.

Today I decided to feature one of the more obscure lines in my collection. This line was released in the early 90's alongside the cartoon show it supported. Now I guess during that era the world was becoming more aware of humanity's effects on the environment. It wasn't as much as how we're all concerned for global warming today, but it was more on the extinction of animals, the hole in the ozone layer and the pollution of the seas. It was the true beginning of mankind's concern for the future of the planet. Thus came the cartoon show "Captain Planet and the Planeteers".

It was basically a cartoon aimed to inform the youth about the problems our planet is facing from the unimaginable abuse of mankind's hunger for progress. The protagonist of the show were the Planeteers, a group of five teenagers from different parts of the world who were chosen by Earth's spirit, GAIA, to help protect the Earth from the evil forces that threatened to abuse and destroy it. They were each given a ring which represented the different elements of nature. Namely; earth, fire, wind, water and heart (which I didn't really know why it was selected as an element), maybe the writers just wanted to keep the team of five. These were special rings though, each not only represented an element, it also gave whoever wore it the power to control that element. And when the team let their ring powers combine they can summon Earth's mighty champion "Captain Planet", who could basically control all the elements and had super human strength and could fly... you know, all the regular stuff awesome superheroes have.

Okay, so you know the basic premise of the show, now lets take a look at some of the toys. I only have three action figures from this line. All of them I got at bargain prices so their all awesome hauls. The first one I got was a MOC Parachute Linka fig which I found in some mall sale stall. I couldn't believe my eyes at first but when I took a closer look I was stoked and hooked. This fig could go as much as $50 online but I got my fig for lower than 50 Php! Now that is a steal! I wish I bought more but I don't like hoarding.

The next two figs I got from a "ukay ukay" stall in a public market. You know you're a toy hunter when you actually hunt in public markets. I was sifting through a box of old toys and I found these two treasures; the planeteer's old toxic foe Sly Sludge and Captain Planet himself! And both in very good condition! I got both for just 50 Php. Just think, these are NOT easy to find anywhere. Not that I know of at least. Captain Planet could go for a hundred dollars on some sites online so I think I got an awesome deal on these!

To be Honest, Captain Planet wasn't really a big hit back in the day. Maybe because of how naive the concept was for the time. But I did watch it and I did enjoy it. And actually acquiring some action figures from the show just gives me a very fulfilling feeling. Wish I could find more Captain Planet figs in the future.

Speaking of the future, I'll see you there next time! And remember...THE POWER IS YOURS!

Cheers!

Die-Cars!

Hello there dear readers, if there actually is anyone else coming to this blog hehe. Its time for a new toy story. Now today I decided to feature my diecast car stuff. Again, like most of my collection, its not much. Just a few pieces I really thought were cool and had significance from my childhood. Most are all themed from some of my favorite 80's shows and movies. From Back to the future to Speed Racer. Let's get started, shall we?

First up, my Hotwheels. This first one isn't really that special. Not really considered as a "treasure hunt" car. I think its a pretty common Hotwheels car. The reason I got it was first; it was cheap, and second; it was from 1998 and anything from before y2k I consider vintage.

32' Ford


2nd Hotwheel is Speed Racer's Mach 5. Yes, I did watch Speed Racer when I was young and I know some of you did too. But since vintage Speed Racer toys are hard to come by and rather expensive I settled for the next best thing, the modern movie remake version of Speed Racer's race car.

Speed Racer Mach 5


Next is probably one of the most well-known cars from the 80's. The movie it came from launched Michael J. Fox's career. And this car garnered worldwide fame with him. Yup, its the car that had a need for 88 mph speed!

Back to the Future DeLorean


Here's another iconic 80's vehicle. And its from another awesome 80's movie. Egon,Ray,Winston and Peter rode this baby to get to their job sites...hunting ghosts!

Ghostbusters Ecto-1


My latest Hotwheels, which I hunted for last ToyCon but failed to catch. Another one of my favorite 80's vehicles. Mr.T made this van famous.Didn't really care about the other guys.

A-Team van


Now lets move on to other toy car lines

I know I already have a Speed Racer Mach 5 diecast car, but when I saw this thing I was just mesmerized by how clean and sleek its made.

Jada Speed Racer Mach 5


These next cars were a very awesome find. And one of those instances where I stumbled upon a real "treasure" in the most unassuming places. I actually bought this from a magazine stand near a local grocery store. They were some left-over stock from an old variety store that got demolished. And they were cheap too. Less than a P100. I wish I bought the other ones though, when I came back a couple days later they were gone. I guess everyone loves cheap quality toys. So, last but not the least, a real line from my childhood, those miniature wonders...

Micro Machines!


Well, that is all for now folks. Tune in next time, when I actually feel like posting again hehe. Oh, Happy Valentine to all of you!

-Cheers!

Lion-Hooooo!

Hello friends, its been a while since my last post but here I am about to share something else from my humble collection. Today I decided to feature my Thundercats figures. They're not much, I actually only have three figures and all of them of a single character. But he's not just any character, he's the Lord of the Thundercats himself, Lion-O!

Now for people like me who grew up in the 80's, Lion-O was probably one of the most well-known cartoon characters of the time. He is the leader of a group of cat-like alien beings called the Thundercats who've escaped the destruction of their home planet, Thundera. Pursued by a fleet of evil mutants from Plundarr, they eventually crash land on a planet called Third-Earth and soon make it their new home. But unknown to them, Third-Earth was also home to an evil warlord mummy named Mummra. So to make the story short, they fight battles on Third-Earth against Mummra and a bunch of different evil beings every episode and always win. Thanks to the Sword of Omens and the Eye of Thundera. I loved this show when I was a kid and never missed an episode. And like any awesome show that era, it came with an awesome toyline. But, unfortunately, I never got to own any of the Thundercats action figures. My parents thought they were too expensive which I thought was funny because they bought me stuff from other toy lines like Silverhawks and He-man which were pretty much the same price. I guess they just didn't want any more clutter in the house. Well so basically, Thundercats figs have become one of my most sought after toys. Even when I grew up. I always told myself that I would have one of those toys someday. No matter how long it took. And finally I did manage to get some. Took me a couple decades but its all good. And here they are. They're not much but I think they're the greatest pieces in my collection.

A red-haired battle-matic Lion-O

and an Orange-haired variant

I'm telling you, Lion-O didn't come easy. I lost quite a lot of money just trying to get a decent one. At first I wanted a mint-on-card one but looking around, I saw that they did not come cheap. They practically cost a fortune. The cheapest moc vintage Lion-O I saw cost around $300 and the most expensive ones range from $1-2000. So I lowered my standard a bit and opted for a loose but complete with accessories vintage Lion-O. They also weren't cheap. But because I really wanted one so bad I decided to buy one from ebay from a guy in Belgium. It cost about P3000 (shipping included) but I thought it was worth it. I was so wrong. What I thought was a dream come true became a nightmare. I never received that figure which I paid for. The seller said he already sent it and even gave proof. But I guess somewhere along the line and the allegedly thieving postal service, my Lion-O fell in a crack and was lost forever. I almost gave up on having a vintage Lion-O after that. I almost gave up on toy collecting completely. But I guess I really couldn't erase that childhood dream and so I kept looking again. And finally while sifting through a listing of figs on ebay I found a cheap but decent one. It was kinda roughed up a little, I envy the kid who played with it. He must've had an awesome time. Then after a couple days I found another one and bought it as well. And they were both from local sellers so I had better insurance that they'd get to me with no problem.

But my obsession with Lion-O didn't stop with the vintage line. I also managed to score a modern version of him. Bandai acquired the rights to the Thundercats line and released these 8" Classic Lion-O. More true to the way he looked in the 80's cartoon and with great details and articulation.

But this Classic Lion-O still cannot outweigh my two vintage Lion-O's in my heart. That show and toy line was a wonderful part of my childhood and it will continue to bring me joy and pride till the day I may have to pass it on to my children.

That's all for today. Hoped you enjoyed it. Tune in next post!

Cheers!

Karate Chopper Surprise!

So, a few days ago I passed by a local grocery/department store near my office before I went home. I was gonna pick up some canned goods but I guess I'm hardwired to passing by the toy section of any store that had one. Didn't really expect to find anything interesting because I go there almost everyday so I usually know exactly what toys they sell there but I was pleasantly surprised to find hidden treasure. Well to those who don't know me "hidden treasure" usually means "cool vintage toy". Amidst some bakugan and cheap china fish games was this; a 1994 Hasbro Toy Street Fighter the movie Karate Chopper! Which I never knew existed till I saw it that day.

Checked out the price, $4.50 (I work in a freeport zone where most of the stores price their items in US dollars) roughly Php200-211. Which evidently was just a little less than the amount of money I had on me that time. So long story short, I did a Jack in the beanstalk move and ditched the canned goods for the toy. I was quite happy though. Took some pictures of the box when I got home but didn't open it, then wrapped it up with cling wrap then put it with my other toys. But the next day I bought another one that I did open and check out what was inside. Here's what I got:

Like many toys it came with a catalog. Since this Street Fighter series was made by Hasbro to coincide with G.I. Joe (The action figures were actually the same mold and size as regular joes, about 3 3/4") It came with a mini G.I. Joe toy catalog which I really love because it just adds that nostalgia factor to it.

It also came with a manual which basically shows how to assemble the Karate Chopper. As you can see this manual is showing some age even if it was virtually untouched since the 90's.

And here are the parts

The assembled Karate Chopper. Although, I didn't apply the stickers because I decided to put them and the other printed materials in my vintage catalogs stash.

And there you have it, the Street Fighter Karate Chopper. Something I never knew existed or even wanted until I found it... CHEAP!

-Cheers!