Must...Resist...Urge...To...Spend!

Every time I hit a Target or Toys R Us or even a comic shop, I always find something I want to pick up. It never fails. I'm at Midtown Comics, I see a statue that I want. I'm at Toys R Us, I see a figure. Even at the supermarket I see a box of Amazing Spider-Man 2 fruit snacks that I want to add to my Spider-Man collection. Being a compulsive buyer can be a pain sometimes.

Because I have a bad habit of buying and the fact that I have little room, I had to have a discussion with myself. I had to be honest and really think about what I really want to have in my collection right now. Maybe go quality over quantity. This approach helped me make my decision to put back the 2 DC Multiverse 1989 Batman and unmasked Batman figures easier. I may still own them at some point, but initially I wasn't impressed with the size or likeness.

Since I decided to go this route, I have been keeping an eye on some upcoming releases that I would love to own when they come out:

Ever since Figures Inc. released photos of it's 1966 Batman line, I have been wanting to add this Batman to my 1966 Batman collection. I have always wanted a Mego-like Batman figure and now that this is available, I will do what I can to have one to display with my NECA Batman and my custom 12 inch Batman.

Sticking with the 1966 Batman theme, this bank is definitely going to be added to the 1966 Batman collection. This awesome piece won't be released until November, so I will be eagerly awaiting for this to be released. This may be released around the same time as the release of the 1966 Batman TV series on Blu-Ray. November is shaping up to be a awesome month if your a Batman fan.

About a month ago, my buddy George and I went into a Disney Store in NJ. I saw a really nice Rebellion fleet t-shirt that I was thinking of picking up when I saw a 12 inch talking Han Solo figure, which I thought was pretty cool. I told George if they ever came out with a Luke I would buy it. As Biff Tannen famously said, Well looky what we have here. A 12 inch talking Luke Skywalker. I cannot wait to get my mitts on this. The cool thing about the Han Solo figure was it had phrases from the movie. It wasn't a lame actor reading lines. It was the voice of Harrison Ford. I can only assume this one will have actual dialogue of Mark Hamill from the movies as well. This makes it a must have for me.

Ever since I first saw this gigantic 31 inch Spider-Man figure at Toys R Us I have been conspiring to get one. Each time I see it however, I am low on funds. I will be picking up this behemoth at some point real soon. Yeah, I know I complained about lack of room. I don't care. I want it, I want it.

When I saw this picture I shrieked like a 10 year old. I cannot wait until October comes around. This is a must have for my Spider-Man collection. I will probably hit up Dr. Mego for two bodies so I can have all three displayed at the same time. I love the old school Spidey outfit with the webbing under his arms. Very John Romita-ish. This will look great on display.

Unlike many of you, I actually enjoyed the Amazing Spider-Man 2. I went to see it multiple times in the theaters. Although it made a lot of money, word of mouth about this movie wasn't the greatest, but whatever. I think it's the best Spider-Man movie made, edging out Spider-Man 2 for that honor, in my opinion. I haven't bought a lot of Spider-Man 2 merchandise just yet. This bust is something I do want to have at some point. It comes out in October and if I can, I will pick it up. I'd like to build a Spider-Man statue collection and this is one I'd like to add to the small collection I have so far.

Finally, and most expensive of the bunch, I really want this Hot Toys Amazing Spider-Man 2 figure. I do not own a Hot Toys figure. I would love to make this one the first I pick up and then try to add the other Spider-Man Hot Toys figures as I go along. At $200.00 a pop, that will be difficult for me to pull off, but that also won't stop me from trying. If I have to sacrifice a few figures and comic books to make this happen, then I will do it.

With all the cool stuff coming out, I had to make a list of the goodies that I really wanted above all else. It was hard to do, in the end, I think I did a good job targeting the really nice items that I think would look great in my collection. Like I mentioned earlier, quality over quantity will be the mantra for a while as I have other personal things I need to take care of. But, if I can stick to the plan, then I can take care of everything I need to and still pick these up. Once I do, you can be sure to look here for reviews.

Oh, and I do accept donations.

Who Needs A Bank When I Have Batman and Spidey?

I love the bank busts I see at my comic book stores. They look real nice displayed and always catch my attention when I pass by the display. I've seen some nice ones too. Superman breaking the chains, Wonder Woman, Wolverine and his claws and even Darth Vader. But my favorite ones, obviously, are the Spider-Man and Batman bank busts. I never had the chance to pick them up, but I was able to get a couple as a Christmas gift.

Right off the bat, I have to say how cool these busts look in their packaging. Both packages have a clear window so that you can see what your getting. Marvel has their logo on the lower left corner and a drawing of the character your picking up on the right. DC just has the Justice League on the left corner and a drawing of Flash, Superman and Green Lantern with Batman leading the way. I'm not sure if that's the way it is on all the packages or if it's that way to indicate your buying Batman.

A drawing of Spider-Man appears on either side of the box.

The back of the box has a picture of the bank your purchasing. Not sure why when we have a clear window to see the figure. I think another really nice drawing would have been better or maybe the other banks in the Marvel line.

East West Distributing, the makers of the bank, did a nicer job with the DC bank. Instead of a white package, we have a nice blue one with a drawing of the Justice League on either side.

Yes, we have another picture of said bank, but I'm ok with it because the presentation on the box is a lot nicer than the Marvel box. Plus, I am guessing the drawing of the Justice League on the front and sides are the characters we get in DC's line. Couldn't Marvel do the same? Maybe come out with an Avengers line? Include Captain America, Thor, Hulk and Iron Man with Spider-Man? Maybe they have. I haven't seen theses banks until I got them for Christmas.

Here's the banks out of their boxes. First up is the Caped Crusader.

Now, Spidey.

Both banks are made of hard plastic. They smaller than the banks that you see in the comic stores, but size ain't everything. To me, it's the way they will look on your shelf that counts and I think these will look really good.

What the Batman bank has over the Spider-Man bank are the sculpts. The Batman bank has so many details going for it from the folds in his cape, to the muscles on his body, to the brow frowning under the mask to even the sculpting of ears under the cowl. The Spider-Man is a very nice bank, but it doesn't have the details that Batman has. Batman's paint job is even better as some of the black on the lines of Spidey's webs disappear at some spots. Again, I still like the Spider-Man and I am quite pleased that I have it.

So, I will wrap this up by stating that I think these banks are very nice. I believe they are exclusive to Walgreens as the Walgreens website is on the back of the boxes. The slight edge goes to DC for it's presentation on the packaging, to the paint job to the details on the bank itself. But I still love the Spider-Man and I am glad I will be able to add him as well as Batman to my collection.

1989 Batman Bank

Along with the Mego Batman bank I picked up, the seller had doubled the auction by adding this bank which was given out with the Batman cereal back when Tim Burton's Batman was released back in 1989. I wasn't really looking to add this bank to my Batman collection, but since I had the chance to add 2 vintage Batman banks to my collection I threw in a bid and won for a lot lower than I expected, which is always a good thing.

For those who don't remember the cereal (and if your my age or close to it, how can you not?) The cereal was put out by Ralston as a tie in to the movie. It came with the bank shrink wrapped to the box.

As for the cereal it's self, It seems like the makers decided to just take Cap'n Crunch and make them bat shaped. I remember my mom, knowing I was bat crazy, bought me the cereal. Had she bought me the one that had the bank, I wouldn't have had to pick it up on ebay. But that's another story for another time.

And here's the cereal

And remember kids, no topical oils were added to this... or originality for that matter.

Ok, enough about the cereal. It's been long eaten and digested. Let's talk about this bank. Looking at it, the first thing I notice is the face is a sticker. I'm not too sure that it's a sticker of Michael Keaton either. Plus, his eyes seem to be crossed. Now, I know Batman could not turn his head in the outfit. Maybe he felt if he crossed his eyes he could see from both directions, negating the need to turn his head.

I dig the molded body on this bank. Like the Mego bank, Batman has his arms crossed. I wonder all Batman banks from the 70's and 80's had his arms crossed.

Here is the back of the bank. the coin slot is located in the middle of his shoulders. This is a smaller bank than the Mego one, so this wouldn't have held a lot of coins.

The bottom of the bank. This bank was solid plastic. There was no way of getting your change out. Much like my vintage Spider-Man bank, I'm guessing you would have had to cut a hole somewhere on this bad boy to get your money out. This bank had no holes, so I was able to get a nice solid piece for my collection.

Overall, the bank's face might be a bit weird looking, but I am happy to have it for my collection. I have some of the vehicles from the movie as well as a figure or 2 so I am starting to amass a small Batman movie collection.  Or, if I wanted, I could pick up this cool Batman bust/bank I saw at Chameleon Cards And Comics today so I could have a trifecta of Batman banks. Either way, this was a unique addition to my Batman collection and even though I was really after that Mego bank, I am very glad to have this bank.

Mego Mondays: Batman Bank

A couple of weeks ago, I was able to add a vintage Batman piece to my collection for barely the price of a movie ticket. The fact that it was a Mego piece and one that was one my Batman wish list was just the icing on the cake. When the package arrived last week, I tore that box open and was pretty thrilled with the bank.

I knew when I made my bid on the auction that the bank was not in pristine condition. But I really didn't care. The fact that it still has the emblem and there's barely any paint loss on the ban, so that was enough for me to pull the trigger on it.

This is really the only thing wrong with the bank. There seems to be some residue from what appears to be a sticker on it. I could try to clean it up a bit, but I'm afraid of peeling off some paint. I'll figure something out.

The back of the bank looks pretty good. No paint loss or any scratches.

Here's another problem. The plug is missing on the bottom of the bank. I honestly don't remember reading that fact on the auction listing. It's not really a deal breaker. You can't see that the plug is missing while it's standing up.

Overall, I'm very happy with this pick and will look great on my Batman shelf when I put it up. I'm thinking of   doing a shelf switch soon and I want to put up some of my Batman goodies, When I do, I will definitely put up pics on here so you can take a look an offer up opinions.

I'm also doing good with my Batman wish list. I picked up another vintage piece for a steal and will post a blog on it later in the week. Maybe if I'm lucky, I can pick up half the pieces on the list by the end of the year.

The Joy Of Bagging Your White Whale

You'll forgive me if I chuckle at the term "White Whale". It always makes me think of the classic Tom And Jerry cartoon (Chuck Jones Years). This one was a take off of the clasic story, "Mobey Dick", renamed "Dickey Moe. It opened with Ahab pacing back and forth across his ship, muttering to himself "Dickey Moe" over and over again. I seem to remember him drawing a pic of Dickey Moe, then dividing the whale into sections like chicken, beef, etc and eating it. To a kid with a warpped sense of humor, like myself, that was the funniest thing ever and I still chuckle at the "White Whale term.

Well, funny or not, I bagged me a "White Whale". Now I can check this item off my list. I managed to find it at a decent price off ebay and it arrived yesterday.

Yeah, I opened it, but I was excited. Don't judge me.

Oh yeah. Bubble wrapped and all. I have an extra toy now. I love popping bubble wrap. Especially in the movies. I said stop judging me!

Finally! I re-added a 1978 A.J. Renzi Spider-Man bank. I used to have this as a kid and the moment I took it out of the box I had a flood of memories come back to me. I used to love this thing. He looked great on my shelf next to my Megos, My Godzilla Shogun Warrior figure and my Darth Vader carrying case that had my Star Wars figures. I've been trying to add this to my Spider-Man collection for a few years. I would either get out bid for one on ebay or when I did get it, something would happen to it and it would get destroyed. Not this time. I will make sure this is well protected until I can re-display my Spidey collection or die trying.

Let's check out it's awesomeness

I remember there was a sticker on either side of the bank. On this one, there was only one sticker, but no matter really. I'm just thrilled to have it.

I love how the web lines are molded into the plastic and are not drawn on.

 

 

With these banks, you had the option of using it as a regular plastic bust or cutting a slit on the top to put change into it and use it as a bank. The only draw back to this was to get your change out, you would have to cut a hole on the bottom as you can see in the pictures above. It's rare to find an unused bank. When you do expect to pay over 100.00 for it.


I wanted to see how the bank stacks up with the A.J. Renzi Spider-Man Halloween pail I bought last month. The bank is taller, but not by that much. The pail has more mass, which means more candy and that is good. Strange, I seem to remember the bank being a bit more bigger. Maybe it's because as a kid, everything was bigger.

Still, I am real happy I can cross this bank off my "Must Have" list. This is a gorgous vintage toy from my childhood and I love it. Too bad there weren't any other characters made like Batman, Superman, Captain America and maybe a Wonder Woman. Regardless, I have the one bank I wanted in my collection and one day soon, I will hunt down the Hulk for the double play and add him to the collection.

It's always sweet tracking down that "White Whale". It's even better when it's someting you had at some point and already has sentimental value to you.

New League Topic: Holy Grails And White Whales

This week's topic is an intresting topic for me. Brian over at coolandcollected.com poses this question for the League:

We all collect something. What is a holy grail item you hope to find at a flea market, toy show, or comic convention? What else do you collect?

Let's start with what I collect. For those of you who read this blog on a regular basis, you will or have already noticed, that I have a few diffrent collections going. I collect New York Yankees, New York Jets, Spider-Man, Batman, bobblehead dolls, KISS, The Beatles, The Monkees, autographs, Back To The Future, Roddy Piper, Stone Cold Steve Austin and anything else I find intresting. I am pack rat and when I see something I like, I buy it. To me, picking just one white whale or holy grail was next to impossible since I want to add so many items to these growing collections. So, what I decided to do was pick the one item from each collection that I am working on that I would call my "holy grail" of that particular collection.

I also went with realistic white whales, meaning whales I can realisticly snag. Sure, I would love to add Spider-Man # 1 or a cowl used by Adam West during filming of the Batman tv show. But really, am I going to find a Mickey Mantle game used jersey at a flea market? No way. Will I be able to afford a 8 x10 signed by all four members of The Beatles? Not anytime soon. My plan to win the lotto will come to fruition soon, but until then, I will go cheap and choose the whales I can land without declaring bankruptcy.

This 1966 Batman puppet was made by Ideal during the height of Batmania, caused by the Live Action Batman tv show. These puppets were either sold in a box or a plastic bag. Ideal also made Robin and The Joker. Since I only collect Batman for the time being, I would consider this to be the holy grail for my Batman collection. I have either lost a bid on ebay or found it at flea markets/toy shows in less than desirable condition at outragous prices. This is one piece of Batman merchandise I know I can add to my collection without breaking the bank. I just need to be patient.

Another item I would love to own one day is a program from the very first game the New York Jets played at Shea Stadium. For the first 4 years, the Jets (known as the Titans at this point) played their home games at the old Polo Grounds in Manhattan. They played to very little fanfare as the Titans drew flies dispite fielding competitve teams. The team became the Jets in 1963, playing out it's last year in the Polo Grounds before moving to a brand spanking new Shea Stadium in 1964. On September 12th, the Jets played the Denver Broncos in their first game at Shea, beating Denver 30-6 before a crowd of 45,665 fans.

I have never seen a copy of the program in person, but have bid on a few on ebay usually losing in the 50-65.00 range. Always looking to score sweet swag on the cheap, I always try to win this in the 30 dollar range. I'm usually winning until the last half hour. I guess next time, I'll just have to bid the the 50.00 range. I know, I know. I'm a skinflint.

Ok. A-I love KISS B-I love Megos. When these two teamed up in the 70's, I cruelly learned a new word to add to my young vocabulary: Drool. Back in the 70's, KISS was everywhere. Lunchboxes, radios, tshirts, belt buckles. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley never met a buck they didn't like and would sell their likeness to anything and anyone willing to pay. Fast forward to today and nothing's changed. Gene and Paul still sell out the Kiss name and likeness to make a buck and I still want these action figures.

Yes, they are made on bodies that the KISS members only dreamed they had. But that doesn't take away from how cool they look. The make up is pretty dead on as well as the costumes. The faces...wellllll. Gene is probably the best looking figure. Funny thing, the Ace figure looks like Tommy Thayer now. To own this set is pricey, but can be done.

Here's another pricey piece I'd love to own and it's a holy grail for both the Yankee and bobblehead collections. This bobblehead was made in 1961-1963. There were 2 versions of the Mantle: The square base pictured above and one that had a round base. Mantle was released with Roger Maris, Willie Mays and the very rare Roberto Clemente. There was also a mini version of this bobble that is very pricey. This bobble, I have seen on ebay for around 150-200.00. Pricey, yet affordable.

Here's something I have wanted for quite sometime. A Monkees puppet made by Mattel in 1966. The puppet has the heads of Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mickey Dolenz and Mike Nesmith on four fingers and had a draw string that would "say" 10 diffrent recorded comedy bits voiced by the band. Finding a puppet that actually has a working voice box is the trick, because any auction I have seen or in person at a flea market, the puppet voice is silenced. Honestly, as much as I'd love to find one that works so I can sit on the floor, pull the draw string and giggle like a ten year, chances are slim. I would be happy to have a non working one to display with the rest of my Monkees collectables. I can usually find this anywhere between 60-80.00, but with the recent passing of Davy Jones, I'm betting the value went up a bit.

Yes, I know wrestling is fake, but I am still a huge fan. My all time favorite wrestler is "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. I was a huge fan back when he was causing havock in the old WWF, hosting the notorious "Piper's Pit". When LJN came out with these rubber wrestling figures in 1984, I got 2 for Christmas: Hulk Hogan and of course, Roddy Piper. First thing I did was take the WWF Title off Hogan and put it on Piper. I had that figure for years and forgot what happened to it. I've been looking for another for a while, but it has to have the kilt. I have seen way too many without it and, to me, no Piper figure is complete without it.

Last and not least, we have this 1970's Spider-Man bank which has driven me to the brink of insanity. Why? Because 3 times I have bought this bank and 3 times something bad has happened to it. The first time, it got crushed in boxes during a move. The second time, it got decapitated. Don't ask how. It just happened and it wasn't pretty. The third time crushed again. Those happened because I didn't have a place for it and tried to store it in places were it met fates worse than death. Now that I have my Spidey Shelves, this hunk of plastic would look awesome sticking out of the sea of Spidey toys. I just have to win one. I keep getting out bid on it. It's almost like a Spidey bank fairy is preventing me from winning one because of what happened to the others. Stop me? I don't think so. It will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine.

There were 2 others I wanted to add, like the Beatles Flip Your Wig game or the 1970's Godzilla toy I used to have that had the firing fist I used to aim at my sister and conk her on the head. But even I had to have a limit. With all stuff I want, I better have a huge man cave to put it all in. Which I will because that fool proof plan to win the lottery will help pay for all this stuff and I will live an exsitance worthy of Comic Book Guy from the Simpsons. Except better looking. But just as geeky and damn proud of it.

Spider-Man Wish List

As the holidays are almost upon us, I always look back on toys I either owned as a kid or always wanted to. Now that I am an adult (will never say grown up, cause we all know otherwise), I can always rebuy or finally add the items to my growing collection.

Over the course of the next several days, I will reveal some of the items on my wish list, by character, sport or whatever else I collect. Today, I will start by showing of the top 5 items on the character I collect the most: Spider-Man. These will be in no particular order.

1-12 Inch Mego Spider-Man

I'm a huge fan of the Mego "World's Greatest Superheroes" line, having had them as a kid and re-collecting them to this day. I own an 8 inch Spidey as well as the mini, plastic Spidey. I have never owned the 12 inch, either as a kid or adult, and I want one. This piece would look great on the Spidey shelf. The figure came with either a solid arm, or one that squirted "webbing", which was just water, I believe.

2-1966 Ideal Spider-Man Hand Puppet

I have never seen one of these in person, yet I want one really, really bad. I have seen the Batman at a flea market earlier this year and came so close to buying it. It was real cool, but the head was held to the vinyl with a safety pin and that made me walk away. I will own it one day as well as this beauty. I'd probably rank it up their as a Holy Grail of mine. I do know it came either boxed or in a plastic bag. I have seen both in packaging on ebay for well over 100.00. If I saw a loose one, for a reasonable price, I'd be on it.

3-1970's Spider-Man Bank

One of my very favorite things I had as a kid was this humongoid plastic bank of Spidey's head and torso. This was one of those pieces, and still is, that looks great on any shelf. As far as I know, only Spidey and Hulk were made, but I could be wrong about that. I had placed a bid on one on ebay, only to lose. Then I check my messages on ebay a few days later, only to find that I had a second chance offer that expired already. Gahhh! I will own this piece again. Oh, and good luck finding one without a hole in the bottom. These banks never had a spot to remove the change you put into it. D'Oh!

4-1970's Spidey Webshooters

These babys are something I wanted sooooooo bad, but never got. I mean, what self respecting Spidey nut wouldnt want these to add to their collection.? But, alas, I never did get them. I even went as far as making my own out of construction paper. I was the only kid in Riverdale, NY running around with paper webshooters. Well, they went well with my homemade Spidey mask, so that's a good thing. The not so good thing? I never, ever see these on ebay.


5-Mego Stretch Action Spider-Man

I hated my cousin. He had EVERYTHING I wanted as a kid. All the megos, all the Kenner Star Wars stuff, Sho-Gun Warriors, Godzilla, etc. He was very smug about who he allowed to play with them and always put a time limit on the play time. I always wished I had his toy box because included in there was all three Mego Stretch Arena superhero dolls, which were a jump on the Stretch Armstrong fad of the 70's. But then again, Batman and Spider-Man are so much cooler than some blonde dude who was made of jelly. Again, I never see these on ebay either.

Of all the Spidey stuff I want, and there are others. Like the Spidey Mobile Crime Lab and the Helicopter and the Mego car and the Energizer Figure that I want. Then again, if it has Spider-Man on it and it's affordable, I want it anyway.

Excelcior!