By the early 90's, Star Trek The Next Generation had hit it's stride. Once a week, I would excitedly dash home from art school, in my 1985 Mitsubishi Mighty Max, in anticipation of enjoying a new episode. Like many series, this show had a rocky start. Mark Bourne from The DVD Journal commented: "A typical
episode relied on trite plot points, clumsy allegories, dry and stilted
dialogue, or characterization that was taking too long to feel relaxed
and natural." Indeed, this show took a while to win me over. I was not alone, but by the time I was in college, I was all-in. Many others were too. The show enjoyed a gradual upward ratings climb that continued until the series finale. My affinity followed this trend as well. I religiously began watching the show just a year or two before the finale.
Watching the weekly episodes was an enjoyable ritual, but I did not have the unconditional devotion to the series that many trekkies had. My biggest grudge was with the art direction of the show. At some point, someone decide that phasers should either look like dust-buster vacuums or the key fob for your Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. It was perhaps the same person that decided that the Enterprise NCC 1701-D should have a shuttlecraft that looked like a 1992 Ford Aerostar minivan with attached boat pontoons. Despite these shortcomings, I enjoyed the character interplay and seeing Brent Spiner play increasingly goofy roles on the holodeck as he explored the intricacies of human emotion through his characterization of the android Commander Data. Eventually, my affinity for the show grew to the point that I was able to overlook some of the design issues. Perhaps I even began to appreciate the designs a bit, at least enough to drop $4.99 on today's toy.
Licensing of Star Trek The Next Generation toys changed hands a couple times throughout the series run. Two manufacturers carried the torch. At first, it was Galoob with some primitively sculpted action figures, a bridge playset, and a really nice die cast model of the Enterprise NCC 1701-D. The Galoob offerings were short lived due to the show's shaky first season. Then came Playmates, who had previously established themselves as a serious player in the toy industry in 1988 when they stumbled upon one of the most successful franchises in toy history: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This undoubtedly positioned them to pick up the license when Star Trek's popularity began climbing. They offered a greatly expanded selection of action figures and vehicles, as
well as some full-size "prop replica" toys like tricorders and phasers.
Today's toy was part of Playmates' "Innerspace" line. These were small spaceship playsets with accessible interiors. In some ways, they were similar to Galoob's "Action Fleet" vehicles, but the Playmates' Innerspace vehicles had a disproportionate caricature-like appearance. Well... there was one exception. That one exception was the shuttle craft Goddard. Perhaps that's why I was compelled to buy it. It was definitely the closest to a scale representation of a vessel in the "Innespace" lineup. All the boxy 90's charm of this spacecraft design is lovingly captured. It
features a detailed interior with folding benches, a removable piece of
"cargo," a small figure of Deanna Troi, and a semi-posable, bow-legged
representation of Geordi La Forge. To solidly plant it in the era in which it was designed, the ship is molded in the same beautiful beige color as your 1995 Apple Performa Power PC.
This toy, much like the TV series that inspired it, has its share of issues. It has a cheap glossy finish, and I already mentioned Commander La Forge's saddle-sore stance. Nonetheless, it is still a cool little toy, and it brings back memories of how much I grew to enjoy the narratives and characters of The Next Generation.
Anybody who knows me, knows that
this was an inevitability... a steam engine being The Toy of the Week.
I ran my old blog for nearly a year without bringing this topic up so
the way I see it, this shit is seriously over due. The fact is, I have
an obsession with steam powered engines that boarders on psychosis.
I can't really explain it. Steam engines are not just objects, they are an experience. They are the ultimate expression of form-follows-function. Even on a mere toy, like today's example, the design is almost entirely dictated by the operation of the machine. There is also an exquisite tactile quality to a toy like this because it is entirely crafted from steel, brass and copper. When you play with a toy like this, you engage in a ritual of mechanical care and maintenance. It is primal and elemental as you coax it into operation with fire and water. The pressurized power source will give life to the engine, or burn you, with equal indifference. Steam engines demand care and attention, and they are inherently compelling. There is also a role-playing component. Even if it is only for a moment, I get to be a locomotive engineer with one hand on the throttle and one on the whistle cord. It's like being in a Johnny Cash song.
Live steam is a hobby that attracts those with a mechanical mind and a willingness to tinker. The desire to tinker drives many hobbyists to fabricate scratch-built masterpieces or modify off-the-shelf models into custom pieces of mechanical art. Indeed there are countless gorgeous examples out there of steam-powered miniature engineering. We will inevitably look into some of these in the future but one might wonder what is the entry point for this hobby? Today we are looking at an entry-level steamer made by Accucraft. This model is freelance. In other words, it is not a model of an actual historical locomotive, instead it is meant to capture the character of a generic industrial geared tank locomotive. It does bear striking resemblance to the locomotives once produced by the Bell Locomotive Works. This model is a great little steamer with a quirky character. See for yourself and enjoy some pictures of the Dora 1:20 scale live steam locomotive. It's The Toy of the Week.
Technical Specs:
Twin, Double-acting oscillating cylinders
Gear transmission to front axle
Side-rod driven rear axle
Gas-fired copper single-flue boiler
Cab appliances include throttle, gas regulator, reverser, displacement lubricator
...especially if you are a tyrannical war lord in Edo-period Japan. Today we bring you a toy that represents a character from the classic Japanese Kaiju (monster) movie "Daimajin."
In the 1966 movie, Samanosuke, the evil feudal boss of a mountain village, finds himself jealous of his villagers deification of a mysterious antique stone statue of Daimajin, an ancient and vengeful spirit that lives in the mountain. In a classic "this town ain't big enough for the two of us" move, he orders the destruction of the statue. Two of his cronies attempt the demolition by hammering a large chisel into Daimajin's forehead. This unleashes a chain of events which include awakening the statue as a living monster and pretty much result in Samanosuke's ass being served up on a platter.
Relive all the excitement of seeing a mountain deity get seriously pissed-off with
this Daimajin action figure which has some really cool accessories like
metal chains, a sword, a chisel and Samanosuke, with a look on his face
indicating he just might have re-evaluated his life choices. It's The
Toy of the Week!
For me collecting toys is an experiential hobby. I don't simply buy and archive the toys as objects. I collect them because they elicit emotions like happiness or nostalgia, or because I enjoy the thrill of the hunt for that rare and special piece. Since we are on the threshold of San Diego Comic Con 2015, I thought it appropriate to reflect upon one of my experiences trying to procure one of the infamous Comic Con exclusive toys. Tonight is "Preview Night" for the event. This is the night when toy, comic, and pop-culture hungry patrons, who are lucky enough to have Preview Night passes, will descend on the San Diego convention center by the thousands. They will all be on the hunt for something; an autograph, a first shot at seeing a new show or movie, and, of course, SDCC exclusive toys. The excitement and anticipation is palpable at SDCC. Unfortunately, there are occasions where the anticipation only pans out ultimately as disappointment. It was that way for me a few years back at SDCC 2012.
My wife and I were on the doorstep of nerd-mecca and the excitement was bubbling inside. San Diego Comic Con is the worlds biggest pop-culture convention. Prior to landing weekend passes that included Preview Night, we had heard stories of all the cool sneak peaks of shows and movies that are screened for attendees. We also knew that many would be crowding into the exhibit hall to track down the infamous SDCC exclusives. These come in many forms. Often, they are some collectible or toy that is only sold at the convention in limited numbers and have a special paint scheme exclusive to that event. We had done our research by scouring blogs leading up to the event to learn about what sorts of plastic, made-in-China, treasures we would discover. None of the exclusives really resonated with us, so we decided to skip the shopping for the evening and actually watch the shows and previews instead. It was "Preview Night" after all! We absorbed these shows with the special sensation of knowing that we were among the first people in the world to see them. It was a fun night and an exciting kickoff to what, no doubt, was going to be a fantastic weekend.
The next day, we tackled the exhibit hall. After waking up early and waiting in line with several thousand of our closest geeky friends, we targeted a corner of the hall with a concentration of booths that we knew we wanted to visit. Among the first on the list was Kidrobot. Anyone who knows about vinyl toys knows Kidrobot. They are probably the biggest seller of limited edition vinyl toys in the world. They have been applying the signature Kidrobot aesthetic to licensed character lines like the Simpsons for a number of years now. In the days leading up to the event, the Internet was buzzing with silhouetted "teaser" images of some of their special offerings for SDCC. We approached the booth and scanned the glass display cases. There was some great stuff, but one thing quickly stood out: the gold Homer Simpson Buddha statue. With a serene expression on his face, Homer sat in lotus position atop a glazed-donut shaped base. In one of his hands was a salted pretzel and in the other was his Buddhist prayer beads. This vinyl statue sat in the Kidrobot display case looking resplendent in it's smooth gold finish. My mission for the weekend was now clear: buy this toy. I quickly asked someone at the booth and, they said that none had arrived to be sold that day, so I should check back tomorrow. They informed me that I would get to the booth whereupon I would be issued a ticket guaranteeing me one of the toys. I would then return to the booth at a specified time to pick up the toy. "Okay, no problem," I thought. The way I saw it, I had a few advantages:
I had an inside agent because a good friend of ours was working at a booth inside the convention hall.
We were staying at a nearby hotel, making it that much easier to get into the hall early.
I was a determined ass mo-fo.
The next morning, we lined up early to get in. I was maintaining cell contact with my friend the whole time. She walked over to the Kidrobot booth early to see if they would extend a little professional courtesy and give her a reservation ticket before the hall opened. They told her, to be fair, she should check back when the hall opened. We were getting close to entering the hall ourselves, so we decided to break contact for the time being.
We finally entered the exhibit hall. Stampeding nerds were whizzing past us heading to various booths to get other exclusives. All the while the event staff were proclaiming in a disinterested monotone, "Walk. Don't run please." Sadly, my attempt to get to the Kidrobot booth in time was as futile as the plea to stop exclusive-hungry Comic Con attendees from running. I was promptly informed at the booth that there were no more Homer Buddhas available that day. Bummer. "Okay, okay, no problem" I thought, "surely my friend was successful. I mean, she was RIGHT THERE when the hall opened, bless her heart." We made our way to our friend's booth to check in. I could taste the success. I was prepared to stare into the "warm glowing, warming glow" of the gold painted plastic. With excitement brimming, we approached our friend's booth. First of all, her booth was huge. She works for one of the biggest video game companies around. The booth actually had an inside stock room, so we walked up and asked to see her. She came out looking incensed. "Uh-oh," I thought. She explained to me how the guy at the Kidrobot booth stubbornly held fast to the reservation tickets until the full brunt of the nerd-stampede was upon them. Despite her requests for one of the tickets, he would not give her one. Our friend who is small in stature nearly got trampled in the process. I don't know the full details of her miraculous escape, but she managed to see the Kidrobot employee gleefully running away, holding the tickets above his head in a sadistic game of nerd-tag.
To say our friend was PISSED would be a serious understatement. She gave us an expletive-laden explanation of how the business of SDCC exclusives was nothing new to her and she had NEVER seen this sort of distribution method before. She had instantly lost all professional respect for Kidrobot. My feelings were really more along the lines of resignation and disappointment. Fortunately, Comic Con really is a roller coaster of hope (I want that exclusive) and defeat, (they are out of that exclusive), boredom (this is a long-ass line) and excitement (I'm 50 feet away from the khaleesi!) The point is, there is always another emotional up-swing to count on. I couldn't resist my own curiosity after arriving home from the convention, so I checked out eBay for the elusive, gold Homer Buddha. Sure enough, you could get one...in fact, you could get TEN if you wanted. People were selling them for double the retail price, and they were selling them in mass volume. Obviously, many of them must have been purchased on Preview Night, and savvy eBay dealers were cashing in.
I decided to dig my heels in on this one and accept defeat. In a few short weeks following the convention, I was excited to see that the standard edition of Homer Buddha was being released. It differed from the SDCC exclusive because of the full-color paint job. I ordered one, and begrudgingly, I admit that it is one of my favorite pieces. In fact, it's arguable that the standard version is better than the exclusive because of the more elaborate color scheme.
Today, the Gold Homer Buddha is as rare as ever. Very few examples show up on eBay, and those that do can sell for hundreds of dollars. But I get it. Business is business. I think the real bummer is that I am a fan of toys, a fan of the Simpsons, a fan of Kidrobot...yes, even after this experience. I wanted that toy to display and enjoy in my glass cabinet at home. I didn't want two or three or FIVE of them to sell. I just wanted one. I tried to obtain one through semi-legitimate Comic Con-goer channels and failed. As a bonus, my good friend was nearly trampled to death trying to help me get one too. If she had been killed by the avalanche of geeks, the last thing she would've seen was the maniacal Kidrobot booth employee running away like a douche with hundreds of nerds in chase. If I sound a bit bitter and sorry for myself, then let me just say, you're right! I am. Have a safe Comic Con everyone!
In the Fall of 1969, eight days before President Nixon withdrew troops from Vietnam and declared that the war was coming to a "conclusion as a result of the plan that we have instituted", a recently formed company called Muppets Inc. was about to preform on the Ed Sullivan Show. As the skit began, a wild haired character named Mahna Mahna began singing. He adhered to the rhythmic structure of the song, for a time, and then disorder began. Despite the best efforts of his backup singers, the Snowths, he went crazy with skatalicious vocal styling that broke the boundaries of the the songs framework. Occasionally the sideways glances of the Snowths seem to bring the lead singer back into order, but, in the end, it proved futile.
In a way, Nixon's efforts to lay a foundation of structure in Vietnam, where South Vietnamese forces would take the mantle of enforcing order, were similarly futile to the Snowths efforts to establish musical control of their vocal lead.
To say Nixon's 1969 declaration was premature, would be an understatement. Mahna Mahana-esque chaos continued in Vietnam, and, in April of 1970, Nixon ordered U.S. and South Vietnamese troops to attack Communist strongholds in Cambodia. This action unleashed an entirely new level of discontent as anti-war protests exploded across the country. Ultimately the war would continue until 1975 when Saigon fell to communism.
Just one year later Mahna Mahna and the Snowths, who enjoyed increasing popularity from various appearances on variety shows, would be featured on the premier episode of an entirely new program which broke the mold of typical variety shows. That program was simply called "The Muppet Show." You can check out that original performance on this YouTube video.
In a playful way, these characters embodied the dance between chaos and order. They resonated across generations. They were known by Baby-boomers. Generation-X grew up on them. They debuted during a time which has disturbing parallels to the middle eastern conflicts of present day. Maybe that's why the alternative rock band Cake created a cover of Mahna Mahna in 2004 and why today we get to enjoy these limited edition vinyl toys. These special edition POP! vinyl toys from Funco were released at San Diego Comic Con in 2012. They differ from the standard edition because of the snazzy metallic finish and now, they are The Toy of the Week. As our feature toy for July 2015 you can peruse all the Muppetey goodness, right here, in our gallery. Mahna Mahna!
Watching the weekly episodes was an enjoyable ritual, but I did not have the unconditional devotion to the series that many trekkies had. My biggest grudge was with the art direction of the show. At some point, someone decide that phasers should either look like dust-buster vacuums or the key fob for your Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera. It was perhaps the same person that decided that the Enterprise NCC 1701-D should have a shuttlecraft that looked like a 1992 Ford Aerostar minivan with attached boat pontoons. Despite these shortcomings, I enjoyed the character interplay and seeing Brent Spiner play increasingly goofy roles on the holodeck as he explored the intricacies of human emotion through his characterization of the android Commander Data. Eventually, my affinity for the show grew to the point that I was able to overlook some of the design issues. Perhaps I even began to appreciate the designs a bit, at least enough to drop $4.99 on today's toy.
Licensing of Star Trek The Next Generation toys changed hands a couple times throughout the series run. Two manufacturers carried the torch. At first, it was Galoob with some primitively sculpted action figures, a bridge playset, and a really nice die cast model of the Enterprise NCC 1701-D. The Galoob offerings were short lived due to the show's shaky first season. Then came Playmates, who had previously established themselves as a serious player in the toy industry in 1988 when they stumbled upon one of the most successful franchises in toy history: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This undoubtedly positioned them to pick up the license when Star Trek's popularity began climbing. They offered a greatly expanded selection of action figures and vehicles, as
well as some full-size "prop replica" toys like tricorders and phasers. 
