With O'Brien's Collecting Toysnearly finished and moving rapidly toward its date with the printer, I thought it would be fun to share another interesting item from the book.

   The Premiums chapter is loaded with fun and fascinating items offered in support of early radio and television shows. Only the strongest of characters survived through the changes to multiple platforms, and just a select few appeared in radio, on film, and in television. Captain Midnight was one of those beloved characters.

   Captain Midnight was ace pilot "Red" Albright, the head of the Secret Squadron. Together, he and his cohorts thwarted the evil doings of Ivan Shark and his daughter Fury.

   For more info on the Captain Midnight's history, click HERE.

   Publisher Moonstone Booksplans to release a collection of new prose stories featuring Captain Midnight. For more information, click HERE.

   In the meantime, here's a picutre submitted for O'Brien's Collecting Toys by the generous folks at Hake's Americana & Collectibles.

 

   What's your favorite Premium? Click "Comments" below and let's here from you!

    I received a couple of emails regarding Free Comic Book Dayand the types of comics available, so I thought a larger explanation might benefit everyone.

   You can really obtain comics for free at participating comic book shops tomorrow. BUT, the free titles are special editions printed by comic publishers just for this event. So you can't walk in and hope to pick up Detective Comics #843 without paying for it. (Do yourself a favor and buy it anyway, writer Paul Dini is magnificent and this series is fantastic!)

   If you'd like to see a list of the titles printed for the event, click HERE. Understand that shop owners may or may not have every one of these titles available. Most shop owners pick titles based on their available display space and clientele, but it's been my experience that they all attempt to have a wide variety available so that readers of any age will find a title they'll enjoy.

   One of the titles I recommend for young readers tomorrow is Owly & Friends. Published by Top Shelf, this 32-page comic features the wordless adventures of Owly by Andy Runton. I met Andy at Comic-Con a few years ago -- he's a talented, sweet guy who loves comics -- and it really shows in his work.

   Here's the cover:

   Have fun! Let me know what titles you picked up on Free Comic Book Day by clicking "Comments" below!

   "You mean there's a day when you can walk into a comic book shop and they'll hand you free comic books?"

   "Yep. The comic publishers print special comic books containing some of their most popular characters and comic shop owners make them available for visitors to take -- for free."

   I know it sounds too good to be true, but Free Comic Book Day is now an annual event that takes place the first week of May. This Saturday, May 3, head to your local comic book store and check out the amazing selection of comics for readers of all ages and abilities. There are plenty of kid-friendly titles, and if you haven't read a comic book since you were a kid, you'll be amazed at the production quality and artistry of today's comics.

   To find a comic book shop in your area, click HERE to use Diamond's Comic Shop Locator Service. Just type in your zip code, and it will find shops close to home. Be sure to phone the shop and ask for their hours of operation.

   For more information on Free Comic Book Day, click HERE. You'll find reports from last year's events from comic shops around the country, and everything you'd want to know about this year's festivities.

   I'm heading out to Galaxy Comics & Games in Stevens Point, Wis. Which shop are you visiting? Click "Comments" below and let me know!

   With the changes to the Antique Trader Web site (home of this blog), the address for Babe in Toyland has changed. Please update your Favorites to this address:

http://blog.antiquetrader.com/toyland

   I apologize for the inconvenience, and thank all of you for continuing to read my adventures in Toyland.

   Have a great weekend!

The world's largest trivia contest will hold its 39th annual event in Stevens Point, Wisc. April 11-13. The 54-hour contest broadcasts its questions on WWSP 90FM radio starting at 6pm on Friday and the station does have an Internet feed, so if you're a trivia junkie, listen in and test your skills.

I don't play on a trivia team myself, but tend to stay glued to the radio during the weekend because the questions are always interesting. Best of luck to everyone participating!

While reading the Forum over at Comics Buyer's Guide, I came across a conversation regarding Aurora model kits from the 1960s and 1970s. It's always fun when one interest (comics in this example) crosses over to encompass another interest (model kit building).

Click HERE to read this thread.

Craig Shutt, a.k.a. "Mr. Silver Age" has a fabulous collection of Aurora super hero kits that he built as a kid, so be sure to scroll down the page and check out the photo of them displayed on the shelf in his office.

What are they worth? Built kits, whether they are figures or planes or cars, tend not to be worth much in terms of money. Unbuilt kits still sealed in their mint boxes are the ticket to financial fabulousness in this hobby. And the current edition of Toys & Prices just so happens to have an entire chapter devoted to model kits (popular characters, primarily).

Here are a few mint-in-package values for Aurora super hero kits:

Superman, 1963, $425

Superman, Comic Scenes 1974, $66

Batman, 1964, $275

Batman, Comic Scenes, 1974, $90

Captain America, 1966, $330

Captain America, Comic Scenes, 1974, $145

Hulk, 1966, $325

Hulk, Comic Scenes, 1974, $110

Robin, 1966, $165

Robin, Comic Scenes, 1974, $120

Wonder Woman, 1965, $575

Did you build any Aurora kits as a kid? Click "Comments" below and let's hear about your kits!