The RandomToyBlog

2015-07-25T11:55:00.001-04:00

Logged on for one reason.

WHAT THE HECK IS THIS THING?

All it says is "Lego Group"

That's right, it's a halloween mask that says "Lego Group" on it. I have it for sale up on ebay right now, but wanted to throw it on here for archiving.

Seriously? A Lego Halloween mask? BY LEGO?

10 Ideas for Finding Toys at Garage Sales

2014-04-25T07:00:00.001-04:00

How I do what I do - finding old toys at flea markets and garage sales.

For about 10 years I have been hitting up garage sales and flea markets. About 90% of my collection was probably found this way, which means it has been a substantially lower cost (though more time) than just trolling ebay for what I want. There are probably a few items (like the more rare Super Powers figures) that I likely will never find at a garage sale, but I can live with that.

1. Know your town. Primarily where I make the best finds is at the areas of town where people my parents' age live. If you are looking for your childhood-era finds, you are probably not heading to the new parts of town.
2. Friday mornings. I go as many Saturdays as I can, but my best finds have always been going to a garage sale on my way to work on a Friday morning. I leave a little early and see what pops up.
3. Ask. Again, asking if anyone has old toys to sell is excellent. My BEST finds at garage sales happened this way. Occasionally someone will have something they have not brought out yet or have not thought about selling.
4. Random toy bins/boxes. Root through these as much as possible, all the way to the bottom. Best bang for your buck.
5. Bring $1 dollar bills and small change. This is more of a courtesy tip than anything else. When you are the first to show at a garage sale or an early bird at a flea market, nothing says "jerkface" more than dropping a $20 on a $1 item.
6. Alternate routes. Don't take the same way home that you came - unless you have to go miles out of your way, take a slightly different route back home if you have time. You may see another sale.
7. Show up early. If you don't, the other toy guys are likely to have gotten there first.
8. Know your values. Don't be afraid to walk away. Know what something sells for on ebay (the "advanced search" option lets you see what things actually sell for).
9. Haggle. At garage sales in particular, people are often looking to get rid of stuff. Unless something is obviously low enough, don't be afraid to ask.
10. Know your capacity. Budget for garage sales and know how much space you have. There have been a couple of times where I scored some major finds, but did not have the room to keep them around. My money for garage sales tends to be the cash I got from selling at the flea market, so I rarely have to go to the ATM - which means it can stay out of my household budget.

If you have any other ideas, complaints, or snide remarks, feel free to post. I'm all ears for new ideas and such.

2014-01-19T13:52:00.003-05:00

'Twas a cold day at the flea market today. A few random bits, some of which need to be cleaned up.

2013-11-18T07:02:00.001-05:00

I am going to be posting my most recent garage sale finds as well.

Gundam stuff. Not a collector, but NEAT.

Zoids, I think. Again, just neat animal robots.

Yay Joes and Star Wars!

2013-06-30T16:25:00.000-04:00

So, well, yeah, life. Here's some interesting bits that I have found in the past few months.

Odious Ogre - a PVC Dungeons and Dragons figure. UGLY sucker. But, if you're playing, probably serves as a good addition when your adventurers need to be in over their head.

This thing was WEIRD. Mid-90s Transformers knockoff. Well-made, couldn't quite figure out what it was. Almost hated parting with it, but some of these kids at the flea market...and I had made my fortune on the other Transformers I sold...

2012-10-02T07:07:00.000-04:00

Yeah, yeah, been a while, blah, blah.

Came across this little gem lately. Not sure what it is.

It's some sort of Wonder Woman figure, mad similar to your standard army guys, just a little bigger. No markings or anything. I've run across a popular line from the 70s of Marx Marvel figures in a bigger scale with a base, but that's the closest thing I can think of. I don't think that it's a gaming piece, as those usually have bases as well.

I dunno. Nifty, though.

2012-05-20T15:32:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know that it's been a while, but life has been busy. I HAVE picked up a few occasional bits and pieces here and there, though.

First is this beauty.

It's tagged as "1995 Toy State Industrial, Inc." The best I can tell, it's sort of Chinese company which has a few licenses (like Caterpillar). This was a generic attempt in the 1990s during that figure boom. I have yet to see any packaging.

And this car is SPECTACULAR in the oddest sense of the term.

It's the LOUDEST toy of just about any that I have ever seen, blaring alerts like "DEFCON FOUR" and flashing a tremendous amount of lights and such. The gatling gun on the front rotates as well.

The large gun on the side raises and lowers by hand, and it probably had a missile that shot out at one point.

It's solid in construction, but has one glaring fault.

GI Joe-size figures, like the 1980s CORPS figure above, do not fit. By MILLIMETERS. A MINOR design change and it's perfect.

Over at www.Joecustoms.com, we christened it the Sky Force Chromey Futurecar, and the name is a good fit.

Anyway, there you go. Generic oddities abound.

My Top Ten favorite diecast cars my in my son's toy box

2012-01-30T14:04:00.001-05:00

Okay, I admit it. I REALLY like to play with my son when he plays with his toys. It's part of the reason I wanted a son in the first place, I think. He has a small box full of Matchbox, Hot Wheels, and a few other brands that I picked up in good condition at yard sales and flea markets He has his favorites (mostly trucks with larger wheels and his Lightning McQueen stuff), but seems to enjoy the quantity.

Here are my ten favorites in his box, in no particular order.

1. Matchbox Superfast Dump Truck #58 FAUN. 1976.

He's got two of these. Nice large bed, solid construction, just an overall good design for a dump truck. The bed practically stands vertical when dumping.

2. Matchbox Superfast Green Planet Scout #59

Another fun design from Matchbox. Good solid car, and I have always enjoyed space and sci-fi themes.

3. Maisto GI Joe Jeep.

I've never been big on Maisto cars - their larger stuff is better, but the Hot Wheels-sized vehicles tend to look good but have poor quality. Their GI Joe collection is a little bit better made. The wheels have a little "give" to them, and though it does not roll all that well, it's a fun, authentic design.

4. Hot Wheels Baja Breaker van - 1978.

I had a green one as a kid, and found this to be my favorite diecast van design. High wheels, a hood that opens, and an overall fun design. I just picked up a later orange one at a flea market.

5. Ertl Ford F-350 Service Truck.

Just a fun truck with solid construction by ERTL. There are not too many like this one out there, particularly in details.

6. Matchbox Ruff Trek - 1983

A modified Subaru pickup. A tan truck which was actually one of my favorites as a kid as well. Lots of nifty details.

7. Hot Wheels Torino Stocker - 1982 "The Hot Ones."

Another one I found in mint condition at a flea market. Good, clean lines and fun paint.

8. Majorette Explorateur

It's missing a cover, but Majorette made some quality, well-built cars in the past. This is a neat safari off-roader with some guys in the back and some nice detail.

9. Matchbox Rolomatics Badger - 1976.

A hefty little truck with a rotating satellite dish. Matchbox tended to make broader vehicles than Hot Wheels, and this one came out nice.

10. Majorette Jeep Grand Cherokee

Another solid nice off-roader from Majorette. The tailgate also opens up with some sort of critter in the back.

BONUS 11: Matchbox Convoy NASA Peterbilt Tracking Vehicle

I'd get in trouble if I started hanging on to some of the NASA diecast stuff I come across, but I hung onto this one. A fun tracking trailer and truck. Matchbox made several nifty vehicles with NASA themes in the 1980s, when Space Shuttles were still cool.

Anyway, there it is - my son loves cars, and it has created a little more of an enjoyment that I had as well.

Latest Haul

2011-12-22T11:06:00.000-05:00

Good stuff this past weekend.

The wrestler-looking guy on the left is a "Weird Ball G.R.U.N.T. Team Spitball Louie" figure. MIP the things go for $100+. I'll just say that that one figure will pay for everything else in the picture. The line is birthed out of the madballs craze back in the 1980s.

Some of the other figures look like He-man knockoffs. That's because they are. REMCO made some pretty good ones, and then some other companies got similar molds and started making similar figures for dollar stores back in the 1980s. Many are wrestling-themed. The Action Figure Archive has probably the best current archive, with a bunch more discussed on the forums.

The purple guy is an incomplete "Auger" figure from Inhumanoids, a wholly underrated line with some neat monster figures.

The white guy with horns and yellow bee are The White Knight and Meuton from the Blackstar figure line. They're okay - the line does have some devotees, as it's more or less a He-man knockoff line in its own right with decent figures.

The red dune buggy in the middle I grabbed because it is specifically tagged as being "Made in West Germany." Well-made little buggy, too.

Those hot wheels from the 1980s are in VERY good shape. I target the Stingray Corvettes specifically for my personal collection.

That's all for now. Good hunting!

New Article up on Toybiz Marvel Super Heroes of the 90s...

2011-11-30T15:12:00.002-05:00

New Article up. I'll be trying for more...

Toybiz Marvel Super Heroes

Been a bit too long...review of the past month or so...

2011-10-26T11:39:00.000-04:00

No, I haven't abandoned the blog. Just been busy. I HAVE made a few nifty pickups here and there...

Nifty haul from the local flea market. Transformers, Remco figures, and a Bubble-blowing Go-Bot that I think every boy owned in the 1980s. The Purple Alien is from Power Lords and is rather nifty.

That robot hamburger in the lower left is from a transforming toyline that McDonald's put out, and from my experience they're the only ones really worth much at all that I have been able to sell from time to time.

Here's a closer look at a few. NO idea what that red robot horse is from.

Nice flea market find Sept 3

2011-09-04T07:20:00.000-04:00

Not a huge haul, but some interesting pieces.

MIP Rambo figure - Nomad. Try to not be too offended. I think they were going for every stereotype. I don't hate this line - I actually think the accessories for it are the best part. The guns and weapons packs available are pretty good. The figures are a little fragile, though. The Matchbox cars are dated 1983, and still MIP.
Quick bit of trivia - the body count in the first Rambo movie: 1.

Next is the interesting bit. These are essentially knockoffs of knockoffs. From some of the information I have, these GIJoe-style figures were probably some sort of "impulse buy" items at KMart or similar store checkout counters. The price on the back of them is .57 each or 2/$1. They're similar to the early Remco figures, like the A-Team. I wonder where the molds wound up...

Ah, and Snap and two Crackles. Didn't someone notice something was wrong...

Here's a Nintendo gaming watch and some Russian tin windup toys. They're fun and I can't get them to work.

Finally, Some dollhouse furniture, I think from the 1970s. It sort of fits Joes - as Bo Duke attests, but is a little big.

I may post some more of the furniture as pics get taken, but that was the big stuff this past weekend. I also managed to unload a TON of my stock, particularly a bunch that I haven't sold in a couple of years for a decent price.

Good and bad?

2011-08-20T13:03:00.000-04:00

Not much this week in the toy realm, just couldn't get out. Three particulars on the above picture:

The TMNT Donatello is cool. Makes me with they had done something better than the figures in the 90s that made the He-man figures look good by comparison.
That red truck in the lower left is for Spider-man. Who never drove a vehicle in the comics except as mostly a gag.
If you're confused over that Batman and Batcycle, it's because it's a cake topper. Decent quality, though.

Frost cutlery knives. The less said, the better. I'll probably get $1-$3 each altogether on ebay.

Not listed is the DeWalt Reciprocating saw I got without the plug and a comealong with cable.

All total: $15.

New Robocop article posted at Action Figure Archive.

2011-08-19T13:02:00.002-04:00

New Robocop article. Check it out and send me your impressions and experiences!

McFarlane figures, Abomination, Lanard CORPS, McDonald's Changeables, and Dino Riders

2011-08-16T20:43:00.000-04:00


FIGHT!

Okay, I get but don't get McFarlane toys. Yes, he partially changed the way we look at comics and action figures. Maybe Todd's to thank/blame for the modern trend of ultra-detail. I just tend to prefer playability over slightly poseable statues that only stand up in one position.

Anyway, what we have here

A McFarlane Monsters Werewolf; some 1:18 McFarlane Dracula (came with a set, I had the casket and sold it off)
McFarlane 1:18 Dracula that came with some other parts - I sold the casket
The Abomination from the latest Hulk movie (better plot, underpowered Hulk...but then again, maybe he wasn't angry enough).
Lord of the Rings Gimli
A Spawn figure (I don't know which one, and I'm NOT spending hours scouring the web to figure it out).
Two CORPS figures
A Dino Riders figure (DINOSAURS WITH LASERS!)
McDonald's Changeables Dinosaur figure

A few impressions:

It's hard for me to like the Werewolf. Yeah, it's highly detailed, but calling this an "action figure" is occasionally generous.
I never got into Spawn, so I don't really know the relevance much of the figures. I WILL give McFarlane this - the character looks cool at times, particularly some of the medieval stuff.
There is a big part of me that wishes maybe I should have had more of the generic action figure lines like CORPS and the various Remco lines over the years. Something about them triggers the imagination a little more, where you have to work harder as a kid to come up with the stories to play out. I actually tend to keep CORPS figures whenever I come across them - both for kids and just to see how I can accumulate them. I have more of these than Joes, I think.
Dino Riders. Wasn't into them much.
The McDonald's Changeables are almost the only McD's toys that I can ever seem to find someone willing to purchase. The rest tend to wind up in the .25 bin I have for the Disney stuff for the kiddies at the flea market.

If you like any of these guys, shoot me an email at Seven_7s@yahoo.com. I'm willing to sell them off, except the CORPS figures.

New article up on Galoob and Playmates Star Trek toys...

2011-08-15T08:20:00.000-04:00

Posted a new article at http://www.action-figures.ca/ on Star Trek and Galoob toys.

Here is the article!

More to come - I'm working on a Robocop, Terminator, and other articles currently.

13 August 2011 Random Toy Finds

2011-08-13T11:27:00.000-04:00

Here's what I got. I paid $2 for the following:

Two Remco trucks, two Little People cars, a McDonald's Batman: Brave and the Bold Plastic Man and Aquaman; Two generic kayaks with guns, a Rescue Hero, a Chap Mei figure, a CORPS figure, two Hot Wheels and that red car is called a "Shift Kicker."

Interesting bits and pieces. I've always liked what Remco made through the years, and these cars are on par with Tonka (and the police truck is quite nice anyway). The two Kayaks, as most GIJoe knockoff-type toys go, make no sense but are kinda cool all the same. Plastic Man can't stand up right, but the Aquaman is half as poseable as the Super Powers Aquaman and has way more personality.

That's what I got. All is for sale, so shoot me an email or something if you're interested.