I open a toy & post it here... VOL 2!

[Team Jetfire]

So it’s been a while since I posted anything and I apologize for anyone who enjoys the stuff I do; I plan to return to normal daily posts soon, but wanted to take a bit of a break as I was just not feeling it. There is a lot going on in both my personal life and the world in general, so it was difficult to get excited about toys, but I was also hit with another gut punch that I’m still trying to process.

As most collectors know, the toy enthusiast community is a small one and has become smaller with tools like Facebook and Message boards. Over time these online relationships turn into IRL relationships, especially when collectors help each other out with tracking down hard to find and elusive new figures. It was that reason that I was able to meet Christiam a few years ago when he was willing to trade my Transformers RED Megatron for a Black Series Mandalorian figure. I remember talking a bit too long about collecting on his front porch, but was blown away by how friendly he was right from the jump. Over the next few months we would chat via messenger and did a few more deals for the Classified Joes line and every single time he was as joyous and positive as could be about all the new exciting stuff coming out. He also shared his love of Batman and while we didn’t talk about the new movie (I probably would have said something shitty about it for no reason), I sure he was really pumped for it. It's just so rare that you meet someone who has a positive outlook on life.

This is all to say that about 3 weeks ago, it was posted on some local toy collector groups that Christiam suddenly passed away due to a heart attack at 46.

I was shocked.

Actually I’m STILL shocked and honestly don’t know what to write or why I’m even writing outside of the fact that it’s a cathartic activity for me to process something like this. And instead of spouting off some bullshit “live every day to the fullest” and “don’t take life for granted” clich? nonsense I will say that I’m sad that he’s gone from his family who loved him, but I’m also sad that he missed out on the things that brought him joy; Christiam was a really positive guy and was way nicer to me than he ever needed to be and for that I will count myself lucky for knowing him.

Rest in peace buddy.

The service is long over, but here is a link to his obituary to read for yourself.

https://mhfh.com/tribute/details/355...Dzvd0--ouTz7bc

[dusty]

I'm sorry for your struggles recently and for this added blow you are going through.
I did not know him but do recognize the name.
I, like you, am always amazed at the great people I have met in the toy collecting community with the very limited opportunities I have had to get out and meet them.
Also like you, I too find I may sit and chat a bit too long but its great to have a conversation with A. another human being, in person, after the past 2 years and B. someone else that shares a passion for this interest (bonus points when they are a knowledgeable TMNT collector like myself. I love learning new things from them).
I am glad you have found your way back to posting here as your posts are my main purpose to still coming to this forum. I really enjoy seeing what you are featuring each post and your views and opinions on the figures. Your picture's and poses are always great too As you can see I don't post much (and when I do its usually to comment on your posts) but I'm always reading.
I hope you are able to find your way through your hard times back to the hobby that I think has brought you some happiness.
After the past few years I think we all deserve to find something we enjoy and get to have a break doing that for a change.
Be well my friend

[TehCollector]

Originally Posted by dusty

I'm sorry for your struggles recently and for this added blow you are going through.
I did not know him but do recognize the name.
I, like you, am always amazed at the great people I have met in the toy collecting community with the very limited opportunities I have had to get out and meet them.
Also like you, I too find I may sit and chat a bit too long but its great to have a conversation with A. another human being, in person, after the past 2 years and B. someone else that shares a passion for this interest (bonus points when they are a knowledgeable TMNT collector like myself. I love learning new things from them).
I am glad you have found your way back to posting here as your posts are my main purpose to still coming to this forum. I really enjoy seeing what you are featuring each post and your views and opinions on the figures. Your picture's and poses are always great too As you can see I don't post much (and when I do its usually to comment on your posts) but I'm always reading.
I hope you are able to find your way through your hard times back to the hobby that I think has brought you some happiness.
After the past few years I think we all deserve to find something we enjoy and get to have a break doing that for a change.
Be well my friend

^^ This. Very much this.

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by dusty

I'm sorry for your struggles recently and for this added blow you are going through.
I did not know him but do recognize the name.
I, like you, am always amazed at the great people I have met in the toy collecting community with the very limited opportunities I have had to get out and meet them.
Also like you, I too find I may sit and chat a bit too long but its great to have a conversation with A. another human being, in person, after the past 2 years and B. someone else that shares a passion for this interest (bonus points when they are a knowledgeable TMNT collector like myself. I love learning new things from them).
I am glad you have found your way back to posting here as your posts are my main purpose to still coming to this forum. I really enjoy seeing what you are featuring each post and your views and opinions on the figures. Your picture's and poses are always great too As you can see I don't post much (and when I do its usually to comment on your posts) but I'm always reading.
I hope you are able to find your way through your hard times back to the hobby that I think has brought you some happiness.
After the past few years I think we all deserve to find something we enjoy and get to have a break doing that for a change.
Be well my friend

Originally Posted by TehCollector

^^ This. Very much this.

Thank you both very much for this. I really appreciate the kind words and the shared sentiments. I also cannot state how happy I am that you enjoy the posts. I know that there aren't too many eyes on forums these days, but it?s my preferred online channel for toys stuff and I?m glad it?s being seen by those who enjoy it.

With that said, time to get back at it with some new ?special? reviews followed by our regular scheduled program.

[Team Jetfire]

S-7
Toybiz- Lord of the Rings- Return of the Ring: Mumakil Rider, Haradrim Chief



So I’m not sure what to call this guy as the internet is a bit cagey on his specific name. The box set that he is a part of states that he is a Mumakil Rider, which is clearly true given that he is featured in the movie prominently, but then on some sites he is referred to the Haradrim Chief, which I find less likely given that chiefs don’t typically ride into the front lines of a huge war. Either way, I think I can concede that he is a Haradrim member (race) and rides Mumakil (the big elephant things) and that is good enough for me.

The Mumakil Rider was part of the Pelennor Fields box set and despite my best efforts, or rather desire to pay the current costs of on Ebay, I had to pick this guy up second hand, which isn’t that big of a deal given that I open everything eventually and I think he was worth the cost. I mean, just look at the guy: he looks AMAZING, but I suppose it would be too much to ask for a scale version of an Oliphant to complete the look. It’s almost a perfect example of how great an action figure could be from back in the early 2000s: Extremely detailed with a ton of paint apps, a surprising amount of articulation with character specific accessories (quick edit:I just rewatched the Pelennor Field scene and it turns out that the spear that he comes with, the one accessory, is the thing that kills him and was thrown by my guy, my favorite character Eomer. I mean, he looks cool with it and I appreciate the inclusion, but it’s kind of messed up that he comes with the thing that killed him) and retailed for a fraction of what we are paying now. I suppose the one trade off is that these figures rarely included ankle tilts, so they aren’t all perfect, but we did have it pretty good back then.

Pros: Outstandingly detailed sculpt, amazing paint apps, good articulation and love the backpack attachment/spear accessories.

Cons: No ankle titls and a bit of a bummer that they would include such a cool figure in an exclusive box set.

[dusty]

Hey Glad to see your back

[Team Jetfire]

Originally Posted by dusty

Hey Glad to see your back

Thanks man! Glad to be back!

[Team Jetfire]

S-8
Hasbro- Marvel Legends: Sleepwalker



Well folks, I did it; I finally did it. After years of pleading my case to Hasbro, they finally recognized my clout as a major influencer in the world of toy collectors* and released a figure of the best and most popular comic character from the 90’s** SLEEPWALKER. Ok, ok, I may be peppering in a bit too much editorial bias here, but what can I say I’m a fan of the character and have legitimately been wanting a Sleepwalker figure since I started collecting Marvel Legends. Most of it comes down to nostalgia given that way back in the day it was a comic that I collected (more on that later), but I do feel he’s been frustratingly overlooked for a long time given all the unknown figures that have been released over the years. I’m not going to give examples, but for any BAF wave completists out there, you know some of the crap you need to buy in order to get that important leg for Thanos. And I’m sure there are folks out there that did want to pick up this “mort of the month” figure Sleepwalker to complete their equally unknown BAF figure, but let me tell you: Sleepwalker was a pretty cool character. I’m not going to go into too much deal on back story, but if you want to get gist I highly recommend checking out the YouTube video uploaded by JLS Comics on the History and Origin of the Character: https://youtu.be/pCYWQPxfwHY

So why do I care about Sleepwalker so much? Great question and one that is pretty easy to answer: nostalgia. See back in 1991 when the comic was first released I was a wide eyed 12 year old kid that likes to read comics and collect things. Even at that age I was a bit of a completist and always wanted a complete set of whatever I was collecting which created a bit of a problem given that all my favorite, well known comic characters had years of back issues that I could never find/afford to complete a set. Thankfully the comic industry was BOOMING in the 90’s with new character titles coming out every week. So the plan was simple: my brother and I would head down to the local comic store (Comic Haven), peruse the stands for something interesting that was early in its run and pick it up. As you may have figured out, Sleepwalker (issue 2) was the one for me that day and I stuck with it for a few months, but sadly could never track down the 1st issue and kind of lost interest to another little known 90’s comic character that informed my teenage years: Sam Kieth’s THE MAXX.

Pros: Regardless of the fact that Sleepwalker is a bit of an underwhelming release for most folks and despite my love for the character I can safely say that Sleepwalker is a really solid Marvel Legends release. He has a fantastic sculpt that more or less matches his look from the comic with a lot of detail in the cape, hood and clothing scraps. Articulation is standard and I appreciate the extra hands included.

Cons: It’s difficult to grasp, but believe that the character in the comic is much taller than the average human that he interacts with. Also looking at the OG design it seems as though the original design does not have a cape, but rather a shawl or poncho type thing.

[DanM]

Don't remember him from the books. He was in the Impel Marvel Universe cards though. Series II lists his height as 7'.

Sam Keith was awesome.

[WhenGeeksCollide]

AEW Entrance Stage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjUQyLWvwYg