eBay Watch - 1987 Bandai Dealer Catalog

Here is a beautiful 1987 Bandai dealer catalog, which I am unlikely to win but at least the seller took a few wonderful pictures of the interior pages for us all to enjoy. This, and a few other neat old books are offered by the same seller, way far away in Switzerland for nosebleed shipping, so this may be the last we see of this book!

Be sure to check out their auction for the interior pics, and bid away if you're feeling flush!



Posted by charlie on January 28th 2013, 11:54 AM
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eBay Watch - Air Raiders, Full Set!

Well, here's a first in my experience - a full set of Air Raiders in beautiful mint boxed condition. Hilariously enough, the only thing missing are the two carded sets of figures, which typically pop up on eBay for $9...

Now, the price on this set is pretty darn high, but I suppose I've never seen a MIB Man-O-War (except for my own, which I got as a kid), so I'm happy if a high value can get established for it. I suspect they won't get the $2500 they seek, but I wish the seller luck!



Posted by charlie on January 24th 2013, 09:18 PM
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Atari Files for Chapter 11

Sad news today in the world of video gaming, though a closer read may indicate a modest to substantial silver lining.

Beloved granddad of gaming, Atari, has filed for Chapter 11. However, it seems that it may be largely to escape the control of a floundering French company which apparently owns them. This company has been shedding value like a memory leak, and it could turn out to be a boon for what remains of Atari! Of course we all wish them the best, and hope to get some more news about this action as it progresses. Check out the story at PC World for more (also available everyplace, but I borrowed their pic so want to give them the nod).




Posted by charlie on January 21st 2013, 09:51 PM
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eBay Watch - Genesis Cordless Elite Controller Prototype

While the cables on the Sega Genesis controllers weren't disastrously short, we all know that wireless was the way to go. Also, in 1989 wireless things were simply bad ass, and if given the choice it was no choice at all. Well, it seems that Sega advertised this wireless controller option called the "Cordless Elite" but that it never came to market, or at least arrived in vanishingly small numbers. An eBay seller claims to have a (non working!) prototype of this controller system, which might be an interesting historical footnote for everyone's favorite 16 bit system (open to discussion!).

Click through to see the auction for this controller, but given the price the seller is looking for, be sure you know what it is you are bidding on before you take the plunge!


TEAR BACK FLAPS - DO NOT CUT!

Posted by charlie on January 21st 2013, 01:42 AM
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eBay Watch - Captain Power Shipping Box

The very last thing I should do is start collecting original product shipping boxes, but that shouldn't keep us all from appreciating them when they turn up. Now, I'm sure I miss some things here and there, but I keep a fairly decent eye on Captain Power items, and this is a pretty unusual and rare item. Have a look, wouldn't that just look great in a master level display of the line? Well, I'll try to talk myself out of it, and since it ends in about 20 hours that'll probably be that. Also - it's shipping from Italy - home of many extended-series items for Captain Power as well as STARCOM and other favorites. Enjoy the history, though - it's a good one!


TEAR BACK FLAPS - DO NOT CUT!

Posted by charlie on January 17th 2013, 10:43 PM
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Toy Catalog - 1984 Playskool

We all know how I feel about the year 1984. My unofficial quest has been to pick up any toy catalogs that present themselves as available from that year, and I'm proud to feature the long and product-packed Playskool catalog from The Greatest Year! Also - please note the wonderful 'do not clip!' sticker on the front cover - I'm so glad that no one did!



Some of my favorites are, of course, Alphie II:



As well as products from the era when Bigfoot was a huge star:



Another Federal Express (NOT FedEx) playset!:



...and the hilariously named SnuggleBumms!:




Posted by charlie on January 15th 2013, 06:38 PM
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eBay Watch - Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors Laserdisc

Here's a beautiful little artifact - a still-sealed Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors laserdisc! Released in 1989 and containing a full 110 minutes of awesome, this disc appears to contain 5 full episodes of this classic series. Sure - you can get them all on DVD now days for $5 or something, but who can resist the chance to dust off the old Pioneer LD and watch them with a 50% chance of failure mid-episode! Make it yours now for $10 - you're welcome.



Posted by charlie on January 13th 2013, 11:53 AM
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Toy Catalog - 1976 Little Tikes

If you're old like me, you'll probably recognize some of the large plastic playsets in this short but mightily vintage 1976 Little Tikes catalog. Granted, such kid-sized plastic vehicles are still a staple of backyards and driveways across America, but you gotta love the early styling of these sets in the '70s.



As usual, there's more than one little awesome thing about the catalog that is simply joyful - the one I'll highlight here is the vibrant yellow disembodied Grimmace head, apparently named Tipples, since I suspect it would weeble when you wobbled. That thing is awesome - and kind of terrifying.




Posted by charlie on January 12th 2013, 07:07 PM
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eBay Watch - RCA Studio II Lot

I always like a good RCA Studio II lot, and this one catches my eye with a complete set of games, and potentially some sort of original mailing box for the set! Or, more likely, just a beat up old cardboard box that the vintage owner assigned to game storage back in the day. Maybe that makes this 'folk art' - which will double the price. Have a look at this one - what a great chance to pick up this collection all at once, on a system that is finally being noticed with an escalating price!



Posted by charlie on January 10th 2013, 10:34 PM
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eBay Watch - Tremors 4 Props

My standing search for Tremors memorabilia only very rarely turns up the sought after gems of Burt Gummer wardrobe, but periodically also highlights a fun movie prop. Today, we have some miniatures that were used for some key excellent scenes in Tremors 4 (which I maintain was the second strongest movie in the series, and made with love!)

We get the 'cigar store Indian' that is eaten then spit out by the graboid, as well as mini lanterns and saddle that were also used in the scene. These would go great with my screen warn Christopher Lloyd boots from the Sci-Fi show...somehow!



Posted by charlie on January 8th 2013, 05:55 PM
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eBay Watch - Japanese Starbird

I've recently begun watching the fun Starbird ships made by Milton Bradley back in the '70s. Well, I've not seen this one before - a beautiful Japanese version of the Starbird from that same period! The seller is looking for an understandably decent price, and I do hope they find it!



Posted by charlie on January 6th 2013, 10:16 PM
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Happy New Year - 2013

Well folks, we've rolled the calendar over to a new year, and with it will come all the surprises that we can hardly at this point imagine. I'm already gearing up for the annual trip to Toy Fair in 5 short weeks, planning to continue the video coverage efforts of last year which I think went pretty well.

While I've not been able to keep up with the daily updates of the Preserve for the last number of months, I do hope to start making progress through the backlog of toy catalogs that are here in the collection. There is also a pretty substantial toy related project underway, details of which will be released as I am able.

Suffice to say, 2013 should be interesting for a variety of reasons. Watch this space, and I'll do my best to make it interesting!

Posted by charlie on January 2nd 2013, 09:36 PM
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