Captain Power - The Adventure Continues!

I feel that I can safely assume most Preserve readers to be fans of the old Captain Power TV show and the related interactive game which accompanied the series. The full first-and-only season was released on DVD last winter just in time for Christmas and speculation abounded about a possible reboot or extension of the series, and now it seems like it may actually happen! A new show titled "Phoenix Rising" has been announced, and as details slowly emerge we will discover what sort of connection it will have to the original plot line, and how happy us old fans may indeed be.

In this age of augmented reality becoming ever more popular, it seems a natural fit to look back to one of the very first interactive TV gaming experiences for inspiration. I have a distinct feeling that they will miss the boat entirely and not include any gamification to this show, and that it will be subsequently short lived - but if the producers want to actually be crafty about things, they should do exactly that and have a smart-device-integrated, genre-defining hit on their hands for the modern age!



A great video is available, below - the most exciting part for me is the bit with Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens starting at 3:42 - if you're at all interested, then watch that bit - it's really exciting.



"We're not 'fixing' Captain Power, we're beginning it again."


Posted by charlie on September 29th 2012, 07:46 AM
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eBay Watch - Birdie King II

There's something wonderfully honest I find about this humble Birdie King II machine. Maybe it is the good condition it sports, or the side art that is still hanging on, or the very reasonable price...or the fact that it actually works. Yes, there's something to be admired about this 29 year old game, in the funny little cabinet, that is ready to find a home in another gameroom and keep doing the job.




Posted by charlie on September 25th 2012, 06:01 PM
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1977 Parker Brothers Catalog of Games and Toys

1977 is a special year in the timeline of someone around here, so I've made a vague effort to pick up toy and game catalogs from that year when possible. Extending our Parker Brothers theme of late, I was able to grab one from exactly that year, and now we all get to see what was around in the late 70s for your home entertainment dollar! There's a lot of fun stuff in here, including a pretty sizable Nerf section that bears only passing resemblance to the brand these days - with Nerfman and Nerf Critters, and Nerf cars and trucks - it's a fascinating look back!



Other favorites include an Ouija board, Qubic, Billionaire and The Muppet Show Game!





As usual, a cat had to get into the action. Looks like he's a Boggle fan - go figure.




Posted by charlie on September 24th 2012, 02:27 AM
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eBay Watch - Raw Force 35mm Trailer

A tradition that I've recently begun is the Exhumed Films Halloween 24 hour movie marathon in Philadelphia. The year before I started going they showed a movie called Raw Force, which DoctorKent tells me is one of the most over the top and wild films he's had the pleasure of seeing. I've still not taken the time to track down a copy and see it for myself, though I have a standing eBay search for it to constantly remind me. Today, said search turned up quite the rarity - a 35mm print of the trailer for this gem! So if you have a home projection setup, or better yet a small cinema business, you're welcome!



Want something game related? The same seller is offering a 35mm trailer for the Intellivision! Actually all the trailers he has posted are insanely awesome - have a look.

Posted by charlie on September 20th 2012, 08:37 PM
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eBay Watch - Road Blasters

Been meaning to start a Road Blasters collection?

Well, I have, and this seems like a pretty fun lot to get that ol' foot in the door, wouldn't you say? These days it seems somewhat rare that any of these carded sets come up for sale, so what a great chance to score a whole raft of them all at once! Auction runs for another 2 days - just long enough to be indecisive for the rest of the week!




Posted by charlie on September 19th 2012, 09:27 PM
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Star Wars - Vintage Collection - Darth Malgus VC96

It seems like my local stores have gone the entire year with no additions to their Star Wars stock. In general this is fine, as I'm not a serious SW collector any longer, but it's still sort of strange to see the apparent total apathy towards the line on both the part of the consumer and the department manager. Maybe the end is finally in sight for this bellweather brand?

Well, in spite of all that, a new wave of Vintage Collection figures finally showed up, and included a pretty tough looking hombre in the form of Darth Malgus, VC96. I simply couldn't resist picking one up! Click through for a few more images of this relatively new (at least to my part of the world) figure from the apparently hard to find 2012 Star Wars line!




Posted by charlie on September 18th 2012, 04:24 PM
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Press Release - Bundle in a Box

Press Release - Do you know Gnome?

Well, you should, as he is a most excellent gentleman, and is always on the lookout for classic gaming news. More exciting still is his dedication to the ongoing craft, and getting new classic games into your hands! He has a new initiative going, called Bundle in a Box, where we are all winners. Click through to learn more about how you can snag a raft of gaming goodness for less than a cup of coffee!  Read More
Posted by charlie on September 17th 2012, 06:33 PM
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eBay Watch - Bugmen of Insecta

Multi-Toys Corp released the small Bugmen of Insecta line in 1983. While not a line that everyone has heard of, this is somewhat of a darling of the more obscure collector - or at least for the good DoctorKent! A new eBay seller seems to have access to some truly interesting carded items and has, I believe, the full line of Bugmen figures up for sale currently! Check out Black Widow, and see his active auctions for the rest of the line!




Posted by charlie on September 15th 2012, 05:43 PM
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eBay Watch - Dr. Claw

I have a partially formed theory, that this new "Toy Hunters" show is going to be a blessing and curse for money-conscious collectors, but overall a boon for the hobby. I suspect, at least if anyone is watching it which people do seem to do, that it will cause many people to re-double their efforts to search their houses and sell the old toys they find. Of course, the other edge of that sword is that they will be convinced that these treasures are worth the $100s that TV has taught them to expect. In time, though, I suspect it will result in a surge of supply to meet the fairly constant, or diminishing, demand, and we'll all see some interesting things popping up.

This sort of theory is supported on a day like today, when three carded Dr. Claw figures from the Inspector Gadget line pop up simultaneously, along with a nice looking loose example. Sure - these aren't the most rare figures ever, but it's still a statistical anomaly. For the rare discussion, let's look at the multiple Man-O-War vehicles or complete Series 3 Rock Lords that are surfacing at the same time. It's just a theory, but I'm putting it out here for the record!




Posted by charlie on September 13th 2012, 08:42 PM
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eBay Watch - Massive Rock Lords Set

Well, someone has come out of the woodwork with a really beautiful set of Rock Lords, all listed individually. I zeroed in on these sales when I was surprised to see a Saberstone and Spearhead both with their weapons. Then I saw the Snarlie Narlie and knew it was on. Definitely a great chance to complete some collections out there, if you have the means this month!



Amusingly, the only things they have listed other than this Rock Lords collection are some random items of clothing. Poses more questions than it answers!

Posted by charlie on September 10th 2012, 10:32 PM
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G.I. Joe Retaliation - Zartan

The first wave of figures seemed a little Cobra heavy, so let's follow that theme with everyone's favorite Master of Disguise, Zartan! Sounds like he's a pretty bad dude in the new film, from the cardback bio, so hopefully we all get to see it someday!




Posted by charlie on September 6th 2012, 06:08 PM
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G.I. Joe Retaliation - Red Ninja

The next G.I. Joe movie was supposed to come out this summer, and had a last minute postponement, ostensibly for a conversion to 3D. Sounds fishy? I agree, but hopefully it'll come out eventually, early next year!

This left Hasbro in a funny spot, where the first wave of their figures to support the new film was already on the way to stores, and ended up hitting shelves right on schedule, but there was just no movie to support. I managed to snag the first wave of figures, and now, months later, I'm getting around to posting them!

Everyone loves a Red Ninja, so I'll start out the coverage of the first (and so far only) wave of the G.I. Joe Retaliation line with the version of this figure for 2012!




Posted by charlie on September 5th 2012, 06:51 PM
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1990 Parker Brothers Catalog

I'm getting a pretty good set of Parker Brothers catalogs posted to the archive, if I do say so myself! Here we have the 1990 dealer book that you got to read if you were in the biz at the time - making all of our lives a little better! (And, before you were driven out of business by Walmart and Target.) Since I have the 1991 book posted as well, this is sort of 'business as usual', except as always there are plenty of highlights. Behold!



The picture and blatant Hungry-Hungry-Hippos ripoff game 'Monkey Mania' just makes me smile, so it is for you as well.



Now here's an interesting thing - that Hasbro has totally brought back to their lineup, with great success, in recent years.



And, it was the 20th anniversary of Nerf!



Got to lot the safe Jarts (lawn darts...would could possibly go wrong!) and the Nerf Fencing!

Posted by charlie on September 4th 2012, 08:00 PM
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