by the fans for the fans

blackconvoy_D01 wrote:

I'd love to Mark. But I think I'll pass. There is too much limitation in certain portions of the online world of Robotech for me to want to participate in. I guess openess is greeted with spite and maliciousness.

Can I tell a story?

A few years ago I went to "another site" to find a customizer to make me a strike cannon for my MPC VF-1S and Appendix. I found one who sold me the cannon, I built the base from scratch, finished it, and posted it on the "other site." Knowning that this site's members almost HATED all things Robotech/ Toynami, I posted my piece in a customizers thread.

They could have badgered me, deleted my post, my thread. Threatened to ban me. But they didn't. They commended me on my work, they appreciated my contribution to their community (to which nightmareb4macross still gets 80% of the credit.) And my post lived. That didnt happen here.

With that I post my latest Robotech addition. Robotech a-la "Do you remember love."

I don't mean to sound all soppy, but this is suppose to be my hobby. It shouldn't be segregated and policed.

Man... Sorry you had that experience... But I do remember you working on this and I really liked the idea. Being a customizer/scratch builder myself I can also appreciate all the work that went into it.

More often than not there are idiots in both the Robotech and Macross world. Sometimes they speak(type) without using an ounce of what god put in their thick skulls. Don't let that deter you my friend. If I stopped posting my stories after some idiot, who has no clue what goes into writing or modeling, makes a stupid comment… than I wouldn’t have built my Breetai figure and I wouldn’t be working on a new writing project.


Now here are a few things I've recently aquired...

Matchbox Robotech Rick Hunter figure.. MOC...


Matchbox Robotech Bioroid Terminator... MOC..




Matchbox Robotech Corg Figure.. MOC..



Matchbox Robotech Robotech Master figure.. MOC..


Now believe it or not.. both the Corg figure and the Robotech Master figure had the ugliest price tags on them... and using a special procedure I was able to remove them without damage to the cards. The Robotech Master did have some minor flaking but it was due to someone in the past jacking with the tag... But I was more then happy with the result.

Last for the night...

I got this set of Harmony Gold figures... online. These figures were taken from the packages and put into this display box and this is how I got them. They are fantastic. I am, however, missing Max's helmet... So I'll need to find me a MINT helmet to go with him.

I don't express my appreciation enough when others post from their collections. Its fun discovering new collectables and toys through others efforts, especially their customizations.

bc, those are some cool and interesting pics in your flikr album. Your DYRL customization is nice, HG likes to mix up Macross Saga, Macross, and DYRL so it should fit right in.

Mark, where do the carded action figures come from, did people store them away back in the 80's and 90's or are there some in a warehouse somewhere? For the most part Robotech action figures are a decent representation of the characters. Its cool seeing them in pristine condition.

Please post more.

rtsurfer wrote:

Mark, where do the carded action figures come from, did people store them away back in the 80's and 90's or are there some in a warehouse somewhere? For the most part Robotech action figures are a decent representation of the characters. Its cool seeing them in pristine condition.

Please post more.

Well they come from all of what you mentioned. Carded figures come from Old store stock that someone bought at auction and kept in storage until they found it again. Some carded figures were bought by collectors and stored.. Some pieces were bought by kids who wanted the figures, but didn't want to actually play with them so they just put them up on their walls... later they sold them when they out grew them.

I know a guy who's grand father owned a small corner store.. kinda like an old "Five and Dime"... well the grand father owned the building as well.. and when he retired he ended up closing the store... then shortly there after he passed away. Well the store had pretty much been closed up and used for storage. Eventually the family decided to sell the property. Before they did they went in and started going through the store's remaining inventory. The stuff they found floored me. In the store room they found boxes of toys from the late 50's through the late 80's. A virtual toy treasure trove...

You never know where you'll find these figures.

I have another figure coming in... It's a Matchbox Rand figure... he's mint on his card... and the card is UNPUNCHED.. I'll post a picture of my UNPUNCHED Irwin Matchbox Scott Bernard figure tomorrow.

Ok here is something I picked up a while back. For obvious reasons I keep it in this protective case. I plan on having it graded and properly protected in an acrylic case.




Matchbox (IRWIN) Scott Bernard... MOC UNPUNCHED

Interesting. When I worked at Wally world we would've ruined an unpunched item.

rtsurfer wrote:

Interesting. When I worked at Wally world we would've ruined an unpunched item.

Yeah, Wally world hasn't always been collector friendly.... Though, I will say that over the years they seem to have become aware of the collector market. I recall years and years ago the price tags they would slap on carded figures would always rip the artwork up no matter how careful you were... now it seem like they are using a different type of glue so they remove a lot easier. It also helps that they manufacturers have changed the packaging too.

Something like the Scott Bernard figure I posted would have most likely survived because a collector knew someone at the toy store.. Probably like K-B toys's... The employee would have held back a case and when the collector got there the employee would have sold the case as individual and left them in the case. From there the collector would take the case home and open it there. I saw that happen once actually...

I don't look down on the practice... when you're a collector you do what you gotta do some times. Besides.. it's because of these types of practices that we have carded figures like these today. I'm glad there were collectors that were able to secure figures like these. I will search years for the best examples of items for my collection. I might buy a place holder, but I will search for figures in the best of condition to keep in my permanent collection.



Here are a couple more examples of Robotech Toys that were taken from the case and never opened. This is a pair of MAC II Monsters. The top is the original Matchbox issue it is still factory sealed. The bottom is the Harmony Gold re-release which is also factory sealed.



Here is the Matchbox Rand figure.. MOC.. UNPUNCHED.

Yeah, Wally world price stickers don't stay on very well, which is good for collectors.

Its fascinating seeing them the way they were 25 years ago, the colors have held up well especially on the action figures. Matchbox's artist could have matched the character art a little better, wonder if the art on the cards and boxes had any effect on sales?
I'm a very tactile person, it would drive me crazy having all those sealed toys and not being able to handle them

rtsurfer wrote:

Yeah, Wally world price stickers don't stay on very well, which is good for collectors.

Its fascinating seeing them the way they were 25 years ago, the colors have held up well especially on the action figures. Matchbox's artist could have matched the character art a little better, wonder if the art on the cards and boxes had any effect on sales?
I'm a very tactile person, it would drive me crazy having all those sealed toys and not being able to handle them

Yeah if they are kept in a nice climate controlled dark place, the colors will stay as brilliant as they were the day they were first made. If you have your figures graded you can opt for a archive quality case that protects against UV light. This will allow the figures to be displayed without the fear of excessive light damage.

I am very protective of my collection so I do everything possible to protect against UV exposure. The windows of my display room are tinted. I also installed solar screens on the outside that cut 90% of light from entering. I also make sure to use light bulbs that offer reduced UV exposure.

As for the art work. Looking at it after 25 years.. I like the art work. There's something about it... not as polished as what G.I. Joe and Transformers had... but still gave you a pretty accurate representation of what the characters looked like on the show... with a few exceptions of course.

Yeah I like "playing" with my toys from time to time.. which is why I also get loose figures too... as you can see from the display case picture above.

Believe me... if I have it carded.. I also have it loose.. this goes for the MAC IIs, the figures, my battle pods, etc etc.

WHY MY STUFF IS IN BOXES AND TAPED UP. I HATE THE LIGHT TOUCHING THEM. EVEN THE BOOKS. ONCE IN A WHILE I WILL GO THROUGH THEM FOR MEMORY SAKE. BUT YEAH, I CHANGE THE LIGHT BULBS AND CLOSE THE BLINDS.


I SEEN TO MANY DISCOLORED FIGURES OUT THERE OR YELLOWING. MAN, I WOULD HATE THAT ON MY COLLECTABLES.