Toy Biz Batman vs NECA Batman

When I discovered that NECA would be releasing this 7 inch Michael Keaton Batman figure along with the newly released 25th Anniversary blu ray, you can say I was beyond excited. Keaton has and will remain my favorite Batman. And NECA's idea to emulate the classic Toy Biz look and packaging from their '89 toy line got me even more excited. I mean, this is badass! For a number of reasons! Most notably the fact that there was always an issue with using Keaton's likeness for an action figure. It was a big deal, and I don't know the exact details of all that, but I do know it was an issue. Even when NECA first used this same exact mold for their ever popular 8 Bit Classic Video Game Appearance line, they seemed to have been able to get away with it because the coloring of the figure was blue and purple. But here, they seemed to have found a loophole, or worked out their license issues because it seemed out of nowhere, they surprised us all with the announcement of this particular figure, which sold out online immediately, but not before I was able to put my order in.

It was really weird too. You could only order this as part of the Blu Ray Anniversary combo pack, not just the figure alone. And you could only order it through their eBay store, which seemed rather suspicious to me right from the beginning. Apparently NECA set up this eBay store solely for the purpose of selling this Blu ray/Figure combo pack. So there was no feedback. And when I first saw the eBay store, shipping was cheap at $8 or something like that. Then when I went to place my order later in the day, shipping was hiked up to around $15 if I remember correctly. So I was concerned all around, but I placed my order anyway.

They sold out within a day. So then word came that Toys R Us and Toys R Us only was selling these, but only when you bought the Blu Ray. But fortunately for a lot of collectors and flippers, most employees were not aware of this, and were selling the figures by themselves. You can bet your ass that flippers grabbed every last one of them and immediately threw them on eBay for $50 and higher. I hate fucking flippers.

In the end, I got mine at retail price, along with that killer Blu Ray. It's a great figure, and NECA did a bangup job on Michael Keaton's likeness.

Robocop VCR Game (1988)

Robocop VCR Game (1988)

Back when I was 12, Robocop had just come out in theaters. The following year, this VCR Home Game hit store shelves. I don't remember if it was a hit or anything like that, but I do remember seeing this at my local Service Merchandise (remember that store?!) behind the glass and begging my parents to buy it for me. They were hesitant of course, stating that it's not really a game for kids, but of course, I wouldn't listen. It was Robocop, and I had to have it. And of course, they were right. For a 12 year old kid, this game was trying. From what I can remember, you'd play the board game, stopping at specific moments to play a minute of the VHS tape, which were scenes from the film, and then using those scenes to progress somehow in the game. I didn't have that kind of patience, so it sat on my shelf for years unplayed, before I ultimately sold it at a garage sale many years later.

I was reminded about this game recently on Instagram through a friend, and so I set upon looking for it again. I was more than shocked to discover that this game typically goes for anywhere from $50 to $100. I mean, it would have been nice to get this again just for nostalgia sake, but I didn't need it that bad, especially when you consider that it's just going to sit on my shelf. I kept my eye out though, doing random searches when I would remember, and one day I lucked out. A seller was offering it for just $10 as an auction, so I bid early. A week later, I won it and I'm one happy geek. I think what tripped people up is that when the seller listed this, the image he chose to represent the game was of the board game, and not this sweet box cover. So I'm sure a lot of people probably just passed this by without realizing it was actually the old '88 VCR game. Win for me!

Gobots RoGun Cap Rifle Robot (1985)

In my quest to reacquire pieces of my collection when I was a kid back in the 80's, I quickly discovered that one of the most awesome robots in the Gobots universe (IMO), while easy to find loose, was nearly impossible to find complete in box. Checking online on a daily basis for the better part of a year proved fruitless. Even the numerous toy and collectors conventions I hit up within this past year turned up nothing, let alone hardly any Gobots in general. 

When I decided to track down a Rogun Cap Rifle Robot in it's original box, I had no idea it would be one of the hardest toys I'd have to hunt down. Hell, even doing a google search of this sucker proved to me how hard my hunt would be. I believe there's maybe 1 or 2 images online of this guy complete in box. So if it wasn't for those images, I would have not even known what the original packaging would have looked like. In any case, I shockingly found one on eBay about a month ago in Very Good condition. It was funny too. While I make it a habit of looking daily for specific items, with this being one of them, I had actually forgotten to do so for a few days, or even a week. And one day when I was getting ready to leave work, it hit me, and I did a quick search and holy shit! There it was. Complete, never opened, in great condition. While I suppose I should have tried to haggle with the seller a bit, or even read the entire description, I impulsively bought the thing, all within the span of under a minute. I was that excited. So this beauty sits on my shelf, a testament to patience and dedication to looking for that one piece that you just have to have.

New VHS Scores: Halloween and Escape From New York Slipcases

Apologies for the absence. It seems that while I had anticipated most of my time being spent on this particular blog sharing my collection of VHS, toys, and whatnot, I just can't stay away from movies, my #1 passion. And so while I did my best to take a break from reviews on my other blog robotGEEK'S Cult Cinema, I just couldn't stop cold turkey. So, a lot of my time recently has been dedicated to reviews. But! I'm here now, so here we go.

First up is John Carpenter's Halloween. As you all know, it's been released countless upon countless times on VHS, then on Laserdisc, DVD and now Blu ray. So it's not a hard film to get your hands on for your collection. It just depends on which one you want. I'd imagine though trying to collect every single version out there would be extremely time consuming and expensive. But hey, everyone needs a hobby right?!

Die-hard collectors know that probably the rarest VHS version out there is the mythical MEDA VHS version. It was spelled MEDA before it was changed to MEDIA on a yellowed cardstock slipcase. I honestly don't know why or the story behind that and haven't done the research yet, but needless to say, the MEDA yellow slipcase VHS is insanely rare and goes for thousands on the internet.....if you're ever lucky to find one. Personally, I've always loved this particular cover. I love the black with the
MEDIA big on white at the bottom. I also found it strange and interesting that there's also a bottom flap. So everytime you intend to take the tape out, you essentially slowly begin to damage and put extensive wear to that bottom flap. So I'm not surprised that they quickly did away with that.

When I was going through my VHS collection recently, I was kind of shocked to discover that I've never owned a version of Halloween on VHS. Gasp! I was lucky to find this one fairly cheap for $10 on eBay with the bottom flap in tact and in excellent condition. Happiness.

Here's another recent eBay score. While I prefer Embassy's insanely badass, yet very hard to find black VHS clamshell release from 1982, this is a close second. I love that the poster encompasses the entire cover. And I love the white spine with the extra large font. It's just beautiful.

Much like Halloween, this film has gotten countless VHS releases, as well as many others on every format. It's just one of those films. However, there is another early US slipcase release that I've only recently become aware of. Of all the years I've been collecting VHS tapes, I never came across one and didn't know it existed. It's a rather interesting design. Released by Embassy, the top half is white, and the bottom half is black, with the poster image floating freely in the center. The film title is large, also floating freely at the top above the cover image. A strange design for sure, but one I feel I must own at some point as I collect random Escape From New York VHS tapes from around the world. I'm also finding a new found love for VHS slips. I've always been more drawn to clamshell cases, but I'm finding an appreciation for slipcases in my old age.

Alien 3 NES Nintendo Game

Alien 3: NES (1993)

Much like Total Recall, I had no idea this was ever made into a game, much less an original Nintendo NES game back in 1993. But they did, and then again for the SNES, and then Sega Genesis also released a game based off of this film, all generally within a span of just a few years I think. But needless to say, when NECA announced they would be releasing a new 8 Bit figure to go with their awesome 8 Bit Retro Video Game Appearance line of figures, I knew I had to track this original game down, which wasn't easy.

Not sure if it's just the demand, or the simple fact that NECA decided to immortalize the "dog" alien from this film, but the game suddenly became hard to acquire at a decent price. I generally don't like to spend more than about $20 on an old NES game if I can help it, so I had to wait this one out for awhile until I came across one in decent shape, and CIB (complete in box) for a reasonable price. The waiting paid off, and I was finally able to acquire one for my collection.

I have yet to play the game itself, which I will do eventually shortly, but everything is in excellent condition, considering it's age. The manual has seen better days, but I'm thoroughly impressed at how well the box has been preserved all these years. It didn't come with any advertisements it may have originally had, but everything else is included.

After getting this and also the SNES game, I guess you can say I've been on a bit of an Alien 3 kick, so I decided to revisit the film (workprint version) yesterday and I love it every bit as much as I always have. While David Fincher has disowned the thing entirely, I think it's a gorgeous looking science fiction film, and along with a myriad of reasons, consider it an excellent Alien film. But that's just my opinion.

A piece of my childhood recaptured: Go-Bots "Psycho" Action Figure

Words cannot explain the excitement I got when this arrived in my PO Box. You see, while I was primarily a Transformers fan as a kid in the 80's, I also loved the Go-Bots as well. Essentially they were a cheaper version of Transformers and also their arch nemesis in the toy and cartoon market. I have to admit, I have always loved these guys just as much as I loved Transformers, which is why I collected both as a kid.

As a kid in the 80's, I had my fair share of toys, and honestly, I think we can all agree the 80's was the BEST decade for toy collecting, or just being a kid in general. M.A.S.K., Transformers, He-Man, GI Joe, Go-Bots, Thundercats....all incredible lines of toys that were made much better than anything we can get on a toy shelf these days, save for NECA I suppose. But seriously, how great was it to be a kid back then? Personally speaking.....it was amazing. I was the prime age to enjoy and immerse anything the wonderful decade of the 80's had to offer, and Go-Bots were one of them.

There were 3 or 4 Go-Bots that I distinctly remember having growing up, and this was one of them. I always thought he was the coolest looking one out of the bunch, and such a rad looking sports car. I even remember trying to duplicate this style with my Lego's, with varying degrees of success. When I decided to try and track a few of my "former" toys from my childhood down in my recent collecting resurgence, one of the first ones I went after was this particular figure. Little did I know that of all the Go-Bots figures out there, this is one of the most sought after ones. 

You can easily pick up a loose one from anywhere between $7 - $30, depending on the seller. But one in it's original box, which I don't recall them coming in a box to begin with, especially in good condition will run anywhere form $50 - $100....at least. I quickly learned vintage Go-Bot figures go for much more than I imagined. I also don't recall them being so small.

But I knew I had to have one. I kept my eye on eBay doing random searches here and there and never finding one anywhere near within my budget. Then one day a seller offered one in Near Mint Condition at a starting bid of .99. I jumped on it, and when it was all said and done, even though several others tried to outbid me in the last minute, I ultimately won out for a very reasonable price. This particular figure is now easily one of the crowning jewels of my collection and I will be on the hunt for the other few figures from this line that brings back so many fond memories of my childhood.

Nintendo's Cancelled Hellraiser NES Game

Apparently back in 1990 there was supposed to be a Hellraiser NES Nintendo game based off of Clive Barker's 1987 low-budget masterpiece of the same name. I had no idea this was ever even in the works! Can you imagine  how awesome that would have been? And not only that, just because it's Hellraiser, I'm sure it would have ultimately become a rare and highly sought after game indeed. The possibilities.

Recently as I was scouring Google for some old vintage ads, I happened upon this one and my jaw literally dropped to the floor. As you may know, I've begun to collect old original NES games as a hobby, and well this just got me all kinds of excited. Assuming they would have used the same poster art for the film as their box art for the game, it would have been a beautiful addition to any NES collection for sure.

Doing some digging I found a great article over at Wikia that explains in stunning detail what ultimately led to the demise of this promising game, which you can find HERE.

Batman NES vs Batman NECA

Tron Japanese Laserdisc

Recent awesome eBay score for me. I love Tron, probably more so than most of the die hard fans out there. There's just something about this original film that has always stuck with me. It's part nostalgia, but it's also a pretty damn great movie, and most importantly, waaaaaay ahead of it's time.

Sure it was a flop way back in 1982, because nobody had a computer, and nobody knew what the hell was going on. All that computer lingo was so foreign to everyone that it just sort of turned them all off. Today it's easily regarded as a groundbreaking film in the field of computer animation, even if they effects seem juvenile by today's standards. But that's why it's so damn charming. I love the effects work, and the whole look of this simple computer world.

Tron has and will always remain a classic. Today, it's probably more retro cool to love it more than any other.

NECA to release "Dog Alien" from Alien 3 for their next 8 Bit Figure

I always wonder what NECA will choose next in their amazing line of 8 Bit figures. I mean, they constantly seem to surprise me over and over again with the characters they choose to represent in classic 8 Bit form.

To date they've knocked so many of these out of the park with such awesome detail that I've had no choice but to collect every single one. It's a hard life.

Next to ReAction, these are the figures that get me excited, and while I'm still waiting for their Rambo 8 Bit figure to come out, I'm especially excited about this one because if you follow my other site robotGEEK'S Cult Cinema, then you know I actually really enjoy this movie, while so many others love to hate on it.

This particular release seems to be something especially badass. Based off of the 1992 NES Nintendo game, this particular figure will have 30 (yes, you read that right) points of articulation, including an extendable mouth (yes!), and bendable tail. Plus, that packaging is oh so sexy, isn't it?

I was more than surprised to hear from a fellow blogger that they felt NECA is basically digging the bottom of the well now in what they choose as their next figure. I couldn't disagree more. Each new announcement only gets me more and more excited, and to date, I have not been disappointed in the least with their quality, and their choice in subject. Let's face it, the possibilities are just endless at this point. They've only begun to dip into that well, and we have years and years of possible badass figures to come our way in this 8 Bit line.

Bad Movie Night: Never Too Young To Die

Here's a little something I whipped up for my bi-weekly Bad Movie Nite, which I hold at my place.

If you know me, or follow my other site, robotGEEK'S Cult Cinema, then you know I'm all kinds of crazy in love with this WTF?! mess. Basically, Never Too Young To Die is what you get when you combine Mad Max, James Bond, Mullets, Hermaphrodite villains, Kung Fu, Gymnastics, and set it all in present day 1986. The result is a glorious mess of the best caliber.

Vintage Masters of the Universe VHS Ad

Man I  miss the 80's. They knew how to advertise.

Christine Side-Slip VHS

When it comes to John Carpenter directed flicks, Christine stands way up high on the list of his best films. I only recently saw this one for the first time about a year ago and let me tell you, it's pretty damn amazing old school horror.

I don't know, something about the idea of a killer car just never appealed to me, which is why I guess I never took the time to sit down and watch it, even though it was directed by one of my all-time favorite filmmakers, the one and only John Carpenter. Just like with his excellent Starman, which I also easily dismissed for decades until I gave it a shot recently and fell in love with it, Christine literally knocked my socks off.

Everything about Christine is amazing. Carpenter's direction is probably some of his best visual work to date. His score is just phenomenal, as always. And the overall 80's aesthetic brings so much to the table. If this were made today, it wouldn't be anywhere near as effective, or as creative. No sir.....Christine was made at just the perfect time.

Up until recently, I was unaware that there was such a thing as "side-slip" VHS tapes, where the tape is removed from the side of the box rather than the bottom, which was standard. From what I've seen, other than CBS/FOX, who did the "side-sliding box drawer" with some of their tapes, RCA/Columbia was the only one to do it like this. Pretty cool if you ask me.

Total Recall NES Nintendo Game

Total Recall: NES (1990)

I love doing random browsing on eBay and coming across things that you didn't even know existed, like Total Recall for the NES for example. I had no idea this was ever made into a video game, much less for the original Nintendo.

The little digging I did, it looks to be a really fun side-scroller game. I have yet to pop it in and give it a whirl, but I'm looking forward to it. I lucked out on this one. I had my eye on it for a while, but never wanted to pay more than $15 for it. I came across a seller who was offering it for $10.99 with free shipping, so I jumped on it. It comes complete, except for any advertisement it may have had when originally packaged for retail.                                                                                                                                   Update: I've since played this bad boy and all I can say is that it's 100% Badass. It really is so much better than I was expecting. It's got some decent 8-Bit graphics happening, with scenes from the movie being played out throughout each stage of the game. It's excellent side-scroller action and a total surprise. If you love retro games, I highly recommend picking this one up!

Random Pic of the Day...

You can check out artist Rocky Davies' other awesomely 80's inspired pop culture pieces over on his Deviant Art page HERE.

Hands of Steel aka Atomic Cyborg Turkish VHS

You know you have that short list of "Most Wanted Tapes" always in the back of your head. You don't even have to think about it. If you're a collector of VHS tapes, which is quite addicting I might add, you just automatically have this magical amazing list of tapes you know exist, but have never actually come across in person. For me, this is one of those tapes.

If you haven't already guessed, I'm in all kinds of love with this movie. If you scroll down a few posts back, you'll see where my Hands of Steel VHS collection stood before this beauty arrived in my mail box. Not to mention the Japanese Laserdisc and the Turkish one-sheet I also have. But I knew this particular release existed because I'd seen pictures of it on the internet, yet I never, ever came across one for sale online all these years. That is until a random conversation I recently had with a dealer online changed all that.

I had seen him selling a few Turkish VHS tapes online and decided to ask him if he had any others he may know how to get a hold of. I struck out a few times with other titles I've always been wanting to see, but when he said that he "had" them, but sold them recently, I was pretty much over the excitement......until lastly I mentioned Hands of Steel, and he said that he did in fact have one. Gasp!

A deal was secured, and thankfully, I didn't go over my cap that I put on myself as far as how much I'm willing to spend on a VHS tape. But even so, let's face it, I didn't know if I'd ever come across another in my lifetime, so I was prepared to go a little crazy for this if I had to. But thankfully, the guy was cool, and not looking to rip people off just for the sake of making a dollar. He knew the value of this, knew how much I wanted it, and gave me a very fare price. I couldn't have asked for a better transaction.

Friday the 13th NES Nintendo Game

Friday the 13th: NES (1989)

This game, along with less than a handful of others, I consider the holy grail of vintage games.....for me. Not that it's rare or anything, because it's not. In any given time, you'll find countless sellers offering this baby up for grabs. Now, being able to acquire it at a decent price is another thing. You see, while it's considered one of the all-time worst video games in history, because the whole 8-Bit Jason thing has taken off so big, you'll be lucky to pay less than $30 for it.

So it wasn't so much the fact that I couldn't find one, they're always around, it was just trying to get one without paying an arm and a leg for. I'm also not entirely sure why certain NES games go for much higher prices than others and how those prices are determined. For example, you can find a Rambo NES game complete in box for about $15 or so easy. But finding a Predator NES game complete, you'd be paying about $50 on up. And Robocop is easy to find and easily snaggable for about $15 - $20 complete. But Robocop 2 is another story. You'd be lucky to pay less than $50 for that one, and I have no idea why. It's mainly just a bit frustrating more than anything when there's no real rhyme or reason behind the pricing of these. A Nightmare on Elm Street for the NES is just insane, and by far the worst as far as prices go. 

In any case, I seriously lucked out on this one. I've bid and lost to many auctions for this game because I refuse to pay more than $20 for it. I bid, out of habit, on an auction for one that looked in really good shape and was complete. Ultimately I ended up getting it for $10 and I couldn't believe it. Sometimes the universe works in my favor and this was one of those days.

Random Pic of the Day...

Something I whipped up because it perfectly showcases my moods before and after my morning coffee.

Iron Man and The Punisher Toy Biz Action Figures (1991)

I had completely forgotten about this particular toy line, by the late great Toy Biz. I remember seeing them often in the toy stores - back when we "had' toy stores - but for some reason, never thought to grab them. Truthfully, I'm not entirely sure how many of these there are in total. I think somewhere like 6. On a recent trip to back up to my former hometown of Austin, TX, I stopped into a local eclectic collectibles store that sells a bunch of everything. Surprisingly to me, they added vintage action figures to their ever-growing list of items up for sale, and so without hesitation I grabbed this sucker for about $16. 

Classic Iron Man will always be my favorite. In the 80's I collected different Iron Man comics, and when I took up comic collecting again after a looooong hiatus back in the 2000's, it was just the right time as Warren Ellis's excellent "Extremis" storyline was just hitting shelves, and renewed my love for the character all over again. Marvel had a solid run too up until a few years ago, of which I collected almost every issue.

This one was a total surprise. First in that they choice The Punisher as one of the included characters in this line, and second that I never thought I'd come across one personally unless I ordered it off of eBay. But holy shit, that's exactly what happened when I shockingly found it at a local toy expo that's given here once a month......for $5! Not only that, the seller gave me an extra loose one for free. I couldn't believe it. That's salesmanship.

I know there are a few others in this line I'm looking to snag eventually, mainly Captain America and Daredevil. To be continued...

Random Pic of the Day

Vintage Nintendo NES Ad

What's fascinating to me is that all these years later, the prices haven't changed.

Hands of Steel aka Atomic Cyborg VHS Collection so far...

In order of appearance (Top left to bottom right)

UK, Dutch (Beta), German, Italian, Spanish, US and Japanese VHS.

If you were born in the 70's, then you surely remember happening upon this film in the local video store in the mid to late 80's. It's such an iconic and rad cover, how could you miss it!

In my particular case, even though I would see this tape all the time, I never actually rented it back then for some reason. Not until a few years ago when I got into VHS collecting and discovered Italian Trash Cinema, a personal favorite genre of mine. From the moment I first saw this, I was in love. This movie is the reason why I love that particular crazy ass genre and it's one of the best examples of that kind of film.

What's Italian Trash Cinema? Basically, schlock Italian filmmakers would take the big Hollywood hits of the time, mash them together, literally stealing ideas, scenes and characters out of these popular films and make their own low-budget version using an International cast. In this case, the great Sergio Martino basically mixes The Terminator and Over the Top, and sets it in a futuristic post apocalyptic world.

Daniel Greene stars, along with a slew of Italian Trash regulars. Greene, a U.S. actor who cut his teeth on the soap opera Falcon Crest in the 80's and a regular character actor on a whole bunch of television shows, is pretty badass in this. If you're like me, you'll most likely remember him as the beefcake guy that Elvira is in love with in Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. 

At this time, I'm happy to report that I have 2 new VHS tapes to add to this collection, the long sought after Turkish VHS and another US slip from Avid. So expect an updated post sometime in the near future. In the meantime, if there is a VHS version "NOT" shown here, and you're willing to part with it, please let me know! 

The Punisher NES Nintendo Game

The Punisher: NES (1990)

If you haven't already guessed by now, I'm quite obsessed with The Punisher. But not just any iteration of the character. No sir. My love and taste is pretty specific for this character. Of course you know I'm all kinds of obsessed with the low-budget 1989 film version starring Dolph Lundgren. Why? Because it's just awesome, that's why. But I also love pretty much any 80's take on the character. I think it's because that was when I was introduced to him, and so I'll always have a nostalgic love for any 80's iteration of this guy, which includes pretty much any artwork by Jim Lee and Mike Zeck, who defined The Punisher's trademark look in the 80's. 

I had this game when I was a kid, and remember playing it fondly with a buddy of mine. It really is a fun game with some excellent graphics. In fact, it's a better game than you'd expect it to be all around, and now I know why I never forgot it. When I got back into vintage/retro game collecting, I just knew this would have to be one of my first purchases. When Christmas came around, I decided that would be the best opportunity to spoil myself with a big purchase.

The good thing is that this is a fairly easy game to come by, with at least 10 different sellers offering this game up on any given day on eBay. But it's not cheap. On the low end you can get one in decent shape for about $30. On the high end for one in excellent condition, you'll be spending anywhere from $50-$100 and up. I would say mine's in "Very Good" overall condition, and I'm just ecstatic. I keep mine in a protective case, so I'll know that it won't sustain anymore wear from here on out.

Definitely one of the best NES games I've ever played, and one deserving of it's reputation. I'm even considering buying an NES Advantage Controller just to further the awesome experience, since it is a first-person shooter game.

Robocop 12 inch Audiotronic Talking Action Figure (1993)

Recently, since the weather's been excellent, I've gotten into hitting local flea markets, of which there is no shortage of in my area. I typically don't because usually the weather is around 100 degrees with 100% humidity, but the recent change in weather due to winter has made it bearable again.

I hit up one of the larger ones the valley has to offer last Sunday and while this particular flea market was a bust and unimpressive, I did find this beauty. Immediately I assumed it was some sort of Robocop knockoff of some sort, but as soon as I got home I did some research and discovered it is indeed a legit release, going back to 1993, coinciding with the release of Robocop 3 in theaters.

What I ultimately ended up finding out is that there are a lot of large Robocop figures out there, and I've seriously been missing out all these years. I have a LOT of catching up to do. This big guy stands an impressive 12 inches tall and is known as Audiotronic Talking Robocop. He dispenses 3 phrases in a voice that sounds nothing like Peter Weller's from the film, while his vision visor and lower half of his face light up when you push a small button located on his lower chest. After doing a little digging I knew immediately it had to have come out with the third film because his left arm is removable and replaceable by that big ass hand/machine gun featured prominently in the disastrous Part 3. This figure was missing that big arm attachment gun, as well as his regular side weapon, which is concealed in his right leg, just like in the movie. 

So no guns with this bad boy, but I've already ordered a replacement for his regular gun. Maybe one day I'll get a replacement for his removable arm. I'm honestly just very happy he's in such good shape, and that he still works! 

Big Trouble in Little China Action Figures by ReAction

I'm telling you, ReAction is quickly dominating the market when it comes to badass retro action figures. With an endless plethora of choices from any number of pop culture films, shows and characters from the 70's and 80's, ReAction by Funko is seriously becoming one of my favorite brands of collectible figures. Nothing drives that point home more than the recent news that they will be tackling John Carpenter's ahead-of-it's-time insane kung fu/fantasy/action/comedy masterpiece Big Trouble in Little China.

We all know the story right? Upon it's initial release it was deemed too strange and ultimately failed to ignite the box office, resulting in a big ol' flop. It's since become a certified cult classic in every sense of the word, and deservedly so. If any film was ahead of it's time, BTiLC certainly qualifies.

ReAction by Funko will be releasing these in February, and you can pre-order these from any number of online places. Of course, you can also find these practically everywhere now too like Target, Barnes & Nobles, Toys R Us and so on, so I think it'll be more fun going on a hunt and tracking them all down individually rather than just ordering them online.

Funko will also be releasing these in the ever popular POP! vinyl figure format, so if you like those particular figures, be on the look out for those as well.

Special thanks to my buddy Rob over at Action Figure Informer for the heads up!

Judge Dredd Japan Mega Drive Sega Game

Judge Dredd: Japan Mega Drive Sega Genesis (1995)

When I recently got back into old school/retro/vintage gaming, one of the things I noticed immediately is how much I love Judge Dredd for the SNES and Sega systems. It's awesome side-scroller action at it's best with both versions of the game also offering up a killer score. 

I've always been and always will be a Nintendo guy, but when I recently got this game for the Sega Genesis, I fell head over heels in love with the tighter 16 Bit graphics, and most importantly, the blood and violence missing from the SNES version.

After I got my hands of the Sega Genesis version of the game, I shockingly came upon this at a local flea market. I don't remember what I paid for it, but I think it was either $5 or $10, and I was one very happy camper. Not only that, it's in excellent shape, with any wear being to the actual clamshell cover, which can easily be replaced at some point. The instruction manual is even included!

Essentially, it's the same exact version as the US version for the Sega Genesis. There's absolutely nothing different about this one. One thing that does bother me about this game, and any Sega Genesis game in general, is that the screen is constantly moving, even thought it's a side-scroller game. So when you jump or kneel, the screen moves with you, and for someone who has motion sickness, it can get quite grueling after a while. 

Despite my gripe about the constant moving screen, I do LOVE this game for the Sega Genesis. the graphics are better, and being able to have blood and more violence on the screen is always a plus. Next to Batman for the NES and Robocop VS Terminator for both systems, this is one of my favorite side-scroller games ever. 

The Punisher (1989) Japanese Laserdisc

Up until recently, my Instagram account was only used sparingly. In fact, I'd often forget that I had it. Then one day while I was randomly browsing on there I realized that a lot of fellow collectors like myself, filmgeeks, nerds, whatever, were using that format to post pics of their amazing collections and I realized that I had been seriously missing out. Not only that, I totally missed the bus when it came to meeting people who share the same passions as I do.

A few months back I became much more active on it and immediately made some friends from all over the world who loved the same kind of toys I do, the same kind of games, and most importantly, the same kind of movies. Almost immediately everyone noticed my love for the character of The Punisher, with the low-budget Dolph Lundgren starring version being my absolute favorite. A fellow collector of almost everything all the way in Norway, who has the same taste in films, and collecting as I do, offered to give me one of these for free, knowing I loved The Punisher, Dolph Lundgren, and Laserdiscs. Now that is a standup guy right there. All he asked for in return was to help him out in the future with a random film, which I fulfilled almost immediately.

There's a fine line between "collecting" and "flipping". A lot of so-called collectors don't seem to know the difference....sadly.

Rambo NES Nintendo Game

Rambo: NES (1988)

When I'm on the hunt for certain items like games or VHS, I always have a list of specific titles in my head that I'm always looking for. Rambo for the NES is one of those titles. I had my eye on quite a few auctions for a long time, even bidding on a few and always lost out. I have a cap that I put on myself as far as how much I'm willing to pay for a game, and when I would bid and systematically lose on those auctions for this game, I knew I'd eventually come across another at a decent price. 

Well I didn't have to wait long. Shortly after I came across one and when it was over, I luckily ended up grabbing it for just $10. Included is the original box in "Very Good" condition, the game, game sleeve, styrofoam insert and manual. The only thing missing is whatever advertisements may have been included in it at the time.

While it was awesome to finally grab one of these, I have to say that the game itself leaves a lot to be desired. Honestly, not a lot of fun at all. The 8 Bit graphics seem exceptionally more amateurish than pretty much any 8 Bit game I've ever played and it's quite difficult. I gave it a whirl and gave up after 5 minutes. It seems that after you kill a few guys in the first scene, you're supposed to be able to access a hangar, as per the on-screen instructions, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how.

In either case, this looks awesome on my shelf in a protective box sleeve.

The Hidden 2-Tape VHS Set

After going through my stacks and stacks of random stuff while moving my collection from one side of the room to the other, I came across this. Another awesome find, which like the Captain America tapes from my previous post, I completely forgot I had.

The Hidden (1987) is an insanely underrated gem. Directed by Jack Sholder, who did A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, directs this slick piece of badass cinema with a keen eye for visuals. While Sholder doesn't always knock them out of the park with such expert craftsmanship (I couldn't even finish Wishmaster 2), he shines here. It also helps that it's just screaming 80's nostalgia from beginning to end. Honestly, they just don't make movies like they used to.

Effectively mixing science fiction, horror and action, The Hidden utilizes everything we love about these genre's to maximum effect. The cast is pretty great too. Kyle Maclachlan stars as a weird FBI agent on the hunt of an alien "something" that seems to be able to transfer from body to body, making it near impossible to catch. He teams up with a local tight-wad detective set in his ways and well, the chemistry is just fantastic. What's pretty outstanding, and the norm for 80's and 90's action cinema, is that this film is peppered with a who's who of sci-fi/horror/action films. You may not know their names, but you'll certainly know their faces, including a quick 5 second cameo by Danny Trejo, in a jail cell.....of course.

I love this film, and I'm so glad I never got rid of this beautiful tape set.

Random pic, because it's AWESOME

They Live Poster Print by Van Orton Design

I came across Van Orton Design recently on Instagram and instantly became a fan. These twin brothers from Italy are insanely talented design artists who take pop culture icons and well, anything pop culture related and turn them into semi-stained glass works of art. When I saw this fan art print for John Carpenter's They Live pop up on their Instagram page, I just knew I had to have it. 

All of their art and designs consist of neon inspired retro coolness, and they're doing phenomenal work with every new design they come out with.

21 X 28 inch print in a 24 X 36 standard wood and glass poster frame sitting on my fireplace mantel

While not all of their stuff is available as they often sell out, currently you can get this particular print from their Society 6 online webstore HERE in all sizes. I purchased one of the larger ones they have and let me tell you, it's fucking gorgeous. The online picture doesn't do it justice. It pops like you wouldn't believe and is currently the center focal point of my living room decor.

Check out their webstore HERE

Check out their Instagram page HERE

Captain America & Captain America II VHS (1979)

Acquiring a new dresser resulted in me having to rearrange the bedroom, thus moving my collection shelves to a new location. By doing so, it allowed me to dig into what I actually have piled under stacks of random crap. That's when I found these! Which I honestly I'd forgotten I had. A buddy of mine, Rob of Action Figure Informer, who's also toy collector, gave me a few bags full of comic book related VHS tapes, with these included, a while back. They're in excellent condition and just retro cool.

These are two Made-for-TV movies that were both released in 1979 and starring legendary 80's Italian Trash action star Reb Brown (Yor, Robowar, Strike Commando). There's so much to love about these films. The fact that his mask is really a motorcycle helmet, the insanely low-budget quality and the fact that none other than Christopher Lee co-star's in Part II: Death Too Soon.

Glad I found these! They look beautiful on my shelf.

Robocop VS Terminator 16 Bit Action Figure by NECA

A few weeks back we had a so-called Collectors Festival, which was a complete joke and a complete waste of money and time. The hall was maybe a halfway full of vendors. And of those vendors, maybe 1 person actually sold vintage games, and maybe 2 sold vintage toys. All the others consisted of random booths like a couple selling new jewelry, a few booths selling some knick knacks and a few local artists trying to sell their work. I couldn't believe it. The only highlight of the event was finding this sucker, which brings me to a subject I'm very passionate about. Flippers.

2 Vendors were selling these "new" 16 Bit action figures from NECA based off of the old SNES and Sega Robocop VS Terminator games from the 90's. They just came out and hit toy shelves, mainly Toys r Us, literally a few weeks ago. But guess what? I could never find them. Why? Because fucking flippers grab them all, with inside help no less, and resell them online and at conventions for a much higher ridiculous price, never allowing actual collectors like myself the opportunity to find one while out on a hunt. Because of this, I'd never actually seen one of these figures until now in person.

Flippers were everywhere at this convention. Those new Michael Keaton 25th Anniversary Batman figures that came with the new blu ray that just came out as a Toys r Us exclusive? You could easily grab one here for an easy $60. Psh! That's just ridiculous.

I walk up to the first vendor selling these Robocop figures and asking him how much, knowing full well that they're brand new and retail for $16.99 in the store. He said $30, and I laughed and walked away. I ended up grabbing from the second vendor who also owns a toy store here in my hometown and who I personally know has a business NECA account, meaning they ordered them directly from them and not flipping them by buying out every local Toys r Us store. At $26.50, I still felt it was steep, but I figured if I ordered them online at $16.99 + Shipping, I'd be paying that anyway, so I went ahead and gave them my business.

This last convention just reminded me how much I hate flippers, and how I'll never, EVER support them. No matter how much I want a figure, I'll never buy one off of a flipper. I'd rather exchange money with fellow collectors rather than help finance their greedy money making scheme. On the plus side, this is a truly badass figure and much more impressive in person. I need to grab an Arnie and Endoskeleton now.

The Last Starfighter NES Nintendo Game

The Last Starfigher: NES (1990)

Recently as I've dived head on into finding old original NES and SNES games, especially the ones I used to play when I was a teenager in the 80's, I've been on the hunt at local thrift stores, pawn shops and flea markets. Lucky for me, I live in an area where there's no shortage of flea markets. It always just depends on whether I want to battle whatever weather conditions may be taking place during that particular Sunday. Down here, it's almost always 100 degrees with 100% humidity, which sucks.

About a week ago, on an awesome cool and breezy day, I hit up a big outdoor flea market hoping to find anything retro or vintage. About halfway through the market, my girlfriend spotted this for me and I almost lost my shit. First off, I had NO IDEA this was ever a fucking NES game. And secondly, I can't believe this old lady actually had this with it's original box!

While the box is quite beat up, the cartridge is in good shape. Unfortunately it's missing the manual, any advertisements it may have come with and the styrofoam insert, but those are things I can grab at any time online and soon this will be a complete set. I ended up paying $8 for this, and also found some other cool little toys that I will be posting on here soon.

I have a LOT of stuff to catch up on as far as posting goes, so there will be more than a few a day on here, so don't forget to check back here often and don't forget to comment!