The Papercraft Star Wars That Never Was!

Just clearing out my desk for the big move (Funko is moving to a larger facility) and I came across this mock-up for a papercraft Darth Vader that we pitched a while back, but was never produced. I thought he turned out pretty cute. Too bad he'll remain one-of-a-kind!

The Best $4 I've Ever Spent at Target!

Who doesn't love the Target $1 section? The gods know that I sure do. But I super-duper loved it this weekend when I came across this pile of Darth Vader themed school supplies...

Okay, I admit, the 7 piece set was actually $3, but that's beyond worth it.

I got a couple of Vader pencils, a tiny Vader eraser, a Vader pencil sharpener and the world's tiniest Vader sketchbook/notepad. For really, really tiny Vader drawings.

And I can carry all of this in my new handy-dandy Darth Vader carrying case! Huzzah!

But for larger, more involved drawings, the set comes with this bigger sketchbook...

And just in case I make some truly massive mistakes, sold separately was this gigantic Vader eraser...

I couldn't help but think that if I had found this set when I was in 5th grade, I would be the king of the class for a day or two amongst my Star Wars loving friends.

But, now I'm 40 and and the most I got out of this score was a weird look from my wife.

Whatevs. The Force is strong with this score.

Snaggletooth Goes Camping!

Hey kids! Just thought I'd check in an share some pics from my recent camping trip.

I know, that's not all too entirely geek-centric, but luckily, as I stopped for gas before hitting the road, I was digging into my backpack to grab my wallet when I found a certain little stowaway. I think he got left behind when I brought a bunch of my vintage Kenner Star Wars figures to work. Well, lucky for him, because it looks like good ol' Snaggletooth is going camping!

We had a good time rocking out to my Pandora Metallica playlist during the 3 hour drive into the National Forrest Preserve.

When we arrived, we found that the majority of the group who had come a day earlier had all gone fishing, so the place was deserted...

Fine by us, since we used that time to get the tent set up. He wasn't a whole lot of help, but he did a good job of supervising...

We did all kinds of fun stuff over the next five days. Like hiking...

Sitting by the campfire...

Snacking on beef jerky...

Take a dip in the river. It was sooooo cold!

For lunch, we grilled hot dogs over the fire...

And slathered them with cream cheese, the Seattle way...

We did a lot of sitting around in our camp chairs, joking and laughing. Snags found one that matched his outfit...

And I can't lie, he had a couple of brewskis. What the heck. It's camp.

He had a lot of fun playing with the dogs until they were worn out from all the adventure...

We even built him a little house!

And there was lots of snacking...

Every night, tired and smelling like wood smoke, we hit the sack in our sleeping bags to get a good night's sleep in the fresh air...

It was one heck of a trip for this little guy and as much as we were all looking forward to getting back home and taking showers, it was a little sad to say goodbye to our faithful favorite campsite for another year...

But we'll be back again next year! And if he's good, I'll be sure to bring Snaggletooth along again.

SDCC Toy Haul - Star Wars Black 6" Boba Fett Edition

There were several SDCC exclusives that I had on my list to get this year, and it pains me to say that, try as I might, I only managed to obtain one. But of all the exclusives I wanted, this was the daddy of them all.

And getting one of these in my hands proved next to impossible.

I'm talking about the Exclusive Star Wars Black 6" Boba Fett from Hasbro.

I don't want to get off on a rant here, but I do feel the need to at least give a quick rundown of how insane getting one of these turned out to be. And all of my troubles were due to a series of inane blanket policies allegedly designed to keep scalpers from snatching everything up and then flipping them for a profit in their booths. Ha.

It all started on Preview Night, when I was informed that no exhibitors were allowed to purchase anything for the first half hour. Now, keep in mind that I was there as an exhibitor for another toy company. I was not a store owner looking for hot merchandise. I just wanted one for myself to display on my desk at work. But that didn't matter. To Hasbro, and exhibitor is an exhibitor and that's that.

When I asked "a half hour starting from when" I was told from the opening time of Preview Night. Now, Preview night started at 6:00 PM, this conversation was at 5:40 PM and thousands of people were already let in and standing in line at the Hasbro booth. So I had to come back at 6:30, which meant that everyone actually had an hour head start. Great.

So, I waited until 6:30 and returned, at which time the guy working the main table (a pretty rude chap, to be honest) informed me that the line was closed for the night.

I'm not going to lie. I got pissed. This was a stunningly unfair thing to do to people who are genuine fans of their toys.

But, I decided to calm down and just come back the first thing the next morning. I was going to get that damn Boba Fett.

Thursday morning came and I went straight to the Hasbro booth first thing. There was a completely different yet somewhat even ruder chap working the table this time who let me know that to get in the line to buy toys you needed a ticket. Just to get in line. And when I asked for a ticket, I was told that they had already been given out. When? I asked. The convention had literally just opened. The guy couldn't even look me in the eye and clearly just wanted me to go away. "At 6:00 AM," he said.

SIX IN THE GOD DAMN MORNING.

Given out to all of the people sleeping out on the sidewalk in front of the convention center.

Now, hear me out. Hasbro doesn't want scalpers to buy all the toys and then mark them up and sell them in their booths. So they institute a system that makes it impossible for the average Joe who simply arrives at the con when the doors open to even get in their line, much less able to buy one of their items. Instead, they give carte blanche to the people sleeping outside all night. And do you know what kind of people sleep outside all night hoping to get tickets for toy lines? GOD DAMN SCALPERS.

I admit that I lost my cool at this point and read the riot act to the poor sap working the booth, saying things like, "I can't believe you're treating your honest customers this way. You should be ashamed of yourselves." He didn't look at me once.

This went on for three days.

For three days I was denied even the possibility to buy a toy that I just wanted to keep for myself, to look over at every now and then throughout my work day for a brief second or two of enjoyment and inspiration.

And while I was being denied this chance, Star Wars Black Boba Fetts were popping up in just about every toy dealer's booth, marked up from $50 to $120. AND PEOPLE WERE PAYING IT.

There was actually a brief moment when I considered giving some scalper scumbag $100 for one, but just couldn't stand the thought of him getting my money.

Finally, late on Saturday afternoon, I decided to take action.

I simply walked up to the people standing on the outter edge of the cow feeder line into the Hasbro booth and just started asking random strangers, "Are you getting a Boba Fett? You are? How about you? Getting a Boba Fett?"

Eventually, one of the "line guards" came up to me and said, "Are you trying to get someone to buy you something?" I started to immediately get defensive, but he calmed me down and lowered his voice, "Dude, it's cool with me, but don't let anyone here see you passing money over. They'll kick you out." At that point, this amazingly understanding Hasbro booth employee, the only one who seemed to have a heart, proceeded to quietly ask people in line on my behalf. He eventually found a guy and beckoned me over.

I explained my situation to the fellow con-goer and he was more than happy to grab a Boba Fett for me. The Hasbro booth worker had me slip the $50 bill into an order sheet, hand it to him (further down the line, real 80s spy style) which he then handed to the buyer. The buyer gave me his cell number (we acted like we we're friends planning to meet up later) and I texted him so he had mine, and we made plans for him to text me when he was through the line.

I then calmly walked off and took some time to enjoy the warm wave of relief that only a collector who has just scored the one thing he was hunting for can understand.

About 45 minutes later, I got the text; time to pick up my Boba Fett.

I couldn't thank that guy enough (I remember his name, but I'm not going to mention it here). The one thing I wanted most was finally mine, despite Hasbro's efforts to keep it from my hands.

Take that, Hasbro.

Now let's look at this beauty...

From the moment I laid eyes on the box alone, I was in love.

I rarely decided to collect a series of toys without ever seeing one in person, but I had been wanting a line of 6" Star Wars figures for years.

Let's take a look inside...

The reason this figure is so special (besides it being the first release of what I hope to be a long-lived line of toys) is that it come specially packaged and with extra accessories that will not be available in the regular release, specifically a certain space smuggler encased in carbonite.

Even the inside of the box is a work of art...

The figure itself is everything I dreamed it would be, brimming with detail and packed with elegant articulation.

As angry with Hasbro as I am, I have to admit that they knocked this out of the park. This is the kind of toy that will spoil me for other, lesser toys.

They even included a stand so Han can "hover" above the ground while the dreaded bounty hunter guards his prize.

This figure is simply astounding and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the 6" Star Wars Black line.

Now, I know that it is more than a little absurd for a 40 year old man to get so steamed over not getting the toy he wants. It's not my proudest moment. But it was the perfect storm, colliding my love for toys, my love for Star Wars and the unfairness with which simple, honest toy collectors were being treated that just boiled my blood.

Still, at the end of the day, Hasbro will get my money again. At least insofar as this toy line is concerned. So as much of a winner as I feel I am now, with my SDCC 2013 holy grail sitting on my desk at work, we all know who the real winner is here.

Well played, Hasbro.

Now don't even get me started on Mattel.

My Star Wars Tattoos are.... Complete.

It just occurred to me that I hadn't shared any pics with you guys of the final touches on my Star Wars tattoos.

You can see the process HERE and HERE.

Now, behold the icing on the cake...

And with that, I think I'm done with star Wars tats. Maybe.

I'm still tempted to get an X-Wing firing at a TIE Fighter on my chest and possibly Han's blaster on my hip with a banner around it that says "Always Shoot First". But we'll see...

May the 4th Be With You!

Happy Star Wars Day, everybody!

It's Toy Show Time and I Went a Little Crazy!

Hey fellow Hordytes! Sorry I haven't been blogging much. Work and personal life has just got me slammed. I really do miss you all.

This past weekend, I did manage to find a couple of hours to hit up our local twice-yearly Lake City Toy Show and I just wanted to quickly post my scores. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to blog about them all in greater detail at some point. God knows when that will be. But I can hope.

Also, sorry for the crappy pics. I just snapped these with my phone really quickly.

 First up, I made some pretty decent scores in the Star Wars department, snatching up two vintage Kenner figures I needed for $1 each, a vintage Micro Collection set for $5 (complete!) and a Power of the Force Oola, because even though I hate the POF line, green chicks are hot.

Another personal epic find for me was this lemon yellow Empire Gnome, which was a line of Smurf knock-offs that came out in the late '70s and early '80s. I had a couple and loved them. Now they're hella rare.

And speaking of Smurfs, I just couldn't resist these guys at $1 a piece...

But where things got crazy was when I, a person who has never bought a vintage lunch box in his life (except for my Dukes of Hazzard one), ended up catching lunch box fever with the purchase of these 5 beauties...

So, it looks like I'm a vintage lunch box collector now. Oh boy. I'm going to try and fight this, but man, they look sweet on my shelves...

Anyway, that's my latest score.

Truth is, I've been piling up all kinds of toys and comics and other cool things that I keep wanting to blog about, but just haven't found the time lately. Hopefully, I'll get around to them all eventually.

In the meantime, I hope you all are doing great out there!

Thanks for joining me on this little moment of show and tell. :)

FART WARS!

Back in 1994, I apparently drew the first three pages of a horrible Star Wars spoof comic. I actually have no memory of this, but it's definitely my style from back then and bears the mark of my Hammerhead Comix pseudo publishing company. Also, I imagine that this was drawn in some late night diner in Greensboro, NC, hence the crappy blue ballpoint pen and lined notebook paper. Thanks to my old homeboy, Dee, for digging these up and giving me a laugh! Enjoy this look into what a total loser I was. Oh, some of it may be NSFW, if you work in a stupid place.

Below is the "cover", and I use that term loosely. I just now noticed that the TIE Fighter is supposed to be a telephone. Why did I think that would be funny?

 Apparently, not only was I a horrible artist, but I was a bit of a pervert, too...

Next up, we have a "pin-up" page. Considering my stunning lack of skills drawing the human anatomy, it's a wonder how I ever built a career as an illustrator.

Anyway, hope you all got a good laugh out of this. God knows I did! I was such a loser.

Phase 2 of My Star Wars Tattoos is Complete...

Some of you may remember that back in December (hey, that rhymed!) I took the plunge and decided to declare my love for Star Wars in a big bad way by getting my mitts inked up. Well, that was only the first phase, and this time my knuckles got the treatment.

Dig it...

And for the record, if any of you out there are contemplating getting your knuckles inked, let me make one thing absolutely clear to you; THIS EFFING HURTS.

Also, these pics were taken right after we finished, so they're still a little bloody. Those red spots aren't really permanent.

Now for Phase 3...

My Newest Ink...

As some of you may know, I hit 40 years old  a little while back and I've heard a lot of people talking about 40-year-olds having a "mid-life crisis" or whatever, where guys find themselves suddenly middle-aged and they sort of freak out and try to re-capture something from their youth, but a lot of my friends have pointed out that since my everyday life is pretty much obsessed with re-capturing my youth, how different could I really seem if I were to go through a mid-life crisis? I have to admit, they have a point.

But I did want to do something to mark the occasion. And mark it in a big way. Permanently.

So, I got some ink.

I've been wanting to get more work done for a while, and for my 40th, I wanted to get something big in a spot no one can ignore. So I tattooed my hands. And when you get your hands done, which is a pretty huge commitment in itself, the theme better be about something that you love so much that you'll spend everyday for the rest of your life showing people that.

And I went with something that has literally made me a different person and guided me and entertained me for 36 of the 40 years I've been on this planet; Star Wars.

Let's say goodbye to these babies...

I decided that I wanted it all done in American Traditional style, and I had seen several examples of R2-D2 and Darth Vader done in that style that I loved, and so my tattoo artist got to work sketching up the templates for these. I wanted roses (a common American Traditional theme) around R2 and dead roses around Vader. 

I wanted R2 on my right hand, which is my drawing hand, the one I create with, so I thought the positive energy should be represented there.

First he put the stencil on...

Then we went to outline...

Make no mistake; This. Tattoo. Friggin. HURT.

There's zero meat on the back of your hand so all of my hand bones and tendons were taking a beating.

We went ahead and did the color on R2 before moving on to Vader, but I want to save that for the end.

Vader, obviously, went on my left hand and he and the dead roses represented decay or destruction to me, and since I'm a southpaw (which came in handy in my boxing training) I thought it only fitting to make my punching hand represent the darker side.

After it was all said and done, we were almost hitting the 6 hour mark and my hands were dying. The swelling over the following couple of days was practically comical. I could barely do anything for myself and even drawing or working a mouse at work was tricky, but I grunted through.

In all seriousness, I couldn't love these tattoos more. Josh down at Underworld Ink in Puyallup, WA did a fantastic job. I'm not gonna lie, part of me was pretty nervous about making such a huge leap by getting my hands done, but every day I look at these babies and love them even more.

The punchline to all of this, though, is that they're not even done! I fully intend on taking them further with a Rebel Alliance symbol going up the tops of my wrist over R2 (with yellow rays coming off of it) and an Empire symbol over Vader (with red rays), and then we're gonna top off the whole thing with the letters S-T-A-R on my right knuckles and W-A-R-S on my left knuckle. Go big or go home, I say.

Then the Force will truly flow through me.

I'll be sure to post the next phase once it's done in a couple of weeks! In the meantime, I've still got some healing to do.