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.

SDCC 2013 Toy Haul - Part 3!

I know that these aren't the most exciting things in the world, but my recent love for all things old school Disney and my love for tin collectibles and my love for tiny figures all collided into one glorious set of objects in these old school Disney tin figures...

Seriously, I couldn't love these more if I tried. And believe me, I'm trying. But I just can't.

More stuff to come! We're just getting started!

SDCC 2013 Toy Haul - Part 2

OMFG series 2!

'Nuff said!

SDCC 2013 Toy Haul Report - Part 1

Hey kids! I'm back from San Diego Comic Con! This year was beyond amazing and I have tons of stories to tell and lots of collectibles to show off, but practically no time to do either, so I thought I'd at least post a couple of pics when I get a chance.

Eventually we'll get through all the stuff I scored.

I also don't have a lot of time to wax poetically, so enjoy these pics of a handful of monstrous wind-ups I scored on the cheap.

The sparking monsters ones on the bottom are well known by just about any nerd worth his salt who grew up in the 70s and 80s.

But the two weirdos up top are a total mystery to me. But I've always had one rule: When you find wind-up toys of a gelatinous green brain and cadaver-gray eyeball with silver parasitic worms for arms, buy them.

More stuff coming soon!

Anybody Know This Little Dude?

I must have him...

**EDIT**

Found it! Well, sort of. Looks like he was part of the Arco Spacewar toy line, which I wrote about ages ago on Geek Orthodox.

Great... Why do I always want the ridiculously expensive toys? :/

My Totally Rad (Mostly) Tony Hawk Tech Deck Figure!

I love skatebording. And I love toys. So I really love skateboarding toys.

And when I spotted this little stylized figure of my all-time favorite pro skater, Tony Hawk, I wasted no time in dropping a few shekels on him. And by "a few" I mean, like, $5 shipped. BOOM!

There are several skaters in this series (which I believe is now defunct if the clearanced Chris Haslams I see peg-warming at TRU is any indication). But being an old-school dude (or just old, really), I don't really want the other guys. If they were little Lance Mountains or Rodney Mullens, that would be a different story.

Sadly, the figure looked cooler in the box. Once I got it out, it lost some charm. they gave poor Tony a pretty goofy-looking head on an obscenely long neck, and quite frankly, didn't capture his likeness at all.

The board he comes with (a Birdhouse deck, natch), has a little swiveling peg in it which fits into the holes of his feet, allowing him to do 180° shuvits (or 3240° shuvits if you just want to sit there spinning it all day).

And the peg allows for some cool poses. 

Frankly, I wish there was a bit more articulation instead of just the neck and shoulders, but this is coming from a guy who designs PVC blind box figures all day that don't pose at all, so maybe I should just shut up about that.

The good news is that his hands are perfect for holding weapons, which allows you to have a heart-pounding session of what I have dubbed "Battle Skating".

And thanks to my uncontrollable urge to buy every cool Tech Deck I see, Tony Now has some homies to skate with.

And make no mistake, that Ree Yees totally shreds.

My Newest Custom Creations...

Hey gang! lately, I've been having a lot of fun making custom toys, whether they're custom Funko Pops or my little Obvious Cause of Death Ghosts, and recently I was wandering around the local craft store and picked up some various-sized wooden blocks and had an idea.

A little wood glue, craft paint and Mod Podge helped me come up with these little chaps...

I'm not sure if there's something there or not, but I still have a bunch of wooden blocks left, so maybe I'll make more.

Right now, I'm calling them Kyoobz, but we may need a better name. Any ideas?

Anyway, just wanted to share. :)

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...

My Big Bang Theory Blind Box Figures Are On Their Way!

Hail fellow Hordytes!

I just wanted to take a quick second to share some pics of Funko's upcoming Big Bang Theory blind box figures that I worked on, that are hitting stores very soon.

This was a tricky project (much trickier than The Walking dead figures) because it was hard to capture the characters' likenesses using minimal facial features and compressing it all into a 2.75" tall figure. And even thought there were moments when this project made me want to tear my hair out (if I had any, that is), I couldn't be happier with the end result.

So, enjoy the sneak peek! Bazinga!

Little Round-Headed Wooden Spidey!

Hey gang! Long time no blog, eh?

Well, I found myself with a few minutes before we head out to a cookout, so I thought I'd share some pics of this brilliant little wooden toy that was given to me by my co-worker.

That's one of the benefits of working in the design department of a toy company; we're always coming across cool toys, and if it's not really your cup of tea, one of your fellow designers is sure to love it. And since I'm the one with a pretty impressive Spider-Man display (but, believe it or not, only the second largest Spider-Man collection in the building) this little round-headed Spidey got passed on to me...

The simplicity of this figure just warms my heart. His design is like a Fisher-Price Little People mixed with a squeaky bath toy and then made completely out of carved wood.

Each line is etched in and the paint applications are applied with a careful hand.

We actually couldn't find much about the figure. my co-worker got it as a freebie from some Japanese company around the time of the latest Spider-Man movie premiere. I guess a few of these were floating around the office at his previous job and he grabbed one.

And since it was made for the latest movie (which I still haven't seen), he has those unfortunate yellow eyes, which I'm seriously tempted to paint over with white, but I'm worried that it may be shockingly rare and worth a gazillion dollars or something.

And even if he is, that still may not stop me.

Anyway, a brilliant new piece for the Spidey shelf. Yet another reason to love my job.

'Nuff said.

Help Identify This 2-Headed Mystery Monster!

Hey gang! This morning, my co-worker gave me a handful of creepy little toys and this double-noggined monstrosity was among them. We have no idea where he's from. Is he new? Vintage? From a playset or a gumball machine? No idea.

So if anyone can help identify this chap, chime in!

Thanks!

Buy a Ghost and Help Send Me to SDCC 2013!

Hey gang! Just a quick moment of shilling...

It looks like I'm going to San Diego Comic Con after all! Things were a bit up in the air, but then my boss gave me a badge and our Vice President of Creative said I could crash on his floor in his hotel room, so all I have to do is come up with the moola to pay for the airfare and some walking around cash.

That's where my Obvious Cause of Death Ghosts SDCC 2013 Exclusive comes in!

"Fanboy Stampede" is a San Diego Comic Con 2013 Exclusive, limited edition of 20 pieces, signed and numbered by the artist.

If you've been to SDCC, you know the dangers of getting trampled when those doors open! Well, this little spook didn't move quick enough.

Each piece comes with a crumpled up mini comic book. EACH COMIC BOOK WILL BE DIFFERENT! Which one will you get?

Pieces sold on a first come, first serve basis, starting with 1/20.

Help send me to San Diego Comic Con!

Also, if anyone buys 3 regular priced ghosts (Mystery Ghosts not included), you'll get "Fanboy Stampede" for FREE! Just put "SDCC 2013" in the notes section so I know you want the special deal.

Anyway. Just throwin' that out there. No pressure.

Just head on over to ocodg.storenvy.com to get your hapless haunter today!

Thanks gang!

Braggity Brag Brag! My Walking Dead Funko Blind Box Figures Are Officially Announced!

Hail fellow Hordytes!

Please pardon my moment of shameless braggery, but Funko has finally released images of the Walking Dead Blind Box series that I designed.

I ain't gonna lie, I'm pretty effin' proud of these and can't wait for them to hit stores.

The pre-sales are phenomenal, so we're already expecting a series 2.

It has always been a dream of mine to design and develop an entire toy line and to see these little guys come to life (or "un-life" I suppose) is quite frankly blowing my mind.

Enjoy the pics if you haven't already seen them.

Leage of Extraordinary Bloggers Post: Star Trek!

I've managed to find about 10 minutes to squeeze in a quick post for my favorite weekly feature (that I miss dearly), and this week's assignment is simply titled Star Trek.

Unfortunately, I have never been a fan of Star Trek. Despite my penchant for green women, Star Trek has never really impressed me.

The original series bored me as a kid, the Next Generation stuff was even worse (and it was crammed down my throat thanks to a Trekker roommate), and pretty much all of the movies were lame-o (although Wrath of Khan had its moments).

However, I did honestly enjoyed the latest reboot movie, and look forward to the new one. So I guess my distaste for Star Trek is 100%.

Still, I wracked my brain trying to think of something Trek-ish that I could post, and the only thing that I could come up with is a quick pic of the only remotely Star Trek related collectibles I own; my Captain Snoopy and Woodspock Funko Wacky Wobblers...

And I gotta be honest, I only have these because I'm a Peanuts fan.

But that just goes to show how powerful the legacy of Star Trek is; When a person who actively avoids and is inherently repulsed by a certain franchise and he still ends up with at least a couple of collectibles on his shelf touch by the very thing he tried to avoid. Star Trek, whether I like it or not, is everywhere.

Live Long and Prosper.

From the other League Trekkies...

Fortune & Glory Days
AEIOU & Sometimes Why?
Infinite Hollywood

Zombie Captain America Custom Funko Pop!

Hey guys! I just wanted to share a quick shot of my latest custom Funko Pop. This time I whipped up a Zombie Captain America from the Marvel Zombies graphic novel.

Hope you all dig him!

By the way, if you haven't read the Marvel Zombies books, I strongly suggest that you remedy that as soon as possible. They're tons of fun!

Vintage Disney Wonderful World Lunch Box!

So, my vintage lunch box addiction has gone full-blown. I'm in deep, people. I don't exactly know what it is that I I suddenly love about them. Perhaps it's that I've been working on tin products for the past few years and I'm starting to see the artistry in the graphics and embossing. Or maybe I just like how they look all lined up on my shelves.

Either way, you guys and gals can count on a lot more lunch-box-centric posts from me in the coming months.

My latest acquisition is this beauty of a lunch box from 1980 featuring Disney's heavy hitters within Disney World backdrops.

The front shows Mickey acting as the engineer of an old-timey railroad engine, accompanied by Pluto and only one of Donald's nephews, which is weird to think that Huey, Dewey and Louey went out and did stuff on their own every now and then. Where are the other two? At the dentist? Freaks me out.

The flip side is less exciting and I guess they were trying to promote some ice skating show. Still, that's a lot of showgirl thigh to be showing on a kids lunch box.

What I really love are the side graphics, which serve as a virtual tour of Walt Disney World. Under the handle we see  Mickey, Donald, Pluto and two of the three nephews gettin' all space-agey in a rocket ride.

We also get to see Goofy acting goofy in front of a hippopotamus...

Here's a beautiful scene of Donald going through the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Incidentally, this happens to be one of my favorite scenes on the Disneyland version of the ride.

But my favorite has to be the shot of Mickey running in mortal terror from a few Haunted Mansion ghosts...

Now, unlike most of my vintage lunch boxes, this bad boy came with a Thermos. The graphics echo the scenes from the lunch box, with more pirates, hippos, trains and ghosts.

I normally don't care about the Thermos, but if I do get one with my vintage lunch box scores, I much prefer these cylindrical ones with the graphics all the way around.

I scored this baby for about $20, but it looks like a million bucks on my shelf.

Many more lunch boxes to come!