The Action Figure and Toy Collecting and Discussion Thread!

[Astra]

Wait. Photobucket images are working again?

Nice!

Yeah, for a while now. They got a new manager who wrote a long apology and they backtracked on the prices which are far lower now. I don't know if anyone would be willing to go back though. They also did not say if the images would work only for a certain time and still get pulled one day. But for the moment I am thanking them for trying to do it right this time.

The sticker is new though, in the beginning there was none. I can live with it if it means I don't have to re-do all my links.

 

[Avro Arrow]

I don't know if anyone would be willing to go back though.

I’m not going back. “Fool me once” and all.

I’m glad all my old links probably work again, but I’m continuing on with PostImage moving forward. Until they pull something similar, anyway...

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

i didn't see the apology. I also was told in a bold warning that i had tOO MAY pics.. and then when I actually go into my account I was told I only have used 4% of my storage. I don't get it. I honestly don't understand

 

[cooleddie74]

Photobucket has been a complete mess for ages now. I haven't seen an image host run so incompetently in all my years online.

 

[CaptainMurdock]

I use imgur. Just dump your photos and go. It's simple and easy to use.

 

[Astra]

i didn't see the apology. I also was told in a bold warning that i had tOO MAY pics.. and then when I actually go into my account I was told I only have used 4% of my storage. I don't get it. I honestly don't understand

“We have taken back Photobucket and are working diligently to return it to the premier image storing and hosting service that it was known as previously,” said Ted Leonard, CEO, Photobucket. “There were some mistakes made and we acknowledge them. Our new leadership is dedicated to helping our customers do great things with their images in a fair, cost-effective and valuable way.”


As of today, all hosted images that Photobucket’s customers had lost access to last year have been restored.


“There are more changes coming, but we hope that this initial subscription offering and restoring access to customers’ photos will help to reinstate goodwill among our customers who had depended on Photobucket to conduct business and share their work,” said Leonard.


https://www.globenewswire.com/news-...er-Needs-and-Re-establish-Customer-Trust.html

 

[Astra]

Beautiful day for a hike.

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

Still confused about Photobucket.. just got an ATTENTION YOUR PHOTOS HAVE EXCEEDED BANDWIDTH or some such thing despite the fact the only photo I've posted in the last twelve months is the picture of the action figures I bought.. also.. I mean it STILL says I've only used a small amount of my storage. The site is dumb as a skunk

 

[cooleddie74]

I got the same message earlier. The site is a complete tire fire at this point.

 

[Redfern]

I have a co-worker who's a really swell fellow! I returned to work on Monday a few weeks ago and saw a modest sized box sitting upon my desk. It was the "Pop Vinyl" version of "Crow T. Robot" from "Mystery Science Theater 3000"! Apparently, my desk "neighbor" recalled my thwarted attempts to purchase either Crow or Tom Servo (I can't remember which now) from eBay, only for a totally unrelated item to appear in my "basket". Well, he was in a shop in Tallahassee ; saw Crow; remembered my comical plight; bought it and surprised me with it the next workday!

He even checked for Tom Servo, but GameStop didn't have it. I tried paying him, but as it was only 10 bucks, he declined. (Maybe he'll let me get lunch for him sometime soon.)

Since that pleasant Monday, I found a Tom Servo at "Big, Bad ToyStore" for the same price (not including shipping), so I ordered it. Now I have the pair standing upon my desk, ready to riff upon the lunacy of office "life".

 

[Astra]

- "For the last time, Mulder, Nessie does not exist!"



- "Oh hello there, little fella!"

 

[Astra]

All that's left of her.

 

[Mr Soak]

All that's left of her.

Kirk: You left a map to your secret stash of whiskey on the back of the dedication plaque?
Scotty: Aye, laddie.

 

[Unicron]

The other day I came across some interesting concept art for Kenner's Super Powers line, which might have been produced for a third wave of the figures had the line kept going. The planned concepts are a tad goofy, with one branch turning several popular DC heroes into Mad Max variations (Lord Batman Humongous ) and a fully robotic Cyborg from the robot line seems a tad redundant to me. It's interesting that Superman's Hi-Tech concept bears a resemblance to the Eradicator design that would later appear in the Return of Superman arc.

 

[Astra]

Spock: "What a crude way of transportation."
Kirk: "Where is your sense for adventure?"
Bones: "Beats having my particles spread all over the universe!"
Scotty: "Ain't it a beauty?"

 

[Tflockj]

I had some of the Major Matt Mason toys-combined my interest in all thing space with action figures. I remember that the wires in the joints were not very durable. Great playsets.

Tom

With several toys experiencing "revivals", you know what I'd love for Mattel (or another company) to bring back?

Major Matt Mason!

For anyone possibly too young to know, well, this Wiki article can explain better than I.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Matt_Mason

Here's a personal site that describes the individual toys in more detail.

http://www.wildtoys.com/MMMPage/index.asp

But given those pictures are a bit small by today's web browsing standards, here are the results of a general Google search.

https://www.google.com/search?sa=N&...WMa1AKHQ4RCiY4ChCwBHoECAcQAQ&biw=1322&bih=874

Other than my Remco brand "Lost in Space" Robot, Major Matt Mason was my favorite toy of the latter 1960s! I was mesmerized by the "Space Race, my imagination fueled by each new launch, culminating by our landing humans upon the Moon. What better toy to offer a child fascinated with this bold, new frontier?

Now, I realize it would be impractical, and would almost certainly lose money to try bringing back the entire line, but surely Mattel (or whomever would turn at least a modest profit if they re-issued the core figures of Mason, Storm, Davis and Long with a few of their less extravagant accessories like the "space sled" and the endearingly clunky "moon suit"? Yes, I'm aware it would probably not appeal to the usual kids' market. No, instead promote the "nostalgia factor" and present them as collectibles to those who were children during that pivotal era of space technology. Yeah, they would cost more that way, but certainly less than the "asking prices" of originals on eBay. Plus, as adults, odds are those collectors would better understand the fragility of the wire core "skeleton" that allows for their posing.

Several years ago, actor Tom Hanks was intrigued with the notion of making a "Major Matt Mason" movie. Had it come to fruition, I bet the toy line, or at least selected figures and gadgets from it would have returned to shelves.

I propose this only because we have seen several vintage toys revised (in limited numbers, anyway), like various action figures from the Mego line. I would like to believe the same could be done for good ol' Mason. Or maybe it's my nostalgic cravings that are deluding me.

 

[Astra]

Someone built this miniature Electro shop into the basement window at a street here in Dresden. Such incredible detail, down to the graffiti. I took Alfred to take some pictures. My local newspaper had an article on it, otherwise I would have never found it.

 

[Redfern]

Woah! that diorama is just exposed to the elements, potential vandals and bladder stressed dogs? That's a rather ephemeral set up! Beautiful work, of course! I just cringe at the notion how easily it can be damaged...and how soon. It's not a matter of "if", but rather "when".

 

[Therin of Andor]

Woah! that diorama is just exposed to the elements, potential vandals and bladder stressed dogs? That's a rather ephemeral set up! Beautiful work, of course! I just cringe at the notion how easily it can be damaged...and how soon. It's not a matter of "if", but rather "when".

My penpal's home town, Ann Arbor, Michigan, has a wonderful tradition of fairy doors all around the town. Even the cinema has a tiny fairy cinema in the foyer that plays tiny images on a tiny screen!

When a full-size shop closes down, there is the panic that the fairy door will vanish, but some get adopted by new caretakers.

https://urban-fairies.com/TOURMAP.html

 

[Astra]

Woah! that diorama is just exposed to the elements, potential vandals and bladder stressed dogs? That's a rather ephemeral set up! Beautiful work, of course! I just cringe at the notion how easily it can be damaged...and how soon. It's not a matter of "if", but rather "when".

I was thinking about that too! The whole thing looked very clean. No visible dirt. Maybe the artist lives close and looks after it once in a while. The newspaper article says he does not want to be named so they must have been spoken to him.

The silver ball in the little shop window even was spinning and I assume the candles in the other two windows will be lit up at night but I did not stick around long enough for that.

As for vandals, it is so deep down that I wonder if people walking by even notice it? Would I have seen it had I not been looking for it?

PS: Bladder stressed dogs LOL

My penpal's home town, Ann Arbor, Michigan, has a wonderful tradition of fairy doors all around the town. Even the cinema has a tiny fairy cinema in the foyer that plays tiny images of a tiny screen!

When a full-size shop closes down, there is the panic that the fairy door will vanish, but some get adopted by new caretakers.

https://urban-fairies.com/TOURMAP.html

Aw, that's also a nice idea!