Archive for December, 2013

Christmas Morning, 1985: The U.S.S. Flagg

Published December 23, 2013 Catalogs , Christmas , Christmas Morning , G.I. Joe 11 Comments

chrsitmas morning u.s.s. flagg

That’s right, suckers. There it is. Definitely the biggest playset ever made, and one of the baddest. Reader Don Allen sent this in just after Christmas last year. I’ve been waiting a long time to show it off. Don says:

Yeah, I was THAT kid. As you can see I also got the G.I. Joe Rattler and looks like some other small vehicle… My dad spent the night putting this thing together and putting the decals on, and I was pretty damn surprised in the morning. Wish I still had it!

When this photo was taken we lived in Bristol, Tennessee, so not sure where my parents picked it up from. Possibly Sears. I remember my dad saying they had a hard time finding one. As far as I remember, I don’t recall actually asking for the Flagg. I know they knew I wanted it as I loved G.I. Joe and real life aircraft carriers, so I’m sure when my dad saw it he knew I’d love it. So yeah, it was a complete surprise to get it! Sadly, I ended up selling this at a garage sale around 1994 or so. Wish I still had it. It was still 100% complete and in good condition, as this was always the centerpiece of my toy collection!

To get a better idea of just how big it is, here’s the Flagg in a brilliant Joe display in the 1985 Montgomery Ward Catalog.

MW Catalog Flagg 1985

Thanks for the awesome pic, Don.

Happy Holidays to All!

Christmas Morning, 1978: Battlestar Galactica and the Old Chair

Published December 20, 2013 Battlestar Galactica , Christmas , Christmas Morning , Mattel Toys 11 Comments

Christmas 1978 2W2N

Yours truly, aged six, holding the triple-missile-firing Colonial Scarab. I had the original Viper and Cylon Raider too, before they were reissued with non-firing missiles.

The weird thing about the BSG line is that the vehicles came with 2-inch figures that fit into the cockpits, so you couldn’t actually use—not without awkwardness, anyway—the official 3¾” figures with the vehicles.

BSG Scarab 1978

BSG Scarab 1978-2

There’s a race track on my left, possibly the Hot Wheels Double Scare Speedway. Wish I knew what was in those other presents. I’m assuming Star Wars. The green one right in front of me looks tasty, right? Is that a Micronaut next to my right knee? A jigsaw puzzle next to my left knee?

Let me tell you about that chair. It rocked and swiveled, and when my parents weren’t around I beat the everliving crap out of it. I flung myself into it at full speed, rode it like a bucking bronco, rolled off the top when it bent all the way back and slammed against the ground. I put one knee on it and spun myself around like it was a cheap playground merry-go-round. I hid unwanted food items in its crevices.

It was Tatooine, G.I. Joe Headquarters, an obstacle in the Danger Room, a rock that hid me from the Ringwraiths, a starfighter.

I curled up on it every morning and watched cartoons on the only TV in the house.

That damn chair was hideous-looking, dirtier than a dump, and dangerous as a box of rattlers.

How I miss it.

* * *

One more post on Monday, and that’s it for me until 2014. I’ve got a nasty cold, and my plan this weekend is to stay in bed and watch Christmas movies. It’s time for the kid to meet Santa and the Three Bears…

Pop (Culture) Quiz #1: Winners Announced!

Published December 19, 2013 Pop (Culture) Quizzes 1 Comment

War Games Incoming

Congratulations to Mike Moore and Jay McDowell, the first and second place winners (respectively) of 2 Warps to Neptune’s very first Quiz!

Mike got 22 out of 30 (including all 5 Breakfast Club answers), and Jay got 17 out of 30. Good work, guys. And a giant thank you to everyone who played. The questions weren’t a walk in the park, I know.

I had a lot of fun writing the thing, and I’ll do another one at some point next year. Keep your minds and pencils sharp!

Here’s the answer key to #1:

  1. Abraham
  2. a (Pencil)
  3. b (Conquest)
  4. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars
  5. a (The Keep on the Borderlands)
  6. Brain: had a gun in his locker; Athlete: taped Larry Lester’s buns together; Basket Case: had nothing better to do; Princess: ditched school to go shopping; Criminal: pulled the fire alarm (“What if your home, what if your family—what if your dope—was on fire?” “Impossible, sir. It’s in Johnson’s underwear.”)
  7. c (Conan the Barbarian)
  8. Mansion, Apartment, Shack/Sewer, House
  9. Gyruss
  10. Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel
  11. c (The Man from Snowy River)
  12. Duran Duran (eponymous)
  13. Magic Realm
  14. Big Trouble in Little China (Friend J. missed this one and was rightly, heartily ashamed. We watched the movie almost every weekend.)
  15. Bruce Springsteen
  16. c (Wisdom)
  17. The Cure
  18. c (Wolverine)
  19. Battlestar Galactica
  20. E.T.
  21. BONUS QUESTION: The Day After

Christmas, Circa 1977: Johnnie Walker Red

Published December 19, 2013 '70s Decor/Design/Fashion , Christmas Leave a Comment

Christmas Johnny Walker

Take a minute to appreciate what’s going on here.

  1. Dude got Scotch for Christmas, and surely that’s a glass of beer on the TV tray—right next to the ashtray and the pack of Winstons.
  2. Looks like a white turtleneck under his Christmas sweater, polyester bell-bottoms, and I think those are Chelsea boots (part of the Stormtrooper uniform).
  3. “Leather” man-chair (not as awesome as this one) and gold velvet couch.
  4. Oh, right, and there’s a baby—right next to the ashtray and the pack of Winstons.

Growing up in working-middle-class America in the ’70s was such delicious poison.

Christmas Morning, 1978: Everything! (Part Two)

Published December 18, 2013 Christmas , Christmas Morning , Kenner Toys , Six Million Dollar Man, The , Space Toys/Playsets , Star Trek , Star Wars (Original Trilogy) 4 Comments

Regular readers will know by now the legend of Mikey Walters. D&D module designer, video game programmer, filmmaker, and compelling interview subject, Mikey has recently unearthed some jaw-dropping home video of several Christmas mornings in the 1970s.

See Mikey caress the Death Star! See Mikey fire the Laser Rifle! See Mikey apply decals to the Tie Fighter, play Electroman with his awesome Dad (“Hi, Mom!”), test the crank of the Star Bird Command Base, from which he launches his Star Bird Avenger into the stars! It’s a video prelude to the photo I posted of Mikey last year.

Here’s another one. Christmas, 1976. Look at him go!

Toys seen here include the incredible Star Trek Mission to Gamma VI playset and a Star Trek Tricorder; The Six Million Dollar Man Mission Control Center and Bionic Transport and Repair Station; the Earthquake Tower (“World’s tallest playset!”); and—wait for it—the Space: 1999 Eagle 1.

See all the videos on Mikey’s YouTube channel, and read about Mikey’s memories of those mornings on his blog.

There was a time when our biggest worry was which amazing present to open first. Here it is, in living color.

Christmas Morning, 1979: Playskool’s Star Rider

Published December 17, 2013 Christmas , Christmas Morning , Kenner Toys , Space Toys/Playsets , Star Rider (Playskool) , Star Wars (Original Trilogy) 4 Comments

Star Rider 1979

The Star Rider is the only toy I know of that tries to simulate the experience of flying a spaceship. It was pricey (about $50) and, from what I can tell, was only produced in ’79 and ’80. This 1983 article describes the Star Rider as “a young child’s riding toy now being marketed by Playskool,” but it sounds like a mistake to me. There’s nothing in the catalogs after 1980. A very rare find today.

That’s Kenner’s Imperial Troop Transporter to the right of the Falcon.

(Photo via Jack Mayfield/Flickr)

Custom Canvas Art Prints: Batman, Star Trek, Star Wars, and More

Published December 16, 2013 Batman , Board Games/Tabletop Games , Star Trek , Star Wars (Original Trilogy) , Trading Cards Leave a Comment

Batman Print

Star Trek Print

Star Wars Print

Voyage Print

It’s probably too late for Christmas, but damn, these are really nice. The images have been digitally recreated by Greg at the Retro Art Blog based on original trading card wrappers, View-Master covers, classic board game covers, classic model covers, and so on. Above is a  small sampling. See the rest at his eBay store, Retro Art Stuff.

Sizes vary depending on what’s being reproduced: board game canvases will look like board games, and trading card canvases will look like a (giant!) pack of trading cards. All of the prints above are 16″ x 20″.  The killer Spock print is based on the cover of an old AMT model kit.

Greg’s also on Facebook.

Christmas Morning, 1980: Lego Space and The Green Machine

Published December 16, 2013 Christmas , Christmas Morning , Lego , Lego Space , Marx Toys/Playsets 10 Comments

Christmas Lego 1980

That’s the Galaxy Explorer, the centerpiece of the 1979 Lego Space line. (For stacks of Lego Space in a toy store in 1981, go here.)

Marx Toys released the Big Wheel in 1969 and the Green Machine—“a racer for guys who like a ride that’s really fast…“—in 1976. Damn thing was the Corvette of racing trikes.

JC Penney Catalog 1976

JCPenney Christmas Catalog, 1976

I’m assuming the dog on the left is a Christmas present, and the dog on the right isn’t.

(Images via j_t_d/Flickr and Wishbook)

Target and Toys R Us Nintendo Ads, 1986/1988

Published December 13, 2013 Ads , Christmas , Home Consoles , Nintendo , Toy Stores/Toy Aisles/Toy Departments , Video Games 2 Comments

Nintendo Ad 1986

Nintendo Ad 1988

I can’t remember if I got my NES for Christmas ’86, or Christmas ’87. Either way, it was the most my parents ever spent on a single gift. I got a Schwinn Scrambler (red mags—it was beautiful) one Christmas, but I’d been putting payments on the thing for months. I’d sold my old bike to a kid in the neighborhood and used the money as a down—I think it was 20 bucks. My parents sneakily paid the balance, and there it was propped up by the tree in the morning.

Anyway, Atari it isn’t, but the NES is a great system. I put it third behind the 2600 and Intellivision. Favorite games: Tecmo Super Bowl and Xenophobe. Friend J. and I, and his brother, logged many, many hours on the former. And I have a very strong memory of renting Xenophobe from Blockbuster, getting pizza from the neighborhood joint next door, and playing three-player mode throughout the night.

The fact that the NES went up in price between 1986 and 1988 shows how dominant it was at the time. The next system I got—and the first one I bought for myself—was a Sega Genesis in the early ’90s, when Sonic the Hedgehog was bundled with it.

(Images via The Mushroom Kingdom and Fins Vintage Paper and Collectibles/eBay)

Christmas Morning, 1981: Opening the AT-AT

Published December 13, 2013 Christmas , Christmas Morning , Kenner Toys , Star Wars (Original Trilogy) 14 Comments

Christmas AT-AT 1981

Christmas AT-AT 1981-2

Damn you, Benjamin Oderwald and Shuffle/Repeat!

(Note big brother’s Hulk socks in the second photo. What’s on his pajamas? It’s driving me nuts.)

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