So I’ve had this idea in my head for a thread for quite some time. I realize it’s a very outside the box concept, particularly for the premise and mission statement behind this board, but I’m curious about the lot of you. The idea: show me toys you enjoy outside of this realm of sofubi. It can be Kid Robot shit, StrangeCo, 360 Toy Group, old street figures; whatever. I just want to have more insight to people’s favorites and collections that may not get as talked about or highlighted, in the possible event that you’d like to. The only ‘rule’ I’ll implement, for the sanctity of the boards themselves, is to put ALL contributions in Spoilers. I feel like this will be a hierarchal way of maintaining Skullbrain’s integrity, while also bringing a fun sense of mystique to “I wonder what they posted”. If this is a stupid ass idea, kill the noise and delete the thread. But I’m more than happy to get started. 360 Toy Group’s Spector. Simple two part figure that, to me, represents a lot of the aesthetic style I grew up with, while also being a rad, stoic toy with a lot of character. This is an old photo, so forgive how bad it is. And yes, it’s Chinese soft vinyl. Spoiler: Spector
Neat thread idea. I still enjoy the western stuff from time to time. I like them as display pieces around the main living area in my house. The sofubi go downstairs in a dark corner where they can't scare visitors Spoiler Also love me some Lego. I stick specifically to the speed champ cars, the modular buildings and some of the creator series, more affordable this way lol.
That’s a very, very clean and pleasing setup, Kevin. My eyes immediately gravitated to the MF Doom and JDilla figures next to each other. I wish I had the Stussy x Dilla version, but I’m good with having one at all. Coarse Toys are also some of THE most visually striking toys I’ve ever seen.
Thanks Robert! I wish I had the Stussy Dilla too man, but likewise I am happy with just the one. I do hope that at some point I can land a mono DOOM though.
Great idea for a thread and I am a sucker for a vintage tin toy, specifically one that has motion and movement of some kind. Marx, in particular, made some great toys in the 60s and 70s. This one is my favourite and I'm happy to have it in my collection. After trying various options, I can only get the video to work as a link (sorry)... Spoiler https://i.imgur.com/oPM1pkv.mp4 (unfortunately, the video lacks sound but the different buttons do trigger sounds on some of the actions)
AHH!!! The Hootin’ Hollow Haunted House!!! That’s so awesome you have that in your collection, Simon! And it looks to be in great shape for its age, too!!!
thanks Robert. Cosmetically it was very clean when I bought it but a few of the movements weren’t working as they should - which is not uncommon - and more often than not, the noises don’t work! It came out of a defunct museum in England, so had lived a relatively easy life in later years. After buying it, I cleaned as much of the internals as I could and when I still couldn’t get all the functions working, I found a guy in the US who is a whiz repairing Marx toys. I shipped it to the US, waited my turn in the queue to have it repaired and once done, he sent he back… only for me to find it still wasn’t working! So it went back again in the post and he fixed it for a second time. This time he took a video of it working, which is the video above, before sending it back! So, this is one well travelled Haunted House!
I've always wanted the Futura/Unkle Medicom RAH Pointman figures. But have never pulled the trigger. Ultimately I'd want all 4 colors, but don't think I could ever shell out for the blue, pink, or green. Spoiler I also like some of the newer Pointmen figures Futura has released (FL-001, -002, 003)
@---NT--- Lulubell had two of the Nosferatu Pointman figures for the LONGEST time and no one would pick ‘em up. An old buddy of mine from Flagstaff, Az came in one day and saw the $65 each markdown we’d put on ‘em and he scooped up both right there. Baffles me that it took so long for someone to notice even one, let alone the pair. Never seen these RAH versions, though! Those look rad!!!
My next personal entry is the Medicom x Brad Digital BPM figure. Man, do I love this one. Even without the turntable he holds, the Timbs and hoodie and ski mask just make this figure New York hip hop as hell. The baggy jeans, the exaggerated features in the boots and torso and hands, but this little ass head. Just cool shit all around. Love the spider web on the elbow, too. Another old photo, so forgive the lack of current quality I tend to strive for. Spoiler: Brad Digital BPM
I've wanted this toy since 1977: Spoiler I don't know why, but I was a five year old kid who didn't want to see Star Wars. My aunt was playing babysitter for my parents one night and she practically had to drag me into the car to get me to go. As you could imagine, minutes after the movie started, I was hooked. As the closing credits rolled, I was so excited to see it again that I begged my aunt to stay in the theater until the next showing, and she obliged me, so the second time I saw Star Wars ended up being several minutes after I finished watching it for the first time. We only hung out until the scene where Threepio and Artoo's escape pod launches, but I was scanning every inch of the screen, trying to absorb every detail. And then at the five minute mark, there was this: Even this soon after my first viewing, Artoo had earned his status as my favorite character, but aside from the (then) nameless droid that blew up after Uncle Owen bought it, I barely noticed any other Artoo-like droids in the movie. What was this one's name? Why did it have that cool conehead? What happened to it after the Imperials captured the crew? The next couple of years went by and R5-D4 got a name and an action figure, but my beloved conehead never materialized. It did get a name, R4-M9, from the West End Games books in the early 90s, and after that there were realistically-styled versions of it in action figure and model kit form, but none of them scratched the itch I had been carrying for decades at that point. I was an Early Bird kid. To me, an astromech toy needed only two legs, had a head that clicked when you turned it, and relied on a sticker for detail. Finally, this year, an outfit called Stan Solo Creations made an unlicensed version and it it checks all of the boxes for me. There are a couple of extra touches that I do appreciate: how the green stripes on the head don't line up with the ones on the body when the head faces straight, and the off-white cream color of the plastic. These details make the figure very screen-accurate, but even without them I'd still be satisfied with it. And thanks to @xSuicide Squadx, I get to gush about it here behind a spoiler tag, something I won't do on Instagram, because Chris Smith, the guy in the UK who runs Stan Solo Creations, is an absolute psychopath. Despite there being an ocean between us, I want to stay off of his radar as much as possible. Seriously, the dude is nuts. He makes pretty good toys, though. For now, R4 is on my new shelf with other favorites:
I'm not usually looking for nudity in my toys, but i make an exception for these . An enduring classic and i've been collecting them for years. I rarely see them out in the wild. Spoiler: NSFW
@Roger Thats such an awesomely amazing story, and I’m really stoked you’ve been able to openly tell us here! I can’t imagine there were very many lucky kids that got to see Star Wars twice, back to back, when it hit theaters! That alone is bad ass by itself, but having the accompanying tale of the toy with it is cool as hell.
@The Moog You can’t beat a classic, clean and fun Kewpie doll. It’s simply one of those toys that will forever be widely recognized, iconic and timeless!
Definitely not ashamed of handmade Ugly dolls. Need to dig them out of storage and figure out how to display them . Love this thread, by the way!
...only because you asked so nicely Some more tin (and plastic) wind up toys. Love the Universal Monsters, often sold as 'Limited Edition', but I doubt they were that limited. The story goes that they did the first run of three and then meant to do another three but only ended up doing two. The Mummy, Creature, Frank and the Wolfwman all have rectangle presentation boxes, whilst Dracula has slightly coffin-esque (top shaping) detail. All come with a little certificate and a steel wind up key. The plastic chaps at the bottom (three in the middle) are all examples of wind ups I had as a child. They all used to hiss sparks out of their mouths and this fascinated me - I still clearly remember, tentatively, holding my finger in front of the mouth to see if it would hurt. I have more, and many of TikiCo (JP) wonderful recreations but they are in storage until I can find the right space to display them. As with my moving Marx Haunted House, there is something special (to me) about mechanical toys that move. Playing with them as a kid, I still remember setting up Star Wars figures, and the like, and winding up large tin robots to walk towards them. Some fought back, some were toppled by the metal behemoths and some swapped sides and started fighting for the side of the 'enemy' becoming the precursor to the army of Skynet...
^ love those windups @Mr Fox! especially the goji and tetsujin Our shelves of knick knacks. Spoiler Wife recently got into sanrio blind boxes as well, an addiction that's been fun to feed. I forgot how exciting/frustrating blind boxes can be Spoiler
@SstatusSkuo It's nice that you and your wife can share in the addiction @Mr Fox That's such a nice setup. This takes me back... my father used to collect wind up tin toys. Robots, cars, carousels, roller coasters, monsters, you name it. We'd play with them a lot. Spoiler: Peekaboo Kinda sorta a toy (not really. maybe?), I fell in love with Hiroshi Iguchi's "Cult Sign" ceramic sculpture when I first saw one in a Pilgrim Surf Supply. It's pretty genius. I have a few different colors peppered around at home and in the office. He's made a bunch over the years. View this post on Instagram
I saw that thing in the background of your mail day post and was wondering what it was! that is super cool!
Another one of my collections, I've bought quite a few more since I did this compilation. I can't pass up a cheap blaster!
@Mr Fox Gah, these are wonderful!!! That Gill - Man is so rad!!! Really love the variety you display, but also how you’ve managed to find such preserved and good standing pieces! Beautiful nook! @SstatusSkuo Dude, classics with the Erik Scarecrow next to the Amanda Vissel! Love it! And it’s rad your wife shares her own interest and found her spot to carve out with collecting! @bbb That shit is so cool lookin’, dude. The fact that it’s ceramic deters me not, and I’m stoked you included a new medium in here! I love how perfectly represented his face is, and neither side indicates what you’d expect with the other. @The Moog You're hittin’ every nostalgia button with those blasters, man. The Swap Meet in South Phoenix always had a variety like this, just not as aesthetically intricate and decorated. But they’re super cheap, all make the exact same noises, but the lights and accessibility always made ‘em some of the most fun toys as a kid.
@gomora63 This is not only a great choice, but also classically classic. Getting a whole bucket of soldiers for so little dollar amounts was awesome as a kid. The time spent setting them all up, so intricately, just to have ‘em all explode and fly all over the room. Maybe setting up soldiers like this was what started our display sensibilities?