We interrupt these messages...

Sorry folks, I was really on a roll to start posting every three days, but my plans have been put on hold while I return to Syracuse for my Dad, who's in the hospital. He's doing better.

I should be back in Los Angeles pretty soon, and I intend to continue posting twice a week - every Monday and Thursday, I think. Until then, here's this completely non-ironic look at the Spider-man 3 version of Operation. (Spotted in a thrift store in Syracuse).

Kid's Stuff: Michael Jackson's collections part 7

Hey long time readers - remember back when FCG was about more than just the preview of Michael Jackson's cancelled auction? Well, it will be again soon. I'm only getting these up here while still relevant, and also - it's helping me to get used to posting more frequently. I'd like to be updating this at least 3 times a week, normally, and I have plenty of good stuff to get to. (Hint: Big Bang Theory). So, this is the penultimate look at Michael's stuff - we'll wrap it up tomorrow, then on to coverage of the San Diego Comic Con 2009.

Another giant room of the abandoned department store holding this preview was full of "kid's stuff" - games and things. Like, this odd generic slush machine. I guess Michael couldn't afford a Slurpee or Icee machine? (Or even Slush Puppy?)

Blurred photo of walls of pinball machines. The blue and red blur on the wall was a framed autographed photo of Christopher Reeve, the matte falling apart.
The instant photo booth actually kind of creeped me out a little.

But, I rather like the John Romita-esque Spider-man on the wall.
Another photo booth.
Odd robot shaped toy dispensing machine.
Odd military man shaped toy dispensing machine.
Ziggy the clown toy machine.
As you can see, tons of arcade games - and is that a Power Ranger?
This is a real person - Rob, who went to the auction with me. (He was anonymous back in part one, but he told me he didn't mind being shown).
More vehicles - bikes and a bike/cart thing. Hey, there's Darth Vader (Return of the Jedi era, seated) and Darth made out of Legos (standing).
I don't know how they chose which little cars went inside, and which were parked out in the sun (back in part 1)
Luigi and monkey toy dispensing machine.
Hey - a slot machine! Like for grown-ups!
Another view of the pedal car.
Remember Virtual Boy?
A big ride on type video game - never really seen one of these before.
No surprise to see a couple of ETs there.
Oh, and there's a C-3Po standing by the Darths we saw in the distance before. you know - there are a heck of a lot of fake people from Neverland Ranch here...
...there's a Spider-man. And remember all the Michael Jackson's?
And a Lara Croft...
....Marilyn Monroe, Superman in the back...
Bruce Lee sporting a Jacko-type hat...
...um, Willy Wonka?
Elvis Presley-
A particularly unnerving old animated baby doll.
And remember the statues of servants I mentioned before? You can see at least five of them in this picture!
And all the kids statues that were outside? There were even more inside. It's weird, but...even if nobody was there, there were a lot of people at Neverland Ranch.

You could never feel completely alone.

SDCC 2: Where's Spidey?

Curse you Khan Noonian Singh!!!

We're closing in on the San Diego Comic Con.... home of many, many exclusive collectible items.  Comic Con Exclusives are usually very short run, and only available to buy during the four and a half day run of the convention.  (Or, you know, on Ebay forever after).  Last year, I barely resisted getting the exclusive Snoopy & Woodstock Kirk & Spock bobbleheads, above.  I'm sure many collectors of Peanuts, Star Trek, or bobble heads were delighted to snap them up.

I've bought many, many convention exclusives in the past - Stan Lee action figures, silver Boba Fett's, Night of the Living Dead Summer Spectacular Comic Books.  This year, I may just be tempted by the Madd Muggs vinyl "spider sense" Peter Parker.

Comic Con is the collector's mecca to end all collectors meccas, with something like 75,000 people attending on Saturday alone in 2006, before they started rationing day passes.  MY favorite things about it are the chance to buy original art direct from the comic book artists, and to find small, independently produced books I never would have heard of otherwise. 

  More to report after the show this year!

The Saga Begins

So, finally I'm here.  As a lifelong collector I've developed an awful lot of interests and collected a lot of interesting stuff, and it seemed like time to start examining what I'm doing.  Why do we collect?  What's the difference between a fan and a geek?  We'll see.

So the plan is, to three times a week post an image either of something I've got, or something I've observed out in the world, and comment on it.  I'm not sure where this will go, but I want to build a list of every different type of thing I've ever collected.

Up first - just because I happened to have the photo handy on my computer right now - are a whole bunch of Marvel mini-figs.  I really got into these for awhile, particularly Spider-man characters.  There's Gwen Stacy and even Spider-man 2099 in the back row!  These little guys are great, but I just sort of stopped buying them.  They still occupy a couple little clear shelves on my desk at work.