Old School Toy Commercials Rock

What happened to the old school stop motion toy commercials that spurred on a child's imagination? While today's toy commercials are slicker and more highly produced marketing vehicles for selling toys to kids they just don't resonate well with a child's imagination. Instead, modern day commercials tap into a child's need to have the newest thing instead of the need to create a world of their own.







While the toy commercials of yesteryear were definitely low budget they also inspired children to use their minds. The older low budget commercials from the 70's and 80's really knew how to excite kids. Maybe it's a sign of the times but you can not deny that the retro stop motion presentation approached kids from a more grass roots place, challenging children to imagine and invent their own dynamic worlds. I feel old. I am old. Ha.

Toy Purchases March 2012

Last March was a slow year for additions to my toy collection; however it was still one of the most expensive. I completed my Macross collection by purchased a MIB version of one of my most dearest toys, and continued on my spending spree to pick up Botcon Wings of Honor Set figures ... including the entire 5 piece box set in one swoop.

Leozack *Image courtesy of Seibertron.com

Earlier this year I decided to start piecing together the 2009 Botcon Wings of Honor set. I wanted to do this because the set included a ton of Energon and Cybertron molds which I really gravitated to. This month I purchased a whopping 7 figures. First up is Leozack. Essentially a repaint of Energon Starscream, Leozak is basically also the same as Bonzaitron figure I picked up in January. Based on the Energon Starscream figure, the mold is actually really good with solid design and a great transformation. Leozak is a little harder to get since he was the Botcon Convention attendee figure for 2009. I had been searching for one at a reasonable price for a while and I finally lucked out.

Scourge *Image courtesy of Seibertron.com

The secondary single figure I picked up is Sweep #7. The Sweeps were the army builder 3-pack for 2009 and while the set isn't rare it is expensive. It is however a little rare to see resellers and collectors splitting up the set and selling off the individual figures. I just wanted a single figure to represent the Sweeps for my collection. I have enough figures already. I don't need multiples of the toy even though their names are officially different. Sweep #7 is a recolor of Sideways from Cybertron with a new head sculpt. The new head and body are actually shared with Scourge from the box set (I'll get to him a little later in this article). Overall very nicely done resculpt and recoloring of this particular mold.

Wings of Honor Box Set *Image courtesy of FloatingCat.com

The piece de resistance is the actually 5 figure Wings of Honor box set. The set includes Autobot Elite Guards Kup, Flak, Thunder Clash, and Land Shark, and Deception Scoruge. I love all these figures except Thunderclash who is a remold of Energon Rodimus, who is a bit of a design compromise since the original figure was made with the Energon combination design. This figure has very little articulation and poseability. Additionally the color scheme is a little horrible. Scourge is a dark blue version of the sweeps. Flak and Land Shark look like military versions of their progenitor characters, Scatter Shot and Bulkhead respectively. Overall a pretty good box set and probably my favorite 

out of the Botcon sets I own (2011 and 2012).

Ratchet *Image courtesy of Seibertron.com

Additionally, I picked up the Transformers Robots in Disguise Ratchet from the Transformers Prime series. Originally, Ratchet was announced during the First Edition series release in 2011 and it seems like he was carried over for the 2012 RID line. My initial reaction to this figure was bewilderment regarding his size. He’s extremely small for a deluxe figure and borders close to some of the larger scout class figures. Little did we know that the miniaturization of the deluxe sku figures would be a common trend moving forward indefinitely. Overall design is actually pretty good. I really liked the way Ratchets knives fit in his hands which hearkens back to the Transformers Prime animation and how his knives transform out of his wrists. Additionally, a nice inclusion is the storage for his weapons in bot mode in between his shoulders and back. Ratchet really is one of the better figures in this line.

Snapping Turtle and Scope Dog *Image courtesy of dookie via Flickr

On the convention front, I attended San Jose Super Toy Show in March. It's always a cool experience to browse the aisles and see what pops up. I hadn't gone to the show in several years and it's good to know it's pretty much the same, only more crowded. I managed to pick up 2 1/60 Votoms diecast figures at the show, Scope Dog and Snapping Turtle. I had the 1/60 Brutish Dog when I was a kid but unfortunately it broke when my grandfather sat on it. It was totally my fault for leaving it on his reclining seat in the living room. These guys are fragile especially since they 

are almost 30 years old. Heavy and limitedly articulated, they still resonate 

well with the 80's mecha look and feel. Good pick up at a great show.

Dump Robo *Image courtesy of ToyArchive.com

Another additional ebay purchase was MR-09 Dump Robo. In my previous post I resonantly exposed my love for this particular toy which was the first ever transforming toy I ever owned. I saw one MISB on ebay and it went for cheap so I picked it up. Sure it's basic and blocky but this toy represents a lot to me.

My last purchase in March over ebay is also the largest. I'd been looking for this toy for some time at a reasonable price and low and behold the stars aligned and it found its way to me. The Macross VE-1 Elint Seeker High Metal Valkyrie is the holy grail of Takatoku era Macross Valkyries. While this toy came out well after Takatoku sold the design to Bandai, it is the crowning jewel of the line and the last piece I needed to complete my collection.  It's a masterpiece of 80's variable toy engineering 

and I will forever be ecstatic to own a mint specimen.

1/55 VE-1 Elint Seeker Hi-Metal Valkyrie 

Toy Purchases February 2012

Transformers RID Deluxe Wave 1 * Image courtesy of Seibertron.com

Continuing my catch up with my toy diary, I examine the month of February 2012's purchase. February was actually a crazy month for my purchasing habits. With preorders being fulfilled  the new Transformer lines debuting, and my nostalgic leap into collecting MIB Machine Robos, I actually spent a grip this particular month. Unfortunately  this is a trend that will continue for the rest of 2012 apparently. Yep!

Transformers RID Voyager Wave 1* Image courtesy of Seibertron.com

The most exciting burst of news was the release of the new Transformers RID line which exemplified the mass produced Transformers Prime toys. Late in 2011, Hasbro limitedly released their Transformers Prime First Edition line. Unforgettably for reasons unknown, the distribution in North America was absolutely horrible. Only the first wave of deluxe figures hit the shelves at Toys R Us with a very limited distribution plan. North America did not received distribution for the bulk of the series including the more expensive Voyager class toys, wave 2 deluxe toys, and the entertainment 2-pack. This actually set the tone for the upcoming 2012 releases as fans and collectors trust remained shaken as Hasbro struggled to get their products on the shelves at a timely and evenly distributed manor.

BotShots Bumble Bee * Image courtesy of Seibertron.com

Back on track, the first wave of Transofremrs RID Prime figures were nice but also a bit of a disappointment as they were much more dissimilar and smaller than the previously mentioned First Edition figures which were far more complicated with a higher degree of engineering and complexity in designs. Even so, the deluxe wave of Bumble Bee, Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, and Soundwave were fairly decent releases. In my own opinion the only toy that seemed a tad bit inferior was Cliffjumper since his transformation involved painted on features on his chest instead of the actual movable parts. Additionally, the RID Cliffjumper figure lacked deploy-able hand blasters which deviated from the successful First Edition figure and the cartoon character design.The one figure that stood out the most was surprisingly Bumble Bee whose simplistic RID design was, in my own opinion, far superior to the First Edition figure. Although even this figure is marred by the artificially attached self-transformation feature that adds a ugly cog and teethed track to Bumble Bees upper chest / lower neck area, the figure still seems better proportioned and detailed than it's progenitor figure.

Encore Twincast * Image courtesy of Seibertron.com

While the Deluxe RID wave 1 was a marginal success, the Voyager class seemed to be a dismal failure in design. The First Edition Optimus Prime, in many ways, is far superior to the RID version. Aesthetics and transformation seemed lacking to the previous edition. RID Megatron seemed lackluster. The grey drap plastic gives a overall cheap feeling to the toy. Transformation seemed cumbersome and the plane mode feels fragile with parts not fitting correctly. Additionally, the continuation of "mech-tech" weapons gimmick from the movie line was a really poor choice by Hasbro. Weapons were crudely designed for light activation gimmicks. The design made the weapons awkward in their default modes and also hindered any display ability of the characters. Optimus Prime's rifle sits in his hand as a big block of plastic instead of the deployed weapon many sought for. Many collectors have opted to remove the battery and the light up mechanism altogether and also remove the "mech-tech" spring so that the weapon can remain in a deployed mode. The fact that consumers have to make such modifications illustrates Hasbro's failures in design lately.

Encore Sound Blaster * Image courtesy of Seibertron.com

Releasing at the same time were the Transformers Cyberverse and BotShots line. I picked up Cyberverse Ratchet and Cliffjumper and Botshots Optimus Prime and Bumble Bee. Both lines were ok but failed to really appeal to me. The Cyberverse were just too small and simplistic for me to get into. I liked the Botshots for their super deformed designs but there is no way I would continue to pay $7 for something this small. The attached game gimmick is basically rock, paper, scissors. Overall, both series seemed lackluster in nature. Leave it for the kids.



Impulsively I had previously preordered The Takara Encore reissues of both Sound Blaster and Twincast. I actually have a previous set of reissues of these 2 particular characters but I wanted to pick them up to check out the new recolored versions of the cassette bots that came with both products. Overall, this was a needless impulse purchase I probably should have not picked up. Both larger Transformers are pretty much the same as the previous reissues with the exception of new tampo printed decals which replace some of the foil sticker decals of the vintage line. The new recolored cassette bots are cool though. While they are recolored versions of the classic cassette bots, the nice use of sympathetic color scheme and detail makes them stand out.

Fansproject Warbot * Image courtesy of TFW2005.com

The next purchase came late in the month and is not a official Transformer product. I repurchased Fansproject Warbot (AKA Not Springer). I originally purchased this guy back in 2011 but was not happy with him. I think I didn't like the heft of the diecast and the limited articulation of the figure. Months after trading him to a friend, I started to regret it. It was not due to the toy being suprior to anything released. I just had a hole in my Classic-verse original 1985 cast lineup of figures. I had the Trans Repro Valkyrie (Arcee), Fansproject City Commander (Ultra Magnus), Fans Project Protector (Rodimus prime), and the official Transformers Wrek-gar, Perceptor, Kupp and Blurr. Springer was missing and I was compelled to pick him up again. Looking back, my opinion of him has not changed  He's a lump of diecast steel and plastic with limited articulation, and really bad balance in bot mode.

I almost completely forgot about the Transformers Official Collector Club Exclusives that released in February 2012. SG Drift and Over-Run (AKA Runabout) both released with high expectations. SG Drift is a recoloring of the Generation Drift figure with the inclusion of Generations Blurr's pistols. Unfortunately  this excellent figure with a overall impressive design and paint job was marred by manufacturing defects. This blogger received a figure with 2 right sided pistols. Other less lucky individuals reported getting figures with 2 left hands or 2 right hands or even figures missing hands altogether. Very sloppy and bad QC process guys. Over-Run suffered none of these reported problems. Based on the Wheeljack / Tracks mold, Over-Run is pretty solid black Deception figure based off the original Battle Charger toy. The best thing about Over-Run is that his box comes with a pre-cut foam insert that has a space for his partner in crime Runamuck!

TFCC SG Drift and Over-Run *Image courtesy of Seibertron.com

Last on the February spending spree is a trio of MIB Machine Robo's purchased on ebay. I had been wanting to start collecting the first 10 Machine Robos in their Popy packaging for a long time. A seller had a huge collection that he was auctioning off piece meal and I decided to jump in and start bidding. I purchased MR-02 Battle Robo, MR-03 Jet Robo, and MR-04 Gyro Robo. Overall I'm really happy I have these 3 guys. They are so awesome with their retro styling and diecast construction. While they are the same exact toys that were released under the Gobots line, the packaging gets points for being beautifully nostalgic.

Machine Robos!

My First Furious Five

It was 1984. The Japanese toy boom is in full swing as Nippon toy companies produce a smorgasbord of toy lines month after month. The tsunami of diecast and plastic nouveau toy designs have just hit the North American west coast with small mom and pop Asian stores importing Poppy, Takatoku, Imai, and Arii toys and model kits. Factories in Taiwan and China have already started bootlegging these cool gems in their native regions. The American big box toy retail chains start taking notice of Japanese toys as the Transformers children's cartoon series hits the afternoon TV block like a megaton nuclear explosion. Takara's designs become the most sought after toyline for the holiday season as Hasbro toys makes meteoric financial rise to dominate the western toy market.

Mikado Kid's Corner - Image Courtesy of Bottle Cap N. 

For me, it all started in 1984. My first exposure to Japanese toys started with Machine Robo No. 09 Dump Robo. My mom's best friend took her children to visit Japan town center mall in San Francisco. Each child got a Machine Robo from Mikado Kid's Corner as a reward for good behavior during the trip. Thinking I would be sad to be left out, they bought me Dump Robo as a gift since I didn't get to go on their family trip. 

Mikado Kid's Corner was a legendary children's toy shop in San Francisco's Japan town. This place carried Japanese stationary, pens, Sanrio items, Tamiya model kits, and a bounty of Japanese mecha toys. Later on the store became a focal point for Japanese import videogames in the 1990's. Sadly, Mikado Kid's Corner closed in 2008 after 25+ years of business. I will always remember the friendly owner's smile.

Anyways, I remember opening the plain style Machine Robo box with the image of the truck on it. It looked like any other diecast vehicle from the outside of the box, but inside was a whole new experience. I recall standing in our living room sliding the styrofoam out of the box, removing the foam bar that secured the toy in place, and pulling out the diecast plastic toy.  I could already see this was something alien and different. As I folded the legs, arms, and head out a new level of awesome entered my life. The robot toy was simplistic and had minimal articulation but the cold diecast cab and the slick design represented by the details in the arms and the foil sticker decal blew my little prepubescent mind away. Dump Robo was awesome!

My first furious five.

Hasbro'sTransformers hit the shelves over the next few months and I was able to beg and plead for a small cast of Japanese robot gifts over the 1984 holiday season. Since the series was the hit toyline of the holiday season, these toys were extremely hard to come by although I distinctly remember an entire end cap at Toys R Us of the Rumble Ravage cassette combo pack warming the shelves that year.  Soon Windcharger, Mirage, Rumble and Ravage would join my growing legion of awesome. The card backing for Windcharger actually became the image on my birthday cake that year. This was my first furious five and the initial wave of toys that spawned an undying compulsion to collect them all.

And so it begins ... again.

Growing up in North Beach and Chinatown in San Francisco, California shaped me as an adult. I was close to my ethnic Chinese roots, raised by my paternal grandparents, but also a product of my cultural generation and time being a second generation ethnic Chinese American. One of the most influential forces in my life has always been my love for children’s toys. Not any toys, Japanese robot and super hero toys. 

Suppa Robo Imagination GOOOO!

Chinatown allowed me free access to a plethora of Japanese toys during the early 80’s. Being the first born son's only son had it's advantages. I was extremely fawned over by my grandparents who admittedly spoiled me at the time. I remember making maps of all the shops that offered cool toys at the age of eight. I knew which shops had the Popy Machine Robos, Takatoku 1/44 Destroids, and even the random stuff you could find that was totally disassociated from the consumer outlets offer them (the wedding dress shop on Stockton Street that sold Takatoku Valkyries, the jewelry shop four blocks north that sold Four Star Diaclone Bootlegs, and the newsstand on the corner of Jackson Street and Grant Ave that sold Taiwanese bootleg Macross Valkyrie figures (the ones that ended up as Convertors years later).

This is probably one of the most powerful influences in my life and has shaped my professional path as an adult. While I was a late bloomer academically, I went from Videogame Journalism, to Videogame Public Relations and eventually ended up in the Business Development in the adult collectible (toys) field. Now I'm actively involved in production, sales, distribution, and manufacturing aspects of toys. Who knew this love would turn into my career when I was eight years old.

Me, Grand Pa, Grand Ma.

In fact, I can recall very strong memories associated to particular toy pieces I had as a child. From the Voltron (ST Godaikin Go Lion) I took with me on my first airplane flight at the age of nine to the first toy (Takatoku Macross 1/55 Armor Set) I saved up my allowance to purchase (which tragically I missed out on as it was purchased by a friend the day before. A very traumatic story that taught me not to trust people so easily).

Currently, I still collect Japanese robot toys and my collection is nearing the 1000 piece mark. I collect everything from vintage Godaikin and Chogokin pieces to recently released Transformers series and third-party Transformers toys.

This blog is dedicated to these stories from my childhood and anecdotes relating to my current collection and toy purchasing habits. As my late grand pa used to repeatedly tell me in Cantonese, "All Law Lop Sop." (It's all garbage).

In reality, this is a vein attempt to distract me from my habitual rampant consumerism, ha. Enjoy.