January 2009 Archives

Ugh!

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Ice Ice Everywhere!

Today was all about this.

Sucks!

Henkei Jaguar

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Henkei Jaguar

Shipping with Henkei Hound, Jaguar, aka Ravage, is actually pretty sweet for a modern version of one of the 80s cassette Decepticons.

Henkei Jaguar (cassette mode)

Of course, how many kids know what the hell an audio cassette is?

None.

But who the hell cares!

He's great!

Henkei Jaguar: 2159

Henkei Hound

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Henkei Hound

So Henkei Hound arrived today and well... I'm less than thrilled with him.

He's a fantastic sculpt... don't get me wrong there... but...

I paid $15 more than the Hasbro version as well as shipping for a figure with the same kinds of shitty paint flaws I've seen in a good chunk of my Classics/Universe 2.0 figures.

And quite frankly... that angers me.

Coolness +2.

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mirage.jpg

So I'm debating about adding yet another f'n Classics Mirage redeco to the Crack Den.

The cost is a bit on the high end, but given the magazine exclusive nature of the figure, and the fact that I gotta get it from Japan it makes sense.

It meets the needs of my growing focus on translucent figures and also happens to be a mold I love.

But do I need a 5th new hat?

Yes. I did it.

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I decided to pre-order a few of the things I've wanted... and one was already in stock!

So I've got Henkei Hound and Ravage coming soon.

Also put on order Masterpiece Grimlock, Henkei Red Alert, Henkei Smokescreen, and surprisingly Henkei Cyclonus and Nightstick.

Red Alert was a total given.

The chrome on Henkei Smokesrceen just makes him so appealing.

And I was back and forth on Henkei Cyclonus.

He's totally different than the Hasbro one so I sorta-kinda could justify him.

And if a visitor to The Crack Den questions why I have two I can always say it is "his armada".

Which reminds me... did "his armada" ever really appear after the Movie? I can't seem to recall if they ever appeared in Season 3 or Headmasters. And quite frankly, I can't sit through those old cartoons anymore.

Your WTF Moment of the Day

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Yeah. It is cool and all but...

Is it now $345 worth of cool?

Even me. Nala. Who spent a whole lotta cash on this wouldn't drop that kind of money on a new hat!

A couple of new hats maybe.

But like 8/10 of a new hat?

Never!

(Though I regret not snagging that last year but I never got a chance!)

TF Universe Inferno

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TF Universe Inferno

Oh my god!

Sweet sweet robot love!

He may just be the best Classics/Universe2 figure I've had the pleasure to buy.

TF Universe Inferno is the 2157th Transformer that I've acquired.

Titanium G1 Ultra Magnus

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6" Titanium G1 Ultra Magnus

I almost didn't believe this figure actually existed.

I never once saw it in the wild or even at the GRC outside of the Hasbro display.

However I can finally say this line is wrapped up! There are no more 6" Titaniums to find.

And all thanks to Hoop!

Transformers Titanium G1 Ultra Magnus is the 2156th Transformer that I've acquired.

Purple. Grey.

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Ugh.

Will I end up buying the purple one?

I mean... with out his head "fins" he's not quite Shockwave is he.

However, this tiny ass bad boy is mine!

I really really love this guy!

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">Perceptor

He's just so damn perfect!

One line soon to be done.

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So Hoop's completing my 6" Titanium figures by selling me his G1 Ultra Magnus at an affordable and House of Love IV approved price.

So. I can call it a day on those figures.

Most of them are at my office clogging shelves there since I have no place for that crack here.

Oh. And FYI... coffee with cream and salt and vinegar kettle chips do not go together.

Here endeth the lesson.

All I can say is that the people who do this crazy shit must not work 40+ hours a week or own a home that needs remodeling work done on it!

Holy Shit!

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One of my guesses was correct!

But damn Mr. Moore...

Can you manage to make a more solid hour of the most depressing drama imaginable?!?!

Woah!

And Kara?!?!?!

What the fu...!?!?!?!?!

Like father like daughter?

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Ok. 67 minutes until the new Battlestar Galactica starts.

And I can't help but wonder...

What if the final Cylon is is Dirk Benedict and he also happens to be Kara Thrace's father!

And no...

I am sober.

Kelmeister's Spawn is here!

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n12410218_46400285_8944.jpg

Yay!

Kelmeister's Spawn is finally here!

Congrats to her and The Pickett!

Hahahah! He does indeed have a new hat!

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Now I wondered exactly how Hasbro would deal with the unique style of Animated when it came to repaints.

Let's face it... some of these characters just can't be anything but their true characters without really blowing the collecting adult's imagination. (Of course, the target audience won't mind one bit!)

So there's that striped Bumblebee, and now 3 of the Lockdowns. There's urine Ratchet and more of a new/retooled Prowl. And of course what could easily be endless repaints of Starscream except for the female version.

But...
Hydrodive Bumblebee???

We've gotten used to repaints but this is the first time I can really think of the "accessory" gimmick being used in modern times. It is like they looked at all the stupid ass gimmick versions of Batman and Superman figures and decided it would be easy to just repackage the same shit with a gimmick accessory.

Yes Mr. Smithers. She does indeed have a new hat.

Transformers Animated Ratchet (Target Exclusive)

Ya know... I loved the insanely yellow Mudflap repaint.

Hell... I'm not one to shy away from bright horribly gay Transformer color pallets either.

But damn... he's just one fugly mo fo.

Perhaps I'll paint a goatee on him and he'll be Earth-3 Ratchet or something.

Transformers Animated Ratchet (Target Exclusive) is the 2155th Transformer that I've acquired.

Transformers Animated Stealth Lockdown

Funny.

I don't like the character. I'm not a fan of the design. I've never even opened the original I accidentally bought.

But damn if this $4 clearance version doesn't look too bad.

Of course... I'm a fan of the translucence.

Transformers Animated Stealth Lockdown is the 2154th Transformer that I've acquired.

Transformers Universe Cyclonus and Nightstick

Damn. They are nice!

They are almost more Shockwave colored than than most Schockwaves are!

Transformers Universe 25th Anniversary Cyclonus and Nightstick are the 2152nd and 2153rd Transformers that I've acquired.

2009 is hopefully going to be a major year.

I hope that I'll be able to undo the damage done to my health from 2008's double combo of the back damage and the knee damage, I hope to get major work down on the rest of the House of Love, and I hope to work towards finding a new job back in publishing.

Leaving publishing after 12 years was a necessity but was also a huge mistake for me.

I miss dealing with design and graphics problems and I miss helping people.

Sure... I've only been out of the business so to speak since May 2007 but beyond the occasional minor super basic design thing here and there I've pretty much been out of the loop on tech.

I decided to drop the scratch down on a new PC the other day. I've been eyeing this for several months and they ended up putting a display model out for a price I wanted to pay.

So my future PC will be pretty nice:

Intel Core 2Quad Processor Q6700 (2.66Ghz)
8GB DDR2/800 memory
1TB RAID 0 - (2 x 500GB SATA HDDs) 7,200 RPM
20x Dual Layer DVD+/RW DL
1GB GeForce 9600GT PCIe

I'll be stuck using 64 Bit Vista Business for now but I may downgrade to XP instead. The only benefit of the 64 Bit Vista would be to take advantage of the full 8 GB of memory.

I'm upgrading this to take full advantage of the new Adobe Master Collection I'm ordering.

I'm way behind on my versions and have a lot of catching up to do with the whole CS4 suite of apps. Unfortunately, I've finally got to put my beloved FreeHand to rest and accept Illustrator. *sigh*

I wish Adobe Lightroom was included. You'd think it would be but alas, it is not.

I wish Aperature ran on Windows but I'm not going to go back to the Mac platform. Hell... I may even finally play around with learning more Linux shit.

Why am I writing about this here?

Oh. Yeah.

I'm bored and waiting on a meeting to start.

So Evebird, JackOfAllGeeks, and I stopped into Target after our lunch run today and I was finally able to find a Universe Cyclonus. I like his colors a lot.

What was shocking though was the amount of mega-clearance TFs!

I snagged one of those Animated Urine Ratchets for $4.

Well... I actually bought up a couple of those and those Turdy Translucent Lockdowns for $4/each too.

This'll give me modern toys to give to kids at the next Columbus Toy Show we do.

I mean... at $4... a kid will get 3 figures there! That's great to have on the table.

Grandpa Adama?

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I was just thinking some crazy ass shit.

Wouldn't it be something if the final unknown Cylon was "not in the fleet" because they'd died previously.

I'll be screaming all over Clintonville tomorrow night if it ends up being Admiral Cain.

That would definitely fit my definition of crazy ass shit.

Or hell... even Ellen Tighe!

Then again, it all comes back to somebody we've never seen before.

I'm wondering what the Vegas odds are for this.

Hell... damn thing could even be the baby in the opera house from way back when.

We only were given enough info to assume it was Hera right?

Throw in the explanation of Caprica-6 In Baltar's Head and also Baltar In Caprica 6's Head and the fact that Caprica-6 is supposedly pregnant by Colonel Tighe and you gots even more bad crazy shit that may or may not come into play.

Goddamn it Moore... you've got me geeking hard on this crap again!

Day One

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Today's my first day sans crutches, immobilizer, and wraps.

I had my first day of physical therapy yesterday and have managed to get a significant range of motion back in the knee.

I even walked up the steps like a normal human male yesterday. I may finally be able to break the limp.

Overall. The knee is much better.

Don't know if the cartilage has healed. Surgeon said this micro fracture procedure typically has 70-80% positive results.

The Elysian Fields know I sure as hell don't want a replacement joint at my age but that's likely the next step.

Oh. Don't forget. New Battlestar Galactica tomorrow!

I'm at the Pasadena Paris Hilton

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So.

It has been a couple of weeks now.

Who's going to the GRC?

ZetaConvoy, MrDuce, and Mike will be there. Andew no doubt will since he lives near there.

I know SpectroScott and Mister Terrific will definitely be there.

I know someone else mentioned going but I can't remember.

I'm likely to do walk-in right now unless there's something so fantastic about the toys that I have to get a Primus package. Let's face it... everything else about the con will pretty much follow the previous patterns and I don't really need another casino night.

So.

You going? If so, what hotel you at?

Is there such thing as a Fonzi Scheme?

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I think I figured it out.

Bernie Madoff has all the Lucky Draw Black God Magni.

What the hell ever happened to Beta?

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Bored with your evening?

Go out and rent or buy Doctor Who and The Silurians.

Then, while watching it and listening to the insanely bizarre experimental electronic soundtrack, do a bunch of whippits.

I'm fairly certain that you'll be visited by Alpha Trion sometime during the evening.

Well. Alpha Trion of Florence Henderson.

It's a crap shoot!

Tonight?

The awesomely awesome The Sea Devils.

Gitcher Master action on!

So I was thinking... what would be a good scale for adult toy collecting psychological damage?

Of course, I've been thinking about it since this post.

So I'm proposing to the masses at large:

Level # of toys (any kind) Appropriate Euphemism
10 1001- Total Lowlife Loser Douchebag Addict
9 101-1000 Asylum Worthy Loser
8 91-100 Putz
7 71-90 Don't you have real bills?
6 51-70 Get A Life
5 31-50 That Poor Loser
4 21-30 Sick Addict
3 16-20 Addict
2 11-15 Should Seek Medical Help
1 6-10 Acceptable Toy Collector
0 1-5 Barely Worth Acknowledging

Think you don't have a problem and are offended by this list?

Thoughts? Edits?

Think there should be special interventions at the GRC?

The other day I mentioned tupperware crack?

Well. I guess it was a trackback or something but they found me!

Evertime I read something geek-related where a geek wants to discuss how one can/should count toys in one's collection I want to scream. It is totally insane.

It isn't about how big your dick is!

Is is about how psychologically damaged the person attached to that toy-collecting dick is!

That's the measure of an adult who collects toy my friends!

Deny this fact all you want. You know it to be true.

All I gotta say is I am so happy a Transformers movie is coming out in 2009!

The money that would likely go towards robot crack will most definitely be going into the 2nd Floor bathroom and other areas of the House of Love!

Are people actually excited about more reduntant repaints of the same movie Starscream figure?

Or yet another repaint of Energon toys?

This bi-plane looks cool but once it Transformers it looks like an 80s Go-Bot.

Now these guys are kinda cool. At least they look more like non-Movie Transformers than movie Transformers.

Thank you Hasbro! 2009'll be great for me.

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Did you see that G1 Bruticus repaint?

For only $95 you can have the sames figures released tons of times in the past 25 years!

Now that's some bad craziness.

I think it pretty much also confirms that the only molds that are likely complete for G1 combiners are the Combaticons and the Seacons.

It be amazing to see Encore Raiden or Encore LioKaiser pop up!

I'd so buy those!

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I'm so all over Red Alert! He's a must when I get Inferno.

- - -

That BTS trailer for Classics Prime looks cool. I can't wait to see a retail price for it.

Methinks we'll see it in Prime, Magnus, and Black Convoy colors.

And you can burp it!

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Wow!

That's a form of "plastic crack" I never considered.

AGRCDP?

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So Terry Sloane talked of Botcon tshirts the other day.

While I'm not really into wearing any type of shirt with logos or so forth on them I have this image in my head that just won't leave.

"Awesome Gay Robot Convention Dance Party" will just not leave me.

I just loves me forums and stuff!

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I lurked over at the TF Club Forums today.

It has been pretty much close to a year since I think I actually logged in and looked at a robot forum.

I'm still amazed at the amount of back and forth involving things like "the Botcon set will be this" and "No! It will be this!" and "I think you're all wrong it will be this because I heard this from so and so...".

Apparently someone from FP posted some cryptic post at some other board that implies the GRC exclusives will be Elite Guard themed a la the TF:Animated continuity. And then someone from FP uses the word "wreck" and then it goes on to become a "Oh! It'll be Wreckers!".

And I love how one person feeds off another and then on and on and on.

And then the seeds of arguments over the possible fiction and fictional continuity over goddamn toy robots begins based on this or that comment.

Oy teen jesu!

I gotta assume other fandoms like the Army Doll fandom and such are this bad crazy but I actually don't really care enough to go looking for those forums and boards. I can only imagine the insanity of the My Little Pony and Care Bear Collectors' boards!

It'll come when it comes.

You'll buy it if you want to or you'll buy it because you feel you need to and then regret it.

Those are the only two constants in toy collecting I think I really know at heart.

The other stuff. Meh.

(Then again... I've been blogging about stupid ass toy robots for years now. So what the F do I know!)

Why did ABBA cross the road?

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I miss Sifl & Olly.

Hotel. You are reserved.

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So yes.

I have reserved rooms at the Pasadena Hilton. Mr Duce tipped me off about the new hotel so as of now, I'll be joining him and Zeta Convoy there.

Kinda sucks though. The hotel is 2 very long blocks from the convention center from the looks of the Google Maps trip.

Oh well.

Now to find cheap airfare and then debate if I want to waste the money on the Botcon package or just go as a walk in.

I swear... if it ends up being movie figures, however unlikely, I would bash them with a baseball bat if I fell for this shit site unseen again.

Hopefully, the figures will start leaking out of China again like last year so I can know what I'm dealing with.

Transformers Universe Cheetor

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chTransformers Universe Cheetor

Of course he's leaps and bounds over the original but he suffers from the kibbleish aspects necessary to create realistic animal alt modes.

Transformers Universe 25th Anniversary Cheetor is the 2151st Transformer that I've acquired.

Transformers Animated Blurr

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Transformers Animated Blurr (closeup)

Blurr may just be one of the greatest modern Transformers ever.

Transformers Animated Blurr is the 2150th Transformer that I've acquired.

Transformers Universe Dragstrip

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Transformers Universe Dragstrip

Sure. I've got 3 other versions of this mold with another one on the way but damn... I loves it!

I wish they'd come up with the other 4 Stunticons at least. It'd be great to have a pack of them and they sure as hell don't need Motor Master.

Transformers Universe Dragstrip is the 2149th Transformer that I've acquired.

Transformers Universe Overkill

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Transformers Universe Overkill

Not a huge fan of the Classics Grimlock mold so using it to do an homage to relatively obscure character Overkill didn't appeal to me.

But I bought it because 1) I am both a loser and 2) I am a sucker for packaging like this.

Transformers Universe Overkill is the 2148th Transformer that I've acquired.

I want to love you madly....

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I want to love you madly....

Terry Sloane... we have much to talk about!

Cheetor's pretty cool too.

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I actually got a Cheetor yesterday too.

He's so much nicer than than the original.

Love. Love. Love.

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Damn!

These new TFClub "Gear of War" gay robot clothing accessories are fantastic!!!

The Auto Scout is great!

My first Blurr. Ever!

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Giga just found me an Animated Blurr!

Damn what a nice figure! I really wish I could take photos but this damn knee immobilizer just makes everything such a major pain in the ass!

Also returned the 2 Who DVDs he bought me for Xmas that were the same ones I bought him and snagged "The Planet of Evil" and the 3rd Doctor story (and Sarah Jane's first appearance) "The Time Warrior".

We've got quite a nice collection of Who on DVD now.

Target apparently also has seasons of The Simpsons for $15 each today so I sent him out with some gift cards I got and some cash to go buy them up. That's a great price and we can't let that slide.

It goes to 11.

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Ladies and gentlemen... I give you... the 11th Doctor!

Well... I'm thinking that it will be highly unlikely that I'll be heading to Pasadena in May.

There's got to be some money saved in 2009 and I feel confident that this is one trip I can do without this year.

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This page is an archive of entries from January 2009 listed from newest to oldest.

December 2008 is the previous archive.

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