the vynsane asylum

Back in the day, when you were in the 8-12 year old range, how would you have felt if you found out grown-ups (say guys in their 30s) were arguing over Star Wars, GI Joe, and Transformers?

I'm not quite sure what I would think. I'm not so sure I would have cared that much about background Star Wars characters. As long as the Transformers turned from cool vehicle to cool robot, I'd be happy. And, I was content with GI Joe as long as the vehicles were fairly realistic, and the characters as long as they wern't too far over the top.

Maybe I was a little different though since I was happy playing with those little green plastic army men. They were cheap, so you could get lots of them. Communists and Nazis were good "bad guys", and there were lots of WWII and Korean war scenarios and environments (Snow, desert, urban warfare, forrest, jungle, beachs). Sometimes those guys supplemented GI Joe and Star Wars armies. Now there is a hell of a crossover for you. The Rebel Alliance, GI Joe, and the Allies vs. the Empire, Cobra, and the Axis powers with a couple 3.75" Fisher Price figures and vehicles tossed in for good measure.

As far as Vintage Star Wars goes, the only thing I wished they made was a R2-D2 with 3 legs, but if I'm not mistaken, there was one in the Droid Factory set. The playsets back then were ok, but looking back, they are pretty cheesy. Vehicles were way out of scale, but I didn't care. Figure articulation? All that mattered was that they could hold their guns and aim them.

I guess I would think that those grown-ups arguing over toys were kind of silly. Then again, things were much more simple back then.

Well, Hasbro set a precedent in the late 90's once they surpassed the original figures created in the vintage line-up as well as making some obscure figures they hadn't made the first time around like, Grand Moff Tarkin, Uncle Owen,Tantive IV troops, etc. Once we, as collectors realized, that they could be making ANY figure, we started making wish lists of what figures ( obscure cantina characters, minor imperials, etc) we would want, and slowly but surely they started coming out. Now it's got to the point of ridiculouness, that some of the figures on the list from TEN YEARS AGO haven't been made yet *cough Yarna cough**. And that there are umpteen redos and redecos of figures we don't want as much as original ones...

Also, with the articulation, sculpting, likenesses, etc. We have seen what they are capable of. That they do it for one figure then fall woefully, pathetically short on the next is rank. That we would not call them on it is negligible on our part. Not that they listen to us, by any means, but our silence would be complicitness. At least this way, we can voice our concern in a public forum of millions and then the blame falls squarely on their shoulders.

And many of the things I complain about weren't a problem back when I was 8-12 years old. Like Thundercracker being a fucking $300 exclusive at fucking BotCon or Ephant Mon never being in stock when he was the FUCKING FAN FAVORITE... Distribution, Chase Figures, Secondary Market Scalping, etc. None of these concerns existed back in 1984.

To add to that: Leia, Scarlett, Lady Jaye, Jinx, Daisy Duke, Cheetara, Princess Allura, Wonder Woman, etc, weren't impossible to find, because the toy manufacturers hadn't yet decided that female characters didn't sell.

And there weren't billions of costume variations for Superman and Batman, with maybe one villain per five cases. Same for He-Man. There were different He-Man figures, but maybe one new one every year or so, and it was never done to the point of ridiculousness. And there were two Spideys, but, uh, one was the red costume, and one was black.

I started the thread because of all the unhappiness surrounding Hasbro's lines. It just started me thinking of why I started collecting in the first place and how things used to be. I totally understand the gripes with those stupid convention exclusives. I've been fairly lucky. Since I only collect Star Wars, none of the exclusives have been anything I've wanted because they either suck, or non-movie figures.

Anyway, I guess the biggest problem being a 8-12 year old was not having the funds and means of transportation to get to the store to get the figures.

It was different then, but so was everything else. Everything sucks now because we're old... which sucks too. Damn.

That is why I shouldn't be allowed to think anymore. It's just too depressing.

Every topic turns into a variation of bitch about Hasbro.

And you're so retarded, I'm guessing that picture was taken RIGHT after someone took off your hockey helmet and wiped the drool off your chin. Fucking dick.