The Fifth Annual, Random Happenstance, Year in Toys!

Not that this was a completely bad year, but did this year seem...like a hundred years long? Maybe not that long, but loooooonnnnnnggg? I was drinking out of my War Machine Slurpee cup, and had to check the date on the bottom: I can't believe Iron Man 2 came out this year. Hell, it feels like the DVD came out years ago!

Well, it's over now, so it's time to review what I bought, in terms of action figures, for 2010! This is always one of my favorite posts of the year, so let's get started!

For new readers: next to my desk at work is a little yellow notebook, in which I have been keeping a running total of every action figure or toy I buy. I started December 2005 and haven't filled it yet, so apparently I'm not buying enough figures. Hopefully, each entry has the figure, the line, the price, and where I bought it; and possibly a link to a cartoon or strip that toy was used in. Unless that figure's unloved or unphotogenic, I guess.

As always, most of this list was kept up at OAFE.net, and here's links for 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2006. Five years worth of totals! Why, in theory you could get all sorts of interesting statistical data out of that! You could. I'm not.


1-7 MU Goliath/Iron Man, $13.48, Wal-Mart; Frosty the Snowman, $3.75, Toys R Us.

1-14 DCUC Hawkgirl, Toys R Us; MU Skrull Giant-Man/Captain America (Bucky), $13.48, Wal-Mart.

1-15 DCUC Deadshot, Fred Meyers, $9.99.

1-21 Mezco Heroes Claude, Mr. Linderman, $9 total, Hastings.

1-29 ML Camo Punisher, $1.63, Wal-Mart; DCIH Manhunter and Qwardian, $1.19 each, DCD Geo-Force, $3.40, $5.78 total, the Comic Book Shop.

1-30 ML Danger, 3 Hydra Agents, DCD Billy Batson & Hoppy (ML $2.39 each, Billy $3.20) $12.76 total, Comic Book Shop. MLFF Thing, Silver Surfer, $7.89 each, $15.78 total, White Elephant. Completed Ronan the Accuser!

2-3 HML Hydra Agent, $2.39, Comic Book Shop.

2-5 Playmates Terminator: Salvation Marcus, $1, Ross. And a dollar is about right...

2-9 Playmates Star Trek (3 3/4) Spock, $2.57; G.I. Joe movie Shipwreck, $2.57. Why another Spock? For a headswap with Cadet McCoy; blue-shirted McCoy, boom, done. Think I've got enough bridge pieces now, too.

2-12 G.I. Joe Sgt. Stone, $2.57, Fred Meyer.

2-13 Star Trek old Spock, $2.57, Fred Meyer; HML Wolverine & Forge, $10, Pirates of the Caribbean Sao Feng, $2, Ross.

2-14 Wolverine (yellow costume) $3.24, Fred Meyer. Maverick, $2, Wal-Mart.

2-15 5 DCIH Manhunters, $1.19 each, DCD Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind, $3.20, total $9.15, the Comic Book Shop.

2-19 G.I. Joe Pit Commando, $2.57, Fred Meyer.

2-20 Shocker Toys Scud, $16.99, Hastings. Didn't even glance at the price on that one when I saw him, just grabbed him and ran for the register, since I'd never seen him at retail. Loved that comic, love the figure.

2-23 DCUC Question, $16.99 (plus $7.39 postage), Big Bad Toy Store.

2-25 Hot Wheels Ecto-1, $.97, Wal-Mart. You know, I'm not even a big Ghostbusters fan, but it's a nice little display piece for my cube at work, something people might recognize.

2-26 Another DCIH Manhunter, $1.29, the Comic Book Shop.

Wolverine: Origins Iceman and Gambit, $2.49 each, Wolverine Animated Colossus, $3.24; total $8.94, Shopko.


3-6 Hasbro Secret Wars Nightcrawler and Storm, $12.88; IM War Machine (comic), $6.88, Wal-Mart.


3-8 Avatar Col. Quaritch, Dr. Augustine, and Cpl. Wainfleet, $.75 each, $2.45 total, Wal-Mart.

3-15 DCUC Steel, $10.39, G.I. Joe Heavy Duty, $3.34, Fred Meyer. Steel amuses me because he's a bit of a sad case: in DC continuity, they're on their third guy named Steel, a family legacy of metal bones/skin and getting killed off for drama. Plus, in a world with "the Man of Steel," Steel is a crummy codename.

3-22 Marvel Universe Thor, $7.88, Wal-Mart. Nice, it's the sort of figure that almost makes up for the MIA Legends. Almost...

3-25 Playmates Terminator, $2.56, Fred Meyer. (I forget which one, 3 3/4 inch, silver? They aren't great, yet there's this terrible temptation to drop ten bucks on a little squad of them.)

3-26 G.I. Joe General Hawk, $3, K-Mart.

4-9 Iron Man Mark I (comic) and Hypervelocity, $10.99, Toys R Us.

4-10 G.I. Joe Cover Girl $2.78, Terminator $2.78, Fred Meyer.

4-15 Hasbro Secret Wars Nightcrawler/Storm (spare!) $15.99; Hellboy 2 Angel of Death and Princess Nuala, $3.44 each, Raiders of the Lost Ark Belloq $2.44; total $25.31, Suncoast.

4-17 Star Wars X-Wing Pilot Luke, $6; Handful of Heroes, $5.44, Wal-Mart. (Punisher, Nightcrawler, Spidey crouched on big bird head, old gray Iron Man in bright orange, 2 Hulks and a Wolvie.)

4-18 Star Wars Comic Pack Luke/Lumiya, $13.49, Shopko.

5-5 Indiana Jones Col. Dovchenko, $2.75, Hastings. Not bad, although I think I just wanted the crate and goblet...

5-7 MU Bucky, $7.88, Wal-Mart.

5-11 Secret Wars Ultron/Mr. Fantastic, $7.61, Wal-Mart.

5-13 Hasbro Secret Wars Thor/Enchantress, $7.61, Wal-Mart.

5-21 Yard sale: vintage Star Wars Darth Vader, two Stormtroopers, Walrus Man, X-Wing Luke, Hoth Luke, Pruneface, Tie Fighter Pilot, and two skiff guys; vintage Battlestar Galactica Adama, Knight Rider Michael Knight, and Karate Kid Mr. Miyagi; and G.I. Joe Duke, Flash, Barbeque (maybe?), and Mutt: five bucks. With a Fisher-Price school bus and a dinosaur for my youngest!

5-22 Yard sale: Dr. Robotnik, $.25.

5-23 IJ Mutt Williams (jacket), $2.25, Hastings.

5-31 DCUC Electric Blue Superman, $14.99, Target (MT). Probably could've got him for $9.99 two years ago, but finally completed Gorilla Grodd, some three years after getting the first part!

6-3 DCUC Blue Devil, $16.99, the Comic Book Shop.

6-9 A-Team B.A. Baracus, $5.99; G.I. Joe Baroness and 4 Neo-Vipers, $1.76 each; total $14.79, Target.

6-11 G.I. Joe Storm Shadow and 2 Neo-Vipers, $5.28 total, Target.

Over the weekend, yard sale stuff: a Cobra vehicle in fair shape, some Ninja Power Rangers, a Beast Wars Megatron (a mom chiselled a buck out of me for that one, but I really like the old Megs that used to talk to his dinosaur-head hand; a friend used to nail his voice), some 200X MOTU (Sy-Klone!), and a Star Wars Republic Gunship. That last was three bucks, but missing the top guns, the drop-door, and the canopy: right now, it looks like it should be on blocks in Luke's yard. Under ten bucks for the whole lot.

6-15 Mezco Wolfman bloody version, $3.23, Blockbuster exclusive.

6-17 Transformers Trenchmouth and Slapdash, $3; NEST Battlefield Bumblebee and Infiltration Soundwave, $3; Wal-Mart.

MU Kitty Pryde, $9.99; NECA Clash of the Titans Perseus, $4.94; Suncoast.

6-20 G.I. Joe movie Destro, Baroness, 2 Neo-Vipers, $.88 each. $3.83, Target.

6-21 Hasbro Hulkbuster Iron Man, $6.96, Wal-Mart.


6-30 DCUC Negative Man (plain bandaged head) $14.04, K-Mart. Not a bad price, although now I wonder if there'll ever be an Elasti-girl to finish the team. (And don't mention Mento to me.)

7-3 Indiana Jones (Crystal Skull version) $2.83, Fred Meyers.

7-6 Indiana Jones Ugha Warrior, $2.83, Fred Meyers.

7-12 Axe of Hordes, from Poe Ghostal, $10+postage. Dig it.

7-14 Avatar Amp Suit, $10, Grocery Outlet.

7-31 Prince of Persia Dastan w/Aksh (the horse), $3.24; G.I. Joe Cobra Viper Commando with Serpent Armor, $2.48; $5.73 Target.

Secret Wars Dr. Doom/Absorbing Man/Wasp, $12.88, Wal-Mart. (Montana, no tax!)

8-8 Transformers Ravage, $4.99, Target. At Target back home, A-Team Hannibal, $1.48, and Van, $6.24. $8.39 total.

8-9 PoP Zolm, $1.98; A-Team Lynch, $1.48; total $3.70, Target.

Indiana Jones Sallah, $2.83, Fred Meyer. (I was going to buy him, then didn't, set him down, and it didn't turn up again until now...)

8-10 Marvel Universe Thor, Cage, Namor, and Silver Iron Man, $2.50 each, $11.20 total, Wal-Mart. (Whoo!)

8-11 MU Classic Iron Man, $2.50, Walmart.

8-13 S.T.O.P. vs. S.K.U.M. Lady Lead and Skull Hawk, $1 each, Dollar Store. These are abominations.

8-29 Star Wars Jodo Kast, $8.99, Secret Wars Hawkeye/Piledriver, $8.40; $18.86 total, Kmart.

8-31 Masters of the Universe Castle Greyskull, with vintage Man-E-Faces...and part of a cycle-thing. $22.31 with postage, eBay. It's not all there, but still not in bad shape, and I just wanted it as a backdrop.

9-2 Hasbro super-poseable Spider-Man, $2.99, Shopko.

9-3 DCUC Forager (no C&C) $5.99, Mojo parts, $3; $8.99 total, Fusion Odyssey.

9-9 NECA Dante, $6.56 with postage, eBay. DCUC Spectre (glow in the dark) $10.39, Fred Meyer.

9-13 Heroclix Nightcrawler, $10, the Comic Book Shop.

9-18 Futurama Professor Farnsworth, $12.99, Mezco Spirit thug Adios, $3.44; total $16.43, Suncoast.

9-22 G.I. Joe Pursuit of Cobra Dusty and Recondo, $6.99 each, $13.98 total, Target.

9-29 DCIH Manhunter, $1.19, Comic Book Shop. (Picked it up when I went to get the last Franken-Castle issue.)

10-2 NECA Ninja Gaiden Ryu Hayabusa, $9.99, Toys R Us.

LOTR Ringwraith, $3.99, DC Direct Brainiac 5, $5.99, total 9.98, Fusion Odyssey.

Yard Sale: Rodney Copperbottom, camo Batman, and Peter Pan; and a Plug-n-Play Ms. Pacman/Galaga/Xevious stick, $4. Am I counting the stick? Eh, I guess.

10-5 Star Wars Comic Pack Deena Shan/Lt. Jundland, $2.00; 2 Hot Wheels Batmobiles, .97 each, total $4.30, Wal-Mart. Man, they hung on to that two-pack at full price forever, then gave up. And I always pick up the Hot Wheels Batmobiles for me, the kids, my nephews; since I think Batmobiles should be standard issue for any little kid.

10-5 Stan Winston's Medieval Trakk, $10.00 shipped, eBay. I like it.

10-9 DCUC Desaad, $12.99, Fred Meyer. $14.12 with tax.

10-13 DCUC OMAC and Martian Manhunter, $12.99 each, K-Mart, $28.24 total.

10-15 DCUC Jemm, $8.69, Kmart.

10-16 DCUC Sinestro Corps Batman, $8.69, Kmart.

10-17 DCUC Starman (classic), $8.69, Kmart.


10-22 Marvel Legends Valkyrie and Hulk, $24.99, Toys R Us. I like Val, but I've wanted that one for a while now, and may just be giddy to have a new ML. She shows up in a ton of homemade strips later...

10-24 DCUC13 Blue Beetle, $2.99, Kmart.

10-26 DCUC Golden Pharaoh, $2.94, Kmart.

10-27 DCUC Cyclotron, $2.94, Kmart.

11-10 Spinmaster Tron deluxe Sam Flynn, $7.50, Wal-Mart.

11-15 DCUC Dr. Mid-Nite, Eclipso, and Copperhead, $.99 each, $7.42 with postage, eBay. No Darkseid parts, but oh well.


11-20 DCUC Green Arrow and Black Canary, $7.50 each, total $16.20 (or so...) Target. Man, glad I didn't pay full price for them this summer!

DCUC Kamandi, $14.99, total $16.20, Wal-Mart.

11-26 NECA Medieval Ash, $9.99 Toys R Us; Shocker Toys Maxx, $10.99, Hastings.

12-3 Star Wars vintage ROTJ R2-D2 (with drink tray!) $6.42, Fred Meyers. Kingdom Come Hawkman, $5.99, old Kenner Predator, $5, Fusion Odyssey.

12-15 DCUC Zatanna, $14.99, Wal-Mart.

12-18 DCUC Validus right leg, eBay, $5.94 with postage.

12-27 Green Lantern box set (gray-haired Hal, John, GL Sinestro, Tomar-Re, and Guy Gardner) $29.50, DCUC Golden Age Green Lantern (Alan Scott) $11, total $40.50, Wal-Mart. (They were all Wal-Mart exclusives.)

DC Direct Justice League International G'nort, $12.99, Suncoast.

2010 total: $966.10. 2009: $558.16. 2008: $555.16. 2007: $426.00. 2006: $620.00.

Whoa, Nellie, that's a lot of toys! Reckon I'm either trying to help the economy, or trying to get as many figures as I can before society collapses, or we run out of plastic and have to make toys outta potatoes.

Actually, I realized recently that I've been spending far less than usual on new comics, and have rolled that into the figures. For example, how many Green Arrow comics did I buy last year? None. Yet I was quite pleased to get his toy. Hmm.

For a lot of this year and a good chunk of 2009, I've felt like in terms of the figures I buy, it's been a war on two fronts, between the 3.75 inch (or thereabouts) scale of your G.I. Joe, Star Wars, Marvel Universe figures; and roughly 1/6 scale, like DCUC or Marvel Legends. While I prefer the later, for a good stretch there, it felt like the smaller figures were the only game in town. As it stands right this minute, I'm trying to avoid 3.75's and not split my focus...and if you've looked at this list, you can guess how well that might work.

Since this is already an absurdly long post, we'll save looking at the favorites, trends, and the stinker of 2010 until later in the week. If you have a year-end list of your own, leave a note in the comments!

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The Fourth Annual, Random Happenstance Year in Toys!

Even though it often involves a lot of cutting and pasting, and sometimes trying to finish pictures on New Year's Eve (since I have kids, I don't go out for it; but I'm hard-pressed to recollect ever having a great time for it anyway...OK, maybe once or twice.) this is still one of my favorite posts of the year.

For new readers: next to my desk at work is a little yellow notebook, in which I have been keeping a running total of every action figure or toy I buy. I started December 2005 and haven't filled it yet, so apparently I'm not buying enough figures. Hopefully, each entry has the figure, the line, the price, and where I bought it; and possibly a link to a cartoon or strip that toy was used in. Unless that figure's unloved or unphotogenic, I guess.

Unlike every other list that shows up this time of year, this is by no means a "Best of 2009" kind of list: Frankly, there's at least a couple stinkers on there. No, this is a straight tally of what I bought. As usual, most of this list was kept up at OAFE.net, and here's links for 2008, 2007, and 2006. Four years worth of totals! Why, in theory you could get all sorts of interesting statistical data out of that! You could. I'm not.

1-6 First toy of 2009: Diamond Stargate: Atlantis Lt. Col. Sheppard, $8, Hastings.

1-16 Mattel Movie Masters Gotham City Thug, $5, Fred Meyers.

1-23 Hasbro Marvel Legends Ultimate Nick Fury/Captain America, $21.88, Wal-Mart.

1-28 From Toy Bender and Big Bad Toy Store: Diamond Select Battlestar Galactica Helo, Mattel DCUC Mr. Miracle and Hawkman, three Star Wars Order 66 two-packs, and a Sideshow Bespin Luke Skywalker figure! (All part of Toy Bender's Toys for Tots contest, so not counting against my totals.) From the Comic Book Shop, DCUC Shazam, $13.99.

2-7 NECA Player Select Bionic Commando, $15.99. (With credit, $5 at Hastings.)

2-20 DCUC Flash, $8.49, Fred Meyer. (A great sale, I really wish I had been able to buy the variant Big Barda then!)

3-19 Marvel Icons Nightcrawler, $41.29 with postage, eBay. (Love it, but ow.)

3-20 DCUC Harley Quinn, $10.99, Target.

3-30 DCUC Blue Beetle, $13.99, Comic Book Shop.

3-31 DCUC Artemis, $10.99; Hasbro X-Men Origins Deadpool (comic), $8, Target. 2 packs of Marvel stickers with figurines, Magneto and Human Torch, $2.98, Shopco.

4-3 Hasbro Wolverine & the X-Men animated Nightcrawler, $8.44, Wal-mart.

4-8 HML Sunfire, Hasbro Spider-Man Venom, $6.99 each, TJ Max, total $15.25.

4-11 Mattel DC Infinite Heroes, Superman/Supergirl/Wonder Girl, Ross, $5. (Chock full of meh, but $5 is my knee-jerk price point.)

4-16 DCUC Booster Gold (classic), $11.88, Wal-Mart.

4-17 X-Men/Wolverine Animated Nightcrawler, $8.44, Star Trek Spock, $8.97. Wal-Mart. Yes, that's a spare Nightcrawler, but I was a little disappointed with the Spock.

5-5 Stargate Ori Prior, $3.94, Suncoast. I actually thought that was going to be cheaper, and he was only for the dialer piece.

5-15 DC Infinite Heroes three-packs: Green Lantern/Black Canary/Green Arrow and Hawkman+2 Thanagarians, $5 each, $10 total, Ross. They aren't great--no one can look up, which you notice when two-thirds of them can fly--but marked down they feel like a steal.

5-17 DCIH Guy Gardner, $3.50, K-Mart. The same.

5-19 DCIH Batman, $5.99, Fred Meyers. On sale, and bought because having all those characters in that scale and no Batman offended my delicate sensibilities somehow. The DCIH Wonder Woman is gonna have to be way cheaper before I cave on that one, though.

5-20 Mezco the Spirit, $7.98, Hot Topic.

5-29 Playmates Terminator: Salvation T-R.I.P. (6-inch), $7.19, Fred Meyers. It's...it's not great.

6-11 DCIH Adam Strange, $3.50, K-Mart.

6-13 Playmates Star Trek Kirk, 3 3/4", $5, Wal-Mart. Marked down a bit, but out of...

6-16 Spock 3 3/4", $6.99, Target.

6-20 Yay, yard sale stuff! Batman Wayne Manor/Batcave playset, $2. (From B: TAS, probably missing something, but in good enough shape.) Kurt Cobain figure, $3. (Never wanted that at full price!) A couple Gundam things, including Fisty there, $1. Pirates of the Caribbean Captain Jack Sparrow and Elizabeth Swann 3 3/4'', Jabba the Hutt, and a G.I. Joe humvee, $1.

7-3 DCIH Hush and two Manhunters, $1.20 each, K-Mart, $4.91 total. Not bad for that price; and I did take a nice leisurely bike ride (in 90-something degree heat...) to a further K-Mart in the hopes of getting another Manhunter or two, but no dice.

7-4 Yard sale: ID4 Jeff Goldblum, Mecha-Godzilla, a couple random Beast Wars Transformers, a capeless and sad Azrael-Batman, and some accessory pieces: $3. Goldblum had just been on the Colbert Report that week to try and deny reports of his death, so I had to buy him. Weird that it was the fourth, too: that didn't even occur to me 'til later.

7-5 DCIH Black Adam and Hush, $.75 each, $1.61 K-Mart. It's probably too small, but I'd like to headswap the bandaged head to make an Unknown Soldier. (Yes, it's way too small, so no dice there.)

7-10 DCIH Weaponer of Qward: from 2 different K-Marts, five of them. $.75 each, $3.75 total, which is just over half of regular price for one. Poor pink bastards don't even get a weapon, for that matter.

Oh, and a G.I. Joe Scarlett/General Hawk comic pack, $4.

7-11 Yard sale stuff: three Transformers, incomplete; and a mostly-there Iron Man Transformer. It's the later edition in the War Machine colors. $1.

7-17 Marvel Universe Moon Knight, $8.44, Wal-Mart.

7-19 Batman: the Dark Knight Shift Attack Sports Coupe. Marked down from $29.99, $4.99, K-Mart. And a spare for my nephews when I see them next week. I'd say I'm the best uncle ever, but I'm pretty sure I've missed getting them something at some point...

Sometime in there: G.I. Joe Cobra Crimson Guard 5-pack, $12.99, Ross. Not bad, just wish I'd been able to get the generic Joes vs. Firefly set as well.

8-8 Marvel Legends Nova, $10.44; Marvel Universe Thing, $5. Wal-Mart, and only what, twenty months or so late on Nova?

8-12 HML Tigra, $10.44, Wal-Mart.

8-14 DC Direct Watchmen Comedian and modern Silk Spectre, $3.98 each, Hot Topic, total $7.96.

8-20 DCIH Reverse Flash (Professor Zoom), $1.00, TJ Maxx. He was a dollar, I couldn't leave the poor sod...

8-22 Handful of Heroes, $5.96, Walmart. Bought specifically for the Nightcrawler one, but I got Planet Hulk, Magneto, Cyclops, Mandarin, Iron Clad, Spider-Man, and Hulkbuster Iron Man. HB IM is probably the best one.

8-27 Secret Wars Captain America/Klaw, $12.99; G.I. Joe Agent Helix, $7.88, Target, total $20.87.

8-30 Indiana Jones German Soldier, Fred Meyers, $3.40.

9-9 DCIH Weaponer of Qward, $1.20, K-Mart. That makes six! (At a total of $6.22, still cheaper than a single full-priced DCIH figure...)

9-11 Star Trek (3.75 inch) Scotty, $3; 4 Ultimate Solder XD 1:18 Germans, $.50 each, total $5, Wal-Mart.

9-11 Yard sale: LOTR Boromir; 4 3.75 figures: Dusty, a Cobra figure I wanna say is a driver of something, Jack from Xyber 9 (anyone else have a vague recollection of that show?) and General Lando. $1 total.

9-12 Another yard sale: Morbius, TMNT Raph, Fisher-Price Little People motorcycle and toilet (I loved my Little People stuff when I was well, little; and it's still up at my parents' house for kids to play with. I'll always buy anything I find for it at yard sales.) Twenty-five cents.

9-15 Star Trek 3.75 Cadets McCoy and Chekov, $1 each; Secret Saturdays Zak and Doc Saturday, $1 each, Marvel Universe Ronin, $3. Wal-Mart, $7 total.


9-16 Wal-Mart Marvel Legends Black Bolt, Punisher (plain), Daredevil (yellow) and Beast, $5 each, $20 total. Oh, hell yes.

9-17 Wal-Mart exclusive Ult. War Machine, and Nova (for yo go re of OAFE.net!), $2 each!

9-17 Playmates Terminator T-700 3.75, $3.99, TJ Maxx.

9-21 MU Ms. Marvel, $3, Walmart.

10-16 Playmates Star Trek Bridge Playset, $6.48; Nero, Pike, Sulu, and Uhura, $1.75 each; $13.48 total, Target.

10-18 ST Sulu, Scotty, Pike: $3 total, Wal-Mart.

11-14 MU Iron Man, $8.44, Target.

11-16 G.I. Joe Pit Commando, $5.99, Fred Meyers.

11-24 From Big Bad Toy Store: Indiana Jones with machine gun, $1.69; DCIH Black Hand, $1.69, Marvel Universe Silver Surfer, $5.94. (The oldest got the Indy with the rocket launcher, and a Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow ring!)

12-1 DCUC Vigilante, $6.99, Fred Meyers.

12-10 DC Direct Manhunter (from the History of the DC Universe line), $6.50 (plus $8 postage), eBay.

12-16 DCUC Power Girl, $12.99, Wal-Mart.

12-18 DCUC Man-Bat and Robotman, $12.99 each, $25.98 total, Wal-Mart. DC Direct Creeper (again, from the History of the DC Universe), $4.80, the Comic Book Shop. (Valley, they were closing that location, and clearanced out some figures.)

12-22 DCUC Guardian, $9.99, Fred Meyers.

12-29 Deep breath: Marvel Legends Fantastic Four/Ronan wave Human Torch, $2.20; Spider-Man/Sandman wave Mary Jane, $2.39; DC Direct Diana Prince, $3.20; DCUC Series 7 Captain Cold, Kid Flash, Ocean Warrior Aquaman, and Big Barda (helmetless), $2.80 each. Total with tax, $20.64, from the Comic Book Shop, clearout of their Valley store. None of these were first round draft pick figures, but for the price they were an utter steal; and I was pleasantly surprised to realize I could build Atom-Smasher! And since they've all been out for a bit, you can check reviews for all of them at OAFE.net if you are so inclined.

Year-to-date total: $558.16. My 2006 total was about $620, 2007 was $426, 2008 was $555.16.

What a weird year for toy-buying; and buying Col. Sheppard seems like a hundred years ago. This year was all over the place in terms of the figures' scale, since I ended up with far more 3-3/4 inchers than I would've planned. There's also several figures I very much wanted, but never would've paid full price for, that I lucked into getting on the cheap--Manhunter and Creeper being the best examples, and both will probably get full reviews at a later date. And Wal-Mart finally came through both on the Nemesis wave and DCUC exclusives. (I haven't forgotten the prior DCUC Wal-Mart wave, that I never even saw, but seems like some effort is being expended now.)

Based on a quick count, what line did I end up with the most toys from? The somewhat-maligned DC Infinite Heroes, with 25. Keep in mind, most--actually, all-- of those were bought well below their intended retail price. In second place, DC Universe Classics, with 17, although again with some markdowns. (I also found it odd that I seem to buy a bunch of DCUC in a fairly short span of time, then don't buy more for months.)

In a surprise, Marvel Legends--hey, remember those?--narrowly beat out Star Trek 3-3/4 figures, 13 to 12. Some of the Trek figures are duplicates, and I'll get more as the price finally drops at some retailers: I wouldn't pay more than maybe, maybe three bucks for them now, even to fill in the bridge set. Marvel Universe (and likewise-scaled Marvel lines, like the Wolverine movie) came in with 11. Two of which are Nightcrawler, from the Wolverine animated series, but Kurt will have a Secret Wars figure (with punk Storm, who I'll probably end up with multiples of...) in early 2010.

I mentioned before that between DC Direct and DCUC, I have most of the DC characters that I want in some form or another; I need to revise my wishlist. Between that, and the Marvel Legends on the back burner, I have no idea what the next year will bring in terms of figures. Well, reckon there's only one way to find out!


Probably out for a couple days, but as usual, new strip on Wednesday. Hope to see you then!
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It's Random Happenstance's Third Annual Year in Toys!

Three years, huh. Almost getting some history now. Here's 2007 and 2006 for comparison and catch-up. Some of this list (like all) has also appeared in the forums at OAFE.

Not to put too fine a point on it, or get into the bloody details, but 2008 was a bit crap of a year. I suspect I'm not the only one, and I know a lot of people have it a capital-L lot worse, but I'm glad to see the back of it.

But, that's one of the nice things about toys: even with this list, I won't look at say, Crossbones, and think, "Oh, yeah, I bought him while I was scrambling to find a new place to live! Ha, good times." I'll be thinking about old Captain America comics, or the homemade strips I made with that figure (they're coming!) instead. Times may be tough, and everything sucks; but hope, and toys, survive.

Oh, enough preamble and bitching, let's get to the list: where possible, there may be links to homemade strips a figure appears in. I try to list off the brand and name of the toy, where I bought it, and the price. Price may or may not include tax. Because, that's why.

1-2 First toy of 2008: Marvel Select Mephisto! $12.99, Suncoast. Also, Mole Man, Hasbro Fantastic Four, $3, Wal-Mart.

1-11 Demon, Orion, DC Universe Classics. $9.99 each, Target. 2 of 5 Collect and connect "Element Man" (Metamorpho).

1-30 Catchup: First Appearance Iron Man, $6.25 with postage, eBay. HFF Namor, $5, Wal-Mart. (The Oldest got Dr. Doom!)

1-31 Batman, Red Tornado, Penquin, DCUC, $29.97 Target. Completed "Element Man."

2-1, 2-2: Spencer's Clearance: Pirates of the Caribbean Captain Jack, DC Direct Batman Beyond, Planet Terror Cherry and Dakota; $5 each, $20 total.

2-15 DC Direct JSA Hourman, $3.75, Hastings.

3-2 POTC Captain Barbosa, $3.75, Hastings.

3-7 Hasbro Marvel Legends Hydra Agent, $9.99, Wal-Mart.

3-16 Superman: Through the Ages boxset, $12.50, Hastings. (That's about $3.13 a piece for four different Supermen!)

3-22 Iron Man, movie MkIII, $9.99 Toys R Us.

3-25 2 Superhero Squad Spider-Man's, (for the Youngest and myself), and Super-Soaker candy, $6.49, Target.

3-28 Iron Monger (first edition), $9.99, Fred Meyers.

5-3 DCUC Firestorm, $13.99, the Comic Book Shop, 1 of 5 C&C Gorilla Grodd.

5-6 Movie Masters Batman, $11.47, Wal-Mart.

5-8 DC Direct Superhero Squad (Earth-2) Batman, $14.99, Suncoast.

5-16 V for Vendetta, NECA, $7, Hastings.

5-31 Zoidberg, Futurama, $6.99, Hot Topic.

6-1 DCUC Aquaman, $9.99, Toys R Us. 2 of 5 Grodd.

6-3 Legendary Heroes Panda and Clownface, $5, Wal-Mart.

6-15 Happy Father's Day! The family got me Black Manta (the Comic Book Shop, $13.99)...he killed Aquaman's kid. Huh.

6-17 Speed Racer Big Sounds Mach V, $7, Wal-Mart.

7-1 DC Direct Jonah Hex, the Comic Book Shop, $15.99.

7-17 Target Exclusive HML Hulk, $6.48. Diamond/Art Asylum Star Trek II Admiral Kirk, $9.66, Suncoast.

7-29 Vacation backlog: Doc Samson, HML Hulk/Fin Fang Foom wave, $14.99; Batman sticker pack PVC, 2.99; Target, MT.

7-30 Storm Hawks Dark Ace cycle, $3.74, Target.

8-7 Legendary Heroes Stryker, $10.99, Rite Aid.

8-14 DCUC Green Lantern, $10.99, Target. 1 of 5 C&C Solomon Grundy.

8-15 Superhero Squad Iron Man set, $5; LH Judge Death, $3, Wal-Mart.

8-22 Superhero Squad Deadpool/"Captain" Punisher, $6.83, Wal-Mart.

9-6 DC Direct Animal Man and Wonder Girl, $9.88 total, FYE. Iron Man Captain America armor, $5, Wal-Mart.

9-8 HML Banshee, Hercules, $1 each, Wal-Mart.

9-19 Hellboy 2 Mezco Mr. Wink, $16.99, Hastings. Traded in a pile of junk for credit, but he's a lot of toy for the dollar. Sadly, I mailed in for the replacement head, but moved shortly thereafter...

9-20 Grindhouse Rapist #1 Quentin Tarentino, $.94; DC Direct 52 Batwoman, $6.44; FYE.

10-3 Stargate Major Carter, $3.75, Hastings. (If I still have the "gun-banner" up, you can see her in the bottom right corner!)

10-7 DCUC Deathstroke, $10.99, Target. I totally blame Poe and Pete for that one.

10-30 HML Union Jack, Target, $9.99. Yeah, $9.99: I think Target may have recanted and dropped the Red Hulk prices; the Fin Fang Foom wave was "on sale" at like $14.39, if I recall.

11-01 Walmart Exclusive HML Kang, $10.37.

11-14 Wal-Mart HML Crossbones, $10.44. (It's too bad, the strips with Kang, Crossbones, and Deathstroke won't be up until later!)

11-16 Marvel Select Thor, $19.99, Hastings. I've been trading in a ton of old books and whatnot there, and had a credit. I haven't even really read the new Thor comic--I'm more a fan of the Simonson era, but I just had a feeling it was now or never for that one. (On a recent visit to the same store, I saw MS Hulk and Iron Man, but no more Thor.)

11-18 Revoltech Fraulein Pocco, $24.99, Hastings. Again, traded stuff for credit, since there's no way I could justify cash for that one.

11-19 DCUC Wonder Woman, $13.99, the Comic Book Shop. Worth it just to be done looking. Not sure if I'll keep going for Despero, I still haven't finished Grodd.

12-1 Wal-Mart HML Heroes Reborn Iron Man, $10.44.

12-10 Mattel Movie Masters Bat-Pod, Target, $14.99.

12-16 DC Direct 52 Isis, $4.94, First Appearances Atom, $3.44; Marvel Select Zombie Colonel America, $4.94. With tax, $14.46 at a local FYE that's closing. I used to work there when it was a Sam Goody, so it was fun to pillage for toys again, and I saw an old friend while I was there. Isis I probably could've held out on--whatever's left will probably go 75% off after Christmas--but her package was torn open and I don't think she would've made it. And that new Atom is the definition of mediocre, but for that price he's good for crowd scenes.

12-24 Art Asylum/Diamond Select Star Trek: Deep Space 9 Captain Sisko, KB Toys, $5.

12-26 NECA Saw III Jigsaw (pig-face), $4.97, Spencers. This was a bit of a debacle: I had a $5 Spencer's Rewards certificate that I had to redeem before it expired, but didn't feel like getting anything more expensive. So, I try to get it, but since it's less than five bucks the computer won't let them ring it up, or they couldn't figure out how to do it. I ended up having to buy some Razzles, so it cost me three bucks to get a "free" figure; but hey, candy and gum.

Art Asylum/Diamond Select Star Trek: the Next Generation Commander Riker with chair, $8.09, FYE. That's first season, beardless Riker, a FYE Exclusive. It doesn't look like that store is going to get down to 75% off, they might just box up whatever's left now. No editorial comment, but the Call of Duty figures, Guitar Hero, and most of the Heroes line hadn't moved at all, even at 50% off...

12-28 Indiana Jones/ROTA Indy, $3, Wal-Mart. Held out buying any of those until now, and now that I have, it really underlines how much I don't wanna go back to 3' 3/4 scale.

Hasbro Marvel Legends Adam Warlock and Spiral, Target exclusive, $6.98 each, $13.96 total.

12-30 HML Black costume Wolverine and Spider-Man, Target exclusive, $6.98 each, $13.96 total. That's five of six for Red Hulk, heck, reckon I'll put him together now and see if I can find Silver Savage later.

Total for 2008: $555.16. My 2006 total was about $620, and my 2007 was $426. Still, by my reckoning, about eighty bucks there was from trading in old CD's and books at Hastings or FYE. I probably won't be able to do quite that level again, but I also probably got some stuff I otherwise might've had to let go. In fact, there are doubtless more figures this year from both of those stores, and Suncoast, but I usually only buy from there if something is marked waaaaaay down, if I have some kind of buyback or credit, or if I absolutely can't find it anywhere else.

What else does the list show us? Counting by figure (meaning a four pack like the Superman box set or the Iron Man Superhero Squad count as four!) Wal-Mart barely beat out Target, 20 to 19. A surprising third place showing by Hastings with 11, then the sinking FYE with 8, Spencers 5, the Comic Book Shop 4, Suncoast 3, and Toys R Us 2. An eye-opening low for Toys R Us there: it's not conveniently located for me, but I do get out there every so often; but they don't seem to be coming through for me.

FYE is probably not going to appear on next year's list, and I have my doubts for Spencers as well: the figures I bought were all marked down to the five-dollar range; and to make room for more Playboy merchandise and bongs, the selection gets sparser all the time. (I just had to take three seconds to look up if it's sparser or more sparse...)

Since I'm running late now, "Timing" will be back on Monday. But, if you have a list of your own for 2008? Leave a comment, and let me know! Read more!

1-2 First toy of 2008: Marvel Select Mephisto! $12.99, Suncoast. Also, Mole Man, Hasbro Fantastic Four, $3, Wal-Mart.

1-11 Demon, Orion, DC Universe Classics. $9.99 each, Target. 2 of 5 Collect and connect "Element Man" (Metamorpho).

1-30 Catchup: First Appearance Iron Man, $6.25 with postage, eBay. HFF Namor, $5, Wal-Mart. (The Oldest got Dr. Doom!)

1-31 Batman, Red Tornado, Penquin, DCUC, $29.97 Target. Completed "Element Man."

2-1, 2-2: Spencer's Clearance: Pirates of the Caribbean Captain Jack, DC Direct Batman Beyond, Planet Terror Cherry and Dakota; $5 each, $20 total.

2-15 DC Direct JSA Hourman, $3.75, Hastings.

3-2 POTC Captain Barbosa, $3.75, Hastings.

3-7 Hasbro Marvel Legends Hydra Agent, $9.99, Wal-Mart.

3-16 Superman: Through the Ages boxset, $12.50, Hastings. (That's about $3.13 a piece for four different Supermen!)

3-22 Iron Man, movie MkIII, $9.99 Toys R Us.

3-25 2 Superhero Squad Spider-Man's, (for the Youngest and myself), and Super-Soaker candy, $6.49, Target.

3-28 Iron Monger (first edition), $9.99, Fred Meyers.

5-3 DCUC Firestorm, $13.99, the Comic Book Shop, 1 of 5 C&C Gorilla Grodd.

5-6 Movie Masters Batman, $11.47, Wal-Mart.

5-8 DC Direct Superhero Squad (Earth-2) Batman, $14.99, Suncoast.

5-16 V for Vendetta, NECA, $7, Hastings.

5-31 Zoidberg, Futurama, $6.99, Hot Topic.

6-1 DCUC Aquaman, $9.99, Toys R Us. 2 of 5 Grodd.

6-3 Legendary Heroes Panda and Clownface, $5, Wal-Mart.

6-15 Happy Father's Day! The family got me Black Manta (the Comic Book Shop, $13.99)...he killed Aquaman's kid. Huh.

6-17 Speed Racer Big Sounds Mach V, $7, Wal-Mart.

7-1 DC Direct Jonah Hex, the Comic Book Shop, $15.99.

7-17 Target Exclusive HML Hulk, $6.48. Diamond/Art Asylum Star Trek II Admiral Kirk, $9.66, Suncoast.

7-29 Vacation backlog: Doc Samson, HML Hulk/Fin Fang Foom wave, $14.99; Batman sticker pack PVC, 2.99; Target, MT.

7-30 Storm Hawks Dark Ace cycle, $3.74, Target.

8-7 Legendary Heroes Stryker, $10.99, Rite Aid.

8-14 DCUC Green Lantern, $10.99, Target. 1 of 5 C&C Solomon Grundy.

8-15 Superhero Squad Iron Man set, $5; LH Judge Death, $3, Wal-Mart.

8-22 Superhero Squad Deadpool/"Captain" Punisher, $6.83, Wal-Mart.

9-6 DC Direct Animal Man and Wonder Girl, $9.88 total, FYE. Iron Man Captain America armor, $5, Wal-Mart.

9-8 HML Banshee, Hercules, $1 each, Wal-Mart.

9-19 Hellboy 2 Mezco Mr. Wink, $16.99, Hastings. Traded in a pile of junk for a credit there, but he's a lot of toy for the dollar. Sadly, I mailed in for the replacement head, but moved shortly thereafter...

9-20 Grindhouse Rapist #1 Quentin Tarentino, $.94; DC Direct 52 Batwoman, $6.44; FYE.

10-3 Stargate Major Carter, $3.75, Hastings. (If I still have the "gun-banner" up, you can see her in the bottom right corner!)

10-7 DCUC Deathstroke, $10.99, Target. I totally blame Poe and Pete for that one.

10-30 HML Union Jack, Target, $9.99. Yeah, $9.99: I think Target may have recanted and dropped the Red Hulk prices; the Fin Fang Foom wave was "on sale" at like $14.39, if I recall.

11-01 Walmart Exclusive HML Kang, $10.37.

11-14 Wal-Mart HML Crossbones, $10.44.

11-16 Marvel Select Thor, $19.99, Hastings. I've been trading in a ton of old books and whatnot there, and had a credit. I haven't even really read the new Thor comic--I'm more a fan of the Simonson era, but I just had a feeling it was now or never for that one. (On a recent visit to the same store, I saw MS Hulk and Iron Man, but no more Thor.)

11-18 Revoltech Fraulein Pocco, $24.99, Hastings. Again, traded stuff for credit, since there's no way I could justify cash for that one.

11-19 DCUC Wonder Woman, $13.99, the Comic Book Shop. Worth it just to be done looking. Not sure if I'll keep going for Despero, I still haven't finished Grodd.

12-1 Wal-Mart HML Heroes Reborn Iron Man, $10.44.

12-10 Mattel Movie Masters Bat-Pod, Target, $14.99.
12-16 DC Direct 52 Isis, $4.94, First Appearances Atom, $3.44; Marvel Select Zombie Colonel America, $4.94. With tax, $14.46 at a local FYE that's closing. I used to work there when it was a Sam Goody, so it was fun to pillage for toys again, and I saw an old friend while I was there. Isis I probably could've held out on--whatever's left will probably go 75% off after Christmas--but her package was torn open and I don't think she would've made it. And that new Atom is the definition of mediocre, but for that price he's good for crowd scenes. Read more!

No secret here: I love my toys. It's a hobby I approach much like a junkie--if my wife would let me sell blood for toys, I probably would. My cash flow varies between some and none, and so then do my toy buying habits. (I still have twinges, like a phantom limb, where I miss my old crap job where I got a discount on toys...which explains a lot of the stuff in my collection: a Spawn toy for $2.49 is hard to pass up, even if it is an unposeable lump.)

My wife, of course, hates the toys, the action figures, even the comics. Although I probably act like she hates them because she doesn't want me to have any joy in my life; she just doesn't like the clutter, and while I've never spent the mortgage money on Marvel Legends or foreign gashopon, she could see it happening. (Probably not, but still.) Aside from comics, though, toys are about the only thing I spend money on. I used to eat out a ton, drink like a cheap drunk, buy new CD's weekly, have a huge Coke at work every day, rent videos (I'm old, sod off), play video games...

A lot of those things have been phased out completely, or scaled back to where you can barely see them at all. I think I bought one CD last year (the new Depeche Mode, since I'm a slave to old habits) and my video game playing ground to a halt about the time the Youngest decided he could roll off a bed when I wasn't looking. (In my defense, he had pretty much been a lump up to that point! Lazy baby.) I did have more cash to throw around before marriage and kids, but then again pre-wife I wasn't paying for any niceties like mortgage, power, or insurance. (I lived in a friend's basement for several years, and had previously lived in my boss' basement a couple as well; so I was kinda 'off-the-grid' for a long stretch.)

Action figures had more or less got me off the sauce even before I was married: when it came down to a pitcher of domestic, a bar full of morons, and a blinding hangover caused by drinking out of said pitcher; or a toy, eventually I decided on the toy. You may laugh, but I never woke up covered in frost in a yard from buying toys, or walked ten miles home at four in the morning because I bought too many toys...I could do this all day, but I'm not sure I can count on my thumbs truly stupid things I've done for toys; while I could fill two blogs with dumbass, dangerous, and incriminating things I've done drunk. I freely admit some of those things were fun, but trust me, I'm better off with the toys. Much better.

Anyway, this year I decided in January to keep a running total of my action figure and toy purchases, which I did in a little yellow notebook kept next to my desk at work. (That was important, as I either would've lost it two months in if I had kept it at home, or my wife would've found it, said something snarky, and I would've quit keeping track.) In part this was to budget out my purchases--I didn't want to spend too much on, say, DC Direct, if the new Marvel Legends were coming down the line. It was also to see exactly how much I did spend on toys, and how bad my wife was going to murder me. (Luckily, I don't think she's ever read this, she's more of a perezhilton.com fan.)

Let's just get to the list, with almost no set format at all: The toy, possibly the line it's from, where purchased, and the price. Sometimes the price includes tax, sometimes it doesn't. And 'gashapon' is a Japanese term that refers to those little toys you get from vending machines, in my case regardless of origin. The majority of commentary is saved for the end.

1/1/06 Hulkbuster Iron Man ($8.99, Kmart)
1/9/06 Speedy, Aqualad, Red X Robin: $3.57 each, Teen Titans 5-inch, ToysRus closeout. $10.71
1/17/06 Scarlet Witch, $8.99 Kmart, DC Heroes Batman $9.99 Target
1/19/06 Figure Factory Nightcrawler, $6.99 Comic Book Shop, Battle Dice Nightcrawler $8.07 with postage, ebay.
1/27/06 Storm, Walmart $5.00, JLU Atom, Toysrus, $1.62.
2/6/06 Figure Factory Iron Man, Toysrus sale, $4.19.
2/8/06 Figure Factory Thing, Toysrus sale, $4.19
2/9/06 Iron Fist, $7.99 Target
2/11/06 Human Torch w/Impossible Man $7.99, Robin $5.39 Toysrus
2/13/06 Dr. Doom gashapon $1.00, Bruce Wayne bust .50, from Brokeback Mountain with the wife!
2/21/06 Jetfire and Evac (small) Transformers, $3.99 each, $7.98 (Plus some for the boy!)
2/24/06 Sasquatch, $7.99 Target
2/27/06 Nightcrawler Jollibee Kids Meal Toy, ebay $9.00
2/28/06 Taskmaster, $7.83 Walmart
3/1/06 Cartoon Network Capsule toys: Weird bear-brain thing, I think from Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, but not the main show, the backup...the hell? $0.50. Seriously, it's like a lobotomized Yogi Bear with a mad scientist brain stuck in him.
3/2/06 Captain America Kubrick $3.99, Boo Radley's
3/10/06 Darla from Buffy, $3.75, Hastings.
4/4/06 Batgirl from new Batman cartoon, $7.49, Man-Wolf (kept in package) $5.00, Target $12.49. Anime Girl, pilot from Grandizer? $12, the Comic Book Shop.
4/18/06 "Rondador Nocturno" Nightcrawler lead figure from Spain, $24 on ebay.
4/18/06 Titanium Battlestar Galactica Viper, $5.
4/25/06 Hobgoblin, Target $7.84
4/26/06 Diecast Venom, Thing, Dr. Doom $5.23 total, Target
4/29/06 DC Heroes Superman, Bizarro, Supergirl, total $29.97 Fred Mayer's.
4/30/06 The Goon, $5.99 Suncoast.
5/4/06 Cowboy (plastic), from son's birthday (5-3). Found Fisher-Price Lion, "Lucky": Lucky he didn't get run over in the parking lot, probably fell out of wife's Scion when she put the car seat in my car...(gave) back to youngest that afternoon.
5/4/06 Thor, Walmart $7.44, first of Giant-Man.
5/16/06 Marvel Legends Monster Boxset, Dracula, Zombie, Werewolf by Night, and Frankenstein's Monster: $32.41, Walmart.
5/18/06 Bane, w/Osito bear, $9.88 Walmart.
5/19/06 Titanium Battle-damaged Millenium Falcon, $4.99, Walmart.
5/25/06 Vector Prime small Transformer, $4.99, Fred Mayers (Plus one for the boy!)
5/25/06 DC Heroes Doomsday, $9.88 Walmart.
5/25/06 Spider-Hulk, $8.50 Target.
5/27/06 Puck, $3.50 (?) ebay.
5/30/06 Vending machine busts of Bane, Bruce Wayne, Batman. $1.00 at X3 with son!
6/5/06 Kitty Pryde, Warbird, Captain Britain: Walmart $25.51, four of ten for Giant-Man
6/6/06 Havok and Sentry, $17.01 Walmart, 6 of 10 Giant-Man
6/12/06 Ant-Man, $7.83 Walmart, 7 of 10 Giant-Man
7/3/06 Wonder Woman vending machine launcher, $.50, Shopco
7/6/06 Variant AofA Weapon X, $8.50 Walmart, 8 of 10 Giant-Man
7/11/06 Green Lantern, Flash, Batman vending machine launchers, $1.50, Shopco
7/27/06 Megamorphs Captain America and Ghost Rider (GR for son!), Centipede handheld, Target, total $10.82.
8/1/06 Happy Birthday! Megamorphs Ghost Rider for me, $3.74, Target; Shade and Batman vml's, $1.00 Shopco.
8/2/06 Hawkgirl, vml $.50, Shopco
8/4/06 Marvel Battle Dice Starter (Spidey, Wolvie, Doc Ock, Ultron) from Target, Superman and 2 GL vml's Shopco: Total $4.13.
8/12/06 Yard sale toys, including Enterprise-E. $1.50
8/15/06 Flash, Batman vml's again, $1.00, Shopco.
8/17/06 Megamorph Iron Man, Walmart $16.00.
8/19/06 More yard sale toys: small Spidey and He-Man, TMNT villain, and others for the boys: $1.00.
8/31/06 DC Direct Gotham by Gaslight Batman, Comic Book Shop $15.95.
9/22/06 DC Heroes Scarecrow $2.70, Flash vml $.50, Shopco.
10/5/06 Ultimate Nightcrawler $7.56, Target.
10/7/06 to 10/12/06 Toy backlog! Madjack (Spider-Man villain) $7.83, 2 Ultimate Nightcrawlers $6.99 each, Falcon $7.83: Walmart, total $29.64.
10/13/06 7 Curious George capsule toys, from Departed with wife! $1.00.
10/17/06 Psylocke, Target $7.89; Wasp, Beta Ray Bill, and Spider-Woman, Walmart $27.50, 3 of 6 for MODOK.
10/19/06 Abomination, $8.99 Kmart.
10/20/06 Curious George, Shark Tale (random) capsules, $1.00 at Marie Antoinette with wife!
10/21/06 Old school Conan, Fairgrounds yard sale visiting wife, $3.00.
10/28/06 Knockoff Optimus Prime, $1.00 Dollar store with the kids.
10/30/06 Moon Knight and Captain Marvel (standards) and candy, Walmart $19.01, 5 of 6 for MODOK.
11/22/06 Corgi 90's Batmobile, $7.44, Walmart.
Total as of 12/01/06: $551.48, average $50.13 a month

12/16/06 Batman/Batgirl DC Heroes pack, $14.99 Target (split, Bats for Ky, Babs for me)
12/18/06 Pre-Christmas rampage: Figure Factory Nightcrawler, $3.50 Kmart (to keep in package), Speed Racer classic Mach 5 ($1.00, Dollar Tree, crap wheels), Marvel Gashapon: Nightcrawler, Iron Man, Hulk, Doc Ock, $4.00; plus various toys for the kids and one for Toys for Tots!
12/19/06 More Marvel Gashapon: another Nightcrawler, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Punisher...an assload of dupes...say $12.
12/22/06 2 more Nightcrawlers and a Kong, $3. Thorbuster Iron Man, $7.83, 6 of 6 for MODOK.
12/25/06 Merry Christmas! The Wife got me the X-Wing Transformer.
12/26/06 Clark Kent/Superman DC Heroes 2-Pack, $10.53, Target. (Clark for me, Supes for the boy.)
12/28/06 Dr. Doom Figure Factory, $2.48, Target
December to date, $59.33, YTD $610.81

Well, it looks like a lot put like that, doesn't it? Maybe. But for comparison purposes, if you have a latte every morning, five days a week for 52 weeks at three bucks a pop, that would be $780. (I drink the cheapest drip coffee I can get, which I guestimate runs me about $5.69 every couple of months.) Or, back at the crap job, I had a refill of Coke (85 cents, vanilla and diet mixed) every morning and usually one later in the day, but even one a day would add up to $221 a year.

Does this sound like I'm trying to justify my habit? Maybe. But I like the army of toys surrounding my little cube at work. I like being able to put the Justice League and the Avengers on the same shelf. And I like making stupid little cartoons with my toys and letting my sons throw Hulkbuster Iron Man and Superman at Spider-Hulk. So, even if I had spent the gross national product of Paraguay on toys; I'd still be OK with it.

I am doubtless missing at least one or two. Also, sometimes I've counted toys for my sons, sometimes I haven't. I just picked up two of the last Spidey and Friends toys up for the youngest's birthday next week, for instance, but I left those off this time. You might also have noticed a ream of Toys R Us purchases (sorry, I can't do the little backwards R) early in the year, then not so many: the store nearest me closed and converted to a Babies R Us, a sight that still makes me choke like an EC Comics character every time I see it. (Yes, I have a baby--infant?--toddler?, but I already have all the baby stuff he needs.) The other location is a pain to get to, and hasn't come through for me very often.

The most expensive single purchase was the Marvel Monsters Box Set, but that was four figures, which comes to $8.10 a piece. That's probably cheaper than separate Legends.

After that was the lead Nightcrawler figure, and if you have a better idea how to get that one, I'd love to hear it! Several of my Nightcrawler figures are from ebay, even on the domestics, usually because I'm too impatient to find them myself, and sometimes because it would be too hard. I have the Nightcrawler Battledice figure from ebay, for example, because those were blind-packed, and I more than likely would've had to buy box after box with no guarantee of ever getting it. End result: on my desk at work are Nightcrawler toys from the Phillipines, the UK, Spain, and Japan...all probably made in China, but even so. I didn't include the Nightcrawler bust, since that was a gift, and strictly speaking not a toy.

I didn't see Boo Radleys, Hastings, or Suncoast represented on the list as often as expected; considering I do go to those stores fairly regularly. I've just dropped a lot of the McFarlane-style toys, the more expensive movie licensed figures, DC Direct, etc. Again, I used to get a discount on those, and have grown too accustomed to paying $8 or $9 for a figure (often with a comic, accessories, and joints) instead of $15 or $17 (with nothing but a vague, burned sensation). Also, the selection at Suncoast and especially Hastings is sometimes spotty; and often cherry-picked of the good stuff. Usually I'll get DC Direct from the Comic Book Shop if at all, but at $16 a pop it had better be a good one. (Sadly, I think the last few DC Direct figures I've bought have been variant Batmans, and while I like them, I miss when they did more random choices. I bought Kilowog last year, I guess.) That's not to say I'm not biting my fist over not getting the V for Vendetta or new Army of Darkness and Bubba Ho-Tep figures, though.

The Titanium Millenium Falcon was the only Star Wars toy I bought this year? Incredible. Still, while I loved loved loved my little 3 3/4 inch toys when I was 6, they seem tiny and spendy now. The last one I bought, and don't laugh, was the Cloud Car Pilot last year. Had to break my ass finding it, too...what? Look, I had the old one as a kid and I completely identify with a background character who has to wear a horrible helmet to work. Shut up, that's why!

The Thorbuster Iron Man was an ok figure, but I was holding out for the Destroyer, of Thor fame. In the end, I couldn't resist getting the last piece I needed for the MODOK build-a-figure; and I'm pretty glad I didn't. The astute toymongers among you may have noticed I never got the Walmart wave Age of Apocalypse Weapon X or Sabertooth, which means my Giant-Man BAF is missing his feet. Meh. I just don't like either one enough to cough up $8.50 a foot. Anyway, he's tall enough; put him in back and no one will notice.

Also on the short list of Figures I wanted in 2006 but didn't get: Kang and Dragon Man, from the Fantastic Four line. Distribution on those were not so great, and I never saw any from that line. Recent discussion on oafe.net backs that up, and I'm not ready to bid on them on ebay, since I'm hoping they'll get reissued some day. I would have also liked the Marvel Select Thanos, but that was spendier than a DC Direct if I recall, and I'm not sure I ever saw one in person either.

Enough. Here's hoping for an even better new year, and may all your toy hunting be successful. Unless you live in my neighborhood, in which case, take up stamps or something.

Read more!