Photo Collection: 1

Over my year hiatus I still played around with stuff I had picked up and would occasionally snap some pics with my phone, either with the built in camera app or the Hipstamatic app to share my latest and greatest scores with a couple of friends. Below in no order or explanation are some of those photos.

enjoy!

A Happy Bat!

A Happy Bat! - Digital Illustration

I am pretty excited about the new 1966 Batman items that will be making it's way to store shelves and across the internets this Summer. So much so I went ahead and broke with my tradition of hunting things down and preordered some 1966 Batty Goodness.

After that what was I to do? Why, enjoy a milk shake with Batman!

The rough sketch is here!

enjoy!

Bow Before Vader... or Vadar!

Follow the Dark Lord of the Sith at ASWB!

Red Skirt

Red Skirt 2013/03 - digital illustration

I have been thinking of starting up my sketchbook blog again. This time as sort of a support for the artwork I have posted here. I am thinking like a behind the scenes or a peek at the process sort of thing.

 So, I have added an animated GIF to the Sketchbook Blog showing a little bit of the evolution of this illustration if you are interested.

As time goes on I will try different behind the scenes techniques.

enjoy.

Batman: The Lost Bet

I had a little bet going with Brian A and Brian B that the winner (or loser) had to write a guest post for the other's blogs. I really do not want to got into the whole thing, but I won and or lost! 

So, first up I have a guest post over at Under the Giant Penny featuring the Mike Mignola Variant Batman Black and White Statue sent to me by my friends at Tate's. They redesigned their website recently, it's really cool, you should check it out.

Make sure you check out my guest post, and then come back for more Eclectorama fun... oh and I have two more guest post I have to write, so stay tuned for those announcements.

No More Star Wars!

I joke, I joke. I could never do without some Star Wars. That being said, I am limiting any Star Wars posts on Eclectorama to just artwork I have worked on because Brian A of Yestervile Toy Room, Brian B of What My Dad Saw (Both form Under The Giant Penny fame), and myself have teamed up to talk about Star Wars at Another Star Wars Blog (ASWB for short).

We have been talking about this for a year or so and finally I got off my butt to get some artwork going for the new blog. It's going to be a mash up of memories, toys, original and prequel trilogies, plus what ever we decide to talk about. Should be a fun time.

I do have more posts in the works for Eclectorama and Batman the Animated Toys, and hopefully some answers to questions like whatever happened to Vacationing Spock? Or did you run out of BTAS Toys to talk about? So, stay tuned and drop by ASWB for our first post, a little Q&A if you will to get to know your hosts a little better.  

Clearance on Villains aisle 77!

You have probably seen these things hanging around the Star Wars section at Target. This is one of three, 3-Packs from the Target exclusive Star Wars product. They have been hitting the clearance aisle the past few weeks. Though the price is still sort of high 18 bucks for the set, which for three figures is pretty good, but when you only need one of the three sort of high that's all I mean.

I have passed on this set before the Holiday, during the Holiday, and while picking up some Laundry Detergent and only seeing one left of this set I went ahead and picked it. So, what did I get?

First up is the "Sand People"! I guess Sand Person or Tusken Raider, the package was going vintage and that's what i believe they had them listed as back in the day. Shown above with his Gaffi Stick, he also comes with the rifle shown above. I am more of an old school fan with the Gaffi Stick, but will take the rifle in a pinch I guess.

The Tusken Raider was not really the figure I was after in the set, but as one of my buddies reminded me, you can never have too many Tusken Raiders to harass Luke.

 Next up...

Boba Fett! I do not know how many Boba Fett Figures I have, especially of this one style. I think Hasbro has been using this body for several years now.

I like Boba Fett, but this figure is really a deal breaker for me. I understand that in the original "Villain Set" he was included, and that is why he is here, I am just saying I could have lived without another one.

This is the Empire Strikes Back deco of Boba Fett, so that is a bonus in my book. This means he is going to have the extra little blaster pistol and the more subdued color scheme. I guess if worst came to worse I could use him as a tooth brush holder, maybe put him on the dash of the car, I don't know.

This guy! This guy right here! This is the one I was after. See, my buddy and I have been picking up the recent Vintage Collection of all our favorite Original Trilogy characters, sort of an ultimate version of each, I have been through a couple Vaders, revisited the POTF2 collection for my 3PO, R2 is constantly being replaced, but to date the best we had of this guy was an older version that was limited in articulation.

This guy will always be Snaggletooth to me as well, I am a child of the 70's, more specifically part of the first wave of kids to ever lay their eyes on Star Wars, back then the cantina patrons were known as Snaggletooth, Hammerhead, Walrusman, and Greedo (who turns out is actually Greedo).

So, those names have stuck with me. I like that old Snaggletooth also comes with the Han Solo Blaster, just like back then. Also, no holster, just jams it in the small of his hunched back, in his belt, Tatooine Ganster style!

Cap'n-Merica

I would bet you could never guess what I finally watched last night?

I love the smell...

...of minty Bat Dolly in the morning. It smells like victory!

Ah, excuse me...

These guys were wandering around the EHQ (Eclectorama Headquarters) this morning, asking for directions to a detention block or something. It seemed sorta fishy to me, but I couldn't put my finger on it, like maybe they were a little short for Stormtroopers... anyway, they were way off so I gave then directions and went on with my morning routine.

Swing on by

Click the Boy Wonder above or click here to see what's happening over at BTAT Blog!

Batman Year One

Straight from the Doodle Book to the Blog, in Bat-tastic-color!



Oh, and if you bothered to read this, you can buy Batman:Year One on iTunes and some other services ahead of the release date TODAY ONLY! You're welcome.

The hardest part is letting them go

file photo of Chunky B

I still consider myself a collector, even as I am going through one of the largest toy purges in my toy collecting career. I guess largest isn't the right word, how about hardest. Just last tonight I decided it was time to let go of some more things I never thought I would part with, I guess the catalyst was I was sorting through a tote of Star Trek toys and I looked over at the stack of totes I still need to go through and I thought, why am I storing some of this stuff. I mean I enjoy my collection, but some stuff I think I am just storing for no reason. I don't plan on opening some of it and I really don't plan on displaying it, so why am I holding on to it?

I couldn't answer that question really, so right then I decided it was time to make the cuts that hurt the most. I knew there were some loose toys and some packaged toys that I was holding onto out of some weird collector obligation, I gathered them up, reluctantly at first, and shot pictures of them and posted them at really good prices. I say really good because of my first round of stuff, eight auctions with low buy it now prices, five lots sold just as fast as I could post them. I was actually posting one and went back to revise it when I got two notifications that it sold to two different people. Don't ask me how that happens. I got it all sorted out though.

At first I was kind of disappointed, not that they sold or sold so fast, but that when I was ready to write this post I would only have three auctions going and undoubtably all my die hard toy collecting brothers would look at them and think "yeah, wow! Really letting some stuff go". My plan was to put lots up in groupings of ten or so, or for that matter as many as I could before I got tired of posting them. I plan on making some more cuts. If you remember this picture...

There were about 24 totes there and a couple boxes of toys. I can say that two of those totes is miscellaneous items that are not toys, so subtract those and that leaves lets say 22 totes. Probably most of my fellow collectors out there could easily double this number, but I used to work at UPS in college so I can pack a tote. That picture was taken around 2007, so the number of totes have fluctuated over time, emptying a few, refilling a few. This year I started a few little purges, maybe loosing a couple of totes here and there bringing the number down to around 19 totes, but recently I really doubled my efforts to clean house. My recent efforts have emptied 7 totes off that number. So I am sitting at 12 totes now, plus you have to take into account those little shelving units I am sorting into, those are probably where my first few totes of things went, which I am going to say have been a life saver sorting things to sell. It's so easy to pull a drawer and get a quick view of what i want to keep and what i want to thin out.

I still have a long way to go, I want to get that number of totes down to maybe 6 or eight, almost half of what I have now. Also I want to get the little shelf units to a more manageable point to store my keepers. So why all of a sudden this great purge? The purge to end all purges? A few reasons.

My Focus and thoughts on collecting have changed.

1) While there are a few Items I think I will always keep in their original packages, for the most part I am opening up things that I don't have already opened and enjoying them.

2) Loose items I have that are in great condition and can find another home I am letting go, as with some of the packed stuff that I can tell myself to let go.

3) The reason I say I am still a collector, I am planing on picking up a few great pieces for my collection, and also a few select pieces for my focuses; Batman, Stormtroopers, Classic Trek (Spock!), Vintage Star Wars, and a couple others I don't want to reveal at this time.

What does all this mean? Hopefully a more streamlined collection, better judgement on future purchases (which I doubt), and maybe help fill some holes in other peoples collections. So as long as this little Jawa is hanging around on the blog...

Click HERE for the Utini!

I will be in a continuous house cleaning frame of mind. Rest assured I have a few things coming in the mail I can't wait to get my hands on and shoot pictures of.

Doodle Book: 1

Yesterday after work I had to run to the bookstore with my wife. She picked up a little photo album for a project she is working on and I picked up a three pack of those little moleskin sketch books. I went small and cheap for these as it was going to be an experiment. Surprisingly I do like the feel of the paper for drawing on, I can see why people suggest these.

Anyway, I decided I needed to keep a more concentrated Doodle Book, you know not so many bits and pieces of paper everywhere. Though I was happy to see a little flap in the back of each book that could hold pieces of paper : )

I want to try to put something in it everyday with hopes I will post the drawings from time to time. I have kept sketchbooks in the past, but much larger than these 3.5" x 5.5" pages. I thought the smaller size would force me to carry it with me more often than not. So all that said, here''s my first group from the Doodle Book.







Obviously they all can't be winners, looking at that Captain America I don't know what I was thinking on that one. I also need to take it with me when I am out and about as I did get the comment from my wife that "I always draw cartoons!" I guess I need to put all of those semesters of life drawing to good use.

RIP Steve

Outgoing and Incoming

Earlier in the week Reis at Hey! Look at my toys! sent out a call for some trades. So, while I was getting an envelope ready for the two I had on hand, a few of my other minifigs decided to show them the door. I don't blame these two for jumping ship now.



Wow that whip has to sting! That's the last time I give my security team a week off. Okay, so, while those two were leaving the EHQ (Eclectorama Headquarters) here is some incoming post.

First is a printed invite I had drawn up for my Niece's baby shower. I included my Niece, her cat and her husband. I tried to personalize it a bit, she likes to shop and he works in the sound and lighting industry. Hope they like it. I had these printed at Faulkenberg Printing Company and I couldn't be happier.



Then there are these sets of awesomeness! In the package from Faulkenberg was a few packs of the first ever Eclectorama Trading Cards! I must have a fan at Faulkenberg, it's really kinda of cool seeing artwork you worked on in a format you never thought you would see artwork you worked on. Don't get me wrong I have had stuff printed both in my day job and as a freelancer, some for Star Wars Kids Magazine back in the day. But this is artwork I just did for fun.



I was sent five packs, I of course I am keeping the one I opened, but was told that all the packs had the same cards... oh and one sticker. So that means I have a few to giveaway! Should I have a contest, a drawing, or just send them at random. Hmmm decisions, decisions. Let me think on it and I will make an announcement next week. I think I will even do a few artist's sketch cards to sweeten the deal. What does everyone think?





Have a cool weekend and thanks again to everyone at Faulkenberg Printing Company, especially the Eclectorama Fan ; )

Star Wars Vignette

As if it wasn't obvious without the text. Was bored, these were on my desk, had camera phone.

Problem Solved

That last comment in my last post got me thinking. When I got this Robin home today I looked at it and the first thing I said was "Robin does not have a cape!"

For a split second I thought it must either be a mistake on the toy or a safety thing since he is packed with a motorcycle. I mean I wouldn't get on a bike with a cape. But hey Batman does it, Then I thought it couldn't be a cycle thing he has no Helmet. Surely the Boy Wonder would wear a helmet. Looking on the back of the packages I noticed the picture had a Robin with no cape. Are they all like this? I could have sworn I gave one of my Nephews a Batcave and it had a Robin with a cape, I could be wrong.

I knew exactly what to do though. I found some scrap black fabric and some yellow felt. In hindsight yellow fabric would be much better, but felt is what i had. I grabbed some of that fusing material from my wife's sewing kit and heated up the iron. I fused a small swatch of the two materials together, let it cool and trimmed it into what I believed was a decent Robin cape (slow evening here in Texas folks).

I gently pulled and twisted Robin's head until it popped off. It's on there pretty tight. It might help to run it under a hot tap first. The base of the neck has what looks like a plastic collar where a cape should be so it works perfect to help hide where the cape slips over the peg. Cut a hole and slide it over the peg then pop the head back on and done!

Here's the results...





... no more cape-less Boy Wonder!

FINALLY!!!

I had pretty much given up on this one and the kicker, I have pretty much given all my other Transformers away, now I have one!



Also as a stroke of luck I spied these and snagged them both. Toy budget 0, Charles 3.

For the Superfans

I can't say I am the world's largest Superman fan, but I do loves me some Max Fleischer's Superman.