June 1998 | Ramble Index | April 1998

5/30/98: Technology Fails -- Toys Prevail! The week started with the Kodak DC20 crapping out due to (I hope) a dead battery. Troubles culminated with my personal net connection going down for almost three hours on Friday. It was terrifying...suffocating...gagging...! But then Gold Baron F.M.F. arrived, and brain functions were restored... Anyway, a round of updates to the site! At right, Dennis' mind-boggling UFO Grandizer Pedal Car, mint and unassembled. Can you imagine cruising down to your local toy store in this bad boy? He's taking offers, and you can mail him here. My Hover Pilder arrived as well, and the box was...breathtaking. There's an entry in the Collection Narrative gallery now that you can check out, and new boxes in the Box Fetish gallery. Also: big thanks to Vincent L. for forwarding info and scans on some new books for the Info Library. Check the Link-o-rama for a half-dozen new links as well. While I'm rambling about links: John at Cool Stuff has an excellent rack of Super Robot anime. He's sent me a Gaiking sample tape, and the quality was superb. And, of course,I don't have to remind you to pop into Cafe Chogokin tommorow night. Dahling, you simply must be there!

5/25/98: Memorial Day/Chat Night Ramble

In the Summer of 1997 as I was getting "serious" about robots, Imp (of CJT fame) and I coined a term while cruising up and down the East Coast, hitting comic shops and toy shows between Boston and the Conneticut line. The term is essentially a rehash of that old pre-school Golden Rule -- "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"-- and we called it the Karmic Boomerang. The Karmic Boomerang represents my personal faith in the ability to project and distribute a system of values, for better or worse, in an otherwise seemingly random and daunting world. You may or may not make a difference; it hardly matters since the goal isn't a tangible set of rewards, but, rather, a developed and settled state of mind and spirit. A cool thing happened to me two weeks ago. A seasoned collector whom I'd never met before contacted me about a piece I'd waited a long time for: Popy Tetsujin DX, the solid, heavy and dangerous 8" badass diecast. (The sideline of hardcore and jaded completists are probably mumbling something like "not so rare, really." But as I'd been waiting for over a year to get this piece, it generates a special kind of lust in my heart.) This collector was kind enought to deliver this piece to me in person at a great price because he wanted to pass the piece onto someone who would give it a good home. Now that kicks ass! This is the kind of collecting I want to be a part of... Anyway, I'm beginning to, um, ramble. I just wanted to remind you to post your wanted list somewhere. I know I'm doubling my efforts in the coming weeks to help other collectors hit some key pieces. So make the Karmic Boomerang work for you: foster a mode of acquisition which takes into account all the great people becoming interested in this fantastic line of toys! On another front, take some time to congratulate Tom Jumbomachinder Franck on making the 1st glossy color cover of Giant Robot magazine! Issue No. 11 features an article on Tom's collection, and can be ordered from Day-Old Antiques or Tokyo Kid. But you really should subscribe to this butt-kicking mag...

5/23/98: Hover Pilder Timewarp Bonanza I spoke yesterday with Leonard from Rising Sun Creations. On a recent trip to Japan, they apparently secured a case of deadstock 1972 diecast Popy Mazinger Z Hover Pilders. I have, with tremblings lips, rattled off my credit card number and am waiting for mine to arrive via post. While they have a generous supply right now, I can't imagine deadstock Hover Pilders hanging around on the shelves...!

5/19/98: Matt Alt Blitz! Wow, it's like 48 hours of Matt Alt! Check out the East Wing smattering of Matt's extensive collection in the World Collector Gallery (jump here to the Gallery). Now, don't you think it's time you sent me some pics?

5/18/98: Unrespected! Collector/wordsmith Matt Alt fires off an inspiring piece in the brand-new Annals of the Unrespected! (Jump to the Info Library.) In his first submission, Matt enlightens us to the wonders of a number of lesser-appreciated pieces, including the stunning and unprecedented Pen-pen, The Brothers Kyodain Zero, and the bizarrely scaled Korean-knockoff Gundam Deluxe Mk II. And Don't Forget: Cafe Chogokin chat tonight, 10PM EDT. Seeya there!

5/14/98: Collector Art New Collector Art Gallery launched! See some of collector/illustrator Josh Fraser's cool robot illustrations. Whether it's fan interpetations of the Master, or originaI mecha designs and stories, I love checking out other people's robot art. So send whatcha got!

	5/11/98: Chat Tonight Cafe Chogokin regular chat, tonight at 10 PM EDT. Also: the launch of the World Collector Gallery, a new section featuring images from collectors of some of their favorite toys. The first image submissions are from Getta Robo G fan Mario Marathias. E-mail me to submit your own!

5/8/98: Digital Shelf Revamp More images added to the Digital Shelf. Also: new navigation and "index" page should make browsing new images easier. More revamps to the entire gallery section on the way, as well as a new FACTOIDS section...! (On the grapevine: Day-Old Antiques is having a Spring Cleaning Sale. Call (617) 354-1999 and check the Dayold Site as listings come in. And feel free to mention TOYBOX to boost my browning points!)

(Mark Nagata's Cool Site)

5/05/98: Nostalgic Web Ramble! TOYBOX DX moves into its 5th week of existence, and I'm going to say it again: thanks for the overwhelming amount of supportive email and dialogue about this site.

It warms the heart of a jaded and short-attentioned webhead like myself to feel a genuine sense of community developing among collectors of these cool toys. Why, I remember the olden days (almost 2 years ago!) when there were (3) (count 'em) sites worth checking about Japanese toys: David Morton's Mecha World Ted Terranova's Robot Page - and - John Eaton's Shogun Warriors Page Looking back on those early days gets me all misty-eyed and crap. I loved each of these sites for different reasons. David's site had a wonderful sense of personal narrative. Ted's site had a tremendous rack of Godaikins, Shoguns, and Mecha (the lust!) And John's site was where I made my 1st Internet purchase: a beaten diecast Great Mazinger, missing swords. I would hit each of these sites maybe two or three times a day just to feed off the vibes. 2 years later, a massive number of cool new toy sites have emerged, including Mark Nagata's Ultimate Ultraman Toy Collection site. (Follow the link to see some of his cool toys.) His site is filled with images and stuff, and reeks of long hours and dedication. In the future, I'm going to do as much as possible to highlight the work of fellow collectors on the web. While other toy sites continue to aspire to being authoritative, comprehensive or useful, the TOYBOX will continue to be about 1) personal indulgence and 2) community building. The fun ride and a place to hang are the gravy on the cake!

June 1998 | Ramble Index | April 1998