On the way to work I snap a shot of one of the girl’s shelves. I envision her God Jesus Robot paving the way for his friends on the path to robot enlightenment.
Then I wonder if I need therapy.
(Don’t answer that.)
Anyway here is hoping she does her brog on this robo shepherd soon…
Matt Walker of Dead Presidents designs has opened a new website for those hobbyists and collectors interested in customizing their own projects. Matt has always been an advocate of no nonsense approach, and a down to earth way of creating among friends. He has worked with many Toyboxer’s, and executed some sick custom paint jobs, including some of the most beautiful versions of the Nekosaur. A super nice guy with some serious skills. Don’t be a “chooch“, go check it out and get creative with your toys: ;-)
I have a problem. I know it all too well. Luckily I have a supportive network made up of like minded souls, who know how to serve as a catalyst to my foolish brain.
I parted ways with a Gekko Kaman a little over a year ago. I regretted it, even though the condition of the toy and the box especially was not to my usual standard. Purchased at the 2006 Morphey auction, for what I thought at the time was a good deal, I sold it for the same price to finance a purchase, and to remove what was basically the only vintage batt op in my exclusively “walker” collection. Somehow it did not fit into the plan of holding out for the best conditioned toys and boxes I could locate.
When the “bug” gets you, it gets you, and there is not a lot you can do about it. There was a constant knawing feeling at the back of my mind anytime I looked at older photos of my toy case and saw The Gekko happily standing there next to his Osaka reissue brothers. I knew I had to bit the bullet and replace him.
This week I did just that to the detriment of my wallet once again. But it is a stress I don’t believe I will ever regret. The toy is mint and the box, although not “perfect” is good enough for me to not lose sleep over. It is an instance where love of the toy trumps whatever unresolved issues I have for sub par packaging.
Gekko will be home again … for good. ;-)
Just a few more photos I took when dropping off a talker to Warren today.
It was raining heavily, and has been for the past couple days.
Walking into the toy room, warmed me quickly.
I find A MIMB Takemi Pegas that I sold in the mid 90’s to Day Old Antiques. It is fitting and somehow serendipitous that it resides now in my friend’s cardboard church . I pay my respects and move onto other treasures.
Not expecting to do a photo shoot, I was only was armed with my iphone. Although the quality of photos are low, the toys were certainly not.
As you can see.
The new reference for scale in future auctions will be 10 lb lobsters.
Impressions of the master caretaker via the heated brains of Josh and Regan:
Josh: It has become a pilgrimage. A place you think about when you leave, and A place you look forward to visiting again, because you NEVER get to see all that it has to offer.
Warren Schwartz is the personification of the Karmic toy boomerang. The robot toy original who with a genuine smile, finds himself to be the caretaker of one of the most comprehensive collections in North America. It has been so since 1986, where Warren went on his first trip to the motherland and began what would become a collection only the most obsessed of us could fathom, let alone attempt.
Eight years ago Alen Yen and Matt Alt took the trip and expressed their views on the power of the Schwartz. They had to create a viewer advisory label for their Rumble due to the player hating of those early days. Luckily as time progressed, so hopefully did the level of courtesy among the community, and so this sequel is uncut and uncensored for your pleasure. Hell the coverage is even coed this time around.
Regan (pronounced like the former president or the space gun) and I drive over to Warren’s to meet for lunch. Although she has met him at Dim sum, It is her first time seeing his collection. She seems excited, and I can tell, not just because she is doing her Tyrannosaurus imitation ( a bottle of wine later and you will witness it too) … I also remember the first time I went up those stairs to the attic filled with the familiar smell of old cardboard and styrofoam awaiting.
Regan: I don’t have a Tyrannosaurus impression. I just have very short arms…jerk. I was, however, very excited to get to know Warren and see the infamous collection. It’s immediately obvious that the adoration and reverence paid to both is well fitting.
Josh: We are greeted with the tell tale boxes and bags filled to the brim with diecast tin and vinyl. The sun is out, and the room is filled with an almost cliche like movie light . The dust in the room is dancing on the rays and I get one of those fuzzy feelings you get when your a kid on the first day of summer vacation.
Regan: At this point I believe Josh was getting a little misty-eyed and I began to feel the sanctity of the place myself. Boxes line both sides of the room, the contents of each meticulously cataloged and labeled. Kaiju and robots are peeking out from every shelf. There’s a jumbo Bandai Godzilla and Bullmark Battenger next to a vase with a hand-painted pastoral scene. It’s organized chaos and it’s beautiful. Even the enthusiastic poodle waits respectfully for us in the hallway
Josh: “Uncle”, with a playful smirk, starts taking out missile firing things and talker things and combining things and walking things. The aging paper fills our waiting noses, and like anyone who has opened a jumbo machinder after years in storage… it is the smell of memories and fall leaves. Warren’s attic is the real life representation of the wardrobe out of C.S Lewis’s own crazed imagination. Except in this story, there is a robot instead of a faun to greet us.
Like a surreal toy alchemist, he graciously takes out an array of rarities including some major vinyl grails of various sorts. Not least of which was the his complete boxed Astro Mu collection, a remarkable Groizer X talker, a wonderful Rockbat sofubi boxset ( although the box was a c-1 and looked as if it would infect the handler with anthrax ), as well as a complete mint in box “BIG” Zaboga Missile firing vinyl, ( which by looking at the box we realized there may in fact be a Mach Baron version as well ) a lust inducing 18 to 20 inch Red baron vinyl ( of which there are only two recorded) and the very coveted Red baron Missile firing vinyl, with a never before seen box. The last item we both held with great care, as the box by itself was worth more than a mimb GA50.
Regan: In one of the more surreal moments of my life, which seem to have come in greater frequency since spending time with Mr. Fraser, I am tasked with outfitting an Astro Mu 5 figure . In my entire fashion career, he was the most difficult creature I have ever had to dress, second only to an angry Siamese I stuffed into a Frankenstein costume.
Oh god, the Missile Firing Red Baron…I don’t think I breathed while we had it out of the box. I had flashbacks to being an altar girl in a Catholic church when I was a kid – just a blur of ‘don’tdropitdon’tdropitdon’tdropit.’
Josh: A sobering thought for sure. But regardless or rarity, cost or any other factor that would make the average collector hesitate to let a friend, let alone a relative stranger handle and play with these gems. Uncle has his priorities straight, and the friendship outweighs the funk any day of the week.
Regan is grinning, as she and a Diapolon store display make friends, while Warren like a good-natured curator looks for another grail to offer.
Regan: It’s true. If I were 12, I would give Diapolon half of a necklace that said ‘Friends 4-ever’.
Josh: Today has been one to remember, and neither one of us will forget. Thanks, as always Sifu.
Regan: Though I am slightly less schmoopy than my associate, I must agree completely. It is an honor to know Warren and witness the labor of love that is his collection. It was a good day.
It was a good day.
Regan and I went to have lunch, and spend some quality time with Warren and to see a few of the recent, and remarkable finds he has picked up in the past few months.
You may recall the “infamous” article Matt and Alen reported on Warren all those years ago, on May 5th 2002.
http://www.toyboxdx.com/gallery/wc/warren2article.html
I consider this part two.
( Robot angels began to sing when Uncle W began to take out the big guns)
Coming soon!
Waist-joint fresh
Feel the vintage burn.
This past Sunday, Alen wanted to get together with a few locals to hand off and unveil the ever so sexy Nekosaur Sofubi.
Of course we were all excited to get ours and also have an opportunity to catch up and eat some killer dim sum in the interim.
Alen( “Godfather”) , Warren( “Uncle”) , Josh B, Melanie, Mason, Jessie, Dave, Sanjeev, Regan and I all met at 11 am in Woburn at China Pearl, for what proved to be some killer nerd talk and devastating DX pork buns.
Warren and Dave confer while the Nekosaurs keep watch.
It was a great setting to exchange toys, have show and tell, and discuss future plans for world domination through toys.
Alen and Sanjeev discuss how to steal Warren’s Ultra “Father” when “Uncle” is not looking.
Warren of course, brought rare and wonderful toys to share, among which was a beautiful clear Ultraman Father vinyl, as well as Red Baron clear vinyl on card and an AMAZING Calculator Robot with actual Doll/Teddy bear eyes. This of course gave everyone great ideas for future Neko offerings and made great table displays for our ever increasing plates of Dim sum. Although I threw out a few ideas/concepts that raised eyebrows and certainly made a few people not so subtly inch their chairs away.
Apparently no one wants a clear sofubi with sea monkeys in it. ;-/
“No”…”I am your Father”.
One major topic of discussion was the “Orange Variant” Bazolar. A topic brought up a few weeks back which certainly intrigued more than a few collectors. It was after a little time that the general consensus was that it was simply a factor of age, sunlight, paint or post modification, and not an official mutant of years gone by. Somewhat disappointing for a Gaiking completist like myself, but cool looking none the less.
Josh tries to hypnotize me with the Bazolar
While Alen almost mistakes the toy for a Pork bun.
Warren then astounds us with the Teddy bear eyes sofubi.
And Regan lovingly approves.
It is times like this that remind me of how many solid folks there are in the community , and how the toys now are simply side distractions to the friendships that have cultivated over the decade or so together.
I received my first Arklon toy in the mail last night, and have been completely enamored with it since then. I won’t bore you with the same diatribe you’ve all heard about how the mechanical rendition of a classic monster in a toy that is 85% die-cast is fantastic. Something that occurred to me almost immediately was just how similar the Glyos toy concept is to the classic Arklon. Both come completely apart, and both are awesome for it.
