Blogger Beyond Imagination
I know it’s cliché, but Thank The Maker, It’s Friday! I have to brainstorm for next week’s blogger features all weekend.
My pal Deron Price (of Xizor’s View on Yakface.com) commented on Day 1 to ask if I would really be able to keep this up, and post a roll of blog every day (weekdays, at least)? This is an ongoing experiment, so I’m doing to do my bestest to post un-news, factoids, tips, tricks, and blurbs as often as I can.
Did anyone find the Target animation cells a good deal? I don’t know what a good or bad price is for them, so I posted just to see if folks want to see more "deals" as I run across them. Let me know if the link was helpful to you.
I will announce the ‘winner(s)’ of the Galactic Goodie Bag this evening after the weekly Hasbro Q&A is up, so stay tuned. I’ll also try (depending on their answers) to do a little commentary on the Hasbro Q&A.
Wow! Does that AT-AT with the new-ish Biker Scout look good or what? (If you haven’t seen it, check it out at Rebelscum.) I bought my POTF2 AT-ATs on the cheap, $25 each when Service Merchandise went out of biz, but I’ll gladly fork over the $80 for this.
That ¼ Scale Boba Fett from Sideshow is a heartstopper. I think I teared up looking at it. I have a good friend whose wallet probably hid in terror from this. They’ve also announced their 12" Scum & Villainy line, which thrills me to no end. (I’ve bought ‘em all so far, and Sideshow‘s work is some of the best I’ve ever seen — beats the high-end Japanese stuff senseless.)
Today’s Hunter’s Helper tip requires active participation, so lazy collectors may want to skip ahead. Still here? Good. Participating in your local toy group (in my case, the Atlanta Star Wars Collector’s Club) is a great way to stay on top of your collection. Interact, get to know the people in your local club, and help others. You may have to earn respect from your local peers, but the teamwork pays off. In my case, I’ve met a lot of great guys and gals, made a few new friends, and swapped some toys in the process; getting rid of some old stuff here and there, picking up new stuff here and there. It’s a win-win. Local groups are all over the net in various forums and sites, so sniff around to find yours. We have some pretty active groups here at GalacticHunter, and all (except scalpers) are welcome.
Hunter’s Heloise: (For those who asked, Hints From Heloise is/was an old housekeeping newspaper column.) The best was to display loose figures, to this humble writer, is acrylic. I buy acrylic risers every four months or so, and it takes about that time to fill up a half dozen pieces (assuming that you display all of your figures). Acrylic cabinet organizers (or risers, as they’re known) are low-cost, high quality, and they add a great look to your pieces, allowing users to tier figures in groups of three. They used to be available at Bloodbath & Beyond and Lemons & Things, but both companies mysteriously stopped carrying them. Check out Housewares & More online for the best price I’ve found. (Good shipping prices, too.) On Monday, I’ll show you some more advanced configurations in acrylic that can spice up your displays.
I’ll be back a bit later today with Hunter’s Holy Grail, a new Top 10, and more.
July 7th, 2006 at 9:54 am
Following up on Heloise: I found some pretty nifty wire-mesh risers at a place called "Storables" (in Seattle, but I imagine other cities have this store, too). They are a little spendy, but have a sort of industrial quality that suits my collection, particularly the Imperial figures. I think I got them because the standard acrylic risers were too wide for my display cabinet, but they are working out rather nicely.
July 7th, 2006 at 10:31 am
Hey Philip, feel free to post a pic. I’d love to see your set-up. The biggest reason that I recommend acrylic is because (a) is can be cleaned with water and light soap and (b) most people just want to put their figures on display and admire them — for dioramas and people who do little scenes, I agree, metal makes good sense.
July 7th, 2006 at 11:18 am
hey adam, lookie what i found. this is the link to your feature on unproduced sw toys over at the ol’ trade federation. http://www.tradefederation.net/pages/features/end/
i dug this up after reading your hunter’s holy grail entries. i think this is highly recommended reading for anyone interested in this sort of thing. by the way, this ( galactic blogger) is definetly one of the most entertaining ideas to hit the numerous sw collecting websites that i have come across in all my years of scouring said sites. keep it up, i’ll always be tuning in.
July 7th, 2006 at 11:46 am
I officially LOVE this blog! 3 invaluable tips in 3 days – compressed air, museum gel, and now the place to find acrylic risers!!!!!Where have I been all this while?
July 7th, 2006 at 8:39 pm
Is the Sideshow Fett going to be a statue like the Han Solo or Luke, or will it be more like the Darth Maul figure that’s poseable?
July 7th, 2006 at 9:04 pm
And here I was building my risers out of scrap wood, mostly discarded Ikea shelving, I’d find on the way home from work….but hell, whatever works right! And they do work, kinda, though my handymanship is a little rusty so good thing they don’t have to support much weight nor get inspected by a supervisor. The acrylic risers thing sounds great! Again, being up here in "Canadia" I’m sure I’m going to have to hunt like mad to find them (still haven’t found that Museum Gel yet!). It helps when you have the population base to like you guys down there to support such product variety!
July 8th, 2006 at 9:19 am
Adam, this is the best feature on the net in years. Keep up the good work. The acrylic risers works great. Walmart has an expandable spice rack in white plastic that also works well. It’s also a little cheaper.
July 9th, 2006 at 11:59 am
Hey the acrylic risers sound nice. Do you know if slightly larger figures like say, Galactic Heroes, will easily fit on them?
July 9th, 2006 at 1:08 pm
Yes, Scott, they can hold Galactic Heroes. They can accomodate most any figure that isn’t larger in diameter than a large canned good (like a big Chunky soup can).