THE SAGA OF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (MCA, 1979)

 

Here's another one of those sorts of things that you just can't find anywhere else (and I looked).  After STAR WARS, every big movie seemed to have their own book-and-record, read-along condensed version for kids, but there could also be the long-playing version that skipped the book and the need to "turn the page when you hear this sound." This grown-up version used audio from the actual film, too.

This is the latter version, and in place of turning the page, it actually has new audio recorded by Lorne Greene as narration...which is actually strange, because he is often referring to his own character, which makes for some weird moments where Adama sound like he's speaking of himself in the third person.

This album walks through the initial movie that launched the TV series, in 49 minutes, and it's pretty well-done.  It made me want to go back and watch it again, so it must have been doing something right.  

Another interesting facet of this production is how it forced me to honestly evaluate the series as an adult, rather than when I was young and undiscerning: is it a shameless STAR WARS ripoff?  Back in the day, kids did not sit around on the playground and complain that Glen Larson was ripping George Lucas off.  Instead, we were thrilled to have new space fantasy to devour, while we waited for THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.

Now, however, I can more clearly see some of the reasons George was upset.  After all, some of his own people worked on it, and there are some issues and similarities, of course (suddenly we had another space "Saga").  I read that Lucas issued a laundry list of demans, including vehemently insisting the blasters "fire no beams," which explains why they always lit up at the ends.  I am not sure how he could really claim a copyright on that, but whatever.  In retrospect, Apollo and Starbuck are sort of two Han Solos, and if it were up to me, I would've dialed the music down quite a bit; it's one of the most obviously-borrowed items because it is just so bombastic.  You do have rebels--in a sense--and enemy soldiers that all look alike, which they at least made into robots (before Lucas did, come to think of it). And then there are the dogfights, which are hard to defend in their similarity...again, the same folks worked on them, after all.  

But there are lots of great original things to praise the series for as well.  The cast is great; the designs are amazing (did I mention Ralph McQuarrie worked on the ships?), from the vehicles to the uniforms.  The Cylons are incredible in every way, from appearance to their all-important unique sound.  In the film, the Ovion insect people are a stroke of genius, and the writers invented a casino planet long before the Mouse ever stole the idea and wasted it.

I could go on, but I believe that the series has earned its place in history, and should stand as its own thing.  Unfortunately, it succumbed to what I call the Curse of Television.  Namely, a television series does not usually benefit from the luxury of having a beginning, middle, and definite ending.  Instead, a series tries to last as long as it is allowed, and eventually, funding is cut long before anyone can envision a proper ending to the story, or a way to pull it off, and the show is cancelled.  It's been a problem for literal decades.  

.................and then, GALACTICA 1980 happened instead.  The less said, the better.

One more thing, and this is hilarious--notice on the front cover of the album, despite all of the available artwork from the show, somebody thought it would be a good idea to swipe the MATTEL 12-INCH ACTION FIGURE ARTWORK for their painting.  After all, Cylons probably look exactly like that, right? With the huge chest light and plastic gun beam...and giant backpack push-button sticking up?  It would be a lot of trouble to go watch the show, or ask for more reference photos, right?

LINK:  SAGA OF BATTLESTAR GALACTICA (1979)

GODZILLA DEVOURS WHITE CASTLE set of 4 Promotional Cups! (Louisiana Plastics, 1990)

  

Now it can be told! For the first time around here, feast your eyes on a completed set of all FOUR "Godzilla Devours White Castle" 1990 kids' meal cups!

The logo!

When I first started collecting these, I was convinced they looked so much alike, it would be impossible.  Now that I can see all four together, in living color, though, that's not the case at all.  

The reverse of the cups (somehow I got these mixed up between photos and had to edit a bit.) This photo is just in case you have to identify cups just from the logo side--they are all completely distinct from each other!

While the toys from the promotion (seen here) were produced by Strottman, International, these large cups were made by the Louisiana Plastics, Inc. (which was in Missouri, actually). I am assuming they were 32 ounces, from that number being on the bottom:

So I got to thinking...is there an easier way to identify these cups, since you never see the whole image at once? Then, a thought struck me.  A goofy thought, but...one that just might work.  By rolling them slowly on the scanner, I can now provide full images of the entire artwork for each cup! Such as it is.  It's...actually pretty bad.  Then again, I'm willing to bet you won't see this anywhere else!

If I'm counting right, that's 3 KING OF THE MONSTERS and 1 SON OF GODZILLA.  If you are trying to finish your set, I hope this guide will help! Stay patient, because they are out there and do surface every once in a while!

Godzilla Jumbo Puffy Magnet #5 (of 6) Added To The Collection!

Last year--actually in this post--it finally dawned on me that all of these Godzilla Puffy magnets and magnetic keychains used the same 6 images over and over, so therefore, where the giant ones were concerned, there must also be 6 different styles (see that post for my full personal epiphany). 

Here are those 6 designs:

Up to that point, I had accounted for three of these, in their original packaging.  A fourth turned up in a quarter machine display header card that I purchased:

And now, a 5th has joined the group!

This one measures 6 & 1/2 inches in height.

SO, for those of you keeping score at home, I just need to find "Magnetic Godzilla Character TV & Cartoon Pals" design #4, which looks like this:

It would be friggin' Godzooky, because of course it is. Oh well, the search continues. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, I have to update the Godzilla guide.

From the Aurora 1970 Dealer Catalog (Aurora Plastics Corp, 1970)

 

I haven't looked, but I am assuming that this entire book exists somewhere on the Internet, probably on archive.org or something, as Aurora fans are both legion as well as ravenous AND insatiable.  Therefore, we will not waste time here with every page of sailing ships, airplanes, and model cars, but cut right to the chase! It's what you came here to see anyhow!

Godzilla (and King Kong) make a cameo appearance in this group shot, which is right inside the cover.

And now the monster section, in its entirety, at last! 1969 (the previous year) introduced the first famous "glow kits," wherein Aurora reissued monster kits with new, glow-in-the-dark parts.  This page here gives us a full-page look at the Frankenstein artwork!

The crown jewels of the glow kits being Godzilla and Kong, of course.  I have said this before, but it must have been pretty sweet to get tucked into bed at night, and have the Godzilla model you built watch over you with glowing head and hands, as you fell asleep!

We conclude with the second-most-interesting section of the catalog!

Note that The Penguin is included under the "Heroes" title, which I guess should've read "HEROES......and also one villain."

As always, good stuff from Aurora, the definition of a truly timeless brand!

Godzilla & King Kong Aurora Model Kits Retailer Order Form! (Aurora, 1964)

A quick one today, but the image speaks for itself. Here is an original retailer order form (measuring 8.5 x 11 inches) that is announcing the 1964 King Kong and Godzilla Aurora model kits, which will run you the princely sum of a buck-forty-nine apiece!

This piece has an even cooler story in its provenance.  I purchased this from one of the top Aurora model collectors in the world, and it actually came from the personal collection and estate of Andy Yanchus (1944-2021).  Yanchus was a colorist at Marvel Comics for 17 years (he even colored the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN issue that was the Hobgoblin's first appearance!), but before that, he actually worked for Aurora for over 10 years, designing kits and rising to the rank of Aurora Project Manager.  As you would expect, he left Aurora with a huge collection of artifacts and artwork.

This is an awesome piece with its connection to Godzilla history already, but knowing the "rest of the story" makes it even better!

Godzilla DOOM ISLAND Spacegodzilla (and carded figures) Trendmasters, 1997

 

I recently added this beauty to my collection, completing my set of carded DOOM ISLAND action figures (which is what Trendmasters referred to as "6-inch action figures," even though they are really closer to 5).  

If you don't know the story, DOOM ISLAND was the third and final Godzilla line made by Trendmasters, which unfortunately was cancelled before it could be completely realized. What was finished was never officially sold in the United States, as retailers like Wal-Mart simply passed on the line, signaling that the Trendmasters Godzilla line had run its course.  It's too bad, because the premise of the line was incredible: Godzilla and friends fighting dinosaurs!

Six carded figures were produced and packaged, which was good and bad--on the one hand, they were the sculpts we had seen previously,  in the KING OF THE MONSTERS and GODZILLA WARS lines...and now with no option for sound...but on the other, all of them were now improved with different paint, and accentuated by a dark wash, which made them look super-cool. (The two Godzillas still retained their battery-powered "Atomic Plasma Eyes," though.)

Here is a high-resolution scan of the backing card, which shows lots of amazing entries in this line, both made and unmade (some of these exist only as prototypes):

We have taken in-depth looks at the four "Battle Armor" figures on this site before, which you can view here:

Battle Armor Godzilla

Battle Armor Kumonga

Battle Armor Mecha King Ghidorah

Battle Armor Anguirus

Back to the six carded figures, they were: Godzilla, Supercharged Godzilla, Baragon, Megalon, Varan, and Spacegodzilla.  For some reason, you will see an occasional Doom Island Godzilla appear for sale, but the others are very hard to come by--especially Varan and SpaceG!

I had custom acrylic cases built for mine, so I could hang them on the wall:

If you want to know lots more about the DOOM ISLAND line, check out our Guide to Trendmasters Godzilla Products 1994-97, where you can see concept art, prototypes, and much more!

Battlestar Galactica I.D. SET Rack Toy (Larami Corp, c. 1978)

 

Well, this is weird! This came from the very same Game Xchange store that the first Battlestar rack toy we looked at (back in October) did, so it must've been from the same owner! Well, either way, keep them coming, mysterious benefactor, and I will keep buying them.

If you are familiar with rack toys, then you know that the "I.D. Wallet" was one of the perennial staples of the genre, along with "shaving set," "flash light," "rubber band gun," and "flying disc (or launching flying disc)." Basically, you took whatever cheap toy was being produced, and slapped the sticker of the week on it, be it LAND OF THE LOST or LOVE BOAT. It mattered not!

Here is a better look at the included card (which helpfully pictures.....the Earth. Thanks!)  This type of toy actually had a longer lifespan than many of the other rack toys, in that it had some ongoing play-value, and probably outlasted its cousins.  I definitely would've run around the playground flashing this thing!

One other interesting point about this one:  when you first look at it, it appears the "CAPTAIN" insignia is stuck to the wallet, but it dawned on me that it makes no sense, because if you folded the wallet, it would be on the inside.  Then I took a closer look:

Upon closer inspection, you can see that it's actually a clip-on badge, stuck inside the package with clear tape! Well, duh! I guess I should have known that.  

Maybe I can continue to get lucky! If any Battlestar Galactica Shaving Kits or handcuffs show up, you can be sure they will turn up here!

Playskool American Bricks #848 SPIDER-MAN Playset (1977)

 

Here is a super-cool playset that was unknown to me, but BOY would I have loved this as a kid.  It immediately struck me as a miniature "Marvel World," which was a 1975 playset made by AMSCO:

Marvel World was advertised in comics of the day, and for the first time ever, it gave you a PLAYSET featuring 34 Marvel characters, the Daily Bugle, the Baxter Building, Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, Peter Parker's apartment building, and much, much more. Today this playset is super rare and commands high prices, because, hey, it was cardboard, after all.

Little did I know, I was right about today's playset being a mini-Marvel World!  Turns out, both Amsco AND American Bricks, maker of today's playset, were bought out by Milton Bradley in the late 1960's, and as a result, our Spider-Man playset actually shares quite a bit of artwork (and character designs) with Marvel World! Sweet!

Included here are the Baxter Building, the Daily Bugle, an airport, laboratory (in reality the INSIDE of the Baxter Building), etc....but the catch is that you can't build them all at once, necessarily. Unless your mom goes and gets you more American Bricks!

Here are the contents of the box.  The only thing I am missing is an "axle brick" to hold the wheels, and as the vehicles they want you to make are real dumb, I don't think it's a problem.  

What even is this?

Before we go any farther, I should explain the construction method a little.  The "wall segment" bricks have slots inside of them, which allow you to insert heavy cardstock panels into them.  There are nine panels, but they are double-sided (another reason you can't build everything at once, as you have to plan ahead to portion them out correctly).  The obvious problem with this, of course, is that no matter how heavy the cardstock is, eventually it's going to break down and start to shred from use....and then there is the age group involved with this building toy, which means their survival is tenuous at best.

Luckily, mine are in really good shape! Here is the box insert, which is as much instructions as you are going to get:

So, now the cool part.  Here is what I was able to build!

AIR CONTROL? "You fools! Doom will Control all of the Air!"

This is as tall as the set allows for the Baxter Building. Interestingly, some of this plastic tends to warp over time, especially the white-pigmented pieces for some reason, so they don't always sit flush.  But close enough.

By being creative with the parts supply, I was able to build a Daily Bugle, apartment building, and another smaller structure, which gives us a city scene.

This playset gives you 12 characters--about a third of Marvel World.  The bigger playset actually has an awesome Green Goblin that has Harry Osborne on the reverse side! I wish that had been included here.  Speaking of, here they all are:

They all have little stands like board game pawns.  The problem with this is, it's quite difficult to balance these on the spiky tops of the bricks! If the stands had been interlocking with the "stud" surface of the bricks, it would've been much better.  As it is, there is lots of toppling over.

And finally, here is the artwork with the included 9 panels:

First group: front

First group: back

Second group: front

Second group: back

You can see a problem by looking at these panels.  For example, there are two "laboratory" artworks on the same piece of cardboard...plus, if you want an "Airport" door (which looks like the front of the Baxter Building, actually), then you have "laboratory" artwork on the other side. In other words, you are expected to be happy with your building looking correct from the front only.

All of this doesn't matter, anyway, because you may be shocked to know that the characters do not actually fit inside of the buildings. Nope, they can't stand inside of the pre-determined wall heights.  I mean, good grief, with Lego, we could just add another layer of bricks.  Oh well. It doesn't matter, I have something I thought I'd never have: my own mini-Marvel World!

Believe it or not, this appears to be the only Marvel set that American Bricks made.  (Also note that, although it is very much a general Marvel Comics set, it is titled as SPIDER-MAN!) Isn't it mind-blowing to think about, from today's perspective, that this wasn't just part of a wave of 15 different sets at one time? No matter what anybody ever tells you, things really WERE much simpler back then.