*WARNING* There follows an entirely self-indulgent post, where I basically whoop and holler about some old toys you probably won’t be interested in. You’ve been warned.
“You dad’s been cleaning the loft out.” This is the kind of conversation starter that my mom would usually choose to brace me for the fact that either dad’s fallen through the ceiling (again) or they’ve finally discovered what was causing that odd smell in the corner of the kitchen and, lo and behold, your old pet cat’s been in the loft for the last ten years and has rotted into the rafters.
Not this time. No familial injury. No dead pets. Just toys, glorious, wondrous toys. But first a little background. I’m a man of a certain vintage, the kind of vintage that had all the best toys growing up (I pity Millennials, their childhood toys are uniformly cheap and nasty). My parents weren’t well off by any means, but were very generous. And the (mostly second-hand) shops and car boot sales of my childhood were stuffed with Commodore 64 games, Star Wars toys, Gen-1 Transformers, LEGO, M.A.S.K. models, Fisher Price Alpha Probe/Alpha Star toys etc. Frankly, it was paradise for a geeky, sci-fi and comic obsessed kid like me.
AND THEN IT ALL WENT WRONG
My brother and I were, unfortunately, idiots and sold all our toys to fund the purchase of an Amiga A1200. This is especially painful as we were always really careful with our toys, so everything was complete and basically mint or in very good condition. Our list of “sold off as cheaply as possible” toys included:
Gen-1 Transformers: Optimus Prime, Megatron, Grimlock, Sludge, Jazz, Hoist, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Cosmos, Astrotrain, Metroplex, Ultra Magnus, Cyclonus, Scourge, Blur, Highbrow… the list goes on. Those are the ones I can remember, but there were a couple of dozen more, at least.
Star Wars (aka the one that really hurts): At least a couple of hundred original figures (including rarities like Yak Face, the FX-7 medical droid, and double-telescoping Darth Vader, Luke and Obi-Wan models), the Millennium Falcon, AT-AT, AT-ST, Slave-1, Rebel Transporter, X-Wing, Tie-Interceptor, A-Wing, Y-Wing, Snow-Speeder numerous smaller vehicles, accessories and collectibles of all kinds.
That’s a collection worth, at today’s prices, a couple of grand. And it would be appreciating. Not to mention the general cool factor of all those original toys. To say we regret it is like saying that Krakatoa was “a bit of a bang”.
Back to mom.
WHAT’S IN THE BOX
“I have a box of stuff from your childhood you may be interested in. Neither of your brothers want any of it, so it’s yours or the charity shop’s…”
I did not need asking twice. I was pretty intrigued as to what might be in the box, as I was certain my brother and I had sold everything. I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was there some reasonably cool stuff in there, but once a decade or two of loft dust and spider filth had been wiped away, it was (mostly) in remarkably good condition too.
As an adult (yes really, shut up), I have begun to slowly rebuild a small collection of geeky/sci-fi toys and collectibles from my childhood. Mostly Star Wars related, but anything from the 70s/80s that’s interesting and in good nick will do. So this little bonus was a real delight.
Here, I shall share it all with you, folk of the internet. Firstly, because my wife doesn’t really seem bothered (she’s put up with me for almost 24 years now and appears to be immune to my geek enthusiasms) and, secondly, because I’m feeling all nostalgic and fancy bathing in memory’s rosy glow for a few minutes…
THE GOOD
THE BAD
THE “I’LL HAVE ‘EM BUT I’M NOT THAT BOTHERED”
A MOTLEY CREW
So it’s a mixed bag. Some cool bits and pieces to add to my collections and some filler (I’m being kind). Still, as an excuse for a trip down memory lane and a few minutes (okay, hours) spent looking at Kenner Star Wars collections on eBay, this particular loft clearance was great.
The only negative moment in this whole experience? I unpacked these at my parents house. At one point I actually whooped (when I found the Hoth Wampa). “You’ve never grown up, have you dear?” said my mom, shaking her head with an unspoken “where did it all go so wrong” hanging in the air.
Thanks mom.