Ayyyyyyyy, we wrap up our Toy Trek with an impossible mission, two flea markets, three antique malls, 250 miles in one day. Check out what we saw and what we got! I promise it’s neat!

Places Visited:

Joi De Vintage

facebook.com/JoieVintage

Pinery Market

pinerymarket.com

Aberfoyle Antique Market

aberfoyleantiquemarket.com

Market Road Antiques

stjacobsmarket.com/market-road-antiques

Freelton Antique Market

freeltonantiquemall.com

St. Jacobs Antique Market

facebook.com/p/St-Jacobs-Antiques-Market-100051622495695/

#toyhunter #antiquemalls #fleamarkets

Items in the video: mid-century Christmas, Frankenstein poster, Batman light fixtures, vintage GI Joe, Mattel Big Jim, Man from UNCLE, Corgi, Star Trek, Blake’s 7, Family Affair, flea market, toy hunting, Mego, Mego fonzi, Shreddies, the Black Hole, Ontario, Canada, antique malls, Mattel Big Jim, Atlas Comics, Buck Rogers, Elvis, Dracula, model kits, JC Penny Catalogs, colouring books, trading cards, movie posters, comic books,

Do you miss reading print toy collector magazines?

That’s why we created Toy-Ventures magazine, an old-school print publication dedicated to vintage toys from the 1960s to the 1990s. Each issue is packed with never before seen images and information written by some of the top collectors. We’ve got ten issues and climbing; please check our page here or visit our store.

Our long running Pod Cast, Pod Stallions is now available on Spotify.

The PlaidStallions Polyester Pals have arrived and come in green and orange. Be the first kid in the sandbox with our Podcast mascots!

Our latest book is “Knock-Offs: Totally Unauthorized Action Figures” a love letter to cheeky copyright-infringing toys. You can get this new book via the PlaidStallions Shop, On Amazon (Affiliate Link) or eBay (eBay Link)

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Pod Stallions is based on our podcast and is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Toys, Comics, Movies, TV, it’s all up for grabs, and remember, folks, you keep the glass! If you like our show, then you have found your tribe.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs and bootleg action figures, we talk vintage toys and not others. We know the difference between Astro Apes and Action Apeman.  It’s a fun group where we talk about Lincoln Monsters, AHI, Mighty Gary, Tomland, Bogi, Demo Man, Mortoys, and other generic greats.

The post Toy-Ventures: Epic Toy Trek Part 2 appeared first on PS.

Toy-Ventures this week takes a detour from vintage and talks about this modern oddity. This three-pack of figures keeps popping up on eBay containing current versions of Big Jim, Pulsar and Major Matt Mason on Secret Wars bodies. Three characters I’d welcome back to the toy shelves with open arms, but what exactly is this?

Our latest book “Knock-Offs: Totally Unauthorized Action Figures” is available at the PlaidStallions shop, more info here:
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 Knock-Offs: Totally Unauthorized Action Figures is our latest book and it’s available right now through the PlaidStallions Store, Amazon or on eBay.

Our book Rack Toys, Cheap, Crazed Playthings is now available again! Order through our Affiliate Link

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Toy-Ventures Magazine is our newest creation, an old-school print magazine about vintage toys! Professionally laid out and written, each issue is brimming with obscure and rare toys from companies such as Mego, Kenner, Remco, AHI, and much more. Monsters, Superheroes, Adventurers, Knock Offs, Apes, and so much more, it’s in Toy-Ventures.

Toy-Ventures Issue 5 is available now:
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FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook. Toys, Comics, Movies, TV, it’s all up for grabs and remember, you keep the glass!

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s Dime store knock-offs of Mego action figures, we talk vintage toys and not others. We know the difference between Astro Apes and Action Apeman! It’s a really fun group where we talk about Lincoln International, AHI, Tomland, Bogi, Demo Man, Kojak Toys and other generic greats.

Get Toy-Ventures Issue 3 here with a comprehensive look at the Lincoln Monster line:
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The post Toy-Ventures: The Return of Big Jim? appeared first on PS.

This comic originally came rolled up in Big Jim Gold Commander figures, I had this as a kid and I have to say it was one of my favourite memories as a kid. The pre-curser to stuff like Marvel’s run on Shogun Warriors, Micronauts and GI Joe, which I devoured as a kid as well.

Get our new Toy Magazine here, supplies are limited.

“Hang on to your Wolf Tattoos” Does dialogue get any better? The story begins with the origin of the P.A.C.K, the comic glosses over Big Jim’s origin, which is pretty wise. According to his earlier packaging, he was an Olympic skier (nice tie-in Mattel!) who saved a wolf cub while fighting an avalanche, when he came out of that mess he decided to fight crime. Not exactly Batman is it?

Dr Steel, Whip and Warpath have already established characters when this comic got made, so they’re very on model in this piece. “Torpedo” was eventually called “Torpedo Fist” when he hit toy shelves and he looked a little different.

If I were in the P.A.C.K I don’t think I could watch Torpedo use his arm power, it’s kind of gross! Here we learn what P.A.C.K stands for, Professional Agents/Crime Killers, you’re not going to win the acronym award fellas. We also meet Jim’s boss, Prof. Rolf who never got his own action figure…..

The origin of Zorak has to have been done or at least inspired by Marvel Comics, it’s so familiar, the scientist goes rogue, journeys below the earth’s surface and becomes a deformed madman complete with a cool costume and henchmen.

Zorak is terribly off-model here, for some reason he’s adorned in purple tights which some might think is better than what he actually came with……

Now we just veer off into a big toy commercial for the Blitz Rig and the double trouble outfits. From the looks of the comic, the Blitz Rig was supposed to be a revamped Big Jim camper, it turned out to just be a Gift set combining the Howler and the BEAST pick-up truck. The double Trouble outfits were pretty cool, one set had a “surprise” feature, the other set was just outfits.

I always wonder how insane, monstrous madmen build high tech lairs and get henchmen. Do they have job fairs? I guess you shouldn’t try to dissect a comic shoved into an action figure box. I love the little “montage” of the P.A.C.K getting ready, this should be backed up by some music by “Survivor”.

Note the sequence where Big Jim’s face changes, this is the ad for Double Trouble Big Jim. You see Zorak had a device where his face switched around from Human to Monster, so Mattel made a Jim figure where he goes from Mad to “I’m having a really big poo”, the device was hidden under some really big Micheal Landon Hair. 

A lot of “hunh” moments here, firstly why didn’t Torpedo just put the paper down himself and pull out his rifle? Was there a really good Mary Worth he wanted to clip? Of course, you’ll be ready to forgive when you see what The Whip is doing below.

Warpath is wearing the coolest (IMO) double trouble outfit in the set, the construction workers jackhammer turns into a machine gun. You know the P.A.C.K couldn’t look more like the village people at this point. They have a native American, a cop outfit, construction worker and a pirate!

I love the “to be continued” ending, it reminds me of the Doc Savage movie. Just like the Savage movie, Jim’s exploits were cut short much to my chagrin. I loved the Wolf P.A.C.K as a kid and I still remember the day they disappeared from toy shelves. Thanks for reading!

GET Issue 3 of Toy-Ventures here!

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Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s dimestore goodness, we talk vintage toys, not others.

The post 1975 BIG JIM WOLF PACK COMIC-MATTEL-MARVEL appeared first on PS.

Planet of the Apes was a new hot ticket item for 70s wunderkind Mego who also produced the World’s Greatest Superheroes around the same time. Big Jim was Mattel’s answer to G.I. Joe and Dinah-Mite was Mego’s stab at Barbie, who was the original.

Child Guidance was one of the bigger players in Sesame Street merchandise, it’s so nice to see Roosevelt Franklin. Etch a Sketch is never going to stop being cool..

I have many fond memories of Play-Doh Pumper No. 9. The Mego Superheroes “Supervator” was a complicated game where you used strings and a glove to make the heroes retrieve “Nasty Secret Plans” and avoid villain cards like the enemy of Tarzan. See video below:

Planet of the Apes and Superhero Puzzles from HG are collector’s items now. Another toy I forgot I had until now is the Mattel Put-Put railway, along with Spirograph and Lite-Brite. I had to explain to my son what Lite-Brite was last week, that made me sad….

Here is a whole page of toys that made my four year heart go pitter patter, the Big Jim Kung Fu studio was a cool set up that allowed Big Jim to kick a little ass. The Mego Batcave was also recycled by clever Mego into the Planet of the Apes village and the Action Jackson “Lost Continent” playset, we kids didn’t mind. I consider both the Matchbox Fighting Furies and the Gabriel Lone Ranger to be two of the nicest toy lines made in the 1970s.

Rodney Allen Rippey was made by Shindana, a company that catered to people of colour. Shindana made some wicked cool toys and below is one of my favourites, Slade!

Barbie always got the best vehicles and playsets, lucky for us boys Mattel converted her country camper for Big Jim so we boys could play with it and still feel masculine. .

Another great vehicle is the Barbie friendship, again Mattel recycled this for us boys in the form of the Big Jim Skyhawk. It is a pretty awesome piece, my daughter has the modern version, which isn’t made of vinyl…

GET Issue 3 of Toy-Ventures here!

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s dimestore goodness, we talk vintage toys, not others!

The post 197 Children’s Palace Catalog- Mego-Big Jim-Barbie-Sesame Street appeared first on PS.

The Love Boat crew goes to war? Planet of the Apes gumball items? Aquaman goes sky diving? Big Jim pajamas?

This week’s Toy-Ventures explores all the oddball stuff I’ve picked up over the past few months and also gives an update on the channel and our various endeavors and announcements. It’s a super long Toy-Ventures!

Toy-Ventures Magazine Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/toyventuresmag

PlaidStallions Facebook Page:
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PlaidStallions Toy-Ventures Magazine #2 is now available and it’s been called “not only an entertaining read, but it’s also an impeccable work of reference” by PopCult.

FACEBOOK GROUPS FROM PLAIDSTALLIONS

Pod Stallions is one of the most fun groups on Facebook.

Mego Knock Off Headquarters– The leading group discussing 70s dimestore goodness, we talk vintage toys, not others!

The post Toy-Ventures: Weird Stuff I Got (plus channel news) appeared first on PS.