Toy Bender

Way back in the annals of Toy Bender, I geeked out over a classic version of the Transformer Soundwave reissue that I’ve been waiting for years to get made. After several delays, the elusive Transformer from my childhood is finally mine.

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For those of you who don’t care about my personal toy hunts, please visit your favorite internet pornography site until my next update. For the rest of you, I’m proud to say that my clone-less toy hunt streak has finally ended with the capture of two new troopers.

Lately, I’ve had zero luck finding any of the new clones. Today I just happened to leave work early (as I am sick) and I went to Target to pick up the finest sinus medication that money could buy. When I spotted a lone Padme Amidala as I approached the toy section, I knew that a new assortment had arrived recently. Had I gotten there on time? A quick search revealed the truth. To my amazement, I found two clone troopers that I’d never seen waiting for me on the peg hooks and not in the hands of some other greasy, less deserving Star Wars nerd.

Pictured left is the Elite Corps Clone Trooper, who is most famous for fighting under Yoda and then failing to gun him down. Chumps. The Clone on the right is the Combat Repaint… I mean Combat Engineer. I’m not sure, but I believe that the Engineer has already made an appearance in a Wal-Mart exclusive three pack when Revenge of the Sith came out on DVD. Fellow Star Wars nerds, please correct me if I’m wrong.

While I’m still hunting after a few more troopers, it makes me feel good that I actually was able to find at least two of them without having to resort to paying high prices from either an online retailer or eBay. Shewww. Next on the list: Clone Trooper Sergeant, Commander Appo, and whatever clone related figure Hasbro has up its sleeve.

Toys, toy collecting, action figure, Clone Trooper, Star Wars, Hasbro

These last few weeks have seen some pretty good toy hunts. My latest success came a little earlier this week. While procuring much needed supplies of Ramen noodles, my roommate made mention that he’d seen the G.I. Joe Morey Hydrofoil at Toys R Us on clearance. We headed over to said Toys R Us at top speed, because little did he know I’d wanted one of these for about a year.

The G.I. Joe Hydrofoil was one of the very last G.I. Joe toys (lately at least) to come out in the 3 3/4ths line that was a remake of an 80s Joe toy, and therefore it appeals more to my taste in that era G.I. Joe. I’d wanted to buy this bad boy when it first came out, but the 40 dollar price point held me back. Since I’d never seen one actually sold, I figured I was doing okay by waiting until it either went on clearance or there were only a couple left. Then right after Christmas they were gone. I figured I had either missed the big sale or they’d gone to some toy reseller in the sky. However, I managed to pick one up thanks to my friend’s off hand comment.

I can say I’m satisfied both with my bargain hunting and with the quality of the Hydrofoil. To be honest, the original is better, but this guy is an adaquet substitute. Plus, it comes with Beachhead and one of my favorite Joes of all time, Flint. It only took me twenty years, but it feels good to finally have a Flint. Now to get a Lady Jaye so he has someone to make out with.

toys, toy collecting, toy hunt, G.I. Joe

While I was back home over the holidays, I didn’t have a whole lot to do during the daytime hours as I suffered a two pronged lack of both internet access and videogames. To keep myself entertained in between Sci-Fi channel airings of Airwolf, I did a lot of toy hunting. Trudging through the bleak, wet Wisconsin weather was only rewarded in most cases with the usual post-Christmas toy drought. I did see some neat offerings here and there, most notably some brand spanking new Lego sets and a Jetfire which I’m still kicking myself for not buying. Still, I was a little disappointed in the overall lack of Star Wars goodies. It wasn’t until I went to my favorite Target (where I’ve had a lot of success in the past) that I had my most notable find. I didn’t see anything at first and was a little let down as I thought my luck there had run out. It wasn’t until I went down the 50% off clearance aisle that I was blown away with Toy Hunt awesomeness. There were at least 15 Mace Windu Attack Battalion Battle Packs just waiting for a loving home.

I had given up all hope of ever seeing one of these bad boys in the store and now there were more than I could handle at ten bucks a pop. This is the kind of find I’m always hoping for when cruising around a store, but never end up seeing. Being the idiot I am, I spent what little cash I had for four of them. Anyway, this set is really neat as it features an Airborne Clone Commander and three troopers (only two are pictured above), all of which are super articulated. They wouldn’t be Mace Windu brand troopers without a hint of purple, so these guys come with a purple accented paint scheme. I wonder why Mace is so obsessed with accessorizing to match his lightsaber from his space ship to his clones. I bet anything he’s got a nice hand bag and a pair of purple pumps for when he goes out. Mace Windu: Jedi homo? Anything is possible!

Toys, toy collecting, action figure, Mace Windu, Clone Trooper, Star Wars, Hasbro