I don’t remember what playset and figure from the original ARAH toys (1982-1994) was the last one I bought/got brand new from a store. The 1994 Razor Blade most likely was the last vehicle and one of the Star Brigade figures will probably have been the last figure. Today, I can relive that feeling with the arrival of the first Retro Line figures and vehicles. Keep on reading below to see which ones arrived here.
Before I show off the new additions to my collection, I want to share a short extract from a column I read in a Retro Gaming magazine (Retro Gamer, #212).
“I know why I’m doing this. And I also know it won’t work. I’m trying to recreate that moment. I’m trying to time travel via videogames and, I hate to break it t0 all of you, it isn’t possible. Not completely. I can maybe get the feel back for a few minutes, even smells can return when I’m playing an old game, but actual pure time travel? Sorry. It doesn’t work.”
After reading the column, it stuck in my head for a while and when the package with the Retro Line toys arrived, it popped back into my mind. Are we collecting to travel back in time to the time when life was simpler for us? No work, no worries, no stress, no pandemics, no deaths. Are we trying to recreate the feelings we had when seeing all those toys in the store and dreaming up stories for when we actually would get to play with them? I think, in a way, we are. Collecting is a form of escapism. It takes you back to those happy days, but here’s the catch. Each time, the feeling is shorter and less intense, so you try again and again and there’s no way you can stop, or you start feeling miserable and sad. Collecting is an addiction of some sort. Not just towards the collected items, but to the feelings and memories that are associated with the items. Am I saying that we shouldn’t collect anymore? No. Definitely not. I still get excited when I see new toys and when a package arrives. But I also need to realize that part of that feeling and excitement, is a memory of prior feelings and childhood memories that will forever be a part of me. Some bring me joy, some bring me tears. I guess what I want to say is, collecting is more than the items. It’s a part of me and that will never change.
After this little ‘serious’ talk, let’s get back to what you actually want to see. The new toys!
First off, we have the first wave of figures. The Baroness, Storm Shadow and Snake-Eyes.
I know they aren’t O-ring figures, but I don’t really mind that. The ‘Retro’ part to me is the wonderful card art and the feeling you get when you have these in hand. How wonderful it would be to see a toy isle filled with figures and vehicles again.
Naturally, I didn’t just get the first wave of figures. I got the vehicles too.
This is my first A.W.E. Striker and my first H.I.S.S. v1 too if I’m not mistaken. My collection is still in boxes, so I don’t really know what I have and don’t have at the moment. I do have a H.I.S.S. mark 2 ever since I was a kid (see this post). Oh, and a Septic Tank too if you can classify that one as a H.I.S.S. variant.
These last few weeks have been crazy with all the new toys coming out and some of them coming into my collection. I’m still looking for the 1st 6″ Snake Eyes, though I’m starting to give up on him ever getting into my collection. Scalpers have been buying up the stocks in the US and are selling them for ridiculous prices on eBay. I really love these toys (as you can tell by reading all the posts here on the blog), but as I mentioned before, it’s getting harder and harder for international fans to get a hold of them. It’s time Hasbro recognizes that there is an international market and maybe sells them over here through their own channels. For now, I have been able to buy several toys over in the UK and have them shipped over, but with Brexit on the way, importing from the UK may prove to become more difficult as well and more costly too. I paid just over €100 for these 3 figures and 2 vehicles (+ shipping) which is quite fair if I compare it to the US prices (they would add up to about €75). A 33% difference, but that includes shipping, VAT and taxes. Not too bad, but looking at some of the prices online, it’s rapidly becoming less and less affordable for me to keep buying them. So, I may have to start limiting my purchases, there’s still many more from the Vintage line I need and want. I’m still debating whether to keep buying new stuff or only focus on the vintage toys (not that they are getting cheaper to find).
Well, that’s it for now. See you again soon with new updates or maybe a new post on the Impel Trading Cards (I haven’t forgotten about them!)
Happy Collecting and YoJoe!