bobshollyworld-blog

[bobshollyworld-blog]

It's a skink! #renfest #renaissancefestival #marylandrenaissancefestival #skink #animals (at Maryland Renaissance Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoJegxegq4k/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=fydwb5ogmo6c

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Glow-in-the-dark Scorpion! #renfest #renaissancefestival #marylandrenaissancefestival #scorpions #animals (at Maryland Renaissance Festival) https://www.instagram.com/p/BoJd9TlAZH5/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=yw5hmyhgk7va

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Weekly Roundup #6

Wooooow. Six weeks of documenting the journey of being a toy collector. That's a long time! Not really, but the journey has been fun despite its lack of longevity. This week is like every week before it: filled with many, many toys! The return of the 3.75" figure is greatly appreciated, as is the resurgence of the 90s figure. This week, there's even a dragon, so let's get right to it!

We start this week off with some loose nineties figures. I bought these from Debbie the Plug, and it saddens me to say that this as well as other items from this week, may be the last purchases that I make from her. Her stock has depleted, and I'm glad I was able to play a part in that. She's a cool woman, though, so our friendship won't end despite me not getting anymore figures from her. Enough of that. Let's talk about the figures.

The Venom on the right is a replacement for a broken figure. It's not a good figure in general, but I figured I'd replace him since I could. I'm mostly excited about the Madam Web (despite her not having her accessories) and the Lasher (I don't really care about his accessories). I've been looking for both of them for quite some time, so it feels good to not have to devote that energy to them anymore. The Ghost Rider is just Ghost Rider. She had him, I wanted him, I bought him. Simple.

I buy these McFarlane sets because I want to add them to the world my 1:18 figures live it. They're slightly small for that scale, but it's manageable, so I don't complain. This is my second Rick and Morty set, and I've probably seen as many episodes of that show, but it's only my first Steven Universe set. I've never seen an episode of that show. These things are great, and they're relatively easy to build. I got these on clearance, but if you like building things, I can't suggest these highly enough. Support McFarlane!

Corps! Corps! I bought some more! These figures are great. Three figures, all with different articulation, at least typically, as well as a vehicle, all for five bucks! You simply cannot beat that. Lately I've been deep into soldier-type figures, and Lanard's toys are an easy way to army build. As for the Motocross guys, I bought them simply for their bikes. Adventure Force is another inexpensive brand of toys, and I think they're actually owned by Walmart.

Last week, I think I only had five 3.75" figures to show off, and I've already tripled that number with this photo and the previous one. These are all Marvel, and all but two were bought from Debbie. The two that weren't (King Loki and Star-Lord) were found in different thrift stores. I already have Loki, but this one has a different paint scheme. I would've bought him even if they were exactly identical. The Star-Lord is actually missing his right arm, but I'll figure out a way to make him whole again.

I told you I had a dragon. Didn't I say I had a dragon? Did you think I was lying? The funny thing about this dragon is that it's something you can buy at any Walmart for twenty bucks. It comes in black or blue. There's a red one out there, but that's a wee bit older. I found both of these (and Star-Lord) in a thrift store in Alexandria. I paid ten bucks for all three. The dragon's batteries work, so he roars and walks and is all-around badass.

These were purchased on eBay. I honestly only wanted the Robin and the Assault Gauntlet Batman, but it was cheaper to buy them all together. The Batman will replace the one I've have for over twenty years, while I've just always wanted the Robin.

Knock-knock. Who's there? Three lunatics! These were another eBay purchased and they came all the way from China. And if anybody knows anything about China, it's spelled k-n-o-c-k-o-f-f. I'm completely fine with that. The articulation and detail of these figures is as good as any legitimate figure I've played with. I don't have an official Deadpool to compare them to, but I'm ridiculously happy with how these are, and that's why they took the final spot this week.

There it is, folks. Another awesome week of collecting. Despite the volume of toys I got this week, this was probably one of my least expensive hauls. I'm proud of myself. See y'all next week.

-Bob Hollywood, 20 August 2018

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Weekly Roundup #5

Hello, folks. For the fifth week in a round I'm bringing you the Weekly Roundup! This week's haul is the smallest yet, but it's every bit as colourful and fruitful as previous weeks. There are less figures this week, especially to add to Hollyworld, but there are more world-building elements being added, and as we all should know, having figures with no world to be in sucks.

Our first acquisition isn't a toy, but it's for toys. I bought paint and other supplies for customisations. I didn't know which brand of paint would be the best, but I knew that I needed acrylic. The Pod Modge was recommended to me specifically. I've yet to use any of these, but I will soon.

Can you say "trade bait"? I sure as hel can. These were all purchased for a ridiculously low price. I don't care about Blu-rays or Dorbz, or any of the stuff in this photo. I was given a price, the price was reasonable so I bought it.

These are the only 3.75" figures that I was able to acquire this week, and as you can see, they are duplicates. I bought these at Goodwill, and they were dirt cheap, and that's why I bought both. Now, I can either paint one set so that they can be used as opposing forces, or I can just ignore that they look the same. The articulation looks pretty good on these, so I'm anxious to pull them out of the plastic and see them in action.

These were also purchased at Goodwill. I was actually in there to see if they had any random stuff. I wasn't even looking for toys. When I went to the register to purchase the thing I had, the Steve Trevor immediately caught my eye, although his packaging was slightly obscured by something else. I've been scouring Five Belows looking for him just so I can complete the Ares BAF, and I had finally given up. All this time he was around the corner from my house. As for the Guardians two-pack, I'll probably display them somewhere. I like the look of the figures well enough.

Last but not least, we have several items that will be used for world-building. There's furniture that's perfect for 3.75" figures, as well as some barrels for atmosphere. I'm not entirely sure what's in the chests, but I'll have fun figuring out, and the chests will fit well with either 5 or 6" figures. The Rick and Morty piece also fits well with 1:18 scale figures. It's a shelving unit, which I'm looking forward to actually building. Look forward to a video of that in the future.

That's it for this week, folks. As always, I appreciate you stopping by and checking on me. Keep doing that!

-Bob Hollywood, 13 August 2018

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Uber Chronicles #1

If you wer wondering what I do in my spare time, I'll tell you. I'm an Uber driver. I say 'Uber' because that's what a lot of riders call it regardless of the platform they use. That's brand recognition for you! I do Lyft, and pretty much anything that'll get me paid, but primarily I'm an Uber driver and have been on that platform for the longest. It'll be three years in total next month, and I'm about 250 rides shy of having completed 5000 trips.

As an Uber driver, I've been witness to some crazy things, both inside my personal vehicle and along the various streets I traverse in an effort to collect a paycheck. I've met interesting people, some of which I've made lasting bonds with, and I've gotten a lot of free stuff just for being in the right place at the right time. I'm a part of a larger ride-sharing community on Facebook, and we talk about our daily activities and hand out advice on how to maximise our efforts.

On this platform, I'm going to share with you some of the insanity that comes with being an Uber driver. Not all of it, mind you, as I've been a participant in a few less than legal activities both on and off the clock. But trust me, you won't be bored with my Uber Chronicles.

Today I would like to talk about riders' names. Now, this isn't a personal attack on any of the riders I've gotten safely to their destinations, but to say that a name hasn't popped up and made me question what their parents were thinking would be false. I absolutely think that shite. Whether it's an ethnic name with an ambiguous origin, or something that's simply hard to pronounce, certain names jump out at me, and when they do I typically take a screenshot. Here are some of the recent screenshots.

For the first name 'Annice', its pretty standard. Not a lot of folks with the name, but she's certainly not the only one with it. The pronunciation is also simple, but me being the asshole that I proudly am intentionally called her 'anus' when she got in the car. Of course, she corrected me, I apologised for my "mistake", and that was that. Until she got out, and I called her by the orifice again as I told her to have a good day. I'm sure my rating took a hit because of that but I couldn't help myself.

The second name we have is 'Tahkila'. If you think it's pronounced like the drink, you and I are in the same boat. I don't know if that pronunciation is accurate as I never asked her or attempted to pronounce it, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was right. I just imagine that she was conceived on a night where her mother and father had consumed a lot of tequila, and for whatever reason they thought it would be wise to name their child that so they would never forget the monumental occasion.

Next up is 'Trashell'. Out of the four names I've gathered today for yer viewing pleasure, this is the one that personally offends me. Like, I want to find this woman's mother and ask her why she would put literal garbage into her child's name. Can you imagine the amount of roster Trashell received as a child? We called Ashley "Ashy" simply because it rhymed. We would've made Trashell switch schools in the first week. Today, that's called bullying, I know, but back in the day it was just cracking, and that's what every kid did.

[bobshollyworld-blog]

What I Want

"The struggle is real" is a popular part of the American lexicon, especially amongst the youngsters. What it is taken to be meant is that either the person saying it or the person they are talking to has fallen upon hard times.

"The light bill hasn't been paid in two months," says person A. "My shit is about to be cut off." "But I thought you worked two jobs?" replies person B.

"The struggle is real, Monica."

"I feel you."

I'm not struggling like that--well, I am technically, but not when it comes to the electricity--but I'm struggling with this blog. I don't say that because I haven't seen any interaction on it. I know that Bob's Hollyworld is still very small, and will likely only have a very niche audience even once it grows, and that there isn't a breadth of content to attract people. All of that will change. Verily.

What I'm struggling with is what I want out of this outlet. What do I want to produce and share using this medium as my platform? I struggle with the same things with my YouTube channel. I think of myself as a funny guy, but I'm no comedian. I see myself as having a creative mind, but am I a visionary? I made that a question because I didn't want to discredit myself, at least not in that area.

I want people to stumble across my work and have it impact them in a way that it stays in their mind, serving as the impetus to spark their own creativity. I want them to question what is really going on in my head at any given moment? Why did I make that happen? Why did I use that voice for that character? Why did I name that character that? I want to provoke thought.

I also want folks to view my content and decide that it is worth sharing with the folks who's opinions they hold dearest. I want them to be that hipster friend that "discovered" Bob's Hollyworld first and can't stop talking about that alone. I want them to not be able to stop singing my work praise, whether it's something I wrote or directed. I don't want to be worshipped, but I do want my work to be praised. I want to be revered.

You are not who loves you, but what you love. Those are words of wisdom via Pete Wentz. I told myself that I love toys, and so toys is what I'll cover. Primarily. I don't won't to be pigeonholed into only covering one topic because I love a great many things. I like music and film and wrestling. I like just talking in general.

I'd like to do Top Lists and Best Ofs. I'd like to review action figures. I'd like to do short stop-motion videos using said figures. I'd like to have videos of me hunting for what I'm passionate about. I'd like to show what I've found. I'd like to show you how I display my figures. I'd like to talk about what knowledge and history I have with toys. I'd like to comment on things both new and old.

And I will.

Some of those things I've already done, and will continue to do. The others, well, it's never too late to start. It'll be a slow process, but with time and commitment and, above all else, a desire to actually do it, my work will improve. I will succeed, and I will have fun the entire length of the journey. If yer reading this at the beginning, strap yerself in and brace yerself; it's going to be a bumpy ride. If, by fate, you came across this entry a good amount of time after it was written, you've missed an excellent journey so far, but this vehicle makes frequent stops and yer always welcome aboard. In either event, thank you for yer interest.

-Bob Hollywood, 7 August 2018

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Weekly Roundup #4

Happy Monday, everyone! I told myself that I wouldn't hunt as hard this week as I did the week previously, and wouldn't you know it... I failed. 😫 I failed hard. I failed so hard. I didn't mean to get carried away, but I saw one thing that I liked and then another that I could use for project A, and then I couldn't get this without also getting that. You know how it goes. This week's haul was massive. Thirty-six, count 'em, THIRTY-FUCKING-SIX figures in what is the largest bounty so far. ost of them were in multipacks, but that just means I got more bang for my buck. I also got a few things that aren't figures this week as well. That's rare for me, I know, but when yer crafting a tiny plastic world of imagination, you need to, you know, actually craft that world. That's enough of the jibber-jabber; let's check out the haul for Weekly Roundup #4:

First up, we have a single loose figure. He's some sort of knight, judging from his armour, and I'm going to use him as a background piece. He's cool looking. No articulation other than his axe that goes up and down in his hands, but since he won't be the focus of any scenery, he's not hindered by his limitations. This is a Schleich figure, and is probably the only one I've ever owned.

What year is it? 2018? Then why do I keep buying twenty year old toys? Because they're my heart and soul, that's why. I actually already own a Black Cat, loose out of the package, which I bought eight or so years ago. She came in her packaging, so I have all her accessories and everything. I didn't buy these off of eBay for Black Cat. No, I bought this lot simply for the Jessica Drew Spider-Woman. I have this same figure, but the dark blue and white Julia Carpenter version. I don't know if I've mentioned it previously, but I'm not a fan of Spider-Man AT ALL, but I own more of his action figures than any other character. That collection includes his allies and villains, of which this is my second Jessica Drew figure, with the other being an older Marvel Legends figure. I'll likely resell the Black Cats just to free up space.

I'm not super pressed on these WWE zombies, but I told myself that I would buy all of the third wave so I can make an awesome Halloween diorama. I would've waited until closer to that holiday to scoop them up, because Five Below has a healthy stock of them, but as you can tell from the photo these were on clearance at Target. Sure, I only saved a wee bit over a dollar for each figure, but that's three plus dollars that can go towards something more important. I'm only missing one of the set of six and that's the 'Phenomenal One'. I'll own him soon enough and I'll get started on that diorama.

Here's that bit of random that I have to get every week. I saw these little toilets in Five Below one day when I was with my kids, but they were five bucks a piece, and the way my wallet is set up... Let's just say that they stayed where I saw them. Then I saw more at a different store, and they were cheaper, but I couldn't justify the price still. When I saw them in Target on clearance, I grabbed two. I don't know if that's enough. I bought them simply to set up some bathroom scenery. Their for 5"/6" figures, so my new favourite childeen won't get to experience them, but you can't have yer cake and eat it too. The Ready Player One figures were bought at FYE, for dumb cheap. For those not familiar with the slang, in this case "dumb cheap" translates to just over two bucks for them. I had been eyeing them in Target for a few weeks, because they're 1:18 scale and they're not what most people collect, but they were too much at Target, even after they hit clearance. I'm glad I saw them when and where I did. I scooped them right up.

I was trying to post these photos from least excited about to most excited about, and to a certain extent I've succeeded at that, but I'm actually very excited about this lot. They were all bought at Collectors Corner, as was most of the remaining items. I bought both the Mace and Lando as potential fodder for modifications to the Rage I bought a few weeks ago. Sadly, I couldn't get Lando's head off, and Mace's didn't fit onto Rage's body, so I still at the drawing board with Rage. They're cool figures. The Lando is probably my second or third favourite figure that I bought this week. He's damn cool. Lieutenant Yar was just a random purchase. I have some ideas for her, but we'll see.

So here's the thing: you can't collect 3.75" figures without at least getting a whiff of G.I. Joe. That brand is inarguably the one that made the 1:18 scale line what it is. With that being said, Joes are dumb expensive. Like, really bloody expensive. And they're hard to find in the wild. That's why lines like Lanard's The Corps, which has been riding the wave of Hasbro's Joes almost since the beginning, is an excellent fill-in. The two three-packs of figures weren't even twelve bucks. I'm not sure right now, but I don't even think they were ten bucks total. That's insane. Then there's the US Army figures. I didn't even care too much about them, but I wanted their accessories and setting. They'll blend in perfectly with the other soldiers.

We're getting down to the nitty gritty here. Fun fact: I've never typed the phrase 'nitty gritty' in my phone prior to the previous sentence, but auto correct knew that that was what I was going for after only typing in the first word. I digress. If you've been paying attention to the way I do the photos, I typically keep DC figures with their brand, and I do the same for Marvel. This week I've got a healthy amount of each, and I wasn't entirely sure which brand deserved to go on last. Ultimately, I went with Marvel because of volume. Simple as that. Now that that's out of the way, I would like to add that these DC offerings are fine figures. The Hawkman is fantastic. As the same with all the DC figures I've bought, I notice that they lack the same size and articulation as Marvel, but that doesn't stop them from being good toys. Hawkman looks cool in animated form. I honestly can't imagine him being in a more realistic sculpt. By the way, everything in this photo is from Collectors Corner. The last time I was there, there were three of the Green Lantern film two-packs, but this time there were only the two. I honestly only went back to pick up all three. The other characters were Kilowag and Ranakar. I'm disappointed that I missed out on him, but I'll get him eventually, along with some other Lantern Corps members.

Another thing Collectors Corner had an abundance of the first time I went was 3.75" Thor-related characters. Last time I picked up a bunch, but they also had multiple actually Thors that I didn't pick up because I didn't really like the look of Chris Hemsworth. They didn't have any this time, although I had decided to buy them if they had. While I was searching high and low for Kilowag, I came across most of what you see in this photo buried at the bottom of the bin they were in. The Spider-Men are meh, but the Lokis are amazing, and the Daredevil is the best figure I got this week. He actually was on a peg, so he was easier to find. The Spider-Man Homecoming two-pack was found at TJ Maxx, and what a find it was. There were three of them, and I was contemplating getting at least one more but decided against it. I haven't seen that film, but the suit Spidey is rocking is fucking sexy. Vulture is Vulture, and he's cool, too, but I was more impressed with the Spider-Man. It's crazy; although I don't care about Spider-Man, he's still managed to be the most numerous figure in my quickly growth 1:18 scale universe.

Well, there you have it folks. Another week, a other crazy, THRIFTY haul. I'm proud of myself, and I mean it this time when I say next week I'm going to take it easy on the figures. I'll be super busy with work so I won't have any time for figure hunting. 😉. Have a good week, y'all.

-Bob Hollywood, 6 August, 2018

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Weekly Roundup #3

So glad to be continuing this for the third week, and what a week it was. This has been my largest haul so far, with over twenty figures (and that's not even including multipacks or duplicates). I'm proud of myself. This week we've got a healthy mix of 90s figures (I'm suddenly very wet), Marvel Infinite/Universe figures and some other things. Let's check it out!

Straight out of the gate we've got some 90s figures. Woot woot! These came from the 90s figure plug herself, Debbie from Dundalk. These captured my interest for a number of reasons; the Peter Parker looks cool with his articulation and camera accessory, while Black Tom will pair nicely with Juggernaut. I had to get the Morph for his awesome 90s blue and yellow colour scheme.

From the nineties we jump right to the most recently made figures. These Star Wars Black Series figures are a first for me, as I've never owned a Star Wars figure before. I've had Micromachines, but that's a horse of a different colour. I haven't even seen Rogue One yet. If I'm being honest, these will likely be sold, as that was my intentions behind buying them. The Jyn figure would be nice to add to my personal collection, but I'd rather just get some funds back.

Back to the nineties. Damn, I'm all over the place. Let me start by saying that the level of articulation on these Kenner figures just can't compare to what Toybiz was doing at the time. But that's fine. These guys are just as vibrant and accurate as anything. These costumes smell like the 90s, and I'm glad to own these. Another thanks goes to Debbie.

3.75 inch figures for my growing collection. Again, this scale is quickly becoming my favourite, as they have quite the bit of articulation, especially for their size. The Hydra Soldier (which I would like to get more of for army building) came from Debbie, while all the others came from a local comic book shop. Out of this lot, my favourite are the Skrull Soldiers, which I would also like at least two more for the same reasons I want more Hydra Soldiers. The Odin and Volstagg are meh, but I want to build an entire 3.75 inch Asgard, and I can't do that without these guys.

More 3.75 inch figures, this time from DC Multiverse. I'm sad that these are so much shorter than what Marvel offers, although Marvel tends to make their figures too tall at times. I'm happy with the Azrael, however, because his red is so vibrant.

This is that bit of random I talked about in the intro. We have my third overall Ultraforce character with Ghoul, and I actually don't care about the figure so much as I care about the casket accessory he's packaged with. That thing can come in handy with a Halloween diorama, as well as casket matches. I bought the Katana because I bought the other six figures in the line for my daughters, though I'm keeping this girl for myself. You can never have too many females or minority characters, and she checks both of those boxes. The Mulan figure is a pride piece of sorts as Mulan is my favourite Disney film (as well as being a top ten film in general for me). I saw the figure and figured I'm buy her. She and Katana came from Marshalls, while Debbie supplied the Ghoul.

As usual, I've saved the best for last. The Spider-Man Noir is from a seller on LetGo, while the Star-Lord and Yondu 2-pack are from eBay. The likeness of Michael Rooker is amazing. The Daredevil and Defenders of Asgard came from a local comic book store. I was searching online for that particular 2-pack but wasn't ready (or willing) to spend 20$ on it. I ended up buying them for only 6$. Two more Asgardians for the win!

There you have it, folks. Another week and another bounty in the bag! I don't know if my wallet can sustain another haul like this. Lol. Only time will tell. See you next week.

-Bob Hollywood, 30 July 2018

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Weekly Roundup #2

For the second week I need a row I've had a great (for me, at least) haul. I got more than just figures this week, too.

This shield will make an excellent decoration for my house. It perfectly matches the Americana them I'm going for. I got this for five bucks at GameStop. You can't beat that.

The six figures in the front I bought from a seller on eBay. I already owned two, but I figured I buy a complete set because it was pretty cheap. The box in the back was bought at GameStop. These will eventually get displayed, possibly in August.

These zombie wrestlers are just awesome. They are from series 2, and there are a total of three series altogether. I'll likely get the entire set of this series since they are at Five Below (for five bucks each), and display them during Halloween. The reason why I bought these two is because they looked the coolest. The smoking skull on Stone Cold makes so much sense, and Brock legit looks like a badass.

These were purchased from a private seller, just like the 90s figures I got last week. I love McFarlane figures. The attention to detail is amazing, and it just got better as each series was released. Once I get the Renegade out of packaging, he'll be displayed with the rest of my Americana stuff. He'll join the likes of other Native Americans such as Thunderbird, Warpath and Ripclaw.

These are the oldest haul from the previous week, dating back to the early 90s. As I said in a video, I had many of these as a kid. I actually had them all except for Chip and Dale. I couldn't find them, however, so I just bought an entire set from eBay. The Mickey is on display in my Americana showcase.

More 3.75 inch figures! Gotta love it. These things are quickly becoming my favourite size to collect. Don't get me wrong: I'll always prefer 5", especially from the 90s, but these things are super poseable, and cheap compared to Marvel Legends. As you can tell from the stickers, these are from Five Below. The Vision was one of the first ones I had stumbled across, but chose not to buy, but once I decided to start collecting these, I decided to go back for him. I actually bought him at the same store I had bought Gamora from last week, and they had a Living Laser there as well, but the Laser was gone by the time I went back. I got Rage from a different store, and I'm glad to have him, if anything just because he's black.

Saved the best for last. I bought these Captain Americas because, and you guessed it, to display with my Americana stuff. I bought the unmasked one first, and came across the masked one a few days later. Both came from GameStop.

-Bob Hollywood, 23 July 2018

[bobshollyworld-blog]

My first video. I need to fix some things going forward, but at least I know that much.

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Various bits of broken, repaired and replaced

These two shouldn't really count. For as long as I can remember, I've had them both, both in their present states. This is one of the purchases I can't place my thumb on. I suppose I was one of those kids that borrowed a toy and never returned it. Whoops.

This Sabertooth wasn't really a good figure, but nostalgia made me replace him once he broke. I'm surprised I don't have more of his pieces.

Similar to Sabretooth, only a leg remains of the original, but unlike Sabretooth, this figure was awesome. The original wasn't mine, so I bought one both as a replacement to a broken toy as well as just finally wanting my own.

I took Shredder's legs and added them to Ace Duck. Ace wasn't even broken; it was just a cool feature of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that their legs could come off and go on another toy. I actually prefer Ace this way because he's taller and now has more mobility.

WWE toys were always breaking on me. It didn't really matter because I much preferred to play with comic book figures because they were much more imaginative.

While I like this Loki, his arm broke relatively early during his tenure with me. His cape also cape off almost immediately. While I've never owned the Scarlett Witch that was a part of this line, and therefore can't speak on her quality, I can say that bought the Thor from this line a few years ago, and the glue that was applied to him was also very weak. The Thor's helmet came off, but has since gorilla glued back on, as well as his cape and knee pads. I actually prefer these figures without their capes as their mobility has been increased.

Battle Lord, the only Duke Nukem figure I've ever had. His head came off, and it's unfortunate because the amount of detail was crazy for something back then. His arm clearly came off as well, and while it was duct taped on for a while, it didn't really make a difference to me if he had one or not.

Claire isn't broken, per se, but her knee joint is weak, so she's been duct taped for well over a decade. The tape applied to her has actually held up pretty well unlike some other figures.

Sunfire is on his last legs. One day when I have the funds I'll replace him, as well as the others that came in the six-pack. I never had the Storm or Banshee, but I still have the Colossus and Thunderbird/Warpath, and the Colossus is also on his last legs. The Nightcrawler that was a part of the set suffered a similar arm injury as Sunfire, so I need him too.

Would you believe that for years I didn't even know this was Deadpool. It wasn't until I decided to replace him, and therefore had to look him up, that I found out who he was. At that point, I barely knew anything about the character. As you can see, only his hand is missing, but I still went ahead and got a new one.

-Bob Hollywood, 18 July 2018

[bobshollyworld-blog]

To fix or not to fix

As kids, we've all had things happen to our toys that we didn't like, whether it was we let a friend borrow one and we never saw it again, or we simply misplaced an accessory or an entire figure on our own. Worst still is when a favourite toy would break. Now, it could've simply stop working over time if it had moving mechanical parts, or it could've just snapped under all the pressure you put it under because it was just so fucking fun to play with. That's what I'm going to talk about on this blog entry.

I've always been pretty hands-on when it came to playing with my figures. The second one would come out of the package, he was in a match, and just like real-life representation of my favourite sport, action figures wrestling is no easy task. While I have never intentionally broken a toy (or have I?), I have inadvertently done the deed. There were times when I had a figure perform a flying splash from a "dangerous" height only to see that death-defying daredevil, umm, die. That happened to my first Spider-Carnage figure,  what had to have been twenty years ago.

He was a damn good figure, and it broke my heart to see him go. He's since been replaced, but it still took me quite a lot of time before that was the case. A similar case of destruction and replacement took place with Beta Ray Bill, although he was intentionally smashed by an angry friend. That friend is lucky to still be in my life to this day.

But not every figure that has ever broken on me has been fortunate to be replaced. Hel, I bought a twin-pack of Cammy White and Juggernaut back in the day, and the Juggernaut's fist arm came off almost immediately after it came out of the packaging. Back then it wasn't as if I drove, and my father had just brought me home from the damn store, so I wasn't even going to ask if he'd take me back so it could be exchanged. Nope. So, I played with him with his one arm. His open hand on his isolated arm became his defining feature. At that point of my life, I knew nothing about the awesome villain that is the Juggernaut, but I knew my toy had one arm and that he was going to succeed as a superstar, and this was a good five or six years before Zack Gowan ever stepped foot in a WWE ring.

The point I'm trying to make is that not every toys' broken status is an automatic death sentence. Fixing yer toy can be a viable option. I had a Spider-Man with a leg that broke at the knee joint (that has since been replaced) and an Iron Man who's head had come off (not replaced, because fuck Iron Man, is why), and I wasn't going to just let that slide. Hel, no! I was going to mad science some shite. Initially my mother superglued Spidey's leg back on, but when that inevitably failed, I just broke his torso and removed his head. Luckily for me, his head had spear-like tip inside of his body, and with a little bit of poking and prodding, I was able to get that head onto Iron Man's body. Eventually one of Iron Spider Man's arms broke at the elbow joint, which I did nothing to fix, but I still own that figure to this day.

There have been other fixes during my time as an action figure fanatic. I've been known to use super glue to reattach broken limbs, or duct tape to keep the appendages in unity, all to varying degrees of success. My experiment with Spider-Man and Iron Man also wasn't my last replication of the actions of Sid from Toy Story, as I duct taped a Rogue's leg onto Typhoid Mary. But whereas Sid was a sadist who had no respect for the toys his parents bought him, I merely wanted to give the toys I had spent with my hard-earned money a second lease on life. Our bond was one built on respect, and I would've taken great umbrage to just see them cease to exist.

If yer reading this, whether as an adult or as a kid, just know that yer toys can have another chance at making you happy. Whichever method you use to keep them in yer life, whether it's the most expensive option of simply replacing them, which can get really costly really quickly because toys ain't cheap, or you take the handyman approach of taping and gluing them to stability, yer toys don't have to die. Only you know what's right for you. There are pros and cons to each situation; while performing amateur surgery may be cost effective, yer figure sure as heck won't look as near as it once did. If appearance is something you pride yerself on, in that scenario, spending the extra money on a second figure is yer best bet.

Fusing parts from one figure with another is also an option, and if toys are actually alive like in Toy Story, they may then have two souls.

-Bob Hollywood, 18 July 2018

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Weekly Roundup Number 1 16 July 2018

A whopping 14 figures for my first Weekly Roundup, and a comic book. I’m not a huge fan of actually reading comic books, although I do enjoy them, but the Weekly Roundup is exactly that: a roundup of th previous week’s bounty. I’ll be posting these on Mondays (when there is a Weekly Roundup) because that is the day my work week begins. I figure I may as well keep it all balanced.

The four Venom-themed figures and the All-American Prime definitely won’t be getting opened by me. I may sell them in the future. I’m not too sure. I actually have the Spider-Carnage loose as well, so this is the third time I’ve owned that particular figure. I bought these from a private seller, which was my second time dealing with her. She also gave me the comic book. Thanks, Debra!

The two DC Multiverse figured are what I’m most excited about, as I already have plans for them in the Figuratively Speaking Wrestling promotion. Stay tuned for that. I’ll also be doing an unboxing/figure review of Rick Flag, the link to which I’ll post once it’s knocked out of the park.

The three Warcraft figures will also likely make their way to FSW. We’ll see. I wasn’t looking for them, but they had a great price at Five Below, so I scooped them up. I’ll be honest: I didn’t see the film they’re in, nor have I ever played any Warcraft game.

Aside from the DC Multiverse figures, I’m also stoked to have the Enchantress/Executioner two-pack. I ran into them at Goodwill a few months ago but decided against buying them as I bought my kids toys instead. I ran into them again the week before Toys R'Us finally shut their doors, but I still refused to buy them. Then I started thinking about how I suddenly found the 3.75 inch figures fascinating, and I got lucky enough to find them at the same Goodwill where I had originally seen them. They, along with the Gamora, will be in FSW in time. The Mockingbird I’ll likely sell at some point. I’m not a huge fan of 7" figures, but I bought her because I do appreciate female figures in general. Her fate is up in the air, so we’ll see.

-Bob Hollywood, 16 July 2018

[bobshollyworld-blog]

Head first into the deep end...

Pretty risky move for someone who can't swim, but I feel that this is something I had to do in order to further my life. In order to bring some sort of quality to it and break apart the monotony that working and being a parent brings, I had to start this blog.

You see, I've always been interested in toys. Action figures, mostly, but occasionally I would play with the odd R/C car or something similar. I used to joke with my parents that I would play with toys even as an old man, and though I'm not quite elderly, I've played with toys for far longer than the average male. I've never felt ashamed of being with an adult collector, and I've never been shy about occasionally busting out the figures of my youth and having them flip around in order to spark some sort of creativity in other fields I'm interested in.

There were times as my mind and body were still growing as a teenager that I thought it would be awkward if other kids my age knew I still had an affinity for figures, but I stuck to my guns. I remember being in eighth grade, and being a super mark for Dragon Ball Z. I knew everything about the show, such as who killed who or how many times a character died. I even had a favourite character, and, of course, I had the action figures. I took them to school one day--not all of them, but a couple--and I knew I didn't want anybody to find out that they were in my bookbag. But then a peculiar thing happen; I took a few out during a lull in art class, and the other boys were interested in them.

Of course, my closest friends at that stage of my life were nerds just like me. We would play Pokémon on Gameboy Color, and we would allow our grades to slip because we cared about anime too damn much, but I was alone in my admiration of toys. We were young adults, a cunt's hair away from high school and being real men. Lol. But not only were my actual friends excited to see some of their favourite characters in corporeal form, some of the other males in my class were amused as well. I didn't make any new friends as I passed the likes of Goku (boo!) and Vegeta (yay!) around the room, but I concluded my day no more ostracised than I had been before the day began. And for clarification, I was never ostracised; being well over six foot in middle school helped ensure that I rarely made enemies.

Anyway, so here I am in 2018, thirty years old and thirty years away from being what I consider to be "old" but well past the prototypical expiration date a boy should still be playing with toys, and I'm loving every minute of my life.

-Bob Hollywood, 16 July 2018