Thrifty Figures, Part 3

Yes, you read that correctly; this is a Part 3 (and the one chapter where I am being "Thrifty" and "Responsible" about SOME figures; so that I have more money to spend on OTHERS...)

That, my fellow mathematicians and completists, means that there HAVE to have been a Parts 1 and 2.

You're not disappointed.

"Part 1" details Thrift Store journeys with my mother and grandmother...

https://vocal.media/geeks/thrifty-figures-part-1

...and Part 2 is SLIGHTLY less fiscally responsible and details my discovery of Ebay and the ease of finding those figures that I REALLY wanted (in some cases, ever since I was a child)...

https://vocal.media/geeks/thrifty-figures-part-2

Anyway, there was a time when I was collecting Masters of the Universe, M.A.S.K., G.I. Joe, and Silverhawks figures (you wouldn't know that now; I sold them all at a very generous, reasonable, and ABSOLUTE LOSS).

However, even as I collected them, there were certain pieces that I really wanted to add that I just could not force myself to "pull the trigger" on (the day that, of course, I purchased the Copper Kidd and Steelheart, as only the two MOST EXPENSIVE finds from only one figure line, from Kenner's original Silverhawks line notwithstanding. Bless you, Super7; I now have the opportunity to begin anew).

We'll be exploring Silverhawks, Bravestarr, Filmation's Ghostbusters, and Masters of the Universe; and those figures and vehicles that I just kept finding, saving to my Watchlist, and, somehow, neglecting to pull the final financial trigger on.

QUICKSILVER (ULTRASONIC SUIT) AND MARAJ/MIRAJ (SILVERHAWKS).

There was a time in my childhood when my only Silverhawks figure was the second edition of their pilot, Bluegrass (with his HotLicks amplifier).

A trip to an Allegan antique store allowed me to find the first wave of Quicksilver and Steelwill with their companion birds (they were on their cards at the time. Then, like a foolish little boy [of about 16 at the time], I [GASP!] removed the figures from their cards to display them. I then damaged Steelwill's paint and his companion bird's talon in thinking that maybe, just maybe, a bird belonged PERCHED on his human's WRIST).

Anyhoo, I needed MORE than just three heroic Silverhawks (and NOT EVEN my favorite heroes for that matter).

By the time that I was through with Ebay, I owned every Silverhawks figure from its first wave of figures, PLUS a handful of heroes and villains from its SECOND wave of figures!

Nevertheless, by now, these figures were thirty years old, and I was shopping on Ebay with no chance of finding these in antique stores anymore.

There were some cases where I wasn't willing to justify burning through my bank account.

The spaceship, the Maraj (or was it Miraj? Kenner's toyline and Lorimar's [you guessed it] cartoon disagreed with one another) that made poor Bluegrass, the sole wingless Silverhawk, remotely airworthy was something that I bid on in a couple of instances, lost it each time, and pledged that it wasn't worth the astronomical "Buy It Now" price that kept coming up.

I understand; it was their spaceship, would have been a critical find, and would have, likewise, been expensive.

Quicksilver's second wave release (in Ultrasonic Suit; complete with flip-down visor to look like his animated counterpart) was, likewise, consistently extremely expensive to justify a "Buy It Now" price; but, the few times I've seen an auction for him turn up, that final price, when all was said and done, almost MATCHED a typical "Buy It Now" price (give or take maybe ten bucks).

For an action figure, I can only assume that that meant that he was scarce. I drooled over that figure many times, even looked for it on purpose, and consistently passed him by (hey, I'd need that money later to...buy some of my very favorite figures all over again after selling the entire lots for PEANUTS five years earlier when they would have been LESS expensive, only to buy some of the figures all over again, only to hang onto them for a month or so).

I didn't say that we collectors were always intelligent or thrifty; or, for that matter, logical.

THIRTY-THIRTY, THUNDERSTICK, AND FORT KERIUM (BRAVESTARR)

Bravestarr was Filmation's final cartoon before the end of that particular era from my absolute favorite animation company (okay, so Hanna-Barbera came very close to SHARING that tier; and, at the time, so did "Dic" or "Ruby-Spears").

But I'm losing track of what this was about...

Mattel (yes, "Masters of the Universe's" Mattel; and "Filmation," for that matter) created the line of Bravestarr action figures on a scale that was closer to dolls, with action features.

The figures themselves were extremely well-made and great to look at. Unfortunately, Mattel made these a year or two BEFORE Bravestarr was set to air, and, unlike MOTU, there was no other media to talk about who Bravestarr, Thirty-Thirty, Tex Hex, Deputy Fuzz, Handlebar, and the like even were. They did not sell well at the time, and the few that have been picked up are floating around Ebay now. The ones that are UNDAMAGED and COMPLETE could be collector's pieces, depending on the figure.

I talked in "...Part 1" about having found Bravestarr and his steed, Thirty-Thirty, in a Meijer or Target once; that could have been in Holland or Kalamazoo (I was four at the time, by now, Bravestarr WAS on television, and the only other standout memory of this shopping trip is "Thanks, Grandma.")

Anyway, I had the titular hero and his mighty mount until Thirty-Thirty came with us to a Family Reunion so that my little sister could show him off and, by the end of the day, neither of us had remembered to pick him up to go home. Presto; Thirty-Thirty had found a new home; likely, with one of the cousins.

So, there came a time through antiquing where I found Tex Hex, Sandstorm, Handlebar, and a replacement for Bravestarr.

This was all well and good; but who's Marshall Bravestarr without Thirty-Thirty? (His "Speed of the Puma" power would get pretty tired of carrying him all over New Texas without a horse to take up at least SOME journeys).

Let me just check Ebay here and...WHOAH, BOY! THAT would be a lot of money; maybe even in "Kerium." (Oh; that was the monetary value on New Texas, Bravestarr's home planet. Seriously; at least YouTube some episodes for free. It was a great show).

In hindsight, Thirty-Thirty, as a plastic HORSE, would have used quite a bit more materials than a regular figure; and may have been in shorter supply too.

Besides, my favorite Bravestarr VILLAIN (and one who I NEVER found while antiquing, had always been the robot outlaw, Thunderstick. HEY, THEY MADE A FIGURE OF HIM TOO!)

Let me just see here and...

...I think I'll pass.

Thunderstick doesn't resemble his animated counterpart that fascinated my young eyes so; and he's always very highly priced. He must be the holy grail of the line; or the shortest supplied figure. Nonetheless, I'd win the lottery (and start building my Bravestarr collection from scratch) before I pull THAT trigger.

Okay, so as long as I still had SOME Bravestarr figures, I would admire the Fort Kerium playset through a computer screen as well. Luckily, the fact that I never did justify replacing Thirty-Thirty or purchasing Thunderstick did coax me into walking away from Fort Kerium (at which point, I might have justified looking for a figure of Deputy Fuzz, too).

Anyway, the line didn't sell well, and they went under before a Third Wave of figures that would have included Judge J.B., The Shaman, and Two-Faced Dingo Dan.

Thank goodness. I enjoyed those characters on the show and would have been throwing my wallet around over THOSE figures too...

SWITCHBLADE (MILES MAYHEM/VIPER MASK), RHINO (BRUCE SATO/LIFTER MASK AND MATT TRACKER/ULTRAFLASH MASK) AND BOULDER HILL (ALEX SECTOR/JACKRABBIT MASK AND BUDDY HAWKES/PENETRATOR MASK) (MOBILE ARMORED STRIKE KOMMAND [M.A.S.K.])

M.A.S.K. and I went way back to television viewing (thanks, DIC) long before I ever knew that it was a toyline (thanks, Kenner).

My sole M.A.S.K. vehicle from my youth was the Raven Corvette/Seaplane with Calhoun Burnes and Gulliver mask.

I was a teenager looking back on the days of M.A.S.K. before I found Piranha, Jackhammer, Gator, Condor, and their respective drivers and masks.

Enter Ebay and my first chance at acquiring Thunderhawk, Firecracker, Vampire, and (the creme de my collection) Manta.

"Manta" (with Vanessa Warfield and Whip) was pretty scarce in its own right and it was a good day when I found it for a reasonable price.

However, by now, the M.A.S.K. toyline was approaching thirty years old, and, when certain vehicles and playsets were found online in good enough condition,...well, they were meant for admiring the pictures and dreaming of owning them.

I found a standalone Miles Mayhem and Viper Mask to give the forces of V.E.N.O.M. their leader back. I could NOT justify the Switchblade Helicopter/Jetplane that had been his primary mode of transportation.

I found Bruce and Lifter in an antique store some place; and COULD HAVE purchased the Rhino Rig/Command Center IN BOX at a local Allegan Antique store almost 15-20 years ago. I. PASSED. IT. UP! as "meh; never my favorite vehicle. Besides, I already have this Quicksilver and Steelwill in THEIR cards. I can't wait to get home and promptly OPEN THEM!"

Now I see the prices on "Rhino" in decent condition TODAY (almost 7 years after I already sold off the rest of the M.A.S.K. collection).

Boulder Hill was M.A.S.K. headquarters (thankfully, V.E.N.O.M. kind of traveled around and used separate hideouts for separate underhanded deeds or THEIR base of operations would have been immortalized in plastic by Kenner too). Now, I didn't need the character of Alex that had come with Boulder Hill (or who, in the cartoon, copiloted "Rhino" as I had passed that vehicle up). I DID find a standalone Buddy Hawks to seat in Firecracker alongside Hondo MacLean so that THAT looked 'toon accurate. Success. Besides, my days of Mobile Armored Strike Kommand (at least, the toys) are behind me. Say, that reminds me, I haven't watched that DVD in a while either...

GHOST COMMAND OR GHOST BUGGY (FILMATION'S GHOSTBUSTERS)

While the (ahem) *Real* Ghostbusters (DIC and Columbia's companion to the film franchise) were taking on any multitude of spooks for a ghastly number of seasons, Filmation's animated Ghostbusters (the ones with the Gorilla sidekick, and a spin-off of Filmation's ORIGINAL concept from the 70's comedy series) went up against Prime Evil and his ghoulish goons on a syndicated basis for a reputable single season. (I know that this was Filmation; but not EVERY cartoon could be as "golden" as He-Man, She-Ra, or Fat Albert; some were just meant to last a single season, then be enjoyed via reruns or the Home Video market).

Back to the toys (I keep losing my place there). While Kenner was recostuming and repackaging the four *Real* Ghostbusters heroes, and doing something great by creating original MONSTERS for them, Schaper had come along to make the Filmation Ghostbusters line of the three main heroes, two of their female sidekicks, and the accompanying six of Prime Evil's evil ghouls.

At some point, I had Tracy, the Gorilla, as my sole Ghostbusters hero and Futura's Time Hopper for a vehicle. At the opposite end of the spectrum, I had Prime Evil, Brat-a-Rat, Scared Stiff, Fangster, Mysteria, Fib Face, and the Scare Scooter.

(Insert Lou Scheimer's "Tracy" grunt of "UH-OH!")

Naturally, when I searched for "Filmation's Ghostbusters" on Ebay, I did see the Ghostbuggy car pop up from time to time in varying degrees of completion. THAT price tag was enough to set me drooling over this Holy Grail until I realized that one hero and seven ghosts should sooner be sold off than for me to toss in a spare ride for ONE hero (even a genius level gorilla).

Then, if Ghostbuggy was outside of my limit for purchase, the Ghost Command playset was even worse. It was rarely, if EVER, fully complete with EVERY Ghost Command Gimmick that had been used for comic relief on the TV series; and, being a playset and likely, underproduced, would have haunted my bank account to this day if I had pulled the trigger to acquire this "Holy Grail" ten years ago around the time that I discovered Ebay. (I've only seen it mint in box, and, obviously, complete maybe once or twice; and DEFINITELY wasn't about to justify that).

Several of Prime Evil's ghosts were never immortalized in plastic. Thankfully, Schaper didn't make his "Hauntquarters" either or THAT purchase would definitely still haunt me...

(As always, these would be easier if I had found them as a child and, though they'd be in varying degrees of repair/completion by now, I'd have begged my parents/grandma to pay a first-market price for them and had a collector's item today).

SCAREGLOW OR ETERNIA (MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE)

These came toward the end of the "Masters of the Universe" line at the end of the 80s and, therefore, were fairly short supplied.

Forget losing the vintage Scareglow (only to purchase his "...Classics" figure instead; then, his brand new "...Origins" figure); of Mattel's "Masters of the Universe" line, I was lucky the day that mom brought home a Sorceress figure from an antique store. (I was 12/13 at the time as this could have been '96/97. Up until then, I wouldn't have KNOWN she was a FIGURE!)

As for Battleground Eternia, an extremely LARGE playset with plenty of moving parts AND THE nail in the coffin of Mattel's Masters of the Universe line (that, therefore, was very short supplied), I was torn between going "THAT doesn't look like the Palace of Eternia from Filmation!" and "...Thank goodness; if it DID, mom and dad or even Grandma would STILL not allow me to be living THAT gift down!"

THE U.S.S. FLAGG (G.I. JOE)

...If you were a collector of Hasbro's G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, you already saw this one coming as something-to-drool-over-but-never-acquire. Long story short, I don't know who DID have this Holy piece of plastic (and if I DID know, I know whose house any and all war games would have been scheduled at)...

Oh; while I had found Wild Weasel and Wild Bill, I had never been willing to pay an Ebay seller's price for a Cobra Rattler or G.I. Joe Dragonfly either (The "Tigerfly" I finally found at a reasonable cost to setup Wild Bill; and the "Sky-Striker and Ace" were finally found in an antique store at a reasonable price).

CLASSICS FISTO (MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE CLASSICS)

Like a fool with a bank account, debit card, and online access, I didn't initially purchase the "Masters of the Universe Classics" collection from MattyCollector.

...Instead, I reasoned with myself that I was already signed up for Ebay. Time to do some shopping for "Masters of the Universe" figures on an inflated secondary market... (Don't question my logic; if only because I can't explain it either)...

So I balked at the price of a Classics Fisto (that's his Super7, Club Grayskull variant astride Stridor in the background; by then I was purchasing these figures at market-cost directly from Super7); but, lo and behold, THERE are the Red (Filmation) version of Granamyr, Castle Grayskull, and (the worst offender of all) Snake Mountain. Okay; Snake Mountain I ALSO purchased directly at market price rather than waiting for the secondary market; and Castle Grayskull and Granamyr I had sat on and hemmed and hawed over for close to five years until I couldn't take it anymore and picked up 'Grayskull at a comparative price in the Summer of (I think) '18 and Granamyr (again, when a comparatively reasonable price finally DID come along) in the Winter of ...I think it was '19. (I don't think we were in the middle of the pandemic, and making absolute BANK off of unemployment, yet).

Besides (and here's the kicker)...

1) Granamyr, Castle Grayskull, and Snake Mountain are CENTERPIECES for the "Masters of the Universe Classics" table.

2). Super7 DID eventually come along and remake Fisto (albeit in his Filmation colors).

3). I started saying "...no..." to Classics Fisto because, after thinking about it for maybe a month each, I had already reached out to sellers on Ebay for the Classics versions of "Scareglow" and "Shadow Weaver."

Thanks for attending this latest edition of "Thrifty Figures" (and the moments where I was finally even REMOTELY thrifty about my collections again).

Until next time...