Memories....

[Brian]

I took a moment during some down time at work this morning to just browse through some pics/info over at ToysRGus of the vintage line (specifically vehicles/playsets).  Although I collect both modern and vintage (when I can), the nostalgia/magic of the vintage line is really unbeatable.  Just looking at some of these pics bring back some great memories of things I had, or things I really wanted to have.  Some of the descriptions provided even give the prices in Sears catalogs...I wish things were still priced this way.  Examples, Ewok Village - $19.99, Millennium Falcon - $24.77.  Even if most of the sculpting/articulation in the modern line could be considered superior, the vintage line still has a pretty "cool" feel.  Anyways, I guess I don't have much to add other than this link (although I'm sure all of you have been there done that)....and I was just feeling nostalgic and had to share with someone  .

ToysRGus Vintage Toys

Plus, just looking at this really makes me want to pursue some more vintage stuff soon .

[Morgbug]

That's cool.  

I must be just about the only SW collector that just doesn't have a nostalgic attachment to vintage toys.  They're cool and all and I have made significant progress in my loose collection.  But I just never, ever owned a toy during my youth from the OT.  All my money went to girls, sports and beer.  

[JediMAC]

I must be just about the only SW collector that just doesn't have a nostalgic attachment to vintage toys.  

That's probably 'cause you were about 27 years old when the vintage line debuted Brent!  No wonder you don't share these same fond childhood memories as the rest of us...  

Duh.

[Morgbug]

Close.  About half that.  I turned all of 13 in 1977.  About the same time as I really got into sports and out of toys.  13, 16, 19.  Not sure what you were doing at those ages, but I imagine it all involved horrible music

[DSJ™]

Not sure what you were doing at those ages, but I imagine it all involved horrible music

Maybe sweater shopping!  

[dustrho]

Nothing beats the days of looking through Sears' catalogs, and trying to put together a Christmas wishlist for my parents.  Every year they would tell my brother and I to pick out things for Santa to get us, and I would always ask to get Star Wars toys.  Growing up you could really only get Star Wars toys at either Sears or K-Mart (by me at least).  So, it was always easiest to make up our list by browsing the Sears catalog.

The vintage line really brings back a lot of memories.  I was just checking out that site at ToysRGus, and I couldn't believe that Scout Walker was only $14.99 back then.  Wish it would come out again for that price.  Also great prices include...

• Cantina Adventure Set = $8.77
• Death Star Space Station = $17.87
• Hoth Ice Planet = $10.95
• Turret & Probet Set = $16.99
• Radio-Controlled Sandcrwaler = $29.88
• Millennium Falcon = $24.77

[Famine]

All my money went to girls, sports and beer.  

Got you further than me.

I have never owned a vintage figure.

Of corse, wont SAGA be considered vintage when Im older like Morgbug or some of the other vets?

Kevin

[CorranHorn]

All my money went to girls, sports and beer.  

Got you further than me.

I have never owned a vintage figure.

Of corse, wont SAGA be considered vintage when Im older like Morgbug or some of the other vets?

Kevin

Never!!! Vintage is Vintage 4 Life!!!  

The Kenner line from 78 to 85 will always be considered the "Vintage" line. The best thing to call what we refer today as the "Modern" line (POTF2 '95 thru Saga '04) could be "Post-Modern".

But ahh yes the memories of the vintage line, when I had no clue what was coming out next, what was the hottest toy, I just knew if it said Star Wars on it I had to have it. My only real fond memories of vintage SW and prices is the clearance stuff I found post 1987. At one mom and pop toy store in Chicago you could find carded ROTJ or baggie ROTJ for 3 for $1. At a TRU I once grabbed 3 Desert Sail Skiff minirigs and 3 Radar Laser Cannon's for a buck a pop. And another time a POTF Imperial Dignitary for $1. And ya know what I did with them all? Opened em up and played with them! Oy!! Good times, good times...  

[jokabofe]

memories... i remember:

- digging tunnels in my friends backyard and putting all my star wars figures in them... and then having it rain, and get all muddy, and losing all the figures. i wouldn't be surprised if they were still there buried under the dirt.

- throwing my millenium falcon, x-wing, tie fighter, etc. from the top steps outside my house - probably a good 10-12 feet - down to the sidewalk below to see how space ships would react to an impact

- not having a hard time actually finding new figures. when mom took me to the toy store, they pretty much had everything.

- going to the toy store with my mom on a saturday morning back in 1977, and finding an entire display, with all 12 original figures. and you know what i bought (mom said i could get 2)? for some odd reason, even though i had the pick of the litter, i bought r2-d2 and c-3p0. now, don't get me wrong, these are great figures, but i was 7. you'd think i would have at least bought darth vader or something, but no....

- bringing boxes and boxes of vintage toys to the record shop across the bridge, i guess around '85-'86, because he had a sign in the window that he was buying them. you know how much i got for my stuff? $200. and believe it or not, i was happy at the time.

i'm sure there are more, repressed memories in my head, but i'm too old to remember anything else. it's amazing i remember those things, considering i can't remember what i ate for lunch yesterday  

[Morgbug]

But that's what toys were for!  

I used to do the same things like that.  Only my toys of childhood were:
vintage hot wheels redline cars (we had a gravel driveway and a hose )

vintage 12" GI Joe's (cloth parachutes didn't work well even for the RCMP officer )

Major Matt Mason (space toys before star wars)

Some survived relatively unscathed, most did not.  Alas.  

BTW, Kevin, current toys will be referred to, in part, as the dark ages

[paploo]

imagine what the prices will be 20 years from now. figures $15-20 average sized playsets 100,  big things like imperial shuttle will be 150-200. we will all be wishing for todays prices.

[Ben]

On the memories topic, the local KB closed down last week. I was walking by its shell today, and I remember being 5 and buying 3/ $1 Star Wars figures. I remember one time my dad took me there, and I got Boba Fett, Darth Vader, and Leia Boushh. Still have those figures today, though they've had hours of use on them.

Oh, I think I need a hug...

[Thomas Grey]

- first 2 figures were Chewbacca & C-3PO. Had the pick of the litter at the age of 7 (think I saw A New Hope 27 times in the theater on the Hill in Boulder, CO (Flatirons Theater and it's still there and still showing flicks). There must've been something about gold. I would love to see who the top selling figure was those first few weeks. I would not doubt that C-3PO was up there.

- Had all the figures from the original film, but only the Land Speeder vehicle. I passed up the Millennium Falcon for the RC R2-D2 (no obstacles) and Evel Kneivel Canyon jumping Dragster with parachute that really works! Could have cared less about card backs or even cards or any packaging. It was an obstacle that got in the way of imagination and creating my own Star Wars scenes with friends.

- No clue about Boba Fett or mail-aways.

- Had a bonfire of black plastic Kenner smoke when I was 14 or so. My pyro phase didn't last long. But the regret I endure each day has lasted way too long.

[Morgbug]

- Had a bonfire of black plastic Kenner smoke when I was 14 or so. My pyro phase didn't last long. But the regret I endure each day has lasted way too long.

Fortunately my pyro phase involved model kits and the soldiers that came with them.  It was more of a firecracker phase than fire alone, but same net effect.  Sometimes we would bundle matches to watch the sparks from the firecrackers ignite them.  
Didn't burn the Tamiya stuff, just the more common stuff.  I loved building models and now that I'm older, I'm 99% confident that my parents loved me doing it to, mostly due to the sedative effect of the glue and paint