Mighty Max Storms Dragon Island: Episode 16, Blood of The Dragon

In order to properly obsess over a playset you have to appreciate the cartoon/movie most toy lines are based on. 

Mighty Max is fairly unique, as the toy actually preceded the cartoon show. Check out the pre-cartoon TV spot for the Mighty Max Trapped in Skull Mountain set and it's pretty clear.

The funny thing is each set sounds like the title of an episode, so maybe they already planned on creating a cartoon, they just didn't want to wait to start pushing the toys before the cartoon was ready.  Max was animated in the Skull Mountain commercial.

Without further adieu, YouTube presents Blood of The Dragon:

Cheesy, yes, but I lived for this show when I was a kid!  It was pretty dark.  Drinking blood, even dragon's blood, would be unheard of in today's cartoons marketed to youngsters.  There is even an episode where a bloody crime scene is shown and Max is worried his friends may have been murder victims. Moving on to the cast:

Max - Rob Paulson!  Basically the human boy version of Raphael, and the same voice actor too.

Skullmaster - Tim Curry!  Seriously, there could not be a more perfect choice for Skullmaster.  He really delivers the death threat lines perfectly!

Felix - Maxes best friend. Voiced by Corey Burton, now the narrator of Future Worm.

Virgil - Tony Jay! Top notch casting for this show.  Tony has a great voice and he's perfect as Virgil.

Norman - Richard Moll. I don't believe he ever did any other voice acting, but he's great.  Norm is the muscle and has some nice one liners.

Overall, this episode doesn't translate perfectly to what is featured in the playset.  The Lizard Mutants in the playset look nothing like those in the TV episode.  The island itself is obviously way different. It is a nice adaption however and is close enough.  Next post I will take a closer look at the actual playset.

Did you ever watch Mighty Max?  Do you remember this episode?  Did you ever compare it to the playset?  Let me know what you think in the comments below!

12 Playsets

One for each month of the year.  I will focus on and obsess over these playsets every month accordingly:

January - Lego Space Systems 453 & 454, Landing Plates & Crater Plates. Best. Modular. Set. Ever.

February - Mighty Max Dragon Island - Just add a blue sheet for water. (Red sheet for lava with the Skull Mountain playset)

March - Robin Hood Sherwood Forest playset - Like the Ewok Village, just better.

April - TMNT Technodrome - Pairs perfectly with Mini Mutants for epic scale!

May - The Family Play Castle - Sadly no commercial for this awesome set.  I used to play with this set at my aunt's during the annual Easter get together.  I love that trap door!

Fun facts about the different variations at Anne's Odds and Ends.

June - Tim Mee Battle Mountain - Again, no commercial, how sad.  A perfect multipurpose playset!

July - Construx 6110 Colossal Set - Very yes!

August - Imaginext Bat Cave - It may be the best bat cave so far!

September - Micro Machines Space Galaxy Command - How does this not have a commercial!?

October - Weeble's Haunted House - This one was a new discovery for me.  Found a thrashed set for super cheap!  Love that shaky camera work at the end.

November - Filmation's Ghostbusters Ghost Command - Maybe one day I can own one?

December - PeeWee's Playhouse

Did I miss one?

Round Robin Challenge: Obsession

"THIS WEEK'S CHALLENGE IS OBSESSION!

WHAT IS YOUR COLLECTING OBSESSION?"

This is my fist post/response to the Round Robin Challenge.  It was hard to nail down exactly what my collecting obsession is, but after some soul searching I finally figured it out:  I AM OBSESSED WITH CREATING WORLDS!  This obsession with creating worlds explains why I  love building toys (LEGO, Construx), micro toys (Mighty Max, Micro Machines, Trend Masters), hobby toys (model trains, Christmas & Halloween villages, etc.), table top gaming (D&D, War Hammer, Brik Wars), and good old play sets!

Custom minifigures I created.  Space is my favorite LEGO theme.

Basil The Bat Lord, Fright Knights Castle sub-theme

Salt Lake City Comic Con 2015, UtahLUG display

My earliest toy memory was when I was 4 or 5 years old, building the Blacktron Message Intercept Base (Set 6987-1).  I still have bits and pieces from that set, and I hope to one day rebuild it.  I have always loved the customizable nature of the LEGO brick.  You really can create anything!  I really miss the modular Classic Space base plates and I wish I had stocked up.  Even considering just custom minifigures, there are millions of possible combinations of head, torso, legs, weapons, hats, etc., it is mind boggling!  You really can build your own little world out of LEGO, though it can become very expensive.  This is why I enjoy others' amazing creations, like Jang Bricks on YouTube, and the Construx Custom Designs Gallery.

My brother and I were huge fans of Galoob's Micro Machines and I still have a large collection of Z-Bots.  This inevitably led to my love of Bluebird's Mighty Max series and all the other micro toys that flooded the market in the 90's.  I loved that my parents could afford to buy me playsets, because they were so much cheaper in micro form.

Z-Bots Combots line, Tomahawk in custom desert scene. I simply used an old tan sheet as sand.  Army men buckets are perfect for little accessories, like the barbwire fencing.

I also recall with fondness our family trips to the Intermountain Train Expo.  I really want to visit again this year with my Dad and bring my kids along too.  It was so cool seeing all the work and detail that went into those model trains and the surrounding landscape!

I recently started building a Halloween a few years ago when Tombstone Corners hit Dollar Tree stores. Ever since I visited Gardener Village in the fall as a kid and saw the Halloween villages there, I have wanted to create my own village.

Check out my latest Tombstone Corners post, with links to every post HERE.

I have never played D&D or War Hammer, but I appreciate and marvel at the creativity of the games! I love the imagination and creativity that goes into a D&D game; and dedicated War Hammer players have created some incredible terrain and structures from everyday household rubbish!

And lastly, playsets and toy dioramas have always interested me.  I did get some traditional playsets as a kid, like the Swamp Thing Swamp Trap playest (1990), and one of the Bat Cave playsets (I can't even remember which one to be honest, and a few others of note.  I will be making a top 10 playset list of my personal favorites that I owned or really want).  However, I always ended up creating playsets myself using cardboard or whatever else I could find.  I recently created a playset from a cardboard apple box, Frogacuda's lair/toy room basement/sewer or something.  The great outdoors is another quick and easy playset of sorts.  Retroblasting puts it best with their video "Greatest Playsets you didn't 'buy'":

Frogacuda & Froggy Jr. in their toy room.  Micro toys are perfect toys for bigger toys.

Old Sheets are perfect for a quick and easy landscape.

Another part I love about dioramas is crossing toy lines.  Here we have Imaginext, The Real Ghostbusters, and Playmobil.  The more the merrier!

I enjoy building in many different mediums.  My 2015 ginger bread contest entry at work, Eversweet National Forest.  I won first prize for Most Creative.  That is real maple syrup in the candy lake.

What is your obsession, collecting related or otherwise?  tell me in the comments below!

Creepmas 2016 Day 13: The 3rd Annual Toytivity Scene

For the past 3 years I have been creating what I like to call my "Toytivity".  Largely inspired by one of my favorite holiday classics, Merry Christmas Mr. Bean.

I was lucky enough to find a decent nativity set from the DI on the cheap so I can use the manger to really sell it.  2016 is my favorite so far.  I only wish I owned more female action figures.  A Blackstar demon will have to do for now.

I'm certainly not the first to create a nativity scene using action figures.  Check out more at http://unrealitymag.com/images/the-action-figure-nativity-scene-contest/

Have you created your toytivity yet? If so, I wanna see it! If you haven't created one yet, then what are you waiting for!?

#Halloweenathon2015

It's Back To Halloween Month and this year I am celebrating the Halloween season earlier than ever before on DI Treasures starting today! That's 2 straight months of Halloween, with a post every day! Needless to say I will be taking pictures of anything and everything even remotely Halloweeny.  So, in order to keep track of it all I will be posting everything on Instagram with the #Halloweenathon2015 hashtag. Feel free to use the hashtag if you would like to share any spooky, creepy, or even barely related Halloween awesomeness. You can also use the hashtag on Twitter, as I do have a Twitter account, but I really don't use it.

One of my Favorite Mighty Max sets.

When do you start celebrating Halloween? Tell me in the comments below! 

Collect Them All!

What do you look for in collectibles? 

I used to collect just about anything and everything under that sun that struck my fancy, but I had to limit myself, as my collection was getting out of hand. Some may recall an earlier post where I narrowed down my collection to a top 10 list. My list has 1 underlying theme, SPACE! I do also enjoy Halloween, fantasy, etc., but I really really love sci-fi. As a general guide, I collect monsters, skeletons, aliens, and bugs.

What is the centerpiece of your collection? 

Hmm, that's a really tough question. My collection constantly ebbs and flows and my favorite pieces change depending on my mood and most recent finds. Right now, my favorite is Robie the Robotic Bank circa Radio Shack 1988. He's just such a cool robot toy from the '80's, and he only cost me 75 cents!!!

How long have you been collecting for? 

I have been collecting since my earliest memories. I remember earning my Collecting and Insect Study merit badges. My Dad was and still is a big collector of stamps, coins, records, books, and toys. He definitely rubbed off on me.

Where do you find most of your items? 

Most of my treasures are found secondhand at places like Goodwill, garage sales, flea markets, and the Deseret Industries (thus the blog name D.I. Treasures). Recently I have been browsing for the more high end stuff oninvaluable.com.

On occasion I do find items online through eBay, Instagram, etc. Recently I have been browsing for the more high end stuff oninvaluable.com. 

I very rarely buy anything new, but I have been known to buy cheap crap from dollar stores or the occasional LEGO minifigure blind bag.

Honestly, I used to find great joy in collecting the most random, weird, and cool junk that people would give away for some reason. But now, I just feel emptier with each new item I throw onto the hoard pile. Now, does that mean I don't collect anymore? Hardly! If I find something on my top 10 for pennies on the dollar you can bet you bottom dollar I'm gonna snatch it up! Collecting is in the blood, it's a tough habit to kick. I definitely sell/trade more now, where before selling something was really hard. It's all part of the circle of toys!

Mason's Micro World

Recently I have been trading toys quite a bit on Instagram and it's been great! One problem I have run into however is I collect such a variety of toys form dozens of toy lines and I often forget what it is I am hunting for. Whenever I'm setting up a trade people ask me what it is I collect, naturally. I always have to rack my brain and throw out a few brands and toy lines I like. So, I decided to start making a list and it was getting a little long.

Then I remembered an old list of micro playset toy lines I jotted down a while back. You know the type, Micro Machines, Mighty Max, Polly Pocket, stuff like that. There are so dang many micro toy lines that the list was even longer than my list of favorite toy lines! When I first made the list I considered making a blog dedicated to just micro play sets, but never got around to it. Well, now I have figured out how to create categorial post tabs in Blogger and my micro world journey has begun! If you're a micro toy fan check out Micro Macabre Mason's Micro World sometime.

I plan to create a categorial list o' toys I collect here on DI Treasures soon, so watch out for that as well.

Creepmas Day 1: Mighty Max Grapples With Battlecat

My sister in law Jerica nabbed this amazing Mighty Max play set just for me! It was just 2 bucks at Kid To Kid of all places! Behold this Ice Age wonder:

Bloody fangs!

Inside the mighty sabertooth's head we discover a dank cave, full of rot and decay. The Mammoth's tusks pull double duty are the tigers fangs!

Just run Mighty Max, you're no match!

Now that's one evil mammoth!

The goblin/caveman's rock also serves a dual purpose, firstly as a bloody head smashin' rock, and second as the sabertooth tiger's left eye!

Battlecat's lower teeth open and spring shut, trapping Mighty Max. 

Will Max make it out alive? Let's find out!

Good old Bluebird toys! Micro scale play sets are becoming a new obsession of mine! I'm seriously considering focusing my collection on such sets and trading/selling the rest of my toy/video game/comic/books/etc. collection.

MERRY CREEPMAS EVERYONE!

Monday Mail Madness: Brian Lapsley's Surprise Pack #2

So many generous souls have been sending all sorts of awesome treasures to little old me and I am so grateful! Normally I like to feature what is sent to me with a blog post, but lately I have been working insane hours and I've become a bit lazy. No more! For the sake of these giving individuals I will be featuring these kind donations every Monday. 

So before ado is anymore furthered, I give you the first 

Monday Mail Madness: Brian Lapsley's Surprise Box #2! 

That's right, Brian didn't just send me 1 package, a few weeks earlier he already sent me a bunch of awesome and I haven't even posted about it yet! Don't worry though, I'll get to the first pack next time. In true Star Wars Fashion, I will create the sequel fist, followed by a prequel.

Brian is an artist. I love this piece he included on the box.

Speaking of Star Wars, Surprise Box #2 was full of treasures from a galaxy far, far away!

NEW TOYS!

There were a few other toys not pictured here. Ava quickly claimed them.

My absolute favorite of the lot is the amazing Micro Scale Jabba's Palace with neighboring Sarlacc Pit! Most definitely my favorite Star Wars toys of all time. I've always had a soft spot for micro scale toys. I just love how much detail is packed into such a small play set! It's looks right at home on my toy room floor. The tan carpet gives a nice desert-sand effect.

Beauty!

Just look at the detail on this guy!  Jim Henson, you are missed.

One nasty looking Sarlacc maw.

Omnomnom.

The front of Jaba's Palace opens up reveling his mighty throne. 

Move Slave Leia, I can't see Salacious Crumb!

Even the trap door to the Rancor pit opens up, revealing the gnawed remains of the previously devoured.

This. Is. AWESOME! 

The teeny tiny Han Solo frozen in carbonite is just so dang cool. Just look at it, it's tiny!

There was a mishap during shipping and one of the guns broke.
Luckily it's nothing a little Crazy Glue can't fix.

And as if this wasn't all enough, I even received a micro scale Slave One, parked in the back! Also, either Brian reads minds or follows my Instagram posts, because I recently came across a Tatooine Safari Luke and Mighty Max at the Redwood Swap Meet. They fit right in!

Dude, Luke, that's you sister man! Come on!

Thank you Brian! I will be having all sorts of crazy adventures on Tatooine with my new Jabba play set! I couldn't be happier!

Be sure to check out Brian's blog, Awake Oh Sleeper! He shares with the world his fantastic art style, cool toy finds, and an overall inside look at the mind of this extraordinary gentleman. I really enjoyed his first contribution to the League of Extraordinary Bloggers, go check it out HERE! And don't forget to check out Brian's skills with pen and ink right over HERE!