Opps.....I did it again

Joker upon Batman escaping the museum with Vicki Vale- "Batman" (1989)

Yes, I did. Once again, I find myself in possession with an impulse buy. This time - I went out to get the "Aliens" action figure that I was blabbing on about in the last post. And yes "action figure" is the correct term although the manufacturer seems to label it a "poseable model kit". They weren't kidding but more on that later.

The day started out with a trip to get some clothes for Chinese New Year. Traditionally, we get something new every year be it shoes, pants/jeans, shirts etc. As I've aged, the money I spend on clothes seem to reduce. I remember once upon a time when my t-shirts used to cost me RM 89.90. And it always had to be "Quiksilver". I recall the frequent trips down to StarHill to the Quiksilver boutique. These days, lets just say I managed to get about 4 t-shirts with the same amount of money!

Got my clothes at Jaya, Section 14. There's a toyshop there and they were having a Chinese New Year sale. Yippee! Lucky draws for purchases above a certain ringgit amount. The guy had some sort of rock music blasting as I entered - I was the only customer there. Quickly glanced around, somethings did catch my eye but my target was set on something else. I queried the guy and they don't sell it. "We sell mainly Star Wars stuff". Next stop - Amcorp Mall. I knew there was a branch of another toyshop there. The hunt was on. The place was packed - I happened to stop on a day where they were having their regular flea market. Saw lots of stuff on sale, old records, books and magazines. But I was a man on a mission. I managed to locate the shop - saw what I wanted but as with the other branch at 1Utama, they were selling Corporal Hicks and Sergeant Apone as a pair! That would set me back at least RM 900. No way I was spending that amount of money, so I left.

Decided to take a drive down to MidValley Megamall. It was my lucky day - parking wasn't a problem although the queue stretched on and on. Once inside, I tried looking around for a Floor Directory. As I stopped off the escalator and turned the corner, the shop was right in front of me! I stepped inside and was greeted with toys in all shapes and sizes. Checked out the stuff they have on sale, saw what I came to get - hesitated abit but in the end, I walked out with this.

So here I was again, with another impulse buy in hand. The box was covered by a prismatic-looking sleeve that gives a little rainbow-ish look when viewed at from certain angles.

The body came unassembled. It took me about 2 freaking hours or so to put the body together and put on his gear. It was fragile and I was afraid I would break something. Some belt buckles snapped but nothing a little super glue couldn't fix. The pegs on the body mould didn't really line up nicely with the holes they were supposed to fit in. But in the end, patience prevailed.

Also got a loyalty card from the store where purchases will get me stickers which can in turn be exchanged for even more toys. If you think about it, suckers like me paying hundreds for toys like this, you'd thinking its a big money making business wouldn't it? Optimus Prime which cost me RM 89.90 when I was 10 years old now sells for RM 700. And the guy who owns the store I bought the figure from has at least 2 other branches, one in Ampang and the other in Berjaya Times Square.

What is my obsession with this figure? "Aliens" is one of my favourite movies of all time. The USMC (United States Colonial Marines) caught my attention, especially their Pulse Rifles. McFarlane Toys came out with a figure about 2 years back but it was non-poseable. At that time, I was telling myself I would get a poseable one if it ever came out.

I did some googling and realised that this movie by James "Titanic" Cameron came out way back in 1986. For a 20 year old prop, the rifle still looks very good. Seeing how it will the the 20th Anniversary of "Aliens", I suppose its only fitting that these figures are coming out this year.

He's now standing on one of my shelves. Even took out the old SWAT sergeant for display now.

Now for your viewing pleasure, I present to you some of my other "acquisitions" in recent months:

a) Batman Begins - Collector's Edition - another display item on the shelf

b) Doom - The Boardgame - played only once, time consuming


c) Batman - Hush set - 12 issues, saw it selling for RM 250 but with an extra alternate cover for part-12


d) BBI - SWAT Sergeant Mendez

Like the Movie Masterpiece Aliens Dwayne Hicks by HotToys, all of the above were impulse buys. I just can't seem to help myself sometimes. Maybe I should stop checking out the websites and forums.

The only thing left to get would be the ForceFX Lightsabre. There's a guy on a forum selling it for RM 388. Of course its 2nd hand but that's more than RM 150 off the retail price right now. Maybe I should give this guy a call and see how it goes.

Maybe you noticed lots of Batman stuff? It all started in 1989 with this movie:

Batman came out in 1989, directed by Tim "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" Burton. Some say it was the best Batman movie, ever. The sequels just wasn't as "dark" as the original - until "Batman Begins" came out.

This was the comic that started my comic collection.

Now I just got to get the "Batman Begins" DVD. Now that was another good movie.

Watched the D1 Drift competition at Bukit Jalil Stadium last weekend. Sad to say, didn't get to take any pictures of the event. Lots of Toyota AE86's. Initial-D anyone? Speaking of cars, finally got the skirts of my car "repaired" and got a new dress.

So much for Chinese New Year - not really in the mood to celebrate anymore. CNY has lost the magic that it had, not what it used to be anymore. Maybe we're just getting older. Maybe its just me.

And its back to work tomorrow.

Gong Xi Fa Cai all the same!