Old School Toys

[MacrossMan]

So I'm at my mom's house visiting recently and thumb through some old photo albums. I come across some pictures from Chirstmas 1984. I was 10 years and in 5th grade then; a true kid of the 80's! A time before mp3 players. Peep the chunky knock-off "Sony Walkman" cassette player that I was so proud of! That thing only had fast forward on it. I remember having to press stop and eject to flip the tape over to rewind! Ha! My friends thought I was odd because I was into the US Truck electric track sets instead of the racing car sets. When the GI Joe version was released I begged and pleaded for it and low and behold old jolly St. Nick came through! And my goodness, Transformers were born! I lucked up and got Soundwave. I had friends who got Optimus Prime, Megatron, Jazz, Starscream, Thundercracker, Bluestreak, etc. Later that chilly, brisk and overcast afternoon we all met up at the neighborhood playground and were out in the dirt playing Transformers! I even brought my C.L.A.W. (that red wagon deal that Soundwave is sitting in) to get in on the action.

Man oh man, what it was to be a kid back then!

Let's see you guys old school pics!

OO

[misterryno]

So I'm at my mom's house visiting recently and thumb through some old photo albums. I come across some pictures from Chirstmas 1984. I was 10 years and in 5th grade then; a true kid of the 80's! A time before mp3 players. Peep the chunky knock-off "Sony Walkman" cassette player that I was so proud of! That thing only had fast forward on it. I remember having to press stop and eject to flip the tape over to rewind! Ha! My friends thought I was odd because I was into the US Truck electric track sets instead of the racing car sets. When the GI Joe version was released I begged and pleaded for it and low and behold old jolly St. Nick came through! And my goodness, Transformers were born! I lucked up and got Soundwave. I had friends who got Optimus Prime, Megatron, Jazz, Starscream, Thundercracker, Bluestreak, etc. Later that chilly, brisk and overcast afternoon we all met up at the neighborhood playground and were out in the dirt playing Transformers! I even brought my C.L.A.W. (that red wagon deal that Soundwave is sitting in) to get in on the action.

Man oh man, what it was to be a kid back then!

Let's see you guys old school pics!

OO

Right on man! Good ol MM before you got those balls on your chin .

OO

[eriku]

That's awesome, I love childhood toy pics from the 80's. I've got a killer one that I turned up recently - three big shelves in my bedroom loaded with Transformers, GoBots, Heman, Sectaurs and lots of other stuff. There's even a 1J Miriya model that i don't even remember assembling. I'll scan it and post it sometime in the next couple of days.

[miriya]

That is sweet macrossman. I wish I had some pics like this to contribute. I can think of only one pic of me with my toys and I was 3 years old with stuffed animals like snoopy and Fozzy. If I can find it I may post but it is not really as good as a pic with transformers, GI Joes etc.. Maybe I could ask my mom if she has any pics of me with my old jetfire?

I hope more members post pics here. It is a gas. Great Idea.

[505thAirborne]

Hey Macrossman, Wish I had some of those pictures handy. On my ninth birthday in 1985 I was with my Mom & brother at a department store called Mervyn's for you on the west coast, you know what those are. Anywho, back in the day they used too have toy dept's and on the racks were tons of Robotech and import "Knock-off" Macross items, He-Man, G.I. JOE and others. there were 3 rows of Transformer Jetfires!!! I told my brother I wanted one, but he said they were too expensive, plus I already had some great gifts at home that I would like.

So when I was opening up gifts, My brother gave me the last one.... I was like holy ^$&^$*, Its was a brand new JetFire!!! Best B-day ever!!! Especially caused it always reminded of me the scene when Roy Fokker gives Hikaru that Model plane kit while he was in the Hospital.

Thanks macrossman for the trip down memory lane thread!!!!!!

[misterryno]

I wish I had some pics as well.....I'm gonna hit my p's up and see if they have any.

[MacrossMan]

I figured you guys could relate. Robotech hadn't hit the states yet and the only anime I was aware of at the time was G-Force and Gaiking (spelling). I remember going to Service Merchandise in the spring of 1985 and seeing Jetfire for the first time. Still remember the stickered price tag on it for $29.95; Service Merchandise was a little more expensive than Target and Wal-Mart. Who would have known 24 years these toys would be as popular as they are today.

Man, I think back to January of this year when I started looking for a Jetfire toy and started seeing all these "different color" Jetfires. I was like who would want a Jetfire with Black and Yellow on it??? Then I saw the Yamato "Jetfires" and was holy shiggity!!! Once I realized what I was looking at, it brought back memories of Robotech; that "more realistic Transformers" cartoon. I had to purchase all the videos to start watching them again and by then Macross had peaked my interest.

That's my story of how I came to fall in love with this highly addictive hobby, but seeing the old toys that started it all sure does bring back fond memories of being a kid!

The toys today can't be marketed with handguns. I had friends who had Megatron way back when and we never had the desire to shoot or harm anyone or do anything violent. We were just kids playing Transformers with a toy that happened to transform into a handgun. Things sure have changed!

OO

[misterryno]

I figured you guys could relate. Robotech hadn't hit the states yet and the only anime I was aware of at the time was G-Force and Gaiking (spelling). I remember going to Service Merchandise in the spring of 1985 and seeing Jetfire for the first time. Still remember the stickered price tag on it for $29.95; Service Merchandise was a little more expensive than Target and Wal-Mart. Who would have known 24 years these toys would be as popular as they are today.

Man, I think back to January of this year when I started looking for a Jetfire toy and started seeing all these "different color" Jetfires. I was like who would want a Jetfire with Black and Yellow on it??? Then I saw the Yamato "Jetfires" and was holy shiggity!!! Once I realized what I was looking at, it brought back memories of Robotech; that "more realistic Transformers" cartoon. I had to purchase all the videos to start watching them again and by then Macross had peaked my interest.

That's my story of how I came to fall in love with this highly addictive hobby, but seeing the old toys that started it all sure does bring back fond memories of being a kid!

The toys today can't be marketed with handguns. I had friends who had Megatron way back when and we never had the desire to shoot or harm anyone or do anything violent. We were just kids playing Transformers with a toy that happened to transform into a handgun. Things sure have changed!

OO

I know....I wish I would have known what the G-1s would have been worth when I was a kid. I would have been more careful (and I was VERY careful) with my toys and not have gotten rid of them. I also would have asked for a new JetFire every christmas and birthday and then held onto them and sold them all for a crap load of mula to spend on Macross now days. Can you believe what toys have come to these days? I totally get ya on the handgun thing. Back in the day no one would have dreamt of using Megatron to hurt someone else. You know what I mean.

OO

[miriya]

We grew up before it was common to have kids showing up at school with guns and actually shooting other kids. Those were the good old days for sure. However by the time I was a senior in high school they had put metal detectors in the entrance of my school and we had about 2 - 4 armed police cruzing the school all day.

[Agent ONE]

I got my first Valkyrie in 1985, it was Focker/Ichijo skull one. Still my favorite toy of all time.

[NSJ23]

I got my first Valkyrie in 1985, it was Focker/Ichijo skull one. Still my favorite toy of all time.

Those were $80+ at the hobby stores around my way in 85. Pop's was not paying that for a toy.

[505thAirborne]

Back in 1991 at an old Comic book store in Northridge, CA. I popped in one day with buddy to get some new comics, in the corner was this VF-1S!!! I asked the guy what he wanted for it, he said "I could care less about that Japanese stuff, $50.00 if you want it..." I said hell ya and its been my prize possession since. I'm keeping this one!!! Macross 4 life!!!

[Sumdumgai]

Hot damn 505thAirborne, that was a steal! And only a few years later I saw the Takatoku and Bandai toys going for $400+, with the Joons knock-offs at $30 or so.

[BoBe-Patt]

Back in 1991 at an old Comic book store in Northridge, CA. I popped in one day with buddy to get some new comics, in the corner was this VF-1S!!! I asked the guy what he wanted for it, he said "I could care less about that Japanese stuff, $50.00 if you want it..." I said hell ya and its been my prize possession since. I'm keeping this one!!! Macross 4 life!!!

that wouldn't be the Golden Apple in Northridge now could it?

[505thAirborne]

that wouldn't be the Golden Apple in Northridge now could it?

Nope, Golden Apple might have been attitude heaven from the clerks, but they handled Anime products, so they knew the difference. This was a comic shop on Corbin Ave & Parthenia next to the 7-11, not sure if its still there anymore. I think the ownership traded hands a few times!!!

[MacrossMan]

Back in 1991 at an old Comic book store in Northridge, CA. I popped in one day with buddy to get some new comics, in the corner was this VF-1S!!! I asked the guy what he wanted for it, he said "I could care less about that Japanese stuff, $50.00 if you want it..." I said hell ya and its been my prize possession since. I'm keeping this one!!! Macross 4 life!!!

Damn!!!

OO

[AcroRay]

My first Valk toy was a CONVERTORS repack VF-1S! I carefully added some stripes with electrical tape, and a little extra paint to the head guns & a couple other surfaces. Later on I bought a boxed knockoff of the same toy, and used some of the decals from it.

I still have it, too!

I actually have a whole squadron of those things - mostly knockoffs - which I've collected because of their odd little charm and as a momento of how common they were back then. I should take some pictures at some point.

[Totoro242]

Thats me getting a Tie Fighter toy on Christmas morning when I was 6.

Edited September 6, 2008 by Totoro242

[orguss01]

Nice,you had the robo-chrono-watach thingy too(forgot real name)..i wore that Sh*t like a Rolex or a TAG H.

Thats cool the way you mixed up your figures..me and my littel bro used to do that too....

so when the Transformers and GI Joe finally got that comic book together it ws nothing new to us...

Thats funny you started this thread because I was just telling my girlfrined's son when we were kids instead of having a room each, my brother and I shared a room so we could have a "toy/play" room.

We had the the first Nintendo, Sega Master system, Atari 5200 & 2600, and a book shelf full of transformers and GiJoes.I had a special shelf for my things,Takara Redshoulder, Jetfire and the SDF-1...

Spoiled but i guess thats normal for us "latchkey "kids, parents feel guilty for having to work so much..everyweekend to BEST or ToyRUs... oh wait i forgot.... i got kick ass grades...

So I'm at my mom's house visiting recently and thumb through some old photo albums. I come across some pictures from Chirstmas 1984. I was 10 years and in 5th grade then; a true kid of the 80's!

(edited)

I lucked up and got Soundwave. I had friends who got Optimus Prime, Megatron, Jazz, Starscream, Thundercracker, Bluestreak, etc. Later that chilly, brisk and overcast afternoon we all met up at the neighborhood playground and were out in the dirt playing Transformers! I even brought my C.L.A.W. (that red wagon deal that Soundwave is sitting in) to get in on the action.

Man oh man, what it was to be a kid back then!

Let's see you guys old school pics!

OO

[Mechinyun]

I wish I had my pictures here, they are all up in my parents closet. Macross man are you holding up one of those robot wrist watches? Looks like it, I use to LOVE those watches when I was a kid but never got one, a few months ago I got the itch and picked these up off ebay

[Vegas]

I wish I had my pictures here, they are all up in my parents closet. Macross man are you holding up one of those robot wrist watches? Looks like it, I use to LOVE those watches when I was a kid but never got one, a few months ago I got the itch and picked these up off ebay

got two of those when i was a kid too

[AcroRay]

Microman Watch-Robos - part of the line of toys Takara sold to Hasbro to make the earliest Transformers. They were knocked off quite a bit during that time period. Your pair there is an original, and a knockoff.

The Micromen were 1/1 scale figures of tiny aliens and their mecha, which started back in 1974. Around '83, the Micromen developed companion robots which disguised themselves as household objects (Every household has a Walther p-38, right?) so the Micromen could hide their support unit strength from their enemies - the Acroyears.