Almost nothing about toys in this one, but plenty of dumbasses in a van.

The next day we awoke from our auction induced comas. Most people weren’t returning for the tin auctions the next day, but there were a few pieces Sanjeev wanted to bid on, and I needed to get a lot of pick-up shots. We arrived a bit late due to us having to pick up Diceone and his friend but we didn’t miss any of the auctions we wanted to see.

The world of tin collecting is a mystery to me. While I appreciate that they are the ancestors of what I collect now, I just don’t get into the aesthetics of them. Sure, I like the Japanese character tins, but it’s a collecting road I just can’t go down.

That being said, tin collectors are insane. You think the vintage diecast can get expensive? Think again. Some of the pieces that went sold for over 10k. Where the action on some of the diecast was slow, the tin was HOT. This is probably due to a larger, more established (and recognized) collector base. What WE think of in regards of vintage Japanese toys goes back to the 60s, for them, its another 20 years earlier.

I dropped Sanjeev off at the auction, and not wanting another Mennonite sandwich, made my way to the Dunkin Donuts across the street. I know in different parts of the country they have slightly different regional menus – but this was insane. Peanut Butter and Jelly Donut? Crushed Peanut Donut? Cherry Topped? WHAT? And most importantly – NO CHOCOLATE STICK!

Another reason to hate on Pennsylvania.

Back at Morphys, people who were bidding on tin were doing so, and others returned to claim their loot. Half the fun was seeing what everyone won, and even doing some on-the-spot trades.

Early in the afternoon, after our gang had got all their stuff together, we decided to check out a comic store in Lancaster called simply “the Comic Store”. The store is decent by the way, if you want to check it out. Decent for being in the middle of nowhere anyway.

Dave and I both bought comics (I am a recovering comic nerd) and from there we decided to go to another comic store nearby called Captain Blue Hen Comics. The six of us piled in the mini-van and made our way through downtown Lancaster, which for being in the heart of Amish country, has a lot of porn shops.

We found the comic store, only to find it closed. It’s in the basement of an old church… super creepy. I’ve since found out it closed last year.

From there Diecone talked us into going to a 99c store where we found some bootlegs, and the worst halloween costumes ever.

From there, we just decided to head home, as Jerilock needed to split.

The ride back was fun. We were tired, we taped it. You can watch it below.

After that we went to Hooters and loaded up on wings. All of the Hooters near me have closed, so this was a treat. It was there that we hatched a plan – I needed beer. Not just any beer – Yuengling. You can’t get Yuengling in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, so anytime someone comes back from PA, I have them get me a case. Well it was decided that I was going to get my own case. Jason called his sister, who lives in PA, to give us the lowdown with PA beer laws. Apparently, You can only buy beer from one kind of store, and wine and spirits from another. And you can buy before noon on Sunday. Well, our plans had us on the road before noon, so tonight we were off in search of beer.

I asked the hooters waitress if she knew where I could get any beer. She gave us vague directions – three miles down that road, a place called Michaels near Bed bath and Beyond.

Of course, there was no store there. Stupid me. We stop at a gas station, and Sanjeev gets out to get directions from some Pennsylvanian. Ok, we were close, just back down the road, turn at the Exxon, and we are right there. So back down the road we go, turn at the Exxon and then…. Nothing. We find a beer distributor, but they are closed. So onward we go.

Our next stop is at a convenience store, with a proprietor who is not from here, and knows little English. Once he finally understands what I am looking for, he says he doesn’t know where, and I leave. However as I pull out, he runs out to give me directions to another place he THINKS it might be.

Off we go again. I don’t know if it was his directions or fate, but we found the place. This was so hard – around here there is a packie around every corner.

This place that we find, it's a weird mish-mash of convenience store, deli and restaurant. It is here that I learn the next two quirks of the PA beer laws.

It has something to do with the quantity of beer sold. If you want to get beer by the case, you can only buy it at a beer distributor. If you want to get it as a 6-pack, you can get it at a bar. Well, technically, It is any establishment that serves booth food and beer – they can sell you a 6 pack.

I decide on 1 12-pack and 2 6-packs. I bring them up to the counter and the grizzly old man behind the counter tells me nicely that I can buy these, but I have to do it in two purchases. Once I make my purchase, I may take one 12-pack outside, leave it on the sidewalk, and then I can come back in and take the 2 six packs.

“Seriously” I ask?

People behind me in line giggle. Apparently there is some archaic beer law in PA that says you can only purchase only 2 packages of beer at one time. I comply, I carry my one 12-pack outside, come back in, and grab the other two. Surreal.

Beer in hand, we get back to the hotel room. We are tired. We just want to go to sleep.

I hit the bed like a dead man. Sanjeev is checking mail on the laptop. Dave is in the bathroom dropping the kids off at the pool. The room is dead quiet, and I am just about asleep when I hear moaning through the wall. But not the good kind of moaning.

“mwooooohhhhhhhhh”

I tell Sanjeev to be quiet and listen. We put our ears up to the wall and hear a muffled crying. At first it is just crying. Then we make out “Oh God..” “Oh God please help me...”

Now Sanjeev and I are being dead quiet, trying to listen to the moaning guy when dave drops a loud bomb in the bathroom. Sanjeev and I explode with laughter. The timing was just so perfect, the room so quiet. Dave's comedic timing is amazing.

Sanjeev and I go to the front office and talk to the lady, who tells me that guy has been having problems, something about his mother having a stroke. Anyway, she says she will take care of it.

The rest of the night is uneventful, with a few more moans, but I couldn't tell if that was Dave or not.

Our adventure is almost over. Sleep becomes us.

The next morning, we check out and hit the road. Dave and I torture Sanjeev with two straight hours of ween from my ipod. He sleeps through a lot of it, but one can only hope it warps his subconscious mind.

It was a long, strange trip. It was full of good friends, some that I have known forever but never met. The weather sucked, but that didn't dampen anyone's spirits. I spent too much money, but now the buyers regret is gone. All I have is good memories, and a box full of toys.

Thanks to Sanjeev, Dave and Jerilock, I couldn't ask for better traveling companions. I didn't want to kill any of you once.

The bidding begins... with HD VIDEO!

I woke up to the sound of rain.

I was the first one up, so I took advantage of the time to get my act together. Today was a big day. The first day of the auctions. Auctions started at 10, so we wanted to be there for at least 9am.

Fat chance of that. The GPS we had in the van sucked, so we ended up going the wrong way a bit, but soon got back on course. The auction house was 45 minutes away, so we had time to make our game plan.

Once at the auction we found most of the regulars there, but there were quite a few faces I didn’t recognize. One guy flew in from Italy. Another, an elderly German couple.

Seats were empty as auction personnel looked around nervously. Would they come?

Absent was the man who is responsible for this collection – Mark Solondz. But who is he? And what is his story? From what I understand, Mark is a real estate developer from New Jersey who has been collecting for years. He was most notably a contributor at Alphadrome, a tin website, but he had a passion for all kinds of Japanese toys. His collection was legendary. Three years ago however, all that changed. I’m not going to say what the event was and respect his privacy, but circumstances required him to liquidate his collection. He was not able to organize and sell it, hence Morphys involvement.

Teams swept in to the location and piled boxes high right off of the shelf. Nothing was matched or organized. Morphys then contacted experts in the respective fields to come down and help with the organization, cataloging, and valuation of the collection. It was an epic event. The diecast collection was organized over three days, by a crack team of Toybox DX (and CollectionDX) regulars. you can read the saga of that event here

All of that work culminated in this day. An epic undertaking, for sure, but would it be all worth it?

As the time approached, people began to settle in. In the back of the auction house, a local parents organization had set up a food stand. This auction was running six hours straight with no break for lunch. I got an egg and cheese sandwich from a nice mennonite lady and I took my seat.

Bidding works like this: Bidders in the crowd are assigned a number under 1,000 – bidders on the phone start with 3,000, bidders online start with 6,000. Of course, that was the idea, but there were exceptions to the rule. I was bidder 29.

The lots are called in order, starting at lot 1. Bid increments depend on the starting bid but are usually in $25 amounts. They average about 100 lots an hour, so bidding is fast and furious. The auctioneers were true auctioneers with their rapid fire auctioneer-speak. It seemed like we were bidding on cattle instead of toys. Sometimes they would throw in little jokes or quips, and we even think we heard one say “nerd” in their rambling.

The first lots up were for vinyl. I wasn’t there to bid on any of that, but it was interesting to see. Most lots were going for under their expected value, with most being absolute steals. Maybe the vinyl crowd just wasn’t up that early? Also the sheer volume of product being offered so early I think had people holding back their bids for later in the day. Few pieces met expectations, and a few bidders scored most of the lots. I think one buyer was from a certain retail store in New York City.

I think it was around noontime when the diecast started to hit. People scored insane deals on things. Seriously some things were going for ¼ of the current prices. People audibly gasped when things went so low, and cheered loudly when someone we knew got something they were after. It helped that we were all friends, and had consulted with each other about their desires the night before. Lack of in-room competition meant some people only had to bid against people on-line or on the phone. It was madness.

Some key sales – a $600 Godaikin Tetsujin T-28, a $450 Takatoku Super Ostritch Valkyrie, a $800 black Raideen. But some things went higher than expected.

Josh Fraser had his eye on the GA-50 Daikyu Maru set and bid ferociously, eventually winning it at over 5 grand.

Photo by Roger Harkavy

It got on the electronic LED sign outside. Another shocker was a lot of Japanese Machine Robo (aka GOBOTS) going for $1400 when the crowd thought it would reach a few hundred at best.

As the day went on, people got tired. You could see their exhaustion, and their regret for wearing suits. The modern toys toward the end of the auction were practically given away. If you liked SOC, you could have gotten them for next to nothing. People began to meander over to the cash registers to pay for their goods when the first sign of buyers remorse sets in.

If you win an item, you have to pay a buyers premium. 17% for credit or debit, 15% for cash. Then, you have to add PA sales tax on top of that, which is another 6%. Most of us ended up paying an additional 23% on top of our winning bids. I feel bad for the bidders who did not attend who have to pay that PLUS shipping! (although, to be fair, the trip cost me over $400 in hotel and gas)

As you paid they went over and retrieved your winnings for you and placed them on a cart. This was an awesome time, with people delirious from what just happened. I know my legs were shaking, and I could hardly believe the deals I got.

Photo by Jim M

Morphys graciously sponsored an after-party at a tavern down the street with free drinks and appetizers. We had some awesome chicken fingers and fries, and some great beer by a company called Stoudts.

However, the place was just too crowded, and I was tired, so we decided to leave. The gang was heading back to Mark’s place, so I handed Sanjeev the keys and slept on the ride over. I don’t think I quite woke up, as the evening is a blur, but I remember Dave throwing on a gay vampire movie and Roger showing us this insane 8-bit animation.

Kings of Power 4 Billion % from Zarradeth on Vimeo.

People started to fracture – some went downstairs to smoke cigars, some went upstairs to look at toys. I just wanted to call it a night. There was more auction tomorrow…

Chronicling the adventures of JoshB, Sanjeev, Nekrodave and Jerilock!

Includes HD video!

Sanjeev, Nekrodave and I took a road trip down to Denver PA for the November 13-14 auction of the Mark Solondz Collection.

Organized by ToyboxDX, the auction contained thousands of toys in hundreds of lots.

With our hardcover catalogs in hand, we set out early Thursday morning. The ride down was uneventful, despite numerous traffic Jams. Before heading out to the hotel to check in we decided to go straight to Morphy's to check out the goods.

Morphy's Auction House is in Denver PA, just outside of Amish country. An unlikely location for such an auction. The building is a nondescript red and tan warehouse with a fancy digital sign indicating the location. We enter and immediately run into Ed Sanford (Robot-Japan) and Warren Schwartz.

The auction house is a cavernous building, with rows of glass display cases on either side. There are all kinds of items on display, with two rows reserved for this auction.

Immediately it is clear that there is a hierarchy here, based on the perceived value.

On the right there is the tin. Each tin is meticulously displayed and labeled, both toy and box standing tall and proud.

On the left is the diecast.

The aisle of diecast is both glorious and disheartening. Each lot is in a bin or on a cardboard tray. The pieces are not in their boxes, they are loose in the bins, with parts laying around freely. In some cases, toys are just piled onto one another. Others, like the Big Scale Yamato, are just resting on their sides in cardboard boxes. These are clearly seen as not as valuable of the tins.

Lastly, against the wall is a series of rooms with glass doors. Inside these rooms is the vinyl, just piled into shopping bags with a lot number on them. The vinyl gets no respect here.

I take this opportunity to ask a woman at the desk to open a cabinet, as I want to inspect one of the items I am thinking on bidding on – the DX Dairugger XV. In the catalog it is listed as missing antenna, but upon closer inspection, they are actually there. However, one problem is apparent – one of the fists is broken, and the broken off part is missing. So all is not as it seems with these items, another benefit of coming in person.

We did our time at the auction house, and then went back to the hotel to check in. We decided to stay in King of Prussia, close to Machinesoldier’s house at a budget hotel which is actually not that bad.

Tired, we soldier on, and make our way to our next engagement. Mark (aka Machinesoldier) has graciously volunteered to host all of the visiting dignitaries at his place for a party. The place was full of all-stars.

Alen Yen
Matt Alt
Robert Duban
Erik Sjoen
Chris Hill
Jim Maitland
Joshua Fraser
Mark Gradwell
Sanjeev Selvaraj
Warren Schwartz
Dave Keymont
Mason Fitch
Jason Jakubowski

Also some new faces were present, like diecone who traveled in from NYC.

Pizza and beer were had, and some old friends met for the first time. It’s amazing how a community can make you feel like you’ve known someone for years and never have met. While this was going on, there was an anticipation in the room.

Alen brought goodies.

First off, he unveiled his Nekobot USB robot. This little guy is made out of hard rubber, screen printed, and separates at the chest. Inside is a 2gb USB stick that when plugged in, makes the heart logo light up. These will be on sale soon.

Next – vinyl. Alen had the guys from Gargamel make a Nekosaur vinyl! The thing is so cool – he had both clear and flesh colored test shots to show – I can’t wait for these to drop.

Finally – the crowning achievement – the Nekosaur Chogokin. This was just a resin prototype, but it looked fantastic. Firing fists, foot weapons, firing head, detachable scrander,missiles… it just looked awesome, and will fit right in with your chogokin collection. Release date is TBD.

As much fun as we were having, we all knew we all had to be up early the next day for the Auction. We all signed each other’s books like they were Highschool Yearbooks, and we went off our separate ways until tomorrow….

CollectionDX provides a custom Yoka for a show at DesignerCon 2009, designed by yours truly, JoshB!

So I know CDX isn't exactly known for its love of designer toys, but I was given the opportunity to do a custom toy for a group show and I figured what the heck? Turns out I had a lot of fun doing it, and I actually ran out and got another couple of blank figures to work on my next pieces.

Let's be clear here - this isn't a toy - this is an art piece. Well, It may not be art per-se, but it's something that I created myself, and that's saying something.

I name it Bejeweled - after my wife's obsession with the game of the same name.

DesignerCon 2009 will be held November 21 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena California. More information about DesignerCon can be found here:

http://www.vinyltoynetwork.com/

The Yoka show consists of a few hundred pieces, all done up in each artists unique style. Some you know, some you don't.

Anthony Ausgang
Bere & Bere
Chris Ryniak
Dacosta!
Doze x Secretlab
Frost 215/El Toro
gastonstones
Glenda Rolle
Janaina Coe for Wassabe
Joshua Bernard for CollectionDX
Katkiller
Kaylah Baca for Bean Pot Toiz
KiDLEW
KiLL!
Le Merde
Mahon, Macia Crew
Mark Hundley for Bisbee Stiches
Nate for Rowdyhermit.com
Nathan Hamill
Olivier Regnault for Designertoyz
Pachy Sarmiento for Pinkypunk
Quique Ollervides for Hula + Hula
Rae Huo for Zakkamono
Rio McCarthy
Ritzy Periwinkle
Ru Sun for Dreamin Girl
Spök-Spök
Toybot Studios
Trevor Yopp for Toy Joy
Voltaire
Zakka for Zakkamono
ZAM for Pola Aurora

I won't be able to attend unfortunately, so if you go, take pictures!

Announcing the first ever Japanese toy auction at Morphy's Auction House in Denver, PA on November 13-14.

Hold onto your hats, gang, and get ready for the Japanese toy event of the century! For the first time ever, an entire collection is being auctioned off at one time. And what a collection it is! If you don't know the name Mark Solondz right now, fear not. You soon will and you won't forget it. No matter what type of toy you like, I'm sure it'll be represented in his massive collection. Here's just a small sample of the goods that will be available.

Look at all that gokin!

Is vinyl your thing? You're covered! The image below is just a tiny sampling of the vinyl that will be on hand.

Sanjeev was there to catalog it all and it was all he could do to prevent his head from exploding!

The tin collection that will be presented is also just out of this world. I'm no expert on that stuff, but Mr. C10 himself, Josh Fraser, says that some of the best pieces in the world will be up for grabs.

This whole shebang was presided over by our good friends at ToyboxDX.com. Check out the brog posts on the subject, with behind the scenes, drool-inducing pictures here.

Now, the details. This auction will take place on the weekend of November 13-14 at Morphy's Auction House in Denver, PA. The event is open to the public and the goods are already set up and ready for previewing. There will also be a gathering of robot collectors that Friday night. Check out the TBDX brog for details, and also see the Morphy's website for more details, rules and a look at each lot. Online bidding is available now and will run until that weekend, if you can't make the event in person. But attendance is highly encouraged, if possible. It promises to be a great time and who knows, you just may walk away with some great scores!

America's most well fed International Plastic Modelers Society chapter, IPMS Ontario CA, hosts another fantastic contest and expo! Plastic models of tanks, cars, Sci-fi, submarines and airplanes are all represented here!

IPMS Ontario Chapter was host to their annual Minicon Model Contest and Expo in Ontario, California. It was a great turnout with about 250 model kits entered into the contest.

Best of show was this High Gloss hot rod, which was the best gloss paint job I've ever seen in my life.

The dealers brought out some great kits to sell. One dealer was even selling 1980's Anime related model kits and toys that was a nice revisit to my childhood as I owned at one time nearly everything on the table! Pony Lives!

Here a sample of some of the kits entered into the contest:

Although I didn't win any awards this time around, it was a great turnout for everyone involved and I'm looking forward to Minicon 10!

©2009 Leonardo Flores article and pictures.

....But did the Comicon have a SDF-1 Macross cake?! An afternoon of Macross fun at MacrossWorld 09 at UCLA! Show coverage here including a transforming 2 1/2 foot tall Optimus Prime, a Valkyrie Orguss and the toy test shots of the Tread and the SDF-1 Macross cake!

Macross World Con 09

One of the first things to knock me out was this beautiful Macross SDF-1 cake. Amazing job! I thought it would be impossible to beat last years Macross Cake but this years cake was a masterpiece!

Lots of givaways and prizes from the sponsors including the Yamato fan racer as the grand prize and various other goodies including an SDF-1 Launch poster that everyone was dying to win.

It was great to have yours truly have an active role this year as I broke out my anime record vinyl collection and DJed throughout the day. I also displayed my vinyl collection and took request as it was Macross or Macross related music all day, with the most requested song being My Boyfriends a Pilot.

Another stand out items was this Macross Orguss Valkyrie which is seen and blown up in one of the most cryptic 5 second scene in all of the Macross TV series. I've been wanting to make one of these for years but this one which isn't finished inspired me to get off my arse and build one. Excellent job!

Macross World Con 09, like CDX, wouldn't be complete without it's gallery of custom, rare and vintage toys and art which were displayed for everyone to admire. One of the best pieces brought was the test and custom components for the just released Mospeada Tread.

©2009 Leonardo Flores Pictures and article.