Lockdown Day 22 - The Decluttering and organization of my life begins

I can't believe 21 days has passed and I have yet to make a real effort to declutter my life and simplify it.  Don't get me wrong.. everything I've done up to this point has only helped to clear my path to do so.  However, now is when I need to really roll up my sleeves and dial it all in.  I think I've actually been subconsciously avoiding doing this, but there's no excuse now as my bigger projects have been completed.

Here's what I did yesterday..

• Started organizing the attic
• Added in a chlorine treatment to the pool
• Did some more writing on the blog
• Started organizing and thinning out my collectibles
• Went on an evening bike ride

I have made a serious effort to finally declutter and organize my garage once and for all, and am probably about 95% complete. Now it's time to start on everything else.  My Bride runs a tight ship in the house.  She knows where everything is, and has done a great job simplifying her life which in turn has also helped us all.

As for me.. well, I have a lot of clutter to work through.  Starting with toys and collectibles.  I had started downsizing my collection a few years back and made some serious progress.  I still have a little ways to go, and am dedicated to finishing up what I started.  Here are a few toys I came across in the first box I went through yesterday..

1995 Power of the Force Landspeeder

30 year old Disney MGM License plate

Hopper from Stranger Things

Glow in the dark  R3 Droid from the Disney Parks

38 year old EPCOT License Plate

Wrasslin' figures!
I miss the old school wrestling I grew up with, but I do love a good gimmick

Queens!

Nia Jax, Rowdy Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella

The Ultimate Warrior, Doink and Kamala 

I assure you this is just the tip of the iceberg in regards to my collection. I really need to downsize and keep only the things that really matter to me. The goal is to thin it out by half and place what I need to get rid of on eBay in the upcoming weeks.  We'll see how it goes.

Be good to yourself my friends.  Until next time..

  

Star Wars themed Coca Cola Bottles from Galaxy's Edge

I'm a huge fan of Coca-Cola.  I'm also a lifelong Star Wars fanatic. Therefore, the cross promotion between Coca-Cola and Disney for the new Galaxy's Edge section of the Disney's Hollywood Studios Theme Park, produced the ultimate collectible for fans like myself.

My Coke, Diet Coke, & Sprite bottles from 'Batuu' at Galaxy's Edge in Florida.

These three guys are for my personal Coca-Cola / STAR WARS collection, so I will not be cracking them open, but I will definitely buy some for consumption on a future visit to Batuu very soon!  

Coca Cola has given me lots to be happy about this year.  First, a Stranger Things cross promotion, and now this.  What's next?  The folks in the creative and marketing departments at Coca-Cola are definitely doing a bang up job, and I can't wait to see what they come up with in the future.

WWE Ronda Rousey and Nia Jax Elite Action Figures

I've been anxiously awaiting the release of the Nia Jax and Ronda Rousey WWE Elite series action figures, and finally found some that were freshly stocked on shelves this week.  However.. I ended up leaving the store with only one of these figures instead of both.  Why you ask?  Let me show you..

First up is the Nia Jax figure.  I like everything about this figure.  Incredible likeness, superb sculpting, interchangeable heads, and the articulation is great with most of the joints hidden nicely.  Like many action figures however, I'm a stickler for quality.  Check out what I saw upon closer inspection..

The Nia Jax on the left is the figure I purchased.  It's beautiful and a dead on likeness.  The second I saw the Nia pictured on the right though, I knew something was amiss.  She actually looks a little more tired than the other figure.  This is because eyes were actually painted too high and totally changes the look of her face!  The end result gives her some nice bags under her eyeballs.  The eyes on Nia #1 look so good because the were actually painted on a rounded surface which gives them proper depth. 

The paint on the lips were also sloppy and outside of the lines, further changing the appearance of her face.  You wouldn't think such a small detail could make such a big difference, but it really does.  In addition to the sorry paint on the eyes and lips, there were black paint spots on the neck and sloppy painting on her rhinestones.

Next up is the Ronda Rousey figure.  I had such high hopes for this figure, but it fell short for me in more ways than one.  

The first thing is the outfit. It doesn't look bad mind you.. but I was so hoping for a figure with the Kilt, leather jacket and Rowdy shirt.  You know the one.. the outfit she wears an an homage to Wrestling great Rowdy Roddy Piper.  Still, this outfit also camouflages the points of articulation nicely, so I was ready to buy it.  Until I took a closer look that is.

Right off the bat I could tell something looked off, and it was poor Ronda's hairline.  It's way too high and totally changes her appearance.  I swear.. there must have been an error of some sort on the master mould, making her hair sit too far back on the head.  What's more, it was a defect that was obvious to quality control, because they made a feeble attempt to correct the error.  You can see where they painted the side of her head with the same color paint, in a sub par attempt hide the mistake.  I know there are paint variations in action figures, which is why I always compare multiple figures and pick the cleanest looking figures of the batch.  However, this ridiculous excuse for an 'Elite figure' has the same shoddy craftsmanship on every single figure I've seen.  I've even seen other reviews and showcases online where they don't even mention it!  If I was Ronda Rousey, I'd be super ticked off.  Heck.. I'm ticked off for her!

Other than that major problem with the hairline, the face on this figure was somewhat of a decent likeness. They even included the mole under her left eye.  I think the smile throws it off a bit, but maybe that's just because I'm not used to seeing her smile like this. I think a smirk or frown would have cinched it perfectly.

So while I'm perfectly happy with my Nia Jax fig, I'm bummed that I'm going to have to wait and see if they make another version of a Ronda Rousey figure that looks better than this latest incarnation.

Retro Ray Gun Water Pistols

I practically live on Amazon.  One big reason is because of all the retro goodness you can find there.  Check out these retro Squirt Guns I recently bought..

Squirt guns were a staple when I was a kid.  We'd even smuggle our Kool-Aid filled squirt guns into the movie theaters (it was a much different time).  The water pistols served as drink receptacles, so we wouldn't have to buy the soda sold at exorbitant prices.

Heck.. my friend and I once got the idea from a comic strip to fill them with chicken soup so we wouldn't get hungry during a double feature, but the bits of chicken kept clogging up our guns!

These Ray Gun style squirt guns made by Schylling are incredible.  I originally bought them to do a cosplay with, but they look so incredibly cool, and work so well.. I keep them handy all summer long to squirt the occasional flying pest, or to shoot at my bride's derriere as she walks by.  

It's been years since such an affordable toy has brought me so much amusement and nostalgia.  I've added a link below in case you too would like to relive some of your childhood.

Retro Squirt Gun 2-pack

Three products I start missing every time I watch Home Alone

by Darrin Vindiola

It's inevitable.  This time of year I end up watching Home Alone about a hundred and fifty times.  Home Alone had some incredible product placement throughout the movie, and.. every time I see those products, it gets me missing them.   Here they are..

1.)  Crunch Tators
In the scene when Kevin is eating junk and watching rubbish i.e.; 'Angels With Filthy Souls', you can see a bag of 'Crunch Tators' sitting on the end table next to him.  Made by Frito-Lay and sold during the late 80s and early 90s, these chips were incredible!  I absolutely loved these super crispy potato chips!  While I was actually more partial to the jalapeno flavored version, the Mesquite flavor was good as well.  They had an incredible crunch and we're pretty much the precursor to kettle-cooked potato chips.  I really miss these chips and have wished for years that Frito-Lay would bring them back for the masses to enjoy.

2.)  Micro Machines

I got married at nineteen years old.. and had a son when I was twenty.  Therefore, I actually kind of grew up with my son.  I bought him all manner of toys that we both played with over the years, one of which was micro machines.  

There were so many cool designs of these teeny tiny cars, I found myself buying special editions and models for myself at times.  Some even had working lights if you can believe that.  I think I was more disappointed than my Son once the line was discontinued.  We both collect toys to this day, and if Micro Machines were to be re-released, I'm sure we'd both be throwing our money at any new incarnations.

3.)  Old School Pepsi
Just like Kevin's cousin Fuller.. I was a Pepsi addict at one time in my life.  I miss the old school Pepsi made with real sugar, the old logo, the marketing, pretty much everything about this brand that I grew up with.  

Granted.. it was 1984 when they stopped making Pepsi with real sugar, but seeing the clever product placement of the old Pepsi cans in Home Alone always gets me to reminisce.  While Pepsi doesn't taste exactly like it used to, I can at least find special editions and bottles from Mexico that are still made with real cane sugar.  They also get me feeling that retro nostalgia with special edition packaging they release every once in awhile complete with throwback logo, and old corn syrup free recipe.  Ah.. the good ol' days.

• Old Crunch Tators Commercial
• Micro Machines Museum

Cowboys and Indian toys.. still selling after all of these years

by Darrin Vindiola


It warm the cockles of my retro heart to see that toys like Cowboy and Indian play sets are still carried in stores.  After all of these years, the toys must still warrant valuable retail shelf space, because if you look hard enough in most supermarkets you will find them.

Often they are strategically placed in aisles where a parent might have to take a little more time to find what they need, like the spices or coffee sections.  (Sneaky huh?)  And.. quite curiously, they always seem to be within an arms reach of children!  It makes me smile to think there are still kids out there that will beg and plead, like I did for Mom or Dad to buy these toys for them.

Cowboys & Indians as well as Green Army Men were the equivalent to LEGO's for my brother and I back in the 1970s.  We had hundreds of them that always seemed to be strung about everywhere.  We were scolded on more than one occasion when the little plastic toys would get vacuumed up into Mom's Electrolux. 

I must admit that these toys conjure up such great feelings of nostalgia.. I feel like purchasing a bag every time I set my eyes on them.  These sets pictured above were no exception to the rule!  The sets contained way cool accessories like Teepees, Hogans, totem poles, horses, and cacti, just to name a few.  Perhaps I need to buy a bag of these things for old times sake, although I'm not sure exactly what I'd do with them.  Ah, who am I kidding?  I'd most definitely play with them just as I did when I was five years old.

Want to build an army of Retro Cowboys and Indians?

Check out what I found on Amazon..

A 180 piece set.  Now THAT'S bang for your buck!

Reunited with the Hot Wheels Red Baron.. 37 years later

I flipped my lid when I saw this in the store back in 2012, and it immediately went into my shopping cart..

Mattel re-released (and improved upon) the classic Red Baron Hot Wheels car that year, under their new Hot Wheels "Boulevard" line of cars.

Superb details like real rubber tires with treads

The new release gave extra attention to details like tires, rims, paint, and overall quality.  The attention to detail was not wasted on me for sure.  I never really grew up, and while I love to collect toys, I don't collect for the sake of collecting.  I require the toys I buy to look good and be of the utmost quality, while still bringing that childhood thrill of excitement involved in owning the toys.

This was a reunion that filled my heart with joy, because as a child in 1975.. this was one of the most coveted Hot Wheels of the time.  My brother gave me his Red Baron as he started outgrowing toys, and started getting interested in other silly things like girls and music.

I carried that little car with me everywhere I went.  During the summer I acquired the car, I dreamed of playing with it in the school sandbox.  Therefore, I eagerly took it to school with me on my first day of kindergarten.  During recess after about 5 minutes of playing with it, a kid came up to me and asked if he could see it.  When I obliged, he immediately threw it onto the roof of the school.  I was absolutely crushed.  I tearfully ran up to the school janitor, told him what happened, and asked if he could get it down for me.  Sadly, he just shrugged and walked away.

There are toys from your youth that stick with you and always hold a special place in your heart. This toy was definitely one of those for me.  I've seen re-releases of the Red Baron over the last couple of decades, in colors of blue, black, green, and gold, but to me they were simply oxymorons, so I always passed them up.  I mean really.. a Green Red Baron?



I did buy my son a Toy Story themed Hot Wheels track back in the 90s that came with a authentic looking Red Baron car inside the package.  I almost pilfered the car for myself, but he loved it so much I couldn't do it.

Then.. in 2012, I learned good things come to those who wait.  I now have a Red Baron Hot Wheels car in my collection that blows away my original.  From the real rubber tires with treads, to the black and white Maltese Cross painted on the side of the helmet, it's a mini work of art.   It may not be the most pricey car in my collection, but it's definitely one of my most prized.

Two retro toys you can still find on shelves

It seems like these two toys that I played with during my youth are popping up all over the place..

Remember these little guys that could magically move and come to life?    If you don't quite recall how these things worked, here's a commercial to jog your memory..

I had a love hate relationship with these beady eyed caterpillars.  I loved the way they looked, and thought they were a cool toy.. but hated that I could never master making them look like they were really alive.  My two daughters on the other hand have figured out the secret to bringing them to life, and own a crap load of them!  It says a lot for a simple toy that was popular in the 70's, to be able to entertain the average 21st century kid for any amount of time.

These sticky little octopi are now called Wacky Wally's.. but I remember them as "Wacky Wall Walkers".  I remember being able to get them for a limited time as an inbox prize from Corn Pops cereal, but they were also widely available in stores.

These guys did exactly what they were made to do.. walk down walls.  In fact.. they did a stellar job of walking down just about any surface like doors, refrigerators, mirrors, windows, etc.  During their vertical journeys however, their tentacles would pick up hitchhikers along the way, all the while making them less and less sticky.  Dust, lint, dirt, and animal hair served as these sticky octopus's kryptonite, eventually rendering them useless.  Fortunately, all you had to do was give them a quick bath in soapy water and let them air dry for about ten minutes. They were then good as new and you could carry on freaking out your siblings, and making your Mom mad with the "octopi trails" that would dirty up her mirrors and windows.

If I remember correctly, the Squirmels were originally only available through television offers, but it wasn't long until you could buy them everywhere.  As for those who didn't want to spend as much money, there were an abundant amount of knock-off's available, even in 25 cent bubble gum machines.  It was pretty much the same story with the wall walkers as well.

One things for sure.. I never paid the $2.99 price tag that's on them now.  In this day and age however.. a $2.99 toy that can keep kids entertained for hours is a steal.

Old Cracker Jack toys you'll never see produced again

I was perusing eBay recently for collectibles, and there were several Cracker Jack toys that caught my attention.  You'd never see the kinds of Cracker Jack toys I loved so much as a kid in this day and age.  Why you ask?  Well.. there were all manner of small toys, trinkets, charms, and collectibles that served as the inbox prizes.    If a kid were to eat or swallow one of those prizes, the lawsuit that would surely ensue could really hurt a company.  Even if the company prevailed, the legal fees alone can still have quite a negative impact. 


Looking at some of the Cracker Jack toys from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, I can see how many of those toys would never be released today and not just because of possible legal ramifications.  Check out some of these old Cracker jack toys..

 Mini folding knives.  I would have loved to have these as a kid!

 Mini Gun charms

Mini pack of cigarettes

 Folding knife, Tobacco Pipe, and liquor bottle charms

 Kids Tattoo of a Bulldog smoking a pipe

kinda looks like a tattoo an old sailor would have

 Native American toy w/peace pipe

Native American toy performing war chant

El Diablo, Old Nick, Beelzebub.. aka the "Devil" charm

Revolver charm

 Gun Belt w/revolvers
would nicely fit any kids pinkie finger

I have a sneaking suspicion that a kid toting some of these items to school in this day and age would get sent home, if not suspended or expelled.  I find myself more than ever shaking my head and thinking "My.. how times have changed!"

Retro model kits currently on store shelves

It does my heart good to see so many retro model car kits coming back, complete with original box art.  I saw these recently at Hobby Lobby..

 I actually put together the General Lee model back around 1984.

This one made me laugh.  It's funny how something that was scoffed at years before, can now be totally endearing.

 The ECTO-1 looks like a fun model to put together.

 I believe my brother put this model together in the 70s

 The Meyers Manx

A very popular model and Hot Wheels design back in the day.

This one takes me back to the days when the masses wanted to customize and travel the country in their tricked out vans.

 Grandpa's DRAG-ULA and the Munster Koach

Wanted these as a kid.. still want them today!

Seeing these makes me want to get back into model kit building again.  I may buy a couple of these kits, even if its just to display the great looking boxes on my shelves.

Retro goodness abounds on my last thrifting and flea market excursion..

I saw some great stuff during my last retro treasure hunt in the local thrift stores and flea markets.  A lot of it brought back some great memories.  Behold..

 GIZMO! Pure 80s pop culture goodness

Vintage Pluto Drinking glass 
I've always liked the old style shabbier looking Pluto

Men's Grooming set

There was a time when just about every male owned one of these.

Mid 80s TV Guide

Hey.. that cat in the middle looks like MARIO

Muffet the Daggit Battlestar Galactica action figure
I had one of these little guys back in 1978

Reba McEntire album
Dig that perm!

Harper Valley P.T.A. was a mega hit back in 1968.  There was also a follow up song made in 1981 that didn't do much on the charts.  The original song was the inspiration for a 1978 movie, as well as a 1981 television series starring Barbara Eden.

This reminds me of a time when about all of my friends had cookie jars in their houses.  We could make the rounds of all our buddies homes in the afternoon, and get our fill of cookies before dinner without Mom ever being the wiser!

Wild Wild West lunchbox

This was one of me and my brother's absolute favorite western shows when we were kids.  My wallet almost became a heck of a lot lighter when I found this lunchbox.  However.. the overall condition of the lunchbox and absence of a matching thermos was a deal breaker for me.

Even though I bought very little on this excursion, it's always worth going if for no other reason than the memories that get stirred up.  Until next time..  Keep thrifting my friends!