Collection Diary 11/28/11

Star Wars boxes received from Amazon, Forbidden Planet UK, and The GAP!

No store finds today, so it was up to Charlotte the mail lady to deliver our (daily) content to our doorstep. Three boxes brought in some of the more anticipated items of the Black Friday season... although none of them were on BF sale. The last of the Amazon.com search goods, some foreign (UK) treats, and a GAP Kids exclusive make up the haul of the day. (GAP Kids exclusive? That was a first for us!)

Three days ago a mega-sized Clone Wars bath and body set was received into the collection. (See November 25th entry.) Today the not-so-little brother set arrived. Body Wash, shampoo, shower gel, two bath fizzies, and a 'squirting dispenser' are all included for some good clean fun. Coming through the Amazon marketplace it was a bit overpriced (the same price as the mega set referenced above) but in the world of 'see it, buy it, photograph it, store it for later', it wasn't too unreasonable. Bath products have been missing from the market since Episode I back in 1999, so the category needed some refreshment anyway. (No, don't bother brining up the Avon, Mexico goods from Episode II. Cologne and hair brushes aren't exactly the same as bath goods.)

Also through the Amazon.com marketplace We bought this Captain Rex spoon cake topper. I guess he looks cool jammed into the cake, and when you're done with the party you can use him to eat your breakfast cereal every morning! Anyway, at least it serves a function beyond just standard collectibility. In another 10 years, young men will fondly remember receiving these on their birthday cakes. It was nice being able to find one during production instead of having to look back and wonder how we missed it...

Next up: the Forbidden Planet, UK box. We had been anxiously awaiting the Boba Fett candy bowl holder ever since we caught sight of one in advertising back in September. Once it finally arrived, we received a real shock. It was put out by Rubies (USA), shipped to the U.K. (air freight tag from the USA to the UK is still on it!), and here we bought it back. We supposed it to be a UK exclusive. Guess we missed the ball on that one. And the amount we paid to have it expressed back? Well, let's just say that a lesson was learned.

The two Star Wars board games from IMC Toys definitely are imports. R2-D2 Repair is similar to a vertical version of Star Wars Operation. You have to try to remove components from R2 in order to become a stellar mechanic. Once slip of the tweezers and R2-D2 will let you know just how unhappy he really is! -- Star Cruiser Attack is the Clone Wars version of Battle Shop. Each galactic battle is fought from pegboards inside a clone helmet shaped play field. This one is another that destined to become a classic.

The 'tin tote' and 4-pack of coasters are both by Half Moon Bay in the United Kingdom. The tin tote ships empty and is approximately 75% the size of a classic metal lunchbox, with a traditional hinge and clasp design. The coaster are absorbent particle board and include the Star Wars logo and movie poster art for each film in the original trilogies.

Finally, the manufacturer of the three pack of children's socks was no surprise (Junk Food), but their distributor was! This packaging and design was exclusive to GAP Kids! We ordered out pack and then tried to add the link to the Children's Christmas Gift guide, but it turned out that we got the final one in GAP's online inventory. So, if you;re a big Star Wars sock collector, at least you get to see a photo of them. :)