Last Wednesday

I was editing my profile and noticed that the number next to "Age" has changed. This sucks. This couldn't possibly mean that I have to start acting, gulp, my age, does it?

Anal Retentive Obsessive Compulsive Collecting

Okay, so I realized after my last post that I have a problem. It's called "Anal Retentive Obsessive Compulsive Collecting" or AROCC for short. Here's an example of what I mean:



"What's that about?" you might ask yourself. That, obviously, is a pile of business cards. I started picking them up when I was in high school, I think. They're free, they want you to take them, and they're small. I very rarely pass up a business card that is just sitting out in the open. If you're not careful, and you did not offer, I'll sneak one out from off your desk when you're not looking. Most are just from stores and restaurants or from friends and business associates, but I've got some from artists, museums, and I don't know who else. Every once in a while I'll unearth a little stash of them while "cleaning" in my house. That's the obsessive compulsive part.



To serve their useful purpose, I devised this oft-neglected organization system. I have a binder with these card sleeves in it. Business cards are sorted by type. From the picture, I think you can tell where I usually shop for my wardrobe. If you're in the know, you can probably also guess that I'm a UCLA alum (mmm...cookies). Originally, I thought this would be useful. Like, "Oooh, I want to go to -fill-in-the-blank-restaurant-here- tonight, I should make a reservation. Let me get my business card book." Yeah right. I never use this thing. I also haven't put a new card in it since 2002. It may have something to do with increased internet use. Yet, I still compulsively gather the cards. My anal retentiveness makes me feel like it must be perfect or I won't do it at all, so now I have cards sitting in boxes and bowls all over the house.

You may have noticed that it also says "Menus." I collect these too, under the assumption that I might want to order take out sometime. I haven't in years. Now, you might say to yourself that you have a menu drawer or folder too. Well, do you laminate them? Alphabetize them? I didn't think so. I do this with directions and maps too. For years, whenever I went somewhere, I pasted the map into Word and added directions to/from my house. After printing it, you guessed it, laminate and alphabetize. This way, I never had to print the directions again, they were spill-proof, and they looked uniformly tidy. In fact, nearly everything I own that can be alphabetized will at some point in time, be alphabetized.

Okay, enough about my neuroses...I think I've over-shared.

;P

Other Things I Collect

Besides debt. :P

Before I became a "collectibles" collector, I had various and sundry little things that I liked to collect. I amassed a big tangle of keychains, flirted with stamps and coins, but I didn't get obsessed with anything until my Lord of the Rings habit. It was weird because I didn't have a lot of toys growing up, I had moved on to books at about the age of 5. The toys I had would collect dust on a shelf. My brothers were the toy guys (GI Joes, HeMen, Transformers, all that 80s goodness), so it's crazy that I was the one who wound up with hundreds of little plastic men. :)

I do still have a couple of other collections which I cultivate: postcards and shotglasses. I pick them up to mark my travels, but I receive many as gifts as well. Above, a few new items I got in Vegas this week.

With the postcards, I like to get one postmarked, so I mail them to myself. Lame, I know. I will often just stick an address label and stamp on it and draw a happy face. I've mailed myself postcards from Canada, Scotland, England, Wales, and all over the US. When I was studying in London, I brought a sheet of address labels so I could easily send cards to all my friends. There are a few old Chinatown and Disneyland ones from my parents and from friends around the world. A while back I bought a postcard spinner at Pottery Barn that I LOVE! The sales guy tried to sell me on its uses as a photo display, but I really wanted it for postcards. :P Of course, my collection has already outgrown the thing, but whatever. I just signed up for http://www.postcrossing.com/, which sounds promising. Only, I recently discovered that it costs 90 cents to mail a postcard internationally (via a returned-for-additional-postage card), which is more than double the 26 cent domestic rate. What's up with that? I normally would just put two postcard stamps if mailing overseas. Sigh.

As you can imagine, the shotglass habit started about the time I turned 21. Hehe. I had long stopped collecting keychains, but I still wanted a small, ubiquitous collectable I could pick up on my travels, in addition to the postcards. It didn't hurt that these could get some practical use. ;) Since they are breakable, I get a little nervous about using the "irreplaceable" ones. I try not to spend too much on them. The ones I got in Britain usually cost . Whenever possible, I get one that is $1 or less. One favorite is from Maui. My best friend picked it up on her honeymoon, I think, and it has a little island sculpture inside. Another is from Stratford, with a "gold" rim that I paid one pound for at a shop near Trinity Church. I like the standard single and double shot shapes best, though I do have a few novelty ones.

See? Some people are just born collectors. :P

Best Buy 300 Special Edition DVD

So the other day I was whining about selling my Comic Con 300 DVD because Best Buy didn't ship me my Spartan Helmet version:

http://marybluefairy-forest.blogspot.com/2007/08/300-special-edition-dvd.html

Well, amazingly Best Buy came through. :) "Backordered," I think, is code for "We're going to string you along until you can't get a copy anywhere for a decent price and then we're going to cancel your order." Hence, great shock to get an email that it had shipped and then four or five days later, to actually get a package. I don't suppose it has anything to do with the scathing review I gave them when they sent me a customer service survey about my purchase? Hmmm? I've always had horrible customer service from Best Buy, but that's another story. Shipping box was crushed on one side, thankfully all items arrived safely.

First off, even though it seems like it may be made of some type of plastic, it is fairly heavy for its size, approximately 12oz. I haven't compared it to any of my LOTR helms yet, but it looks roughly the same scale. It was actually secured to the bottom of the box insert with what looks like rubber cement. Just FYI, you can safely use a bit of Goo Gone to remove the residue. It's too bad that they didn't use the velvety black material from the SDCC version on the insert in this one. That was classy. ;) Mine is tilting off to one side and there are some small paint appilcation errors, but all in all, it is quite satisfactory considering that it basically cost about $10. I like it much better than the mask, but then again, I have the full sized Immortals mask, and like the helmet, both masks were made by Neca, so there isn't much difference in quality. It's too bad the helmet is not removable, though I suppose there is no purpose for that being the case, is there? Haha...

Inserted with this set is a little bonus, a set of four cards featuring mighty Leonidas. They are about 5x7 inches with the 300 logo embossed on each one. I thought they were going to be trading card size, so I am very pleased with them. I have a slightly larger card of Leonidas holding his shield up in the rain which I got at Comic Con last year that might go nicely with these. So with these, my Immortals mask, arrow, and cardboard shield, I'm starting to have enough 300 stuff to set up a display!

Sorry about the poor images, lighting conditions were not optimal. :P

SDCC 2007: Ebay Watch

I didn't buy nearly as much stuff for myself as most con-goers, but I picked up a couple of goodies and out of sheer curiosity I wanted to see how they are fairing at the 'bay right now. I think all 4 items are now sold out. Not shown are the 3 art prints I bought.

Gentle Giant Glorfindel Bust

LE: 500

MSRP: $50

Ebay: $115-120 (35 auctions)

Probably the hardest to get of the four, by virtue of small edition size and the crappy GG line situation.

Weta Mini-Manmelter Raygun

LE: 500

MSRP: $30

Ebay: $65-70 (4 auctions)

These 4 are unsigned, a signed one went for about $80 recently . Had this pre-ordered, easy-peasy.

Mine is signed. Teehee.

Sideshow Stealth Iron Man Comiquette (Pre-Order)

LE: 1250

MSRP: $300
Ebay: $650-700 (8 auctions)

Ordered this for my brother. Despite the edition size, which is 500 more than what was rumored in San Diego, it is still pre-selling for more than double the MSRP. Crazy. For those that missed out on the red and gold version, I guess this is a slightly less expensive alternative. At the same time, it has light up features, which the other two do not. I wonder which I would choose if I had both...?

Gentle Giant Luna Lovegood Bust

LE: 1000

MSRP: $50

Ebay: $75-80 (40 auctions)

I got this for my sister-in-law, after trying frantically to reach my brother (since I was lucky enough to get into the line, I figured it was better to buy it than not). Of the items listed, this is the only one I'm getting rid of so far. I really don't have any other GG Harry Potter items (she has the new Harry and Cho), though I must admit that they are tempting. I was really eyeballing that large-scale Voldemort with the fabricated um, gown, but the Harry was a no-go.

So that's it. I really only bought one bust, one gun, and three prints. That's some restraint, eh?

Update on the Raygun as of 8/18, I just saw one on Ebay that sold for over $100, unsigned. Impressive gains on a $30 item...the others seem to be levelling off a bit.

SDCC 2008: What I Want!

Okay?

When I see you in San Diego next year, I expect you to take me to a nice pub (I have a favorite, though I will consider your choice). We will sit in a dark corner and someone will pour me one of these and it will take forever, but it will be OH SO GOOD! I don't really know how many of you are out there, but I expect each and every one of you to have one with me (I will have one for each of you!). I don't care if Guinness is not a "summer" beer. :) I will give you a pass if you order a shandy because those are tasty, but nothing non-alcoholic or I swear I will not be your friend anymore. Oh wait, unless you are under 21, I am an upstanding citizen afterall, and would not contribute to the delinquency of a minor. Ahem.

**Dang it, see what happens when I have too much caffeine! There are like 50 million posts here tonight/this morning and none of them are coherent.

SDCC 2007: OMG the Secret is OUT!

Okay, so maybe you don't know, because you're my geeky "friends," but I am very serious when it comes to keeping my "worlds" separate. There's 1) family, 2) "school" friends- high school and/or college, 3) work friends, 4) work, and 5) geek friends. I tell you, most of them don't even know the rest exist. I have separate emails, phone numbers, credit cards!!! Most of all, I keep you guys well away from #1-4. My "wardrobe" does not consist of Star Wars/Hot Wheels/Transformers t-shirts, jeans, shorts, long black coats, dark sunglasses, baseball caps, and sneakers. (I am not high-maintenance, though, I swear!). I do not have the Star Wars theme as my ringtone. I have not even seen Star Wars more than twice in entirety. I do not go into Toys r Us, K*B Toys, Suncoast, FYE, the toy section at Target, Puzzle Zoo, Frank & Sons, comic shops, or the Games Workshop store at the mall when with, or in the vicinity of, people I know, present company excepted. I will generally not be seen with you at family functions, school reunions, my college campuses, work (at any of two dozen sites), or anywhere besides the Gaslamp of San Diego during Comic Con. If we happen to run into each other in such a situation, I will wave, smile, and then I will speed-walk away from you. Don't take it personally.**

Well, imagine how aghast I was when I stopped in at work today and one of my "work friends" asked, "So, how was Comic Con?" I just about died. I asked for the time off from work and I mentioned I would be in San Diego, but I certainly hadn't told her anything about it. Apparently, some people are capable of putting two and two together, even though I actually went to university in the area and could have been visiting a college buddy or something. Oh woe is me, I was caught so off guard, I had no cover. The answer went something like this..."I was, uh, visiting with friends...I am so over it, I wouldn't even have gone if they hadn't made me...I slept in almost every day (this part was true!) because I wasn't that interested...I only went for the drinking (partly true, though I did NOT have enough liquor, that was disappointing)."

I might have to quit my job. Thanks a lot, Comic Con.

**Tongue planted firmly in cheek, of course. :P Don't hit me!

Formatting

Peeps, I'm sure you've noticed what a craptacular job I've done with the formatting on this page. :P Fact is, I am not computer-savvy, whatever anyone might say, and html gobbly-gook drives me crazy. I have tried and tried to make the page behave...why does the post never look the way it does when you write it? So screw it, I'm just going to live with it. Maybe you will find it, like me, endearing. Right? Okay, you'll probably be annoyed. That's alright. I am too.

SDCC 2007: Sideshow

Beside Gentle Giant, Sideshow is one of the few companies out there still making Lord of the Rings products (amen!). There was a relatively large public debut of new pieces, which garned mixed reviews from the fans. In order of how much I like them:

1. Sam $70
Mr. Frodo couldn't have made it very far without him. This little 1:6 scale figure packs a whallop with his highly detailed kit. Pots, pans, bedrolls, Sam is like a Boy Scout, always prepared. Since I don't have a Sam and Bill statue, this is a maybe for me. The bodies for the hobbits are due in part to Sideshow's new partnership with Hot Toys.



2. Frodo $70
I have so many Frodos. However, this one is a very good likeness and though not as detailed as Sam, should be well worth the $70. I have a problem with both hobbits, though...I am not digging the very visible ball-joints in the ankles. I wouldn't really need poseable feet, would I?




3. Gandalf the Grey $150
I like it, I do. The price is reasonable, so is the size. Likeness, pretty good. I even like the pose. Drawback? I have two Gandalf busts, two Gandalf statues, and Gandalf on Shadowfax. Pass.





4. Aragorn vs. Uruk Hai $299
Sorry I didn't get a good shot of the whole diorama. This one is an impressive size, since you basically are getting three statues and a little environment. I don't have an Aragorn statue, so that's in it's favor, but I am not going to devote this amount of space right now. The Uruks look very good, even the Aragorn likeness is better than usual. However, even though they seem to be dynamic poses, I am not getting much energy off this piece, if that makes any sense. Aragorn does not look like he is dealing out a whuppin' to these guys.

5. Gandalf the White $275
This is definitely the low man on the totem pole. The buzz on this piece was not encouraging. In fact, I heard a rumor that Sideshow sent this to New Line even though they were not completely happy with it. They were surprised that it was approved, and now they cannot change it. Hopefully this is not true, because it needs significant tweaking. I made a remark that the beard looked like whipped cream, it's just so dense. I got some laughs, but in the end, people agreed with me. I know that rooted hair would look even worse (unless done in the uber-expensive Cinemaquette way), and I certainly could not do better, so I'll leave it at that. The kit does look pretty nice, I can tell that the Sideshow fabrication team did their homework. This is nit-picking, I know, but the quilting on the tunic doesn't seem quite right. I'm sure it is accurate, but something does not ring true. Also, I was not aware that the flaps of the top "skirt" were microsuede. At least, that's what the fabric on the figure appeared to be. I'd have to watch the movie again, but that texture should be apparent on film, right? This doesn't bode well for the future of the Premium Format line, which started off with a bang (Lurtz). I hope this isn't the case, we need more LOTR products for everyone. :)

SDCC 2007: Um, More Weta?

Oy, so I feel like I've left out something in my Weta-thon post...
http://marybluefairy-forest.blogspot.com/2007/08/sdcc-2007-weta-thon.html

Here is the intrepid Lord Cockswain and Moon Mistress. This bad@$$ sculpture was LIFE-SIZED! It was a bit eerie to walk by this every day, as Lord Cockswain seems to have a twinkle in his eye. In fact, in one video I saw, I could swear his eyes moved! Freak-y. Since it was made of some type of foam and was NOT roped off, you could often spy little children poking at it, bits being knocked off, and Jaime performing emergency surgery with a bottle of tacky glue. Seriously though, the sculpture was really life-like, the skin was amazing. I spotted this hilarious video of Cockswain getting dressed. ;)

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gEq2D7QmU4o

Sorry, Broadmore. :P

In case you didn't know, Weta Bug is the awesomest. You know who thinks so? Weta. Apparently, Daniel Falconer did the original Weta Bug illustration, from which this statue was made. Several Weta members were involved in the sculpting and painting of this one of a kind collectible. Hmmm...makes me think I should commission a marybluefairy collectible...Okay, at least a drawing? No? A sketch? Sigh...

So these thingies here were a sore spot with some fans at Comic Con. I cannot profess to be a Dr. Who fan (in fact, I caught a glimpse of the show the other day and declared it to be so awful, I changed the channel, heh), but there are apparently legions of them and they were piping hot when these bits of gold cloth stayed on all weekend! There were to be 4 statues revealed at SDCC, but only two were uncovered. The two here were not yet approved for viewing, though Jaime slyly let a few bits and bobs peek out. You can read the labels for yourself if you are so inclined. I, however, was present when Jaime briefly lifted the covers to give us a look (no pics, sorry). Mighty impressed, I was, though I still don't have any desire to watch the show! I will be stoned by Dr. Who fans who justifiably feel that such fortune was wasted on my miserable self. :P

SDCC 2007: Gentle Giant

Gentle Giant had some beautiful offerings this year in the area of Lord of the Rings collectibles. I even spotted Richard Taylor admiring them. Okay, I can't exactly make that claim, I have no idea what he thinks of it all, but I did see him. In the pic to the left, you can see the backs of the new busts, Sauron and Orc. I think the orc is Snaga, though I have been told otherwise. I have better pictures (of the fronts, imagine that!), but there are obvious "No Photography Please" signs on them and I'd rather not get into too much trouble. :P These are both beautifully done. However, there are several Sideshow Weta incarnations of The Lord of the Rings, and while you can certainly make a case for this one being different enough from the others, I am not buying it. The Orc, however, is a "new" character in polystone form. I don't feel that it fits in with my existing orc busts, which are more facial studies with classically styled bases. These busts are like half-statues, really. They could turn out several different orcs, I'm sure, but I doubt they would be nearly as popular as the Star Wars clones. Still, these might be a nice collection, especially for those who didn't hop on the Weta wagon soon enough.

Strangely, I don't have many pictures of their products, probably because we were always being shooed away from the area. The line for exclusives was ridiculous, often snaking in and out of the displays. Sometimes people would be waiting in line hoping to join the purchasing line. Bizarre. I was fortunate enough to find my friends at the right time, themselves being in the right place at the right time. The fastest seller was probably the Glorfindel bust, no doubt due to the 500 piece edition size. I got one! More on that later.

Above are the "Classics" busts which debuted at Comic Con. I have to say, I am not very impressed. They are a bit larger than a chess piece, and seem similar in quality to a Bust-Up. I'm not sure what the difference is between a $6.99 Bust-Up and a $30 Classics bust, but seeing as how I balked at $7 for a Harry Potter Bust-Up, I'm sure as heck not buying these things. The Gimli is the best of the lot, but I am partial to Gimli. Legolas is average, the likeness is no better or worse than a Toybiz figure (Gentle Giant supplied the scans for Toybiz, I believe). The Eowyn, though, is awful. I think it actually looks worse in person than in pictures. Considering how beautiful their regular busts and maquettes are, I don't understand why they are bothering with these. I seriously think the only good use for these would be as chess pieces, but for the money, I'd rather have a Noble Collection one.

SDCC 2007: 300 Special Edition DVD

So I was one of the lucky 4,000 to buy a 300 Exclusive DVD set with an Immortals mask at SDCC last weekend (for $50!). Well, since I already have the full-size Neca version, I decided to sell my exclusive and buy the Best Buy Special Edition with the Spartan helmet (see pic) for $35. Well, Tuesday morning the DVD went on sale. I checked online and saw that my local store was out. Opting not to drive 15-20 miles to the next store, I paid the $1.99 shipping on the IN STOCK item. I had to deliver the DVD set to it's new owner today, so last night I started wondering what was taking so long. Two days is a long time, people! :P Come to find out, Best Buy has BACKORDERED me. It may take 2 weeks to get my new set, if I get it at all. I'm a gal of my word, so that SDCC version went to a good home, but I don't think I would have sold it yet if I knew my Spartan helmet was not on its way. Boo on you, Best Buy!

SDCC 2007: LOTRG

So, thanks to our devoted forumite, Blackthorpe, many LOTRG members were sporting these uber-cool laminated badges. Contact Blackthorpe for more information on how to obtain one for yourself (if you’re a member, that is). Of course, it’s not like I need any help identifying our good members! Heck, I’ll even remember your real name for free. ;) We had a good number of members in attendance, though we were not all together at the same time. Dunedain87, choopie, fritz, and radagaster were the mods representing. We also caught up with Ithilethiel, cco805, abandonada (and her friend asilomarworks), jedichef, and diane. Forgive me if I’ve gone and forgotten anyone. I’m sure there were other members lurking about...

…Oh yes, that ever-elusive Gothmog. I do have a picture of his face, but I think the Lord of the Balrogs would fry me to a crisp if I posted that! Such a spoil-sport. Keep your eye out for that shirt and you should have no trouble spotting him! :P

We hope to have a strong contingent at SDCC 2008, so feel free to contact me via PM on the boards or my email: marybluefairy[at]lordoftheringsguide.com (cross fingers it doesn’t end up in the junk mail) if you need more information or assistance.

SDCC 2007: Weta-thon!

So, truth be told, I don't even remember how it started. I found myself blabbering on and on about cupcakes. With trilobites on them. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I can't help but take a joke from the hypothetical to reality. Thus there I was on Wednesday afternoon, putting chocolate frosting on chocolate cupcakes. I topped them with gummi centipedes and tarantulas because I couldn't find any trilobites. Imagine that. I very nearly ordered a trilobite mold so I could make them out of chocolate. Crazy. Anyway, I popped by the Weta booth at the close of Preview Night with 2 dozen gooey chocolate cupcakes (a half dozen were chocolate-butterscotch ones) and that's what they looked like. They got a little melty in the San Diego heat. Wetabug was kind enough to take the cupcake carrier back to her hotel and wash it, how nice, right?! Apparently, I started some sort of cupcake avalanche at the Weta booth...how terrible. ;) *oh, btw, I stole these pics from the wetaholics site.

Well, since they wouldn't sell me anything on Wednesday night, I was desperate to get there as early as possible on Thursday. First, I made sure to beg Greg Broadmore to sign my "The Battery" calendar. Four Weta artists contributed artwork to it, including Broadmore. I got this from Warren Mahy about a year ago, it was awesome of him to send it to me. :) Mahy was also at Comic Con this year, so I stopped by to say "hi" to him as well. Oh, and yes, I rock. Hahaha...I also bought both Raygun prints. I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get there in time to buy #1 of each, but I got #4 and #5, so I shouldn't complain. I picked up a Mahy print as well. When I get a chance, I'll take pics of all these and post them.

While Broadmore was signing my prints, I picked up my pre-ordered mini-Manmelter raygun. I have it in a little plastic case (forgive the crappy lighting in the picture). It's a bit larger and heavier than I had expected. For $30, it was a steal. If you didn't know better, you could easily mistake pictures of it for the full-sized one. I was so busy chatting with someone about something that I didn't realize I should have asked Broadmore to sign the box (fabu design, btw!), so I had to trek on back Sunday like a fool to ask him. I'm a dork. Heh.

More SDCC musings on the way!

SDCC 2007: Iron Man

So I think this little guy will end up being the story of SDCC 2007. That's the Iron Man armor from the upcoming movie. The buzz coming off what we saw at San Diego Comic Con is going to be huge.

I just got back from San Diego a few days ago and all I can talk about is Iron Man. We were treated to two presentations, one on Thursday by director Jon Favreau and one on Saturday with Favreau and cast. Stars Robert Downey, Jr. (perfect Tony Stark, btw!), Gwyneth Paltrow, and Terrence Howard were in attendance. The footage was incredible, especially considering that almost everything we saw was pre-CG, in-camera shots. The origin story is addressed in the footage, which was cut to Black Sabbath's "Iron Man." We did get to see the iconic red and gold suit on screen and a flying Iron Man.

Attendees scored some sweet Iron Man swag: a t-shirt (which Favreau himself sported on Saturday) and poster. A second t-shirt could be made on the spot if you visited the Paramount booth. The huge Stark Industries crate was opened on Saturday at the Marvel booth, revealing the OG Iron Man above. Eagle-eyed fans also spotted the Stark 4 license plate on Tony Stark's Audi, parked in front of the nearby Omni Hotel.

This is one comic book movie that should NOT disappoint.

There was so much to see and do at SDCC that I will probably spend the next few months blogging about each one!