Friday 2 May 2014

Top 5 Toys - Steve Seeley

Steve Seeley is a fine artist from Chicago IL,, check out his fantastic artwork here at his website the delicate matter and take a stroll through his Top 5 below..

5) Fourth World Superman by DC Direct

"Not only is Jack Kirby my favorite comic artist, he's also my favorite artist, period. The man was a genius thru and thru. I'm also a huge Superman fan, so a figure of Superman based on Kirby art is an instant top fiver. The "Fourth World" line consisted of 8 figures, all which are brilliant, but this one is so damn spot on. Its one of the only figures that I keep by my painting table to judge every wrong brush mark I make."

4) Underworld Warriors

"I love these damn things. Despite being a knock-off collector for most my life, somehow these guys eluded my radar until maybe 6 years ago or so. Skull based figures have always been my favorites, so skeletal bodied figures were an obvious segue. These are the only six figures from the series. Also, if its not evident, that witch one is just the worst. I'd like to slap whoever it was that chose to make that one over a werewolf. Or a frankenstein!! Or a robot!! But a witch?!? Come on 80s/90s people!!"

3) Booska(s) by various

"I'm a huge vintage Japanese hero and Kaiju fan. I discovered Booska in the early 2000's and have amassed quite a few figures since. Im guessing I have probably 25-30, however these big ones are my favorite. The ones in the photo range from 8" to about 16". I think they made at least a dozen different versions of the "midsize" one. My intent was/is to hunt them all down. As you can see, it hasn't worked all that well. It doesn't help that they aren't cheap and I aren't rich. These also happen to be a central feature in my home and have been prominently displayed on the mantle for years. Luckily, the fiancee not only tolerates, but also encourages my collection addiction, and these are some of her favorites as well."

2) Unknown Blue Dragon

"I've had this blue dragon since childhood. Im guessing I got it somewhere around 84-85 and its one of the few toys that has moved with me to every place I have lived and has always been prominently displayed among my collections. I have no idea what it is because it's unmarked. I've seen it pop up over the years on eBay, usually labeled as "Imperial". However, it is not, but it's similar. A few years back I found the green one behind him, which is undoubtedly from the same line/company/era but he, too, is unmarked."

"As a kid I called it a "luck dragon" and would store stuff in the hollowed out body, since its head comes off. The stored things were supposed to bring luck or something. But i have no idea if I made that up or if, at some point, instructions told me to do so. Also, there' still a random key inside of him. I'm sure I must have put it there when I was around 6 or 7. I have no idea what it opens, lucky or not."

1) Speclatron by S&T Sales Inc.

"Without a doubt my favorite toy line. These were released in the mid 80s to compete with the growing MOTU sized figure market. They have clear chests filled with glitter and originally a liquid (water??) and by pressing their belt you could swirl the glitter around. They're pretty hard to come by. I actually had a few as a kid but sadly those ones are long gone. Maybe 10 years ago or so I restarted my hunt for them. I have 9 of the 10 complete and am only missing the one figure and one weapon. Its been fun (and frustrating) hunting them down over the last decade. Im guessing finding that last one is going to be bittersweet."

1 comment:

  1. I’m looking for all Speclaton toys, mr great uncle and great grandfather were the creators. This means a lot to me and my family.

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