 |
Read Posts by Chip Cataldo |
|
May 9th, 2011
Hello, and welcome to another week of me sprouting off about Super Powers awesomeness to no one in particular! Today the Super Powers Highlight focuses on all the figures released at retail on the offer-less, comic-less 33-back card design. To many SP collectors, the 3rd series card back redesign is known as both a step back for the overall line and a huge step forward as far as visual presentation. No included mini-comics, no artwork behind the figure and no special offers meant that cost-cutting was taking place behind the scenes, and as a result the line would not be long of this Earth. However, it also meant a wonderfully crisp and clean card design that showcased the amazing sculpts of the figures and the industry-leading artistry of The Masters…Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, George Perez and Jack "The King" Kirby. For the bulk of those brave enough to take on a carded Super Powers collection, the 10-character populated 3rd series is the final hurdle…usually more of a financial strain than even a full set of 12-backs. It’s also something not instantaneously achieved, since carded examples of all 10 pieces aren’t usually available at the same time even when haunting eBay. Factor in a somewhat nice condition desired and you have a true challenge before you.
|
|
May 1st, 2011
Wow, really? Another edition of The Super Powers Highlight, so soon after the last one? Yes, you’re right…I must be sick. Today we’ll be looking at the right-hand toady of one of your more major villains…Grima Wormtongue…err…I mean, DESAAD! Darkseid’s torture master was indeed part of the Super Powers line from Kenner toys back in the mid-1980′s, and when looking around my display hoping to be inspired to write another blog I realized I had a small Desaad focus amongst my collection. Desaad, along with the rest of the Series 2 characters released was a major reason why the line was eventually canceled. If you want to be cute you could say that he tortured the line to a slow retail death. However, since I’m not keen on acting cute…to the pics!
|
|
April 30th, 2011
Junk. Waste. Garbage. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and oh BOY is this trash a treasure…at least for me! Welcome, one and all, to another edition of the Super Powers Highlight. Today we’ll be looking at some of the various shipping cases used to transport Super Powers figures to their intended retail destinations (way back when). Yes, that’s correct. We’re looking at boxes. Three different boxes. Used shipping cases are very difficult to come by, especially for vintage toy lines. I don’t think I’ve seen pictures of any other Super Powers shipping cases on the internet, but I’m sure that some of the "high-roller big-baller" collectors have examples in their stashes. I also know that at least one case of Canadian-release 33-backs was cracked open at some point, since there are AFA-graded U90 (the "U" stands for "uncirculated") MOC Shazams and Orions on eBay. Sad that a sealed case had to be destroyed to make something desirable for those silly label collectors, but that’s a profanity-laden blog for another day. I’m sure I’ll get to it, since I can’t stand stuff like that. On to the pics!
|
|
March 3rd, 2011
Hello everyone, and welcome to another Super Powers Highlight! Fresh out of the post office box today is one of my newest arrivals…and a pretty damn cool thing to boot! This is the master color key for the Martian Manhunter mini-comic. I was fortunate to add a couple of these to my collection this past week (the other being Red Tornado), but I selected this one to showcase here in my blog because it arrived with an extra added bonus…an alternate cover that differs from the final version included with the figure. Each page contains color code information for the printer, and as far as what is known each copy is one of a kind. The colors on each page seem to be applied with a watercolor-type marker. The seller only had examples from Wave 2 of the Kenner figure line, but he did tell me that at one point he had Wave 1 characters as well. Upon inquiry I was told they were sold years ago at a convention. If anyone knows the whereabouts of the Brainiac…well, you know where to reach me.  Without further ado…here are the images!
|
|
February 6th, 2011
Howdy howdy, and welcome to another edition of the Super Powers Highlight! For your consideration today is the other catalog I have relating to how Kenner promoted their toy lines. This one is from 1985, and was given to Kenner accounts probably either by a representative, salesman or directly at their Toy Fair showroom. It details all of the various giveaways and purchase incentives that customers would have when buying Super Powers (as well as other) product put out for sale by Kenner Toys back in 1985. Of note are the changes made to the fan club kit as opposed to the 1984 edition and the specific noted use of the DC comic series as a vehicle to promote the toys. On to the images…so enjoy!
|
|
February 5th, 2011
Welcome to another edition of the Super Powers Highlight! Today I’m showcasing 16 black and white hand-drawn pencil logo concepts that were pitched to represent the line on the figure card backs. Thanks to a former Kenner employee 24 of these survived destruction when Kenner closed down it’s offices for good. Oddly enough one was never recovered for what proved to be the final design, but the last one shown in this blog is the closest one to the one used. It is also the only one mounted on an acetate overlay. Enjoy this glimpse into the early development of the line!
|
|
January 16th, 2011
Hello to all you Super Powers nuts out there! Today I’ve got a rather large chunk of meat for y’all to chew on, since I’ve decided to expand (in all senses of the word) upon my blog from wayyy back in July of 2009 and turn the spotlight back on the Colleccion Super Amigos figures released in Argentina from Cuick S.A. (Pacipa/Playful). The blog sported a mere 17 photos, and two of those were place-holders for items that hadn’t even arrived in the mail yet. Weighing in at a whopping 28 photos and containing some actual information, I feel that this was a better entry to have permanently here at AFi for those wanting to learn the small bit of stuff known about this (kinda) popular line. Cuick, S.A.is the company that actually distributed the figures produced by Pacipa in early 1989 and then Playful in mid-1990. As is common knowledge amongst collectors of the line, there are Super Amigos out there sporting both Pacipa and Playful logos in the lower right corner of the blister cards. Pacipa was the initial recipient of the license from Kenner, and overall has better quality in the card printing, bubble strength and character selection. None of the figures came with mini-comics, but all of them came with file cards. Both companies are mind-boggling in what seems to have been actually released. I’ll try and detail the major oddities before I get to the image onslaught later in the blog. The first and foremost glaring omission is the Pacipa Batman figure. I have never even heard a whispered rumor of someone owning a carded Super Amigos Batman with the Pacipa logo in the corner, let alone viewed a picture of one. Every single one I have seen has been a Playful release. That is bizarre beyond words, yes? To a lesser extent is the Playful release of Superman. I have seen a (small) picture of one on a foreign public information site and do own a Riddler figure mis-carded on a Playful Superman card back, but other than those two examples I don’t believe there is one known in any collection anywhere. Again, bizarre.
|
|
January 15th, 2011
Greetings to all, and thanks for checking out this latest Super Powers Highlight. Today we’ll be taking a look at the four Signature Stamp Sets put out by Craftmaster. Craftmaster was a really fantastic licensee for Super Powers. They put out the Stamp Sets, Stain-a-Sticker Sets, Figurine Paint Sets, puzzles, the stained-glass Sun Shiner set, poster paint sets and a few other really neat random items. A lot of varied product led to a lot of interesting package designs, making them a really eye-popping and interesting addition to the overall Super Powers display that seems to have taken over my entire condo. LOL. One great thing about the set right off the bat is the inclusion of Hawkman. Yes, you’d expect every company that had the Super Powers license to include the "Holy Trinity" of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman…but Craftmaster managed to give good ol’ Carter his due. Not only his own set, but with artwork that (to my knowledge) wasn’t used on any other manufacturer’s product packaging.
|
|
January 14th, 2011
Howdy howdy! Welcome to another edition of the Super Powers Highlight. Today we’ll be looking at an oddity, for sure : the Golden Pharaoh figure mis-carded on a 33-back Dr. Fate card back. Two of these surfaced a couple months ago on eBay from the same seller, but apparently it wasn’t a completely unknown entity. There are now four known to exist at this point in time. The other two appeared previously in the hobby with the initial one popping up over seven years ago in Australia. All of them have the same basic characteristics…what seems to be a standard production Golden Pharaoh figure (with copyright information stamped on the inner thigh) machine carded on a full production quality Dr. Fate 33-back card back. The reason why it’s such a significant piece is that, while definitely scheduled to be re-released on a 33-back card (as all the figures in the line were), Dr. Fate was never released at retail on this card back. Further adding to the mystery is the fact that this piece is NOT a carded sample, at least as far as it’s been defined with every other 33-back example. It would have had to have been hand-carded to a proof card and those differences are obvious to the experienced eye. The easiest & quickest way to tell is via the hanger hole punch on the top of the card. All 33-back proof cards have a thin punch similar to the Kenner Canada released figures, and production release 33-back cards have the thicker "balloon" punch that is apparent on all 3rd Series MOC examples such as Orion and Cyborg.
|
|
January 13th, 2011
Hello everyone, and welcome to another edition of the Super Powers Highlight. Up for review today is one of the kinds of things I love to find related to this wonderful hobby…the "behind the scenes" ephemera. This was a promotional flier given to Kenner accounts probably either by a representative, salesman, or directly at Toy Fair. It showcases all of the various giveaways and purchase incentives that customers would have when buying Super Powers (as well as other) product put out for sale by Kenner Toys back in 1984. There were a few surprises when I looked through it, which goes along with how Super Powers is in general to collect. It seems like every week something new pops up (product- or information-wise), and even almost 4 years in I have found that continues to hold true. You’ll see probably the biggest "news" to be revealed by this on the 4th interior page, so enough waiting…on to the content!
|
|
January 12th, 2011
Welcome to the first Super Powers Highlight of 2011. I’m going to try and produce more blogs this year by writing less and just taking excellent detailed photos. I’ve found that I’m a little more apprehensive to blogging when I’m forced to write a lot about items that really have no documented history other than what can be gleaned by examining the item or possibly tracking it’s provenance. So, I hope you enjoy the greater frequency and general increased diversity of subjects being covered. My collection has nearly doubled in size from this point last year, so there’s lots of enjoyment to be had from both my end and (hopefully) your end. Today I’m highlighting the set of four temporary tattoos produced for the Warner Brothers Studio Store in 1993. I was lucky enough to score all four at once, which is fortunate because I think I’ve seen one single example for sale on eBay in nearly 4 years. They were originally $3 each as evidenced by the WBSS price tag. The set of four consists of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and Flash. If others were produced (Green Lantern and Robin come to mind as other logical possibilities) then I don’t know about them at all. One interesting feature of these is that the logo actually says "Super Powers Collection" which was supposedly only designated for the Kenner action figure line. I have found a few other WBSS items that also have this. Enjoy the photos!
|
|
December 24th, 2010
May all your presents be safe from evil this holiday season! Wishing a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my toy collecting friends. Take care and be safe! Peace, Chip
|
|
October 29th, 2010
Howdy howdy! Welcome to another edition of the Super Powers Highlight. Today I’ll be focusing on one of the latest additions to my collection, the Firestorm 33-back carded sample used at Toy Fair in 1986 to sell that year’s product to retailers. This also debuts a kind-of change for the highlight. I have so many things to showcase that I’m being daunted a bit on coming up with a lot of text for each article. I’ve decided that it’s easier to just caption the pictures and take as many pictures as I can. If there’s anyone still reading my blogs, please pipe up if you like, dislike or have a different suggestion that would allow me to blog more with less effort yet still remain entertaining and informative. I’d certainly appreciate it. Now, on to the subject-at-hand…
|
|
October 17th, 2010
Howdy folks! Welcome to a (very lazily delayed) new edition of the Super Powers Highlight! Today I’m focusing ATTention (heh) on a very rare piece…something that only one of which exists, and something where the subject matter never ended up being produced by Kenner before the line was canceled. It took some begging, pleading and dangling some rare foreign carded Marvel Secret Wars like fresh meat to start the process…until finally, the result is here. It took well over a year of negotiating to land it in my collection, but I now have the All-Terrain Trapper cromalin in my grubby little mitts. For the casual Super Powers collector, you may ask…"What the hell is that? All-Terrain Trapper? The name sounds familiar…but I just can’t place it." Well, friend…it’s simple. Take your carded Orion or Tyr or Cyborg and flip it over. Ta-dahhhh! There it is! Now that you know what the vehicle is…your next question is probably, "What the hell is that? Cromalin? Is that one of the Red Lanterns?" (As much as I’m joking around, I KNOW there’s at least one modern comic fan that probably thought that. Ugh.)
|
|
September 28th, 2010
What a hellish day I’ve had. However…in the mail…redemption! (…and you wouldn’t believe the hotness of the chick taking the photo!) WOOT! As if that wasn’t enough, ALSO in the mail today…the completion of the eleven previously-released …
|
Next Page »
|
|
