My VINTAGE Action Figure Collection: JRNY to K-Mart Plaza!!!

[BrandonDaCollector]

Oh man, I was rootin' around My Toy Room very recently and found some goodies, stuff I was looking for and some I wasn't and boy to My surprise I found some blister cards of many kinds and one of then was a Visionaries Blister Card I was so euphoric about this I only found this one but that's all I needed

So since we're still fresh off the heels of My Visionaries collection showcase I thought it would be quite apropos to show off this spectacular card and it's still in really good shape too

The color of it is so neat and wonderful looking. The card is Witterquick's. Its a really detailed picture of him on the front and his bio is on the back. Also present is the story of the series and some of the figures within the line.



Of course one of the awesome aspects of the whole series was the holograms. As you seen in My wonderful showcase, I showed most of the holograms of the figures & vehicles. It was very imperative to do so. There is actually a hologram on the front of the Card and it was crucial to show this as well and it looks mighty fine with the great looking fearsome Cheetah there Here is also a closeup of the story, the figure selection and last but certainly not least Hasbro's logo and notice it is much darker tone than usual. Once in a while they colored it that way depending on what series they were making. Now I give Hasbro absolute big kudos here because they put a ton of artwork on their cards which I loved their work as much as Mattel's and the both of'em would continue to make great stuff like that till the 90s



One thing that is a pure bonus is the Kay-Bee Toys price sticker on the upper right corner LOOK at that...originally $6.99 and marked down to $2.00 That is what I was talking about in My superb showcase about how they clearance out the whole stock And that is also how My Parents was able to get Me them all because even the vehicles were and the Dagger Assault was dirt cheap as huge as it is



So there's one more for The Visionaries I wanted to hurry up and showcase this while it was strongly on My mind and to enter it within My Vintage Action Figure Topic before I did anything else I have found other Blister Cards which I will present down the road. We shall see what I showcase next, until then I'll see you around

[BrandonDaCollector]

Since My last update was My Visionaries Blister Card, I thought it would be apropos to showcase a small amount of other Blister Cards that I found with it rather recently. I unfortunately misplaced the figures to many of these however, this will also allow new entries within the topic possible One was quite crucial which is the first one you'll see right about...NOW

American Defense - REMCO:. This great series came out in the middle 80s but this particular card is from 1989. I greatly showcased My collection earlier on but I didn't have a blister card to present till now because I just found it only about a short week or so ago in storage Look at that cool card



RoadBlasters - Matchbox: This truly superb concept came out in 1987. I love the look of this apocalyptic card. I used to have a ton of these and played with them a lot with My Mattel Hot Wheels collection as well as My Matchbox collection which Matchbox was My favorite of the two. Unfortunately I sold all of them a long time ago but at least I have this one cool card to show their nearly forgotten state




Oh yes, look at that Ben Franklin price sticker I showcased them within the topic if you haven't seen it, I strongly recommend you do because they were one of My most cherished stores I went to as a youngster, such a great history and fun times



Starriors - TOMY: They came out in 1984. I loved these guys, My family got a lot of them for Me at K-B Toys for only $1 each They were wind-ups and were nicely detailed with mechanics and shiny parts. I have misplaced My collection of them




Tyco Booklet: I got this little pamphlet with a special set. Look at all of that classic vintage goodness



I believe I got this pamphlet with either the Zero Gravity Cliff Hangers or the Railroad Empire. I had both of these awesome track sets. I was so stupid by not taking care of these and I broke'em and lost'em My Grandparents got them for Me for My Christmas in 1987 hence the year on the page I was such a dimwit kid and I regret this so much to this day



Hot Wheels - California Customs: This was My absolute favorite series of HW with all of the awesome colors and designs. I got these in 89 - 90 which were great years. These were from a time when vibrant & neon colors of the late 80s and early 90s was so fun I just loved that time and its such a shame it ended They came with great & nice round stickers that were very shiny. I unfortunately sold all of them long ago



Hot Wheels - ConVertAbles: These also were good and fun. They came out in 1990 which was such a dandy year. You could dunk them in water and they'd change colors. It was so fun. Unfortunately I sold them too I had hundreds of HW & Matchbox vehicles and really I do regret doing it



So that's all of this bonus showcase and I hope you liked it. I may have another one similar like this in the near future for the 80s Next up will be a very special one that you will not expect that also features a major store that was quite dear to Me way back in the 80s & early 90s. Until then I'll see you around

[packerbacker180]

Wow! American Defense figures!!!



I remember getting some of them for my Joes, but especially the little playsets they had that were cheap but cool!



Thanks for bringing back some memories of some forgotten toys.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Your welcome PB Apparently you missed My big REMCO Defenders/American Defense showcase I made last year. It's on page 6 if your interested

[packerbacker180]

Hmmm, yeah, I did miss your original post, but I went back and none of those figures really strike any memories. I do remember the packaging and seeing them at Kmart, but maybe it was just the playsets I had as I distinctly remember that trench. But then I looked on ebay, and I definitely remember the Yeti figure. I know I had him. Can't find too much on these guys online.

[BrandonDaCollector]

I thought so, there's a lot you missed, stuff that I thought you'd really like, same thing with Acid but oh well. If you guys saw it and didn't reply then I don't know you seen it.

Like i said in My showcase, I got Mine from K-Mart too, they were really an exclusive there and really I liked them better than G.I. Joes. Good to know your info PB and thanks for the reply. More special stuff coming soon

[BrandonDaCollector]

So here be a very special showcase that I have been longing to do for quite some time now. This is going to be outright different but very good as well. It's My Cowboys & Indians/Native Americans cake toppers that I got from National These I hold dear because they have quite a remarkable story. I got them in around 1988 during the days when things were still really good. As usual, I was out with My Grandma MiMi, we would go to National a lot for our grocery shopping. I loved that store and the area itself which was Southtown. I have a ton of memories and great times there. I will have a special showcase of them at the climax of this presentation So it all began when we were in the bakery isle for sweets and stuff. I always liked looking at the birthday & special occasion cakes that they'd make. There I saw these really cool Cowboys & Native American figures which they were cake toppers (people put the darnedest things on their cakes without a thought...I was quite puzzled in 2020 when I got these awesomely sculpted Godzilla cake toppers that I showed in My Recent Acquirements Topic...WHY in the friggin' heck would anybody make such a foolish decision...search Me why people do this, they just don't have the care nor tenacity of doing the right thing) and I wanted them...BAD They weren't for sale but I told her that I wanted them and she asked the employee if I could have them. I don't exactly know what she did but she pulled some strings and got Me them ALL...even their accessories & environments

I liked Cowboys & Indians when I was a youngster (what kid didn't back then?) and since My Grandma MiMi is half Cherokee Native American (her father was and was a WWI vet), it's just in My DNA

I do not know who made them. I have always associated them with National ever since I laid eyes on them and that's the way it's gonna be as it always has been

So here they are which I have a special bag I have always kept them in which I'll get to a bit. Without further a do here they are

Indians: They are just kinda basic with little to no paint but they are more than your typical figures in a bag at a dime store or flea market during these days of yesteryear. The trees and cactus are really good.



I love how their is a Female with her child! I love the tepees and how the totem poles are painted.



Here is My entire collection of them with their Horses that they clip onto and more







Cowboys: I didn't get as many of them as I did they adversaries but they are quite nice with rifles & revolvers. The one in Blue with a Red Vest is NOT part of the set. She got Me him around the same time at a bubble vending machine for a quarter that was excellently in scale with'em so I just made him part of the set and he is more rubbery than the rest. I possibly got him over at National because they had the bubble machines but I'm also thinkin' she got me him over at Tru-Buy which was also another great store we shopped at a lot, they were smaller than National but they were still good and I've had lots of fun over there as well!





Cowboys vs. Indians: Here they are against each other since they couldn't get along to put it very mildly




Assembly: Here is how you take them apart and put them together. Its a very nifty option that you can kitbash'em



Group Shot: Here they are together

[BrandonDaCollector]

SPECIAL GALLERY!

Size Comparison: Here they are with My really awesome Kenner Chuck Norris that I have previously showcased a long while back. I have always loved him



Oh how rad, here is My Cowboys & Indians facing off against My previously and beloved vintage Tyrannosaurus Rex & Brachiosaurus Larami Dinosaurs: What better way to display a collection of Cowboys & Indians and depict your very own Valley of Gwangi




McDonalds Bag: Ah, here is the the bag that I have kept them in since DAY 1 I got this really fun thermal bag over at My local McDonalds that is just down the street from where National was. McDonalds is still there however but things have changed quite a bit since then, they were just a block or so away from Venture as well, it was such great times back then because everything was in one general area My goodness, look at the date on the bag, it's 1988 My great Cowboys & Indians is still in this bag as I speak and they will remain there

[BrandonDaCollector]

National Supermarket Grocery Chain Store

Here is the Supermarket grocery store that I really liked and had so much time spent there with My Grandma MiMi. Our main location was on Kingshighway & Chippewa in Southtown Centre. There is very little in visual detail on the web about the store chain as one who actually knows the store might expect which in My mind is so beyond pathetic I made these special pictures to "BRING BACK" their legacy and how great they were Our's looks like the one in the first picture a lot. The ones that are nocturnal are so cool, I loved it there at night especially during Fall/Autumn/early Winter. Summer was fun as well. I love looking at this as it reminds Me of the fun times of yesteryear that seems so long ago



They were such a big store yet I knew where most of everything was even though I was a little boy. They had a dandy Seafood department and they had live Lobsters all the time and I would always want to look at them in the aquarium. I thought they were really neat looking animals and were like big bugs cause they are Crustaceans which are Arthropods which Insects & Bugs are in the same type of class. I NEVER wanted them to eat...I didn't believe in that as a youngster and the same STILL GOES FOR ME TODAY There was a very nice older man with white hair there that was a butcher, he'd give Me stickers of various things all the time. I remember they had a small video tape isle. They had a stack of Laurel & Hardy VHS tapes there which were all duplicates. I'd look at them just about every-time I went there. I was never interested in them however and apparently nobody else was either however, this was the end of the isle which was part of a large one. At the other end was the newsstand with magazines and books. This IS WHERE I discovered My FIRST WRESTLING MAGAZINES It was NATIONAL that had this grand feature for Me I looked there countless times and it never got old, I just loved it so much. My Grandma MiMi got Me a lot of'em over the years plus they'd have Hot Wheels and special little books at the cashier's when you'd cash out and she also got Me a special Batman Returns playing cards deck that I adored. I wanted them so bad, it was in 92 when the movie came out which was 30 years ago this year I have unfortunately misplaced them and have desperately been trying to find them but they are with the rest of My great Card Games which I have been wanting to find for a long time now, hopefully soon I'll find them! Them ROTJ Stickers I recently showcased in My Star Wars topic is from National also One thing I remember was talking to her when We were in the snack & potato chip isle was about the 1989 WWF Survivor Series, I was telling her how I loved "The Macho Kings" King's Court team and how I liked "The Canadian Earthquake and stuff. I still go down memory lane about that because it's very special to Me

I got these great Halloween bendables that I previously showcased last year for Halloween over at National. I loved it there so much at Halloween time, they had it decorated rather well and had great options for the spooky holiday I loved getting costumes, accessories and decorations. In fact, National was one of My top places to go to for Halloween



This was the unfortunate site of our beloved National that would be forced upon and it would happen to most locations that Schnucks didn't rebrand after takeover Here is another location of Grand Blvd. I only went there couple times that I recalled as we always went to the other one.



What is there currently is ReStore - Habitat for Humanity.




Here is a sad look at that one I had such a ball in and to imagine this place used to be heaping with people and doing great business



Recent/Currently: So after Schnucks took them over and decided not to put their own store there, Southtown Centre was getting a whole new look. They tore down the entire building and every thing around the entire plaza area and made it like it was a completely new region. They built a building for the Office Depot I spoke about just a few short days ago in My great Star Wars topic with a PetSMart right by it. Where National actually was is a large shopping marketplace there that once had a Quiznos that was on the corner/end of the building that always gave Me a hard time because I'd always want a lot of sandwiches for days for Myself & the Family, not long after that the idiots went out of business (hey I was givin'em good business a lot but apparently making six or so subs is extremely hard when you think a person should only have 1 right now and don't think about havin' more tomorrow and when your lazy...I wasn't a bit surprised they folded...I kinda dreaded going there because of their unappreciative demeanor but I loved their taste but I guess they didn't care about Me nor their customers...so stupid) and there was a EB Games there a bit further down that I went to a couple times that was just ok to be at (I always went to the GameStop that was in the rebuilt plaza where My beloved K-Mart was which is also out of business now which I'll get into that whole ordeal in time) but they made their own building just feet away and moved there and re-titled back to GameStop but I've never step foot there as of this date. Here is the pics I took from Instant Street View of the times I just talked about.




Here is some commercials to show them in honor of their greatness!




Now check this out, this one has Kas Potato Chips. They were the absolute best, they had double bags and they had the best BBQ chips EVER...I mean EVER...of ALL-TIME When National went out so did they. It didn't help when our Tru-Buy (I might bring them back and talk about them later) went under too because they also carried Kas My Family loved them, even My flaky Father did and agreed they were the best. I have tried countless BBQ chips from Lays, store brands and many others and none even comes close to Kas. I have literally bought every BBQ brand to buy that was available to Me for decades now and its so pathetic about this I don't care what you think, you've never had BBQ potato chips until you had Kas BBQ Chips



I don't know how many people recall National or even know about them in this oblivious limbolic day and uncaring androgynous age but I am very thankful to know them and to have experienced their great store on Kingshighway & Chippewa many, many times for years and even in the last days it was still great. If only I knew this then, I would have done so much more about this like taking pictures of everything in and out of the whole area like I would so many other stores & locations. They may have been forgotten by many but NOT by Me

[BrandonDaCollector]

So as a special bonus, I wanted to also add as a special blast from the past that is so apropos which is Famous-Barr They were in the same area plaza, just feet away from National Here is a old picture of their huge and unique structure of their building in their early days notice the vintage clock on the front of the building



They were also known as the Famous and Barr Co. which was a division of Macy's, Inc.. Their Headquarters was actually in St. Louis, Missouri I was there a few times but it was when I was really young but I recall enough in order to present them here in memory. They were a huge department store as you can tell by the classic vintage pics I provided above with their logo intact! My Parents used to shop there all the time. They had tons of stuff including a very big exotic pet shop One of the coolest aspects of the store is that before or after you got your gas at Amoco (who is also gone for decades) you could park on their huge parking lot and go in the small entryway complex that was similar like a escalator underground...it was sweet and fun to go in One huge note here which is a very crucial one is that they had an excellent action figure isle and had quite a decent selection of MOTU figures Many of'em My Grandma MiMi got Me there I can just picture it now going on and up the escalator and THERE THEY ARE on their beautiful red & blue blister cards in all of their glory Ah man it was such good times to be a youngster then



So they went under in the middle 80s, their wonderful building was left there for many, many years with nobody taking their place. We were hoping for a Walmart to be there in the mid 90s but they didn't wanna be in the city much less Southtown which they were too egotistical even then to do something like that Like National, it was all torn down and most people just thought so what or forgot about it (today's generation in My area has absolutely no clue how fantastic it was then unless their parents actually cared and gave their children a nice history lesson of our wonderful area of decades past!) but I sure didn't. For years and years even to this very day whenever I go to Southtown I look over and observe the whole domain with an old-school perspective of what once was but I cannot ignore the reality of how hard this is to fathom that how did this become this way So here is a couple pictures via Instant Street View of how it looks rather recently. This is where Famous-Barr was as you can tell with the classic vintage pic I I provide right here



So here is nearly the whole region of how it is now as you can tell its familiar as I just brought back National of long ago and how it is there at the moment.




Here is a commercial of Famous-Barr!



This was exclusively for St. Louis!



So that is it for this very special showcase and I hope you liked it. If your just now seeing this then you missed Famous-Barr & National and you especially missed My special Cowboys & Indians showcase that I got over at National hence the reason why I showcased them long forgotten stores in the first place So do yourself a favor and stop right now and get to My Cowboys & Indians showcase So if you saw this showcase and actually read it from beginning to end then you just went through a tremendous journey through time that is very dear to Me that you will ever see somebody make Next up will be a special showcase of Karate Figures, until then I'll see you around