So did My last showcase of My
Mr. Potato Head Kids give you the hint of what's My next presentation
If your really following Me then I shouldn't be too hard to figure out I mean really's it's a no brainer as it's...
That's right, finally I'm going to show My
Kenner Starting Lineups that I have off and on been talking about. Look at the beauty logo I made, that looks so good
Now like I said I don't have a lot of'em. While I liked these types of figures, I was really experimenting with the first two and I regret not collecting others within the series later however a few of these I got in different but special ways as each has a unique story. Now if you paid attention to My huge
Star Wars showcase I made the unthinkable happen of
Starting Lineup crossing over with them and I thought it was good & different
BrandonDaCollector wrote:Kenner Super Special: Here will be a unique gallery that I came up with
So if anyone ever had a wonder of what it would look like if
Kenner's Starting Lineup met
Kenner's Star Wars here is what it would look like
These guys are
Johnny Bench & Shaquille O'Neal. I have great stories about these especially
Shaq cause Me & My Grandma got him out of the jewelry vending machine at
Schnucks on Loughborough in
1997 (the same place where I got My
Belt Buckle Collection in My Odds & Ends) which was heck of a time. I will get to these and more within the Series when I showcase them later on
Well, that later on is NOW
Now this will vary from different years and I was going to wait till I got to the
90s but I kept on thinking about it and I'm like I better do it now,
baseball season is already over a month in and one has a crucial anniversary date so I though I better get to it
Before I begin, I know that those corporate locusts
Hasbro recently resurrected the line thanks to PB bringing it to My attention a while back. Each is around $50 which is insane. You could get many of the
Vintage Classic Figures for that price plus their just doing
NBA, anybody that loved the originals of the other sports apparently is going have to wait a long while and I don't know how plebeians can afford these. Forget those current ones cause I'm about to show "the first & true"
Starting Lineups that started it all
So first off like I said before, the only sport I was only interested was wrestling as it became My life when I was a youngster and that still stays true to this very second as I write this.
Basketball seemed cool with the tall guys but I never really got into it,
football is ridicules with the waiting times just for a fumble plus you really can't see the players' faces I mean just a hint of'em and numbers...same thing with
hockey but that was a bit better. The only one that really was to My liking was
baseball, I loved the pace, there was no time limit, you can identify the players and it's filled with tons of stats which as I've expressed many times before I'm a stats person and seems like it's really good thing that's fading away I mean nobody talk about stats here and I don't see many people elsewhere either but I love to read the the records and the bios of the players and that was the same with
wrestling which seems like hardly anybody cares about anymore I mean
WWE just ignores where the wrestlers are from & how much they weight most of the time, it was always a big deal before log ago and it was with Me and with My action figures like
Joes & TMNT I mean I want to know things and I remain this way
So I wanted to get into
Kenner's Starting Lineup but this wasn't in the late
80s as one would expect, this was actually
1991. I recall it like it was yesterday. I was at school and My Grandma hired a painter to paint the dining room and there really wasn't much she could do during that time period and I was getting ready to be let out of school so she went to
Venture in South Town and after she picked Me up and We came home she surprised Me with a two pack of the
Baseball Greats series and I was pretty excited
Now I really didn't know any
baseball players, I really only knew
"The Wizard" Ozzie Smith because he was the
St. Louis Cardinals' main player and even if your not a
baseball fan you know who he is
So while I'm excited, I don't know much about these figures but My Grandma knew EXACTLY who they were cause she went to the
Cardinals games when the
Cincinnati Reds were visiting back in her day with My Grandpa & Mom when she was a young girl
She told Me their stories, what their known for and most of everything she knew about them which I love it when somebody tells Me a thing or two that is of history or something that My elders feel is important for Me to know and learn
This two pack was of
Pete Rose & Johnny Bench My Grandpa knew too but he was at the
A&M Bike Shop but it was more apropos for her to tell Me. She loved history and without knowing & telling history things just aren't good in the future...look how it is now for example
I'm going to show all of these individually with some bonus stuff so here we go with a very much anticipated showcase
Pete Rose: Now like I said she told Me a lot of these players especially
Rose because even to this day his bio is quite remarkable for positive & negative reasons. He was a
First Basemen & Outfielder. I loved how this figure is posed in a perfect
base stealing position which is what is what he was known for.
His jersey looks so accurate with the
Cincinnati Reds' logo and his number
14. He has four points of articulation at the neck, shoulders and waist. His
plate that he just took is sculpted to his left hand.
His likeness is tremendous and truly one of the most accurate looking figures
Kenner ever made IMO and really holds up to this moment and his
helmet looks fine and dandy as well
Now these guys came with exclusive
trading cards and his was the only one I could locate. Thank goodness it was him
Here is the
front & back of his trading card, look at that
Here is his
bio, I always found this stuff so cool
Here is his
stats, some of it is so uncanny
Now despite I got him in
1991, he was actually released in
1989 and it was so good that these guys were still available. Here is the
MLBPA Copyright as well as the
Kenner Copyright. Now keep in mind that he's still actually made by
Kenner and
Starting Lineup was still their own property & creation. This was two years before those corporate locusts
Hasbro would take them along with
Parker Brothers & Tonka and claim the series as their own like it was their own to begin with like they did with so many others brands from other companies in the future
I find it rather weird that that I got this two pack when
Hasbro took them over in
1991...it was like THE last items I got that was actually made by
Kenner... I find that historically strange in it's own right
Here is
Pete & his Kenner Baseball Card, notice it says
"Charlie Hustle" He got that nickname during a spring training game against the
New York Yankees, Whitey Ford who was also a great one gave him the sneering nickname
"Charlie Hustle" after
Rose sprinted to first base after drawing a walk. Despite/because of the manner in which
Ford intended it,
Rose adopted that as an honorable nickname and has been known for that for many decades
Look how cool & wonderful this display looks
Johnny Bench: Another great
Cincinnati Red. My Grandma told Me a lot about him too. He was one of the greatest
Catchers ever to play the game. Over the years when I really got into the sport I never focused on him though. Unlike My
Rose figure I misplaced his
Kenner Starting Lineup Trading Card however he is still in terrific shape. He has a a very accurate likeness. His jersey looks very authentic and he's in a great pose as it appears he just hit a decent base hit in between
Shortstop & 3rd Base so take a gander at him
SPECIAL NOTE & ENTRIES: The following 3 figures I obtained when I was sick in the hospitable in the later part of 1994 or perhaps early 1995. They tried to makes things as fun as possible for the kids. Believe Me when it it Me when I was only 13 you never ever forget something like as I never had a "normal" teenage life as I was only 13 for a few months and went straight to 20 mentally, a lot of kids that has My condition went through the same thing!! Anyway, they had LIVE Bingo Games that you'd play through your little TV set. They'd have it live in a special room like it was a live TV show. It was actually really cool & fun. I won many things there. How you did it when won you'd call'em in the room and you'd hear yourself right during that broadcast. I was really lucky this time because I won three Kenner Starting Lineup Figures that I wasn't going to be a fool by passing these guys up I got
Joe Magrane who was a
St. Louis Cardinals but I never saw him play. He was a
Pitcher. Look at how his jersey is, it looks so good with the
Red Birds and he has a great likeness as well from
1990 I also got
1994's Mark Langston. Now I would see him in many games when he
Pitched for the
San Diego Padres & Cleveland Indians in 1998 & 1999.. He has a great likeness & pose and is a
California Angel here
I had expressed My love for the film
Angles in the Outfield... I'd win him and then sometime later I'd watch the film many times over there as well. Now I don't know why but I wasn't happy with the color of his
base so I had My Grandma paint it, apparently i was still going thru that phase like I did with My
Dor Mei Kajiu from the
Baazar I recently showcased
Same thing here with the painted
base. Last is
11994's Albert Belle, I would see him mostly as a
Chicago White Sox & Baltimore Oriel in
98 - 2000. He was was mostly a
leftfielder but truly a five-tool player and one of the best
hitters ever. This likeness is quite decent and look at his
Cleveland Indian jersey... it looks so authentic for these times
Now here is My
Starting Lineup Rose & Bench 2-Pack 1989 Copyrights As for My bonus ones that I won during
Bingo at the hospital, here is their
1990 & 1994 Copyrights Here is My
Starting Lineup Group together, look at how cool they look, so awesome to see
Vintage Baseball Toys Here is a brief look at 2 different
Kenner Action Guides that features
Starting Lineup. Like I said before, I regret not really getting into them during those times but at least I have what I have
When you look at how wonderful
Kenner was back then it just reminds you of the times and show Me anything that can even remotely defeat this now
So here is a
Starting Lineup Size Comparison with
SL's Joe Magrane with My previously seen
1984 Kenner DC Superpowers Superman and My
1990 WWF Hasbro Hulk Hogan v2 SPECIAL BONUS!!Kenner's Pete Rose meets
Jakks Pacific's WWF Kane In this super bonus of the meeting of the
Red Machines, this was a cool feature that I wanted to do because of
Rose's involvement in the
WWF/WWE and having a major yet funny angle with
Kane and eventually becoming a
WWE Hall of Famer, something that
MLB will never do and this figure of
The Red Monster is from
1998, 25th Anniversary
That's right,
SHAQ ATTACK This is actually a bonus entry as he really isn't part of the
Starting Lineup series however it was his own and he's a sports icon. Now I really wasn't into
basketball either during these days though I still regret not wanting to watch it when My Grandpa wanted to
So the only
basketball stuff I could get into was
NBA Jam for the classic video game consoles as I mentioned & spotlighted in My topic. I knew of
Shaq because he was a rising star that rose really fast. Even if you didn't really know the sport you knew of him cause he was everywhere and in movies too...kinda of a scenario like
Michael Jordan & Dennis Rodman. I played his great
EA's Shaq Fu! games as well. So I liked him cause he was really a giant and he was really one of a kind and yes that name is short for
Shaquille O'Neal by the way. So I saw this series over at My local
K-B Toys in Our counties and I thought they were pretty nifty in around
1993 which is the year this fine series came. However I didn't get any then as I just wasn't interested and I regret not getting a ton of great figures back then in the good year cause I was just dense I mean there was lines like
Demolition Man & Last Action Hero for an example as I have pointed out in PB's
Toy Commercial Topic So fast forward to the year
1997, Me & My Grandma were out and about doing Our rounds like We usually did. One day I believe it was in the
The Fall, We went to
Schnucks on Loughborough as usual to shop for Our groceries and stopped by the
vending machines as always and We noticed that the
old gal filled them up (
The Mexican didn't take control of them yet till about two years later or so) and I noticed a big
Shaq figure in the
jewelry machine on the card and I wanted him bad and keep in mind this is
1997, not 1993 so these figures were all being discontinued especially since
1997 was actually
Kenner's last year of existence before
Hasbro shut them down completely which is another weird year scenario like I said earlier on within the showcase
So after putting a couple of bucks in there We realized that the screws in the claw was loose. We weren't the veterans that We became of this hobby yet, We were still grasshoppers and not wise to their tricks yet. If your unfamiliar with My time at
vending machines then you need to go to My
Odds & Ends and see My Incredible
Belt Buckle Collection that We got out of the
jewelry machine as I explain it all and My times with My Grandma as well, you will most likely read & see very few experiences from anybody at anytime like that believe you Me and I'm quite grateful for those experiences & items
So I bet We put in about $20 and only picking him up a few times as he fell to the gravel
It was very frustrating that We did that and nothing to show for it
I kept on thinking about it when We got home and so did she cause We never leave anything alone until We're satisfied or forced to let things go
So We went back a while later and We were at it again, I don't know how long it was but I know We were standing there for a long time, seemed darn like an hour at best and BANG! WE GOT HIM
This was truly one of the most memorable items I ever got out of that
jewelry machine and I got a lot of stuff out there that I love! So he became the talk of the house for that night and became a big display piece in My room. I have misplaced his cool
packaging long ago however here he is still in great condition as neat now as he was way back then in
1997 As you saw he's huge especially for a
Kenner Sports Figure that is a standard issue. The big physique looks really good and he has a tremendous likeness and in fact it really still stands out today. I really like his pose. He moves at the neck, shoulders & waist. His clothing really rocks. They made many different versions of him but IMO this was the most ideal variant of
Shaq because he's an
All-Star here and I love
All-Stars plus he's wearing My favorite color
BLUE As I mentioned he's an
All-Star and he's totally licensed of the
NBA He's
#32 here. Now
The Stand that is included with him looks great and is a shape of a
star and he's on there via a long
metal pin that's connected in his
huge size 22 shoe that plugs into his really nice
display star base and he can swivel on it too
So here is the
assembly and notice the soft
tip at the end of the
rod, this provides a nice tug fit and he never topples over, talk about such great quality
Here is his
Mine O'Mine Copyright which is his company along with the
1993 NBA Copyright. As usual there is no
Kenner Copyright and as you saw above with
Starting Lineups there wasn't either...even when
Hasbro made the line in the
late 90s & early 2000s they never did and I never knew why
So here is
Shaq with My
Starting Lineup Group see showcased above. There can see how much larger he is in
size comparison. Now keep in mind he did get his own entry in that series, this
Shaq Attack figure was just a bonus series that they made and really to be honest it's one of the most radically underrated ones that
Kenner ever produced
SPECIAL ENTRY & SIZE COMPARISON!!! So
1993 marks many great anniversaries of all kinds, not only does this
Shaq figure have a 30th anniversary but also the film franchise of
Jurassic Park as well and
Kenner made them as well
I was a huge
JP fan during
93 and My Grandparents got all that they could for Me for Christmas. Now i will only make exceptions of going out of bounds and showing stuff from the
90s at the moment like I have just done if deem it necessary which as you see it was quite needed for Me to showcase because of
Shaq's 30th and just in case I'm not in time you can count this as special hint of
Jurassic Park's 30th Anniversary in figure form cause at least i presented a tiny bit here with
Dr. Alan Grant & The Stegosaurus so take a gander at this fantastic
Kenner history
Look for a special
Baseball showcase to coincide with this one over at My
Modern Action Figure Topic as it will be My
McFarlane Mark McGwire Big League Challenge & Hasbro Mark McGwire Starting Lineup, this was during the time was I was a huge fan of the sport .Do not rush through it as it is a tremendous visual journey down memory lane on one of the greatest time ever of all-time and while your there you can seen so much other great stuff too including
McFarlane's Spawn located at this link --->
http://www.dctoyrevolution.org/post47286.html#p47286So I hope you were surprised here and that you liked what you seen read here of My
Kenner Starting Lineup & Shaq Attack figures with My stories as well:) We shall see what My next plan is cause I'm getting to the nitty-gritty here for
Vintage Action Figure Topic, until then I'll see you around