Recent Acquirements: My B-DAY - WOW!!!

[BrandonDaCollector]

It was and yes that is so true, thanks PB

[BrandonDaCollector]

So two days ago was My Birthday already, My 43rd one It was a pretty good day. I'm going to post a lot here so bear with Me as progress thru My special night First I saw I got an e-mail from Nintendo with offers & discounts and stuff. It was cool that they still have Me in their list because I haven't bought a game from them in ages since they had to dump the Wii U for the Switch (it still irks Me in the back of My head because the Wii U was like one of the greatest consoles ever made!) and then they closed the Nintendo E-Shop without any chance of getting other titles for the system My name is Hydester on this nice Wallpaper because that's the nick-name that My Grandpa PoPo gave Me when I was a youngster and he called Me that till his last days...if you recall I began My Star Wars Topic as My own creation for Halloween 2011 as Darth Hyde...such a shame he never knew I did that So this picture that Nintendo gave Me has an all-star cast in it and looks quite neat



Oh and I got this cool Nintendo Happy New Year Wallpaper as well



So every year My cousin Karen sends Me one little picture/gif from Facebook saying she hopes that I have a great one. One time she sent Me a gif of Dean Ambrose because she knows I like wrestling but really it's a wonder because I haven't talked to her in about 30 years or so. I know that sounds ridicules but after My Grandpa got sick it seemed like We weren't good enough for the rest of the family anymore...I already told how despicable My cousin Brian was and the same type of crap happen with My Godparents Marietta & Eddie too. After My Grandpa past, Marietta stopped sending Me checks and calling Us...it was a tradition she did for Me since I was a little boy and My Grandma never knew why...one of the last times was that My Grandma got her a good Angel Statue from a place on Hampton for her birthday...there was no thank you, no I don't like...no nothing...the communication just stopped and nobody from her family bothered telling Us anything at all and it's been been like that ever since So agin this brings Me to Karen because showed nothing toward My Grandpa and I don't think she knows nor cares about My Grandma being gone either when My Grandma took care of Karen when she was a child when My Grandma's brother couldn't Is all she does is BookFace and I get all of these notification from her friends that I don't know and I'm like who in the heck cares about this...nobody is talking about Our Family's history, anything about Me and so on...I'm supposed to be so social with you and this band of joblos when you can't even call the house...I don't think so This is always such a bittersweet situation so anyway here's the gif that Karen sent Me.



OK, so enough of that stuff. Here's the really cool stuff of My Birthday Me & My Mom went to...



Yes, that's right...We went to Steak 'n Shake which is the only one close in Our area. If you don't know, Steak 'n Shake is an old fashioned burger joint and is famous for Steakburgers as their slogan says. They were the leading fast food place in the country...even more so than McDonald's & Burger King Their slightly younger than White Castle but still their quite old. Now notice I said "were". Back in the late 2010s they made this foolish investment deal and it backfired on them and it wiped out many of their restaurants. If you love Steak 'n Shake and went there all the time this was a pretty big deal One of the great locations was across the street from Walgreens on Gravois, Hampton & Germania. I showcased this location in My Odds & Ends when I posted My grand showcase of Groundhog Day as well as other times. It's always been a favorite area of Mine.

Now, for My Birthday I took pictures of this little byt great journey going to this location of Steak 'n Shake. Remember when I said about taking pictures of stores & places for historic reasons including showing/reminding/teaching Family & Friends before it all fall to Oblivion...well I wasn't kidding about that...I'm a serious person and I was quite serious about that people should do this cause look at how many businesses & people I talk about and showcased that have come and gone and there is so little if anything being done about them and with such so few doing this in My area, it makes this limbolic age even worse so I kept on thinking I gotta take these pictures and what a time to do it on My-Day and well...I did it

So My local Steak 'n Shake is in South Town on Chippewa & Kingshighway, the area I've talked and shown many times prior but I'm showing ALL of this IN PERSON and NOT from Instant Street View like I usually do. First off My pics are good but it's night time which I love but the details don't come out as well during nocturnal activities but that's ok, you can't say that I didn't try So first off here's the Planet Fitness. This used to be Shop 'n Save. Me & My Grandma used to shop here since the 90s after National went out of business and was taken over by Schnucks across the street that I've talked and showcased about many times. We shopped at Shop 'n Save till My Grandma got sick and couldn't go out anymore. Since the P!amDemic had to happen, they were going under but boy, Schnucks took the advantage of the situation in similar fashion like they did National and just took them over...ran with the money and never ever re-branded or used them again If it wasn't for the few plebeians like Myself and the people on YT posting various things about them, they'd really be in a severe stage of limbo I had to take that shot because that IS VERY IMPORTANT TO ME



So there's where Applebees once was. It's now a Cajun place called Hook & Reel Cajun Seafood & Bar. My Grandma loved Applebees and their Baby-back Ribs I loved their Burgers & Fries & Mozzarella Cheese Sticks. In the foreground is Jack in the Box that We rarely went to. On the far left that's a Bank and on the far right is where some stores used to be but now it's all boarded-up and looks so different now compared to years ago.



Next is the plaza. Now follow Me left to right. Most of this has changed over time. That complex on the left used to be a Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse that I mentioned before. After it went out business it became a nice Blockbuster Video. We went there a lot. There was a nice Cigarette Store My Grandma loved to go to with a really cool female security guard that was there There was a UPS Store as well. Old St. Louis Chop Suey of St. Louis is still there thank goodness. I have many memories of that good place. I loved to watch the Chinese Cooks flame up that grill Next to them is a Subway that is still there that I had good times at. Next to them there was a great Little Cesar's there in the 90s when they actually delivered before they came up with the takeout gimmick they have now. At the corner of the complex was a Chinese acupuncture clinic. OK, now after the driveway entrance way was a cool Record Store & RAC/Rent-A-Center that I talked about & showcased in My Modern Wrestling Collection Topic. They've been gone for a very long time. Harbor Tools shares that complex now which used to be Walgreens but they moved across the street. Oh I remember that grand opening of Walgreens in about 1991 with My Grandma I mean there was a ton of people there. I got a lot of stuff there too including My great Star Wars OT VHS Box Set in 1995



So here's where Walgreens moved a cross the street. GameStop is right behind them. I was amazed that those buildings over there are all boarded up now...there used to be a very expensive Toy Shop that I rarely went to years ago.



OK, now look to middle & to the left...this is THE AREA that I've talked about so much and now it's nearly unrecognizable. This is where Famous-Barr & National was. You can see the pics that I posted elsewhere in the topics and see more of it. All of that history is long gone there. There's such a little amount of it online which really sucks. When I took this picture I was thinking very hard about that so many people come and go by this area that thinks nothing of it or doesn't even know which arguably sucks even harder



Now see the corner of the complex...that's where that darn Quizno's was which I really disliked that place cause how they were. I gave them good business but making 6 or 7 subs was too hard for them I mean they acted so lazy and all that crap...it was extras for Me & My family for a couple of days...you know...left overs Well, because of their Generational-non caring for business...they went OUT of business not that long after that. I didn't feel sorry for them not one bit There's Pet's Mart with another good look at where National was as you see a hint of Steak 'n Shake



So here We are at Steak 'n Shake...the restaurant looks very much like it did years ago




Here's the front door entry..notice the Own a Steak 'n Shake Sticker on it...never before were they owned & operated by an individual owner...they used to be a big company



So now We're inside and it's like an alternate reality or even like Back to the Future Part II. It's the same place but darn is it different or what They used to have waiters & waitresses wait on you when you first come in set you down to a section to eat at. the order station is way different, no more stools to sit & eat at. There's noting but credit only kiosk Since this was the first time We've been here since the P!amDemic, We asked for assistance and the nice black guy there helped Us out. My Mom used the app and got Me a free Specialty Oreo Cookies 'N Cream Shake. Another nice black guy helped Us out about that. He was talking to Us and stuff about how Steak 'n Shake has changed because of 2020 & Covid and that they had to scrap over a $100 off of the menus (also he said Covid is coming back and if you've been following the news...he's right!!). I told him how I loved the Jamaican Jerk, The Wisconsin & The Fish plus more and he; like yep, their all gone I mean their house absolutely suck...open 10:00 AM - 10:00 PM every night....they USED TO BE 24 HOURS a day for breakfast to midnight snacks to late dinners..I said it before Me & My Mom used to love to go places late at night I mean 11:00 PM and because of no crowds and it's just plan fun...not anymore




Here's the cool banner above saying since 1934, see not as old as Whit Castle @ 1921 but still long ago



So while We're waiting for Our food, I took a look around and took some more pics. As you see their not busy at all which really is not a good thing.



So they moved the Vending Machine from the entrance way to near the rest rooms. See that booth/bench area That's where Me & My Grandma were at that night when the power went out at the house. I shared My great story in My Odds & Ends in My grand Playing Card Showcase which if you haven't read it you need to because it's a very touching story



So these are the types of Claw Vending Machines We used to play all the time for decades. I have talked about this type of stuff many times in My Odds & Ends especially when I showcased My Belt Buckle Collection in My said all-crucial Topic because that's how I got each & every one of them I don't know if the Mexican fills these Machines up anymore since places like Schnucks discontinued them out...I hope he's still around



Here's two pictures on their wall that I was glad they still had because their so historical



Here's their Fountain Soda & Refreshments



Their getting ready to hand Us Our food as you see a worker actually cooking a steak burger there as they do it right in front of you as their never frozen...I have always loved to watch them cook



So now We got Our Order. My Mom is double checking to make sure it's all there because there's been countless times that Our orders from any place, it never fails that was missing items especially ones you really wanted and their not in the bag and We hate that So We're heading out. Notice the Height Ruler Wall Decal there, I always looked at the 7 foot marker and always thought & said that's how tall Kane, the Big Red Machine is Also notice the Welcome to Steak'n Shake picture on the wall as a couple is coming to the door



So the Order is fine and We're heading out and going to the Chippewa & Kingshighway route



So We're home and there's Our Steak 'n Shake Order. They really changed their bags and look like many other places now. They used to have really distinctive & fancy looking black & white bags.



Here's inside the bag with the goodies



They changed how they put the burgers & fries too. The burgers were never in boxes like other places and the fries were in b&w cartons. Really it looks more like Wendy's, BK or McDonald's and not Steak 'n Shake. There's My yummy Oreo Shake plus little extras



Well all of the food is gone. Mom ate her double burger & fries and I ate My 2 double cheeseburgers & 2 fries. She had mixed emotions if the burger tasted the same as they did years ago as she thought this was dryer but she said the fries were the same because Steak 'n Shake has some of the best tasting fries ever. I for one noticed some differences but I was quite thankful that I got this for My B-Day and is all that was left was some condiments of Ketchup & Mustard by Heinz which are historically labeled now with States including New York, Pennsylvania & indiana



Here's the 2022 Steak 'n Shake Copyright. If you have been faithfully following My showcases then you know why the Copyrights are important



Here's My Receipt in My Name Look at that, it's 9:03, they would be closing in less than an hour...never ever in My wildest dreams would I ever think that Steak 'n Shake would ever close...it was unheard of during the good ol' days They alongside so many places are still really "milking" the Covid stuff Like I said before, going to fast food joints used to be fun but now it's a treat since the food costs so much. You gotta savior each and every bite and sync it all in during these ridicules times of inflation



I picked up 2 of these Booklets about owning a Steak 'n Shake with a $10K Investment...REALLY





Now since My little but very fun journey is over, here's what I was able to get for My Birthday with little funds that i was thankful to have. First up is a action figure that I was longing to have for 25 years and still I question Myself why I didn't get her before but no matter...I got her now and it's Adi Gallia from the Hasbro Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace She is part of the revolutionary (at the time) CommTech Chip Reader series. Back in the day My Grandparents got me some of the figures as well as the Reader. You peg the figure on the Chip which is actually a display stand as well onto the Reader and the figures say multiple quotes electronically. It was so fun back then I got her from Brian's Toys on Amazon. they specialize in SW figures. I got her for only $8.07 which is a tremendous price brand new Here's a look at her front & back



Back in the day I had a small crush on her. Still I find her beautiful. She's a Tholothian female that's part of the Jedi High Council. Her figure is great and Hasbro did what they could with her and really she has a good likeness. I love her blue eyes and they even put the blue hue highlights on her dark skin tone as well. She includes her EU Crimson Lightsaber. Here's aclose up of her plus her CommTech



This series as well as the film has it's 25th Anniversary this year from 1999



On the side of her package there was a Meijer Price Sticker, the price was $6.40 which wasn't bad at all back then



Now here we go with My other present to Meself and it's one I wanted for a while since 2021 and I finally got it...it's the Godzilla vs. Kong Hollow Earth Mini Figure Set by Playmates It's very impressive looking. Many times I have gotten Godzilla figures for My Birthday and this is just as cool as those times



So the set includes 6 Titans/Kaijus. First is a Skullcrawler, Hellhawk, Godzilla, King Kong, Behemoth & Warbat. The scale is way off on some by it isn't on others. The sculpting is really good. It's strange that they included Behemoth because he wasn't even in the film. Back in 2005, Playmates made figures of the 2005 King Kong, three of them were Minis like these which were Kong, V-Rex & Foetodon. The Foetodon was actually in the Godzilla vs. Kong film for unknown reasons so when it is time I'm going to cross these over with them plus their reminiscent of the ones by Bandai so I may cross them over with them as well...I love little figures like this




The Packaging is quite impressive however this set is made by Playmates. As great as this looks I'm very disappointed in it. Why Because Playmates has been known since they began as a company to have major bios & info about the characters on their blister packaging. That's one of the reasons why I always loved them. Every series they'd go the extra mile more than any other company especially their TMNT & Star Trek. With this set there is NO info at...no stories...there's not even any names on the card except for Godzilla & Kong. It's really pathetic how they skimped this, it;s very disappointing. I mean many kids today don't care about the details but there's gonna be some that do and if there's any kids out there like how I was when I was youngster then they'll want allhe info they can handle Such a poor decision on the part of Playmates



Here's the Toho & Legendary 2020 Copyright & Info.



Now here's My Hasbro SW Adi Gallia & Playmates Godzilla vs. Kong Hollow Set together for My Birthday



As a side note...I usually pick movies for My B-Day so Me & Mom watched 5 or so days worth which included Bloodsport, The Super Inframan, The X-Files: Fight the Future + 2 episodes Fallen Angel & the Beginning, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, My Science Project & Ricochet. I'm quite thankful for that, for Steak 'n Shake and that I got these figures. Vintage all the way on SW. I hope Playmates makes more Titans in this scale as I'd love to have the other monsters seen in the film. This will conclude My Birthday special. I hope you liked My journey and thought it was interesting and what got for Myself

[packerbacker180]

Sounds like a good day. McDonald's is the worst around here for forgetting to put stuff in a bag. I mean, how hard is it to read a screen in order and put everything in a bag? It's always the one time you forget to look that you get home and they forgot the dipping sauce, or the fries, or something.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Yes it was PB Shame it's your McDonald's. Yeah really, how hard is it Yes, it is, it never failed when We take it for granted that it's all there and it isn't...this even goes for places you order online like Pizza Joints as well Thanks for your reply PB, I appreciate it

[BrandonDaCollector]

Here's what I got for Christmas just several short days ago. I actually bought Me these a long while back in the Summer when I had to chance on Amazon and pretty cheap too, as an opportunist, I always take that advantage. So what I got is a collection of Kenner's Action Masters from 1994 that is...

over 30 years in the making



If you recall earlier on within this Topic of Mine, I started collecting Kenner's Action Masters which is such a poorly known & obscure series of die-cast metal figures. Society wasn't interested in them when times were really good thus making them in Limbo and nearly fallen to Oblivion I've been wanting these for a very long time and like I've said before, I'm collecting the stuff that I never had the chance to get back in the day instead of the modern stuff that has little to no history and costs way more. I started My Action Masters with Kenner's great Aliens Set then with Predator & Terminator. Well, I kept on thinking about the others in the series over time and I'm like I gotta get Me them for Myself and well, I lucked out. Here's this Star Wars box set



All of these were brand new, never opened. The plastic is faded but the figures are fine. This set is fantastic as it includes Boba Fett, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker & a Stormtrooper. Like the others, this includes trading cards with neat bios of the characters included. This is really the most ideal type of figures to collect as their small, detailed plus you get the cards. It's like your collecting two different sets at the same time which is so cool. Shame how so few people saw the excitement of this back in the day and perhaps even now but I think their super fun I love these cards, heck, the Boba Fett one speaks of him escaping The Great Pit of Carkoon which I didn't expect at all I love to read the bios & info now as much I as I did when I was a youngster



Now keep in mind, this came out in 1994, over 30 years ago now. SW was just really making it's comeback and only Galoob was making SW Micro Machine toys a year earlier in crucial 93 so as I've have explained in My SW Topic, this was when the great return & times of SW happen



I got this Kenner Action Masters SW Set as well which this one is superb as it includes C-3P0, Princess Leia Organa, R2-D2 & Obi Wan Kenobi. All look so good.



These also include the trading cards and most of these cards has pictures of the characters I never seen before which is a great plus.




Now, like I usually did back in the day, I would get a duplicate of a soldier. I especially did this with My Tonka Willow figures which by the way are in scale with these guys. So I got a single carded Stormtrooper that I was lucky getting too.



I love the way he's sculpted and the color of his blaster rifle. See the trading card This is actually a different version of it so it's not a duplicate card which I was very surprised to have two different ones



On the back of these blister cards is a checklist of the figures and the info to send a way for the Gold C-3PO plus to be a part of the SW Club.



So that's it for the SW as that's all they made except there is a variant of Darth Vader in a different pose that is holding his lightsaber that I may get later on down the road. My Mom wanted to get Me a little bit for Christmas & My Birthday so I said okay...you can help Me this way and she did Now here's this one that I got that I really wanted...it's the Legends of Batman which is My fave look of Batman with his high ears that nobody talks about anymore. Here's this great figure



He's in a great pose and he just looks wonderful. His trading card is pretty cool by Skybox. I'm so glad that I finally got a figure of this character. Now, another reason why I wanted him is because he fought Alien & Predator in various media so it was very apropos to get him



Now I may get Batman: The Animated Series with Batman & Catwoman later on as well. Unfortunately, like the SW Snowtrooper, many of these other figures were never produced and some have extremely limited quantities selling for bookoo dollars



So, here's the very important Copyrights. Like I always say, I've been looking for this info on things since I was little. Heed My advice to see who made what & when...the 'supposed" experts never tell you to do so..it's helped Me a lot so check your collectibles regardless of what they are






So, here's My Action Masters collection that I got for Christmas and I'm very grateful for it



One day in the future, I'll show all of these guys in major detail in Showcases along with My Aliens, Predator & Terminators too. It's so cool crossing these over with each other especially Aliens with SW That was one of the many beauties of Kenner that they made so many lines that you could have together. I also put My trading cards in My binder and their really rad looking in it. Well, that will do it. My Birthday is coming up shortly and I already got some great stuff for Meself that is also about 30 years in the making. Until My special day, I'll see you around

[packerbacker180]

Never seen those before but it's cool you got something you wanted like that.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Oh I'm not surprised about that one bit Packer. Yes, I'm grateful for it. Like I said, they've really fallen in Limbo and near Oblivion now because they were they were so uninteresting to the public body then thus making them really obscure now and also like I said, some of the ones on the Blister Cards & Box Packaging were unproduced like the Snowtrooper and the Superman figures Their so obscure, Rebelscum barely has a page dedicated to the series which really sucks but they do have a few pics of the re-released series with the POTF2 packaging on there however they are extremely rare Kenner produced a lot of them back in 94 so there's still a few on Amazon and good number on eBay thank goodness because this is how I was able to get Mine really cheap The Action Masters are really fun. You can look back within the Topic and see My Alienry similar figures from 1988 plus, their kinda like the Vintage Micro/Miniature ones that Kenner made before that, yes those same ones that I showcased before. Also, I just love how they come with a figure & bio trading cards, you get the best of bs, Predator & Terminator Action Masters as well. Again, I love that they are in scale with Tonka's Willow which are veoth worlds, it's so ideal Thanks for your reply PB, I appreciate that

[BrandonDaCollector]

So for My Birthday which was January 10th, about 3 short days ago now which I cannot believe it already I had a good time. Like Christmas, I wanted it decent and I always like to talk about special times while much of society seems to be so distance about them. So, I didn't get offers from Nintendo & Marcus Theaters like usual, I'm not sure why but first I got this offer from Steak 'n' Shake but I wasn't wanting them this year because their so different now but maybe sometime later on down the road.




I also got this from Sonic. I would have loved to have them again but We couldn't go out due to all of the snow & bad weather and We don't like take chances when we really don't have to travel.




I like to get a good meal from somebody I really like. I wanted Bellacino's in Hampton Village as I wanted their Grinders especially their A.1. Bomber, their so darn good but sadly that location went out of business. I like i said, before talk & appreciate about your local among other business in your area, it's so important. So Me & Mom changed the plan to go to their other location in South County where Venture & K-Mart used to be long ago back in the good 'ol days. We planned this for weeks. Then the snow & bad weather happen that I posted about in PB's Zen which I will post about this in My Journeys soon. Since this occurred, We had to change plans. They built a new Taco Bell Delivery on Gravois 8 Kingshighway across the street from the now out of business location of Elicia's Pizza (you can see My Elicia's Pizza Keychain on Page 1 in My Odds & Ends whom were great too, I was almost shocked they were gone because We got therm for around 30 years Taco Bell's App said delivery is not available in My area and Grubhub said there's way more orders than drivers to go thru the drive-thru. If a place is delivery specific then this shouldn't be a prob so this was aggravating That such bum-steer After that, We scrapped that plan. We checked Our Local places but they were too expensive like Imo's, St. Louis Pizza & Wings & Cecil Whitaker's (again, always talk about your local stores - I posted 2 specials of Imo's in My all-crucial Odds & Ends - one last year for Baseball and just recently for New Year's Eve so it was down to Domino's Pizza, Pizza Hut & Papa John's Pizza. I really wanted Papa's plus they had the best deal so We went with them



We got this great deal



It was a Family Deal with 2 Large Pizzas - 1 Created & 1 Specialty which was really up Our alley



We got 1 with Pepperoni & Canadian Bacon and the other was an Ultimate Pepperoni and both Thin Crust, here's Our Receipt



The following is from Instant Street View. This is Our local Papa John's Pizza on Gravois and Loughborough and Hampton. We've ordered from them for many, many years and they've always been good. Next door is China Garden which also delivers and they are superb as well.



Here's an eye-wide view next to them of QuickTrip that is a good location that We;ve gone to for a long time. That's Area 51 which they expanded the location a couple doors down now. They are a strange novelty shop. I haven't been in there in years. They used to have weird things and even XXX stuff Up the street is Our usual Schnucks, Walgreens, Family Dollar, Dirt Cheap among other places.



Here's another look at Papa's. See the buildings on the left That white one used to a Sports Card Shop called Shamrock's Sports Cards. He was alright but he was expensive and usually never had what I wanted however it is a shame he went out of business long ago Next to him was Arnold's TruValue Hardware. Now, he was super nice and it was a super good place. Me & My Grandma went there all the time and Arnold himself was there a lot. In fact, those St. Louis Cardinals & Ram Keys on My Insane Keychain in My all-crucial Odds & Ends came from there as I spotted and wanted them. He crafted them himself and I bought'em His shop was one of the last of classic stores you could go to in My Region. Again, always think and talk about those special great people in your life because every day that you don't, there's a big chance they'll fall to Oblivion so do you want that do you I know I don't, that's one of the big reasons why I do what I do Up further was where the now gone Elicia's Pizza was and where that Taco Bell is. Again. look at Papa's on the right



We set the Pizzas's to be delivered @ 9:15. We got a phone call and it was the Pizza Dude saying he was outside out front:!: He was an Indian from India. If you have seen & read in My Classic Kaiju Topic then you know that I have an big fascination & respect for the Indian Culture. Here's the Pizza Boxes...



RAISE THE LIDS Here they are they are as here's the two great tasting Pizza's that We got The Pepperoni & Canadian Bacon is on the left & the Ultimate Pepperoni on the Right...gosh their gorgeous



Papa's always includes Pepperoncinis with their boxes. They also include their super-yummy Garlic Butter Sauce to dip the Crust and they also include their wonderful Seasonings to put on the pizza too. Their still in Louisville Kentucky which is good. These still taste the same as like old good times





Here's the 2024 Copyright of the Pizza Box



With special food like this, it should be cherished and never thought as "just food" and savior every second of every bite. Now, what I am I going to drink that's just as special Well, over at Dirt Cheap, for months I keep on seeing and looking at the C4 Energy Drinks. I have seen the commercials of this on WWE Programming & YouTube for a long time which nobody ever mentions. So, I said to My Mom when we were at Dirt Cheap a couple weeks ago, if you want to get Me a last minute Birthday gift, get Me that C4, it's a special WWE Can as I wnated something WWE for My Birthday so she did



Now, I wanted to try this however, My Mom thought of looking how much Caffeine it has...We were astounded that is has 300 MGs, that's A TON. That's almost as much as the St. Louis Bread Company/PANERA'S LEMONADE as that makes plebeians extremely hyper and killed many people which that has 400MGs If you don't know what I'm talking about, look t up on YT, it's all over it from last year. There's been lawsuits and the whole nine. You'll never see this on main stream news now because they dropped it right away as they never talk and post about the important stuff, just stuff to distract you that really means nothing so it's very important to do your own research on everything and see what's REALLY going on, My signature should give you the hint



So, with that being known, Mom said well, just don't open it, just keep it for a souvenir for your B-Day because you wanted it just for the WWE Can anyway. So I accepted that but I would like to know how it taste and what all the hoopla is/was about. Here's a good look at the C4 WWE Can, notice that the flavor is "Ruthless Berry in homage of The Ruthless Aggression Era



So, I chose something way better...I chose a couple cans of My Schnucks Mountain Summit 12-Pack This is their own brand of Soda that is extremely similar like Pepsi's Mountain Dew. As I posted in My New Year's Special in My all-crucial Odds & Ends, I drank a lot of Schnucks's Diet Cola which I just love their soda[/img], I love off & store brands as they're cheaper than the famous, more popular brands plus they arguably taste even better and this [b]Mountain Summit is no different



So now, here's what I got for B-Day which I got a lot of goodies. My Mom wanted to get something special for My special day and so she did. I looked into these on eBay which is like My Christmas Presents, I wanted to get some of the stuff that I couldn't way back in the day so this is about 30 Years in the Making!!!

First up, is a Star Trek figure I've been longing to get for the longest time. If you recall, I have collected a lot of ST Figures and posted them here in Recent Acquirements. This is Lieutenant Saavik which is played by the late great & beautiful Kirstie Alley Ever since her unfortunate passing I was like I gotta get her before plebeian scalpers raise the prices on her figure but thankfully I found one that was really cheap. She is one of the last classic ST characters that I needed. This came out in 1995, 30 years ago this year that was a part of Playmates's ST Classic Series. Like My Kenner Action Masters, she comes with an exclusive SkyBox Trading Card



I am so pleased with this figure, it has such a tremendous likeness of her. Again, Playmates arguably had the best sculpting in the 90s and downright still does



Here's the Star Trek Fan Club & the 1995 Copyright, again always check for the Copyrights & Trademarks on your collectibles as I have been doing it since I was a youngster to see who made what & when. Not even the "supposed"experts tell you this. You'll be glad that you headed My advice



Now, here's this. If you know Me & followed My specials in My Star Wars Collection Topic and seen My Shadows of the Empire collection & specials then you know all the history that I've shown & spoke about and that is My fave SW story & time of the entire franchise. I have also been wanting these for a very long time as well and I finally got them...Galoob's Micro Machines - Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire as I got all three sets



Collection II is the hardest one to find but thankfully I got them all. Now I was displeased that the Dark Horse Mini Comic was not in the first set as it was a packaging error on the part of Galoob but it's a 30 year old mistake so there's nothing I could do about that and really it's not a big deal to Me because they never did included the Mini Comic in Collection III as it was never advertised for a reason I never knew why. The Outrider was out of the twisty tie but it was fine in Collection III. Here's a good Gander at them all plus the info. Look at this classic Star Wars goodness when SW was so fun during it's comeback





Here's the 1995/1996 Copyright



Okay, now I'm going Modern here. Way back in the Spring, I was looking for new figures that I could afford of Godzilla. I really wanted to get those new Playmates ones in the Crystals that Packer got for his Son that he figured out how to get everyone instead of duplicates but I couldn't make it however I saw something else that I wanted arguably even more. I was also looking for the SW Kenner Die-Cast Metal Action Masters that I got for Christmas that I posted just recently. When I was searching for them on Amazon, I saw this special Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire Die-Cast Metal Figure Set by Jada Toys...LOOK AT THIS



I got these directly from Jada Toys' Store and apparently it was a huge seller because Amazon said that hundreds have been sold within the month so I was like gosh, I gotta get this while their still in-stock and at an affordable price. It's such an excellent set with good packaging as you get all four of the main Titans which these reminds Me of the fun Japanese Chibi Style. They have excellent sculpting and you can clearly tell who they are as you get Evolved Godzilla, Kong, Skar King & Shimo




Here's the 2023 Copyright



Now, if you recall My huge Playing Card Showcase I posted in My all-crucial Odds & Ends then you know I love Playing Card not only to play them but also for collectible reasons. Well, I looked out and got not 1 but 2 really cool Godzilla Playing Cards Decks Here's this great Godzilla vs. Kong Set by Aquarius and this extremely radical Godzilla & Kaiju Set by FLONZGIFT...look at that



They really raised the price on this now since I got this months ago. Now, here's stock pictures of the Godzilla vs. Kong from Amazon. Their excellent but they get repetitive a bit as there isn't a ton of variety however, it does have Mechagodzilla in it so that's a huge plus



Now the other one is My fave of the two and way more expensive at $19.99 but well worth every single cent of it. You know I love the Japanese Kaiju Posters, well, this set is right up My alley because each card is a replica of them and it just isn't Godzilla as other Kaijus are present as well. Here's these stock pictures from Amazon. Here's examples of the front & back of them.



Now here's this pic of all of them. You get a lot, you get all of the Showa Godzilla movies including alternates like Godzilla vs. The Thing & Cosmic Monster. It also includes the cancelled 1980 Godzilla with the World Trade Center plus all of the Heisei movies as well which includes variants like of The Return of Godzilla 1984 & Godzilla 1985 which is great. They skipped the two Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla & Final Wars of the of the Millennium Series for whatever reason however they stopped at Godzilla: GMK which is OK with Me. They've included others like Frankenstein Conquers the World, The War of the Gargantuas and they included Gamera vs. Gyaos, and even Daimajin, X & Gappa...look at this



Here's another gander at them, this was a must for Me since I love Kaijus. If I saw this when I was a youngster during the good classic times, I would have snagged this up within a millisecond I strongly suggest to get them if you love monsters too because they only had a couple left when I bought them



Now that's not all that I got. I was looking to see if there was something I'd really want for $5 and sure enough there was...to coincide with Alien Romulus and the 45th Anniversary of Alien, I got this really cute but downright awesome Alien Golden Book



I don't know how everybody else felt but I was really surprised about this. I was like, where in the heck was this book when I was a youngster I sure would have loved this back then. Like I said before about Kaijus, kids have no idea how lucky they are now. I really hope this get's today's kids into the franchise because it's arguably My fave franchise of all. Back in the day My Mom & Grandma MiMi got Me many Golden Books and I still have'em but there was never ever one based on the 1979 Alien movie So it's been decades since I got one but I this is extremely like the original Golden Penguin Random House Books. I love the art & pictures this has. Here's one example of how cool this is



Here's the back of it with many titles such as Star Wars & Planet of the Apes.



Now here's a special Group Shot of all of B-Day Presents which i think I got some great stuff



That will conclude My special Birthday post. I am very thankful for all of this When I acquire something new and special stuff, I will post it here

[packerbacker180]

That's not a bad likeness of Kirstie Alley for such an old figure. Neat assortment of gifts. Is that really a kids Alien book or is it like parody of a kids book? That's kind of crazy.

[BrandonDaCollector]

Yes, it's a great likeness. My picture doesn't do her justice. No, it's a 100% REAL-LEGIT licenced Alien Book by Disney & Penguin Random House. If you know Golden Books for kids then this is no different, it's just like the Vintage ones. If this was a parody then I may not have wanted it. Like I said, I hope this makes a lot of new & young fans of the franchise because I was quite young when I got into it and if this book had been available then I would have wanted this instantly. There's so much to talk about here. Yes, I got some great gifts and I'm very thankful for it all as I absolutely love them all. The Shadows of the Empire is so excellent and especially them Godzilla items. I try to get a Godzilla item for My B-Day every year. Those Kaiju Playing Cards are so wonderful. See if your son would want them. Amazon still has'em. Like I said before, had I seen them when I was a youngster, I would have snagged them immediately. Thanks for your reply PB:)