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Episode 1448 Talkback - Top 5 Christmas Gifts We Got As Kids

i_am_scifii_am_scifi Posts: 784
edited December 2013 in CGS Episodes & Spin-Offs
As the holiday season approaches its apex, the Speakers of Geek take some time to relax and reminisce about their personal favorite childhood Christmas gifts. So what kind of geeky goodies did the guys get during their formative years? Pour yourself an eggnog, listen, and learn! Plus: a Christmas nightcap with Drunk Cap!

Listen here all ye faithful!
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Comments

  • Mr_CosmicMr_Cosmic Posts: 3,200
    edited December 2013
    5. Castle Grayskull tent (inside tent that had Castle Greyskull and characters printed on it)

    4. COBRA RATTLER

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwDVHaghawQ

    3. COBRA MAMBA

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQyAz3W1Sy4

    2. Castle Grayskull play set.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtDNW0neqNU

    1. Random selection of Marvel comics ordered from the JC Penny Christmas catalog.
  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    edited December 2013
    Nice, something to listen to while at work on the holiday.

    5. Buck Rogers action figures and a couple of ships

    4. Battlestar Galactica action figures.

    3. A generic action figure case that held twelve figures, filled with figures from the Empire Strikes Back, all of the main characters and I got vehicle a twin pod cloud car and an x-wing

    2. Metroplex (along with Ultra Magnus, Astrotrain and Blitzwing)

    1. Millenium Falcon already put together sitting under the tree with Han, Ben, Luke, Leia, Chewbacca and the droids fending off Vader and some Stormtroopers with some of the cantina aliens
  • random73random73 Posts: 2,318
    Mr_Cosmic said:

    1. Random selection of Marvel comics ordered from the JC Penny Christmas catalog.

    I got this, too! 42 random issues. This is where i first discovered Werewolf by Night!

    that is the best right along with these:

    Incredible Hulk action figure (the one with the lab coat from the 70's) image

    G.I. Joe: Sky Striker image

    3)
  • i_am_scifii_am_scifi Posts: 784
    edited December 2013
    One of the best Hanukkah gifts I got:

    image

    I remember my parents taking the slime away because they didn't want to have to clean it up. I found it like fifteen years later still in my dad's cabinet. :D
  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    The transformer that @Adam_Murdough may be referencing is Apeface I believe, came out at towards the end of generation one.

    image
  • I have never seen that apr face one before that I can remember.
  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946

    I have never seen that apr face one before that I can remember.

    @ShaneKelly - It was part of the target and head master line that came out in '87. The cartoon had ended, so outside of the comics there wasn't much promoting the toy line, which was already in downward spiral by that time.

    There was one Christmas where my sister got that taller Princess Leia figure and I got Luke. I only kept it for about a week or so and then gave it to my sister, it just seemed like a Ken doll dressed as Luke to me.

    I also gave away all of my Joe's and Transformers when I was about 17 or 18. Gave everything to my best friend and his two younger brothers, they didn't have much of anything. It was an easy decision, I don't really regret it and he still has everything I gave them.

  • mguy1977mguy1977 Posts: 801
    5. My wooden truck w/ my name engraved in it

    4. Mike the Mechanic, my cabbage patch doll

    3. Voltron

    2. Castle Grayskull playset.

    1. Atari/NES/SNES & video games
  • bralinatorbralinator Posts: 5,967
    Fun episode guys! Brought back a LOT of fond memories.

    Based on the amount of hours of play that followed, here are mine in order.

    5. Best of the West collection Sam Cobra and his horse
    image

    4. Remote control R2-D2
    image

    3. Death Star space station
    image

    2. Evel Kenevil
    image

    1. Six Million Dollar Man with Maskatron villain
    image


    Honorable mention: Planet of the Apes model kits, Stretch Armstrong, Mego Marvel & DC action figures
  • fredzillafredzilla Posts: 2,131
    edited December 2013
    In no real order...
    image
    One of the earliest toys I can remember having. My parents have pictures of me somewhere proudly wearing this bandolier with my figures. I didn't have a lot of Star Wars vehicles, but I did have a lot of the figures and this helped me keep them all in one place. Chewy was also my favorite character at the time and so that even compounded the love for this toy. This is so memorable to me that I mentioned it when I got to meet Chewy himself, Peter Mayhew, at this years Denver Comic Con. Off to eBay...



    image
    This was the vehicle to end all vehicles for me. Other G.I. Joe toys would come and go, but my Sky Striker stuck around with me. I believe it's somewhere in my parent's basement still, sans everything but the actual F-14. Once I saw Top Gun, my love for this jet was cemented. The wings would fold back when in flight, for a much sleeker look (although I do believe that that is not how they actually fly) while pulling the landing gear up at the same time! Eventually in high school I grabbed some fishing line and hung the Sky Striker from my ceiling. Loved it.



    image
    My parents didn't have a lot of money when I was growing up and so it was tough getting the toys I really wanted. Transformers and Star Wars vehicles always seemed like they were out of my parent's price range. Every now and then they would buy me smaller figures (see below). While my friends were playing with Optimus, Megatron, Starscream, etc. I had the little carded figures. Until I got Grimlock. I don't remember when I got this guy (probably for Christmas since my brother had Slag), but I loved dinosaurs and I loved the Transformers cartoon and these were two great tastes that tasted even better together. I would go around the house constantly reciting, "Me Grimlock!" I eventually got all five of the Dinobots from eBay with all of their weapons, cards, instructions and one box for around $200. I don't care if that was a rip off or not, I now have them prominently on my bookshelf.



    image
    image
    I'm combining these two because of my brother. I love the guy, but we're only about a year and a half apart in age and we both grew up loving G.I. Joe. For Christmas I would always ask for Joe stuff. My brother was oblivious about G.I. Joe until about first grade. He then wanted everything that I wanted. One Christmas I wanted the Mobile Command Center. I knew I wasn't going to get it because it was waaaay too much for my parents. Shock of all shocks when my brother and I opened it that December morning! Then I found out that we would have to "share" it. We divided the decks with the middle being neutral territory. I think I conceded it when I was entering high school and he turned it into a base for his TMNT figures. The X30 was something we both got one Christmas. The wings are backwards! I thought it was cool, but my parents didn't want each other to be jealous so they got us each one. In order to tell our toys apart we would mark it in some way. My brother decided to mark his X30 with this God-awful pink shimmery nail polish of my mother's. It was easy to tell mine from the ugly one my brother had.



    image
    I don't know if I actually had Sgt. Slaughter, but I played the hell out of his Renegades. They looked so tough and were tough in the G.I.Joe animated movie. I would act out their scene with Flint over and over again. I loved all my Joe figures, but these were my favorite for the longest time.



    Honorable mentions:
    image
    image
    image
    As mentioned above, I got a lot of the smaller Transformers figures. Bumblebee and Brawn were the two I cherished the most. Hours of entertainment. I also loved how Brawn looked nothing like the animated version. Hot Rod was one that I traded a neighbor kid for. I don't know what I traded for it, but I remember begging and begging because of how awesome he was in the TF movie. I'm happy to say that when I was in my early twenties I rectified the lack of TF in my childhood and purchased some of the reissued/Takara toys.



    image
    &#^$@n' just look at how beautifully stealth it is. I swear many of the Joe designs I saw in my dad's Popular Science magazines.

    Thanks for the nostalgia, guys! Sorry this is so long!
  • Greg said:

    The transformer that @Adam_Murdough may be referencing is Apeface I believe, came out at towards the end of generation one.

    image

    Got it in one, Greg! That is indeed the gorilla my dreams!
    :(|)
  • In the alternate section, whoever said Split Second, that reminded me of Merlin, which I loved, almost moreso to pretend it was a phone, and is similar, but a bit more complex than, a Simon Says.

    Also, someone else (I believe) mentioned Micro Star Wars vehicles. I still have Slave 1, and slightly similar, here are three sets I had and loved - Bespin, Death Star, and Hoth.
  • Yep that was me who said split second and star wars micro die cast vehicles. Good times!

    I forgot about the micro universe I had one set, Bespin catwalk and that was it lol
  • My grandparents got me a Nintendo along with Super Mario Mario 3. I remember practicing on Super Mario Bros so I could start playing Super Mario Bros 3 and sorta know what I was doing.
  • Mr_CosmicMr_Cosmic Posts: 3,200
    edited December 2013
    We bought my son the new TMNT sewer playset for Christmas. The thing is huge and was a paint to put together. What ever happened to solid molded plastic?
  • So...two of my favorite Christmas gifts from my childhood...were also my favorite gifts again THIS year! I guess what's "old" is new again this year for me.

    I just wrote about this in more detail over in the Silver and Bronze Age thread, but hope you don't mind me sharing it here again more briefly.

    The days/weeks of 2014 exactly repeat the days/weeks of 1975...so this year, my calendar will be the 1975 Mighty Marvel calendar! My girlfriend gave it to me (although I had technically tracked it down about a year ago in anticipation of this.) It was apparently written by Roy Thomas back in the day. I posted January over in the Silver/Bronze Age thread....

    image

    And my other gift from my girlfriend was a reproduction of the 1975 Marvel convention poster. Although I attended the 1976 con, I had this poster on my wall for YEARS. It's lost to the mist of times, but this nearly full-size reproduction still makes me VERY happy! Artwork by John Buscema and Joe Sinnott.

    image



  • This was one of my favorite episodes of this, the new Jamie D age of Comicgeekspeak. His favorite was in my top ten. I got the GI Joe van he described when I was about 10 at my great grandfather's house. I was really excited when I opened it until I realized the cousin I couldn't stand because he hit people and generally wrecked everything he touched was there that day too. I tried to keep it sealed until we got home, but no one could understand why I wouldn't open it. I finally did and spent the rest of the day guarding it like a hawk until we left.

    My other favorites are a Corgi Batmobile (the larger one. I destroyed three of these through playing with them constantly), Major Matt Mason play set with space bubble and space crawler, Super Spirograph, Colorforms Outer Space Men (Orbitron was the first I got), can't remember what it was called but I got a motorized monster factory where you heated molds to make their arms, legs and other parts to put on the motorized frame (it created awful noxious fumes when heating the rubber), Zeroids robots, King Ding from The Ding-a-Lings robot line, Aurora Prehistoric Scenes and Marx dinosaurs.

    I still have all the Matt Mason stuff from when I was a kid and still have the Brain from King Ding, sabre tooth tiger from Prehistoric Scenes and Orbitron and Collosus Rex from the Outer Space Men. All the rest were sold off in tag sales after I got "too old" for them. I've since replaced a lot of the stuff on EBay.
  • rebisrebis Posts: 1,820
    image
    Major Matt Mason, Reentry Glider
    image
    Hot Wheels Power House
    image
    Mego, World's Greatest Superheroes - Aquaman
    image
    Tandy, Leathercraft kit (mine was a later version).
    image
  • rebisrebis Posts: 1,820



    I still have all the Matt Mason stuff from when I was a kid and still have the Brain from King Ding, sabre tooth tiger from Prehistoric Scenes and Orbitron and Collosus Rex from the Outer Space Men. All the rest were sold off in tag sales after I got "too old" for them. I've since replaced a lot of the stuff on EBay.

    I'm very jealous. Once the wire broke, my parents threw them out. I saw the reentry glider at my folks home some time ago, but wasn't able to liberate it.
  • rebis said:



    I still have all the Matt Mason stuff from when I was a kid and still have the Brain from King Ding, sabre tooth tiger from Prehistoric Scenes and Orbitron and Collosus Rex from the Outer Space Men. All the rest were sold off in tag sales after I got "too old" for them. I've since replaced a lot of the stuff on EBay.

    I'm very jealous. Once the wire broke, my parents threw them out. I saw the reentry glider at my folks home some time ago, but wasn't able to liberate it.
    Sorry to hear that. The wires on most of my figures are pretty broken up. I still have a couple of the helmets, but not enough for all the figures. After the batteries corroded in the crawler, I pulled the engine out so the wheels could still spin. I may still have the engine parts somewhere, but I doubt it. I know I had the green and purple alien, can't think of his name, but I must have sold him. I still have his gun, I think.
  • I'm also remembering Captain Action and being excited about it when I got it because my grandmother had gotten me the Batman uniform some previous year, thinking it was a complete figure. My sister got Superman and we played with them as though they were figures and not just costumes over plastic forms. Having the figure to put in that costume was very cool. I don't think it ever occurred to me to put it on a GI Joe, but then I had the one with the life-like beard and that wouldn't have worked out too well. Lol
  • STAR WARS Death Star Play Set...had to return because it was missing pieces and they didn't have a replacement

    GI JOE USS Flagg and Terrordome (a plus of having 2 brothers )

    HE-MAN : Greyskull and Snake Mountain

    TRANSFORMERS: Aerialbots

    still have all the Star Wars, GI Joe, He-Man and Transformers
  • CaptShazamCaptShazam Posts: 1,178
    A tv set with the 8 bit Nintendo built into the tv. I remember opening the games for the nintendo first and being confused because there was no nintendo package anywhere in sight. Then they brought out the tv.

    It lasted for around 15 years although it did have to get fixed once when it got zapped in a lightening storm.
  • CaptShazamCaptShazam Posts: 1,178
    edited January 2014
    rebis said:


    image
    Mego, World's Greatest Superheroes - Aquaman

    I saw the Mego Robin in my LCS today!

  • I'm sure I'm forgetting a lot, but the top 5 I can remember are:

    5. Shogun Warriors Mazinga from my brother

    4. Darth Vader Star Wars Figure carrying case - still in my closet

    3. Sled from my brother

    2. Hot Wheels garage with elevator

    1. Death Star Playset
  • fredzillafredzilla Posts: 2,131
    edited January 2014
    I totally forgot to include one. I had to do a little digging because I wasn't sure what it was exactly called other than "lightsaver" (yeah, that's right, 4-year-old me called it a "lightsaver"). Anyway, I found out that Kenner released these Light Sabers called "The Force" that would "vooom vooom," as I called it, when swung around. I had Yoda's green and my brother had Vader's red. Many a bloody knuckle were made playing with these. I'm not sure if the ones in the videos are actually what we had because I distinctly remember the blade would unscrew from the hilt so you could walk around without the light saber "on."

    http://youtu.be/9uYw9-TtaeQ
    http://youtu.be/hn0AxNeb_vM

    As a result of this toy, I recently bought blue and red Force Action lightsabers. Every once in a while I'll pop the batteries in and swing it around. Once I even had my freshmen language arts class reading Romeo & Juliet and we used them as props for the big fight scene in Act III with Tybalt, Romeo, and Mercutio. Lights and sounds and everything! Epic.
    http://youtu.be/KavqfNzE2-k

    ..okay I've gotta stop this. Sorry.
  • fredzilla said:

    I totally forgot to include one. I had to do a little digging because I wasn't sure what it was exactly called other than "lightsaver" (yeah, that's right, 4-year-old me called it a "lightsaver"). Anyway, I found out that Kenner released these Light Sabers called "The Force" that would "vooom vooom," as I called it, when swung around. I had Yoda's green and my brother had Vader's red. Many a bloody knuckle were made playing with these. I'm not sure if the ones in the videos are actually what we had because I distinctly remember the blade would unscrew from the hilt so you could walk around without the light saber "on."

    http://youtu.be/9uYw9-TtaeQ

    ..okay I've gotta stop this. Sorry.

    I had (should still have somewhere) that Yoda "puppet". Thanks for posting!
    They should have had the older brother from ET do the voice.
  • GregGreg Posts: 1,946
    I don't know how, but I forgot all about Christmas of 1985 when I got this:

    image

    Being both a fan of Robotech and Transformers, this was a big deal.
  • fredzillafredzilla Posts: 2,131
    Greg said:

    I don't know how, but I forgot all about Christmas of 1985 when I got this:

    image

    Being both a fan of Robotech and Transformers, this was a big deal.

    The classics version of Jetfire is amazing. It's like the old toy mixed with a more cartoon vibe.

    image

  • Absolutely loved this episode. It's always great fun to hear what people cherished as kids.

    Here are my top 5:

    5) Transformers Hound and Skywarp - the first Transformers I had.
    4) Nintendo Gameboy -played a LOT of Tetris
    3) Castle Grayskull and several MOTU figures - great fun
    2) Ewok Village and Rancor - gift them both one Christmas and that made for some fun Godzilla style action attacks
    1) G.I. Joe USS Flagg - best playset ever

    I grew up with the 80s Joes, but respect what came before because without it, there wouldn't be the belief that figures were a good idea as a toy for boys. But without the 89s Joes the franchise would have gone the way of the dodo. And I love how IDW recognizes both sides and has been combining both eras when they can.
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