It’s a shame that some thoughtless commenters have made the usual thoughtless comments, and have completely derailed what could have (actually, should have) been a meaningful discussion about the impact a sale like that has on the hobby. Instead, all we get are endless posts about how awesome capitalism is and how good this is for everybody involved - opinions that area about as controversial as the cuteness of kittens and puppies, and about as relevant.
I’m still a little discombobulated from the oral surgery yesterday, so that’s about as far as I’ll venture on that topic, for now. I’m hoping to incorporate most of what I need to say about it in an upcoming post about perspective (the philosophical kind. I’m decidedly less intrigued about the artistic variety.)
I finally found a little time yesterday to clean up the office a bit, so here’s a photo of a few of the weekend’s findings:
The Fighting Stallion is going to be a restoration experiment, the Bucking Bronco is a keeper (near mint, and just super!) and since I already own that particular variation of the Gem Twist, he'll be heading to the sales list after a bit more work.
The Gem Twist is from the first year of production (1993) and though you can’t see them in the photos, he sports the long, fully painted braids. The second version had the same braids, but with "ribbon dots" instead, and the third version had remodeled ribbons with similar dots. I don’t own the second version, but that’s more a matter of a lack of will than a reflection of its rarity: I have no idea which one is the rarest, to be honest. Haven’t bothered to do the research, though I probably should.
Aside from the ribbon remodeling, there was another significant, but invisible, change made to the mold: it was made less tippy. The earlier examples of the Gem Twist mold are extremely unstable; that glorious Moody tail made him exceptionally bottom heavy. You’ll find some that are "weighted" correctly, but it’s very hit or miss, and the guy I picked up Sunday is definitely a miss.
(He’s in otherwise pretty nice shape, other than a light scuffing and yellowing, so whoever owned him previously didn’t play with or display him much.)
Later models made with the Gem Twist mold tend to be less tippy, so Reeves was evidently aware of the problem, and took steps to correct it. I suspect some work was done on the interior surfaces of the mold (some areas shaved, others built up?) to even out the weight distribution. He’s still not the most trustworthy model on the shelf - none of mine are currently on display, mostly because of "Hurricane" Vita - but it does take a little bit more than a sneeze to knock the later examples over.
3 comments:
Oooh, I thought you'd found some chestnut leopard Fighter. Still, it's a pretty cool haul!
I do wish Mary would grow a spine and crack down on the thread derailing and other garbage being spewed. I was thinking about renewing my sub, but it's gotten so out of control over there, why waste the $18?
May I recommend Fallen Leaves? Much better forum and very well run.
When I first saw the Fighter from a distance, that's what I thought, too! Nope, just some funky rust or paint stains. (I'll find out what exactly this weekend, when I start experimenting.)
Fallen Leaves skews a little too young for me, and comes with its own set of aggravations and annoying people.
Blab really is the best place for meaningful discussions - when the better commentators are participating. Which hasn't been so much lately.
I consider it more of a periodic funk though, than a reflection of the moderation quality.
Post a Comment