Weekend at a local games con

This weekend, me and the girlfriend went to a local games con, as exhibitors, sellers and enthusiasts. We had a great time, met lots of great people, sold some stuff, talked old toys, and saw a bunch of really amazing collectibles.

My booth the first day

Read on for a short report and tons of pictures!

Toys are fun. I collect toys. I play with toys. Article number 300.

Would you know, I've written three hundred articles in this blog. Some of them are pure nonsense, some of them are well thought out, and some of them are extremely personal. This leans towards the latter, but I suspect any collector can find some meaning here. It's about stepping out of the comfort zone and finding something that re-ignites the passion. 

How do you use action figures? 

Pictured: Story line.

Well, there are many ways, and I've talked about this before. Of course the most common way to use an action figure is to play with it like a child would. Well, I'm not a child, so you will probably not find me clashing my toys together and make explosion sounds. But what is the child really doing while playing? 

The child is creating a story line, interacting with the toys, taking part in the story. It's entertainment and creation at the same time. 

If I had a new years resolution this year, it would be to not collect stuff just to collect. The last few years I feel like I have been doing just that. Most of the toys I collect, I really like. That goes for my other collections as well. But I also found my self buying action figures and toys I simply didn't use. 

Now, my action figures are being played with, but not exactly like I describe above. You see, I also consider it playing with toys just to pick them up, and hold them, look at them, pose them. And in some way, I do the same as the child. It's a combination of appreciation of the toy itself and the creation of story lines. The story lines are probably not as strong and as lively as when I was a kid, but they're still there in some way. I look at some of the pictures I take, and there's definitely story lines.  

In storage...

Far too many of my toys see little to no play time. And that's not how it should be. Sure, some of them I have stored away for a specific purpose, and for good reasons. Some of my toys are appreciating just by sitting in storage, like a few sealed vintage pieces. Some of them I simply have no room for in my current apartment, like the bigger Lego sets. And some of them are valued treasures from my childhood, that I couldn't possibly get rid of, even though I don't necessarily use them any more - my entire G.I. Joe collection for instance. 

But I own toys that doesn't fall in any of these categories. What's really the point of these? I don't play with them, and I don't really need them. It's just stuff that's clogging up my closets. 

So since Christmas, I have been getting rid of - selling a lot of toys. We're talking a significant amount, both in numbers of action figures, and in money. 

Some of this money obviously goes right back into collecting, but this time more focused. I have been drooling over the Hot Toys Marvel superheroes ever since the Hong Kong company made toys for the first Iron Man movie. And naturally, I too start with Iron Man - more specifically the Iron Man 3 Tony Stark Suit Test. 

Now, this isn't about this specific Tony Stark toy, and I have only half-assed taken a few pictures of it. These pictures doesn't do the toy justice, and it's easy to find better pictures online. This is about what these figures are bringing to the table. These are the ultimate superhero action figures. 

In the past, my reasoning for not picking up Hot Toys figures have been: "These doesn't feel like toys". It's a common critique. They're extremely expensive, they're 1/6 scale, they're not intended for children. 

Tony Stark plays with toys as well. 

But when I display them in my cabinet, are they not toys that I play with? When I can't even leave them alone in said cabinet, am I not playing with them? 

I'm having more fun playing with the Hot Toys superheroes than I have had in a long time. The last time I had this much fun playing with toys was when me and Runar built a G.I. Joe diorama for a museum. 

The details on Tony Stark are amazing, his head sculpt is so realistic it's almost creepy. He has great articulation and comes with tons of cool accessories. Light up functions. I mean, apart from the high price, there aren't any reasons this couldn't be the perfect toy for anyone even remotely interested in action figures, comic books and the likes. 

When I think about it, I actually understand why it has been difficult for me to make this jump, and that may also be the reason I enjoy these toys more than I had thought. These aren't rooted in my nostalgia in the same way as say G.I. Joe, Transformers and Masters of the Universe. These are only indirectly connected to my childhood. I have always collected action figures, and I have always read the superheroes. But as a child I never had superhero action figures, and I was never into 1/6 scale. 

In that way, my Hot Toys Superheroes are something new, something exciting. Fear not, I'll still be into all the other stuff, Joes, Lego, robots and so on. But this is deliciously refreshing. 

Current collection consists of Tony Stark, one of his suits, one of his super powered colleagues, one of his adversaries, and two members of the espionage agency. All are obtained by simply getting rid of stuff I didn't use. 

Fun.

2.5 years of Toys and Bacon... What's next?

I've been producing content more or less regularly for over two years now, and now is the time to either take this to the next level, or scale it down significantly.

Some of the content I produce has been well thought out, starting out as a plan, going through a process like any article. I do research, I take pictures, I think thoroughly about what I will write. In order to maintain the schedule, I have also churned out zero-effort content. We're talking single pictures, news updates, content where schedule has taken precedence over quality.

I look through the list of updates from the year that has gone, and I see stuff like the recipe for How to make Artichoke Pizza, the list of the Top Ten Female Action Figures of the 80s, the article on Masters of the Universe Artwork, or the thoughts on toy collecting and nostalgia. 
All these are from 2013, and they are all work I can be proud of.

But I just don't have time to produce stuff like this every week. For every quality update, I see too many fillers, too much fluff. I can't stand by content that doesn't really fit my standards when I know what I'm actually capable of producing.

Truth is, I'd rather produce quality content when I have the time for it, than to stick with the schedule and share updates with no substance.

So going forwards, I will not bind myself to a schedule, but rather produce and share content when I feel I have something meaningful to say. I'll continue to produce articles on toys, recipes, top ten lists, even videos, but I won't promise content two times a week.

I think this is a good change, and I'd rather see Toys and Bacon 2014 contain ten great articles than 70 mediocre ones.

All this said, 2013 haven't been bad. Feel free to single out your favorite article I made this year. Feel free to share your own favorite recipes and toys of 2013, your opinions on the year in general even. I welcome your comments as usual.

If you have any sort of comments, suggestions, or even would like to write a guest article, let me know in a comment here, on twitter or on youtube.

Happy new year, people!

Real time toy hunting

I live in the dark abyss of nowhere when it comes to toys and toy stores.

Hasbro has started producing 6 inch SW figures

Seriously, our toy stores are completely useless, compared to what I've seen in bigger cities around the world. Remember that the biggest city in Norway is really just a tiny town. It's just very provincial, and the stock of our stores reflect that.  

But today, an instant message ticks in from my good friend, Runar.

"They have 6" Black series in a store here!"

And it's on. For real. My friend goes on a toy hunt all over the city, while keeping me updated in messages. And it's fun. It's toy talk, anticipation and enthusiasm. Because finding toys in stores is so much more rewarding and satisfying than buying them online. We haven't experienced this in years.

The Black Series looks good. 

I could of course just buy these toys on ebay, or through any of the other online stores.
But the feeling of finding a toy you like, holding it in your hand, skim through the rest of the toys to see if there are more. I miss that feeling. The toy hunt.

Apparently, each store got four figures - one single case of 6" Black series. It's almost hilarious, you'd think that with our economy, the position Star Wars has in our society, and the constantly growing mass of enthusiasts, that one of the biggest toy store chains in the country were smarter than this.
At the same time, this limited stock intrigues me. Am I not a collector after all? Do I not appreciate the toy hunt?

I really do, even today, when the toy hunt is done trough another person, in real time.

Well, at least they were smart enough to price them correctly - at around the same price Hasbro sold them for in their very own store. I appreciate that.

My friend picked up a Darth Maul for himself, and a Jumpsuit Luke Skywalker for me - thanks buddy. Can't wait to get this in hand!

And I suddenly have a reason to visit local toy stores again.

Why do you travel?

Every time I visit new places, I try to hold on to the good memories of that trip, to the point where the memories becomes stories of their own. It's not necessarily a big issue, but I'd like any excursion or journey to matter. I try to thoroughly enjoy any travel, specially when visiting other countries. I like to experience something unfamiliar. Not only limited to food, but most relevant to this blog, I'll say that trying out local food is a big deal for me on trips.  And that's probably not that uncommon. What seems to be uncommon is to remember what you experienced. What you ate, saw, heard. What specific places you visited. The good and bad of a certain place. The people you met and talked to. I fail to see the reason of travelling, if you don't make an effort remembering this.

I expected to come back from New York with a wealth of stories, because in the end, that's really what travelling is about. Experiencing - and if you're like me - retelling the stories.

For this blog, I'll leave you with two of those stories, the first was when I looked for the toy stores of NYC. The second one is a big article about various restaurants, where to get good food in the big city. It will take a little more time to write that one, and I aim to have it out Thursday.

But the remarkable thing is.. Am I the only one that does this? Surely I can't be alone in actually remembering what I experience when I'm out travelling? Wouldn't other people also have specific memories connected to certain places they've visited? I mean, what other reason would you have to travel?

Here's the thing, leading up to my trip to New York, we did a lot of research. We tried to locate places of interest, or rather places we could be interested in visiting. And in this process, I talked with a lot of people who also had visited New York. I asked them: Got anything to recommend? Any places I should try to visit? Anything interesting, out of the ordinary I should know? Any stories of interest to share?

The answers I got usually went along these lines: Oh, you should totally go to see a show on Broadway! Oh, you should totally go shopping on Times Square! Oh, oh, oh... And that Statue of Liberty is worth checking out!

Don't mistake me for an asshole, I appreciated their advice, I took their advice and did see a show on Broadway, I did go shopping on Times Square, and it was great! Sadly I did not find time for the Statue of Liberty.

But these are probably very near the top five tourist attraction of the city, and nothing I couldn't read in any and all tour guide of NYC. No one suggested good areas/museums/monuments/art galleries that I should make an effort to visit. No one suggested specific stores of interest. No one suggested what to say/not say to people. Places to avoid. Mistakes not to be done. No one suggested a good place to eat. No one even suggested what food to try.

Obviously it got me wondering. Am I just as clueless were I to give recommendations on the places I've been?

I doubt I can give specific names and addresses to restaurants, but I'm sure at the very least I can give a suggestion what food to try from all of the different countries I've visited.
Italy: Go to any place that has ice cream and get a stracciatella. Amsterdam: Try the most random pancake you can find. London: go to a pub, order a pie.Visit any restaurant that has swordfish on the menu: Go for it! I guess I'm not breaking any ground with these suggestions, but this is just off the top of my head.

And I know I can share a story or two from every place I've visited, that could be interesting for a potential traveler.

I guess it takes time for people to dig out memories. And I really hope that later that night, these people thought for themselves Oh, I should have really suggested that awesome coffee place over at 14th and second. 

But I'm honestly not sure. Why do people travel, if they can't remember anything from the trip?

Schedule Change!

Ok, it's been a long time since I posted. Well, not that long, but the blog has been on an obvious decline lately. Reason is that I'm trying to figure out the future of the blog. As I told you some two months ago, I've been wanting to change the schedule, and maybe re-do the way this blog is made.

I know I have loyal readers, and quite a few random visitors (in fact January 2013 was the second best in the history of the blog, in terms of visitors), so I want to make sure that the content is good and regular!

Toys and Bacon will from now on be updated every Tuesday and Thursday with articles. The articles will be short or long, depending on my personal schedule.
You will also be able to see occasional randomness in the weekend, either by small updates like a picture or a few eloquent words, or longer pieces if I feel like producing something more elaborate.

Out goes the Figure Friday article, sadly. That doesn't mean I won't do the heavy toy article, it just means that I won't produce anything regular on Fridays.

I'll try to have a bi-monthly list. Suggestions for what kinds of lists are always welcome. Actually, suggestions for anything is welcome. Leave a comment in one of the articles, and I will notice you.

Anyway, enjoy the rest of the week, and I'll be back in full force next week!

Merry Christmas!

Enjoy your holiday as much as possible. I'm taking a few days off, no long articles the next week. Hopefully the new year will hold some pleasant surprises for us all!

Selling out? Expanding and changing the blog, advertisement

Toys and Bacon is simply something I do for fun, and to keep myself and my writing sort of disciplined.
I think it's fantastic to get feedback and positive comments, because that means someone else are enjoying the blog too. That feedback, along with the pats on the back I give myself is the only thing I get out of the blog. I make exactly no money out of my writing, and the articles I have published will not get me a better job than the one I already have.

 You may notice a couple of ads in the right column. They have been there for 8 months, and haven't generated anything. I believe people have to click them for me to make money, and naturally no one does that. I wouldn't either. But I am tempted to have more/different ads, or maybe even a donation option. I put a lot of time in to the blog, and it would be cool to get something of substance back. I mean, even just a couple of $, to support the occasional minifigure would be nice.

Now comes the question of generating more visitors, because - believe it or not - this isn't the most popular site on the web. I have a couple of loyal readers, and honestly, I love you all. I also have a couple of visitors coming in through google searches. But really, Toys and Bacon can barely even be considered a niche site. While I feel that some of my articles are fairly universal, it should also be obvious that the content is tailor made for the absolutely selected (and awesome) few.

I will not sell out, of course. I will not start writing about sports, cars or fashion. I will not publish youtube unboxings or funny cat videos. I will not do breaking news or thorough review of new toys. I would like to simply continue writing articles about the stuff I like.  And there actually is one thing I like, that also happens to be a favorite among the average internet user: top lists. I notice that many of my lists have been a lot more popular than my other articles. So with that in mind, I will try to publish more top lists.

Another change will happen with the schedule. People just aren't reading the blog in the weekend, and the usual Figure Friday article have easily been the one I've worked on the most. This discrepancy can't continue. I think I will continue with articles three times per week, but I'm moving the heavy toy article to another day. Friday could maybe either be a shorter, meta-article, a few quick thoughts on a specific subject, or maybe even just a weekend-dinner suggestion?

So, this is where you readers come in. What day would be best suited for the Figure Friday-style article? What would it be called? What kind of lists would you like to see? What other changes could be done? Any suggestions are appreciated.

Anyway, no Figure Friday today, obviously.

Enjoy your weekend, people, and remember to share your passions!

Current food situation

The kitchen in my new apartment is a mess. It's difficult to make anything elaborate yet. It will end up a nice, but small kitchen, even though I will deeply miss the induction oven, and the stone bench. But right now, all I can do is make tea and heat prefabricated food. Not healthy, not really up to my preferred standards, but it will have to do for now. At least I can drool over past meals and other food related pictures... 

Toys and Bacon 1 Year...

The Anatomy of Bacon, part 3: Toys and Bacon

Good things in life are meant to be combined, enjoyed together for the synergy effect. Breakfast while playing with your favorite toys. Rest assured, no toys were eaten, and no bacon was left uneaten...

Click here for part 1 and here for part 2 of The Anatomy of Bacon. Click Read more to see pictures of toys and bacon. Literally. That's all it is.

Toys and Bacon Blog Design

I'm still trying to figure out what looks best. Some had problem reading the gray font on the transparent background, so I went for the classic, but rather boring black on white background. And eggs.

I'm definitely not satisfied yet, but it will do for a little while longer like this. Work in progress.
Feel free to let me know how you want this blog to look like.