Toys – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com The best place on earth for nerds. Sun, 23 Apr 2023 12:19:13 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/cropped-nerds_head_thumb2-100x100.png Toys – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com 32 32 All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, under one umbrella. We create short run podcasts for nerds, covering D&D, Marvel, Starfinder, and more! You vote for your favorite shows and they just might get a second season. Toys – Nerds on Earth false episodic Toys – Nerds on Earth jason.sansbury@nerdsonearth.com podcast All the podcasts from NerdsonEarth.com, the best place on Earth for nerds. Toys – Nerds on Earth https://nerdsonearth.com/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/noe-podcast-logo.png https://nerdsonearth.com/category/toys/ The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe https://nerdsonearth.com/2023/04/the-toys-of-he-man-and-the-masters-of-the-universe/ Thu, 20 Apr 2023 12:14:44 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=40686

Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an incredible book for any MotU fan, new or old.

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Can you feel that? The book and toy world is a-buzz with something…

Is it bees? That would be the most exciting but since that fateful summer of 2020 when stuck-at-home Nerds on Earth writer Abram took up beekeeping in an attempt to stay active. Bzzzzz, good honey.

But, no, it’s not those types of bees, it’s Buzz-Off, a classic character from the vintage 1984 line of Masters of the Universe figures, as illustrated on page 26 of The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, the epic tome by Val Staples and Dan Eardley.

The gorgeous, 4,000+ pound book from Dark Horse Books is filled like honeycombs in a hive with delicious photos and glorious write-ups of every single Masters of the Universe figure and playset.

The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Even a casual fan will enjoy flipping through this book, although doing so will take approximately two weeks, if one reads night and day. Officially, the book is 750 pages and weighs in 6.9 pounds. It’s a beast, man.

It’s massive, like the Eternia playset, and chronicles all the toys of He-Man line. Even She-Ra. The book is divided in to chronological sections. So, the original line of toys are found in the opening several hundred pages of the book and each figure, vehicle, and playset receives their own spread, all listed alphabetically. It’s an absolute nostalgia power trip.

The book’s later sections detail the newer lines of toys. Interviews – like the one with the Four Horseman, famed action figure sculptors – are sprinkled throughout the book and it also includes beautiful timelines and much, much more. It’s 750 pages of hair rock gloriousness.

YouTube influencer “Pixel Dan” Eardley and He-Man historian Val Staples worked together to cultivate every item across all the complete toy lines, including: 1982’s Masters of the Universe, 1985’s Princess of Power, 1989’s He-Man, 2002’s Masters of the Universe relaunch, and 2008’s Masters of the Universe Classics!

It is expertly-researched and documented, includes unique variants, and offers photographic reference of the heroic figures and playsets from decades of development. Insights into the origins of the products are fascinating.

It is truly the perfect addition to any Masters of the Universe fan’s collection. I adore mine. I thought I was a MotU fan before but this single book rekindled my passion for the line in the way none of the newer cartoons or toy lines have ever done.

The book has people all atwitter, even by the 4 dozen or so folks on Mastodon. It is currently under $40 on Amazon, which is bonkers considering the page count. Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is highly recommended and I have high hopes that Dark Horse books will create a similar product for GI Joe, MASK, TMNT, and other classic toy lines.

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7 Rad Gnarly Totally Awesome Toy Lines of the 80s that Were Sadly Overlooked https://nerdsonearth.com/2023/01/obscure-80s-toy-lines/ Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=40146

Nerds on Earth shares the 7 rad gnarliest totally awesomest toy lines of the 1980s that are sadly obscure.

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I’m secure enough (barely) to admit that I’ve tight-rolled my acid-washed jeans, worn neon, and had, at one time, spikey hair. It’s not only that I have fond memories of the 80s, I thought the 80s were totally tubular. Gnarly even.

Furthermore, the toy lines of the 1980s were rad and objectively some of the all-time best, like GI Joe and Masters of the Universe.

But I’ve already made a list of the 7 all-time best. For this list I’ll highlight 7 toy lines from the 80s that were sadly overlooked. And there were so many, even among those not well-known, to choose from, so I’ll only be able to skim the…well, not the cream. What’s under the cream? Is it cheese? Let’s just say it’s the cheese because many of these 80s toy lines will seem super-cheesy to Today’s Modern Nerd.®

7 Overlooked Toy Lines of the 80s

#7 BATTLE BEASTS

Image courtesy of theretronetwork.com.

Battle Beasts were created by Takara of Japan in 1986 who licensed to Hasbro for distribution outside Japan.

Like most toys, they had a gimmick to help sales and the Battle Beast gimmick was each figure had a heat sensitive rub sign on their chest that when rubbed would reveal the warrior’s strength. The symbols would represent either fire, wood or water and could be used in a rock, paper, scissors type game—fire beat wood, wood beat water, water beat fire.

Also, each Beast also carried his own distinctive weapon and, in the United States, Battle Beasts came in packages of two where it was impossible to tell which figure had a rub of fire, wood, or water until the package was opened.

That came in handy with marketing, as their slogan was, “Fire! Wood! Or Water!… You’ll never know until you own them!

Well, I guess when I type out that Battle Beasts had a Paper, Rock, Scissors thing going it doesn’t sound as great as I remember it. But at the expense of “rubbing” you the wrong way, I’m sticking to it: Battle Beasts were one of the more overlooked toy lines of the 80s.

#6 VISIONARIES

Image courtesy of nothingbutnostalgia.com

Visionaries was a 1987 line of action figures from Hasbro that didn’t even make it to a full 15 minutes of fame before it was cancelled. But I was heavy into D&D at the time and thought I would be a wizard when I grew up, so it was awesome to me.

The Visionaries were two groups of knights who were invited to a competition by the wizard, Merklynn. The story was set on a planet where all electronics winked out, so the people were forced to rely on old school magic.

Yeah, it was some trippy dippy stuff, so it’s no wonder the Marvel comic only lasted a few issues and the companion cartoon only lasted about 13 episodes. But the idea of technology winking out could be prime for a comeback today in a culture where everyone is getting sick of phones, Zoom screens, and notifications popping up everywhere.

Regardless, I thought it was totally rad at the time though, particularly because all the action figures had a hologram sticker long before Marvel comics beat that idea to death in 90s comics.

Here’s a review of the show on YouTube.

#5 M.U.S.C.L.E.

Image courtesy of musclefigures.com.

M.U.S.C.L.E. “Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere” figures were small, inexpensive and…pink. Unsurprisingly, M.U.S.C.L.E. figures originated in Japan and were originally based off a 1979 manga that was a parody of the popular Ultraman and the figures sold in vending machines.

Instead of being an impressive figure, though, the titular character of the manga was an inept, bumbling wannabe and the stories shifted focus to an intense intergalactic form of professional wrestling, where an ever-growing cadre of surreal combatants with bone-crushing finishing moves battled in the ring.

The United States versions used the same molds and flesh-colored plastic as their Japanese counterparts. However, instead of vending machines, the figures were available in a cardboard and plastic 4-pack that sold for a buck. But if you’d saved up your allowance, a mammoth 28-pack could be had for $7 and the 28-packs were available in different factions to establish a story behind the figures: the “good guy” Thug Busters, led by Muscleman and the “bad guy” Cosmic Crunchers, led by Terri-Bull, based on a long-time rival from the manga, Buffaloman.

#4 WARRIOR BEASTS

Warriors Beasts were made by Remco, a company with a nose to move in adjacent to popular properties, and never had the broad multi-media support that properties like Star Wars, MOTU, and others did. Instead, Remco would make toys that were kinda-sorta like those more well-known properties and could cash in on their wake.

So, Remco had a line for DC Comics Warlord characters. Not sticking with the Distinguished Competition, they also had a Crystar line for Marvel, as well as some Dukes of Hazard, Sgt Rock, Conan, and a line of wrestling figures that only took off after Remo’s bankruptcy and the license was purchased by Jakks Pacific, who would then go on to produce some of the most collected wrestling figures today.

Remco was best known for their monsters figures based upon their well-loved Universal Monster figures from the 70s and it was in this monster vein that their little-known Warrior Beasts sprang out of. And Warrior Beasts were styled almost identically to MOTU figures, including being the exact same scale and have a similar rubber leg joint.

As a result, I’ll often find a rogue Warrior Beast figure in with the MOTU figures when a buy a lot of vintage stuff. And you know what? I ain’t mad at that because those Warrior Beast figures are pretty nice, even if they were overlooked in the 80s.

#3 BRAVE STARR

BraveStarr toys were absolutely amazing and it is perplexing the line didn’t succeed because it had cartoon support as well.

BraveStarr figures were a little larger than most other figures at nearly 8″ tall. Plus, each figure had a unique action feature and was packaged with Kerium nuggets, the mining ore of the setting.

Marshal BraveStarr was the hero of the line. A galactic marshal of New Texas, Marshal BarveStarr was a Native American who could call upon the power of “spirit animals,” enabling superpowers like “The Eyes of the Hawk” that enhanced his vision or “The Ears of the Wolf” that gave him super-human hearing.

In addition to his spirit animal powers, Marshal had a variety of tech such as a computerized visor and a “Neutra-laser” pistol and freeze rifle. Marshal was the “Protector of Peace” who preferred to serve as a mediator in a conflict over resorting to violence.

He was a cool character and others in the line were great as well. Although the hero of the story was a Native American, I suspect the scrutiny of today’s culture would give Mattel pause in re-leasing the line but I wish they would, because Marshal BraveStarr was really great back in the day.

#2 SILVERHAWKS

Image courtesy of Wheeljack’s Lab.

Silverhawks was essentially a as a space-based equivalent of Thundercats. A bionic space enforcer called Commander Stargazer recruited the SilverHawks, heroes who are “partly metal, partly real”, and all party to fight the evil MonStar, an escaped alien mob boss.

The SilverHawks action figures were produced by Kenner and first released in 1987. Each figure was packaged with a companion cyborg bird. Their bionic bodies were covered by a full-body metal armor that only left the face and one arm exposed. Plus, they had retractable under-arm wings , thrusters on their heels, and laser-weapons in their shoulders. Awesomeness.

But the line never really took off, despite awesome stuff like the country-singing “Bluegrass” who piloted the team’s ship, “Copper Kidd” who was a mathematical genius who spoke in whistles and computerized tones, and all the coolness listed above.

#1 SHOGUN WARRIORS

Let’s end this list by cheating a little bit. Shogun Warriors were released in the late 70s and were cancelled by the time the 80s rolled around, although the toys persisted a bit for an odd reason.

Shogun Warriors were toys licensed by Mattel during the late 1970sbased on Japanese anime shows featuring giant robots. What’s cool was they came in three sizes:

  • 24-inch plastic versions, which were amaaaaazzzzing,
  • 3.5-inch die-cast metal versions, which were my favorite, and
  • slightly taller but more detailed 5-inch die-cast versions that I had forgotten existed until I was researching this article.

The Shogun Warrior line also had several vehicles that could join together to form a super robot (think Voltron and, later, Transformers Constructicons).

But the best thing is the weapons were spring loaded and shot projectiles. But this got them in trouble, because of safety concerns that children might launch the weapons and hit other children or pets in the eyes. Because of this, the Shogun Warrior toy line was discontinued by 1980, although interest continued by robots that can put your eye out sound fun.

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How to Clean Your Vintage Collectibles https://nerdsonearth.com/2022/10/how-to-clean-your-vintage-toys-collectibles/ Wed, 26 Oct 2022 13:51:42 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=39747

Here are some simple tools you can use to begin cleaning your vintage toys and collectibles. Who knew cleaning toys had techniques?

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There are a lot of opinions on cleaning old collectibles, the most prevalent being just don’t do it. Why put in the effort, you know, when Netflix and chillin’ are right over there.

I don’t want to be that guy in the middle seat of a long flight that misinterprets your politeness as an invitation to give you unsolicited life advice, but I’ll be that guy anyway. Put a little effort into spiffying up your old collectibles. They’re cool, they deserve it.

So, what follows is a brief intro to the tools and techniques you could use. It’s not a deep dive because it’s just cleaning old toys, there isn’t a PhD to be earned here. I’ll just offer a few tips that when coupled with a little elbow grease will clean up your vintage toys.

How to Clean Vintage Toys

I’m here to straightforwardly share a few of the simple tools I use to clean my personal collection of old plastic and – surprise! – paper stuff. As added context, I’m a Chris-Claremont enthusiast, Yo Joe!, arcade cabinets are rad, D&D nerd, so what we’ll discuss below are my tools and processes for 80s vintage toys, books, and collectibles, not pricey or classic historical stuff where I’d be sacred to death to mess with it myself. That type of collectible cleaning is better left to a professional.

Let’s get to washing.

Toothbrush

Never throw away an old toothbrush. Rinse them well, then toss them in a utility drawer for later, because there are few tools better for cleaning old plastic junk than an old toothbrush.

Most old toys can be shined up after a soak in a bowl of warm, soapy water, followed by a light brushing. Old GI Joes or army men, any bendy figure, TMNT, Masters of the Universe (MOTU), etc. can look great after just a little time with a toothbrush.

Toys are meant to be played with, so it’s understandable that a 30-year-old action figure would collect some schmutz. Fill a large bowl with warm mildly soapy water. I recommend a small bottle of Dawn or similar from Dollar Tree. You don’t need the $19 an ounce eucalyptus infused nonsense you buy from Target.

Let your toys soak for a moment then lightly brush them with the old toothbrush you were planning to toss. That’s it.

Makeup Remover Pads

Just a gentle rub with a dry makeup removal pad removes tons of dust and grime from old vintage toys.

We are talking about cleaning toys and collectibles that may 30+ years old, so it’s understandable they might accumulate a layer of dust and schmutz that might not be visible like a coffee stain would be, but would nevertheless reduce the shine and sheen of the item.

In short, it’s remarkable the results you get just by rubbing a makeup remover pad over the toy.

Get makeup remover pads like this, because you want pure cotton and nothing with an lotions or additives like the $19 an ounce eucalyptus infused nonsense you buy from Target.

This is particularly good for on card action figures that might have been in storage for a decade. Just gently dusting them might be all you need to do and a makeup remover pad is the best product for that task.

Now, let’s get pro.

Surfactant

Just look at how much grime came off the Macho Man with some surfactant.

To clean your vintage toys like a professional, you’ll need to get a surfactant like this to mix up or a kit, if you didn’t enjoy chemistry as a kid.

A surfactant is a fancy word for a soap. I have a pump bottle like is used in nail salons. I take a makeup remover pad like is used in nail salons…in fact, now that I think of it, you can take your vintage toys and have them cleaned in a nail salon.

Or you can mix up a surfactant in the pump bottle at home like a grown man that owns toys and use two pumps to moisten the makeup pad, but not saturate it. You then go over your old vintage toys, including paper! The linked surfactant is designed for wet-cleaning comic books, so it is mild enough to use on vintage paper collectibles like old Nintendo Power or Heavy Metal magazines, vintage D&D modules, or card backs from your old Joes or Star Wars figures. I just cleaned the boxes on some ole Marvel Legends 10 inch figures.

Again, you don’t want the makeup pad to be dripping wet – two pumps from the bottle – but it works great to use the linked product to clean paper goods. But it is great on plastics as well, particularly items you don’t want to submerge in a bowl of soapy water and scrub with a brush because they might have metal joints, for example.

I just shined up my Ecto-1 that had decades of grime on it. Makeup remover pads can even be great about getting into tiny corners. I simply use fine modeling implements to push against the cotton pad, pressing it into creases. You can use a toothpick or similar to do the same.

The point is the surfactant does a remarkable job! I have the pump bottle and makeup pads on my project bench, where I can conveniently grab them and shine up my old toys and collectibles before I price them to go in my antique booth. It’s remarkable how much better they look after just a few seconds.

A pump bottle with a mild surfactant is excellent for cleaning up vintage toys.
Using the surfactant on paper goods, like a vintage D&D DM screen. Dirt on top photo. Much cleaner in the bottom photo.
A pump bottle with surfactant along with a bottle of distilled water for rinsing.

I have a second pump bottle of pure distilled water that I’ll sometimes use to rinse after the surfactant, but that isn’t always necessary.

You’ll be surprised at the dirt you’ll see when you examine the makeup pad. Repeat a few times as your first step in cleaning your old toys and collectibles.

+ Get the makeup removal pads here.

+ Get the surfactant here.

+ Get the pump bottles here.

White Eraser Toppers

It’s careful work but you can brighten the white areas of your comics if you have the correct eraser and do a good deal of practice on $1 books. Look at the difference between the “N” and the “R.”

My kids have erasers shaped into My Little Ponies, but to clean comics or other vintage paper goods like magazines, you’ll want something white and of a known consistency so you don’t inadvertently chunk up your books. The tried and true eraser toppers are from Helix and come in a 10-pack.

These are used on the white portions of covers. Using small strokes, you’ll gently go over all the white areas of the comic. Don’t bear down; the goal isn’t to bore a hole through the cover of your comic, magazine, or vintage paperback!

I don’t even put my eraser heads on the top of a pencil, I hold them close to the paper because I want to get in there with precision. You’ll be surprised at how many marks and scuffs these babies will remove from the white area of your comics, giving the whole cover more vibrancy by comparison.

An alternative is the “Staedtler Stick,” as I call them. It’s a similar white eraser with a consistency that’s a little more rubbery. The convenience is being able to click down more eraser as it’s used, but the downside is lesser control in your fingertips, in my opinion.

Get the white eraser toppers here.

Focused Point Erasers

Sometimes you need a precision instrument to get the tighty whitey areas.

Used by 4-year-olds, eraser toppers are more of a blunt instrument. But you need precision to get the white areas in places like between the blacks lines of a UPC code. That’s why my final step for cleaning the white areas is to use a focused eraser point.

The Mono Zero clicks down like a Staedler Stick, but with an eraser that is just a few millimeters wide, it’s great for getting into very small white areas. You can buy refill packs, and you must, because these wear down and soil quickly. The Tombow Mono Zero works great, it’s become one of my preferred tools.

Get the Mono Zero precision art eraser here.

Dry Cleaning Pad

One other product I occasionally use for cleaning vintage collectibles is a dry cleaning bag. Color areas are tricky on old carded action figures or boxes, for example, and provide a large opportunity for mistake. Again, I typically tread lightly on color areas, if for some reason I’m feeling cautious about wet-cleaning with the surfactant. So, the final tool I sometimes use for cleaning is a dry cleaning pad.

Dry cleaning bags look and feel like bean bags because they are filled with finely ground eraser material. I’ll tap and dab color areas sometimes if I see an obvious dirt buildup and the dry cleaning pad can sometimes help a bit. It’s not a miracle worker, but it’s gentle so it won’t typically do any damage.

+ Get a dry cleaning pad here.

BONUS: You’ll want to store your makeup removal pads somewhere, so why not go for a Marvel pencil case. This is the one I use, because I’m cool.

Realistically, you’ll want to go with this larger capacity one, especially if you are investing in a dry cleaning pad or eraser toppers as well because you’ll need the space, but it’s not nearly as fun as a Marvel one, so be a winner.


Take it slow. If you want to try the eraser method for dry-cleaning, practice on some dollar comics or beater magazines. Practice with the surfactant on some easier stuff, like plastic playsets. Then move up to paper goods where you want to take care on how wet you get the time and more detailed stuff where you want to use an implement to get the makeup remover pad into crevices. Or just dump your old wrestlers into a tub of sudsy water!

Regardless, happy cleaning!

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Let’s Talk About Displaying Your LEGO! https://nerdsonearth.com/2022/03/displaying-lego/ Mon, 14 Mar 2022 12:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=38246

How do you best display your Lego collection?!? Nerds on Earth has some tips!

The post Let’s Talk About Displaying Your LEGO! appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

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It is best hobby in the world but there is one frustrating thing about Lego: How to display it. Of course, how you display will be dictated in large part by what you collect and/or choose to display, as well as space you have available.

Much like when I talked about storage, you need to go with what you got space-wise, but also, displaying in limited spaces can help you to think outside of the box and get creative! So let’s dive in!

What are you collecting? Minifigures or full on sets?

Full Sets

If you are wanting to display full sets, you will need some sort of shelving. Generally, Lego sets are not super heavy, so you don’t have to break the bank for top-end sturdy shelving. IKEA has a lot of great options that will fit your needs well, and if you are like me and want to put most of your money in the acquisition of Lego, then I would utilize things like online marketplaces to help get the best deal!

However, if you want everything to match, you will need to be patient to find the right things on a budget, or you have to make a bit of an investment upfront in order to display your Lego.

I talked about dusting your Lego sets in my cleaning series, but how about focusing on dust prevention. If you can land a shelf that has glass doors that would be an ideal way to keep your sets visible as well as protected from dust. Though, sometimes these enclosed shelves feel uninviting for Lego as, in my opinion, Lego should be held and even played with.

So you will have to decide how freely accessible you want your collection to be as it is a personal choice if you want people handling your Lego collection or not.

Another pro tip is look for at least one corner shelf! This helps maximize almost any space and can really be a fun unique way to display sets that will draw peoples’ eyes towards them! Also, floating shelves look really cool so, much like the hobby of Lego, displaying them is another part of the artistic expression!

Minifigures

There are so many great ways to display minifigures, so my recommendation is really look at as many ideas as you can before you decide on which is your style!

While there are some very cost effective ways to do it, but some of my favorite are not very cost effective. I personally like the enclosed Lego display cases as they protect from dust and dander. Though these cases run expensive, and if you need a lot of them you may have to be patient in tracking them down.        

Recently I have seen a lot of people making their own displays out of, you guessed it, Lego. People are doing it in a variety of ways, some are very complex, others are very simple and most people even make the displays theme based.

Essentially matching your personality is the fun of Lego, whether building or displaying! Which is the point right? We each find one or two, or more, themes that we are drawn to with Lego and we make those the focus of our collection.

Lego allows us to express ourselves like no other hobby, and that is why I absolutely love Lego!


Well, I hope this inspires you to take hold of the rapidly growing Lego hobby and get yours displayed. Thanks for reading and keeping looking for Lego posts as I want to help you build your dream Lego layout, brick by brick. Just search Nerds on Earth!

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Let’s Talk About Cleaning Your LEGO! https://nerdsonearth.com/2022/02/cleaning-lego/ Mon, 14 Feb 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=38104

How do you get your greasy, grimy LEGO clean?!? Nerds on Earth has some tips!

The post Let’s Talk About Cleaning Your LEGO! appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

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The dead of winter is the perfect time of year to get back into LEGO, the greatest hobby in the world. But before we dive into reviews of individual LEGO sets, I want to talk about taking care of LEGO!

In this article we get into cleaning LEGO. While this can be one of the more time consuming and frustrating parts of Lego collecting, you must remember, a clean Lego set, is a happy Lego set! So let’s dive in.

Another one bites the dust.

Dusting is a tricky part of caring for your LEGO as you can’t just wildly wave a duster at them, and absolutely should not use a vacuum to clean your sets. There is nothing worse than the sound of a Lego flying into the vacuum. I use two different methods to dust off my Lego display, but let’s first talk about the displays themselves.

The first step is to save yourself some dusting. If you primarily display your sets rather than use then for active imagination play, then you should invest in some cases. Dusting your LEGO collection takes forever, and we will get to more specific tips on that.

If you use your sets actively, then you will have to worry less about them collecting dust. However, if you are only displaying them they will collect dust, and I promise it is easier to dust a display case than a LEGO set.

For example, here is a case designed for just displaying figures. And here is a display case for larger sets, but shop around but there are tons of options. Now, let’s talk about dusting without a case.

A: The first tool is one of those air-in-a-can dusters that you typically use for cleaning a computer keyboard. They are effective and if a piece does unfortunately come loose it doesn’t get vacuumed into the Lego abyss. But I do recommend doing this dusting method in a place where you can contain flying Lego pieces, just in case. (If you want to go pro and save the environment, consider a rechargeable duster.)

 B: Second, if you have hard-to-fight dust, use a Swiffer duster sheet. These are pretty good at lifting dust from clingy surfaces. I also will do the surface then start removing parts to get down to the nitty gritty! LEGO really does collect dust like nobody’s business!

Sanitizing

I buy a lot of bulk LEGO when I can find a good deal. (Generally, if it is $3 a pound I am all over it, and if there are mini figs in the mix you might be sitting on a gold mine if you get into to the LEGO flipping game…but that will be an article for another time.)

When you are buying bulk LEGO it might come in pretty grimy condition and honestly Lego needs to be sanitized! I recommend dusting first so you don’t make a mess of easy to lift dust. Then you must clean it more thoroughly.

A: I have a pretty heavy duty mesh bag, like for washing delicate laundry, and use this to hold the LEGO while I use the dishwasher to do the heavy cleaning! It comes out clean enough to eat off of, but don’t eat off of your LEGO cause you will just be cleaning it again.

B: f you do not have a mesh bag, or a dishwasher, I also have used piping hot water and dish soap or vinegar to soak them. Do not use bleach, it will wash away some color from your Lego, especially mini figures.

I also like to do it outside with plenty of sunlight if you can! This will also be important if you ever need to restore color to Lego and I will do a post on that with a great video I found on Youtube!  


Well, I hope this inspires you to take hold of the rapidly growing collection and get organized and clean. Thanks for reading and keeping looking for Lego posts as I want to help you build your dream Lego layout, brick by brick. Just search Nerds on Earth!

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Let’s Talk About Storage Solutions for Your LEGO! https://nerdsonearth.com/2022/02/lego-storage-solutions/ Mon, 07 Feb 2022 13:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=38097

How in the Sam Hill tarnation is a Nerd supposed to store all his LEGO?!?! Nerds on Earth has some LEGO storage tips for you!

The post Let’s Talk About Storage Solutions for Your LEGO! appeared first on Nerds on Earth.

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The dead of winter it is the perfect time of year to get back into LEGO, the greatest hobby in the world. But before we dive into discussion of individual LEGO sets, let’s talk about taking care of LEGO! Here are

Ultimately, storage of LEGO is 75% of the effort in collecting LEGO, so let’s build a foundation in regards to the storage of said bricks.

Sort LEGO by piece, notcolor.

That’s right, we’re starting off with perhaps the most controversial part of storage: type vs. color. While so many people prefer to sort by color because it is aesthetically pleasing, sorting by color will only drive you mad over time through having to absolutely dig through all of your red parts to find the one unique red piece you are looking for, as opposed to seeing the right color amongst a stock pile of pieces. 

So if you have the opportunity to truly sort out your pieces, sort by piece rather than color and you will save time and energy when you need to track down the right piece.

Use storage that fits your space well.

Again, people often default to aesthetic rather than workability. If you have an good amount of space and can do both well, awesome, but if you are pressed for space you will have to decide what is your primary objective.

If you are like me and often customize sets or find incomplete sets that you make 100% complete with parts you have, then workability is critically important! So, rather than Google a stock storage solution, take the time to assess your space and research the solution that fits your space practically in terms of usability.

Here is an option is you know you want something resembling the pictured solutions, but again, think about your space and your needs, so don’t feel pressure to use the pictured solution.

(I also do a lot of shipping LEGO, but I can talk more about that in a different article. Just note that work space plays and important role in taking photos as well.)

To label or not to label, that is the question.

Early on you will likely feel compelled to label everything for the sake of finding things more quickly. However, I have found that over time you will just remember where things are regardless. So my suggestion is to take the time up front to organize your collection in a way that makes sense to you and just be patient as your remember your lay out.

If you truly want to label them, I recommend post it notes that will be easy to remove and change as needed. If you try to make the labels permanently stick, you will regret it if you ever try to overhaul your organization system. 

If you use larger bins that have the size to accommodate label holders, then that might be an option. These self-adhesive index cards holders provide a clear sleeve where you can insert an index card. The benefit is relabeling wouldn’t require trying to peel off adhesive, it would simply mean pulling out an index card, then sliding in a new one.

Save yourself some dusting.

If you primarily display your sets rather than use then for active imagination play, then you should invest in some cases. Dusting your LEGO collection takes forever, and we will get to more specific tips on that in later articles.

However, if you use your sets actively, then you will have to worry less about them collecting dust. If you are only displaying them they will collect dust, and I promise it is easier to dust a display case than a LEGO set.

For example, here is a case designed for just displaying figures. And here is a display case for larger sets, but shop around but there are tons of options.


Search Nerds on Earth for more LEGO content, as I can into care and cleaning in other articles. For now, I hope this inspires you to take hold of your rapidly growing collection and get organized. Now go build your dream LEGO layout, brick by brick.

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Top 7 Characters to Add to the Marvel LEGO Minifig Poly Bags! https://nerdsonearth.com/2021/10/top-7-characters-to-add-to-the-marvel-lego-minifig-poly-bags/ Mon, 18 Oct 2021 12:52:16 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=37153

Nash shares his love for the new LEGO Marvel Superheroes Poly bag line, as well as his thoughts for the next characters who should be immortalized in LEGO.

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Hey gang, it’s been a while since we talked LEGO, however with winter right around the corner, it is the perfect time of year to get back into the greatest hobby in the world. I will get back to reviews of LEGO sets, but first and foremost I want to talk about the most recent run of Lego Licensed poly bags. Poly bags have never really gotten me too excited… until now.

The latest run of Marvel studios mini figures gave me the bug to collect them all! initially I was given 3 bags as a gift for starting my new job. I opened all 3, and got 3 of the cooler ones:

  1. T’challa as Starlord,
  2. White Vision, which was my Son’s favorite, and
  3. Loki with THROG! (Thor Frog).

What’s really great about all of the minifig poly bags is that you get such a wide variety of parts that you could use for other builds if you wanted to.

I’m always sifting through accessories, tops, legs, and more to try and recreate some of my most beloved characters as LEGO minifigs. I remember when we were doing one of our Marvel Superhero drafts, which prompted me to recreate my team out of LEGO. What did I ever do with those…?

Everybody can get excited about minifigs because they are so versatile. People love to recreate themselves, their favorite characters from pop culture, and more. I’d argue that they’re the lifeblood of the LEGO universe, which incidentally runs heavily on IP deals with big names.

But having the ability to display Marvel Superheroes and see the history of the MCU incarnate in plastic is just so great. And with the addition of the Disney Plus series, there is a lot more IP to draw from.

These bags are all awesome because they represent some of the best of the current MCU. Which brings me to the point of this article, who is missing and why they should be in the next wave of poly bags:

  1. USAgent, John Walker. We don’t really need a set for Falcon and winter soldier as they released Cap Sam and Bucky in poly bags. So why not get John Walker and his amazing suit design!
  2. Zemo. This show actually has a lot of characters who we could demand, and Zemo is a MUST ADD to my collection if they release him. I want a cool purple mask that goes over the mini fig head, not just a purple LEGO head BTW.
  3. Agatha Harkness. Let’s stick with missing toons from the TV shows for now, and bring in our favorite new witch. Also there is the indication that she is getting her own spin-off show and I am here for it!
  4. Mobius. I mean, who hasn’t wanted Owen Wilson in Lego form? He was absolutely perfect in his MCU role and deserves to be immortalized as a mini figure.
  5. Taskmaster. I know there was a mini figure released as part of a Black widow set, but let’s be honest. The shield was a let down. With all the cool versions of Cap’s shield out there, let’s get Taskmaster a proper shield, and again, would like a helmet not just a printed mini figure head.
  6. Red Guardian. Much of the same reasoning as Taskmaster. Let’s get a rework of R.G. with a proper shield, and if anyone from Lego is listening, you could probably get a very cool breastplate piece like medieval armor to emulate David Harbors physique from the movie. Also, cap style helmet as well, if that wasn’t clear.
  7. Ultron-Vision. This list would not be complete without the iconic villain from the “What if..” series. We have a lot of “What if…” sets and even got a few mini figures in poly bags. However, the one that I just can’t live with out, is Ultron-Vision!

Well, by Nerds on Earth law, I only get 7 per list. Did I miss any that you can’t live without?! It’s hard to keep track of all the characters that are already in minifig form, and which ones I’ve imagined! And even despite the numerous Marvel LEGO minifigs out there, I feel like LEGO has only begun to scratch the surface on the genre.

Also, be on the lookout for more Lego articles such as caring for Lego and highest value sets on the market right now!

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What if GI Joe Characters Became Marvel Superheroes? https://nerdsonearth.com/2021/06/gi-joe-characters-marvel-superheroes-avengers/ Fri, 18 Jun 2021 12:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=35966

What if GI Joe soldiers were Avengers? Which Avenger would they be?

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It’s been a long time since GI Joe was kinda sorta maybe possibly a part of the Marvel Universe. GI Joe is a Hasbro IP, but Marvel had the license to do the comics in the 80s. During that time, it was illegal to advertise your toy brand during your cartoon, so the hugely popular GI Joe cartoon advertised the comic book instead, making the Larry Hama written comic a #1 seller during its heyday.

The GI Joes comics then served as fantastic advertising for the toys, of course, creating a virtuous marketing cycle for GI Joe. The proof? Hasbro sold 375 million of the 3.75 inch figures.

So, the GI Joe comics were published by Marvel but not officially Marvel IP. Yet the extreme popularity of the comics created a feeling that the Joes were battling Cobra in the Marvel Universe, since they were sold alongside titles like Thing, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight.

But what if GI Joe really was a part of the Marvel Universe? Which Avengers would they be? Well, I know the answer to that question and I’ll share it with you, because knowing is half the battle.

1. Scarlet – Black Widow

Image from yojoe.com

Scarlett was one of the original 3.75 inch Joes in 1982 and was known for her romance with Snakes Eyes in the comics and for rescuing herself when Snake Eyes came to rescue her in the iconic GI Joe #21 “Silent Issue.”

One of the wonderful things about GI Joes were the backs of the blister packs. The top of the card back showed tiny thumbnails of that year’s action figure releases, but the bottom was the file card, which told the Joe’s rank, military specialty, and background, written by Larry Hama himself.

We learned from Scarlett’s file card that her primary specialty on the Joe team is counter intelligence, and that Scarlett is additionally skilled in martial arts and acrobatics. Hmmm. Counter intelligence with an acrobatic fighting style? Yup, that’s Black Widow.

2. Lady Jaye – Mockingbird

Lady Jane’s file card informs us that her speciality is also intelligence and she’s trained to infiltrate just like Mockingbird showed during her spy days with SHIELD.

But owners of the Lady Jaye action figure also know that she came with an odd weapon, a javelin launcher. Sure, it’s not a one-to-one match, but the shape of a javelin is reminiscent of the staff that Mockingbord fights with it. In fact, it’s enough of a match that I’m calling that Lady Jaye would be Mockingbird if she was an Avenger (West Coast) in the Marvel Universe.

3. Snake Eyes – Daredevil

Image from 3DJoes.com

Sure, Snake Eyes is mute and Daredevil is blind, but it is those disabilities that create a connection between the characters. Further, the hand-to-hand fighting styles cement the characters, as do ninja training, the Arashikage Clan for Snake Eyes and the Hand with Daredevil.

Snake Eyes and Daredevil are both silent fighters and if GI Joe was really a part of the Marvel Universe, he’s easy to associate with Daredevil.

4. Duke – Captain America

Image courtesy of 3DJoes.com

Duke was the handsome, courageous field leader of the Joes. Captain America is the handsome, courageous field leader of the Avengers. We don’t need much more than that to make a connection between the two, but Duke sure would have looked good with a shield in addition to his Army issued firearm.

But if you need more proof, read the last line of Duke’s file card and picture Chris Evans saying it in a scene from Captain America: The First Avenger.

5. Roadblock – War Machine

Image from yojoe.com

I’ve always loved that War Machine had shoulder-mounted artillery as part of his Stark armor. It’s bada@@. Shock and awe, baby. And us Nerds got a good example of it when War Machine was raining fire down on Thanos’ mininons when they were attacking Wakanda during Avengers: Infinity War.

Roadblock similarly rains down fire with his M2 .50 caliber “Ma Deuce” Browning heavy machine gun. Read that last paragraph of Roadblock’s file card and picture Colonel James Rhodes. It works.

6. Storm Shadow – Hawkeye

Image from hisstank.com

Hawkeye isn’t a Ninja, I know. And bow and arrow is something more associated with Zartan in the comics. But silent weapons works broadly for both Storm Shadow and Hawkeye, particularly when you factor in his Ronin persona. Sure, it’s a reach, but give this one to me, OK?

7. Spirit – Falcon

So, I’m reaching again but I loved my Spirit action figure as a kid and I loved that he came with a falcon. For that reason, my mind immediately went to Falcon and his bird, Redwing, which was a real bird in the comics and not a drone like it is in the MCU.

Bonus! Shangi-Chi – Quick Kick

Larry Hama is an Asian American who served in Vietnam and practiced martial arts, particularly traditional martial arts that focused on a bow, which is undoubtedly why so many Joes had that focus. So, there is no better person to have created a character like Quick Kick, the silent weapons specialist of GI Joe.

I loved the figure as a kid and I also loved the covers from the old school 70s Shang-Chi: Master of Kung-Fu comics, so much so that I’ve purchased several of those back issue comics recently.

Bonus! Winter Soldier – Major Bludd

Major Bludd was a mysterious mercenary who worked for Cobra, if the price was right. He also had a mechanical hand, which was fascinating to me as a kid who wondered how he got such a thing.

Being brainwashed by Hydra, Bucky Barnes wasn’t a mercenary per se, but it’s hard not to make the connection, particular with that flashy Wakandan mechanical arm he is sporting.

Bonus! Destro – Iron Man

image courtesy of hisstank.com

Destro was a weapons supplier, as was Tony Stark before he had a literal change of heart. Destro also has a silver battle mask, as does Tony Stark. The similarities end there, but it’s enough of a connection to make me wonder if there isn’t a spot for Destro on the Avengers!

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GI Joes Are Back! And They’re Totally Rad, 80s Kids! https://nerdsonearth.com/2020/07/gi-joe-classified-series-snake-eyes/ Thu, 23 Jul 2020 12:00:00 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=32014

We give you a close look at the hot new Snake Eyes GI Joe: Classified figure, and talk about why it's more than okay to play with toys as an adult!

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I loved GI Joe figures when I was a kid. In fact, I still love GI Joe figures and routinely scour eBay for broken ones to repair. (Here are my GI Joe repair tips.)

Well, there is a new line of GI Joe figures called GI Joe: Classified and they are hyper-detailed 6 inch figures, a boost of HGH over the 3.75 inch O-Ring Joes you grew up with. Can’t visualize 6 inch figures? Well, think about Marvel Legends or Star Wars: Black Series.

The GI Joe: Classified line is narrow at the moment, consisting of just about a half dozen figures over two waves. And what figure served as the crown jewel of the launch?

Snake Eyes, of course. See below.

I’m thrilled about this new GI Joe line. I played with Joes for hours upon hours. There were a million reasons I loved them, the best of which was they were fun.

Then you grow up and society says toys are lame. You’re supposed to knuckle-down, be productive, and filter any ingenuity into your job! You’re not supposed to build LEGO, or pose action figures, or paint miniatures anymore; you’re supposed to build a shed in the backyard to store the tools you need for completing never ending home improvement projects around your house. If you enjoy handy work, fine. But it’s not why you’re doing it.

The closest thing to playing that’s permitted of an adult is restoration. You can fix up an old convertible or re-stain a table. Those things are fine, because the end product will be usable for something. Again, it all comes back to practicality.

The thing is, not everyone wants to gut and remodel an Airstream trailer. I say that it’s much more fun to play with old GI Joes from your childhood!

So why then is collecting GI Joes looked down upon like they are some childish thing? Why is replacing an O-Ring in an old Joe rather than a faucet considered a “guilty pleasure” rather than just a “pleasure”? And why am I considered a reclusive nerd, other than the fact that it’s true?

Because you allow it, that’s why.

But you don’t have to! You can say, “Screw it. I’m collecting GI Joes! I hold down a day job and it’s OK that I have a hobby I enjoy. So if you need me, I’ll be down in The PIT, posing these new 6 inch plastic action figures into a fighting force against Cobra. Because that’s what I want to do, and no, I won’t apologize.”

Getting them will be the problem. They are hot right now and if you are a nerd who loves the hunt, good luck with Target or Wal-Mart, because they leave the shelves as soon as they arrive. And they are getting marked up on Amazon.

Personally, I use Big Bad Toy Store. It’s a mom and pop online store that caters to collectors and specializes in the good stuff us nerds love. So, you don’t get the insane shipping speed of Amazon, but you get the guarantee of pre-orders. Give Big Bad a try: GI Joe Classified.

Snake Eyes | Cobra Commander | Duke |
Scarlett | Destro | Gung-Ho | Roadblock

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Preview: Pathfinder Battles: City of Lost Omens Miniatures from WizKids https://nerdsonearth.com/2020/07/preview-pathfinder-battles-city-of-lost-omens-miniatures-from-wizkids/ Sun, 19 Jul 2020 20:55:51 +0000 https://nerdsonearth.com/?p=31990

Nerds on Earth has an early preview of the Pathfinder Battles City of Lost Omens miniature set from Wizkids.

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It’s the little things in life, isn’t it? Well, things don’t come much smaller than the Pathfinder Battles miniatures from Wizkids.

A smattering of several of the minis from the City of Lost Omens set.
Click any photo to embiggen.

City of Lost Omens is Absalom, the city at the center of Golarion, the world that serves as the setting for the excellent Pathfinder roleplaying game. Absalom is brining with adventure, its metropolitan streets filled with all sorts of fantastical characters. Wizkids has created a mega-set of miniatures to go with it: Pathfinder Battles: City of Lost Omens.

Sold in blind boosters at your local game shop, each booster will run you about $15 but comes with one larger pre-painted miniature and three small to medium pre-painted miniatures, giving you great value. In addition, there might be a sneaky set piece tossed into the box.

Wizkids’ City of Lost Omens set releases Summer 2020, but Nerds on Earth has a little preview for you.

See below for the unboxing preview video. (NOTE: We unboxed a full case, meaning you get a look at the entire 44 figure set.)

You can pre-order the miniatures here. Or get the Pathfinder 2 Core Rulebook here. Better yet, ask for them at your FLGS.

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