All posts by scottobear
Tuesday, November 16, 2021
While Hasbro was using its packaging to note figure improvements like “swivel arm battle grip” and “snap-on, stay-on” accessories, the Gen. Patch cards touted “Weapons With the Smell of Battle.” My figure’s weapon must have long since lost its smell, which leads me to wonder, what exactly was the smell of battle? Was it a sulphurous smell of gunpowder? Maybe of smoke or oil? Perhaps it was just a generalized stench, meant to convey the fear and confusion of the battlefield. Okay, that last one’s a little too deep for a toy, but I remain curious about this odd choice of gimmick. What do you think the smell of battle could be?
As a kid, I had ample opportunities to peruse the toy aisle of our local K-Mart. Mom and Dad were quite the landscapers, so a trip to the lawn and garden section was a regular occurence. Naturally, I would wander over to the toy aisle to check out what was available. Alongside the 80’s heavy hitters like GI Joe, Star Wars, Transformers and He-Man were an equal number of me-too lines. Sometimes I would go home with a new Joe or He-Man figure (I picked up my Zartan at this very K-Mart during a garden department excursion) and other times I would pick up a Remco American Defense or even a Lost World of the Warlord figure (both pretty cool toy lines, by the way).
Gen. Patch, although a blatant attempt by another company to catch some of GI Joe’s lightning in their own bottle, at least has elements of an attempt at a concept or story hook. An amalgamation of Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos and Sgt. Rock, the line treads some weird pastiche of eras that seem to encompass both the (then) modern world and World War II. The packaging is quite nice considering its budget origins, and the comic-styled images have a Jack Kirby feel.
Produced by Galoob near the beginning of the Real American Hero line, the figure mold should look familiar to anyone who owned the 3 & 3/4 inch A-Team figures. Hannibal, BA, Face and Murdock all used body molds from the Gen. Patch series. Make no mistake, the figure is downright fugly, from head to toe. The head, which can best be described as a chewed wad of gum with an eyepatch, isn’t up to snuff with even the most poorly sculpted Joes.
There are a couple of interesting bits about the figure. The uniform and boots have a similar sort of futuristic styling seen in the first year of small Joes. I guess at the time everyone thought future military footwear would involve elaborate geometric cuffs and laces.
The molds used for this line were not only reused for the A-Team, but also for another toyline, National Defense. That series continued the butt-ugly tradition established by Gen. Patch, introducing some of the most stomach-churningly unattractive mugs in toy history.
Monday, November 15, 2021
Quick park stop after @maximillian_deersteak got the moderna booster!
#autumnvibes🍁 #autumn #ᴠᴀᴄᴄɪɴᴇssᴀᴠᴇʟɪᴠᴇs
Monday, November 15, 2021
Histoire naturelle illustrée – Pierre Boitard – 1884 – via Gallica
https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k62138546
#vintageillustration #bison #ungulate
Remember November 15!
Sunday, November 14, 2021
Social isolation day #611
https://youtube.com/shorts/_qV_Y5zes3s?feature=share
Got to take today’s #swampwalk with Mrs Bear!
She spotted the neat bit of vertebra in the pictures within. Leaves are almost all orange, off the trees or both at this point.
#bogsafari was light, no animals seen, just a little birdsong and wind. The weather was pretty brisk, but not frigid. It said 51F, but there was some wind, so I would guess more like a 45 feel, plus shade.
We kept it short, but I always prefer to walk with her than solo.
#walkabout #autumnvibes🍁 #autumn #acorncap #animalbones #animalvertebrae #vertibrae
Saturday, November 13, 2021 supplemental
These little red army man dudes from #banimon are pretty keen! Not sure which colorway is my face, but this two tone is pretty sweet. You can rearrange the parts in a very impressive number of ways for such a little guy. He is about one inch / 25 mm tall, compared to sisto (battletribes standard) who is about triple that. Pretty frickin’ adorable. I also got standard green army man color, some desert sand ones and a Darth Vader looking black one. Each comes with the head shown here and a sort of deaths head “banigoth” helmet, and a bunch of little bits. Highly reccomend. The paint is very good, love the face and tampo star!
#glyos #banimon #modulartoys #toyphotography #toystagram #armymen #plasticguns #giantsword #blue #orange #star #25mm #1inchscale
Saturday, November 13 2021 1130am
A little Autumn view of the backyard, with a profile of the squirrel cam this morning. Getting more brisk out there, but it was warm enough to enjoy a late morning breakfast on the deck with my sweetheart.
#northbeachmd #autumnvibes🍁 #autumn #orange #squirrelcam #november13 #leafpeeping #holly #sugarmaple
Friday, November 12, 2021
Harold was last seen heading south on a stolen hill valley police motorcycle. He was quoted as saying “mrrhmmrhrmmmhmm”. If you have any information on his motives or whereabouts, let me know. This is very outside his character
Thursday November 11, 2021
Thank you, veterans. Your hard work and effort means the world to us.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWJVWwuJ4sP/?utm_medium=share_sheet
Wed, nov 10 2021
Dorothy Hope Smith (1895-1955), “The Latch Key of My Bookhouse” ed. by Olive Beaupré Miller, 1921
Source
Donald
#TodayInComicsHistory, Tuesday the 9th: Roving gangs of hooligan library books harass and beat up Donald Duck
from “The Crazy Quiz Show” in WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES #99 (December 1948); script, pencils, inks and letters by Carl Barks
#carlbarks #donaldduck
Harold update
Harold just traded some nice old dude his magical flashlight jewel for a cool yellow vest and a mr fusion.
#glyos #playmobil #bttf #bognar #harold #toyphotography #toystagram #mrfusion #battletribes #swampthing #spymonkeystudios #onell
Monday, November 8, 2021
Social distancing day 605,
#bogsafari report- several squirrels, fluffernutter kitty, three cardinals, and a mosquito on my right ring finger were the most obvious beauties this morning.
Fluffernutter was enjoying the sun too much to come hang out, so I waved at him from the side of the road and kept walking.
No humans on my primary #swampwalk walk, but I did swing by the post office where a couple of dingdongs were blocking the entrance while not wearing masks. Sent off the translucent torso and heads to my friend on the glyos discord, and included a couple of fun resin goodies just for the heck of it. I hope he gets some enjoyment out of all of the bits. I might have been more reluctant to send parts off if they were arms or legs, but I can surely spare a torso and pelvis.
Trees outside are still losing coverage slowly. The orange and yellow is more visible, but not at full pop . The sugar maples up the road are far more vibrant, but they are usually the first to show real color.
#walkabout #streamofthought #glyos #modulartoys #onelldesign #autumn #orange #yellow #swamp
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWB4kjsJjYC/?utm_medium=share_sheet
Sisto and harold get hats
Swampwalk in Autumn. Social distance day 605
#sistobrak #toystagram #toyphotography #sisto #harold #glyos #modulartoys #spymonkeystudios #bognar #bogsafari #swampwalk #acorncap
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWBvk37p7d-/?utm_medium=share_sheet