Hungover and Hard Up

Alright,

Welcome back to That Kitsch Itch the official blog for www.kitschitchtoys.webs.com the UK’s home for retro and vintage toys. Check us out on Facebook ( www.facebook.com/kitschitchtoys) or on YouTube (www.youtube.com/woolicane), plenty of different things to look at, get involved in, buy and so much more still to come.

Okay this is going up very late I know, and I guess you might have worked out my excuse from the title of this blog. Yeah, I may have had a little too much to drink last night, but it shouldn’t be an excuse really. It was a friend of mine’s last night running a pub I go to, drinks went down to a pound a pint, yeah, that’s a good reason to drink something that’s usually £3.50, so that’s my excuse for now.

What I really want to do right now though is give a little bit of a preview, as Kitsch Itch Toys will be in York this Sunday for the York Comic Con. I must admit I’m looking forward to it, especially if I get my hands on the shelves I’m supposed to have by now, but that’s a rant for another time. Either way, I’m going to be a lot more organised then I have been at any of these events before, there are meant to be over a thousand people there, so I’m thinking a bit more organisation is in order. This does mean a lot of stuff needs to be showcased. It’s going to feature play sets including Cat’s Lair, the Tower of Omens, the as yet not talked about Bat Cave from Batman Forever, I really need to record my review of that before we get to the Comic Con, I really want to talk about it before it gets sold. We’ll be showcasing a load of boxed toys mixing Marvel Legends, Disney Winkeez, Power Rangers, Thundercats and Doctor Who. Thinking about it, that’s more boxed stuff then I was expecting to have in stock at this point. There will also be some bargain priced mini figures and blind bags for the more price conscious customers, along with the cheap loose figures that aren’t as collectable as others. I’m not going to focus too much on the action vehicles this time, there will be some, such as the Shell Raiser van from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, but they take up so much room both on the table and in the car that they won’t be the main focus. We will bring plenty of the loose figures, letting people stock up on those missing from their collection or nostalgic favourites they don’t have from Masters of the Universe, Ghostbusters, X-Men, and all those other properties listed above. I might even bring out the MASK toys.

So that all seems exciting to me. Maybe I’ll give a review on here about what happened, if it’s a good event expect me to be praising it, if it’s a disaster I might not mention it at all. Other than that I’d like to mention my Top 10 series which continues this Friday as we begin to countdown to the return of Doctor Who next month with my top 10 Doctor/Companion pairings, crossing all versions of Doctor Who. Which pretty much leads us to the end of this week’s slightly overhung and late addition of this blog, next week should be a bit more cohesive. Until then…

Sithee

Countdown to Countdown

Alright,

Welcome back to the official blog of Kitsch Itch Toys, the UKs home for retro and vintage toys, check us out at kitschitchtoys.webs.com  www.facebook.com/kitschitchtoys or www.youtube.com/woolicane there’s pretty much something for everyone there with new stock going online more or less daily.

So last week I talked about trading at my first con in Leeds. I was expecting to gush about it this week, saying how well we’d done and how I was looking forward to the next one. Unfortunately it didn’t work out like that for me, it was all about the comics at that one. Now I love comics, ten years ago I’d have probably spent a ton there getting missing back issues, but I don’t love the fact that comic collectors didn’t seem willing to part with much cash for toys that day. It was a great event that I would recommend to any comic book collector but it just isn’t my market, shame really. Still some good contacts were made and I enjoyed the experience, I have learnt a lot from it too, like how to set out my stock, so far from a total loss. Plus I might have struck a deal to bring a whole load more stock to Kitsch Itch Toys without costing me the Earth (but meaning I won’t get much profit back either because it’s a commission situation)

So what next, well I’ll be booking onto more shows in the coming weeks, so look out for announcements about that, but the immediate plan is to set up an ebay shop to help broaden the amount of people Kitsch Itch can reach, I’m also going to look into the amazon market place, but I don’t know enough about that yet. Expect me to have added another link to the opening paragraph next week to show off this store. The best thing about an ebay store is that I can actually use it to bring people to the main site, which is always my main objective really. So that’s my excitement for this week, keep watching www.twitter.com/woolicane  for more on how it’s going and then be back here next Monday for more details.

On top of the ebay shop though I’m adding something else to the Kitsch Itch family and that’s top ten countdowns. Over on my youtube channel you will already find a few countdowns, but they are an irregular thing at the moment, I want to make them something more regular. Now I’m already releasing one video a week on there (every Wednesday there’s something new) but I will be releasing countdowns fortnightly on a Friday. I intend to start this week with a countdown based on my picks for the most underrated Disney films, though circumstance may push this back to next week. So that’ll be a blog here on a Monday, a new review/haul/misc video on a Wednesday and a top ten on a Friday, plus all the new stock on the website and my other big project action photos, though I’m going to talk more about them next week. Soon Kitsch Itch Toys will be taking over the whole world.

I think that more or less wraps things up for this week, a little disparate perhaps with mostly housekeeping but hopefully it entertained at least a little while it informed. Remember to check us out on facebook (www.facebook.com/kitschitchtoys), Twitter (www.twitter.com/woolicane), YouTube (www.youtube.com/woolicane) and of course www.kitschitchtoys.webs.com and until next time,

Sithee

On The Road Again

Alright,

Welcome to this week’s edition of That Kitsch Itch, the official blog of Kitsch Itch Toys, the UK’s home to retro and vintage toys. After last week’s rant, I’m pleased to say I’m in a much better mood today.  The computer is working fine, the facebook ads are boosting site traffic, I’ve got most of my stock organised for easy transport and I’m getting more and more convention and collector fair bookings. All in all, that means that now is a great time to jump aboard at kitschitchtoys.webs.com and see what all the fuss is about.

In fact I want to chat a little today about conventions. I’ve got my first one as a trader coming this Saturday (20^th June), it’s a Sci Fi, Comic and Card Fair in Leeds, if you’re in the area of the Leeds Town Hall on Saturday you should check it out, come by and say hello.  Of course it’s not the first one I’ve been to, I’m a veteran of the local collector’s fairs and mini cons we get in these parts leading to meeting Darth Vader, Doctor Who’s version of Winston Churchill and plenty of other interesting people that either had books to shill or were just selling their autographs. I think my favourite was Toby Philpott, he was one of the people who worked as a puppeteer for Jabba the Hut (as well as a lot of other jobs with Jim Henson) and had worked as a clown, a juggler and lots of other things, he works as a librarian now. He’s led a fascinating life and he was great to chat to, spent about half an hour chatting with him and would love to chat with him again. If you get the chance to meet him you should check him out.

Another top moment for me in terms of convention attending came a couple of years ago with my father. My car was in the garage getting a little work done and he agreed to give me a lift there. He’s not quiet the collector I am, in fact he general thinks these sorts of things don’t really have any value and doesn’t approve of Kitsch Itch Toys, but he does enjoy shows like Doctor Who and when he were a lad he had a big comic book collection so there is hope for him, he enjoys looking at the items for sale at these events even if he wouldn’t buy them himself. Still he is a little, shall we say straight laced, he spends most of his time in a proper business suit and thinks pretending to be bigoted is funny. That’s why it was so funny to see his reaction to the cosplayers. Now I’m a part time actor (another pursuit he doesn’t approve of) so I really enjoy dressing up, if I had the budget or the sawing skills I would probably be a cosplayer myself, in fact I’m probably going to pop an RPM Morpher on my arm in Leeds and claim I’m in costume. My father on the other hand… It’s always so much fun to watch an accountant try not to freak out while surrounded by Poison Ivy, The Joker, Thor, a team of Ghostbusters and so many other absolutely awesomely realised characters. He’s meant to be coming with me to Leeds too, should be interesting, hope there are lots of cosplayers, but then I was hoping that before he was coming.

Last thing I want to say is I’ve just got my hands on a bunch of tins of Disney Winkeez, they are awesome things and they have just gone up on kitschitchtoys.webs.com be sure to check them out before they sell out. Don’t forget about my YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/woolicane) new videos go up at least every Wednesday, the latest one is looking at my Ultimate DC Team so comic book fans should certainly check it out. And be back here in seven to see how Leeds went and here the latest gossip, news and excitement from Kitsch Itch Toys.

Sithee

I Hate Technology!

Alright,

Welcome to this weeks –LATE- instalment of That Kitsch Itch, the blog from Kitsch Itch Toys; the UKs home for retro and vintage toys. Visit us at kitschitchtoys.webs.com check out my YouTube page at www.youtube .com/woolicane and follow me on twitter @woolicane. So that’s the shilling out the way now on to this week’s main topic.

I admit that this week’s title may be a little strong, I don’t actually hate technology, what I hate is technology when it’s not working, which is most of the time it seems. Phone’s that need charging twice a day, tablets that crash because they’re half full and computers that, well that just die. If you hadn’t guessed this is why this is late going up, I’ve had some major computer problems, problems that have led to me having to borrow a computer just to get this up at all. Something of an issue for someone running an internet business.

I blame iTunes, I’m probably being unfair, but I do. I downloaded it yesterday onto my computer and instantly things started going wrong. Subtle ways at first, my computer slowed down, iTunes store couldn’t connect to the internet. Annoying yes, but not life changing or even work threatening. Then came this morning, that’s when things changed. It was taking a lot longer to boot up, especially considering its one of these lightning quick solid state drives, and then it wouldn’t connect to the internet. Nothing I did helped it, I tried turning it off and on again, nothing, I followed a load of instructions found on the internet (which helped me get rid of some malware), still no internet. Finally I managed to make it to the set up screen and restored my settings. I really thought that was going to work. Now the computer won’t boot up at all. Oh and I’ve only had the dam thing since February.

What this means is I may be about to lose a load of photos that I was going to use for the site, a few videos that featured stock walkthroughs and who knows how much other work. Nothing on it that’s irreplaceable, just inconvenient to replace, especially with no computer to replace it on. It also means that I can’t edit down the photos I do still have to upload onto the site or the facebook page, which is even more annoying, I want to move along but the tech won’t let me. –Oh by the way check out Kitsch Itch Toys on facebook and drop us a like, it does us loads of good- So instead of spending the day reviewing my new Amazing Spider-Man figure I just got in (along with a few others for that series still boxed) and photographing and uploading more stock I spent the day failing to fix something that shouldn’t have gone wrong yet, and in the end handing it over to the IT department of my accountant, yes really.

This was not the blog I was intending to write today, I wanted to talk about films that got kid friendly toy lines that probably shouldn’t, you know the likes of Terminator 2 and Robocop, it’d be like the upcoming Deadpool movie getting its own line of Mashers. I also wanted to talk about the upcoming cons Kitsch Itch Toys will be at, I’ll save that for next week though where it gets enough space. The last thing I want to mention is Eon Quest it’s a kick starter that I’m supporting and it’s coming to an end, get in while you can, I want that graphic novel here at Kitsch Itch Toys. I think that’s enough of a rant for this week, pop in to kitschitchtoys.webs.com ,  facebook.com/kitschitchtoys or twitter.com/woolicane I need a good cheer up.

Sithee

Timey-Whimey

Alright,

Welcome to this week’s instalment of That Kitsch Itch, the official blog of Kitsch Itch Toys, the UKs home for retro and vintage toys from the ‘70s to today. The store is now officially open, though due to unforeseen illness the big social network push has had to be delayed until this week. Expect lots of stuff being posted across YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, the forums and who knows where else. The invasion begins in ernest. In the meantime don’t forget to check out kitschitchtoys.webs.com  

As exciting as that is though what I really want to talk to you about today is Doctor Who. This probably isn’t a shocking choice of topic if you’ve read the title, but it is one very close to my heart. That’s right I’m a Doctor Who fan, I’ve been a Whovian since well before that term was in common usage. I remember watching the show when I was seven and Sylvester McCoy was the man with the TARDIS key (now that’s giving away my age). I remained a huge fan during those dark, dark years when it was off telly, or at least it was only there in reruns. I was one of those there cheering and jumping for joy when Russel T Davis returned the show to our screens bringing Christopher Eccelston out as Doctor number 9. And I’m still here now eagerly anticipating its return for the new series, even if I’m not such a fan of Clara. If you want more on my problems with her check out my reviews of the last series over on my YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/user/woolicane) but that’s not what I want to talk about here, I want this to remain upbeat and positive, let’s just say I have issues with the character and how she’s written, I think Jenna Coleman is a very good actress.

When the series came back though it went from being this classic cult series to totally mainstream. It was a proper hit series, to much rejoicing from old school fans such as me even if there were a lot of differences that us classic series fans sometimes like to moan about, it even cracked America. Now this was a show that cranked out a tone of merchandise even when it was off the air, this went into overdrive when it became the smash hit it still is now. Alongside so many other great items, toy company, Character brought out some amazing five inch scale figures and we’ve just got a load of them in at Kitsch Itch Toys. What did you think I was talking about one of my great passions just for fun, no this is still going to tie back to new stock that I’m excited about sharing with you. The figures we’ve currently got in stock include the incredibly popular Tenth Doctor, the first New Who companion Rose, spinoff superstar Captain Jack Harkness as well as a bunch of awesome monsters such as the Slitheen, a pair of Autons, an awesome looking (and massive) warewolf and even a Cyberman. As well as a load of loose figures I have also managed to get my hands on a box set from series four comprising of companion dark horse Donna, the base breaker River Song and the Narrator who, in David Tennant’s last story, turned out to be…

Sorry I’m not going to spoil it for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet. If you can’t tell I’m pretty excited about getting these figures in. I’m a huge fan of the show and a huge fan of these figures. Some of them might not even find their way to the site because I might sneak them into my Doctor Who display. Watch this space for more on that dilemma. Either way I think this just about finishes this week’s post, if you want to chat more about the Doctor and his adventures feel free to message me on the contact page of Kitschitchtoys.webs.com and check out the other stuff on sale there too.  Until next time.

Sithee

A Mega Win

Alright,

Welcome to That Kitsch Itch, the blog for Kitsch Itch Toys, the UK’s home for retro and vintage toys. Three weeks in and already this blog is going up late. Okay it’s only a couple of hours late, but still, sets a bad precedent. Saying that it’s been a busy prepping for the launch of the store going live, along with having been away all weekend and shopping for new stock, so I think I do get a little bit of a free pass for today.

As I say, today the shop official opens for business, I was hoping to hold off until we actually got the unique URL, but it’s taking too long so we are launching with http:kitschitchtoys.webs.com be sure to come and check us out. If you’ve been following the development of this store, either through this blog or my YouTube channel (youtube.com/woolicane) then you’ll know some of the exciting stuff we’ve got on there and due to arrive in stock as the weeks progress. This includes rare and common items from Thundercats, Masters of the Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and so many other classic brands or forgotten gems. If you are looking for something in particular that isn’t on the site yet or you are shopping from beyond the shores of the British Isles then there is a contact page on Kitsch Itch, getting in touch and I’ll see what I can work out for you. We love to hear from fans of these brands and of toy collecting and similar pursuits in general, drop us a line, say what you like, what you don’t, how we could improve the site. We at Kitsch Itch want this site to be the heart of the collecting community.

Despite all the hard work that has gone into getting the site ready for the store itself opening tonight (or if you are reading this after Monday it should already be open) but I’ve still managed to get even more stock in, there is still so much to go on the website yet, make sure you keep checking back as new stock should be added every day. Today for example I just managed to secure a few Power Rangers Megaforce figures. They may be in the less collector friendly 3 and ¾ inch scale and still be pretty recent figures (they may even be the most recent in stock right now) but they are very cool figures with great articulation and are shiny. Oh yeah and they are also in their original packaging, that’s our first piece of stock still mint on card, which is really exciting, especially if you’re a Power Rangers fan. There is even a chance we’ll be able to bring in a few more of these as well which is creating a bit of a buzz round the Kitsch Itch table.

It’s not just about the modern toys this week though, because we also have managed to secure a whole lot of MASK toys, including 15 figures and 8 vehicles. They are all in what we like to call preloved condition, with quite a bit of ware on a couple of the vehicles, but all the figures still have their masks, which is kind of important with this line. Not one I’ve followed that closely, so I think some research may be needed, but as it had one of the best theme songs ever so I have no problem with that.

Lots of other things I could go over right now, but I think I should be getting on with going live with the website so one last plug for kitschitchtoys.webs.com once you’ve finished this blog and keep your eyes on youtube.com/woolicane for some videos featuring some of the upcoming stock. We will return to normal scheduling next week.

Sithee

Who Ya Gonna Call

Alright,

Welcome to the second instalment of That Kitsch Itch, the blog belonging to Kitsch Itch Toys, the UK’s home for retro and vintage toys. In the first blog I gave a brief overview of who I am and what the shop is about, I’m not going to go over that again here, but if you want to know more about it I recommend you go check it out. This week I want to give a little bit of an update on things. Firstly I want to talk about the website, currently at http:kitschitchtoys.webs.com (this is a temporary address while I wait for my tax code so I can officially take up kitschitchtoys.co.uk). This is going very well (as you well know if you’re reading this post on there, we are featuring each new blog on there in the other fun stuff section). We’ve got a load of products arriving there, still only in a coming soon state at the moment, still in the process of linking it to my paypal, but I expect them to go live and able to be bought by tonight. So that’s all exciting. Also I’ve spent this morning photographing more stock to go online, just a pity that after about the third item added to the site it gets really repetitive. Still I’m pleased at how it’s coming on and it is getting into that really exciting stage.

Then there is the alleged high street store. This was (and still is) a key part of the overall business plan, I found the perfect shop, okay it was a bit of a fixer-upper but it was in a great place, had the right amount of space and (at least for the first year) the rent was reasonable. It all looked good and things were moving nicely. Then the blasted estate agents demanded a bank check. Now that was fair enough, I had no objection to that, I’ve never had any debts (except the loan that I’ve taken for this project; and in the grand scheme of things even that’s not all that much), had no convictions, nothing to suggest I am have any bad credit and the last time I had it checked, which was December, my credit score was as good as it could be. I figured that this bank check was a mere formality that would just get my application rubber stamped. I was wrong. Instead I got an email back saying ‘sorry because of the report from the bank we are refusing your request to rent this space.’ Naturally I pressed for more info but they refused to give me any more details. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the file was too thin, I’ve never borrowed outside of my student loan until now, had no credit cards, etc, but if that’s the problem how can I improve on that if because of it I don’t get the chance. It’s frustrating I can tell you that. So now here I am roaming the streets of the city and looking for new premises, hoping that I won’t just get turned down for no good reason once again.

Still, that’s all part of the game I guess, I’m still enthusiastic about the whole thing and a little set back like that isn’t going to slow me down. Besides there are so many great things still to talk about. Like the package I got through the post today. Who Ya Gonna Call… that’s right I got some Real Ghostbusters figures. The original ones for that matter, the first released figures from 1986. I have in stock now not only the four Ghostbusters but also the proton packs they came with (in various states, but mostly pretty good) and the ghosts they came packaged with. The only thing missing is the card backs, which means I’m calling them complete, which as far as I’m concerned is pretty damned epic. They are going to be offered as separate purchases on the site but if someone’s interested in buying them altogether then contact me through the contact me page on the site and I’m sure we can work something out. 

I think that epic journey will do for this week, more excitement next week, until then remember to check out http:kitschitchtoys.webs.com

Sithee