It's Started! Follow Me as I Learn more of Robocop, watch the
Series, Buy the Merchandise... Oh, THIS Should Be Quite
Interesting...
Well now, since my original post to
Robocop
Central in mid-June, I've had what some call "Robocop on the Brain,"
better known as RWS, Robocop Withdrawal Syndrome. You see, we'd never had
the Sci-fi Channel, and my cable company
didn't, and wouldn't carry it no matter how much I wished they did. You
notice I say "wishED," this is because in Real Life, we just moved, and we
have another cable company that *gasp!* DOES carry the Sci-fi Channel, so
with a bit of money, I've been able, to my dearest pleasure, to subscribe
and *grin* GET "ROBOCOP: THE SERIES" in! Though for some reason they
skipped one week, you couldn't get me to stop grinning on June 25, 1998! I
waited anxiously the whole day for those special times, Sunday, 11:00am EST, with my high-quality VHS tapes
all ready to go! OH YEAH! So if you didn't already know when and where
it's on, there it is, rerunning as I type!
*Heh heh* This is a rather cute thing actually. I've always thought about
getting a Ford Taurus, I mean, it's a decent middle-sized car. THEN I
noticed that Robocop's vehicle in the movies was *guess what* a FORD
TAURUS. *he he* Well, now instead of playing "punch-buggy (where when you
see a BMW Bug, to yell "punch-buggy" and "punch" the person next to you), I
rather enjoy spending my spare-time while driving pointing out the
different models of Ford Taurus's, estimating the year of each, critiquing
their extras, and applauding the black ones, while cringing uncontrollably
at the horrid lilac-purple and other such ones about.
I even got the
other passengers in my car doing the same.... all except my parents who
seemed to a little annoyed by it, but then again, it was quite fun annoying
them as well! *evil grin* You know, when a parent says, "I do not want to
hear ONE more thing about Robocop, Xena, etc." and so the conversation
switches to critiquing CERTAIN vehicles... *grin*
So now
you have to ask yourself what vehicle I might be thinking of for my next
car.. hmmm.... :) Can't you just picture it? A matte-black Taurus,
preferably between the years of 1986 and 1992, with a few extras, some
lettering on the side with OCP, Metro South, but sadly minus the POLICE
lettering or the lights.. but *sigh* I guess I can't have
everything.
And OF COURSE, I'll get a special licence plate
with either TIGRESS or ROBOCOP, or something similar. And then there's
this little thought in the back of my mind of just making a Robo-helmet and
wearing it while in the car.. *grin* I mean, that would be interesting and
entertaining wouldn't it? I mean, I'd even go with a Mustang if push came
to shove... *hopeful grin*
The Endless Search for THE Merchandise
Well now, will the "horror" ever end, you ask? Not likely so, you
see in late June, I happened into a Kay-Bee Toy Store, casually strolling
for a "griffin" action-figure I've yet to find from "Quest for Camelot,"
with my best friend Missy.
But not finding
it, I glanced around and almost left, but something held me back, and it
was NOT Missy, she had already hurridly left. But I began walking to the
back of the store. Past the puzzles, deep into "discarded" territory,
where items such as "Power Rangers" are kept. I saw what was at the end of
the aisle, just kid-stuff, but I walked to the end anyways.
I looked around,
saw nothing, sighed, and turned back around to leave, when a familiar word
caught my eye. Robocop. I must have nearly gone bug-eyed in shock, and
with my last 5 dollars (with which I was going to pre-order myself a copy
of "Robocop 1"), I bought 2 of the three figures they had left. One was a
Robocop that glows red (Power-Glow Robocop), and the other a "Special
Forces" Air-Patrol Robocop. I didn't get Pudface Morgan because, sadly, I didn't have any money left. But I was happy, OH I was happy, though Missy was shaking her head smiling at my weirdness. *grin*
But
then, it came time to go home. To prepare for our trip to Cape Cod,
Massachusetts... and I wasn't about to let RWS stop me!
On Vacation in Cape Cod, Massachusetts...
So the
three of us (Missy, my mom, and I), left For Cape Cod the following
morning, and in the first hour I taught Missy what a Ford Taurus looked
like, in another hour I taught her how to tell the difference between that
and an Escort or a Sable, and then.. well... by the end of the 12 hour trip
up there (most of which I drove), we were having a grand old time, and my
mom was resisting the urge to strange me. :) Luckily I was driving, so
she couldn't distract the driver... *grin*
We had a
GREAT time there in our LITTLE closet-sized cottage, but it was nice
getting out and going to the beach, making sand-gryphons, etc., and getting
to take a picture of a black Taurus police car, and another Crown Victoria
one. It was also great going to all the neat shops there, once-in-awhile
persuading my mom to go in a toy or hobby store in the hopes of some
Robocop-related merchandise, but to no avail.
The week
was slowly coming to a close and all I'd really gotten was some post-cards,
two buttons which read "I'M SMILING BECAUSE THEY'VE FINALLY DRIVEN ME
INSANE," and "NEVER DOUBT THAT A SMALL GROUP OF THOUGHTFUL COMMITTED
CITIZENS CAN CHANGE THE WORLD: INDEED IT'S THE ONLY THING THAT EVER HAS.,"
a bumper-sticker (THE EARTH DOES NOT BELONG TO US - WE BELONG TO THE
EARTH), and a couple of little things, including a "rubber and latex"
spider, just like the ones used in the Robocop: The Series Episode The Human Factor, which I wouldn't tell
my mom why I'd bought. *grin* But I still wasn't fulfilled, so I pleaded
with my mom to let us go to a huge out-door flea-market that was held on a
drive-in lot on a Wednesdays. Since I'd been "relatively" good for the
trip, she decided it would be okay, because it would be our last chance to
go before we left.
I looked
around at faux jewelry, some REALLY cheap videos (which didn't include
anything of interest), and some other things, when I walked by a little
stand, which had some old toys...
Missy
was beside me joking about how I was always looking for a "good robotic
man," when she suddenly went silent as we both noticed a familiar silver
figurine laying on a cloth beside the booth. He had a price-tag of $5.00,
and I RAN to my mom (who owed me some money), to see if she'd let me have
the small sum. For well-over an hour I BEGGED her, eventually ending-up on
me knees pleading (an interesting scene indeed, but what can I say? I was
despirate!) that I really hadn't gotten any souvenirs on the trip, and
there was only another DAY left. Using the usual phrase that if i got
this, that'd be it, I quickly agreed and ran back to where the stand had
been, but it had started to rain, and I was dearly concerned if the booth
was still there, since most vendors had already packed-up.
So I
ran, and RAN across the slippery lot, HOPING beyond hope that the
particular booth still remained. I came to a speeding halt, right where it
had been, and there was nothing. I looked frantically around. Nothing! I
was getting QUITE worried, when I saw the woman who'd been at the booth
walking away with a armful of boxes. I approached her, asked if she'd been
where I'd thought, and as she answered yes, I asked her if she'd still be
willing to let me buy something, and she said sure, even though I think she
wondered why it had to be a Robocop action-figure.
But
after a brief search, we found it, and she sold it to me for $4.00! Now
the description. It is dated 1988 ORION on the inside of his right leg,
he's missing his helmet ( :P ), and he has this weird black thing on his
back, with a metal lever. If you pull the lever down, it snaps quickly
back, and the whole apparatis, black thing and all, can be pushed up, and
then bent out of his back on a hinge, revealing a whole in the back of him.
He's in decent condition, with some paint rubbed off around the edges, but
I'm going to use some enamel paint to fix him up. I've since looked up
Robocop figurines in MANY magazines and price-guides, the weird thing is,
not only could't I figure-out what this thing on his back was (I thought
maybe something to hold his helmet on? a flight pack missing another
piece?), but no magazines list any figurines made during the year of 1988,
only 1989 on.
Then I
asked for someone out there to tell me what the thing was on his back and
BOY did I get alot of responses! Thanks everyone! Apparently it's a
cap-firing mechanism that was on most of the Robocop figures from that
period! Neat! Brandon Storm had
a particularly comprehensive explanation!
"...The black
thing on his back is for
caps!!! You put the roll
of caps in there and then click the hammer back and POW!
The entire line (RoboCop and the Ultra Police (1988)), which included
Lewis and
Sgt. Reed) had that cap feature. Kenner even made an ED-209
(called Ed-260 for some
reason) that shot caps. ..."
Well
then, we finished up our stay there, me, very pleased with my unique find
and souvenir, and after going to the beach one last time, and doing a bit
more browsing at shops (following the 4th of July weekend), we headed home,
with bad directions that sent me driving straight through New York City...
*sigh* an "enlightening" experience I suppose, for now, I have no DOUBT
that I can drive ANYWHERE, but it was tense none-the-less.
MAKING my own Merchandise...
Well, since then, I went to a Lion's Club HUGE garage sale, where I found
an elecronic police-car with a voice that says "slow down, pull over,"
which sounds just like Robo, and a siren. Though the lights aren't
functional, it was quite a buy at $1.00. It appears to be a hybrid Taurus
and Crown Victoria, which is no problem. I went out and got some
flat-black enamel paint and painted it just like the movie cars, including
the hub-caps, though I'm still working on the "Detroit Police/OCP" logo on
the side, and the head-lights with the metal-mounted grate on the front,
though the Ford emblem is finished. *grin* It's another project I'm
working on, like the other one with restoring the old Robocop, who's unique
blueish-silver paint I have yet to match. But the car looks VERY nice and
besides being just the slightest bit too short for him, I couldn't ask for
much more...besides...
Well...I'm STILL looking for a model Ford Taurus, and I STILL have
yet to find, or be able to order one. *sigh* For now, I'll have to settle
with that, and a sleek black Mustang (like the one from the series), that I
found at a Kay-Bee Toy Store. Though it has LOTS of movable parts, it is a
"BOSS Mustang" and so it has a LOT of silver paint that was put on over-top
the original coat that will NOT come off, so I'm being forced to sand it
off, CAREFULLY sand it off, and then re-paint it with shiny black enamel
spray-paint. As yet, the hood is still in the works, but is turning out
quite nice so far if i do say so myself! *smile* I even just noticed the
little decal licence plates that are on this, and you are NOT going to
believe this! The plate is blue with white lettering, reading, along the
top "MICHIGAN," along the bottom "GREAT LAKES," and the actualy plate reads
"DET IRON!" Is that a riot or what!? What a conincidence! "Detroit Iron!"
I wonder if the modeler of the model had our pal Robo in mind when he did
that plate! I'll have to investigate further! So if you have any extra
money on you (it was only $5.99 here), be on the look-out for a metal, 1:24
scale black "Boss" Mustang GT, what more is there to say?
I've
also recently been making a collage of Tauruses and Mustangs with
advertisements from the classifieds (dern it! why can't they be cheaper!),
and from magazines like "Readers Digest" and "People."
Pudface Returns *sniff* But WHY Did It Have to Be
Pudface?...
Along with that, I was FINALLY able to go back to the
Kay-Bee Toy Store and buy their last "Pudface Morgan." I've kept him
safely in his box (unlike the others), and keep glancing yearningly at the
back of the package at all the neat merchandise I might never see...
*sniff* ...The "OCP INTERCEPTOR: Robocop's Official Police Car," the
"TACTICAL FIELD VEHICLE: OCP Police Vehicle with Rocket Launcher," the
"CRYOCHAMER: Freeze Robocop and Bring Him Back to Life..." *sniff* I
can't go on... *sob*
But
though I've searched for every and ANYthing involving either the movies or
the series, it has all gone out-of-print, including the soundtracks, which
I was quite looking forward to. So if anyone out there can help me, PLEASE
e-mail me.
"A" Video! FINALLY!
To my
EXTREME delight, I found a copy of the original "Robocop" to purchase at
"Sam Goodies" for only $9.99 on July, 26! But the sound quality is SO
poor, I'd return it in a heartbeat if it wasn't out of print... *sigh* I
guess I'll have to save up for DVD now... :) Not that that's a BAD thing
mind you...
Will It Ever END?!
I'll keep you updated as the saga/obsession continues, and if you
want to you could even tell me
about some interesting experiences you might have had.
REMEMBER!:
Obsessions are not bad, they are merely another way to have fun!
The episode that was on at that point was "The Human Factor, (episode 11)"
which I had remembered being listed under a VERY well-made 
