2 MINUTE TOY BREAK !

This 1988 Clemens Starting Lineup figure has sat in a box, stashed long enough. Tis time to open the toy! Don't you just love action figure checklists? You don't see them anymore. Whether included on the back of the box or inside the packaging, it's just the right thing to do. It helps to know what your looking for when your out there looking for it.  With these figures, you gotta be careful when pulling them out of their blister because of the baseball card that comes with it. Many a Starting Lineup card suffered dinged corners and creases due to the cardbacks being ripped off in haste. Mine is in crispy Near Mint/Mint condition! There's no better feeling than placing a baseball card into a penny sleeve, top loader and then into the shoebox for easy storage and access. Collecting and caring for baseball cards can be super relaxing and therapeutic. In moderation o...

I would have preferred his 1988 piece but opted for the lower priced 1991 figure instead. Still, a great looking figure  with an awesome head sculpt! Pretty spot on If you ask me. One of sports greatest 1-2 punch of all time!

First thing's first.I got a new phone and I'm not really thrilled with the camera's capabilities.Even with the flash the pics look grainy.I may just go back to using my Coolpix but ,damn,my last phone was so much better and much more convenient.This top pic was taken without flash,the second with.Oh well.Anyways,yeah,I'm taking a break from Starting Lineup.Coming up for air ,you might say.For a while they were all I could think about collecting.They're cheap with such a wide  variety of players  to choose from,addiction Is almost inevitable.It's time for a break ,though.I thought about going after some of the NFL and NBA figs but that will have to wait ,too. I'm bookending my 90's Starting Lineup display with these two 1997 edition Bonds and Griffey,Jr. figures.  Here's my 90's display .I'll eventually take that Bonds out of the packaging.Counting the figures on my wall display,I have 50  In all.A nice even number to stop at.At some ...

I've been wracking my brain lately,trying to create a makeshift card display.Brainstorming for ideas and coming up empty every time.Finally I gave In and took to eBay to see what was available.I wasn't looking for anything fancy schmancy,just a small stand,strong enough to hold up one card In a top-loader.I'm not sure how many of you out there collect trading cards ,but If you do then you know that Ultra Pro has all of your trading card supply needs.Unless there's something else out there that I don't know about,Ultra Pro Is my go-to brand.Needless to say, I wasn't surprised to find this  affordable set of 5 Ultra Pro card stands for just under 5 bucks shipped! The cards look great when displayed on the transparent stands.The stands ,however,are pretty lightweight,so you're not gonna keep anything much bigger than your standard sized top loader or screw-down from tipping over.  I thought I might be able to display some action figure card ...

This particular series of Starting Lineup figures as well as the funky card design has really grown on me.You get alot of bang for your buck .Not only do you get a great figure but you get a poster and baseball card ,too. From 1990 to 1993 ,Kenner added an extra collectible to compliment the figure and baseball card.An extra card In 1990,a coin In 1991 ,a poster In 1992 and then back to an additional card In 1993. 1993 would mark the last time Kenner would include a second collectible with their figures (not counting the deluxe sets),offering just the figure and a baseball card for lines released from 1994 to 2001.

Nolan Ryan Is the latest addition to my growing collection of Starting Lineup figures.To me,the name Nolan Ryan Is synonymous with the Texas Rangers,even though he's played on three other teams before them.Crazy to think he never won the Cy Young award.

My most recent Starting Lineup acquisition arrived yesterday and I was surprised to see that the seller also included an exclusive to Starting Lineup protective case with it. While I don't intend on keeping this particular figure carded ,I may have use for this protective clam shell in the future If I decide to pick up a rare piece.I gotta admit,the carded figure encased like this looks so damn cool! What a great looking figure!It's not a spitting image of the ,smaller In stature ,Craig Biggio but will no doubt be on my top 10 SLU list. 

It's no secret that I've been bit by the Kenner Starting Lineup bug.If your a sports fan ,especially an 80's,90's sports fan,then now is the time to scratch that  nostalgic itch and relive all those cherished, childhood sports memories with some throwback Kenner Starting Lineup figures!Now's the time to collect ,people.They are ,for the most part,affordable.Mint on card figures hardly ever exceed the $30 mark and with  the exception of a few rare pieces that will run you into the $100's ,most figures are easy to find and easy on the pockets.                                          Also,check out this cool new site ,dedicated to all things Kenner Starting Lineup!It's a resourceful site  to utilize If your looking to research,purchase and keep track of your SLU collection.I've already joined,you should,too!                 ...

I realized something while collecting SLU baseball figures.The American League was stacked with pure power hitters in the late 80s and for most of the 90s.I've been trying to keep it even steven  but it's hard to find as many big names in the NL .That's what makes It  difficult for me to just stop collecting them.The compulsive side of me needs to balance out both leagues with as many big names as I can track down.Stay tuned as the madness is sure to continue! There's something about Kenner's SLU head sculpts that capture the essence of an action figure while staying true to the real life  players they portray.It's like,If  MLB had a  cartoon series ,this is what they'd look like. Ryne Sandberg Albert Belle Greg Vaughn Tom Glavine  Juan Gonzalez

First and foremost I'd like to wish everyone a Happy New Year.Lots of ups and downs ,twists and turns but for the most part 2018 wasn't  all that bad.Collectors club members got tons of cool Joes In the mail while everyday,G.I.  Joe Schmo  collectors  such as myself  were left with nothing really extraordinary to choose from while  shopping our local department store's toy aisles. TRU shutdown which to me wasn't a humongous deal  as I barely had the time or cash to visit the store as much as I wanted to. After today It's back to normal for everyone and I can dig that.Too much Christmasy,holiday spirit can be overwhelming.I'm actually glad It's all over with.With all that said,It's time to get back to collecting.Time to latch onto a new toy line and fill the old toy shelves again.In fact,I might need an intervention! I need help guys!I can't stop picking up these Starting Lineup figures!With the little bit of Christmas cash I received from my parents...

The final pieces of my Starting Lineup display arrived today!Everything else I add to this collection will be just fillers and extras.I still have my sights on certain players but for the most part  , Im done with SLU's.Baseball,anyway 

I'm almost where I want to be with my Kenner Starting Lineup collection.The Award Winners set knocks off alot of players that I would have had a hard time picking up individually ,mainly Bonds and Bob Welch.Another thing this set does is tie in the 80s and 90s ,allowing me to segue my collection to add a few early 90s players that I enjoyed watching during those particular years. The 90 Canseco figure will be replacing the 88 figure in my Oakland Athletics team display.The 1990's Bo Jackson and Cecil Fielder figures will be displayed next to the Award Winners ,where I will be adding a few more 90s players to tie everything in.The top of my shelving unit will be reserved for Mets figures.Aside from a few key 1988 figure needs ,im pretty content with my collection so far. I'm waiting on a Greg Maddux figure that's going to be displayed on the National League side of the Award Winners piece,along with a Kevin Mitchell.In front I'll be placing a fielding Cal R...