One of the horror genre's "most widely read critics" (Rue Morgue # 68), "an accomplished film journalist" (Comic Buyer's Guide #1535), and the award-winning author of Horror Films of the 1980s (2007), The Rock and Roll Film Encyclopedia (2007) and Horror Films of the 1970s (2002), John Kenneth Muir, presents his blog on film, television and nostalgia, named one of the Top 100 Film Studies Blog on the Net.
Everyone here at the Muir house was up at 5:45 am, and the unwrapping of presents went at warp speed. Below is a sampling of Joel's 2014 haul. At 8 years old he is a budding movie-maker (we are still editing his horror film from Thanksgiving...).
I hope Santa was good to each and every one of you!
This
“space combination” “deluxe set” Godtron or Godmars comes
from the anime TV series Six God Combination God Mars that
aired on Nippon TV from October 1981 through the end of December of 1982. The series aired sixty-four episodes, and
later followed up with two films.
The
original Godmars series was set in the future year of 1999, and
concerned Earth’s conflict with the distant planet Gishin. The warlord of that world sent a child, Mars
and a robot, Gaia, to Earth to destroy it.
Instead,
however, the child was adopted by a Japanese family and renamed Takeru. He grew to become, with his robot, a defender
of the Earth, not its betrayer. Takeru’s robot could also combine with five other giant
robots (Ra, Titan, Shin, Sphinx and Uranus) to form the goliath known as “Godmars.”
This
gigantic toy from Taiwan -- a present for Joel -- was produced in the early
1980s and the components are made of diecast model. The box advertises a “wonderful six in one robot,” and inside, as you can see, are all
the parts, as well as accessories such as swords and the like.
I'm posting this collectible of the week in honor of my son, Joel, who turns six very shortly.
He celebrated the birthday already, however, with a visit from grandparents on this past Sunday. And this coming weekend, he celebrates it again with his classmates and friends with bouncy houses, laser-tag and arcade games.
And, then, finally, Joel's real birthday arrives next week, where he'll celebrate it at school.
I had no idea that these days birthdays actually go on for weeks. Makes me wish I were a kid again!
Anyway, Joel was thrilled over the weekend to receive a whole slew of 2012 "Monster Fighters" Lego sets from his grandparents, including Lord Vampyre's Castle, the Ghost Train, Lord Vampyre's Hearse, the Swamp Creature (think Creature from the Black Lagoon), and the Werewolf. I did have to explain to him, however, what a hearse is.
Indeed, Joel has been becoming more and more fascinated with (child-appropriate) horror imagery of late, and he was excited to find that Lord Vampyre's castle not only includes a pop-out spider to launch at visitors, but a basement coffin for Lord Vampyre, plus a device (consisting of six "moonstones") that can eclipse the sun and turn the world to permanent midnight.
And did I mention the torture chamber (for skeleton?) Or the trap-door with a spike-trap waiting underneath?
I spent the better part of seven hours on Sunday assembling the Castle. It came with seven different bags of pieces. , and Joel bailed on me after about four hours. I completed the rest while he was asleep. Today, Kathryn spent three hours building the Ghost Train, so it was ready for him when he came home from Kindergarten. He loves it because the ghosts and elements of the train glow in the dark.
I must say, these Lego sets -- in addition to being incredibly expensive -- are also incredibly-well done. They make for very fun toys, and Joel has already discovered he can go online to play a Monster Fighters video game.
Joel still doesn't own the Frankenstein-styled set ("The Monster and His Crazy Lab,") or the "Crooked Haunted House," but the one he really has his eyes on now is the Zombie Graveyard...were corpses can spring up out of open coffins and attack...
