A Few Things That I Got for Christmas This Year

Christmas day is pretty much always the day that I eat a bunch of food, and then pass out on the couch for the duration. But before that went down, we exchanged gifts.

One really cool thing that I got from my wife was this board game from 1967. The game itself--a kind of 4-player version of something that Parker Brothers had put out in 1961--isn't all that amazing, but what is cool is the box art.



I can't think of many toys, puzzles, or games that were officially licensed from the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, so this is kind of special. The cover of the box shows scenes from the movie that were later deleted. Originally Kubrick had one of the astronauts playing an elecronic version of this game with HAL, but it was cut out and replaced with a scene where they play chess instead.

It's become a sort of odd tradition in our house to give each other taxidermy of some sort. I started this a few years ago when I gave wife a weird old taxidermied squirrel, and she continued it this year by giving me this cool little bat encased in acrylic.



This relates in a way to one of the gifts that I gave myself this year: a silver with abalone belt buckle that features two scorpions encased in acrylic. I know I shouldn't be buying myself gifts... but how could I pass this up?



Getting back to the Sci-Fi theme, another cool thing that I'd found while out shopping, was this tin button from around 1982. I don't see a lot of Blade Runner items out there, so this one was a must have.

Generation X-Wing

Of all the different versions and package variations that have been done of the X-Wing fighter over the years, this window box version from the Original Trilogy Collection is probably my favorite.

Why the Y-Wing?

The Y-Wing fighter has always been a favorite of mine. It's the sort of thing that made me like Star Wars in the first place: a classic spaceship design, with that mix of hand built and high tech. It's what made the early Star Wars movies so appealing... and so charming.

These two versions by Kenner/Hasbro are both great. Modern versions of the classic toy, and once again, I'm struggling to decide if I should liquidate them from my collection.

Let's Make the Jump to Hyperspace

About twice a year--once in the fall, and once in the spring--I sort through everything, and decide what stays in my collection and what goes. Right now I'm weeding through the Star Wars toys, and I'm having a pretty hard time making up my mind.

I've sorted through the stuff before, and have already thinned it down to a respectable fraction of what it used to be. Still though, I've got more than I'll ever have room to display, so it's time to make some tough decisions once again.

I'm starting with this boxed Power of the Force Mellennium Falcon.

Ultimately I'd rather just have a nice loose vintage Falcon on the shelf, but I've been hauling this thing around for nearly twenty years now, and it's kind of hard to let it go.

Chances are good that it'll stay I suppose, but who knows...