I’m starting a new series on all the great toys I had as a child, growing up in the 70s and 80s. I don’t know if the toys we had back then were any better than today’s toys, in part because I have two daughters and no idea what kind of toys boys play with these days. I guess today they’re all playing with video games. But I know the Star Wars toys from the 70s were a thousand times better than what’s available today. In the late 70s and early 80s you could acquire a virtual prop department capable of supporting a Star Wars sequel.
And when did Luke Skywalker start taking steroids?
This is just ridiculous! But I don’t think the “buff” Skywalker is still being sold.
Anyway, almost all my toys are gone—most of them broke, others I traded to friends or sold them for a few dollars. Some were just lost. Fortunately, E-Bay has come to the rescue. I’ve tracked down most of the toys I had growing up, although I haven’t bought any. I’m spending too much money on my bicycles. But at least I have pictures and memories.
So over the next several weeks I’ll be posting articles about my favorite lost toys. I’ll begin with the Granddaddy of Lost Toys, the Arklon Black King. This toy is so rare, it’s difficult to find photographs of it. Most surviving examples are broken, but still fetch a few hundred dollars. A fully-working model would probably bring $1000 or more.
Here are some thumbnails of other lost toys I’ll be writing about. Sit back and enjoy the memories!
Hi, i´ve see you posting here and the picture of the starbird. I´ve the starbird since i was a little boy. Do you want to buy it?
Why do you want to sell it? No mula on my end, but you should try Ebay anyway to get a good price.
Rodney:
I was just sitting here at work a bit bored and randomly typed in “Starbird Milton Bradley” as I have one in storage. Your site was one of many that popped up. What catches my eye is the Arklon Black King, I actually have one still in the box at home. I never played with it much cause I didn’t like Japanese stuff, except Godzilla, at the time. And I thought it was the ugliest damn toy I’d ever seen at the time. I can’t even recall who bought it for me at the time. I also have the Space 1999 Eagle and some of the action figures, (Cmdr Koening and Mya) in the box and 2 70′s Battlestar Galactica viper fighters and a cylon raider ship. Everything I have is mint, in boxes. I haven’t paid any attention to them in over 30 years, but they are tucked away in a chest. I have tons of Star Trek items too numerous to mention with me here in Seattle. I left the other stuff back home in WV.
Anyhow, it’s nice to find someone who gives a darn about toys that kids today wouldn’t have a clue what to do with because they’ve become so damn lazy with their cell phones and texting. Wish I could turn back time knowing what I know now and start over ya know. Be well…..Jack
Dude, you have a Black King in the box??. You’re sitting on a piece of gold. If you’re interested in selling it, it should bring several hundred dollars at least.
Or, you could just give it me in exchange for a lifetime of admiration.