Though I don’t remember which, I received this item as a gift from my sister on one of my birthdays at least 10 years ago. If not more.
I was still a gatherer and user of Buzz Lightyear rather than a real collector back then. I was torn when I opened it. Would I use it or keep it? It bothered me enough that I didn’t like it for a while.
I’ll be the first to admit… this is probably kind of gross. Especially considering the expiration dates on these are between 2002 & 2003. The only one still edible is the Campbell’s Fun Shapes. Though it were canned in 2002 they don’t go bad till 2105! The cereal and fun snacks seem fine… it’s the Pop Tarts that really feel nasty. Mostly because they’re so heavy and you can feel them shift around inside the box. They were purple and green to start with! I can’t imagine what they look like now.
First off let me say that I really, really wish I could post these items in the order that I acquired them. There’s a crazy little part of my brain that is freaking out that I’ll just have to post them randomly. I also would like to be able to have a story for every item… and until now I thought I knew where every one of them came from… but I don’t remember. So you get what you get.
I had to go digging through my kid’s rooms to find him but he’s still here. He’s the very first Buzz Lightyear collectible I ever bought. I purchased him at The Magic Kingdom in Florida on my honeymoon in June of 1996. Toy Story was released in November of 1995 and this was 7 months later. Being the first feature-length computer animated film my interest went far beyond the story. Everything about it thrilled me… but especially the movie’s main character, a squatty grey and green suited spaceman.
I remember seeing this toy for the first time, being amazed that there was an actual toy that looked exactly like the ‘toy’ in the movie. He was what we would now call an “instabuy”. I took him out of the box and literally played with him back at the hotel. This is something I really regret now… but he was so awesome!
He spent the next year on my computer desk. Any friends that came over with children loved to play with him. One young man in particular will always live in infamy for breaking and then denying the breakage of the wing ejection button. Nic was 8 at the time. He’s now in his 20’s. You did it Nic. Time to face the music!
Years later Buzz made another appearance that sticks out in my memory. There was a man in our church who had a wife dying of cancer. We went to see him, and her… and for some strange reason I took Buzz with me to give to the man. I even told him, “I don’t know why but I want you to keep him till she’s better.” He responded as if I had given him the best gift in the world. Buzz stayed in that hospital room for quite a while. The poor lady lost her battle and Buzz came home.
A few years later that man met and married my sister.
Buzz sat on various office shelves over the next few years until 2008 when we had our son. He went to live with little James. First as a nursery decoration and later on as a real toy.
He’s scuffed and scratched. His batteries need replacing. His wings don’t pop out anymore (Nic!) but he will always be my first Buzz. He turns 17 this June.
But I really want to make it like this.
This is just a first draft. I imagine seeing a backpack and a modified chest plate and the oh-so-important dome. I’m currently trying to get some prices out of a few armor creators.
Naturally I’ll have to lose some weight to be a Stormtrooper…
This thing has been haunting me ever since I saw it for the first time. Easily the most complex, detailed Buzz Lightyear figure in the world. Also the most expensive… which is why, until recently, I never ordered one. Well, I happen to have a little spare change laying around from Christmas and birthdays… so I went for it. Placed my order. It was shipped from Japan last week and a delivery was attempted today to my front door. I’m going to head out to FedEx in half an hour to pick it up.
Assuming it survived the trip from Japan, through Anchorage, Alaska; Memphis, Tennessee; and Tampa, Florida… I should be a pretty happy camper within the hour. Just look at this thing!
And that’s just the beginning. It comes with like 8 different faces. It’s super-pose-able. It even lets you take off the backpack and remove little fake batteries! After 17 years I can now consider my Buzz Lightyear collection complete!
Rather than photographing or videotaping the whole unboxing… here’s a great video that takes you through an in depth review.
Check out more photos of this amazing collectible here.
*Update*
I. LOVE. IT. Is that even Christian? He’s awesome! Pics! (Click to make them big)
I wanted to try some freehand lettering of Buzz’s name… it turned into this over a couple of days.
This Buzz says, “I belong on a Trapper Keeper!”
La la la la la la. La la la la laaaaaa.
This Buzz says, “La la la la la la. La la la la laaaaaa.”
Got a wild hair and a few moments to bust out a new Buzz Lightyear… as a Zombie. I’ve done a Zombie Buzz before… but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. I like this one.
This Buzz says, “Nom nom nom.”
Back in April I did Minecraft Buzz Beta. Today while I was home sick I redid him a bit. Outlined him in black and made his face look a little tougher. Enjoy!
This Buzz says, “Bout time!”
