The Saga Museum Blog!

Bill writes...

"I have always been a collector.  I think it’s something you’re born with, and I definitely inherited the collecting gene.  As a kid, I collected stamps, coins, comic books, baseball cards, you name it.  But for some reason, I never viewed toys as a collectible until around 1993.  I remember paging through a toy price guide in a book store and being shocked to learn that a loose 12” Darth Vader was “worth” $75.00.   This prompted me to dig out all my Star Wars toys from my childhood that were boxed up in my parent’s basement.  I knew my 12” Darth Vader was buried somewhere in all those boxes. 

Nostalgia having piqued my interest, it wasn’t long after that I found myself looking through the pages of an Action Figure Digest and being completely blown away that unopened, original carded Star Wars figures were still in existence.  Seeing color photos of the first 21 figures in carded form brought back so many great memories that I knew I had to start collecting them.  The first figure I purchased was a 12 back C-3PO from The Earth around 1994 when they were a mail-order only company.  My original goal was to buy carded examples of the first 21 figures, and I didn’t care if they were on 12/20 or 21 backs.  That goal quickly went out the window as I soon found myself buying whatever I could find.  I spent hours poring through old issues of AFD, Toy Shop and the Tomart Guide to Star Wars Collectibles.  A whole new world had opened to me.

These days, my wife of 8 years and 3 kids (ages 6, 4 and 2) have forced a few priority changes, but I still love the hobby as much as ever and I continue to collect high-grade carded figures, baggies, displays, and 3-3/4” prototypes with Luke Jedi as my figure focus.

One of the things I admire about Todd is that whatever he decides to do, he does 110%.  He doesn’t do anything half way.  He doesn’t know how to cut a corner and he’s a true professional.  I had a great time working with him on the Baggie Feature for the SWCA, so when asked if I would be interested in helping him out on the book, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.  I can’t wait to see the finished product and I am confident this book will be the gold standard against which all other   Star Wars toy books will be measured against."

I met up with Shane Turgeon during the early dealer set-up at the Celebration IV in Los Angeles. He pulled a copy of his not-yet released Star Wars Tattoo book and gave me a sneak peek. Wow, was I amazed at the design element of this book. I quickly asked Shane who the designer was and he told me Jeff Correll. After seeing what an amazing job Jeff did on the Star Wars tattoo art book "The Force in the Flesh" last year, I knew I had found the right guy for my book project.

Some of Jeff's Star Wars design portfolio includes:

- Star Wars Celebration III -  designed set of 12 trading cards, exclusive set for the event

- Star Wars Celebration IV - designed 12 pewter exclusive collector medallions for the event

- Star Wars Celebration Japan - Teamed up with Mattias Rendal to design 12 pewter collector medallions, exclusive for the event

-  Star Wars book design - "The Force in the Flesh" by Shane Turgeon - 208 page, hardcover, coffee table art book on Star Wars tattoos and related artwork. Featuring 45 tattoo artists and collectors from around the globe. For more information and sample pages from this amazing project please visit (www.theforceintheflesh.com)

Jeff writes...

"Toy Collecting History:

I started collecting Star Wars toys at the age of 8 in 1988. I used whatever small amounts of money I had to search out loose figures and toys at flea markets and comic book stores and I had collecting fever even then. I kept my toys in a large trunk at the time but soon ran out of space. I bought stuff off and on when I could find it and filled up my closet once the trunk got too full. I got my first carded figure in 1992, which was a potf b-wing pilot for $15. When I was 13 in 1992 my family took a vacation to Florida. I looked forward to going to hunt for Star Wars toys more than anything. 

In 1995 I received my first potf2 figure as a gift from a girlfriend at the time, a Darth Vader on orange card with long saber. That started me down the path of modern toy collecting. I quickly ran out of space on my walls with figures pinned up all over the place. At that point, I decided to only collect vintage items. I boxed up all my modern toys and eventually sold them off.

After finishing up my college degree in graphic design and advertising in 2000, I took a dive into the realm of vintage prototypes. With my interest in design and toys it only made sense to combine the two together and make it a focus. I decided to focus mainly on Vintage Star Wars Micro Collection pre-production items and prototypes. Today this still remains my main focus point of collecting. I also currently collect a few other 1980's Kenner toy lines and prototypes. These include M.A.S.K., Centurions, and most importantly Silverhawks! I've also been known to pick up any type of internal Kenner item, service award or stuff that was meant to be in the hands of Kenner Employees."

I am proud to introduce Steve D. Bruno. With his commitment and passion for this project, he continually fuels my excitement and keeps me on track with his consistent delivery of superior quality photography. I am completely convinced that there is not another photographer on the planet that has the perseverance, patience and eye for perfection that Steve does. I am truly grateful that Steve arrived into my life at this perfect time.

Steve writes...

"I am a recent honors graduate of Gwinnett Technical College's Commercial Photography program. While at GTC, I won 2nd place in state in the SkillsUSA photography competition, was a member of the National Technical Honor Society, and graduated 1st Runner-Up for Best Portfolio in my class.  I also graduated from the University of Georgia, receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism with a specialization in Photojournalism. I am currently shooting weddings as an associate of Climie + Co. Photographers in Atlanta.

Here I am, Todd A. DeMartino, feeling a bit demented after filling my house up with a warehouse of large boxes and dragging items up to the sitting room off of the Master Bedroom (aka: The Photo Studio) to be shot.

1977-1985: Star Wars Childhood

Most collectors assume that I was a spoiled child that grew up with a lot of Star Wars toys. That was not the case. I only had a few Star Wars items from 1977-1978. I received two 12" action figures from my godfather Michael DeMartino. I received the first four die cast vehicles under the Christmas tree along with a “Victory Celebration” puzzle and a Destroy the Death Star board game. A total of eight items and not a single action figure, vehicle or playset.

When The Empire Strikes Back hit the theaters in 1980, I wanted it all. I would acquire almost everything released to that point, but this time not from my godfather or my parents. This time I would have to “borrow” them from a neighbor who was attempting to sell them in a yard sale… but that’s another story for a later date.

I enjoyed the Kenner Star Wars toys through the summer of 1984. I bought a few of the 1985 Power of the Force figures, and then my interest came to an abrupt end. At the age of 15, I had something else on my radar other than Star Wars toys and Atari games. I packed up all of my child hood memories, put them in the attic of the garage and forgot about them for a few short years.

1989: The Collection Begins

I went to college in Syracuse, New York where I majored in Architecture Technology. While attending my first semester of college, I ran across a Star Wars wanted ad in the local campus newspaper. The ad stated "LOOKING FOR STAR WARS TOYS MINT IN ORIGINAL PACKAGE." I thought it would be a great alternative to investing my money in mutual funds and might be something I could show my grandchildren. I thought I would buy every item Kenner produced in the United States from 1977-1985, brand new in the package, never opened, never played with. This goal sounded easy enough, but wow was I wrong! Almost 20 years later and here I am, still actively pursuing my college goal.

1989 – 2008: The Commitment

Once I made up my mind to pursue this goal, I immediately subscribed to Toy Shop magazine with Next Day UPS delivery.  I proceeded to run up a huge monthly phone bill by calling all corners of the Globe while simultaneously attending every Collectible Toy Show I could find between the coasts as well as Canada. During this period, there was little (if any) book/magazine reference material and I was forced to write my own, so I began by documenting what items were released along with their major variations.

In 1995, Hasbro resurrected the Star Wars toy line under the Kenner name and for the first time in 10 years, Star Wars would grace the toy isles in toy stores everywhere. This allowed me to relive the 1970’s with an opportunity to purchase these toys at retail on store shelves for the first time as an adult.

With the arrival of the Internet, I transitioned to the world-wide-web in 1999 after a strong, 10-year run of Toy Shop and toy shows. Instantly, the way I collected changed overnight. Nothing was as exciting as discovering and documenting new items like the early years, but the internet gave me an great opportunity to fill in the gaps, do additional research and upgrade some items in my collection.

2004 – 2008: The Book Project

While collecting, documenting and researching for many years, I waited for a definitive book to be published that showcased every item made by Kenner and Hasbro. I yearned for a nice, complete book with big, color photos to help guide me on my collecting adventures, and I really believed it would just be a matter of time before somebody finally published one. Rewind four years, and still waiting for that book to arrive, it finally dawned on me that I, Todd A. DeMartino, just might be the person to do it.

Almost 20 years of collecting means 20 years of figuring out where to store my collection. The first 4-5 years were free since I took advantage of my parent’s attic above the 2-car garage in New York.

I moved to South Florida in 1994 and once I settled in, I rented the largest Public Storage unit and shipped the items down from New York. Once the early collection arrived, I tightly fit the boxes into the “climate controlled” unit. I aggressively added items to my collection and quickly ran out of storage space. The toys started overflowing into my garage, living room, walk-in closets, etc. and my collection started suffering after 2 years in Public Storage. Besides the space issues, the unit started having endless A.C. problems and roof leaks. Once a roof leak entered my storage unit and damaged part of my collection of boxed Large Dolls, it was time to move.

My main fear of living in South Florida is the long hurricane season and the flooding since we are only a few feet above sea level. I never worried about the safety of friends, family or myself during a storm, but I had many sleepless nights thinking about how my collection would survive a catastrophic Hurricane!

A new warehouse complex comprised of three floors was built nearby. I chose a large 20’ x 30’ space in the middle of the warehouse located on the 2^nd floor. This newly constructed warehouse complex would be the perfect facility to house my collection. It had all of the security elements that I was looking for: cameras, security alarms, and secured entry gates with fulltime employees to watch over everything. This warehouse had everything that my collection deserved and I took every hurricane precaution that I could think of.  My thought process was:

1.      If a hurricane removed the 3^rd floor roof – my collection was safe on the 2^nd floor below an 8” concrete ceiling.

2.      If a hurricane compromised the 10” exterior concrete walls – my collection would be safe not sharing an outside wall.

3.      If a hurricane brought in flood waters to the 1^st floor – my collection would be safe located 14’ above the rising waters.

Well, that is what I told myself in order to get a good night’s sleep during the 7 month hurricane season.

Once I invested over 4 years to documenting, research and writing for the book project, it was time to start the photography. After 12 years safely stored in the warehouse and almost $30,000 in rent, it was time to transport the collection to the photography studio. I had the perfect photographer, but he resided in another state, and was without a studio. So, my sitting room off of the master bedroom was as good as any….. But that is a future entry.