The Great Buyback

Happy New Year all! If you're supposed to be back at work today and want a distraction, head over to the Great Buyback blog for my 2023 year in review (link in bio). What are your collecting goals for the new year?

Happy New Year all! With another year down I thought I'd take some time to reflect on how the Great Buyback progressed in 2023. Check out the blog post and let me know what your goals are for 2024 🥳

The Great Buyback – 2023 In Review So, it’s that time of the year again. Everyone’s dreading heading back to work after a couple of weeks off, drinking and eating way too much. I’m super fortunate this year as I& #8…

JUST ARRIVED: I've started a new collection! (As if I didn't have enough on the go 😅)

I've been collecting wrestling and basketball VHS for over 20 years but I've never really dabbled in movies. Recently I got the urge to pick up a few classics from the 80s and 90s. I think I'll focus on those titles that I remember renting and those with the most impactful covers that really stood out at the video store 🥳

JUST ARRIVED: I remember being pretty shocked in the mid-late 90s when I first came across ECW at the local video store. I hadn't been following wrestling for a few years and things had evidently changed since the days of Hulk Hogan and the Ultimate Warrior 😵 🤯

I don't usually buy VHS that didn't originate in NZ but I already had a few of these UK ECW releases from back in the day. This lot takes the total collection to 15.

I've been thinking more and more about the reality of this digital-only world we find ourselves in lately. With streaming services able to change and remove content as they see fit, I can't help but feel things like ECW will one day be lost forever. 🤔

JUST ARRIVED: Something a bit different today. Four signed photos for my New Zealand wrestling history collection. These postcard-sized photos pop up for sale from time to time but it's rare to find them autographed.

Wrestling was BIG business in NZ leading up to and after WWII. We produced some big names and also hosted some world class talent. Here we have local stars Ken Kenneth and Lofty Bloomfield along with imports Earl McCready and George Pencheff. Lofty, arguably the most well-known of these four, is the only professional wrestler in the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame 🏆🔥

JUST ARRIVED: The Real Ghostbusters "Fright Features" Ray Stantz from 1986.

This line has a solid cult following nowadays but for me it was one of those weird ones were I just had the single figure. No idea when or why I got him but I always thought his "fright" action was quite cool.

JUST ARRIVED: Batman and Bob The Goon from the Batman movie by Toybiz in 1989 🦇

Leading up to Christmas in 1989 I was completely Batman obsessed. I actually went sneaking around the house, looking for presents in the weeks before. I spotted a few batman logos and realised I was in for a great time 🥳

These figures fit in nicely with the Kenner Super Powers but the quality isn't the best. I think I never bothered with the Toybiz Joker because my Super Powers one was far superior.

JUST ARRIVED: Knight 2000 Turbo Booster from Kenner (1983). I picked up this gem from the Capital City Comics and Collectibles Fair on Labour Day. It's becoming harder for me to stumble across stuff that I need in the wild so this was a welcome find 🥳

FOR SALE: As I get further along in the Great Buyback it's becoming clear that the only way I can fill some of my collection gaps without paying an arm and a leg is to buy in bulk and sell the stuff I don't need. This lot came in recently with some Thundercats from the UK. Check out my Trade Me listings for these. All priced at an amount I would pay for my own collection (and I'm a bit of a cheapskate 😅).

Link in bio (https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/search?member_listing=41952)

JUST ARRIVED: I'm currently on a mission to track down all of these Thundercat minis I had as a kid. Combined with the playsets, these were so much fun. They're really hard to find these days. I had to import the majority of these from the UK. I'll have a few spares up for sale on my Trade Me account soon - https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/search?member_listing=41952 (Link in bio)

JUST ARRIVED: Nozone 🤧 from the 1991 Toxic Crusaders line 🥳

This was the only Toxic Crusader I had as a kid. I'm not sure why I wasn't more into them. I think by the time these hit NZ shores I was transitioning out of toys and into other interests. I remember getting Nozone from a friend for what I'm guessing was my 10th birthday.

I'm not going to make a habit of collecting mint on card stuff for the Great Buyback but this guy became available and I couldn't resist. The packaging is so iconic and looks great on display. 😎

JUST ARRIVED: Mumm-Ra's Crypt from the Thundercats mini line released in 1986 🧟‍♂️

I LOVED these mini figures when I was a kid. They got more play than the big ones and these mini playsets were the reason. There are three in total I'm after but this is a great start. This one is the Mexican release so the eyes are quite different from the one I had. Mine were clear plastic while these are mirrored. The little coffin for Mumm-ra is almost always broken or lost so I'm stoked to get this complete. 🥳

JUST ARRIVED: Dusty Rhodes and the Macho King from their match at the greatest PPV of all time - Wrestlemania VI!

I've slowed down considerably on new stuff but these guys were a fun pickup. Took me a while to source the Dusty to complete the BAF Mean Gene but the trio looks pretty sweet in my WWF pre-1995 display.

JUST ARRIVED: Rowdy Roddy Piper from the LJN WWF Wrestling Superstars line released in 1984. This guy isn't in great condition but I recently picked up his kilt so he's now complete 🥳 It's incredibly satisfying slowing piecing figures together with their long lost accessories.

New Zealand was really late to the game with these toys. It wasn't until 1989 that the WWF craze hit here and these things were flying off the shelves. Some Toy Warehouse stores had to hire security guards to deal with theft.

JUST ARRIVED: With the arrival of Dragon Blaster Skeletor I'm now "figure complete" for vintage Masters of the Universe in the Great Buyback 🥳 Still a few accessories and mini-comics to go but the end is in sight 😎

I had a lot of fun showing the kids this guy. His dragon backpack still shoots water 💧

JUST ARRIVED: Needlenose from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line (1990). This guy embodies everything that was great about the early 90s 🤩 I still need a few bits to make him complete but it's a good start.

JUST ARRIVED: Board games weren't originally on my list of things to buy back but I've been having a lot of fun lately picking up various games I had as a kid. The best part is being able to play these games again with my kids.

Here's a pic from July 1990 of me with the TMNT Pizza Power Game. I recently found another one of these and it's just as frustrating as it was 33 years ago. That Technodrome battle is brutal 🥴

JUST ARRIVED: We finally made it to Little Atomz in Berhampore, Wellington today. What an amazing place. We probably only saw 10% of what Arlo has. There were board games, VHS, toys, soft toys, everything you can imagine - modern and vintage 😍 if you're in the Wellington region you really need to get there. We'll definitely be making a return trip soon.

My purchase for the day was these two beauties. Absolutely pristine Robin and Superman from the Kenner Super Powers line. Thanks heaps Arlo. It was great meeting you and hearing your story 🙏

JUST ARRIVED: I was obsessed with this book as kid! - the Super Powers Annual from 1984.

I mean, it's incredibly grim at first glance. On the front we have Superman and Flash being destroyed by Lex Luthor and on the back Green Lantern turning on Superman. My 4 year old brain could not process any of it 😅 Only recently did I find out that the front cover is by the legendary Jack Kirby.

How's that for service? Ordered 1.15pm Friday, received 7.58am Saturday. Can't recommend .co.nz enough 🙌

JUST ARRIVED: The Four Horsemen 🐴 I picked these up for my WCW Toybiz side collection. Quite possibly the worst likeness on a Ric Flair figure of all time 😬 but I think this is the only Mongo McMichael figure around so there's that.

JUST ARRIVED: Big thanks to for this complete near-mint Man-At-Arms from the first wave of Masters of the Universe.

I was a little late to the MOTU line as a kid and didn't get this guy until a few years later. I remember being shocked to stumble across him and the likes of Beast-Man, Zodac and Mekaneck at an antique store in Dunedin. This must have been around 1990. My parents agreed to get them for me for my upcoming birthday. Being second-hand, none of them had their accessories which was a bummer at the time but it does make re-buying them now that much more fun 😀

JUST ARRIVED: I'm not sure why I needed this or what I'm possibly going to do with it but I was looking through pics of my old room the other day and spotted this green ALF colouring book. Amazingly, the same colouring book was for sale on Trade Me so of course I had to get it.

JUST ARRIVED: Another lot of Kenner Super Powers. This is definitely a line I'm going to need to upgrade over time. Tough to get these in good condition without breaking the bank. Poor old batman here is missing an ear!👂

JUST ARRIVED: A few more for the Super Powers collection. These were among the first figures I ever had and I have distinct memories of getting up in the middle of the night and playing with them. Some of the rarest and most expensive on my list too. Cyborg from Series 3 is north of $1,000 at current market prices. 🤯😬

Super stoked to receive Series 2 of the NZ Wrestling Trading Cards from .collectibles.nz 💥 🙏

Butch would have been stoked to see these in person and he would have been incredibly grateful for the fundraiser that the team at .collectibles.nz organised. Great concept and great ex*****on. If you haven't already, head over to Wrestling Collectibles NZ and pick up your set (link in bio)

JUST ARRIVED: Massive thanks to in Lyttleton for this gem. I didn't have a massive collection of cartoon VHS as a kid but I cherished the few I did have. I remember getting this one for a birthday gift.

JUST ARRIVED: Peter Maivia, 's Grandfather, on the cover of New Zealand's Sports Digest from April 1967. When wrestling was still covered alongside sports like Rugby and Netball in national publications. Sure, there was a wink and nod that suggested the media were well aware of the staged nature of the contests, but they still did their best to not spoil the fun.

JUST ARRIVED: The Genius signed and authenticated by Beckett. I usually get these done myself but unfortunately Lanny passed away before I could get his auto so this one was sourced from eBay.

I was fortunate enough to interview Lanny as part of my research for the Bushwhacker Butch book. He was a great guy and super generous with his time.