Why, you ask? What did they ever do to me?
Well... nothing I suppose.
It's just that I got stiffed by someone on Ebay. Don't worry-- no one in this group. Basically just an Ebay scam artist.
Got taken for 100 bucks and never got my toys.
It's ruined Palmers for me. Every time I see them, I get a mixed feeling of disgust and anger. And then I am mad I was even contemplating spending 100 dollars on the monster equivalent of little green army men. But at least if I had them, it would be a consolation. Instead, I am out a hundred bucks, and all I have is a handful of air.
I would like to say I could get over this, but I hold grudges for a looooong time. I am petty. I admit. It makes me sad. I will probably never like Palmers now.
On the plus side, it could have been a Marx Robot Frankie.
Stupid Palmers.....
Matt Jaycox
UMA Medic
Aw, man! You can't be a Palmah-haydah just because of one bad experience! It's not the Palmer's fault. The Palmers are innocent, crude and primal...one of the classic 60's monster toys. And they love ALL monster collectors! What you need is a good Palmer experience to make you feel better. ;)
what palmers are you looking for. I think I may have some I want to part with. They would cost you nothing. Pics of Palmers please. If they are what I think they are I have never been very fond of mine and will part with them.
Quote from: Universalrocks on September 29, 2008, 09:34:44 AM
Pics of Palmers please.
(http://oznightshade.googlepages.com/PalmerBootlegs.jpg/PalmerBootlegs-full.jpg)
Matt,
Nothing petty about being out a hundred bucks...you should be rightfully pissed, but at the seller and NOT the toys. You and the Palmers were the victims here, I hope you filed whatever charges against the crooked seller that you could. Weasels like this ruin ebay for buyers. You should pass along his ID to all in this group so we can be on alert, if only to write to him during his auctions to say, "Nice item you have there, but I know too much about your past dealings to trust you with my bid".
Quote from: Mike Scott on September 29, 2008, 10:21:26 AM
(http://oznightshade.googlepages.com/PalmerBootlegs.jpg/PalmerBootlegs-full.jpg)
What's the Creature holding, a Subway sandwich?
One caveman has himself a Big Mac, and he's mighty happy. The other caveman appears to have a drumstick from KFC.
Maybe you should get a set of Palmers and embarrass them with a really weird paintjob:
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii98/roheimiana/palmer002Medium.jpg)
This would let the little critters know who's really in charge!
I got ripped off on carded Spooky Kooky jigglers last spring. Lost $40. I bought five from an ebay dealer and, after some hair pulling, actually received three. He just pocketed the rest of my money. His seller name was something like "unusualtoys." His ebay account has since been deactivated, but he might resurface under a different name. He was the only guy who had quantities of those carded Spookies in the $20 range.
matt,
Don't get mad. Get even. use whatever resources Ebay has to get this clown and that maens the cops too. In Pennsylvania its considered a computer crime if someone rips you off on Ebay so the penalty is pretty high. Make him as miserable as he amde you!!
mjaycox here are the ones I have.
(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o155/karloff4623/001-1.jpg)
You are welcome to them as I have no interest in them, they were given to me. PM me if you want them.
Those are the Monster Grab bag Palmers. Smaller and thinner. Still very cool Though. HHW
I love Palmers.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/2043752354_6b9539e44d_o.jpg)
Those Palmers are SWEET.... Looks like they've got some 80's Michael Jackson choreography goin' on!
Quote from: Gasport on September 29, 2008, 08:44:44 PM
Those Palmers are SWEET.... Looks like they've got some 80's Michael Jackson choreography goin' on!
Nice call! :D
Quote from: Toy Ranch on September 29, 2008, 08:35:11 PM
I love Palmers.
(http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2345/2043752354_6b9539e44d_o.jpg)
Ah... see... now all I can do is imagine them with my 100 bucks... each one of them holding $3.12 apiece.
And mocking me.
All the time-- mocking!
But I shall have the last laugh! Yes-- mark my words... I shall laugh last
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! (BTW-- that did not constitute me laughing last. That will come later. Just so we're clear)
Matt
Those always looked neat, but I could never bring myself to start actually looking to get a set. Now the Marx fuigures on the other hand, those I bought up rabidly!
This seller has the Kong with the Fay Ray....$600 and it's coming your way. Yikes!
(http://i3.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/9a/64/b565_1_b.JPG)
http://cgi.ebay.com/PALMER-1960s-KING-KONG-FAY-RAY-MONSTER-FIGURE-RARE_W0QQitemZ250024964534QQcmdZViewItem?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116#ebayphotohosting
It aint coming my way. $600 clams...yikes!!!!!!
I think that seller has had that listed a long time. Maybe he's just trying to show off the fact that he has it.
I like the Palmers, but could never bring myself to spend the money on them. There seems to be plenty of them out there, they are by no means rare, so I really don't understand the prices.
There is just no bang for your buck with them.
and that $600 for kong is just stupid. Like you said ray, he's showing off. Or he could just be one of those sellers who never discounts stuff no matter how long they've had it listed at that price.
Why do most of the Palmers I see look brand spanking new? Was there a warehouse find at some point?
Quote from: Dr.Terror on October 01, 2008, 12:11:12 AM
I like the Palmers, but could never bring myself to spend the money on them. There seems to be plenty of them out there, they are by no means rare, so I really don't understand the prices.
There is just no bang for your buck with them.
and that $600 for kong is just stupid. Like you said ray, he's showing off. Or he could just be one of those sellers who never discounts stuff no matter how long they've had it listed at that price.
I've seen them sell for $400 - $500 with Fay Wray before, several times. That is a really minty one. $600 is not "just stupid". Red is a good color, too. It's a bit high, and if it were a blue one it would likely be gone in a flash at that price. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see it sell at some point.
I have a lot of things listed at high prices in my eBay store. Other things are bargains. The high priced items are things I am not in a hurry to sell, but would sell at those prices. It costs me 6¢ a month to keep them there. Eventually they do sell. Or someone makes an offer, and frequently I accept it. It's not "showing off".
If you want a King Kong with Fay Wray Palmer figure, you can either pay that price or wait and try to get one for less. You may be waiting a long time. It's not worth that to me, or it appears others here, but that doesn't mean it's not worth that to someone.
Quote from: Bogey on October 01, 2008, 07:50:22 AM
Why do most of the Palmers I see look brand spanking new? Was there a warehouse find at some point?
I don't think so. They are durable. They don't have parts that break easily. I've seen many that had condition issues, but the most common condition issue aside from mold defects or paint on them is chew marks. Aside from gnawing down on them or painting them, there's not a lot you can do to mess them up with normal play.
Quote from: Toy Ranch on October 01, 2008, 08:29:51 AM
If you want a King Kong with Fay Wray Palmer figure, you can either pay that price or wait and try to get one for less.
Hmmm? Little plastic toy that don't look much like Kong, or Sideshow replica of the Kong armature? It's so hard to choose! :D
I think that the Fay Wray came with the Kong that was packaged in the target set; that is the only packaged example of Palmers that I've seen with the Fay Wray included. I've also only ever seen it in red. It is a scarce item to be sure.
And, crazy as it may sound...I'd much rather have the plastic palmer than the sideshow replica. ;D
Quote from: poseablemonster on October 01, 2008, 08:51:30 AM
And, crazy as it may sound...I'd much rather have the plastic palmer than the sideshow replica. ;D
Would you say that if they were made 40 years ago and hardly ever turned up for sale?
Yes, I probably would. I had a conversation with Ray about the armature replica once, and my take on that is that the real armature is an amazing piece of movie history...but a replica of it just doesn't interest me at all. Maybe if it were a replica of the actual maquette, I would be more attracted to it, I dunno. Either way, it's a prop replica of sorts, and I am not really into those.
Quote from: poseablemonster on October 01, 2008, 09:12:44 AM
Either way, it's a prop replica of sorts, and I am not really into those.
I guess every monster toy is a replica. Some more acurate than others. 99% of things being sold as "King Kong" just look like some monkey, to me.
Well, I have the replica Kong but I don't have a Palmer with Fay Wray. The replica is disappointing in some ways. The metal they used on it is soft, and it's not as usable as it might appear. It's hard to find a position you can put it in where it will hold it's pose, in fact. I try not to touch it because it may fall out of pose and then I worry a great deal that something is going to break when I try and get it back. :/
Andy and I both have the Palmer Kong with Fay Wray, but neither of us have the Sideshow armature. That shows our priorities. If the armature had skin and fur, I'd be more excited about it. If it had been made 40 years ago, I'd definitely be more excited. But then, they didn't make stuff like that 40 years ago. And I guess that's kind of the point.
I can imagine a 60s "stop motion play set" with a smaller, more rudimentary Kong armature and some kind of do-it-yourself fur "skin" that you would have to apply and paint. I can imagine a little Super 8 camera packaged with it, maybe a crude little jungle backdrop. It would have been an expensive item in a Christmas catalog. The box would show an excited boy grinning as he posed the Kong. Maybe his sister would be pointing the camera at it.
In the 00s, we have the Sideshow armature. That is the difference between 60s/70s and 90s/00s. It's not just the number of years that have elapsed. It's the style, the attitude, the intention, the target market, the construction, the packaging, everything.
You know I had some of those as a kid that I made my mom buy at a garage sale. I didn't know they were these Palmer toys til I saw this post. I had two of them and was fascinated by them - I had Creature and Dracula (maybe the reason for my early fascination with monsters - that and Sir Graves Ghastly helped). Lord knows what ever happened to them though - it was 30 years ago. I had two of those, smurfs, snoopy figures and legos - what an ecclectic combination eh?
I just noticed if you put them in the correct order they almost spell out Y-M-C-A (although the C is missing - well you could probably substitute the "C"reature for the C).
Oh and sorry you got taken on eBay....that sucks...
But thanks for the post - 2nd thing I learned here today.
The Monster Grab bag Palmers were stolen by a company that made ice lolly sticks when I was a kid in the UK, well the Dracula and creature anyway. I doubt they were official in any way. They were moulded in white plastic on plastic sticks.
They are no doubt lurking in my parents attic somewhere as I was very fond of them, despite being peeved that they were so flat.
Next time I visit my parents, I'm going to spend a day in the attic as there are a few treasures I remember from childhood that are probably still hiding up there.
Bring your camera, chrisnurse. We need pictures! ;D
Bobby, no one said you were showing off, LOL.
Green, blue, red, or yellow..Fay or not I don't understand why anyone would pay more than $10 for one of these. These are only valuable to certain people because they are rare, not because they are cool IMO. The Marx figs are a dime a dozen but I'd take them any day of the week over these overpriced, overrated army men.
Quote from: Dr.Terror on October 02, 2008, 09:55:59 AM
Bobby, no one said you were showing off, LOL.
Green, blue, red, or yellow..Fay or not I don't understand why anyone would pay more than $10 for one of these. These are only valuable to certain people because they are rare, not because they are cool IMO. The Marx figs are a dime a dozen but I'd take them any day of the week over these overpriced, overrated army men.
Doc, I didn't take it that you said I was showing off. I just don't understand why you said that seller is...
I like both the Marx figures and Palmers, but Palmers are far more special to me. I had both when I was a kid. The Marx figures sat in the toy box and looked cool, but I played with Palmers. They battled with army men, they rode in little cars and trucks. They got buried in the sand in the yard, and rose in sneak attacks on my little plastic Ft Apache, where Cowboys and Indians joined forces against them. And when I look over to the shelf where my Palmer collection sits, as I'm doing even as I type this, those memories run through my head and it makes me happy.
I always wondered why Kong had is hairy paw in the air like that. I never saw Fay Wray or knew she existed until years later. I'd love to have a Fay to put in Kong's hand some day, and some day I will.
The Marx figures are better sculpts, by far, and they were always fun to look at. I loved the colors of orange and teal together. But the Palmers have a very special place in my heart. I had some. My friends had some too. We played with them together. Palmers were one of the few monster toys the other monster kids I knew had in common. We all had a few monster toys, but all of us had Palmers.
So their value to me has nothing to do with their rarity. And as far as "cool" goes, I think they are one of the coolest monster toys ever.
I love Palmers. They are one of my favorite monster toys. Certainly not because of their scarcity; in fact, only ceratin color variations could really be called "rare". I love them because they are crude, cheezy, campy, fun and they epitomize what I like about monster toys in the first place; especially 60's monster toys. They are one of the first monster toy lines that I started collecting years ago, and they will always be dear to me. Marx monsters are much better sculpts, but that isn't what I look for personally. Just a difference in taste, or lack of on my part! ;)
I like Palmer monsters more than Marx, but I like MPC pop tops most of all.
As a child, I had none of the above. I discovered all of them as an adult.
Quote from: poseablemonster on October 02, 2008, 09:15:40 AM
Bring your camera, chrisnurse. We need pictures! ;D
I will try and hunt them out Andy. I have to do an attic trip to try and find the wolfman mini-monster. It seems to have happened all the time in the UK - sweet/candy companies stealing sculpts. I had a big candy container that had an AHI Kong water gun head also - sure that was an illicit recast.
Quote from: chrisnurse on October 02, 2008, 04:10:59 PM
I will try and hunt them out Andy. I have to do an attic trip to try and find the wolfman mini-monster. It seems to have happened all the time in the UK - sweet/candy companies stealing sculpts. I had a big candy container that had an AHI Kong water gun head also - sure that was an illicit recast.
You know... from what I have been told, most "manufacturers" in Hong Kong through the 60's and early 70's were mom and pop type operations, working out of a small room with whatever equipment they needed. It wasn't big factories for the small stuff. They frequently made knockoffs from the original molds at night, after running their orders during the day. Knockoff GI Joe clothes and such were made the same, with the same material, by the same people, but they didn't have the tag in them. It's entirely conceivable that your AHI water gun head was out of the same mold, and not a recast... or not.
Quote from: Toy Ranch on October 02, 2008, 09:24:26 PM
You know... from what I have been told, most "manufacturers" in Hong Kong through the 60's and early 70's were mom and pop type operations, working out of a small room with whatever equipment they needed. It wasn't big factories for the small stuff. They frequently made knockoffs from the original molds at night, after running their orders during the day. Knockoff GI Joe clothes and such were made the same, with the same material, by the same people, but they didn't have the tag in them. It's entirely conceivable that your AHI water gun head was out of the same mold, and not a recast... or not.
I had never thought of that, it makes utter sense. I have seen loads of vintage stuff that I remember seeing or having as a nipper that I presumed was recast and/or knocked off, yet a lot of it I remember being identical. There was this grocery store that my sister's friend's parents ran ( apparently, if you can say that backwards, you can summon satan) – man, that was a haven for cheap monster toys, stickers, transfers and cards. Didn't I read here that somebody within our ranks had invented a time machine? :D
Quote from: chrisnurse on October 03, 2008, 06:54:36 PM
There was this grocery store that my sister's friend's parents ran ( apparently, if you can say that backwards, you can summon satan) – man, that was a haven for cheap monster toys, stickers, transfers and cards. Didn't I read here that somebody within our ranks had invented a time machine? :D
I had a time machine, but the guy in this video stole it. Then he sent me the video just to rub my nose in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfa9xYlkdLE&feature=related
You definitely hit a nerve there, Ray... Extremely well done! Now ,could you make one for us kids who started at the beginning of the monster boom, re-discovering all the Aurora kits, Monster Nik trolls. Marx, Palmer , MPC, etc. figures?? If you do, i 'll most likely cancel my Cable TV and watch ONLY that...Makes me long for that huge bin of blue and orange Marx monster figures in Grant's variety store. WONDERFUL JOB!!
Thank you! I made that in 1995. It is the final scene of a documentary about toy collecting. Andy Williams helped on it, as did new UMA member Ronnie Salinas.
Great video Ray, get the time machine back....get the time machine back!
Quote from: raycastile on October 02, 2008, 02:45:58 PM
I like Palmer monsters more than Marx, but I like MPC pop tops most of all.
Not me. I'm sorry Palmer apologists, but I gotta go with the Marx monsters every time. The Palmers were just too crude for my taste. Don't get me wrong, I really like crude (as in the Jaymar puzzle illustrations), but the Palmer monsters didn't have the "right kind of crude" to be endearing in my opinion. They were just poorly sculpted figures and were done so in haste like fashion. Now, I still enjoy having them in my collection, but if somebody were to hold me at gun point demanding plastic monster figures, I'd hand them a fistful of Palmers and think I got the better of the deal. ;)
I don't own any Palmers but I gotta say I love them, it's the fact that they are so crude that makes them work for me. I guess they are the cheesy Tomland's of their era. God speed you Palmer monsters!
I say we have a fight to the death. Palmer vs Marx. Where's Professor Griffin? He's pretty good at staging these battle royals. Somebody's going down.
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2913608442_3e49148b87_o.jpg)
Quote from: Toy Ranch on October 04, 2008, 06:49:24 PM
(http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2913608442_3e49148b87_o.jpg)
What are those, Robo-Palmers?
I guess we're going to need some Mecha Marx to fight them.
(http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii98/roheimiana/basket005Medium.jpg)
I love playing basketball with these piddling little Palmers! Hey, toss him to me next... I wanna see if I can catch him with my eyes shut!
There it is! Now that's what I'm talking about! Thanks Roheimiana for clarifying things here.
Palmers are the weaker of the species.
:D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D :D
LOL. That's it, I'm opening a safe house for these little guys.
Quote from: Toy Ranch on October 02, 2008, 10:18:30 AMI like both the Marx figures and Palmers, but Palmers are far more special to me. I had both when I was a kid. The Marx figures sat in the toy box and looked cool, but I played with Palmers. They battled with army men, they rode in little cars and trucks. They got buried in the sand in the yard, and rose in sneak attacks on my little plastic Ft Apache, where Cowboys and Indians joined forces against them. And when I look over to the shelf where my Palmer collection sits, as I'm doing even as I type this, those memories run through my head and it makes me happy.
But the Palmers have a very special place in my heart. I had some. My friends had some too. We played with them together. Palmers were one of the few monster toys the other monster kids I knew had in common. We all had a few monster toys, but all of us had Palmers.
So their value to me has nothing to do with their rarity. And as far as "cool" goes, I think they are one of the coolest monster toys ever.
Well put! I can fully understand treasuring a toy because there was a bond between it and you created during your childhood.
:)
Quote from: raycastile on October 02, 2008, 02:45:58 PM
I like Palmer monsters more than Marx, but I like MPC pop tops most of all.
As a child, I had none of the above. I discovered all of them as an adult.
I discovered all three on this board, and like you I like the MPC Pop-Tops the best!
8)
Quote from: mjaycox on September 29, 2008, 04:13:23 AM
Why, you ask? What did they ever do to me?
Well... nothing I suppose.
It's just that I got stiffed by someone on Ebay. Don't worry-- no one in this group. Basically just an Ebay scam artist.
Got taken for 100 bucks and never got my toys.
It's ruined Palmers for me. Every time I see them, I get a mixed feeling of disgust and anger. And then I am mad I was even contemplating spending 100 dollars on the monster equivalent of little green army men. But at least if I had them, it would be a consolation. Instead, I am out a hundred bucks, and all I have is a handful of air.
I would like to say I could get over this, but I hold grudges for a looooong time. I am petty. I admit. It makes me sad. I will probably never like Palmers now.
On the plus side, it could have been a Marx Robot Frankie.
Stupid Palmers.....
Matt Jaycox
UMA Medic
How recent was this? You may have recourse if you paid by credit card or a postal money order. A credit card company will credit back your card for undelivered items, and the post office considers it mail fraud when someone basically robs someone. I was told years ago to always pay with a postal m.o., and not a Western Union m.o. for this reason. And sure enough, it benefitted me when someone tried to steal $250 from me for an item. After several emails went unanswered by this person, I said I was going to the post office the next day, and it's considered a federal offense with possible jail time, I got an email from the person within the hour saying he had been out of town, and would send me the item the next day. I had it in 2 days. Hopefully one of these options can be at your disposal.
JP
The thread was from 2008.
I think I'm a little late to the dance then. lol
JP
Since you guys resurrected this dead thread I'll throw in 2 cents worth about Palmers. I love 'em. I've got all eight in great condition proudly displayed on one of my shelves with my Marx monsters, just under my MPC shelf. I had around 20 Palmers from when I was a kid. I kept my favorite ones and sold most of the rest a few years ago. Each of the four colors are represented by two of the Palmers. My Creature and Gorgo are in the much scarcer blue. A guy offered me $500.00 for my blue Gorgo and I instantly turned him down. I knew that in a short time the money would have been spent here and there but I probably would never see another blue Palmer Gorgo in perfect condition. Every day I look at my Palmers and they bring back sweet memories of fantastic battles with blue defenders from Hamiltons Invaders, regular troops from Marx and MPC, and even dinosaurs from both Marx and MPC against Palmer Gorgo and Palmer Kong. I love Marx monsters but I love Palmers more. The only plastic monsters I like better than Palmers are MPC Pop-Top Horrors. The sculpts on Pop-Tops are freaky-from-the-pit, dude. Love 'em.
The Pop-Top sculpts were great. I remember getting them in those multi-pacs of Fritos. So cool to dig down in there and come up with an awesome monster. The Fritos Premiums were solid figures without the Pop-Top feature; same sculpt I believe. I've got a few of those. No Palmers though (but I like 'em).
Quote from: raycastile on October 03, 2008, 09:57:19 PM
I had a time machine, but the guy in this video stole it. Then he sent me the video just to rub my nose in it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfa9xYlkdLE&feature=related (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kfa9xYlkdLE&feature=related)
I feel like this all the time.
I like the Palmers but never have found any and really can't afford them :(
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 20, 2012, 08:51:16 PMSince you guys resurrected this dead thread....
Good threads never die. They always rise again, like phoenixes from the ashes!
8)
Quote from: dlhenderson on April 20, 2012, 10:04:33 PM
The Fritos Premiums were solid figures without the Pop-Top feature; same sculpt I believe.
They're not quite the same. The 2 1/2" Weird Monster sculpts were just slightly modified for the smaller size.
http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=4304.0 (http://www.universalmonsterarmy.com/forum/index.php?topic=4304.0)
cl:)
Yep, you're correct sir! I have all of the "Fritos" figures in various colors. I don't remember seeing the actual pop-top figures in my neck of the woods (back in the day).
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 20, 2012, 08:51:16 PMEvery day I look at my Palmers and they bring back sweet memories of fantastic battles with blue defenders from Hamiltons Invaders, regular troops from Marx and MPC, and even dinosaurs from both Marx and MPC against Palmer Gorgo and Palmer Kong.
I never get tired hearing about personal recollections of that sort.
Quote from: horrorhunter on April 20, 2012, 08:51:16 PMA guy offered me $500.00 for my blue Gorgo and I instantly turned him down. I knew that in a short time the money would have been spent here and there but I probably would never see another blue Palmer Gorgo in perfect condition.
Precisely my thinking and my reply when anybody aske me why I don't sell some of my collectibles! The money would soon be gone anyway so I'd quickly end up with neither.
8)
Quote from: dlhenderson on April 20, 2012, 10:04:33 PM
The Pop-Top sculpts were great. I remember getting them in those multi-pacs of Fritos. So cool to dig down in there and come up with an awesome monster. The Fritos Premiums were solid figures without the Pop-Top feature; same sculpt I believe.
Do you remember whether the Weird Monsters you got in these Fritos multi-packs were hand painted or a solid colour?
???