A Mega Win

Alright,

Welcome to That Kitsch Itch, the blog for Kitsch Itch Toys, the UK’s home for retro and vintage toys. Three weeks in and already this blog is going up late. Okay it’s only a couple of hours late, but still, sets a bad precedent. Saying that it’s been a busy prepping for the launch of the store going live, along with having been away all weekend and shopping for new stock, so I think I do get a little bit of a free pass for today.

As I say, today the shop official opens for business, I was hoping to hold off until we actually got the unique URL, but it’s taking too long so we are launching with http:kitschitchtoys.webs.com be sure to come and check us out. If you’ve been following the development of this store, either through this blog or my YouTube channel (youtube.com/woolicane) then you’ll know some of the exciting stuff we’ve got on there and due to arrive in stock as the weeks progress. This includes rare and common items from Thundercats, Masters of the Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers and so many other classic brands or forgotten gems. If you are looking for something in particular that isn’t on the site yet or you are shopping from beyond the shores of the British Isles then there is a contact page on Kitsch Itch, getting in touch and I’ll see what I can work out for you. We love to hear from fans of these brands and of toy collecting and similar pursuits in general, drop us a line, say what you like, what you don’t, how we could improve the site. We at Kitsch Itch want this site to be the heart of the collecting community.

Despite all the hard work that has gone into getting the site ready for the store itself opening tonight (or if you are reading this after Monday it should already be open) but I’ve still managed to get even more stock in, there is still so much to go on the website yet, make sure you keep checking back as new stock should be added every day. Today for example I just managed to secure a few Power Rangers Megaforce figures. They may be in the less collector friendly 3 and ¾ inch scale and still be pretty recent figures (they may even be the most recent in stock right now) but they are very cool figures with great articulation and are shiny. Oh yeah and they are also in their original packaging, that’s our first piece of stock still mint on card, which is really exciting, especially if you’re a Power Rangers fan. There is even a chance we’ll be able to bring in a few more of these as well which is creating a bit of a buzz round the Kitsch Itch table.

It’s not just about the modern toys this week though, because we also have managed to secure a whole lot of MASK toys, including 15 figures and 8 vehicles. They are all in what we like to call preloved condition, with quite a bit of ware on a couple of the vehicles, but all the figures still have their masks, which is kind of important with this line. Not one I’ve followed that closely, so I think some research may be needed, but as it had one of the best theme songs ever so I have no problem with that.

Lots of other things I could go over right now, but I think I should be getting on with going live with the website so one last plug for kitschitchtoys.webs.com once you’ve finished this blog and keep your eyes on youtube.com/woolicane for some videos featuring some of the upcoming stock. We will return to normal scheduling next week.

Sithee

Who Ya Gonna Call

Alright,

Welcome to the second instalment of That Kitsch Itch, the blog belonging to Kitsch Itch Toys, the UK’s home for retro and vintage toys. In the first blog I gave a brief overview of who I am and what the shop is about, I’m not going to go over that again here, but if you want to know more about it I recommend you go check it out. This week I want to give a little bit of an update on things. Firstly I want to talk about the website, currently at http:kitschitchtoys.webs.com (this is a temporary address while I wait for my tax code so I can officially take up kitschitchtoys.co.uk). This is going very well (as you well know if you’re reading this post on there, we are featuring each new blog on there in the other fun stuff section). We’ve got a load of products arriving there, still only in a coming soon state at the moment, still in the process of linking it to my paypal, but I expect them to go live and able to be bought by tonight. So that’s all exciting. Also I’ve spent this morning photographing more stock to go online, just a pity that after about the third item added to the site it gets really repetitive. Still I’m pleased at how it’s coming on and it is getting into that really exciting stage.

Then there is the alleged high street store. This was (and still is) a key part of the overall business plan, I found the perfect shop, okay it was a bit of a fixer-upper but it was in a great place, had the right amount of space and (at least for the first year) the rent was reasonable. It all looked good and things were moving nicely. Then the blasted estate agents demanded a bank check. Now that was fair enough, I had no objection to that, I’ve never had any debts (except the loan that I’ve taken for this project; and in the grand scheme of things even that’s not all that much), had no convictions, nothing to suggest I am have any bad credit and the last time I had it checked, which was December, my credit score was as good as it could be. I figured that this bank check was a mere formality that would just get my application rubber stamped. I was wrong. Instead I got an email back saying ‘sorry because of the report from the bank we are refusing your request to rent this space.’ Naturally I pressed for more info but they refused to give me any more details. The only thing I can think of is that maybe the file was too thin, I’ve never borrowed outside of my student loan until now, had no credit cards, etc, but if that’s the problem how can I improve on that if because of it I don’t get the chance. It’s frustrating I can tell you that. So now here I am roaming the streets of the city and looking for new premises, hoping that I won’t just get turned down for no good reason once again.

Still, that’s all part of the game I guess, I’m still enthusiastic about the whole thing and a little set back like that isn’t going to slow me down. Besides there are so many great things still to talk about. Like the package I got through the post today. Who Ya Gonna Call… that’s right I got some Real Ghostbusters figures. The original ones for that matter, the first released figures from 1986. I have in stock now not only the four Ghostbusters but also the proton packs they came with (in various states, but mostly pretty good) and the ghosts they came packaged with. The only thing missing is the card backs, which means I’m calling them complete, which as far as I’m concerned is pretty damned epic. They are going to be offered as separate purchases on the site but if someone’s interested in buying them altogether then contact me through the contact me page on the site and I’m sure we can work something out. 

I think that epic journey will do for this week, more excitement next week, until then remember to check out http:kitschitchtoys.webs.com

Sithee

Welcome To The Kitsch Itch

Welcome to the Kitsch Itch

Alright,

Welcome to my new blog for Kitsch Itch Toys, the UK’s home for retro and vintage toys. The site is still under construction as I write this but I thought it was the perfect time to talk about what’s to come with this impressive website and (hopefully) high street shop. This blog is going to be a weekly feature of the site giving me (and maybe some guests) a forum to talk about new stock, news stories or frankly anything else to do with this collectors market. The intention is for a new blog post to launch here every Monday.

Let’s start with a little more about me. I’m Ric Woolicane, I review toys on YouTube as well as being a musician, actor and writer. I am also the owner of Kitsch Itch Toys. I have been a fan of all things nerdy as long as I can remember and, as an actor it’s no surprise, I have never really grown up. I have a massive collection of toys myself ranging from the classics that I grew up with such as Masters of the Universe and Thundercats to the more recent releases such as Zomlings and Spongebob Squarepants. I have always read comics, mostly Marvel, though I must admit I’ve been out of the loop recently, only picking up a little of what’s been going on through friends and spoilers on the ‘net. I’ve watched every Marvel movie ever made (even the unreleased Fantastic Four from the early ‘90s) and most of the DC ones and I can quote most of Red Dwarf, Airplane and Casablanca. I have also been a Whovian since the Sylvester McCoy era, pick Next Generation in Star Trek series (though TOS movies were the best) and still play retro games on my SNES emulator. Hopefully for any doubters out there this proves my nerd-cred, not that I’m too worried about it, and that I know at least some of what I talk about in this field. This blog, like Kitsch Itch generally, is geared to be for collectors by collectors.

Now more about the store itself. At the moment the stock I’ve got coming in is mostly unboxed, second hand (toys from thirty years ago being pre-owned, who’d have thought that) and lacking many accessories (with some rather notable exceptions). I also hope to stock some of the modern rereleased items or updated versions but I have yet to find them at just the right price. Play sets and vehicles are also coming into stock including a rather awesome Cat’s Lair from the Thundercats Miniatures line which even still has its box. Look out for a review of that on my YouTube channel , it will be coming soon. So far we definitely have stock in for fans of Masters of the Universe (lots of figures mostly), Thundercats (Figures, Play sets, Vehicles and more), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (from all the major toy lines the franchise has spawned), Visionaries (anyone other than me love this much underrated ‘80s classic), the A Team (oh yes, they had a toy line in the ‘80s) and Power Rangers (from the earliest series right up to the new Saban era). There are many others due to arrive too for other great franchises. The website is live, but not yet selling, it’s almost ready though, about one update away. The high street store is a little further away, especially with the loss of the originally intended location, more on that next week probably.

So that just about does it for this first blog. I know it’s been mostly exposition based here, but that’s just because it’s the first blog post. Soon as we settle in we’ll be having a lot more fun on here, hopefully starting next week. Until then check out kitschitchtoys.webs.com (this is only a temporary address while the purchased URL comes into effect) and youtube.com/woolicane

Sithee