Toylanta 2023

It's time for Toylanta 2023! The great toy show is here again and as always I'm attending. I've been really looking forward to this years con as it's always a good time. If you're in attendance, I'll be hosting the annual Transformers panel on Sunday at 12am. I hope to see you there! I'll be out on the floor all weekend if you feel like saying hi as well. Of course if you can't come, this post will keep you all filled in on the fun I've been having. I'll be updating daily, so be sure to check back for each update. I'll be posting pics to my Instagram throughout the weekend. If you like neat toys, you'll love all the cool stuff I'll be showing.

Friday Report: I got to the show around 6:45 pm. I drove a backroads route to avoid some traffic and it still took 2 hours. Despite it all, it was good to finally be there. I checked in, got my badge, and talked with Buddy and other folks a bit. I then took time to familiarize myself with the new hotel, which is a lot like the old hotel. I took to it and really found myself liking the new space quickly. Friday is a shorter day, mainland con set up with some previews and some panels.

I toured the dealers room while talking with various folks. There was some really cool booths getting set up, I can't wait for the full experience Saturday. While walking around I picked up a Sunstreaker in some rough shape. It was only $15, which I found fair for a Sunstreaker that needs fixing up. Later ran across a table selling GIJOE Tiger Force art and patches. All their proceeds went to Wounded Warrior K9s. I gladly bought a patch to help the dogs.  

After talking with Marten for a bit and enjoying the Micronauts display at his table I picked up an assembled Grogu Lego kit for the Mrs. I walked around and chatted with folks until the room closed. This is when I roamed the lobby trade party and 'State of the Hobby' panel. While I was in the panel, the guys were talking about steel molds and reproducing older accessories.

The lobby swap was fun. One guy had tubs filled with carded G2 and He-Man stuff. I looked at Wundar and some cool upsized bootleg figures made from an extremely heavy material. Pixel Dan (he had a booth) stopped by and bought the bootlegs. As I was walking away a guy walked by us farting *loudly*. I don't think Pixel Dan noticed. 

I looked over a table with older Bakugan and noticed a Robotech minifigure labled 'Gobot'. I bought the 'Gobot'. I decided to sit in the panel a little longer before heading home for the night. I was tired and hungry. Fortunately it only took an hour to get home and the Mrs had ordered me sushi.

Saturday Report: Since my Transformers panel isn't until Sunday, I slept in. The Mrs and my Mom came with me and we arrived just after 12pm. More dealer space and con activities were open and man there was a lot of fun to partake in. I'll say again the new location reminds me of the old hotel and I like it. There was a lot of Masters of the Universe to be found. That was surprising.

The dioramas were out today as well. Not as many as in the past now that Joelanta has split into its own convention. There was a really impressive Battle of Naboo display made from toys that I appreciated a lot. I know Episode 1 isn't the most popular Star Wars movie, but that was one of the stronger parts of the movie. One dealer was selling really neat 3D printed segmented dragons. The Mrs got a large one ($40) and my Mom got a smaller one ($25). They were hard to ignore and pretty in various colors. Speaking of indie toys, I got some Graveyard Geeks mini figures.

I bought Rocklords Nugget for $5, he needs some repairs, but his chrome is perfect. Also found Tombstone for $15 and Magmar for $20. Rocklords are beginning to fetch higher prices, but still relatively affordable. Gobots themselves are getting pricey. I picked up Spoons for $10, but passed on some Monsters for a little too much. One dealer had a Change Robo Monster Head Skull that was hard to pass up. However at $50 considering just how small it is, I just had to. Really cool to look at one in person though.

I really found myself admiring Mythic Legends at their booth. May just grab one tomorrow. If you've ever seen them in person, you'd understand just how neat they are. The kaiju guy was there as usual. I grabbed a Ultraman Leo sofubi from him as well as a cat figure for the Mrs and two Hagen no Zista gatcha boxes. He had one more Hagen no Zista toy in a gashapon capsule that I'll likely get tomorrow. They're pretty neat little combinable robots by Bandai. They also came with some apple gum that I enjoyed. Hopefully it wasn't expired. 

The hotel has a delightful resturant that we enjoyed lunch at. My Mom showed up the many dolls she bought (she collects dolls) while we waited. The Mrs said Magmar turns into poop... and now that I think of it... she ain't wrong. We left around 5pm and headed back home. I'll be back tomorrow for my panel and to grab a few more things. In the meantime we ate dinner and watched 1000lbs Sisters. Tammy got married y'all.

Sunday Report: Sunday got started early. With my panel at 12pm and an hour drive in the rain, I got on the road early. Arriving around 10am with my mom. The Mrs decided to stay at home today. She had some shopping to do (my birthday is this week) and wanted some rest before the work week. I arrived with a mission to grab her another 3D printed segmented dragon. I also found myself in a great conversation about wrestling with a dealer who had a  Wrestlemania from the late 80' playing at his booth. He was a big fan of Impact Wrestling, which I enjoyed a lot when they were TNA. I've been taking in more of the recent product on their Pluto TV station, but haven't dove back in fully. I also during this time got that Hagen no Zista gashapon capsule for $3 and another beaten up Nugget for $10.

This one was in much better shape that the one I got for $5 but with worn out chrome. The one from Saturday had immaculate chrome. Between the two, I'm gonna sit down with some tiny screwdrivers and repair myself one really nice Nugget... and one Butt Nugget. 

The hotel restaurant had a free coffee set up and I enjoyed a cup. Normally, I drink decaf, so this was a shot of energy I was needing at this point. Also it was obviously cheap coffee leading to a much needed bathroom break before my panel. Fortunately there was a restroom near the panel room, but occupied. It was Sunday morning and with a lot of hung over convention guests. This was when I discovered the panel room was also locked. I chased down Buddy, who chased down staff, who chased down a key while I chased down a toilet. Speaking of hung over convention guests, someone broke the handrails off that restrooms wall. Not it, funny though.

The panel went great. I had a half full room, which is more than I expected at 12pm on Sunday. The past few years, instead of a presentation, I've went with a big group conversation and this year it went great. There was some lively people in attendance including Zack, a local fan who was a dealer at the show. It was nice to meet him. After the panel I roamed for a little while. I was super close to buying some indie glow in the dark Mego style/scale monsters from a booth that produced all it's own products (where I got the Graveyard Geeks from Saturday), but couldn't decide one one. I did however, end up buying a Kingdom Road Rage and Core Class G2 Megatron for a total of 20$. So score on for this cool cat. Cool middle aged cats that quote Beast Wars.

I took the time to walk around before leaving. This is something I generally do at the end of whatever convention I attend. Generally saying goodbye to a place for the year where I spent so much energy and itself hosted so much energy. The end of a con is bittersweet. I'm sad to see it over, but looking forward to normal life returning. It was a good show this year and despite my anxiety about the new location, I liked it a lot. 

That's it for the annual Toylanta report. Thanks to everyone for reading and tolerating the horrible grammar on display over the weekend. The site will get back to normal for awhile until our next special event beginning at the end of April- Walpurgis Week/ Halfway to Halloween!