Star Wars Black 6" Obi-Wan Kenobi and Clone Commander Cody Action Figures

Obi-Wan of the prequels is one of my favorite characters in the Star Wars universe.  Finding his Black Series 6" action figure at a Walgreens a few years back was a fun surprise.  I'm a big fan of these figures and enjoy showing them off so here are a few pics I took this morning of Obi-Wan and Commander Cody.  Obi-Wan's character in the prequels was fun with a good sense of humor.  Attaining the ranks of Jedi Master he may have error-ed in taking on the training of Anakin Skywalker but we all make mistakes, right?   And then he of course didn't finish off Anakin when had the chance ("It's over Anakin.  I have the high ground.").  He might have also lied to Luke about his father but I don't let all these facts ruin my fandom. 

 The figure itself is nice and was part of the blue wave that came out in 2014 and 2015.  There are some highlights to his hair on either side that I'm not quite sure about but I still like the detail.

Commander Cody was a Clone Commander assigned to work with Obi-Wan during the Clone Wars.  He had a pretty big part in the Clones Wars TV Series and a fan favorite.  I was also one of those who liked his character.  Unfortunately their pairing came to an end when Order 66 was issued and Commander Cody ordered Obi-Wan be killed.  While Obi-Wan survived it's a big hit to Cody's legacy obviously.  Of course this was part of all of the Clone's indoctrination but still a few, very few, were able to ignore Order 66 and left for other adventures.  This is a pretty cool figure and nice addition to the collection.    

Here's the link to my other Black 6" figure posts.  

2019 Topps Opening Day Hobby Box Post #2

Today I'm just showing off more of the 2019 Topps Opening Day hobby box I first looked at yesterday.  This Yoan Moncada card is great.  The throwback uni with the helmet coming off makes for a great shot.  On to more Opening Day goodness...

Dee Hamilton in his new Royals uni.  I love speed and he epitomizes speed.  Gotta have Mike Trout in here somewhere and he is a good focus for a 150 Years of Fun card.  For some reason I didn't show off a mascot card yesterday so here is Sluggerrr in Kansas City.

Plenty of retired greats here in 150 Years of Fun.

A nice photo of Dee Gordon getting out of the box and a different take on the Opening Day insert.

Edwin Encarnacion also in his new uni.  I like the photo and the shoes of Shin-Soo Choo.  I'm hoping Clayton Kershaw can stay healthy this year.  He's been so great and I'd hate to see his career get derailed by injuries.

Lots of Royals love today for some reason. 

The Wizard and a great shot of Javier Baez not only playing good D (I want to think so anyway) but Baez also looking cool doing it!

A couple of the the Braves' great young players.  Both are nice cards and can't wait to see what they'll do this year.

2019 Topps Opening Day Hobby Box w/Auto Post #1

I picked up a 2019 Topps Opening Day Hobby Box so today seemed like the perfect day to look at these cards.  The Opening Day brand isn't for everyone but it is for me and this is the second year in row in which I've picked up a hobby box.  I like the small checklist, fun inserts and the logo.  This is a great photo of Khris Davis and a good way to kick this off. 

Along with the requisite stars you get a first look of some of the players who changed teams in their new uniforms like this Paul Goldschmidt card.  There are also base photo variations for 30 cards but I did not pull any. 

 These three are cards I didn't pull in my flagship hobby box in February.  That's a great Benintendi photo and I also like the Rizzo shot.

 The younger players are of course a good part of this set and my box delivered on some of the big, if not biggest names of up and coming players.

Some more great photos.  Thor with all that hair is probably always a good picture.  Great leaping catch by Kevin Pillar.  Not sure what happened in this photo but I like the expression on Matt Carpenter's face.

Two of the inserts included Team Traditions and Celebrations as well as Opening Day cards like this one featuring a come from behind win for Atlanta last year in their first game.  That Bobble Head museum is pretty cool.

The 150 Years of Fun inserts highlight different aspects of players being able to enjoy the sport or even how they enjoy time away from the sport.  And who's more fun than David Ortiz?  These inserts were also the source for all the retired greats I pulled.  There were three insert sets, Rally Time!, Sock it to Me!, and Dugout Peeks, that I didn't pull any of.  That's pretty disappointing to think that out of 36 packs I couldn't pull at least one of each.

Two more players I didn't manage to grab in February.  That's a nice Arenado photo as is the Greinke photo.  I will say it seems like we get this same photo angle on a lot of Greinke's cards.

I pulled a Kyle Freeland auto.  He had a great year for the Rockies last year and I was excited to grab his autograph.  I'm happy with my box and pull overall.  Good looking cards and inserts.  I'll post again tomorrow showing off more of the cards.  

BREAKDOWN:

252 – Total Cards

18 – 150 Years of Fun

18 – RC

9 - Mascot

8 – Topps All-Star Rookie

6 – Opening Day

3 – Team Traditions & Celebrations

1 – RC and Topps All-Star Rookie

1 – Opening Day Autographs

Mike Trout Close to Signing 10-Year $360M Extension

2019 Topps Base Card, Variant, and Topps Now

Mike Trout is reportedly close to signing a 10 year $360M extension.  I for one think he deserves every penny.  For as good as Bryce Harper and Manny Machado are they don't hold a candle to Trout.  He has put up massive numbers over his career.  I'd even say he gave the Angels a hometown discount.  Some are saying he should leave the team - they're no good - but they now have 12 years together to figure it out.  Also Trout doesn't seem like one who seeks out the limelight or drama and I think he is comfortable with the Angels and not looking for change or chasing uncertainty.  I love the idea of Trout spending the entirety of his career with the Angels.  We don't see that enough.  This is great for both he and the Angels.  I think he is the best all-around player I've ever seen in my 40 something years of watching the sport.  And the man can mash the ball.  He's fun to watch and after seeing free agency play out like a Greek tragedy over the winter baseball really needed a good story like this.  

1999 Inkworks Sleepy Hollow Trading Cards

These are 1999 Inkworks Sleepy Hollow cards and another pack from Bob Rewak's eBay store.  I really like the movie so this was a good pickup.  I like the cards and the full bleed photos work well.  I'm not sure I'll pursue a complete set but I'm glad I gave these a look.

  There were 8 cards in the pack and either show movie scenes or highlight behind the scenes elements.

The backs are pretty simple with a synopsis pertaining to what is on the front of the card.  It is standard stuff but it works well here.

I enjoyed these card's simple design and nice photos.

BREAKDOWN:

8 Total Cards
2 – Final Cut

2013 Press Pass Racing Cards

I found this pack of 2013 Press Pass NASCAR in the Wal-Mart discount bin.  I enjoy finding NASCAR cards from years past and this is no different.  Plenty of stars from the sport and a good design make these a winner for me.  This Dale Jr. Hot Seat was the card that stood out to me.  While this isn't mid race he seems to be in the zone.  Overall I really like these cards and I'll look for more in the future.

Another Jr. card with his #88 National Guard car on this NASCAR United insert.  The base cards in this set include both vertical and horizontal formats.  This base card is of the reigning Cup champion Joey Lagano.

Base cards included those from the two NASCAR junior circuits including the truck series represented here by the Timothy Peters card.  I like the Over the Wall card I pulled.  One, it is of my favorite drive, Kyle Busch, and two it has a nice photo of the car.

Off Track inserts showcased drivers off the track.  This one looks to have 2017 Champion Martin Truex Jr. in the merchandise hauler.  That Kyle Busch card is a Magenta Color Proof parallel.  Johanna Long competed a total of five years in the Truck and Nationwide series with 2015 being her last year.  Danica Patrick is the most prestigious woman to race in NASCAR but it is great seeing others showcased and doing well.  Hopefully others will make it to the top circuit soon.

Denny Hamlin is another of NASCAR's top drivers landing in the top 12 of the standings in  all but two of his 14 seasons in the sport.

The backs are nice with a photo of the driver's car and some basic stats.  Jimmie Johnson (below) is a NASCAR great with seven championships to include five in a row from 2006 to 2010.

BREAKDOWN:

16 – Total Cards

4 – NASCAR Nationwide Series

2 – Hot Seat

1 – Color Proof Magenta

1 – Off Track

1 – NASCAR Unites

1 – Over the Wall

1 – Camping World Truck Series

2019 Topps Heritage Baseball

Grabbed a pack of the 2019 Topps Heritage baseball.  I'm not a huge fan of this brand as the older designs and the head and torso shots don't do a lot for me.  This set is pretty true to the 1970 set it is emulating.  This BoSox World Series Champions card made this pack a winner.  I can't help but smile seeing these guys celebrate a well deserved championship.

   Personal collection guy Jose Altuve was a nice pull in this All-Star card.  Ender Inciarte was the lone Brave I pulled.  They need him to be more of a spark plug at the top of the order like he was in 2016 and 2017.  This Baseball Flashbacks card is a 1:20 packs pull.  Pretty cool card and the inserts highlights moments/players from the 1970 season.  I like the colors and unique design.

The designs and colors here just seem a big flat.  Again the lack of action, emotion or character in the photos is disappointing.  I'm not saying these are bad cards - they just aren't for me.  I know many collectors are high on the Heritage brand and I'm glad they enjoy these cards.

I'll definitely add some singles from this set but this'll probably be my last pack.  I do like the backs.  Plenty of info and all the stats for the player's career.  And of course a nice little factoid.

This was the back of the Red Sox World Series Champions card and details team records.  I love that.  As a stat geek I love seeing this kind of stuff.  I'd hope they did this for every team but I can't be sure since this is a card specific to the World Series.  Seems like this would be good on a "team" card and does seem a bit random for a World Series Champion card.  Maybe show combined stats for the 2019 team or playoff stats or anything along those lines?

BREAKDOWN:

20 – Total Cards

4 – 2019 Rookie Stars

2 – All-Star

1 – Baseball Flashbacks

1 – League Leaders

1 – Playoff Highlights

1 – World Series Champion