A decade ago, I was an undergraduate at Oklahoma State University. During the weekends,  Aaron Jones — my roommate,  best friend, and president of the Oklahoma chapter of the Jaymee Ong Fan Club — and I would watch all kinds of films during our free time — Hong Kong action flicks, Japanese samurai movies, American cult classics,  you name it. I don’t know how we stumbled upon Dirty Ho, but upon seeing the title for the first time, we knew that one of us was going to have to buy it. That person turned out to be Aaron, and the version he purchased was this grainy, English dubbed copy:

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In a follow-up of sorts to yesterday’s post about NECA’s Shaw Bros. action figure line, I did some additional digging and  found out that a series 2 has been planned. According to the website TOYSREVIL, Series 2 actually dates all the way back to New York Comic Con 2008! Characters in this wave include one of the Abbots (Lee Hoi-Sang) from The 36th Chamber of Shaolin, Short Axe (Chiang Sheng) from The Kid with the Golden Arm, and To Sheng (Lu Feng) from The Crippled Avengers. According to online toy wholesaler BBCW Distibutors, Inc., both Series 1 and Series 2 may be available for August/TBD 2010 pre-order, although I’ve not received any confirmation from NECA on an actual release date. Here are some NYCC 2008 photos courtesy of Figures.com via the aforementioned TOYSREVIL (go here for uncropped full-length shots):

Abbot (Lee Hoi-Sang)

Short Axe (Chiang Sheng)

To Sheng (Lu Feng)

So which one will you be buying? And what about a Series 3 wish-list? In addition to Super Inframan, here’s hoping for a Dirty Ho two-pack! (Newbie note: If you’re not familiar with that very entertaining Shaw Bros movie, you probably just think I’m being gross. I’m not.)

I used to collect action figures, but I honestly cannot remember the last time I bought one. Now, don’t get me wrong, my lack of toy purchases has little to do with “maturity,” and more to do with the need to conserve personal finances. Oddly enough, collecting toys has become an oddly expensive proposition. Not only is the collector-centered “cool stuff” usually higher-priced, but even the mass-produced products that are actually intended for kids has increased considerably in the last few years. Yesterday, I saw that Target was selling DC Comics’ JLU line for $8.99.In fact, suggested retail price on these figures — no bigger than four inches tall — is $9.99. That’s highway robbery, if I ever saw it.

But money issues aside, the fact is, it might be fun to display a toy on my desk or bookshelf, but let’s face it, the dang thing inevitably ends up in a drawer or a box somewhere, so what’s the point? But I digress…

However, just because I’m abstaining from frivolous purchases like these, that doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate them. In fact, just recently I was browsing the online toy retailer, Big Bad Toy Store, and lo and behold, I discovered an interesting shipment for June 2010 — Shaw Brothers Action Figures!

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