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Retro Hunting At The Halsey Road Vintage Emporium

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The Thrill of the Chase is Back!

It’s been a while since we went hunting at vintage establishments, so when we stumbled upon the Halsey Rd Vintage Emporium, we had to go in and take a look!

There is something about these kinds of places that invoke warmth and a sense of intoxicating nostalgia. Walking into the Halsey Road Vintage Emporium you are immediately transported to a different time, when we used film cameras, selected our fave LPs on jukeboxes and wrote on Olivetti typewriters! One thing is for certain, you need a fair few hours to take it all in, as rushing around would mean you miss out on a past nugget that could be priceless.

We could have bought up so many cool items (just take a gander at the photos below), but in the end, it was Ms Ausretrogamer who found a pair of matching mid-century Grant Featherston ‘Bendix’ chairs, which will look great in Casa Ausretrogamer!

If you enjoy checking out retro/antiques/industrial/collectibles emporiums, then add the Halsey Rd Vintage Emporium to your bucket list.

The deets:

  • What: Halsey Road Vintage Emporium
  • Where: 11-13 Halsey Rd, Airport West VIC 3042
  • Hours: Friday & Saturday – 10am-4pm (or by appointment)

Shop Till You Drop At PixelCrib

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If you are after some cool gaming related products, including memorabilia and collectibles, then you must check out PixelCrib!

Our good friends at PixelCrib have been wonderful supporters of Ausretrogamer for a long while now, which we are always very thankful for.

For those of you in Oz (and beyond!), PixelCrib is really your one stop shop for video game related products, including rare, high-quality video game memorabilia and collectibles – they are after all, the gaming culture specialists! The best bit is, you can shop from the comfort of your own home.

With a plethora of amazing items in their store, here are some of our fave picks (Ed: this list was really really hard to whittle down):

  • Nintendo Switch – Physical Games

You know those Nintendo Switch games that you thought you could only download from the Nintendo eShop? Well, those awesome games, like Celeste and Cuphead (amongst many others) are available in their physical form!

  • Books, books, books as far as the eye can see

If you have bookshelves that need filling (or a coffee table!), then you have come to the right place! PixelCrib has tons of books, here are some of our picks:

A Guide to Japanese Role-Playing Games

Artcade

Go Straight: The Ultimate Guide to Side-Scrolling Beat-’Em-UpsPC Engine: The Box Art Collection

  • Do you like playing tunes on vinyl?

We sure do. If you like gaming related soundtracks / music, then the vinyl section is where you need to be at:

Gamer Boy Disappearing Lines: Chiptune Music of Tetris EP

Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3: Music From The Arcade Games LP

Mother 2 Original Video Game Soundtrack 2xLP

Oh how we wish we could have them all……

Shovel Knight Shadowbox Art

Hyrule Field (Legend of Zelda) A3 Art Print

Dead Cells Shadowbox Art

  • But wait, there is more! Did someone say, where are the retro gaming systems at?

PixelCrib has an array of amazing retro consoles for you to choose from, from the Evercade (VS/EXP), Retron and Sega Astro City Mini systems, to the Quarter Size and RepliCade mini arcade machines:

Oh yeah, in case you missed the news, you can now pre-order Hyper Mega Tech’s Super Pocket (Capcom / Taito) handheld systems on PixelCrib! The best part is, these are compatible with your Evercade cartridges!

These are just the tip of the iceberg of products available on PixelCrib. We implore you to get on the PixelCrib site and take a good look, as there is bound to be gaming related products that will tickle your fancy.

Happy shopping everyone!



PAX Aus Panel: Geek Trash or Treasure? Finding Collectibles with Real Value

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pax-aus-2016-panel-1For this year’s PAX Aus we had the privilege of participating in the Geek Trash or Treasure: Finding Collectibles With Real Value panel, facilitated by CNET Editor, Seamus Byrne. The panel consisted of yours truly, Weird and Retro’s Stacey Borg and Bethesda Community Manager and mad collector, Noel Wheatley.

Keeping it retro: the panel in action!
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We discussed why some games, consoles, computers, accessories, trinkets and ‘collectors editions’ become genuinely collectible. We provided helpful tips on where to find treasures and how to work out how much to spend. We also touched on preservation – basically everything you need to know about collecting retro goodies!

If you missed seeing it live, don’t worry – you can watch the recording via GameSpot’s YouTube channel.

a-panel-7(Image from PAX Aus website)

Toy Shack: A Vegas Toy Story

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When was the last time you walked into a toy store and got absolutely wowed? If you are like us, I bet it was way too long ago to remember.

On our recent trip to the US, we didn’t just get wowed, we got absolutely gobsmacked by Toy Shack, a superb toy store in Las Vegas. Nesteled within the Neonopolis shopping complex in downtown Vegas (Fremont Street Experience), Toy Shack is truly a magical place you must visit and experience when you come to the City of Sin! Toy Shack has it all, from every conceivable collectible toy, to old school video games and even some golden age arcade machines to slip a quarter or two to give you that much needed hit of nostalgia.

Both Ms. ausretrogamer and I were mesmerised in each aisle of the store, with vintage 80s toys, comics, games and other collectibles lining the walls, from floor to ceiling – the photos below will attest to that (to an extent)! We had a difficult time leaving Toy Shack with only a handful of bags of super cool items, but the luggage allowance kept us in check.

If you ever find yourself in Vegas and want to do something other than gamble, then head to the Toy Shack for the ultimate in vintage 80s toys – we highly recommend it!

Store: Toy Shack
Address: Neonopolis, 450 Fremont St , Las Vegas, NV 89101, USA
Hours: Mon – Sat 11am to 10pm; Closed on Sunday

If you find yourself in other cities within the US, then you may want to check out these places: Musée Mécanique (San Francisco), the Nintendo World Store and the 8-Bit & Up and Video Games NY stores (New York City)

We found it! I wonder what awaits inside…
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I spy, Masters Of The Universe (MOTU) and Super Mario stuff!
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Woo hoo! I love my MOTU gear – brings back great childhood memories
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Oh man, so many MOTU temptations, especially that clock!
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Aha, I thought I spied Super Mario action figures!
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Oo’er, a nice but scary bust!
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Golden oldies! Now when was the last time you found arcade machines in a toy store?
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So much to look at! Wish I had compound eyes!
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Already worked up a thirst, and we have barely scratched the surface in here!
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G.I. Joe baby!
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Holy smokes – more G.I. Joe goodness (among other cool collectibles)!
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Visual sensory overload! Gotta take in all this Hot Wheels awesomeness!
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Haha, this one is for you, Ms. ausretrogamer!
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I wasn’t aware of all the diverse (and cool) Hot Wheels!
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I’ll take that, thank you very much
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Wish we had a limitless luggage (and financial) allowance!
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Chocolate and Miami Vice Hot Wheels? Really? Wow!
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Moving right along, we now hit the Twilight ZoneIMG_5564

Where do I even focus here!
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Found the cool action figures area! First thing we see, Mobile Suit Gundam wing!
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What the – Lau as a Virtua Fighter 4 action figure? Want!
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Found Lara!
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One for the Final Fantasy fans!
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Very apt seeing this MGS 2 tactical espionage action figure ;-)
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Now this I did not know existed! The temptation to buy is unbearable!
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First it was Virtua Fighter 4 action figures, now it’s Tekken 4! *mind blown*
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Zelda fans rejoice!
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We do need some new plates…….
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Admit it, you wanna sing “Transformers, robots in disguise”
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Found the old school video games section!
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Oooo, GameCube and Tiger gear!
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Whoa! Tele-Pong and Frogger tabletop! I wonder what is behind these….
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Ah, there you are! Great to see a C64 and a Genesis among the stack of retrogaming gear
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Man, this place is too much! I love Toy Shack!
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If I guess what’s inside the box, can I keep it?
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King of the stuntmen indeed
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One for the KISS fans – yep, I am looking at you Mr. Matt Cawley
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Now this is a WrestleFest!
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Which item captures your eye? Could it be the Transformers or those Star Trek figures?
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I knew I was gonna find Star Wars somewhere in here……
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Old school Star Wars nirvana!
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OMG, Heat Packin’ Jack!
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Get in my belly!
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I’ll take one of each, thank you (I wish!)
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The original road warrior!
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I look up and BAM, more MOTU goodness!
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I do need a new alarm clock. This should help me get up on those cold mornings
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Resistance (to buying temptation) is futile!
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Must. Have. That. MOTU vinyl record!
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Ladies and Gentlemen, introducing Mr. Ram Man himself
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I need to unsee this, otherwise my bank manager will be calling me!
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Spawning more goodness
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Diecast to die for!
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I’ll take one of, 154, 459 and 192 pieces, thanks
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I kneel to the defender of the universe!
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Fight of the Century?
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Poke-a-board!
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Yep, there are comics here too!
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I guess E.T. didn’t phone home…….
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The perfect action figure mix, Itchy and Sly
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Your move, creep!
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Be back to Toy Shack, we will!
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Mixed bag! Hang on, that’s an Ecto-1!
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These guys have ball-Z of dragons!
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We see a heartening sight upon our exit – a young lad getting into some old school arcade action. Retrogaming is alive and well!
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