I had one of these when I was a kid, and when I got back into collecting this line, this set was always on my radar.
This is a Mattel Big Jim, a sports/adventure themed line from the 1970's--and this is the soccer set.
These are just dandy action figures, claimed to be "perfectly balanced" in that their design allows the figure to stand securely on its own feet. And it does for the most part--the pose in the pic isn't supported--that's the figure standing on one foot, with the other poised on the ball. I did cheat a little bit and use poster putty on the ball and foot, just for a bit of added security when i took the photo.
This set wasn't "hard to find", but when I did find it it was always expensive for what it is. I mean stupid expensive.
This is one of those parables about not giving up, I suppose. I simply bided my time.......I figured, if I was lucky, I'd find a set at a price that I could afford.
There were a few Ebay auctions in the last few months, and I got sniped on all of them when I bid. I stick to BIN offerings now, less hassle and heartache.
A couple of weeks ago........to my surprise, a BIN auction for a set appeared, but it was one I'd seen before albeit with a difference. The outfit was the European version ( seller was in Germany) of the soccer set--there's a few variations. It was a yellow shirt and blue shorts, and I wanted the all-red set. Well, the offering had the red shirt and shorts as a sweetner. I guess the seller saw this thing being sluggish and no-one was interested.
I saw it, saw the items I wanted, the price was very good because it came with a figure, and BOOM--trigger pulled.
It arrived in the mail yesterday, and I'm just chuffed.
The moral of the story remains that toy-collecting is a patience game. If you want it badly enough, it'll come to you, and at a price you can afford. I'm always reminded of this, and it always seems to play out this way.
