Argos catalogues

[scooternick]

Great post. Argos always went mainstream with their toy selection, I guess to satisfy the masses. Reminds me, did many people see cloud cars for sale in the uk? It was a vehicle I was slightly obsessed with as a kid due to the fact I knew it was a toy but never saw them, except for a neighbour who got one from the states!

 

[jayums]

When I see these old catalogues it always surprises me at the cost back then for the at-at and mel falcon £25 -£30 pound was a lot of money back then so was so lucky to get what I did back then, at the time the larger ships were not a cheap toy, love the miconauts to another fav of mine

That's what I was thinking - they weren't cheap at a time when the average wage was about 6 grand, and when a lot more households had the one earner (if at all). An at at was essentially a 200 quid toy in today's money... Makes the vintage price for them seem good value!

 

[elcroz]

I've got a few Argos books in .PDF format. I first looked at the toys... Then looked at the rest of the catalogue - all I could keep saying was "we had that lampshade, that toaster, that TV, that bedside lamp, hairdryer, typewriter etc..."
Clearly my family bought plenty from Argos over the years and I'm sure yours probably did too.
You don't tend to remember things like Toasters (who cares right) but when you see things like that so many memories will come back.
Those Argos catalogues are like a time portal to the past.

 

[chipsteak]

Great post. Argos always went mainstream with their toy selection, I guess to satisfy the masses. Reminds me, did many people see cloud cars for sale in the uk? It was a vehicle I was slightly obsessed with as a kid due to the fact I knew it was a toy but never saw them, except for a neighbour who got one from the states!

I certainly got one. There's a fair few Palitoy examples doing the rounds.

Did you get into SW after 1982? Maybe the Cloud Car is elusive to you in the same way things like The Cantina were elusive to me in that they were from just before my time. I can't visualize a Cloud Car in a ROTJ box so I think it was relatively short-lived.

 

[scooternick]

Great post. Argos always went mainstream with their toy selection, I guess to satisfy the masses. Reminds me, did many people see cloud cars for sale in the uk? It was a vehicle I was slightly obsessed with as a kid due to the fact I knew it was a toy but never saw them, except for a neighbour who got one from the states!

I certainly got one. There's a fair few Palitoy examples doing the rounds.

Did you get into SW after 1982? Maybe the Cloud Car is elusive to you in the same way things like The Cantina were elusive to me in that they were from just before my time. I can't visualize a Cloud Car in a ROTJ box so I think it was relatively short-lived.

Yeah, could have been a timing thing? I was on the cusp of ESB, born in 78, but maybe all the best ESB stuff had moved on by 82. Got a few ESB boxed vehicles at home from my childhood, but only pretty mainstream stuff like snowspeeder / mini rigs. Funny how as a child you get fixated on certain pieces, which in most cases must just be a timing thing (or substandard local toy shops!). I was also obsessed with getting hold of the death star commander, jawa and power droid too, whilst other people see these as mainstream. Funny memories!

 

[chipsteak]

Funny how as a child you get fixated on certain pieces, which in most cases must just be a timing thing (or substandard local toy shops!). I was also obsessed with getting hold of the death star commander, jawa and power droid too, whilst other people see these as mainstream. Funny memories!

Totally. Since I got into collecting, a pal of mine born the same year as me ( 1974 ) keeps asking me to get a Cantina and Land Of The Jawas. He, like me, saw them on cardbacks and fancied them a lot. They're not a priority for me now I know they are mostly cardboard. I did satisfy an itch we both had by getting a Dewback, though.

 

[olisuds]

This is really awesome to see. Thanks for sharing these pics

 

[scooternick]

Totally. Since I got into collecting, a pal of mine born the same year as me ( 1974 ) keeps asking me to get a Cantina and Land Of The Jawas. He, like me, saw them on cardbacks and fancied them a lot. They're not a priority for me now I know they are mostly cardboard. I did satisfy an itch we both had by getting a Dewback, though.

:lol:

 

[Andyclarke]

This is fantastic, cheers mate. Transports me back nearly 40 years, love it.

 

[chipsteak]

The great thing about these are I haven't seen most of them since the era. So I'm not reminiscing over the last time I saw a Vader MOC, for example. No, it's go straight to 1981. Do not pass Steve Sansweet's Tomart Guide.

 

[spoons]

Do not pass Steve Sansweet's Tomart Guide.

:lol: :lol:

 

[Simply Sci-fi]

When I see these old catalogues it always surprises me at the cost back then for the at-at and mel falcon £25 -£30 pound was a lot of money back then so was so lucky to get what I did back then, at the time the larger ships were not a cheap toy, love the miconauts to another fav of mine

That's what I was thinking - they weren't cheap at a time when the average wage was about 6 grand, and when a lot more households had the one earner (if at all). An at at was essentially a 200 quid toy in today's money... Makes the vintage price for them seem good value!

The Millennium Falcon was the only large item I ever got - I'm pretty sure that it was £30 plus, which was a lot of Money back then for my parents to shell out. It was the toy that I got the most use out of though in my entire childhood.

I was also collecting Micronauts toys, which were considerably cheaper, especially when Mego went bust and their Hong Kong factory dumped all of the leftover stock on Romford Market (or so it seemed).

There was a great lack of Star Wars stock in the shops around Romford, apart from stalls in the Rumford (correct spelling) Shopping Arcade, which had dealers who would no doubt ferret out stock from where ever it was available (and priced it accordingly).

The kid who lived opposite had a roomful of Star Wars. His parents shopped at the out-of-town Sava Centre, which apparently had Star Wars stacked high. That was the Star Wars nirvana that I never visited - apart from in my dreams!

 

[yoda]

Brings back great memories looking at that, the old catalogues and dreaming of owning them ships and figures

 

[chipsteak]

(and priced it accordingly).

The kid who lived opposite had a roomful of Star Wars. His parents shopped at the out-of-town Sava Centre, which apparently had Star Wars stacked high. That was the Star Wars nirvana that I never visited - apart from in my dreams!

Sava Centre labelled cardbacks turn up in my collection.

We should have a swap meet, where the most nostalgic of us can swap cards for ones with our local stores on. ( bagsie John Menzies )

 

[Simply Sci-fi]

Cool! Mine would be Kiddie City in Romford.

 

[spoons]

I don't have memories of a specific childhood SW shop - but I do have good memories of my nan buying me a speeder bike from High Wycombe Asda. Not sure that would be a great place to meet :lol:

Better memories of buying individual Britains soldiers from Childs in HW

 

[bosk70]

The two shops i always remember from my childhood was "wings and wheels" and "music and toys" in Essex, earliest memories is bulk buying figs for a pound each off the racks, as I had saved £20 so could have 20 figs, in the excitement I bought two luke's and took one back to change for greedo , if only back then I had thought, " i know I'll keep one for display because 30+ years later it would be worth a ###### mint :lol:" all were ripped of the cards before I even got home. never seen any price stickers from any of these shops has any other members seen any from these shops on any items ???? prob they just had plain price tags