WTSSD's
THE TEXAS SHW
2007
____________________________
IT'S OVER FOLKS!!
A HUGE THANKS TO ALL DEALERS AND COLLECTORS WHO ATTENDED, AND MADE THIS "FIRST EVER" SHOW A GREAT SUCCESS!!
NOW GET READY!!
2008 IS COMING!!
_____________________________
TO VIEW DETAILS
FOR
2008
CLICK BELOW
_____________________________
 |
"TOY SOLDIERS"
FINALLY - ON TV!!
 |
THERE WAS A STORY / SEGMENT ON BOTH "FOX NEWS SAT", AND "FOX NEWS DALLAS" THAT WE KNOW OF, RELATING TO THE TEXAS SHOW.
THOSE WOULD BE "BARZSO" TRIPOLI PIRATES IN THE BACKGROUND!!
____________________________
A "REALLY BIG" THANKS - TO ALL DEALERS, DEALER HELPERS, TICKET TAKERS, FLYER HAND-ER-OUTERS, THE LA VILLITA STAFF, COLLECTORS, CUSTOMERS, FRIENDS AND ALL!!
WE FEEL THAT IT WAS A "SUCCESS", AND THERE WILL BE A 2008 SHOW.
THANKS!!
THE ALAMO
AN EERIE AND SOMBER PLACE LATE AT NIGHT; GHOSTS OF FALLEN HEROES LINGER IN THE SHADOWS.
 |
_____________________________
FRIDAY NIGHT AT
"MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN" PUB
PRE-SHOW DEALER PARTY
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID KLUECK
SAN DIEGO COLLECTOR
RUSTY AND TITAN FROM "PLAYSET MAGAZINE"
( TITAN NEEDS ANOTHER MARGARITA! )
 |
FROM LEFT TO RIGHT:
GARY BEADEL, CHARLES MOORE, FATHER CARL, DICK WOOD, MARYANNE BARZSO, RON BARZSO, THOMAS VIDA & HELPER RUSTY
 |
 |
 |
KATHY & RICK EBER, RUSTY & "MAD DOG", MATT MURPHY, BILL McMASTER, TRACEY CAVALERI
 |
 |
 |
RUSTY & KATHY KERN, JOHN STENGEL, CRAIG REMINGTON, COUSIN "BIG BILL", ROBERT COWGILL, NICK - TSSD
 |
 |
 |
THOMAS VIDA, RUSTY, BILL, TRENTON GANNON, GARY, ED GANNON, ROBERT, THE "PUB"
 |
 |
 |
NICK & "LASSIE", RON BARZSO, SARAH & TONY WRIGHT
 |
 |
PHOTOS COURTESY OF DAVID KLUECK
THOMAS VIDA SETS UP THE CONTE VIKING SHIP ANDY NEILSON OF KING & COUNTRY
 |
 |
 |
 |
GARY BEADEL, U.S. / MEXICAN WAR HERO!! FAR RIGHT - BILL McMASTER - BMC TOYS
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CARL CWIKLINSKI, U.S. NAVY, U.S. MARINES, U.S.C.G.
TEXAS PATRIOT TORIBIO LOSOYA THE ALAMO THE "COME & TAKE IT" CANNON IN GONZALES
 |
 |
 |
_____________________________
PRE-SHOW PRAYER BY FATHER CARL, U.S. NAVY
TSSD
26 May 2007
Let us pray.
God, Thou didst command “Thou shalt make no graven images” – so we were wondering if 54 and 60mm counts - OK maybe an occasional 12” action figure? How about 1:72? For we are fashioning dioramas, not pantheons and we only seek to relive the innocence of our youth, when we fought good guys against bad guys and from that learned right from wrong. We are reminded in all things associated with our hobby that Thou are the only Creator who made and fashioned all things, which we imitate, in humility, on an infinitely smaller scale.
We call to remembrance the heroes fallen near this place, the heroes of past and present wars, and the great men and women of our hobby who honor them in miniature, especially Bill Brunton, Mike Jordan, Frank Rice, and others of our fellow collectors and hobbyists who crossed the line. We dedicate the fun of this day to their cherished memory.
Amen.
FATHER CARL ALSO OFFERED A "BATTLE OF THE BULGE" WEATHER PRAYER.
IT WORKED!!
___________________________
 |
TSSD's DEANNA AND DEALER CHARLES MOORE ( CALIFORNIA ) DISCUSS HOW TO ASSEMBLE SHELVING??
 |
 |
ON THE LEFT:
COMPTON CREEL FROM THE DALLAS AREA DID A GREAT JOB OF PRESENTING "FIGURE PAINTING" TIPS!
ON THE RIGHT:
A HAPPY YOUNG COLLECTOR GETS A "STEEL POT" WITH CAMY COVER!! THANKS DAD!!
 |
 |
 |
ON THE LEFT:
DEANNA AND RICK EBER TRY TO FIGURE OUT A U.P.S. LABEL; GARY BEADEL (DALLAS) IS IN THE BACKGROUND.
CENTER:
THE ENTRANCE TO "LA VILLITA" ( The Little Village )
ON THE RIGHT:
TOY SOLDIER SHOPPERS!!
AS SEEN AROUND TOWN
 |
 |
 |
1968 HEMISPHERE TOWER ENTRANCE TO TRINITY ( my Alma Mater ) HILTON PALACIO DEL RIO
THURSDAY MAY 24th PRE-SHOW SET-UP
 |
 |
 |
 |
( Photos of The Partial Venue Set-Up )
SATURDAY MAY 26th
IT'S "SHOWTIME"!!
 |
 |
ALAMO COMBATANTS
( ED GANNON & GARY BEADEL )
&
"TEXAS BOB"
5 PHOTOS BELOW COURTESY OF CARL CWIKLINSKI
  |
THE BARZSO'S, CHARLES MOORE AND GARY BEADEL EXAMINE THE ALAMO; GARY IN UNIFORM.
 |
NICK ( TSSD ) TRIES TO STARE DOWN A MEXICAN SOLDIER ( ED GANNON )
  |
A "SHAKEY" HAND SHAKE BETWEEN "ENEMIES"; BOLIVAR HALL EXTERIOR.
MORE SHOW PHOTOS
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
TOP ROW - LEFT - THAT APPEARS TO BE FATHER CARL STROLLING DOWN THE AISLE!?
TOP ROW - CENTER - BILL McMASTER & RON BARZSO
BOTTOM ROW CENTER - KATHY KERN, PLAYSET MAGAZINE
Hi Nick,
Congratulations and well done on your first Texas Toy Soldier Show. Myself… King’s X and K&C were all well pleased with the turnout, the organization and… the sales. King’s X had one of its best weekends ever! I have to believe that was mainly because of the show. I definitely look forward to next year ..…
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BROOKS DAVISON - PLANO, TEXAS
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
FROM THE LA VILLITA "BONSAI" SHOP OWNER
 |
 |
 |
MATT FROM HOBBY BUNKER MONITORS THE BEER CONSUMPTION FOR HIS DAUGHTER
( even The Hobby's younger people have Gray Hair!!?? )
DINNER AT "ZUNI's"
( some people got Mac `n Cheese )
THE RIVER WALK AT NIGHT - PACKED!!
"Thank you to Nick & DeAnna. Thank you for the excellent Texas Show and we are already hoping to attend an even bigger and better show in 2008!"
"Everyone - I had a great time with my sons at the first Texas Show. We are already looking forward to next year. Thanks so much for your efforts! This was our first show. Please keep us informed. Thanks again!"
"The show was great, you two did a fantastic job of organizing it all. The free bag of toy soldiers for the kids was awesome. The smiles on their faces were beautiful!"
PHOTOS COURTESY OF BROOKS DAVISON - PLANO, TEXAS
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
"Thank you very much for everything you did for the show. It was a great experience. I would love to do it again."
ALONG THE RIVER WALK
 |
 |
A "BELLY DANCER" AT AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT!? A GREAT LOCAL "BLUES" BAND!!
"I went to the Texas show last Saturday. It was the first Toy soldier show I had ever been to. It was fantastic, I have never seen that many Toy soldiers and related items in one place. I felt like I was a kid again visiting the toy store. There was something for everyone there."
"My only regrets are that I could not stay longer, didn't have more money, and now have to wait until next year for the next Texas show."
"Bobby You had what I call a magical moment. A magical moment is when you go to a toy soldier show and discover that you are not alone. You can not believe that there is so much plastic figures available and you wished you had won the lottery before coming." P. Stadinger.
Yes Stad it was a magical moment. Seeing all of those Toy soldiers in one place was so cool. I never thought I would get to go to a Toy Soldier show. Many thanks to TSSD and all the other Dealers and guys like me who came to the show. I hope to have another magical moment next year.
"BobbyG....
.....this is what the hobby is all about. Glad you had a good time. Start saving for Chicago! I think the guy with the battleground figures in the old 'correct' colors is Tom Vida, "TinyTroopers". prince of a guy. i bought from him at the West Coaster last year. " pEEgEE
THOMAS VIDA - ( TINY TROOPERS ) SAYS ADIOS TO BOLIVAR HALL SUNDAY EVENING
 |
"I had a very good time and Lord willin' and the dates work - I would like to come back for next year's show. See you in Chicago."
SCENES FROM AROUND LA VILLITA & BOLIVAR HALL
 |
 |
 |
"Thank you for allowing me to join the dealers on Friday night - you guys are super! If Saturday morning was any indication I'd say it was a success!"
"I think the girls loved the close proximity to shopping..."
"I had a fabulous time.
It was the best toy soldier event I ever experienced. Beat the West
Coaster at a trot. The San Antonio location was inspired. The whole
Alamo/River Walk scene was just great, and set the thing way above any
mere hotel show. And as far as your management of the affair-- "Never have
so few done so much for so many"
"I THOUGHT SAN ANTONIO WAS A GREAT CITY, AND THERE AREN'T MANY GREAT CITIES. I WOULD PUT IT UP THERE WITH SF, AS A WORLD CLASS GREAT PLACE TO VISIT OR LIVE IN.
THIS TRIP WAS GREAT FOR MANY REASONS, BUT I'LL NAME A FEW.
MEETING ALL THE GREAT FOLKS IN THIS HOBBY
GETTING TO HANG OUT WITH ALL OF YOU
GETTING TO STAND IN FRONT OF AND WALK THROUGH THE ALAMO CHAPEL
WALKING THE RIVER WALK AND BEING SOMEWHERE IT STILL RAINS"
"I had a fantastic time. The show was great, the city is fantasmo fun, and the guys were a blast.
Nick and Deanna really went out of their way to make everybody feel welcome. The Friday night party very much set the stage for the rest of the weekend. What a lovely and generous gesture for Nick and Deanna to make. Their warmth and sense of fun helped everybody enjoy the remarkable fellowship which this show generated.
There was a surprising amount of stuff for a relatively small show.
The city is a wonderful place to have a show like this. Apart from the Alamo. the River Walk and the rest of the downtown area are VERY lovely. Gonna take the wife back next year. This show is only going to get bigger with a fantastic venue like San Antonio. Thanks again, Nick and Deanna. And thanks to Ron and Mary Ann, the two John Stengels, to Matt, and to all the friends I had a chance to meet."
"I was in San Antonio Friday and Saturday and was able to get a sneak-peak inside Bolivar Hall at La Villita - only blocks from the Alamo. What a fantastic venue, especially for anyone who collects Alamo playsets - I have a black and blue mark from pinching myself to see if was a dream. Before noon over 100 people came inside - in fact, they had to open for early birds. All the great vendors I have enjoyed seeing at the West Coaster (this is the 1st out-of-state show I've attended) and then some. Almost like a family - whether you bought anything or not, they wanted to talk toys and Alamo."
".....And now that you're home, you've got tons of spare time(?). Nothing to do except unpack, take inventory, go over the financials, up date the site, open boxes of new product, do laundry, answer e-mails, send thank you's, plan next year, gear up for OTSN, see how the new figure group is coming along; and after all that...do it all over again."
_________________________________
THANK YOU NICK AND DEANNA, FOR BRINGING THE HOBBY INTO TEXAS IN A BIG WAY!
GARY
YOU'RE WELCOME, GARY. THANK YOU!!
_____________________________
IT'S ALMOST TIME..........!
HERE IS AN EMAIL FROM A TEXAS CUSTOMER WRITTEN TO "PLAYSET MAGAZINE".
IT EXPRESSES EXACTLY WHY WE WANTED TO PRODUCE THIS SHOW!!
"I cannot wait until Memorial Day Weekend. I started collecting Marx Playsets back in 1996 and I have never been to a Toy Soldier Show. I now have 38 boxed Marx sets, about 30 of them were purchased from Rick Eber through your magazine. I can't get enough! I am really looking forward to meeting you and Kathy in person at the Texas show and all the cool companies I read about in your magazine. To everyone coming to Texas for the Show, "Welcome to Texas!" Mark Harty - Houston
THANKS MARK AND WE WILL SEE YOU THERE!
_____________________________
THANK YOU FOR VISITING THIS PAGE