The Sewer Den: Totally Tubular Treasures: Turtle Cycle (New York Comic Con)

TOTALLY TUBULAR TREASURES: NY COMIC CON

EDITOR'S NOTE: This column showcases my random discoveries of TMNT merchandise. Despite the extensive collection from my childhood, I still find myself making Turtle purchases as an adult. Totally Tubular Treasures highlights just that.

New York City. It really is a melting pot. So many people, so much culture. Every day there is something new brewing in this concrete jungle - an event at every turn. But, after almost a decade of residing here, there's one occasion I always seem to miss...

New York Comic Con.

But, this year was different. In my arsenal, I now have a room-filled collection of Ninja Turtles. And a quirky blog to accompany it. This one-two punch was enough to secure a press pass to the event. Cowabunga.

Although the Ninja Turtles had no panels or tables at the event, I was still going to explore. There were plenty of costumes, activities, and overall craziness to keep me amused.

Some were brilliant...

...and some were scary.

I just wanted to find something TMNT-related. In a year when Captain America, Green Lantern, and Thor have all had major movie releases, locating Ninja Turtles paraphernalia would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Aisles and aisles of toys. It was clear this search wasn't going to be an easy one - I had quite the task in front of me. In addition, I only wanted to buy one item. I've also never paid high prices for anything in my Ninja Turtles collection. The Sewer Den is filled with items from the past and cheap finds that I've stumbled upon now-a-days. So, the treasure I was to find at the New York Comic Con had to fit this criteria.

I came across a handful of Ninja Turtles items throughout the day. One table was even dedicated to TMNT comics. Some very, very impressive ones too. A few I had never even seen before. Super cool. But the asking price was way too high. So alas, I walked away from these gems empty-handed.

Along the way, I somehow missed these.

If I had found my way to this table, I might have purchased one of these prints. But, if I was only going to buy one item, I wanted something a little more 80's.

The search continued...lasting almost five hours. The day was dwindling down. But, then came a plastic bin on the floor - filled to brim with used Ninja Turtles. I sifted through this treasure chest hoping to find the perfect jewel to bring back to The Sewer Den. After some searching and a little negotiating, I got this bad boy for a eight bucks.

The Turtle Cycle. One of the original vehicles released back in the 80's. A fun find for sure. I'm surprised I didn't own this one already. It seems like such a staple in the original line of toys. And now it would be part of The Sewer Den.

So here I proudly hold my Turtle Cycle - my trophy for conquering the New York Comic Con. The perfect find - the perfect treasure for The Sewer Den.

By the end of the day, I my dogs were barking. Hours and hours of Turtle-searching finally got to me. The expedition tired my inner-child. Kind of like this...