I ask fwooshmembers questions.
They answer them.
Heli88 " I prefer post afficianado."
How do you pronounce “heli”?
It’s pronounced with an umpty. No, really; I prounce it "helly," rhyming with "belly." As long as the name is spelled correctly on the check, I don’t sweat it too much.
What’s that thing in your avatar?
It’s Sikorsky from Starjammers. He’s an alien who looks a lot like a dragonfly.
Where do you live?
Creedmoor, NC. It’s a teeny (but growing) town about half an hour from Raleigh or Durham. I was born in Durham and grew up there, but I wanted someplace quieter to raise my future children once I got married.
Creedmoor is a very small town that is currently undergoing a fair amount of growth. My neighborhood is one of those "planned communities" that the kids love so much these days. I should’a gotten something more rural, honestly, but I don’t mind my tiny lawn. And I have nice neighbors.
What is the number of NC fwooshers?
It’s a bunch; I can’t count them, because they’re like a sea of humanity and I lose track.
I haven’t met them all, but I think I’ve met all the ones in an hour radius of me. I’ve met Darth (obviously), Jason, Slade, R O B O, Long_Road (with bonus Short_Road), Vorskyr, j*ryu, and AF. I hope I’m not forgetting anybody.
How did you find the fwoosh?
I did a google search for "marvel legends" or something like that. I think I initially visited around ML2, read a little, then forgot about the site. I found it again when ML3 came out and I was looking for some tips to fix the loose hips on my Thor. (He’s such a tramp.)
Why do you post so early in the morning?
That’s when I get to work, but before I actually get the press of actual work. On the weekends, I post so early because I always get up early, and my wife and daughter like to sleep later.
What do you do for a living?
I am a secretary, basically. If I had my pick of jobs, I’d much rather be an editor, but I don’t particularly want to move, and I haven’t had much luck locally.
What does work think of you fwooshing?
My boss has no problem with me surfing when I don’t have other stuff to do.
Do you like the political/religious threads in the Bar?
I’ve seen some interesting discussion. I tend not to get personally involved, though, because I feel that others do an excellent job of saying what I’d want to say before I can post it.
Why are you so good at the written English language?
Awww, thanks! My degree is in English Writing and Editing. Plus, I’m a big nerd. I always loved diagramming sentences and copy editing.
Who is in your family?
Well, Goodman 88 came over on the Mayflower…
My nuclear family consists of me, my wife, and one daughter (who’s 2 1/2). I have occasionally been known to spam threads/chat with pics of my daughter, but I was eventually cowed into stopping by Ron’s threats of posting City of Heroes screencaps every time I posted a baby picture.
Do you teach your daughter toys are bad and keep them away from her?
Nope. I’m going to raise her to be a geek, too. She already loves Spider-Man, and she plays with my Transformers a lot, but mainly that’s because she likes cars and planes. She’s also a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine and Hello Kitty.
What milestones has she reached?
She talks pretty well at this point, and she’s getting good at drinking from a regular cup. We’re currently working on potty training.
Are you going to have more kids?
My wife and I have talked about it. We aren’t sure yet, but we’re kinda leaning that way. I’m just thrilled to have one daughter who’s happy and healthy.
What does your wife think of your toy collection?
She likes the collection. She’s a big nerd, too; I wouldn’t have any interest in Stargate if it weren’t for her, so she’s even directly to blame for that part of my collection. When we were dating and she first saw all my toys, she said that they were cool, so I knew I had a keeper.
She doesn’t mind my toy buying, because she spends a fair amount on her hobbies, too. Mostly manga, books, and craft stuff.
What is your connection to Darth Board?
Darth has been my best friend for over 20 years. We met at summer camp when we were kiddos, and then went to the same junior high and high schools, and have been buddies for ages. Darth was Best Man at my wedding.
He’s a big comic/toy/sci-fi nerd like me. We’re like the American version of Threety and Chupes, only with less gay jokes.
Did you invite Darth to the fwoosh?
Sure did. I thought he’d enjoy it, and I’m always looking to expand North Carolina’s domination of the fwoosh.
What is your job as a Mod?
I’m always on duty.
/Gadget
I just try to keep the forum readable and friendly by moving stuff, deleting stuff, and being helpful in whatever way I can. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m really just in it for the huge salary.
Are you comfortable with the term "post whore"?
Would "pre whore" be preferable to "post whore?" I suppose so.
I prefer "post afficianado."
What are your hobbies?
Toy collecting, gaming (board and card, but not all that much lately), and building models, although the models have been on hiatus since there have been small hands around to make pieces disappear. I used to collect comics, but I just buy the occasional trade these days.
Do you customize?
I think about it, but I typically never get around to it. I’ve done a few minor modifications and some paint stuff here and there, but the only figure I’ve made that I really consider a custom is Hawaiian Assault! Dr. McNinja, who was my entry in the Fwoosh Eye for the Dollar Store Guy contest.
Do you own any customs?
I own an awesome Grizzly made by ActorJez, and an Unleashed Anakin Skywalker statue with authentic Robokillah paint. There are a few other irons in the fire, but I don’t wanna talk about those and jinx ’em.
I will say that I feel extremely lucky to know the incredibly talented customizers at the fwoosh. Just looking at pictures of the work they do is amazing, but actually holding the figures and really being able to see the detail blows me away.
What figures do you have on display?
All of my Megablox Pyrates, my Transformers Classics, MP Optimus Prime and Megatron, Robot Heroes, Stargate SG-1, Trigun, an assortment of Spider-Man figures (along with the aforementioned Grizzly custom figure ActorJez made me), a Ruroni Kenshin 12" doll, a bunch of Gundam models, and a few others scattered here and there.
I used to have a bunch of DC Direct figures on one shelf, but then my daughter figured out how to open my display cabinet, so they’re slowly getting recovered from the floor.
I tend to change around my displays as my interests shift. I’ve got a lot of other stuff in tupperware shelving in the closet, and a ton of old stuff at my parents’ house in the Attic of Doom.
What was the first toy you remember?
A Mego Spider-Man. He’s still prominently displayed in my Spidey collection, as a matter of fact.
Whats your favorite comic/character / story line?
Spider-Man is easily my favorite character. I can’t really think of a favorite storyline within Spidey; he’s just an icon.
Why no love for Daredevil?
I think Daredevil is boring. I’ve tried to like him. I’ve read several DD trades, but they just never grab me. I didn’t like the movie, either, but I’ve never seen the Director’s Cut, which I hear is better. I don’t feel compelled to watch it, though.
I like his costume, though.
Why so much love for Weird Al?
I’ve been listening to Weird Al since "In 3-D" was his latest album. He just makes me laugh. I’m amazed by his range as a musician; he seems to be able to write and perform songs in any style. He was also awesome live.
I’m one of the four people who actually went to see UHF in theaters. I’ve still got the cheap cardboard sunglasses they gave away at the box office. (They look like 3-D glasses.) I got the yellow pair and Darth got the orange pair.
Do you love cheesy movies from the eighties?
Oh, yeah. I don’t restrict it to the 80’s, but that was when I was growing up and HBO was showing nonstop cheese 24/7. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched Beastmaster. Big Trouble in Little China is one of my all-time favorite movies. Heck, I made my (future) wife watch Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension on our first date. She can’t say she didn’t know what she was getting into.
I was also a big fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Joel > Mike), and I quite enjoy getting a group of friends together to riff on whatever lame movies we can find. Thanks to those instincts, though, I’ve also developed a tendency to pick on even pretty good movies.
How did that game " guess the superhero " come about.
It was awesome. i was using information for the first time about
comics that was basically useless up until you invented the game.
people were playing for days at a time.
I wish I could claim credit for making it up, but I saw a similar game on another board and thought it might be fun. I hesitated at posting it, actually, because I thought nobody would want to play. I was shocked at how many folks seemed to really enjoy it.
I think people probably just got tired of playing after a while. Do you think it’s due for a revival?
Thanks Heli88