KC Retro Gaming & Collectibles Show 2022

2022 turned out to be the year that I was going to be attending as many shows as I worked, a few for the first time.

The Kansas City Retro Gaming & Collectibles show was a great surprise. I found out about the show through a Facebook post, so my brother and I purchased early bird tickets to get in and see what sort of hidden treasures would be available at the show.

One major draw for me was that YouTuber Adam Koralik, (who is the current holder of one of two very rare Prototypes of the Sega Pluto system) would be in attendance. I'm a fan of his channel and his approach to collecting games.

My brother and I got there for the early bird access hour and some free games were available.

I know that there has been a lot of shows in the Midwest happening. Every other show seems to be some sort of pop-culture themed event to attend. And I don’t mind that, it’s nice to have somewhere to go where people have similar interests and hobbies, and that I can break into conversation with people about many different subjects and pursuits.

We got there before 9am, and there was already a small but growing line of people. Those of us that did get in early were offered a box to reach into to grab one game for free out of. I ended up with the Burger King game for the Xbox, "Sneak King". As I recall, there were three games released for Burger King.

If I heard right, this was the first time that the show had an artist alley area, outside of the vendor room.

Once 9 o’clock hit, they scanned our tickets and we headed in. It was really nice to see an artist alley line up in the hallway, leading down to the main vendor room.

I’ll be totally honest, even as an artist I still made a beeline for the vendor room. The whole feeling of fear of missing out was pretty strong.

I had specific things I was looking for. I found SO MUCH MORE.

Once we entered the main vendor hall, it was almost overwhelming to see how densely packed everything was in there in a good way. I’ve been to the Stoney Creek Hotel location prior for other shows, and this one was surprising in the sheer amount of variety of vendors. I didn’t realize that at the time, but toward the end of the day, it hit me how much this moment was very much lightning in a bottle.

Let me explain.

To attend a show that is pop-culture themed, and meet vendors, who specifically have traveled to Japan, to bring back collectibles, who have traveled in from other states with large vintage collections, to find vendors, selling comics, graphic novels, and art books, that was just the tip of the iceberg. Add in the YouTube personalities in attendance, and it was great chemistry.

Most larger shows never hit that once they get too big. A lot of smaller shows don't always get that mix right. This one did.

Was super happy seeing vintage game laid out on table like this for sale.

I scoured each table. Looking for Sega items, Action Fleet ships, so many things. I keep a list of items that I’m looking for on my phone specifically for shows like this.

Most of the time I can’t remember if I actually purchased something before or not. Thankfully, the first table I found was stacked with a myriad amount of import Japanese games for the Famicon systems.

Prices were fantastic, anywhere from one dollar a cartridge to five dollars a cartridge.

Another vendor had a sizable amount of Sega Master System games, including two that I had never seen in person. One being Ghouls N' Ghosts, and the other being Galaxy Force. Both in wonderful condition, but unfortunately, would have devastated the budget I had allotted for myself for the day.

These were two grail items for my collection, and I really hadn't planned on finding them at the show.

I did appreciate that leading up to the show, many vendors posted to the KC Retro FB page, and were showing off the items they were bringing to the show. I try to remember to expect the unexpected when I go to shows because I have found some amazing deals and finds this year that I never thought I was going to.

After watching my wallet take a beating, and filling up my Mandalorian themed shopping bag, now it was time to go check out the Sega Pluto Prototype.

I don’t know why, but usually meeting somebody who has a large following on social media will make me a bit nervous. I always feel like I’m gonna waste their time by talking to them. I think that’s more an insecurity issue with myself than it is with anything else.

Nonetheless, I made my way back to the far corner of the vendor room and stood in awe of the Sega Pluto system.

For context, those of you that don’t know, I am a fanatical Sega collector.

The second arcade game I ever played was Zaxxon, the first video game system, I received as a gift for Christmas was the Sega master system, and my first table top miniature arcade game I got was Zaxxon. I still own the Sega master system and that table top arcade cabinet in my collection to this day, the original ones I had as a child. So yeah, I was having a moment. A good one.

Bucket List Goal achieved! This is one of two prototypes of the Sega Pluto system.

I meant to ask Adam, if this was the prototype that had been discovered at a flea market in California. It was kind of trippy standing 5 feett from the system. I took photos, video, and then I got to play on the system.

Adam talked about the system as I played Virtua Fighter 2 on it, how the outer case is spray-painted black, how the internals worked, was great.

It certainly was a bucket list goal for me, now completed.

[Left] Me and the Sega Pluto [Right] The show Haul

When he offered that I could hold the system, it certainly gave me pause.

I’m smiling in that photo you see above.

Internally there were two voices.

One and a monotone droning voice repeating "don’tdropitDon’tdropitdon’tdrop.". And then another voice that echoed all the way back to my teenage years thinking, "oh my God this thing is real and you’re holding it dude. You’re HOLDING it."

I made a few more rounds through the show, talking to the fellow I bought the Exo Squad figs from about Game Gear repair, and picked up an issue of Old School Gamer magazine.

The items pictured on the right seem almost super random, but they all hit the wide spectrum of my interests.

I picked up the following:

• a Lego R2-D2 Star Wars pen
• was given a boxed Japanese game that had some water damage on it
• some Famicon disc games
• cartridge games for the Famicon
• the Japanese version of Virtual On for the Sega Saturn
• a few instruction manuals for the Sega game gear
• an awesome boxed import version of Mazinger
• a Power of the Force storm trooper
• a lot of great comics for really good prices, I think they were all a dollar.
• 2 Exo Squad action figures from the original owner in fantastic condition

Show Overview.

KC Retro Gaming & Collectibles Show was held August 21st, 2022, from 8am to 4pm.

Location: Stoney Creek Hotel - 18011 Bass Pro Drive - Independence, Missouri

Is it worth it?

Yes. This is from the perspective of a buyer specifically. The next time the show happens, I'll do the artist table option.

The vibe was laid back, but also very energetic in conversation in the main vendor room. If you want a show that had a pretty good selection of vendors, creators, and a wide spectrum of items to purchase, this show is exactly that.

Expense/Earnings

1. Show Entry Fee: $10.00 (kids under 12 were free I believe)
2. Fuel/food: $40.00
3. Purchases from vendors and other artists: $165.00
4. Parking: Free

Total Expenses: $215.00

1. The option was open to have brought items to swap and shop. I didn't partake in that aspect.
   
   Total Gross Earnings: N/A

Pros

• The show seemed well run and organized
• Space in both the vendor room and out in the artist area was pretty open

Cons

• Only thing I could think of was more emphasis given to the artists in attendance online

The Final Evaluation

Evidently this show has been around for a few months maybe a year or two. I’m not sure. I think this was the first time at this specific location for Kansas City retro.

I often talk about the vibe or energy of a show, and this one had it in spades, the weather was good, it’s a bit on the hot side. But inside the hotel, I had a blast. There were so many things I didn’t get photos of, so many other items that I just didn’t even think would be there. Again, if you follow me on TikTok at the Artisan Rogue, there’s some videos in my timeline from the show. All of the vendors seem to be in a great mood, and a few of the artist that I spoke to and picked up business cards from seem to be doing OK.

I would recommend the show, if you’re looking for a good introductory show for your kids or for yourself it’s a great show here in the Independence area. It's not expensive to get in, and kids under 13 are free admission I believe.

I don’t know how many times they plan on doing this during the year, but I hope it’s not more than once or twice. The truth is, this was a show that showcased exactly how much overlap does occur in the pop-culture hobby crowd. There were a few cosplayers, a few people there specifically looking for anime based items, some diehard comic guys, vintage toy collectors, vintage gamers, gunpla enthusiasts, and more than a few people that I spoke to, that had never been to any of the other shows in the area and this was their first one.

C2E2 Show Haul

I have a lot of hobbies and points of collecting, and I can't remember the last time I went to a show with such a wide berth of variety in vendors. I believe many came from out of state, and there was a lot of import items!

Lego, Exo Squad, a Stormtrooper, Famicon Cartidges.

Instruction booklets for Sega, Comic books, a boxed import Mazinger.

If you’re from the Kansas City area, do you know that we have multiple large ones on the horizon for 2023, and a slew of smaller shows that exist within a 1 1/2 hour drive of Kansas City proper. I do worry about the oversaturation of the market, but again, if the energy that showed up at this show is something that becomes the norm and future shows for others that’s not a bad thing.

Thank you so much for reading, I am Mario, the Artisan Rogue, and until next time, remember to support artists and local businesses. Be kind to your fellow beings and always take the path less traveled. We all may live in times uncertain, but kindness, understanding, and believing in the good that is in most each and every one of us is what can bring about better days!.

LINKS

KC Retro Gaming & Collectibles Show

Adam Koralik

- Mario, the Artisan Rogue
Illustrator, Voice Actor, Writer, Animal Rights Activist

-All photos, editorial content, created by me. One dude. Thank you for reading.-

www.theartisanrogue.com