The Man Who Collects Arnold

Creator of the TheArnoldFans.com opens up about his geek-out over Schwarzenegger

As the president of Arnold’s longest running news site, not only have I met our action hero countless times, but I have gotten to know many of his costars, directors, and, best of all, his outstanding fans. We are all the fans of The Oak: a champion, a bodybuilder, an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, a political leader, and the world’s greatest action hero. It’s understandable how such a powerful force could create an allegiance of lifelong, awe-inspired followers Over the 17 years of my Website, I have gotten to know many outstanding fans who admire the greatness of one Arnold Schwarzenegger.

In my late teens, I would have thought I was alone in my grand appreciation of this man of action, but through the many years of running the TheArnoldFans.com, the greatest fans in the world are
continuing to sound off with friendly introductions and enlistments in Arnold’s Army. Who is Arnold Schwarzenegger’s biggest fan, a claim
that thousands in this world might bestow upon themselves? This is a hard question to answer. How do you measure one’s appreciation and
judge one’s commitment and devotion? It’s not enough to self-proclaim yourself as the numero uno fan; it’s how you show your fandom that gives you a feeling of community and existence. Some have supreme
knowledge of his bodybuilding titles or might be able to quote all of Arnold’s movie lines. For me, I can hold my head up high knowing I’m the Mr. Universe of the Arnold collecting world There aren’t too many Arnold fans out there who can devote an entire room to the display of their collections, as I do with my own, although I have seen a few of the fans’ very impressive sanctuaries over the years. I am the Arnold collector. I’m a completist, a word in the collecting community that means we don’t purchase random items here and there—we have to own everything. Although I let the Commando figures slip past me as a child, once Kenner Toys came out with T2 action figures and play sets in 1991, it opened the door to my future mancave, the room that now holds thousands of Arnold movie, bodybuilding, and governor collectibles. Some of my rarer items include a Commando vest play set, T2 skateboards, Arnold noodles from Japan, Twins suspenders and my T3 promottional Endo-skull DVD player.

I’ve got it all: cups, mugs, coins, stamps, figures, statues, lunchboxes,
hats, clothes, sleeping bags, sunglasses, backpacks, cards, MusclePharm Arnold Series supplements, workout equipment, dog toys, scripts, books, posters, food products, videogames, Arnold Classic items, rare governor memorabilia, bootleg items, puzzles,board games, and even a Turbo-Man doll autographed by Jake Lloyd, Maria Shriver, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The Oak also autographed several photos of me posing in front of my mega collection. Often it pains me to think about how much money I have spent on this collection throughout my 22-year span of searching for elusive treasures, mass-produced items, or foreign-released collectibles. When I last counted when I was 29, I realized that the money spent could have paid for a new car. At the time, it added up to over $24,000, but luckily for me, starting around 2003, I received most of the last 11 years of collectibles free of charge, courtesy of my merchandise promotions on TheArnoldFans.com. My movie-licensed Conan the Barbarian Atlantean sword ranks in my top three most treasured pieces. The sword from my favourite Arnold film has the best spot of all in my collection. One side of my Conan Atlantean sword has signatures from the Conan the Barbarian cast (Sandahl Bergman, William Smith, Cassandra Gava, Sven-Ole Thorsen, and Ben Davidson), and the reverse side has the stars of Conan the Destroyer (Olivia d’Abo, Tracey Walter, and others). Cassandra Gava, the wolfwitch, leaned over my sword and kissed the blade next to her autograph. Her lipstick kiss is a beautiful bonus. I haven’t found the perfect opportunity yet to bring it to Arnold to sign, but I’m optimistic for this year. Crom may hear my prayers, but he does not always listen.

In 2010, I finally got to meet the lead cast of Terminator and T2 at The Hollywood Show in Los Angeles. Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong gave me some good exclusives, and this Terminator reunion also gave me the opportunity to pose with the group, including T3’s Kristanna Loken. For the photo, I played the role of the T-800 by wearing my black leather Terminator jacket. I huddled up to the cast, and a professional photographer snapped the epic memento. In addition to the interviews, I obtained a limited edition, exclusive commemorative “Terminator Anthology” poster signed by all five cast members there. Ten months later, on December 1, 2010, I would at last get the Terminator himself to sign my poster. While Arnold was sitting at his table, I had him sign my “Terminator Anthology” poster with the same silver pen that the other stars had used. I was a little sad that I had forgotten to take a picture of the lead actor autographing the poster, but to my delight, the Sacramento Bee took two photos without me even knowing it and posted those images online the following day. Two weeks after this event, my luck would continue as I had the opportunity to interview James Cameron on the red carpet in Sacramento. In the empty space on my commemorative “Terminator Anthology” poster, the world’s greatest director signed his autograph. This fantastic cast and crew–signed poster hangs proudly in my room. Several favourite items that I obtained from an estate sale from Dave Beck, Schwarzenegger’s assistant, included an Arnold Classic desk set complete with gold medallions, a full set of 1970s Arnold exercise booklets and a very rare set of End of Days skis and poles made for Arnold. Schwarzenegger is shown holding these very skis in his autobiography, Total Recall.

Finding items that I do not own is a challenge, but I welcome fans to contact me with offers and to try to stump me with an item I don’t already have. You can contact me at the staff page on TheArnoldFans.com. The Oak is very supportive of TheArnoldFans.com, as he has given us many big exclusives over the years, and his film studios have granted us some fantastic red carpet access and on-set movie visits. “I appreciate the great work that Randy Jennings and his staff have done to produce this fantastic website. Their dedication to compiling background information and the most recent news is impressive,” Arnold wrote about the website. With the help of a small and trustworthy staff, we bring your movie-related news desires, Arnold praise, complaints, and your personal existence to our hero’s attention. I am determined to do my part as a fan to heavily promote Arnold and all his projects to the fitness and entertainment community. For many of us, Schwarzenegger is like our favourite sports team with me as the coach, making many game plans to promote our idol. I make every attempt to keep his star power pumped up with our social media public relation endorsements. Running the site daily is a time-consuming commitment, but as a reward, I certainly have enjoyed meeting or interviewing A-list Hollywood and fitness celebrities including Clint Eastwood, Joe Weider, Christian Bale, Franco Columbu, and The Austrian Oak himself.

Given the number of years (17) I have been writing for the website, I would surmise I have written at least a couple thousand Schwarzenegger promoting articles, and there is no end in sight. Thank you all for visiting Arnie’s biggest, best, and ballsiest news site, TheArnoldFans.com. With our shared interests and lifestyles, we have made a permanent home for fans who can’t “let off some steam” the way they can with their friends and family. We’re all connected here—a brotherhood of fans. We’re barbarians, terminators, and commandos. We’re a mighty branch of fans from the mighty Austrian Oak. With a lifelong dedication to one hell of an action hero, mentor, and icon, we will forever know what’s best in life. We are the Arnold fans. When I’m in my Arnold mancave, I’ll pump some iron while absorbing the inspiration that surrounds me. There are actually tens of thousands of collector rooms on this planet, but most are dedicated to Star Wars, Elvis, sports teams, and comic book superheroes. But you can achieve some serious fitness goals only in an Ahnuld room.

Enlist in Arnold’s Army now at TheArnoldFans.com and find us on Facebook and Twitter. Go now! If you want the best, up-to-date Schwarzenegger news, celebrity interviews, and exclusives, then
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