10 Years

Hey everyone,

Anything interesting happen while I was away?

I’ve been off on a quest to learn the art of mold-making and casting. I’ve made and sold custom figures via Etsy and Instagram as ToyBuz. It’s been an enjoyable and fulfilling journey thus far, and I’ve been blessed to make a few bucks along the way.

I thought I’d pop back in to the old HQ because it’s something of an anniversary around here. 10 years ago I started this blog, and it ran daily for almost eight years. I stepped away in 2019 to pursue other creative pursuits, but I couldn’t resist the call to come back for a minute to pay homage to what was once a big part of my daily routine. I told you all I wasn’t throwing away the keys.

Sure, the keyboard is covered in dust and cobwebs, but I’ve cleaned it off for a little update and a classic JAD take on a Joe. But what to cover? Something from the new Classified series, or the Retro line? The weird little Jada figures and vehicles, or that World’s Smallest madness? Maybe the new Snake Eyes movie figures? Ooh, those crappy Dollar Store inaction figures could be right up my alley. Should I pontificate on the upcoming Super 7 collaboration? What could I possibly do that would be worth your while to come back and read another magnificent missive, another elegant epistle, another deific dispatch?

I’m feeling doubly nostalgic today, so here’s a figure–no the figure that pulled me back into GI Joe collecting way back in the 90s. Snake Eyes–not the all-black commando version or the ninja with wolf sidekick version or even the tech commando with the weird-ass blow gun. No, I was pulled into re-entry by the irresistible gravity of the paintball-masked, grappling missile-launching, most colorful version of the silent master to date.

I covered the figure itself back in 2011, but this one jumped out as a subject because he’s one of the few Real American Hero era figures I’ve collected on card. For me, this is the closest I can get to recapturing my classic era Joe experience. Well, without taking up a second mortgage to buy a carded ’82 Flash.

When I happened upon on the assortment on the pegs at Toys R Us, the cross-sell images of two characters really jumped out at me. Snake Eyes and Tracker. They were both so different from what I remembered of the mid-80s Joes, yet they both gave me that feeling I had when I found new figures as a kid. Obviously a new Snake Eyes was always welcome, but this one practically jumped off the peg. I’d say the card art and uniform design was 50% responsible for that. The accessories–not so much. But hey, like the package says, they’re interchangeable! So toss that backpack in the parts box, and give him his ’85 pack. I think I’ll hang onto those double neon red swords, though. They rock in a 90s kind of way.

6 comments

  • Welcome back, Rob! I miss reading your daily ruminations on G.I. Joe but I’m happy you’ve found other fulfilling creative pursuits. I love the ’90s Joes, a fondness I didn’t even truly realize until I started collecting them about 10 years ago. Back then, you could still buy a lot of carded Battle Corps figures and such for dirt-cheap prices. I was shocked to see recently that even those have skyrocketed in price. It’s a financial challenge if you want to start a vintage collection today. But seeing your awesome reviews and photos, I imagine it’s tempting to jump in!

  • Rob! It’s so great to hear from you. I’ve been admiring your colorful, beautifully crafted toys on Instagram. They are incredible.

    I’m also very pleased that you celebrated this milestone with The Best Snake Eyes!

    Congratulations on 10 years!

  • This version of Snake Eyes is excellent! I don’t like the colors of the accessories but the figure itself is perfect! I would like to see a classified version of this 🤔

  • Several times over the last year I’ve found myself looking into Action Force, after 30+ years of it never crossing my mind.

    The first thing I asked my Alexa was “Tell me about Action Force”.

    And here and there I’ve enjoyed making my way through Joe A Day, and I hope to continue to do so.

    I guess we always circle back to our roots,

    Many thanks, Bugnaz.

  • Nice to see you back Rob. Will this be an on going thing again?

  • past nastification

    Come back for realsies, Rob.

    The world needs Joe A Day!!

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