Customs have been a fascination of mine within toy collecting for some time. The first time I can remember customizing a toy myself was back in the 80s, when I asked my mother to make a set of arctic clothes for my ’82 Snake Eyes and ’83 Stalker. I had been so smitten with issue 2 of the Marvel comic
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One of the most unique aspects of the GI Joe series since its inception in the 1960s has been its attention to minute detail and mundane accessories. Sure, every fighting soldier needs a uniform, helmet and weaponry, but they also require the necessities of food, shelter and supplies. From items like canteens and mess kits in the 60s to tents
Read morePoor Dee-Jay, stuck as an extra member of the less than popular Battle Force 2000. To further add to his misery, the guy debuted and died in the same comic issue. And don’t get me started about his funky boots. Possibly the explanation for his boots lies in BF2K’s mission as a testing ground for future weapons. Somewhere in 1986,
Read moreNow I can finally be an official pilot for that shuttle I picked up at the flea market! Thankfully, this thing kinda fits my pinky finger. Now my Sgt. Slaughter figure won’t berate me every time I try to fly the Crusader around my living room. I feel like a kid who got a cool Cracker Jacks prize–back when that
Read moreBy KansasBrawler I’ve never had any special affinity for Recondo. I never had him growing up so I don’t have any real memories of him and by the time Pursuit of Cobra Recondo came out, I’d only had the Assault on Cobra Island Recondo for a short time and he really hadn’t made an impression on me. Honestly, the strongest
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What could be a better 80s comics nostalgia blast than a GI Joe comic cover released as part of Marvel’s 25th Anniversary back in 1986? The special portrait covers still stand as some of my favorite Marvel covers, and even the Joe comic got in on the act. Judging by the illustration style, I think it’s done by Mike Zeck,
Read moreAs a kid, I had only Flash (my first Joe figure) and Snake Eyes in the straight arm format. Both figures were well loved by little me. Flash’s right thumb breaking off (a side effect of putting his laser rifle in his hand a lot). Snake Eyes often accompanied me on trips to visit relatives (there weren’t a lot of
Read moreOf all the GI Joe toys I had as a kid, the Falcon glider was at once one of the most fun and frustrating. Made of foam, not the most robust of construction materials, the Joes’ glider didn’t last through many adventures. Within days of its purchase, I had made some hasty (and not quite aerodynamic) repairs to the vertical
Read moreSometimes collectors bellyache when toy makers remold and repaint figures and vehicles. The situation is understandable, from both sides of the equation. The toy manufacturer is, after all, in business to turn a profit. This often results in cost cutting measures to ensure the most bang for their buck. Collectors sometimes get frustrated when an item is repainted and re-purposed
Read moreAlpine is one of those characters that fans always seem to want to see when new iterations of the Real American Hero figures are produced. The 25th Anniversary version is a prime example, as fans clamor for the toy. That may be have been due in part to his elusiveness at retail, but nostalgic memories of the 1985 version surely
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