Sometimes parts reuse just doesn’t turn out as well as expected. As a former action figure customizer, I can appreciate having a vision for a base figure and thinking that vision will be borne out in the end. I’ve also had experiences in which the limitations of the base figure couldn’t be overcome, and the final figure didn’t match what
Read moreI’d like to call this post part of my “cleaning house” entries. Here’s a little peek inside how I manage this crazy endeavor that inexplicably continues despite my flagging sanity. Every few days, I venture into my collection, which is divided into sections consisting of 1) Vintage figures painstaking stored in those cute little tackle box thingies with the movable
Read moreThe Devil’s Due comics of the 2000’s brought back old Joe characters garbed in both classic looks and new interpretations. Zartan received some significant changes in his look, finally managing to get himself into a full shirt. While this isn’t exactly what Zartan looked like in those comics, you can see the inspiration. From the waist down, it’s more of
Read moreSnake Eyes I’ve mentioned several times that one of my fondest memories of GI Joe in the 80’s involves a coloring book. It wasn’t that I was still coloring at age 10. Though if I were, would that be wrong? Surely there are worse things than still finding joy in coloring at ten years old. Nevertheless, my fascination with this
Read moreThe initial 25th anniversary Firefly encompasses a lot of what I find successful and unsuccessful about that line. With the recreated vintage cardback and added modern detail and articulation, one might think of the series as being the “GI Joe figures we always wanted”. I tend to think of 25th figures like this Firefly as the “GI Joes better left
Read moreIs this really meant to be Duke? I think that name must have just been plastered on, since every Joe assortment seems to need at least one Duke and Snake Eyes. But then again, what do I know? That’s not to say it’s a bad figure. I’ve been wanting more of the 82-83 style Joes to show up wearing the
Read moreIn my lingering memory of the Pursuit of Cobra and the 30th anniversary lines, frustration is equally a part of my impressions as wonderful sculpts and amazing accessories. I didn’t want to be negative today, but I feel like I have to be realistic when talking about collecting. There are ups, downs and potholes in the road. The Pursuit of Cobra
Read more1985’s Airtight was the first figure I posted one year ago. He represented for me the strangeness that’s been a part of the small GI Joe line since early on in the Real American Hero line. While some have decried the use of bright colors near the end of the RAH run, I still posit that electric hues on Joe
Read moreI’ll admit that for the most part, my Pursuit of Cobra purchases went into baggies soon after being opened. That’s not to say I didn’t like the figures; bagging is just a process I’ve been doing ever since the 2000’s when I was collecting both new Star Wars and Joes. I would buy a new wave, and put most of
Read moreThe GI Joe Trooper appears to be a new iteration of the generic troop idea that started with the Steel Brigade. I say appears because the movie figures forego file cards, long a staple of Joe figures. I’m more than a little disappointed in this missing piece of the toyline. Those little bits of fiction included with the figures are
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