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.