I’ve been fortunate enough for the past two years to be a regular part of the Flag Points podcast. Unfortunately, it came to an end last week with the release of Episode 45 Part 2. It was an epic, fun and positive end to a podcast that was a great experience for me. I appreciate Dave’s kindness in allowing me
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For the past few years, I’ve covered Kansas City’s Planet Comicon, and the appearances there of the GI Joe costuming club The Finest. Each year they’ve featured characters such as Flash, Major Bludd, Flint and Lady Jaye. This year, they’ve added a new element: a life-size playset. The Bivouac battle station has been recreated down to small details like original
Read moreBy KansasBrawler Ah, phantom waves…the bane of every collector’s existence. It always seems like some really good stuff gets shunted off into final, hard-to-find waves of toy lines. Be it the WarriorsThree from Thor, Kwinn and company from Retaliation or the great figures in the last wave of Pursuit of Cobra, it’s always maddening when Hasbro brings the heat in
Read moreThere just aren’t enough shouting bearded men on kids’ toys these days. What the hell, toy companies? In all seriousness, there just aren’t enough painted packages any more. I liken it to the almost lost art of the movie poster, in which photographs and photorealistic renderings have taken the place of evocative and stylized art. Oh well, at least we
Read moreIt’s Terron–the Beast from Beyond! If the GI Joe brand lacked one element during its first generation of toys, it was an enemy. Sure, the concept of the original military line was meant to be open-ended–that’s what GI Joe himself was. But the nature of boys’ play almost always involves an antagonist. I see this in my own son, as
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 moreJust an image tonight. Let the spacey goodness wash over you.
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
Read moreBy KansasBrawler I’ve never been much of an army-builder. I’ve never really seen the point of assembling large quantities of identical looking figures. Intellectually, I understand the appeal…there have been some great shots in Joe dio-stories of Cobra Commander addressing a massive group of all the Cobra specialties before his big scheme takes off. Even Rob’s army-building post from a
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