In the world of collecting, there’s a term I find very interesting: focus. Considering that my GI Joe collection spans the breadth of the 70s through the modern day, I’ve not paid much attention to honing in on one particular area. I’ve had thoughts of starting a 1991 Snake Eyes focus, but have yet to follow through on it. Looking
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I’m a sucker for the Tiger Force vehicle repaints. Combine tiger stripes and the famous Flying Tigers teeth regalia and you’ve got instant cool as far as I’m concerned. There’s been discussion about the original product paintings being painted over, but I wonder if such was the case here. I have a pic of the Water Mocassin that I believe
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In previous editions of TPOP, I’ve talked about my childhood experiences with GI Joe as it relates to card art. Looking at the packaging again through adult eyes brings back thoughts I hadn’t had since I was a kid staring at these bold depictions of the characters. Being able to peruse high-resolution versions of the old paintings is really a
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I have a pretty vivid memory of picking up my first Snake Eyes figure. I came into the GI Joe line sometime in 1983, and had already found a few refitted 1982 characters, but I had trouble tracking down Snake Eyes. Say what you will about him nowadays, but back then almost every kid I knew wanted him. How could
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How can you make a figure like Chuckles stand out on the shelves and get kids to buy him? I don’t really know, but I certainly picked him up back in 1987. Maybe it was the Hawaiian shirt. Actually, it was probably the cool removable holster.
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Even late in the Real American Hero era, packaging art was impressive. The Armor-Bot as a toy is itself marvelously huge for a 90s Joe vehicle. Heck, the painting of Hawk in his Armor Tech duds is much more interesting than the actual figure. Now there’s a fig that needs to be revisited in the modern style. I wonder if
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Breaker is one of the more recognizable of the early 70s Joes. Thanks to his memorable card art, with its focus on his unique comm gear, he became an early favorite for many kids. I always associated him with the RAM cycle, since he was pictures on its box art. Are there any other Joes you associate with vehicles because
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The Stun never really resonated with me, even as a kid. I just couldn’t get into its look, and was bummed that it seemed to become the de facto Cobra fast attack vehicle in the Sunbow cartoon in place of the Stinger. Of course, the toon had to maintain a link to the product that was new on toy shelves,
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Confession time. In the early 2000s, I bought a carded Tiger Force Tunnel Rat via eBay. I didn’t pay a whole lot for it, at least not in comparison to what the international Tiger Force figures would later begin to fetch. Being a collector who preferred loose figures, and after a bit of vacillating, I opened the packaging, albeit carefully
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I hate to sound like a broken record, but damn do I miss the artistry and beauty of vintage toy packaging. It’s a lost art, much like movie posters. Modern packaging, for all its slick style and strong branding, has lost its charm. Captain Zargon and the Space Ranger were no doubt some of the most fanciful Action Man figures.
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