The last survivors of your vintage collection.

[caw88]

We all know that G.I. Joe collections face greater dangers and extinction as time goes on. Some of the most heinous of these are vacuum cleaners, dogs, careless storage, misplacement, and the worst of all...mother's cleaning. What fascinates me about my own collection is that I decided to sell my vintage ARAH way back in 1988 to start my comic book collection. I had about 80 figures and 30 or so vehicles and I got a whopping $80.00 in cold hard cash which at that time for me was a huge sum of money and with comic books being available for a quarter a piece or brand new for .75 cents I thought I made out pretty well. Looking back of course I gave my collection away. Yup, I sold it to my aunt so my spoiled little cousin could destroy all my well kept and complete figures and vehicles. It all ended up buried under the foundation of a new house under the sandy orange Virginia dirt.
But, years later, I found a survivor. A lone motorcycle off of the Killer Whale had managed to stay tucked in a box in my parents garage. This was the lone survivor of my vintage collection. It was special as it was from my childhood and I had played with this, I had applied the stickers, I always had Shipwreck zooming around on it. It was a piece of my childhood. So even though I have built my collection 20 times better and bigger as an adult that particular Killer Whale motorcycle is the most special piece I own and most likely will never be sold. That motorcycle is a survivor. My survivor.
I am sure some people have their entire collection from when they were a kid but does anybody else have any good survivor stories?

[USAgent]

I remember throwing a few boxes of toys out when I was in 8th or 9th grade. plenty of joes and SW in those boxes

[fredro]

Version 2. Snake Eyes

[drew2kew]

I gave some of my joes to my brother's ex girlfriend's little brother to borrow and play with. they broke up and i never seen't em again.

[sithlordsmart]

My moms cat loved to chew on hoses and the parachute packs. Glad that cats dead now.... My wifes friends son has a ninja comando 4x4 snake eyes on mine. He loves it, granted hes only 14 months old!!

[VideoViper]

Ironically Sarg Slaughter because I stopped playing with him. Dam Iraq war 91 sympathizer

[a1veedubber]

I still have a lot of my old Joes, they ones I do not have fell victim to my brothers or were stupidly sold by me on eBay.

[Steel_rain501]

Misplacement and, own stupidity. Most of it is still intact. Some of the pieces for my night force figures are gone and chutes for Sky patrol are broke and damaged. Still have 8 Night Vipers complete from my Childhood!

[jeffafa]

I feel lucky to have kept my vintage Joes (no vehicles though) all this time. Unlike the box of transformers I left at home when I left for the Army... Those are gone

[spot138]

I have nothing left, ocasionaly I'll find an old backpack or a rifle or something in the basement or the woods, but nothing important.

[Regan MacNeil]

I sold most of mine at yard sales for Ninja Turtle money. The only good ones I have left are my Warthog Sgt. Slaughter (minus the hat and the Warthog) and Armored Cobra Commander.

[TK1945]

I always hear about "cousins" getting GI Joe collections. Funny that there are never any of these "cousins" that come onto collector sites to discuss their nostalgia for action figures. Cousins are dicks!

[rdodger]

I sold all of my vintage Joes. They were in near-perfect condition with all accessories and file cards. But I have no regrets because I needed the money at the time. Today my collection of vintage vehicles and new Joes far exceeds anything I had before. Life is funny and priorities change.

[punchitchewy80]

so sad but back in the 90's when i first really discovered girls i sold nearly all my stuff to an older boy and his dad who lived across the road from me to fund my first pair of bauer ice skates.

he didnt get my skystriker, phantom, tomahawk, awe striker dusty and snake eyes all were far from complete but are still in my collection they are now all complete and had any broken parts replaced and have pride of place it only took a few more years and i got back in to it heavily. lure of the boobies started to wear a bit by then. said boy who bought my joes moved away shortly after the last sale. my mum even advised against it, damn she was right.

[caw88]

I always hear about "cousins" getting GI Joe collections. Funny that there are never any of these "cousins" that come onto collector sites to discuss their nostalgia for action figures. Cousins are dicks!

Tru' dat....my little cousin got all the dynobots, most of the released joes, lazer tag, and more for christmas one year and on top of all that got all my joes. Last I checked he had a stripped Hall of justice and some chewed super powers figures left from 20 years ago. He had the giant Godzilla/robots, most of the thundercats, mask, heman, colleco-vision....He destroyed a fortune in toys. The only plus side is now he buys his kids everything and I get to trade with them.

[CVdelgado]

all i saved was my first... stinger driver! i GAVE everything else away to my nephew.

[goldendeedsofman]

I remember running neon missiles through the glue gun to get different color glues.

[Cobraoner]

Mom cleaned out the attic .. all original in pretty decent shape ..gone! Then re-upped my collection when my son was born .. went back and bought everything I owned plus some ... then went through a divorce and my ex threw them away ( I literally just got light headed) She said "F*** your airplanes .. I threw them SH*TS away.. F*** You" lovely ex i must say ... glad IM out of that one .. it only cost me 4,000 for the divorce and another 4,000 and still counting for my collection.

[AlleyViperEXE]

Most of my figures ended up either destroyed, or sold at garage sales....

Though, when I was back home digging through some of my old boxes, I did find my old Heli Viper and a Crimson Guard Commander. Two of my favorite old figures.

[RolandofGilead]

After growing belatedly depressed for selling off my vintage Star Wars to buy more GI Joes and Transformers, I swore to take care of my Joes forever. They were all stored nicely in my parent's garage, safely I thought until I had enough room in my own apartment some day.

Then my parents' divorced, sold the house and (I found out years later) threw all my Joes into the trash when they moved out. Without even a phone call, or a warning to me.

[Tankster]

last ones was my Serpentor and Thrasher they met there demise by firecrackers and fountians

[monstermonkey]

I guess my own stupidity killed my collection. I had most of the stuff from '82-'86 (no Flagg or Terror Drome). I did go through a very brief destructive phase when one of my delinquent friends convinced me to dig out some Joe stuff so we could go crazy with the lighter fluid and firecrackers. My precious Slugger that I bought with b-day money years before met a horrible, firey end. So did many figures.

The rest of the stuff I had I preserved and started appreciating again in my senior year of high school. I started to pick up loose figures at garage sales and flea markets and amassed a good size collection, only to sell most of them off on eBay once the 25th Ann. line started. I still have most of my original vehicles and accessories, though. Figure-wise, I still have my original SE v.2, Storm Shadow, Firefly, Gung Ho, Airborne, Outback, Snow Job, Frost Bite, Heavy Metal, Crankcase, and Destro.

[Maximus]

My collection wasn't killed, it was just delayed 9 months...

F U Paramount!

[Zarana]

The great garage sell purges. $1 per Joe, most complete with file cards, that sounds fair right. At least for the rare ones like fridge or star duster.

[Lantern_Lad]

Before re-aquiring EVERYTHING plus more... I gave all my Joe's & G1 Transformers (including the comics) to my cousin. He treated them like they were made of gold...

... then his Asshat of a stepfather got mad at him one night and literally drove all of HIS (including the ones I gave him) toys to the local waste disposal location and though them in while making him watch. He's in his mid-20's now and still apologizes to me every time I see him.

It was a Helluva collection though... I still picture that Terrordrome & Scorponok rotting somewhere in a landfill and it makes me want to throttle the Asshat.

To this day my Dad (once a year) attempts to get me to come over and go through the attic insisting there are toys up there... it's really just a ploy to get help since I know the final resting place of my toys.

[kingphilbert]

I never thought I'd still be (or come back around to) collecting Joes after having run the gamut of other interests/properties/etc after growing into comics and superheroes and beyond. Most of mine became fodder from fireworks and bb guns. Or I gave what was left to my brother and he did the same.

[Kwobubba]

The only one I have left is Rock N Roll V2 from 89. He was my favorite. I don't know what happened to my massive collection, although I suspect my mother may have sent them on to salvation army or something. Oh well, hopefully at least they were enjoyed by another kid somewhere. The only reason I still have Rock N Roll is because his O Ring was broken and I had left him in my dresser drawer to fix later, but forgot and left him there for several years. No accessories though. They probably ended up wherever the other couple hundred figures did.

[luigi]

never got rid of them right now they are in my closet or in ex-kitty litter(the 35lb ones) bins

[Tele-Viper 209]

Sold my entire vintage collection a couple of years ago. Time and the heat in my parents attic had taken its toll. I'd did save my first Joe figure though, a straight-arm Breaker. I have a $h!t ton of 25th+
to make up for it though!

[Wylde Weezle]

I still have a bunch of vehicles that are 70% complete, but the actual amount of figures I have left from '82-'93 would only fill a gallon size Ziploc baggie. I sold off the majority of my collection on ebay back when people still did so by way of auction @2001-2003 to get money together for a drum set.
I have a dozen favorite pieces of what's left including V2 Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye, '84 Roadblock, Black Hooded Cobra Commander and '84 Storm Shadow.
I have a Scoop figure that I'll never part with cause I followed his career path and myself became an Army journalist.

[07GT500 COBRA]

You need a poll option for little brother who took some outside and neighborhood bastards stole some.

[spiderpumpkin]

I sold everything in 1988. Nothing survived from 1982-1986 collection.

[troublemagnet]

I sold my 82-84 collection for comics , probably.I try and remember who I sold 'em to, now that I think about it, it was probably the comic book store's owner's father who had a vintage toy shop next door....It was called Fantasy World. Now it's a woman's hair salon. I get all nostalgic every time I drive by there.

[Rambo]

I kept my figures with me all the time, some of the survivors are Destro v2, Gnawgahyde, BAT v2, Sgt. Slaugher v3 and the Renegades. But my mom gave away all my vehicles: Mamba, Tiger Fly, Warthog, BUGG, Despoiler, STUN and some other small ones. It was a very sad day when I discovered they were gone.

[dest row ness]

I played with my joes to the fullest and did some things with them i regret now
I did however manage to keep all my boxes from vehicles
one day I was looking through my upstairs space cleaning it out
I discovered an unopened MOBAT tank I guess was not my favorite and never opened

[Narius P]

I sold all my original stuff to buy a bike! Now I find myself 22 years later selling a bike to buy more GI Joe! Circles guys...

[CobraOfficer999]

I lost figs, weapons and vehicles to all the above plus the family dog. I have several beat up figures left: DEF Mutt (Loose legs, broken thumbs, no weapons, no dog) SB Duke, SB Hawk, SB Rock & Roll, Chun-Li, M-Bison, SB Sci-fi, Raptor, Robo-Joe, Airborne, Steel Brigade, A Viper, and a Trooper. Most of these are childhood figs and most have broken parts and missing weapons. I had the WHALE: got it as a 3rd b-day present, now I don't know where it is. Oh, well, I'm hoping to find another WHALE at the con.

[krunk viper]

I was fortunate and was able to hold on to nearly my entire '83-'93 collection, even with an 8th grade transcontinental move (from Mass to Cali), though most of the vehicles became donors due to broken tabs, etc. Also quite a few accessories were lost but the figures remained in decent shape, even though I played the hell out of my stuff.

I was just looking at my original VAMP the other day and it has a bent axle - I still wonder how in the world that happened without the slots breaking.

My original Skystriker...well, he wasn't so lucky. Too many flights off the back porch, I'm afraid.

[Rhetoric]

Probably 1 piece of from each figure owned. However, I still have my Battle Corps Lifeline that is my all-time favorite piece.

[cobracobra]

We have Metal Head in my parents junk drawer. He has a Star Wars back pack on.

[ero]

I know I torched a few. Don't know what happened to the rest. Bums me out to this day.

[Mike T]

We have Metal Head in my parents junk drawer. He has a Star Wars back pack on.
There is still a vintage Star Wars Ree Yees gun with a broken handle in my parent's junk drawer. Odd how these things just stay there.

I honestly don't know what of my vintage collection I still have. Through years of upgrading figures and buying lots, I've lost track of my of the original figs. I know I have a few, but the nostalgia of them being from my childhood has become less important than having nice versions to represent my childhood.

[Mr Hebime]

Had every single joe, cobra and vehicle from 82-84. Gave them to my best friends little brother when I started high school. haven't seen them since :(

[666Werecat]

I have absolutely everything from when I was a kid. I had to work hard to get them (yep even as a kid) and I treasure them to this day.

[super curry max]

I didn't get into joe until i was 5 in '89 but i've kept every jow I ever got thereafter. Almost all the vehicles I had were sold off or lost for some reason though. It seems like for every toyline i had as a kid I kept all the figures intact but the vehicles and playsets didn't make it with me. Sure wish I'd have kept my ninja turtles vehicles and playsets. :(

[Van Hammer]

I always hear about "cousins" getting GI Joe collections. Funny that there are never any of these "cousins" that come onto collector sites to discuss their nostalgia for action figures. Cousins are dicks!

Luckily all my cousins are girls.

[Van Hammer]

When I was a few years younger than I am now I didn't have any Joes except for MC Donald's giveaways,Topside and Valor vs Venom wet suit and moray.But I had a huge amount of Corps figures.I gave those away about 3 or 4 years ago.

[rglass2]

I bottled rocket/jet pack so many Joes when I was younger

[johnturner]

First Joes I got were Grunt and CC and the Bivouac set from Woolworth's in 83', I think. Had a bunch of stuff thru about 88'. The only remnants I have are Salvo, his helmet and file card which I recently came across going thru some of my old stuff in my mom's attic. I actually bought Salvo after I had kinda stopped playing with Joes (nes).

[Rainbow Viper]

I still have all of my vintage figures, but I did get rid of the vehicles. I had some awesome ones too like the General, Hammerhead, and Thunderclap. I think I may have got rid of them at a garage sale once when we moved. I don't remember exactly. I of course wish I never did get rid of them but they did take up a lot of room so I don't know that I even could have kept them.

[ero]

I always hear about "cousins" getting GI Joe collections. Funny that there are never any of these "cousins" that come onto collector sites to discuss their nostalgia for action figures. Cousins are dicks!

I love this.

[Havok]

I had to part with most of my toys when my parents wanted to move to a different state, and I've regretted it since. My main Joe survivor was my Firebat with AVAC piolot I couldn't part with. Now I'm close to restoring a Terrordrome to put them back in. Fun project.

[Jar_Of_Flies83]

A few weeks ago, I was going through a box of my friend's old Legos and started to find Joe parts. Inside were parts for the Defiant. I asked him what he did with his Defiant. He said when he was 13 he threw it away in the trash, he's regretting he did that now haha...

[Tai-Pan]

My only surviving are; Storm Shadow version 2, Iron Grenadier and Destro from the Despoiler pack, all have weapons. The rest following college were sold off to buy something I probably no longer have.

[YoJoeCereal]

None left from childhood, but cannot begin to tell you about the dreams I have of going back to my childhood home and being in my back yard where I always played with my joes. I would randomly start to dig in the dirt and would always uncover a large cache of joes, hot wheels and gobots. I have this dream about four times a year.

[Mech-Viper]

still have mine, my boy was given a handful,i just amazed how the old arah style still holds up to play

[bloth]

I have all of mine still, and my brothers (I borrowed those permanently over the years). The only one lost forever was Airborne; I didn't know who he was and something involving a bungee cord and chicken wire happened.

[ilzuccone]

I have most everything from my childhood. gi joe and ninja turtle. my mom rocks.

[SteelersMobat]

I bought all the Joes your parents sold at yard sales.
My collection is made of your memories.
Mwaaahahahaha!

[GerjurdKing]

I have always found the "cousin" talk funny because my cousin who I expected would give me his collection after years and years of practically begging (this was in the early 90s; I was 8 or 9) decided to sell his stuff at a garage sale instead. I managed to buy his Moray for $5.

All of my original stuff was well played with (they were originally my brother's toys and I played with them into the 90s) and what remains isn't in the greatest shape but I do still have a lot of it which is now being stored at my brother's place. A couple of years ago I started collecting vintage vehicles (82-86) again after going nuts with 25th stuff. I've recently caught the vintage figure bug. I just hope I'm not overpaying - perhaps someone can point me in the right direction.

[atomsmasher]

Countdown.....also a favorite.

[Bravo Sierra]

My son is the worst culprit as far as this goes. My figs always end up getting eaten by dinosaurs or stomped by Darth Maul...

[The Fridge]

Do BB Guns, gas fires, Estes rocket engines, and firecrackers fall under " Your own stupidity" ?

[SpawnNazxul]

I have none of my childhood joes.

[crock master]

i smashed and burned a lot of stuff, but overall , i still have a lot of my childhood stuff left

[Techno Viper]

My bitch of a mom sold all my stuff for bingo money.

[3/4track]

Stupidity really, moves adn what not, the only origional figure I have of my child hood left is shockwave.

The others are new to me.

[crock master]

My bitch of a mom sold all my stuff for bingo money.

she found them and was like (hell yeah!!! money!)

[tycondrius]

well I still retain some of my originals including a vinty CC chromedome and a few random joes like backblast and a electric eel complete with the robo-shark

[Kann]

Man hearing you story and only getting $80 really hurts!

I say miss placement is the worse for me! I lost some accesorys over the year and one vehicle from my collection when I first started getting Joes as a youngster!