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02-05-2023, 09:01 PM | #1 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Boston
Posts: 1,335
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I've been thinking lately about the "rules" of G.I. Joe collecting. We have a lot of different collectors in this forum with a lot of different collecting goals. Some collect only figures, some mainly vehicles, and many both. Some want to own the entire vintage line from 1982-1994. Some only want to re-acquire those toys they owned as kids. Others just want whatever they think is cool. There aren't any "right" or "wrong" answers to make a good collection, or at least there shouldn't be. We all try to collect what makes us happy.
Nevertheless, I think most collectors set personal rules for what and how they collect. For some, these can be line-in-the-sand dogmatic principles they live by: No repro parts ever! Black Major is scum and ought to be thrown in prison! Every figure must be complete, not only with the correct accessories, but the very specific plastic color and mold markings documented to be unique to that figure alone. Others don't give a crap about stuff like that. With all that in mind, here are the rules I've set for my own collection. These apply to myself only, and nobody else is required to follow them: - I am a completist collector for every G.I. Joe action figure released in the USA between 1982-1994. I own a select few vehicles and playsets that I enjoy, but simply don't have the space or the interest to collect all of those. Likewise, I only have a very few boxes. - I own a good selection of foreign figures, but long since decided that "completing" those will never be an attainable goal. The foreign figures I focus on are those with significant differences from the domestic line. Figures distinguished only by subtle paint differences don't interest me much. - In my main collection, all of my vintage figures are loose. I have very few MOC, which are all duplicates or Funskool. That said, I've kept all of the Hasbro's current "Retro" line MOC for now, and am still debating whether to open them or not. - I don't put any of my collection in acrylic cases, and will never pay to have anything graded. - My definition of "complete" is to have one of each version of every figure released in the USA, including what I consider to be significant variants. However, I generally don't consider minor variants, such as the difference between a "Made in China" vs. "Made in Hong Kong" COO stamp, or one missing paint app, to be worth my time. To that end, my collection is mostly already complete, though I'm still waiting to find Steel Brigade versions 1A and 1C, or a Starduster 1B, at prices that aren't obscene. I may be waiting a long time for that. I could also use a few other paint variants, like the Copperhead with blue helmet and gloves, but I don't feel those are major omissions. - I've replaced any figures with significant damage such as broken thumbs or waists, but elbow cracks seem unavoidable and I'm not bothered by them unless the arm is in danger of falling off. - Similarly, while I've replaced figures with really bad yellowing or discoloration, I can't pretend all those with white plastic (Storm Shadow, Snow Job, etc.) are as pristine as they used to be. Some of my 1982 figures also have clear color differences from their 1983 swivel-arm reissues, especially Scarlett. Here's where things get tricky. Most of my figures from 1982 to about 1990 are complete with all accessories, but not all of them. Many I would eventually like to obtain the missing accessories, but some I frankly just don't care. - I don't require a file card to consider the figure complete. - Unlike some collectors, I'm not obsessive about plastic color and mold markings for most accessories. So long as the character is holding its signature gear in reasonable colors, I'm happy. If you tell me that the rifle in my Steel Brigade's hand is actually from the Tactical Battle Platform, I'll believe you but I refuse to give a damn. Heavens to Betsy, my 1982 Cobra Commander has a black pistol that actually came with a 1997 CC figure rather that the original dark gray! Oh frickin' well. It's the same damn gun! - Likewise, I'm not opposed to using an Accessory Pack item so long as the color goes well enough with the figure and its other gear. - To my mind, "reasonable" colors for accessories are black, gray, dark green, and sometimes silver or brown. This rules out many AP items, but not all. I don't like neon accessories. Other colors I will judge on a case-by-case basis. - I'm not opposed to using repro parts if originals are too difficult or expensive to obtain. I'm happy to have repro microphones for Heavy Metal, Lift Ticket, and Hard Top, and a repro black visor on one of my Stardusters. I generally try to note this with a sticker label on the figure stand. After 1990, I have decreasingly little concern for completeness. - I've removed most spring-loaded, water-squirting, noise-making, and other gimmick accessories except those I consider integral to the character. For example, Heavy Duty gets to keep his big missile rig, but Destro v3's stupid disc-shooting contraption is out. I've unscrewed and permanently removed the giant backpacks from all of the Talking Battle Commanders. I have no regrets about any of this. - If a figure came with a weapon-tree of generic neon-colored accessories that have nothing to do with the character, I will freely re-equip them with whatever I consider appropriate. If the figure was a repaint, I'll often give it the original version's gear. In other cases, figures might get parts from The Corps or other 1:18 toy lines, or custom weapons from Marauder. - Some figures, including the Street Fighters and Lunartix aliens, I'd rather stand with no accessories rather than the dumb ones they came with. Other general rules I follow: - I continued to buy G.I. Joe figures when the line returned in 1997 through the early 2000s, but I don't have a complete collection and am not as focused on those as I am the original 1982-1994 run. Of those, I really only like the vintage-style o-ring figures. Although I bought a great many "New Sculpt" figures from the Joe vs. Cobra, Spy Troops, and Valor vs. Venom lines, I don't like them and they all permanently reside in a box in my closet. - I don't care for the "Modern Era" Joe figures from 2007 to 2019 at all. I think I own two or three of those. Frankly, I hate them. I think their gangly limbs, awkward proportions, and weird chest hinges are very ugly. - I think the 6-inch Classified figures are neat, but they're not for me. I don't need to start collecting action figures in larger scales. - Although I have a small handful of older, early Re-Action figures from Super 7, I stopped collecting that line and don't have any of their G.I. Joe figures. I like the idea of producing action figures of deep-cut characters from the cartoon, but the 5-poa style doesn't suit G.I. Joe to my mind. - I'm happy to collect select examples from other 1:18 o-ring toy lines such as The Corps, Mortal Kombat, Bronze Bombers, and so forth, but I'm not a completist for them. - I own a decent number of Black Major army builder figures, but not everything he produces appeals to me. Once he started charging more than $20 a figure, I was pretty much done with him. - I backed both the Callsign: Longbow and Operation: Recall Kickstarter campaigns and look forward to receiving them. - I have all of Hasbro's current Retro o-ring line, including the Transformers crossovers and the Haslab Skystriker. If this line continues, I will buy more, but I'd still be satisfied even if it stopped where it is. I don't need (and can't afford) a full-scale o-ring relaunch at this time. What rules have you set for your own collecting? Last edited by Josh Z; 02-06-2023 at 06:30 PM.. |
02-05-2023, 09:36 PM | #2 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: May 2015
Location: CT
Posts: 2,043
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Nice idea for a thread. Over time my rules/qualifications for being a Joe collector have changed. I have supported every iteration of Joe since the original ARAH run when I was a kid. I loved the 2000-2002 Real American Hero Collection, collected heavily in the new sculpt Venom v Valor, Spy Troops, GI Joe vs Cobra era (both figures and vehicles), went all the way in with modern era back in 2007 and supported them through the end of the line in 2015. I have since offloaded all of my modern era figures and some of the new sculpt vehicles that were not re-releases of original vehicles when I got back into ARAH O-Ring figures. Now with that back ground out of the way here are my main rules:
- I am not a completist in any way. I would like to have most of the figures but I don't feel it's necessary. I have tried to at least get all the figures I wanted as a kid or had as a kid and wanted to reacquire. - I have no problem having multiples of many of my figures (I have several Hit & Run's, several Beach Head (both original and Battle Corps) for example) - I've never had an issue just buying the figures by themselves with no accessories. The only accessory I feel is needed is a helmet if that figure came with one - I really stay away from the 82-84 Joes just because they are a little thinner in body construction and I perceive that in my mind as more delicate. This is why I am thrilled with the current O-ring line allowing me to get many faithful representations of the original figures from those years. - As for vehicles if there is a newer version released of an original I have no problem getting the newer version. For example I have the Target Exclusive Rattler and Conquest - no desire to have to get the originals of those vehicles - that philosophy goes right up to the present with getting a brand new Sky Striker - I am not a vehicle completist and my vehicle collecting philosophy mirrors what I do with my figures - I try to get the things I wanted as a kid or had as a kid. I do have three shelves worth full of vehicles but purchase vehicles more judiciously now as space is at a premium - I also will say I am cyclical in my collecting and many of my decisions are nostalgia based so sometimes I will deviate or make impulsive decisions to either buy or purge items from my collection. - Elbow cracks in figures used to be a deal breaker for me but I have softened my stance on that. My "other" rules: - I don't collect Classified although I think they are great I have no desire to collect at that scale. I am just glad that line is well received and keeping GI Joe alive at Hasbro - Repro parts fill a need. Some original parts are either to fragile, rare or expensive that getting repros is the better decision (my Mauler and Stun have some repro parts). - I hold most of the o-ring figures outside the 1997 releases with the same reverence and appreciation to the original 82-94 run. I like all the figures from the Real American Hero Collection, the o-ring figures included with new sculpt figures during that era, the exclusive 6-packs released during that time etc. - I never collected anything but Hasbro O-Ring figures until the Op:Recall and Callsign:Longbow kickstarters. I couldn't pass up the oppourtunity to get brand new o-ring figures in the spirit of GI Joe. With the future of o-ring figures unknown I will continue to support these two lines as they fill a void. |
02-05-2023, 10:09 PM | #3 |
Bill Cosplay
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: Staying clear of knee-jerk nerds.
Posts: 5,873
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"The only rule is to keep your cool." -E. Vedder
That's one I'm finally learning to take to heart. In all things.
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"Good luck in your senior year!" "If Adolf Hitler flew in today, they'd send a limousine anyway." "This ain't no party. This ain't no disco. This ain't no foolin' around." |
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02-05-2023, 11:46 PM | #4 |
Iron Grenadier
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Rebel Base
Posts: 556
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So I have a couple different "collections."
I am trying to collect a complete 82-94 collection. I only really started this a few years ago and only buy like 1 or 2 at a time and rarely buy from the internet. I mostly look for figures at conventions or a local store or something. I absolutely refuse to spend stupid prices on things and only buy one or two at a time. I would LOVE to complete the collection, but it's a slow go. I don't buy duplicates and I buy loose and complete so I don't have to hunt down accessories. (Except for the Triple T slaughter because I bought him without a baton on accident. So now I have to find a baton). I love file cards to go with everything, but it's not a requirement. I don't do reproduction stuff. I would LOVE vehicles but they take up an insane amount of space. There were soooooo many awesome vehicles. I love getting "new" figures, cataloging what I have, cleaning, and replacing O-Rings and the such. I have a ton of 25th stuff and honestly love it. I don't know if I want more of them, but most of my displayed stuff right now is all 25th/modern stuff. I don't really buy any new 25th stuff unless it's a really really good deal. I would love to finish out the 25th vehicles, but they are all stupid expensive now. Almost everything I have I bought at retail back in the day. I'm all in on the current retro line. I love the vehicles they've released for it. I just wish we could get some characters from the later years because some of us were still playing with toys around then! Let's get a General or a X-16 and I'd be happy! I collect random Classified figures if they strike my fancy. They take good pictures right now. Only rule is it has to be nostalgia driven and something that makes me go "well I want that." A lot of their stuff hasn't done that, but a lot has. I 100% keep my surviving childhood Joes separate from everything else. It's my most important rule. I am also currently restoring my surviving childhood vehicles with some new parts and toyhax stickers. |
02-06-2023, 12:42 AM | #5 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Jan 2022
Location: LA
Posts: 156
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My rules are not so hard & fat, I allow exceptions to them.
1. I consider myself a completist when it comes to vintage figures, I only need a handful to have the complete 82-94 line. But I don't have or want the straight arm 82 figs. I don't buy repaints either, whether figs or vehicles. So no Tiger Force, Python Patrol, etc. The exceptions are I did get a few Night Force figs, eg Sneak Peek and Psyche Out because the original colors were so stupid. I also have desert Grunt and Clutch, they are repaints that make sense to me. 2. My figs are mostly displayed with their original gear, but I will sometimes add something here and there. For example, Breaker didn't come with a gun, so I gave him a Marauder's M-4, and he looks great with it! Later figures, who came with a generic weapon tree will also get their own unique gear instead. I generally don't use the spring loaded stuff and will consider a figure complete without it. 3. I will not always use a new version of a character as that character. Duke had 2 desert versions come out within a year of each other, so for me the 93 Duke is a completely different, new character. This is especially true for my modern era figures, I don't need 25 versions of Duke, so most of them become someone else. This doesn't work so well with figs like Snake Eyes or Cobra Commander, who look too unique to use them as some other character. 4. I'm only interested in the toys, ie figures and vehicles and don't want or buy any licensed stuff such as lunch boxes, coloring books or statues, etc. Again, the exception is I did collect the comics because I enjoyed them and I do have a small Snake Eyes bust because it looks so cool. 5. Since the bulk of my collection is what I purchased in my childhood, or later bought carded or boxed, I have no use for repro parts. But i could see myself buying some if my original part broke. 6. I haven't bought any classified yet, simply because they are non-existant in my area, though I may give in and order Big Ben online, he looks so cool. 7. I'm not a completist with vehicles & playsets, but I'd say I probably have about 90% of them from 82-90. After that, they got so crappy, I don't think I own a single one. I have very few modern era ones, I am very selective for 2 reasons: they just aren't as cool design-wise as the vintage stuff. I am running out of space. Last edited by Joe Bro; 02-06-2023 at 12:48 AM.. |
02-06-2023, 05:56 AM | #6 |
Dark Lord of the Mods
Join Date: Dec 2021
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 6,953
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I'm not a completionist, but I'm currently all-in on Masterverse and G.I. Joe Classified. I won't necessarily buy every version of each figure of those two lines, though. I'll get the ones I like the best. For instance, I only bought Alpha Commando Snake Eyes, RA Roadblock, and none of the movie figures.
Other lines I collect, I pick and choose. For Star Wars The Black Series, I only pick Imperials and core heroes (Luke, Han, Leia, Lando, Chewie, Droids) from the Original Trilogy. For McFarlane DC, I only pick Batfamily and Rogue's Gallery characters. For Marvel, I tend to stick with Spider-Man and X-Men (comic versions), while my wife collects the MCU versions. Lastly, I collect Neca Predator and other movie villain characters (Terminator, Jason, Michael Myers, etc...). I plan to collect all the D&D figures they're making, too, as Grimsword and Warduke are both fantastic looking figures. I'm also not a MIB collector, for the most part. There are exceptions. For instance, I haven't opened MoD Zartan or NF Storm Shadow. I'm also keeping a set of Retro Classified figures MoC, although I did buy a couple of extra Siegies and an extra Gung-Ho to open.
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"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum." YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5i...9tb4Exi6R8cnvA Instagram Page: https://www.instagram.com/lordmordred/?hl=en Last edited by DarkLordMordred; 02-06-2023 at 05:58 AM.. |
02-06-2023, 01:18 PM | #7 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Boston
Posts: 1,335
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Quote:
Another significant issue is yellowing or discoloring, especially of white plastic. I've replaced any really badly yellowed figures, but I can't pretend that my Storm Shadow, Snow Job, or so forth are pristine white any longer. My vintage Storm Shadow looks pretty decent on his own, until you stand him next to the 2022 Retro version, in which case the old one looks downright dingy. Likewise, there are clear color differences between my 1982 straight-arm Scarlett and the 1983 swivel-arm version, on both the leotard and her face. |
02-06-2023, 01:21 PM | #8 |
Not a mod
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: In the 1980's
Posts: 5,683
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My only rule is to never buy from a smoker. Murderers? Sure. Smokers? No.
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02-06-2023, 01:29 PM | #9 |
Cobra Viper
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: north Dallas suburbs
Posts: 375
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When I started re-collecting in the early 2000s, my initial goal was just to round out anything I had missed back in the day from 82-84. I am a loose collector only.
After finding a few good deals on a few cool vehicles from later years, I decided to go after the rest from 85-94. I decided to go ahead with the sub-teams with the exception of Night Force due to the price. I did not get any sub-team vehicles though and still don't own any. I do not count Street Fighter and have no plans to pick any of them up. For the 85-94 vehicles, I am definitely not a completist but got everything that I thought was cool. Sorry Skystorm, still not looking for you. Ninja Pile Driver will never have a home in my collection either. I make an effort to have everything complete with all original accessories, file cards, and blueprints. I don't really have interest in anything beyond 94. I did get a Kwinn from one of the comic packs but that's been the only one. I got the Haslab Skystriker and plan to open a few of the all-new figures. I will strongly consider any other all-new characters/figures if Hasbro decides to produce any. I am still holding out hope for some iteration of Ketchup and Mustard, ha. They would be so perfect on the Flagg. Kind of on the fence about the CC/Duke pack due to the cool accessories but probably won't get it or any of the other 2 packs. I did back the Classified HiSS because it looks amazing. I picked up a Serpentor, Mindbender, and Croc Master just because I thought they looked cool. I may get a few others here and there but am not pursuing the line in any meaningful way. My stance on repros has softened a bit. To date, I only own 1 repro vehicle accessory (a really small clear part) and a black Heavy Metal mic. I just can't justify forking out the cash for originals on those. Due to time, some of my vehicle parts have simply deteriorated. I may consider getting some repro parts for display purposes only. Some original parts are either too hard to find or simply too expensive to what will amount to be a couple small parts on a few vehicles that will sit in a room in my house that absolutely noone will really ever see or care about but me,ha. That being said, I always prefer to get original parts if possible or feasible. I only own 1 custom/repro figure and that is GHSB. I have no plans on getting any others.
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My feedback: http://www.hisstank.com/forum/buy-se...-feedback.html My vintage ARAH want list:http://www.hisstank.com/forum/g-i-jo...want-list.html Last edited by jmiller; 02-07-2023 at 01:16 PM.. |
02-06-2023, 01:30 PM | #10 |
Crimson Guard
Join Date: Aug 2020
Location: Boston
Posts: 1,335
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Quote:
I don't buy repaints either, whether figs or vehicles. So no Tiger Force, Python Patrol, etc. The exceptions are I did get a few Night Force figs, eg Sneak Peek and Psyche Out because the original colors were so stupid. I also have desert Grunt and Clutch, they are repaints that make sense to me.
3. I will not always use a new version of a character as that character. Duke had 2 desert versions come out within a year of each other, so for me the 93 Duke is a completely different, new character. I broke that rule from time to time, of course, and I made a blanket exception for Snake Eyes. I bought every new version of Snake Eyes as they came out. This even extended to my early days as an adult collector. I was in college when the line petered out in the early '90s. I wasn't a completist at the time, but I'd still occasionally pick up new Joe figures if I saw them in stores. I remember going to a Woolworth's and being confronted by a choice of two differently-colored Ozone figures. I stood there for a while debating which one I should buy. In retrospect, that was pretty silly, as they were only about $3 each and I had no reason not to buy both. Just a few years later, I went all-in on collecting and wound up paying more for all the figures I'd previously left behind. |
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