More collection trimming.

Well, I trimmed back on the figures. A fairly hefty chunk of the collection, too.

Just a few months ago, I trimmed a big chunk of my vehicles out. That was a big trim of my favorite vehicles that were left from my prior vehicle reduction.

And even that prior vehicle reduction had a good sized reduction prior to that!


With the figures, I hadn't trimmed these as much. Figures are much easier to store, obviously since they are smaller. I did however start trimming some figures out a couple years ago, but just a few.

Most notably, the easier cuts to make for my GIJOE figures were eliminating "sub-group" figures that were essentially the same characters with different paint. Tiger Force and Python Patrol were easy to trim out. The big reason behind that was that I didn't feel I needed a secondary team within a team. Know what I'm saying? I mean, I really like them all, don't get me wrong, but, it comes back to a question as to what I want my GIJOE team to be.

I'm going with the direction of a small force, a small elite force. I can make up my own "sub-group" mission teams inside of my small force. I may just have a goal for my GIJOE collecting.... ?

Well, in this most recent reduction, well over 100 figures, I trimmed out a lot. I made up some criteria to make it somewhat of reasonable picks.

No "swivel-head" articulated figures, for instance. On the classic o-ring side of things, this means many characters are simply out. Scrap-Iron, Wild Weasel, Copperhead, Blowtorch, Short-Fuze, and more! Even Skystriker and Sparks, all out.

Then, I eliminated the sea and air wing personnel. I'm getting out of the fighter jets and blue-water operations, so characters like Keel Haul, Topside, Wet-suit, Deep-Six, Eels, Lampreys, and others, are out. Aside from the Stinger Raider, I have no boats. And this goes for the big fighters, so Ace, Slipstream, Maverick, ...., they're out, too.

Those o-ring Night watch troopers are out, too, as well as the CG's with the removeable helmets. I didn't feel like a needed that many ceremonial-looking troops.

In essence, simplifying.

Even though a good chunk of figures just left after years of me hunting, storing, well, I still have only trimmed out about 1/3.




And I must say, the extra shelf space from trimming vehicles has been awesome. And now, I've taken out one Rubbermaid container of figures from the stack.

I think it will be easier to sort out my GIJOE team of 28 after trimming back figures as I just did. I'm not sure if I can choose 28 joes as the only figures I'll have, but, slowly, but surely, I'll be better able to do it by slowly trimming back. Even after this trim, I still have over 100 figures on my GIJOE team.




Of course, at the same time, there's about 25+ figures I would like to bring into my collection still. I've got the figures identified that I want.

Ever have that empty space where once it is there, "something" usually ends up going there?

Comics. Marvel.

I was reading Marvel Special Missions last night. (I got called off of work, ... again. Poor paycheck...)

It's been awhile since I read through these, a few years. I think they're a lot of fun to read.

I'm not a comic book collector. However, since GIJOE 119, I was hooked. And go figure, it wasn't a Hama-written issue. Re-reading it now, I don't know if I buy into advanced robotics that can move that well...., I mean, a Snake eyes robot that can pretty much match the real Snake eyes one-on-one? But, still....

Marvel GIJOE 119 was my first GIJOE comic book, and I shortly after found a bundled four pack of GIJOE comics that included 92, 93. The other two I can't remember which they were.

No matter, that was essentially the start for me with GIJoe comics.

I must have picked up a couple more issues after 119 from the stores, but it must not have been until issue 130 that I started getting a subscription. (130, Cobra actually, finally, invades the PIT)


Issues 130 to 155 were kind of my solid range of GIJOE comic book stories. This is probably the range of comics where most fans seem to have "been out of Joe," or simply thought the book was going down hill before these even, and they simply bailed.


During these same years that I had the subscription, I discovered a local shop had a decent collection of back-issues in it. Of course, I was always stopping in spending a few dollars to pick up a couple/ few back-issues.

I jumped into Guy Gardner and Spiderman 2099 about this time, too. I think the old comic book trick of "issue #1" worked. (my early collector mentality...)

Also, but mostly due to the GIJOE comic book, I got the subscription to the 12-issue Transformers: Generation 2 series.

I still haven't completed my Marvel run collection. I'm not a comic collector, but I would like to have the complete series, but what's the hurry? I think I'm still about 25-some issues short between all the old Marvel issues.




I don't think I can pick out a favorite story overall, but after reading those Special Missions, there sure were a lot of "other" bad guys and whatnot that the Joes ran into out there!





Modern
I dipped into Devils Due right off the bat, and before the comic got in my hands, many of us were chatting on the Devils Due forums. I think overall, I didn't find the Devils Due comics as re-readable. I didn't "hate," so don't think that, but, at the end of the "America's Elite," I started re-reading from the beginning. I just didn't feel it, being that I am not a comic collector, I traded all these out.

I haven't even looked at the latest comics. It's kind of an "anti-accumulative" phase I'm going through right now in life. I really do not want a large pile of stuff that I will have to maintain, organize, and move. (as a renter, moving is a for-sure thing, and job prospects are not solid for me either...)

GIJoe Battle Corps

GIJoe Battle Corps, or as some say, "the neon '90's."

And even before I started on this post, I already flubbed it up. I have some 1992 figures in the mix with the 1993 figures. I also had a few of my 1994 figures in a different location when I was pulling things out for this group photo, so they didn't make the cut.

The usual method of operation for me these days, when I have time (and I was sent home from work early today), I usually hang out in my corner downstairs. That's where the inspiration really isn't, but my Joes are. Anyway, downstairs, I'm limited to printed guides. The guide I was looking at had "battle corps" tags on the '92 figures (mainline) so that's why I popped them in the photo (I thought it seemed out of place...). Then to get to the internet, after I put everything away downstairs, I share some pictures and thoughts here for you.

Over the last couple years, I've taken out all the figures from certain years and set them all up together. Just GIJoe or Cobra, and just the one year, and for the most part, just the main line offerings.

I've found some new perspective on my figures doing this. And then comparing year to year in pictures is kind of fun, too.

And you know, for the most part when I've done this, I usually stop at 1990. I don't have many "group-year" pictures for anything past. So, I thought this would be a good time.

For some reason, I don't think of '92, '93, or '94 as solidly as I do the other years. For example when I think, "Crankcase," I think, "1985." When I think, "Battle Corps Beachhead," I think, "Battle Corps Beachhead." Not 1993 v1.

But, even still with the added 1992 figures, and the absence of the 1994 figures (it was Flint and Shipwreck), I think there's still something to look at here.


I don't generalize the Battle Corps under the blanket term of the "neon '90's," either. In many ways, the Battle Corps were a solid addition to my collection from back in the day. If you check out other posts of old pictures with the figures in action, you'll probably see some Battle Corps figures.

But like in the picture below, this half of the figures really isn't out there in terms of bright colors, in my opinion. Whether or not Gung-ho would wear a red vest and move his tattoo is a different matter. But even Bazooka is no further "out there" than his 1984 figure in a red football jersey.

But, yeah, there is the other half of the figures here that have some bright highlights. So, perhaps in this picture below are the very culprits that caused all things past 1986 to be cast under the umbrella of too far out there on the neon spectrum?
The recolor of Barricade is really one of the worst offenders. And I don't mind Leatherneck as is, but is he going for a new animal force motif since he never got Tiger Force stripes?

I really do like these just as well as the rest of all the other years. Lots of good points and lots of not so. The sculpt and designs are very, well, rich. Making plastic look like fabric clothing and adding on the depth of detail with straps, ammo, and pouches, overall, the relief in detail is there. Right down to Colonel Courage's tie.

Also, consider how many of these figures are new renditions of old favorites from years past. Even Backblast from 1989 made it out in the line up. But the rest are from 1983 to 1987.


And then there's the new guys. I guess Big Bear shouldn't be there, but still, 5 new main line Battle Corps people? And then, 3 of those were possibly intended as a continuation of the 1992 D.E.F. group?


The Battle Corps shoot didn't go the way I wanted, but, at worst there's some pictures for you to look at.

What do you think about the Battle Corps?

Cobra Ferret

Over the last few years, and I've already made mention of it, I have drastically reduced my motor pool. Both GIJoe and Cobra have taken the hit leaving a bare bones vehicle department for each.

Sometimes in my haste to "make a decision" I think I have too quickly made some. After looking at my Snake Trax (old review post), I've been thinking about Ferrets. As well as how I think I made the wrong decision on trading these off.

Above, are a pair each of Coil Ferrets and Skull Squad Ferrets. Not inexpensive purchases originally, to say the least.

However, I ended up with the pair of each of these, plus the pair of mail-in blue Ferrets. I was very happy with SIX (!) Ferrets, but three different color schemes.

Originally, I sold the blue Ferrets, and I kept the Club Exclusive Ferrets in the hope that I could find someone that wanted to trade their Skull Squad Ferrets for my Coil Ferrets.

But that didn't happen. And when I saw the Cobra Fury previewed, it really looked like it was going to color match the Snake Trax. So, in my simple plans, I thought, why not "cash out" on the "exclusive" ones so I can buy more of the new Snake Trax. And then, with a few of those, I might pick up one "new Rage" tank (which have previously had the others in my possession, but traded out, too). With the new "rust" (?) color, that seemed like a great new scheme for me to make my standard Cobra ground color.

But, that didn't happen, either.

I didn't even see a Snake Trax until I saw one on sale at a chance stop. And after getting it, I was not as thrilled about trying to hunt down more. I wasn't going to pay full retail on these, either.

Looking back, I should have kept the Skull Squad Ferrets. I really liked those, not too gold-shiny, but somewhat a very cool Cobra-blue camo-swirl pattern that each Ferret ended up with a unique-to-each A.T.V.


Ferrets will be out there for many years, but is there a better option for an A.T.V. for my small Cobra recon. forces?

Snake Trax aka Ferret

Here are some older thoughts on the Snake Trax that I had posted elsewhere. I sent away every Ferret I had a couple years back, and I was thinking I would army build these, even before I got this one. (you'll read more about that ahead.) I thought I would throw this up here while I'm considering whether or not getting Ferrets BACK in my collection will be easy, or if there is a better vehicle. I would like to get something that is somewhere between and ATV, Buggy, or Jeep, for my collection. (not a Stinger.) Anyway, on with the original write-up:

SNAKE TRAX

Originally I wanted to army build these back when the first images started appearing on the internet. I finally did get one on sale for about $7 on clearance from Target not too long ago. I didn't want to end up with several Scrap-irons, so I wasn't really in a hurry to get these at all.

A sort-of goal of mine is to have my Cobra "army" be a force that primarily uses smaller, but effective, vehicles. The HISS is a good size, the STUN is perhaps a bit too big for an example. I'm saving any "big" vehicles to be one-of-a-kind (or last of its kind!) that are unique in use to certain Cobra individuals. (Wild Weasel is the man when it comes to my lone Hurricane [this has changed since the original post], for example.)



The Ferret is a vehicle that I felt was perfect for my Cobra forces. An ATV is easily transportable and really meant for going off-road, as well as having utilitarian uses. In this case, hauling weapons.
My Motor Vipers have been testing this new Ferret, the Snake TRAX out.



It's been pretty decent so far. Really exactly what I would expect from a Ferret.
I like the color, it's very neutral, and while I originally wanted an all-blue Ferret pool, this red-brown works. [I was hoping the new Cobra Fury would be this color, but now we know...]
I'm still half-n-half on the new front grill, though. It has a nice blue it, but other than looking nice, it doesn't really add to the action of the original Ferret base at all. It sits too low on the front for an ATV, grounding at slight slopes.

Which isn't horrible, the driver just has to remember this and steer just right to avoid digging into the ground.




The big anti-armor missile is a good idea, but I don't think the Snake TRAX came out as successful as it really could have been in this department. As you know, the original "hose" that connected to the original Ferrets cannon is now sticking straight up. Is it an antenna? Could be, but how much harder would a new straight tube of plastic be in place of this? Or even a little technical looking thing to put on top of the "hose" as it stands? I don't know.
The Motor Vipers were left a little put of by the operation of this launcher, too. They didn't want to fire this thing when it was moving, and the weight tended to lean the machine a little too much. And as much as these guys like driving fast and encountering danger, they just weren't having much fun with this over balanced ballast. Plus, near as they figured they only had one shot. However, they did like the push-button trigger, very user friendly.




Even Scrap-iron was saying that it would have been awesome had they included some kind of tripod so it could dismounted to become a deadly ground weapon by itself. As is, they can't figure out why there is such a big amount of material to fire one missile. But they do like the flip-up cover.


Overall, I'm not as impressed with the Snake TRAX. It seems rushed out the gates in terms of the new add-on's. This isn't to say I wouldn't still mind army building the machines, I really would. (but at a very cheap cost to me only...)

Overall 3 out of 5 from me.

What do you guys think? Anyone have any Ferret or Snake TRAX armies built up?

Big Boa vs. Road Pig

That's right, muscle-mania!

You Decide the winner!!!

Road Pig Vs. Big Boa

WHAT!!

Oh no, the Sarge is coming in?!?!? Who will be left standing in this three-way, no-holds barred rumble!?!?!?!?

Sci-Fi laser trooper

Sci-fi has been in my collection since about 1986. I have picture of what must have been a birthday for that year, and here you can see Sci-fi before he was opened for many battles to come:
Here you can also see that 1986 L.A.W.. Makes me wonder if whomever bought me these put "laser trooper" and "laser artillery weapon" together to make that purchase, or if this is pure coincidence? (Cy-kill.....YEAH!)

Sci-fi was really one of THE go-to troopers for me back in the day (1986 being my "big" year for the start of Joe...). I don't remember specifics, but between Sci-fi, Low-light, and Hawk, (Cutter and Wet-suit to an extent, too) these were the most used for quite awhile. (fun fact: Tiger Force Frostbite was probably the next GIJOE member to join this motley crew.)

I don't think the 1986 Sci-fi I have now is my original one. I know I had one broken thumb on mine, but I can't remember if I just swapped parts from a 2nd one I acquired, or if I just kept the second one in place of my (most likely) well-used Sci-fi.

That laser-rifle and pack was a fairly futuristic weapon to me. And Sci-fi was essentially all armored-up, in a sense, and often was out doing battle against Cobra. I was always "shooting," but I couldn't tell ya "what" I was shooting out of that rifle and power pack.

But, as time moved on, and as I acquired more GIJOE figures, Sci-fi really filtered into the "back of the box." In many ways, I wanted to get more "realistic" looking figures, you know, like Lt. Falcon; all in camo with a normal gun and backpack with a knife. My collection wasn't the most straight lined looking "army" guys collection for many, many years.

And Sci-fi really got neglected over the years. Even in my "department" project, I wasn't sure where to put him.

Is he a "tech." guy? A sniper? A forward air-controller helping to guide an aircraft's payload? Or a guy that simply shoots laser beams?

I searched the web a little to see what a "real" laser trooper might do, but there's not much out there.

How do you use Sci-fi?


I have 3 different versions of Sci-fi. Left to right, 1986, 1991, and 1993
The 1993 Star Brigade pilot version was my 2nd Sci-fi, however, and interestingly this figure stayed in his baggie up until just a couple years ago. I never used Sci-fi as a Starfighter pilot.
I did assemble and sticker up the Starfighter, though, but it mostly sat on the shelf under a dust-repelling plastic baggie.

I was going to wait and open up this Star Brigade Sci-fi along with other unopened Star Brigade figures (if and) when I found a Defiant with crawler. I never did find one, and I never opened up all the Star Brigade guys even when I got a very nice Crusader.



I'm not sure where the 1991 Sci-fi came from. I am assuming a trade, but I can't remember. How bad is that?

I prefer the overall color of the 1991 uniform to the others, but I still think the 1986 uniform has a lot more interesting details. But, the 1991 does have a removable helmet. So, ultimately the 1991 Sci-fi has gotten more use.

But still, not a lot of use, especially compared to many other GIJOE figure characters in my collection.
As of now, I am contemplating the role that Sci-fi will play in my little GIJOE team.

It draws back on the questions I asked above. What's his MOS, for instance?



1986:
Laser Trooper
mos: Infantry
smos: electronics

Slow-motion, has to hold the laser beam on target long enough to burn through....

1991:
Directed Energy Expert
mos: Laser Weapons Systems Operator
smos: electronic instrument repair

hits targets at extreme range with private arsenal of laser weapons, and can use his beam for air-strikes....



I also consider that Heavy Duty (1991) is a Laser Weapons Systems Operator, as well. Heavy Duty uses his laser beam to guide his missiles in at a tank.


So, Sci-fi is part sniper, part laser gun shooter, part laser-guided weapon system pointer.

And consider that he points big ordnance to where it needs to go, is he also a little bit of an anti-armor trooper, too? Or does that 1991 figure really shoot "energy" from his cannon (search for full carded art)?

I think the "Infantry" MOS is kind of strong, yet, kind of weak, in helping me to create a role for this figures characterization. I mean, look at who else has "Infantry" for a specialty. There's many, like Mutt, Beachhead, Recoil, or Muskrat, to name a few. Sci-fi stands out as a figure visually in all his incarnations, though, from those guys.

Skystriker was Skidmark?

Here's a random item.

So, look at Skystriker on YoJoe.com, now it's pretty obvious to those that know Joe, that that is the body of Wild Weasel with Thunders' head. Even Thunders' head gear is the same for Skystriker.


Now, look at the file card for Skystriker on YoJoe.com.

Compare that helmet, glasses, and head, to that of the picture on Skidmarks file card.

The face isn't so obvious, but to me that is the very same helmet and sunglasses.

The limits of an older imagination

My personal challenge of choosing a 28 member team is a challenge. It's not easy. I already swapped out several figures for figures that were pretty much the final picks.

It's been a mix of sentiment, realism, accessories, specialties, "cool," "need," versatility, potential versatility, taking into account the "bad" guys they might face, rank, and all sorts of other little made up criteria.

I've even got a thing in my head where I don't want to break up some "friends" on the team. Yeah, that's how odd I am these days :p . (Skidmark and Wild card from there comic appearances, or Sci-fi and Lowlight from my own early days of playing with GIJOE, for a couple examples.)

And then there's a question as to the role of GIJOE that I ask myself. Where, to any generation and many different ages, GIJOE is something that is really different for each. Is it special forces, Delta? Is it just "army guys?" Secret agents? Is it a big massive force or small elite force?


And then after all this, as I think about all the little angles and missions I want my potential 28 member team to cover, I wonder if I painted myself into a corner with what I picked out? Or by what I limited myself to?


I base my reasoning for choices through things that "are." Things that were in comics, or cartoons, or ideas bought out online, or even just the file cards.

Is my imaginary GIJOE team too limited by my own non-creative imagination?

Am I allowing what is portrayed in a popular (media, cartoon, comic) setting to direct my imagination?

How much of my own totally "made-up" stuff is going to stand up in the long-run to my very own imagination? I've never been one that really just makes up something out of nowhere without some sort of basis to do so.



One thing that I feel pretty good about on my challenge of trimming back to 28 team members is that it has been a lot easier to move 28 figures around and set them up.

With 28 figures, I did a little sub-divide for roles lately. 5 groups of five, essentially.

One group is the super-commando infiltration and assault group, kinda called the "gray" team.

Another is the "green" team, which is mostly "army guys," in many ways. The infantry, more or less.

Another is the "heavy weapons" team. I didn't give them a color, maybe brown? The big guns, essentially.

And then there is my security forces division, which I guess could be the "blue" team, essentially the SWAT/ M.P. intelligence/ investigation area of things.

And then my vehicle-based team. If I use a color to describe this 5-man team, what should it be? Red? Essentially a mix of armor and wheeled vehicle drivers that are just as effective on the ground as in the vehicles themselves.

The other 3 are essentially the pilots that help move these guys around, as well as General Hawk, himself.


Back in the day, Hawk was gunning alongside Low Light, Sci-Fi, and (TF) Frostbite. As per the file card, I'm bringing Hawk back down to the basics from where he came in my collection. Instead of commanding from some room or playing with Defense Department "chiefs," Hawk is the man with the plan, and he leads from the front. And wherever in the the front he wants.

evolution of storage

The thread on Joe Customs got me interested to show some of my storage and organization methods for my figures over the years. Up above is one of the earlier items I used for storing figures. As the collection grew, this became accessory storage.

I also kept figures in vehicles off and on, as well. I wouldn't doubt I stored figures in the Killer WHALE's bottom compartment for some time, too.

After my tin up above filled up with figures, they started to migrate to boxes. The box below might have started out as all my figures, but as I obtained more figures, only Cobra claimed ownership of this cardboard box. I even labeled it, which was very forward-thinking of me, as it helps me to remember how things evolved over the years.
This particular box got use in about 1991 originally.

The box above became "Cobra's box," and I suspect that the box underneath the APC below is the box that the GIJOE's were issued at that time:



In the picture below, the little plano storage drawer box is seen getting its first "try out." In this photo, it shows the time that I was considering using these little drawers as my main method. I don't think I liked it a lot, as I didn't stick with it. This is about 1994, as you can figure out by the dates on the photos.

What's cool, is I can see my old shoe boxes that I was using for the figures just before that time (somewhere between 1991 and 1994). I think ALL the figures may have been in the Red Wing's box at one point, but I also see the slimmer brown flip-top box, so I can't remember exactly how it all played out. The box with Deep Six to the upper right may be the box of my "unused" figures. (Deep Six ('84) was "unused" as I had the 1989 Deep Six that was a lot more fun for me.)
Above, using the date on the photo, I must have decided to use the pair of slim boxes, one for each team. As you can see all the figures laid out in front of each box. Or, I didn't have enough money to buy more of the drawer units.





Just above, and just below, are the very same things I was using for storage for Joes. Today, I have some H.O. Train items in the shoe boxes, and as you can see below, the plano organizer is somewhat used for accessory storage. So, since I have these still after all these years, shows I'm a pack rat?



IN about 2005 I was trying to get my Joes out of the "box" when I bought eight of these:

Prior to this, I think I had everything organized into the little baggies, in a box of some sort. I wanted to have a quicker, easier way to access everything. With eight of these, I was able to separate every little faction and environmental-oriented group. (one drawer was Iron grenadiers, while another drawer was Arctic, for example.)

I still wasn't happy with it, nor was I getting my figures out for set up after I got these filled. Plus, I still didn't have enough of the three-unit drawers to fit the "new-sculpt" Joes that I accumulated. Now these are scattered all over the place, each holding different household items of paperwork, or something.

Add on that I lost my "joe room" at that time, all the Joes went back into baggies. Back into baggies and into my Rubbermaid storage totes:


And that is a brief showing of my "shoe boxes."

I'm sure I forgot about other boxes I used and I'll probably see them in some odd photo at some point in the future, but I feel like I got most of what I used shown here.