Gone. Gijoes that have left the building. Part 5

Well, as I've looked back at what I had, there's a lot of good memories among all that stuff you see. I've shared the group photos of some of my big "bulk cuts" to my collection. From Part 1, I showed you my big figure cut from October 2011. In Part 2, I showed the "swivel head" articulated figures and others that I had cut in August 2011. And in Part 3, I showed what I cut in May 2011 from an already bare-bones motor pool and then-some. Part 4 shows a big chunk of vehicles and MIP figures and other items that left even before that back in Nov. 2008!

What you won't get to see in a single bunch of photos is the smattering of individually traded and sold GIJoe stuff. And I never did take any pictures of the boxes at a small Madison meet-up in late 2005, or the Ford Taurus wagon full of stuff that I ha with me at the 2005 convention.

So here on out will be a random bunch of GIJoe stuff that has left the building!
























Maybe more random photos to come as I find them. ?

Gone. GIJoes that have left the building Part 4

As I continue (from Part 3) my reverse look back at how my collection has slowly been dwindling in size, I'll have less cohesive photos to say more than I can in writing. So, I may have to simply sum it up on how things went down.

It was around the end of November 2008 when I made another good sized chop. An interesting note is that I pulled my WHALE out of the "bulk" deal at the last moment, but 3 years later I did end up selling it. It was perhaps the biggest one-time draw down I did in one fell-swoop. (I used this liquid value to buy more figures from 2009 into 2010...)

Prior to the 2008 "cut," I met up with some fellow fans down in Madison in late 2005 (shortly after the GIJOE convention in MN) and I was able to trade off some big vehicles and then some. I even got to trade with the now defunct "My generation toys" operator. I may have to make another post with random shots of what I traded there, like the 2003 MCC and my Rolling Thunder and Thunderclap, if I can find them. Or I might just find some old collection shots showing what it was like in my collection at home in 2005 and previous to this "Madison meet-up."

Between 2005 and 2009, I was also trading more online, as well as selling on the Ebay. I'll probably not be able to get a photo grouping of these for you to look at that, though. Perhaps I'll find some photos to randomly put up for something to look at in the next post. ?



Either way, here is what "left the building" in November of 2008 (I did pull my WHALE out just before the deal, so that is why you see it here):










Next up in Part 5 will be a random mix of photos showing what was in my collection around the house that was either traded or sold individually.

Gone. GIJoes that have left the building Part 3

Continued from Part 2, Part 3 here brings me to my May 2011 trimming of my cold weather forces, as well as many larger vehicles.

The cold weather forces were a little easier to send out the door. As much as I really like the dedicated "arctic" troops, it was that overly dedicated role that really limited their overall versatility.

The vehicles that took the ax here were actually what were my choices for an absolute bare-bones motor pool from a previous reductions and trades (see part 4). So what you see in vehicles are some of my favorites, even though I've sent them on. (Yes, even Destro took a hit, but I'll explain that at some point after the New Year starts.)

Even the HQ and Killer WHALE did go. But, less stuff really did give me more room. But pictures of what is gone is what we're here to look at:








But even before getting to the "bare bones" that got cut here, I made even other trims seen in Part 4!

Gone. GIJoes that have left the building: Part 2

In a reverse timeline order, this is continued from Part 1, but Part 1 is actually the most recent big cut to my once decent (and fun!) collection of GIJoes. I cut this part of my collection in August of 2011.

Before trimming the large amount of figures pictured in my Part 1 post, I was considering keeping those as my collection. Those figures seen in Part 1 were really "my years." Those were really the bulk of figures that got the most use from me. Not easy to cut.

The "swivel heads" were a little easier, though. I put up a brief post of thoughts on "swivel heads" here. The figures from 1982-1985, for me, and while VERY COOL still, more often than not did not get out for play. These were the figures that really felt more collector to me, more stuff that just didn't get used.

I still think that as a whole, 1982-1984 makes a great set with the vehicles, and is very much hugely visually interesting together.

Also I decided to trim all the unused Joes from other years, as well as figures that would get little use in my future small collection. So, jet pilots and divers, for instance, didn't have much "future" to me, since my future vehicle collection had no jet planes or boats, really. (This will make sense when I tell you what left the building just prior to this group pictured below)


But anyway, pictures say more. Here is 2nd to last "big chop" of my collection to "leave the building:"













Previous to this huge chunk of my collection, I chopped out another smaller chunk that you can see in Part 3!

Gone. GIJoes that have left the building...part 1

As we are now in the build-up to Christmas season, despite my limited time to play, I still find myself thinking about what I had as far as GIJOE goes.

If you've followed along, you already may know that I made the decision to drastically reduce my collection to a "bare bones" size.

So, I thought I might just throw up some pictures of the awesomeness that "once was."

I'll start with the most recent parts of my collection that "have left the building...," starting my most recent reduction from this past October (2011).

I hope I don't regret the decision to sell. Well, at least for many years when I at that time I will probably buy them all back.

These were the harder "cuts" to make, as some figures had a decent dollar "value" to them. And some figures were just darn cool. There was also the "sub-team" aspect where I didn't want to break up a "sub-team" (I'm strange like that). And even sentiment and nostalgia took a hit on the decision to cut these.

Really, these really were my more favorite toys here.

But pictures are worth a thousand words, and give you the reader something to look at:












But these were just the latest cuts to my collection over the past few years!

More Joes that have left the building will be seen in PART 2!