I wish I had more things going on on the G.I.Joe front. I loaded up a vehicle (the Desert Fox above) for the first time in at least a couple of years it seems. I don't have a lot of vehicles anymore, and I have had some of the smaller ones out every so often since relocating to the new and current H.Q. in 01/2013.
I tell you, there's a good feeling of setting up figures and there's a good feeling of setting up vehicles on a shelf in museum style .., but an even better feeling I've had with my collection in awhile was having a figure loaded vehicle in hand. I don't how to explain it other than to compare it to the lack of the same feeling when loading up the modern figures on the modern vehicles here. Was it the solid foot pegs holding Rampart and Salvo securely to the Fox, with Wild Card gripping the steering wheel and Downtown still able to hold himself steady enough with the one hand on the dash while shooting off the side with the other?
I don't know...., I do know it made me miss a lot of my former collection.
It also made me wish I had a big diorama scene built up in my basement to set stuff up on. Errrr, I should say my "H.Q. outer shells lower level" had a diorama scene set up in it.
I did bust out my entire self-chosen G.I.Joe team, too. Even with just 28 figures, it filled up some time. Below is most of my team, not shown are my two chopper pilots, along with my Air Force, Coast Guard and Navy members, as well as my one resident tech. guy. There rest are here:
I've picked one or a handful of these figures out at time over the last 3 years I've been at this location, even when no "Junior Joes" were around and I intended to get everything out, it just didn't really happen. So, not really doing much with the figures as a whole for awhile was really interesting. If you remember, I spent a lot of time deciding on trimming down my collection, finally deciding on the team of 28 members.
I wanted something that was fun to play with, captured the small and cohesive essence of the "original 13" ARAH team, represented the broad range of the ARAH toy lines years, included the many different service branches represented by the figure characters fictional origins as well as figure-characters that originated from outside military lines or originated internationally.
I wanted to hold on to some familiar figure characters that have been in my collection for some time, figures that have that sort of childhood nostalgia or even a sort of personal sentimental value. Core characters that almost any average person might be able to name.
I also wanted some fresh blood, figure-characters that are relative "blank-slates" that have not been overly popularized...., figure-characters that sort of represent the ARAH line as something that continued past 1985 or 1986. But more for me on this point, to keep things somewhat more interesting having something sort of unfamiliar, sort of new-to-me.
I also wanted to be able to split this team of 28 figures into two teams, essentially giving me the ability to make up a "13" member squad if I wanted. I wanted a more overall military look to my team, too, one that was more green than tan, but also had some dark commando gray, with a mix of sci-fi and technology mixed in; not to mention just wild looking. With that "13" member squad, I wanted to have that mix of specialties and accessories that sort of echo 1982's line up, too.
And why, "28?" To an extent, two-13 man teams, with 2 in command or support roles. But really, it is based off the 1983 G.I.Joe A.P.C.. That vehicle, which floats, is also a carrying case. I don't have it, but it can transport my team if I did. A fully loaded A.P.C. is something every G.I.Joe fan should carry by the handle at least once, in my opinion.
Having had a couple years of not really picking through it all, I questioned why I picked what I picked as I had all the figures out, some of them I had to really think about. It seems like I'm always re-evaluating this, doesn't it?
I'll admit, Cutter seems out of place without the WHALE or any watercraft at all. Originally my line up did not include this character, but, I wanted to have that service branch represented.
I think Shockwave is out of place a bit, I wanted that Detroit service origin and otherwise cool figure, but I think I picked him over another figure as that figure had a high rank. It is all fictional, but I really nitpicked over little details. I suppose I can always swap at some point, right?
No matter what, though, I always remain grateful for being able to have what I have had in the past, and what I have now.
I think with perhaps tweaks to this, my team, and definite future tweaks to the motor pool, one of my future challenges will be infusing my self into my collection. I think I have a collection that while simple is a good G.I.Joe ARAH general representation of the whole entirety, but now I wonder if I can make something original of own that really makes it all stand out apart as something that says this collection is Icebreaker's collection. Something that brings it all together as a cohesive set, a unique yet common thing.
