I should have wrote more things down. I kept rather good track and information on my G.I.Joe collection at times over the years and I even made a few notebook pages of a summary of all the older lists and things I had of my collection back around 2011-2012.
I thought this week would be a good time to put in a line in my collection notes on some new additions and then realized I didn't write in a couple of additions on a couple figures. Big deal? Not really, but it does kind of bug me not knowing where I got something from. I may have something in the small stack of notes that might give me a clue to jolt my memory but that is a project for later right now.
Being the new additions are Evil Headhunters I took a look back at how long it took for me to get to this point (which will still look like a small collection to many, and it is, likely not an impressive thing to most).
Way, way, back in the day, when the entire D.E.F. lineup was on retail pegs and we had relocated to a bigger city that had these, these figures were in a deluxe price range for me. I can't recall exact prices, but I sort of remember for only one or two dollars more being able to buy a small vehicle; the Fang II and Piranha being examples. I found better value in the vehicles than spending almost twice the price on a figure to basically get a light-up spring-fire launcher. Sky Patrol, Sonic Fighters, and Eco-Warriors appealed to me in the same way. More "deluxe" accessories that I didn't want to pay more for. Unless they were gifts or the Eco-Warriors which were discounted when Children's Palace was closing (and that's all they had left), many of the larger carded figures I never got.
It wasn't until August 20th, 1995 that I got my first Headhunter anything. I wrote that date down at that time as I had a small notebook that I jotted down things like this. My first Headhunter anything was a Headhunter Stormtrooper flea market find. It came with this rifle:
Ultimately I sold that Headhunter Stormtrooper and a second Stormtrooper (purchased via ebay sometime before April 2010) to a store sometime in 2010-2012. I thought these would be harder to get more of and around these years I was able to get the 2008 G.I.Joe Convention set. It was kind of a numbers thing, too, where an instant squad of six Stormtroopers outnumbered the other two and in order to simplify any army, the original two Stormtroopers were ruled out. Looking back at this decision now, I wish I had gone the other direction.
Another Headhunter-based figure was a 1993 Gristle that came from the 2005 G.I.Joe convention.
At some point I traded online for a Headman figure. I still have that one, but pictured below, I bought a much nicer Headman from an online store. I also bought one of these Headhunters pictured below in January of 2009 from that same store.
The other two Headhunters I can't recall where I got them. One likely a trade from maybe sometime maybe '07-'08, .... really not sure.
At some point I traded online for a Headman figure. I still have that one, but pictured below, I bought a much nicer Headman from an online store. I also bought one of these Headhunters pictured below in January of 2009 from that same store.
The other two Headhunters I can't recall where I got them. One likely a trade from maybe sometime maybe '07-'08, .... really not sure.
The 2008 Headhunter Convention set for me was really a great announcement. At this point in real life I was not really buying much of anything, toys were not a priority, but this set I sent for purchase maybe before all the reveals were made. I was one of the first 100 purchases or whatever it was and got a pin.
It wasn't long before I was just not all that happy with the convention Headhunter set. I would have been super happy with this set being released in classic colors. The "arsenic" coloring didn't hold the value that the classic Headhunter colors had for me. The Convention Headhunter Stormtroopers had Rock Viper legs, too. For a pricey figure they felt a little like those comic pack franken-figures to me. In hand they looked fine but these were two distinct molds that just didn't feel like a good combined match to me. I loved that RPK-style rifle that they came with but to ebay they went when I was trimming down on the collection:
SOLD!
The Headhunter B.A.T.s were awesome. Without the Headhunter Convention logo, I would have kept these and would have liked more. Sad part is I can't remember if and where I traded or sold them now. You're thinking because of a logo you didn't want them?! It was much more due to simplifying everything, too. All B.A.T.s went out the door when I slimmed my collection down. Cobra cut back to the basics. For the logo, I really wished the club didn't slap a Cobra logo on everything. In my mind I want the Headhunters to be their own faction.
With only two Headhunter "Guards" in the convention set and the large logo plastered on their once fairly refined looking jacket, combined with me favoring the classic original Headhunter figures coloring heavily, these two figures were sold to a store in August of 2011. So, think about it, I had two or three classic Headhunters and two "Guards," I wish I had pictures but they really clashed. Not the rigid disicplined paramilitary army look I had in my mind for my future Headhunter army.
Gristle was actually a harder choice for me. Original or Convention? The head on the original was my preferred of the two, but the yellow on the '93 Gristle clashed more with the uniformed look of the 1992 Headhunter. So I went with the more muted Convention Gristle as the keeper. Sadly, there is a crack on the inside of one of the thumbs, I hope it doesn't grow. I thought a more modern, softer plastic would have had a better durability. Likely just this copy.
Of course, I had the GvC Headman figure, which was my first Headman figure, so technically kind of my second Headhunter figure(s).... This Headman did get some display time. As I think about it now, I am considering making a G.I.Joe roster change at the HQ, to do so, the reasoning and method behind doing so might lie in the relationship outlined on this Headman's file card. And if I do so, it would fit my overall collections premise of including overall A.R.A.H. years in representation.
I never thought I would have used something from the GvC years as a basis for imagination.
I never thought I would have used something from the GvC years as a basis for imagination.
With a purchase of more Headhunters in January 2017, after what, 20 some years it is starting to take shape. Even with a small collection I'm hanging on for the long haul, what's the hurry, right?
Characterization.
The file cards are where I base almost every bit of imagination on a figure/ character from. From there it is the Marvel comic. The cartoons in any form are fun, but usually not a strong source of inspiration for me.
The Headhunters to me are their own group. A fairly fresh group that in many ways appear to have zero ties to Cobra. That's something I find appealing. Another threatening faction to break up the G.I.Joe vs. Cobra angle. Sure, Destro broke off, but.... sadly I think 1984 pulled him back in the early 2000's.
With few vehicles in my collection, transportation for these guys is something I would like to figure out. What do you think would make a good transport for these guys?
The short double-barrel shotgun and a character in black with bit of shoulder armor. Who comes to mind?
Right?
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Headman at JMM's comics homepage.
Joe-a-day Headhunters 1992
G.I. Joe vs. Cobra - Headman
