I like this.
Hurricanes's, HISS II's, Submachopper.... Fun!
HULU.http://www.hulu.com/watch/617546
About HQ icebreaker
- icebreaker
- This is a very random bunch of thoughts based from my collecting of GIJOE: A real American hero figures and vehicles. Contained here are memories, experiences, recent thoughts, completely random thoughts, and other random things on top of that. While one company has made, and makes, our shared interests, we all add into that interest with our own creativity. You, the reader, will find many, many, excellent sites among the links to see what other GIJoe fans are doing, hit them up! For GIJOE stuff that is more random in topic, you'll find it here.
4.06.2014
Bazooka rode a tractor
... Is something you don't here every day.
At a model train show that comes through every year, which is always a good time, there was a another GIJoe sighting. Bazooka on a tractor!
This is the same group of guys that do garden model railroading that have been at every one of these train shows (HGMR) that I have even been to. This year, these guys did not set up on the floor like they have in the past, rather, they had their layout up on a knee high table. Come to think of it, they have had this corner of the school they set up in every year.
I was hoping to see a couple of extra GIJoe figures I gave to them in 2012 used in the set up, but this didn't happen at all so far. There is more to that story here.
And here is the first GIJoe sighting (2012) I had on their layout:
At a model train show that comes through every year, which is always a good time, there was a another GIJoe sighting. Bazooka on a tractor!
This is the same group of guys that do garden model railroading that have been at every one of these train shows (HGMR) that I have even been to. This year, these guys did not set up on the floor like they have in the past, rather, they had their layout up on a knee high table. Come to think of it, they have had this corner of the school they set up in every year.
I was hoping to see a couple of extra GIJoe figures I gave to them in 2012 used in the set up, but this didn't happen at all so far. There is more to that story here.
And here is the first GIJoe sighting (2012) I had on their layout:
3.30.2014
Clutch ponders...
3.23.2014
Over a year!
This is the biggest 'Joe action set up in over a year!
I've rearranged my corner at the HQ, again, and again, and several more times...., to what we see today. The "big table" and high shelves set up just didn't feel quite comfortable.
One of the hardest things is getting something started. I kind of think back to my college art/ design days where open-ended assignments/ projects were the hardest to get started. It was just this blank page. Over the last year-plus-some I wanted to get something set up, not just a "Joe Room," but kind of an overall creative space where I could set up, have fun, maybe start doing some more artsy-crafty/ sort of custom work. Things like that.
Time and inspirational creation energy didn't seem to always come together at the right moment. I often found myself with some time, but I just didn't feel like doing anything in my corner, ya know? Or, sometimes I found myself kind of forcing myself to make this a fun space, and it never fun when the fun is forced that I have found.
(And there has always been frustration with the space itself, as well as money. There's a lot I could do...., it's just a potential can-o-worms in many instances.)
I mentioned previously how I rearranged my old rooms from back in the day, to the apartments I lived in previously, and as you might have seen here in older pictures from my previous HQ.
And that's where life and GIJoe meet for me. I think I am finding that nothing is static. It's all dynamic. Trying to force a static thing into a dynamic human life was kind of cumbersome, in some ways it was very much like the "weight of possessions" was on top of me.
As you have read through my posts, you can see how my collection has evolved to where it is today, a fairly lean "small" GIJoe figure collection with the goal of building it up with more "enemy" forces, and smaller, mobility-minded vehicles and accessories. Of sorts. It's kind of a fixed path, but still very open ended as far as what I'm going to focus on.
To add to this path, I want to start incorporating more creativity to what I do. I have found I don't do a lot as I've pondered this rather plain basement set up. I am hoping this arrangement can be comfortable and allow for some flexibility (the outer walls and center are mostly open...., a fold up table fits in the center so the thing isn't just always there....). I hope to draw on some of that industrial design education and see what I can do.
The top picture set up, for instance, you can see is not my usual old-mold-oring figures. These are some of the figures I wanted to have a sort of "modern" force. As I learn more about older pop culture toys, characters, whatnot, from here and abroad, I want to take that in without taking it in (collecting it).
A "side GIJoe collection" to my main focus will be happening, but this one is one collection that isn't going to be hampered by any official things. It's going to be military based, but I think it is a way for my imagination to take figures with no "official" backgrounds, even maybe non-Joe figures, and just sort of play. Something to break up the "serious" collector side, ya know?
I've rearranged my corner at the HQ, again, and again, and several more times...., to what we see today. The "big table" and high shelves set up just didn't feel quite comfortable.
One of the hardest things is getting something started. I kind of think back to my college art/ design days where open-ended assignments/ projects were the hardest to get started. It was just this blank page. Over the last year-plus-some I wanted to get something set up, not just a "Joe Room," but kind of an overall creative space where I could set up, have fun, maybe start doing some more artsy-crafty/ sort of custom work. Things like that.
Time and inspirational creation energy didn't seem to always come together at the right moment. I often found myself with some time, but I just didn't feel like doing anything in my corner, ya know? Or, sometimes I found myself kind of forcing myself to make this a fun space, and it never fun when the fun is forced that I have found.
(And there has always been frustration with the space itself, as well as money. There's a lot I could do...., it's just a potential can-o-worms in many instances.)
I mentioned previously how I rearranged my old rooms from back in the day, to the apartments I lived in previously, and as you might have seen here in older pictures from my previous HQ.
And that's where life and GIJoe meet for me. I think I am finding that nothing is static. It's all dynamic. Trying to force a static thing into a dynamic human life was kind of cumbersome, in some ways it was very much like the "weight of possessions" was on top of me.
As you have read through my posts, you can see how my collection has evolved to where it is today, a fairly lean "small" GIJoe figure collection with the goal of building it up with more "enemy" forces, and smaller, mobility-minded vehicles and accessories. Of sorts. It's kind of a fixed path, but still very open ended as far as what I'm going to focus on.
To add to this path, I want to start incorporating more creativity to what I do. I have found I don't do a lot as I've pondered this rather plain basement set up. I am hoping this arrangement can be comfortable and allow for some flexibility (the outer walls and center are mostly open...., a fold up table fits in the center so the thing isn't just always there....). I hope to draw on some of that industrial design education and see what I can do.
The top picture set up, for instance, you can see is not my usual old-mold-oring figures. These are some of the figures I wanted to have a sort of "modern" force. As I learn more about older pop culture toys, characters, whatnot, from here and abroad, I want to take that in without taking it in (collecting it).
A "side GIJoe collection" to my main focus will be happening, but this one is one collection that isn't going to be hampered by any official things. It's going to be military based, but I think it is a way for my imagination to take figures with no "official" backgrounds, even maybe non-Joe figures, and just sort of play. Something to break up the "serious" collector side, ya know?
2.21.2014
Off topic, but very much related....
... and of all the "Joe" news, I am finding stuff from Acid Rain to be more interesting.
Cruising the 'Joe forums, a long time poster from way back to the current day, "AV" stated on his JC topic: "do want (and so do you!)." He's talking about the Acid Rain line, and if it isn't GIJoe, with my limited scope of everything these days, I usually wouldn't pay attention. So, I'm glad fellow GIJoe fans are still "talking" on the forums.
This 1/18th scale line looks cool, and as I've read more about it, I'm very intrigued. It's all true has a detailed write up that got me up to speed on one particular item. And not just the actual product which looks like it has a ton more love put into than a big-box toy aisle standard buck product, there's a solid background story to back it up that, in itself, I find interesting. Alternated timelines, what if's, I find that stuff fun.
This is all new to me, but I think this stuff looks cool. I don't know if I can"use" it, or if I "need" it, but I am pre-ordering the single pilot figure. I'm much more of a vehicle guy, but these vehicles are very significantly priced; not an inexpensive pick up, but at the same time it looks like the quality and detail are there. It's a whole new toy area for me here.
I'm going with the single figure for now, but aside from real life expenses, I don't see me buying much in the way of other new toy product this year, so maybe one of these new Acid Rain vehicles may happen for me. But at $20 a figure, it compares with a Club price and this is something new, and I want something new. And it looks like it will work well with what I have. We will see what happens when I get this in hand. I have high hopes from what I've read.
I don't know anything more about this line than what I read on the internet. At least, I will be following this line more closely. Apparently, from older posts while searching for information on this line, from almost a year ago show that many people have been doing the same already.
What do you think?
Potential GIJoe collector love across the board? Transformer collectors, too?
Quad Eyes review on Youtube.
Speeder MkII review on Youtube.
Cruising the 'Joe forums, a long time poster from way back to the current day, "AV" stated on his JC topic: "do want (and so do you!)." He's talking about the Acid Rain line, and if it isn't GIJoe, with my limited scope of everything these days, I usually wouldn't pay attention. So, I'm glad fellow GIJoe fans are still "talking" on the forums.
This 1/18th scale line looks cool, and as I've read more about it, I'm very intrigued. It's all true has a detailed write up that got me up to speed on one particular item. And not just the actual product which looks like it has a ton more love put into than a big-box toy aisle standard buck product, there's a solid background story to back it up that, in itself, I find interesting. Alternated timelines, what if's, I find that stuff fun.
This is all new to me, but I think this stuff looks cool. I don't know if I can"use" it, or if I "need" it, but I am pre-ordering the single pilot figure. I'm much more of a vehicle guy, but these vehicles are very significantly priced; not an inexpensive pick up, but at the same time it looks like the quality and detail are there. It's a whole new toy area for me here.
I'm going with the single figure for now, but aside from real life expenses, I don't see me buying much in the way of other new toy product this year, so maybe one of these new Acid Rain vehicles may happen for me. But at $20 a figure, it compares with a Club price and this is something new, and I want something new. And it looks like it will work well with what I have. We will see what happens when I get this in hand. I have high hopes from what I've read.
I don't know anything more about this line than what I read on the internet. At least, I will be following this line more closely. Apparently, from older posts while searching for information on this line, from almost a year ago show that many people have been doing the same already.
What do you think?
Potential GIJoe collector love across the board? Transformer collectors, too?
Quad Eyes review on Youtube.
Speeder MkII review on Youtube.
1.27.2014
2014.... goals?
Keeping things small, I've got a fairly effective rapid deployment force I think. One may disagree, and I very well may change the line up. I may even consider more "custom" builds on each one at some point.
Maybe for 2014, I should focus more onto my Cobra and other "bad guy" forces. Cobra is fairly simple here with Vipers making up the core. I'm still pretty happy about this direction, with more 3rd party gear available, making effective bad guys will be more fun. I would like to build more small vehicle forces for Cobra though. I would like Cobra to be a little less small island based nation like army, and more of a very covert hidden network of personnel and material that is small enough to hide in plain sight. Things like the Cobra Ferret, the Hydro Sled, the Piranha, and yes, even the Jet Pack, among many others, are things I would like to assemble. The challenge is finding these at good prices (and they must be) in complete conditions. No large Cobra vehicles, the HISS tank (05) is as big as it gets for me for now.
That's a fairly simple plan for Cobra, and I would like to build up my Iron Grenadier forces and Headhunters, too. A fairly simple basic troop build here, and I would like these to rival my Cobra forces. These are going to be all separate enemy factions from here out for me. I would like to keep vehicles small for these, too, but there's not as much official gear for either out there. So, this is where maybe a slightly larger vehicle will be needed for each?
Of course, Night Creepers are going to be something for me, too. I've got my eye on ONE specific figure type for these, and it is going to be a bear to try and army build these I think. For "the modern era" seemingly being supreme, the old school still doesn't want to pass these things on to old folks like me. I wonder where all this old figure loose oring technology that is out there is being stored and why?
But this seemingly simple plan, goal if you will, is going to be quite a stretch these days. I know there is a huge real life window that is going to need some attention sooner than later. I know some HQ shell landscaping is on the horizon, and there is never any telling what sort of issues will arrive as the days go by.
But, if anyone out there has any of these "basic" things I'm looking for, let me know, I would appreciate the assistance!
Maybe for 2014, I should focus more onto my Cobra and other "bad guy" forces. Cobra is fairly simple here with Vipers making up the core. I'm still pretty happy about this direction, with more 3rd party gear available, making effective bad guys will be more fun. I would like to build more small vehicle forces for Cobra though. I would like Cobra to be a little less small island based nation like army, and more of a very covert hidden network of personnel and material that is small enough to hide in plain sight. Things like the Cobra Ferret, the Hydro Sled, the Piranha, and yes, even the Jet Pack, among many others, are things I would like to assemble. The challenge is finding these at good prices (and they must be) in complete conditions. No large Cobra vehicles, the HISS tank (05) is as big as it gets for me for now.
That's a fairly simple plan for Cobra, and I would like to build up my Iron Grenadier forces and Headhunters, too. A fairly simple basic troop build here, and I would like these to rival my Cobra forces. These are going to be all separate enemy factions from here out for me. I would like to keep vehicles small for these, too, but there's not as much official gear for either out there. So, this is where maybe a slightly larger vehicle will be needed for each?
Of course, Night Creepers are going to be something for me, too. I've got my eye on ONE specific figure type for these, and it is going to be a bear to try and army build these I think. For "the modern era" seemingly being supreme, the old school still doesn't want to pass these things on to old folks like me. I wonder where all this old figure loose oring technology that is out there is being stored and why?
But this seemingly simple plan, goal if you will, is going to be quite a stretch these days. I know there is a huge real life window that is going to need some attention sooner than later. I know some HQ shell landscaping is on the horizon, and there is never any telling what sort of issues will arrive as the days go by.
But, if anyone out there has any of these "basic" things I'm looking for, let me know, I would appreciate the assistance!
1.20.2014
a random flashback
I had a flashback moment to back in the day, not way back, but mostly far back when I thought about how many Optimus Prime figures have been on the shelf in my travels to the stores. One character but so many versions.
I would have never guessed there would have been so many versions back in the day. For Transformers on my end, my best bud (the same one that helped start me on my collecting bit) had an original Optimus Prime. I thought that was a great Transformer, and he took tight care of it, too. He would have it out and when finished it went back into the white foam insert and slid right back into the box.
Sort of randomly (like in 10 years after it was on a Christmas list....!), I got the G2 version of Optimus Prime for a Christmas present. But the G2 Laser Optimus Prime I found on clearance shortly after turned out to be even more fun with more articulation for me. This Optimus Prime really got me interested in Transformers again at this point. I bought the G2 Constructicons and Dreadwing eventually, all on clearance, and this was about the extent of my spending dollar at this time.
This was 1995-1996, a little into 1997 most likely. GIJoe was mostly off the retail shelves at this point.
.
Look at us now, though, an Optimus Prime of all shapes and sizes.
Back in the early to mid-'90's it seemed like the big lines on the retail shelves were the same main headline figures. Like Batman. I only ever had an old Super Powers Batman. Being younger, I think I lost the capes for all of those figures somehow. But I did have a substantial Super Powers group of toys back in the day, I had that Batman and Robin in the Batmobile. (these all went to some cousins at one point when my parents were cleaning house and were looking at toys to donate at that time; kind of funny how the Grandparents supported them a ton more now that were all "grown up" and look who is more successful and who has no cool Super Power toys in his collection; I'm the one with no Super Powers toys, btw.).
But with Batman, in the '90's I had some interest in them, I just wanted a Batman, but there were so many Batman versions and I couldn't find a more plain-jane Batman, ya know?
Even with no GIJoe figures to be found at retail in my parts for so long there's been a lot of figures that have come out over the years.
Snake Eyes version 67. Wow. And then there is Snake Eyes v8. So that, not including mircro figures and everything, that is a lot of Snake Eyes figures.
Back in 1995, for instance, I would have never guessed that many all these years later. As far as my knowledge went then, there were five, and the fourth one (version 4) was my most go-to after the only other one I had, the version 3. (The ninja force version didn't interest me at all, and the Shadow version even less.)
I wonder how the non-collector child collection looks these days in comparison, I mean, are there multiple Dukes and Snake Eyes and Cobra Commanders? Even in the '90's, did a kids Batman collection have a few villains and multiple special Batman figures?
With no GIJoe on the retail shelf do very few kids have GIJoe like we had back in the '80's?
Here is the extent of my Transformer collection when I traded it in:
And here.
And my favorite rendition of Megatron here.
And because Hook broke on me WAY back in the day, leading me to give all of my old Devastator to my cousins, I had to by the G2 Contructicons.
With the exception of the original Constructicons, Perceptor, an original Ironhide, plus some garage sale finds, and minus my original "collectors case," this is most of my original Transformers from back in the day, but some gobots.
I would have never guessed there would have been so many versions back in the day. For Transformers on my end, my best bud (the same one that helped start me on my collecting bit) had an original Optimus Prime. I thought that was a great Transformer, and he took tight care of it, too. He would have it out and when finished it went back into the white foam insert and slid right back into the box.
Sort of randomly (like in 10 years after it was on a Christmas list....!), I got the G2 version of Optimus Prime for a Christmas present. But the G2 Laser Optimus Prime I found on clearance shortly after turned out to be even more fun with more articulation for me. This Optimus Prime really got me interested in Transformers again at this point. I bought the G2 Constructicons and Dreadwing eventually, all on clearance, and this was about the extent of my spending dollar at this time.
This was 1995-1996, a little into 1997 most likely. GIJoe was mostly off the retail shelves at this point.
.
Look at us now, though, an Optimus Prime of all shapes and sizes.
Back in the early to mid-'90's it seemed like the big lines on the retail shelves were the same main headline figures. Like Batman. I only ever had an old Super Powers Batman. Being younger, I think I lost the capes for all of those figures somehow. But I did have a substantial Super Powers group of toys back in the day, I had that Batman and Robin in the Batmobile. (these all went to some cousins at one point when my parents were cleaning house and were looking at toys to donate at that time; kind of funny how the Grandparents supported them a ton more now that were all "grown up" and look who is more successful and who has no cool Super Power toys in his collection; I'm the one with no Super Powers toys, btw.).
But with Batman, in the '90's I had some interest in them, I just wanted a Batman, but there were so many Batman versions and I couldn't find a more plain-jane Batman, ya know?
Even with no GIJoe figures to be found at retail in my parts for so long there's been a lot of figures that have come out over the years.
Snake Eyes version 67. Wow. And then there is Snake Eyes v8. So that, not including mircro figures and everything, that is a lot of Snake Eyes figures.
Back in 1995, for instance, I would have never guessed that many all these years later. As far as my knowledge went then, there were five, and the fourth one (version 4) was my most go-to after the only other one I had, the version 3. (The ninja force version didn't interest me at all, and the Shadow version even less.)
I wonder how the non-collector child collection looks these days in comparison, I mean, are there multiple Dukes and Snake Eyes and Cobra Commanders? Even in the '90's, did a kids Batman collection have a few villains and multiple special Batman figures?
With no GIJoe on the retail shelf do very few kids have GIJoe like we had back in the '80's?
Here is the extent of my Transformer collection when I traded it in:
And here.
And my favorite rendition of Megatron here.
And because Hook broke on me WAY back in the day, leading me to give all of my old Devastator to my cousins, I had to by the G2 Contructicons.
With the exception of the original Constructicons, Perceptor, an original Ironhide, plus some garage sale finds, and minus my original "collectors case," this is most of my original Transformers from back in the day, but some gobots.
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