I would like to attend the convention again

Hard to believe it has been the 7th year in a row since I went to my first and only GIJoe convention.  This years convention is going on right now.  I just started reading about some of the happenings at the 2012 convention this morning.

Since I'm not physically there, again (maybe next year....?), I think this is about the best place for me to give a huge "thank you" to all the fans in attendance that really make the show fun, and especially those in attendance who are posting up pictures of what I otherwise wouldn't be able to take part in!

Being able to read about what's happening, and seeing what Hasbro and other fans are bringing in to share and show, make this a ton of fun for me, even though I'm not there!

The Rise of Cobra....

I was just watching a showing of the Rise of Cobra on the TV last night. I guess this would be the third time I've seen it.   Well, I didn't see all of it last night, I just couldn't get into the film.

I didn't have too high of hopes for the RoC originally.   I approached the film with a very open mind, I stayed away from any information on the film before I saw it, from spoiler threads, or even just opinions of the film.

I don't think it is a horrible film, but even from a stand alone movie, I just don't find it all that exciting.

The nanomites are a neat plot device, but I think the MARS undersea base was just too big, as was GIJoes Pit.  The underwater training facility in the pit was too unbelievable for me. 

The neo-Viper angle was something that needed more emphasis, too.  Sure, we had the Cobra bite demonstration, but really, would they all go down to the elevator to line up and have a guy demonstrate that whole bit?   I mean, isn't their a lab, next to the armory for issuing those (kinda cool) helmets?
Explaining these Neo-vipers is something that a couple of added film skirmishes could have explained to us, the audience, better.   Instead of the, "these are super soldiers now" demonstration, I'd rather see them in action, bad guys being battle by the 'Joes.   Or something.

I thought the "Paris pursuit" chase was too long, the accelerator suits being something that just didn't add anything to the movie for me at all.  (On the plus side, the Cobra Hummer, was one of the more movie-accurate movie toys in awhile.)

I think the film would have been a lot more interesting if the Duke and Baroness love story was toned way down, possibly eliminated.  I think "Rex" could have ended up the same way with his evil doctor persona simply by having an intense desire for the sciences, but having to be forced to serve the military for his interests.  If anything, I would think a prior unit relationship would have been all it took as a background past for these characters.   The Baroness could have been a much more developed character all around.  

Still after the third (partial) viewing of this film, I just couldn't get into it.  I mean, my imagination is not getting kicked in to play on this universe.

Still, I like Zartan.  

And we still have 2009 movie figures hanging at Walmart here.   

All is quiet on the HQ front still

And that seriously sums up the GIJoe action here.  

Over the past whole month, I haven't hardly even been near my little GIJoe collection.   It's still sitting downstairs in about the same way since I finished my series of reviews for each figure in my trimmed-down small collection.

In some ways I was hoping to get some small diorama backgrounds built up, or even getting my "action figure storage case" all set up.  But I still haven't found a toolbox or tackle box, or anything that would work for my plan of having a couple of "battle boxes," where I could easily two-arm these cases anywhere and have a GIJoe mission simply by opening the lid.

Many little goals or projects that are on the side-burners, back-burners, or simply packed up and shoved back into the pantry.



I should get to reviewing my "bad guy" forces, though.   I've been neglecting Cobra and the rest compared to my analyzing of my small GIJoe team.

Even the "bad guys" were streamlined heavily several months ago.    The "troop" builders I've extremely simplified across the board.   Iron Grenadiers and Vipers is the easiest way to say it, but there are a few exceptions.

When it came to individuals, a lot of "named" baddies went away.    Considering comic and cartoon story lines, especially comic, some of these figure-characters I just could not reason out that Cobra Commander would even chance having them around!  Treason, usurping, competition, sub-teams,.... just so many little things where I can't see Cobra being efficiently "bad" at all.


But, more to come on that end....

The B.E.T.

It's been quiet at the HQ, so I thought I would toss up a random thought.  Random is what you get here, after all.

Now, let's think about the B.E.T. from the 1987 GIJoe movie.  Now, the B.E.T. puts out a surge of electrical power.  A weapon to some, it could provide assistance to many areas of world.  Of course, in that movie, the bad guys want it for their plans for world domination.

After that, the B.E.T. sort of fades into the background as the forces of good and evil start to battle to gain control of it.  Not much more on the technical side of things is ever found out about it.

I think the B.E.T. is kind of interesting, though, considering it can transmit power through the air, without wires.

Not too far-fetched in the imagination, as Tesla coils were somewhat similar..., power transmission through the air without wires.    This "real life" example is a bit more than I understand fully by any stretch, but it all gets my imagination going.

It just takes that little bit of "real" to make me want to expand upon the premise, and then it can become that one prize piece that Cobra wants to have, and, well, you know..., only one team needs to be called.

What do you think of the B.E.T.?


Do you think a top secret follow-up project for the B.E.T. is underway, and near completion?  Ready for field testing?

Retaliation at the local Kmart

I was really not expecting to see the Retaliation movie figures at my local Kmart, but sure enough, they are here.

Walmart on the other hand is still working out their Rise of Cobra (first wave) figures, now on clearance at $7.00.

Slow times lately...

'Joe-wise, not much getting done lately.  

I've been following what's coming out new with the new movie coming out on the many sites.   I'm rather excited to see the movie, the previews look fun, and the interviews that are linked over GeneralsJoes.com are fun to watch.  It seems like everybody involved in making the film is having fun with it.      I'm excited for the movie!

The movie toys...., yeah...., not so much.    Even considering these would be things that the "junior Joe" in the house would be playing with.   I guess they're not horrible, but I just don't feel as excited about these right now.   

On the small collection-front, I've got a small pile of items I want to get traded out or sold.   I still have to get a good storage toy box so I can get the grab and play style of storage going on.  (versus, all in baggies in  Rubbermaid, ya know....)    Getting the random fun back into it all.


Hard to believe it is coming up on summer quickly, too.  Instead of a summer vacation to look forward to, it's the start of the busy sales season at work.   Ah, joys of the real world.  

A W.H.A.L.E. tale

 Origin.

Using old pictures, I've nailed down my 8th birthday as the day I received the WHALE hovercraft.  

It came from  Grandparents who lived in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.  I remember seeing it in one of their closets sometime before I got it on my birthday at their place, so it was possibly a gift originally intended for a previous Christmas or even a previous birthday.  Plus, being in the Twin Cities, those Grandparents had the proximity of all the big stores.   And their respective big discount outlets and all stores for overstock blowout sales and whatnot.  

We lived in Upper Michigan at that time, too, so not close to each other at all.  Either way, this is how I got the WHALE.

From there, the WHALE saw primary action while we lived in Upper Michigan where it was opened and assembled.   The WHALE had many adventures on the blue rug in my old room, the rug served as "water," of course.  I tried to float the WHALE in the bathtub at at least one point in time, too.

One memorable "mission" that I attempted was a planned battle with a neighbor who had a Hydrofoil Moray (1985).  It must have started out as a discussion with that neighbor, I decided to transport my WHALE down to his place to get this naturally epic battle on.   I used the wheelhouse area as a handle to carry the WHALE, the spot that Cutter would be peering over as he looked forward through the windscreen.   Well, that wasn't a very good spot to use as a carrying handle, as the deck separated, dropping the skirt/hull and parts all over the street.   Of course, the parents saw this, and ordered me back inside with the WHALE.  The battle never happened....

Over the years in Upper Michigan, the WHALE's missions took the toll on the steering vanes, but that seems to be a common item of wear and breakage on it.   At some point, the recon. bike went A.W.O.L., too.

While I did have the official 1983 H.Q., I do have memories of often using my WHALE as a base in itself since it was so big and had an interior.   It took less set up time, and the next biggest vehicle I had during those years was the Cobra S.T.U.N., and that is not a natural adversarial vehicle!   The WHALE was stored under the bed, in a sliding door box shelf thing, and an old toy box with a top shelf that was in the basement for awhile.

Moving.

From there, we moved over to the Duluth-Superior area.  A much different area than the middle of nowhere small town of Upper Michigan.   The WHALE, of course, accompanied along during the move.

It was about this time I considered myself a collector, and while I added many other boats over the next few years, including the SHARK 9000, it just couldn't replace my WHALE as the king of the seas in my collection.  I think there's something about that interior space, and more realistic pivoting and swiveling armaments, not to mention small recon. vehicles, that just say awesome.

Later in High school and into college years, I worked at getting the worn parts replaced, and I replaced the long-missing recon. bike.   Back to prime condition.

The WHALE came along with me to three consecutive apartments from there after college.   Being so big, it was one of the last vehicles to ever get put into any Rubbermaid for storage.

Modern life.

Over the course of time, I drastically reduced the vehicles in my collection a couple times.  The WHALE was the core of my sea squad, and at one time in 2008 it was literally within hand-off distance to being sold away.  Literally, I could have walked it through the door and took the cash, but I decided to keep it at the last minute.  (which the buyer was totally understanding of...)

The Grandpa half of the Grandparents mentioned above had just passed a week before this sizable vehicle sell-off, and in fact, we were on the way to the funeral when I was dropping all this stuff off.  This is where that sentimental attachment, that emotional connection actually came through. 

Not only since this WHALE was a childhood toy, given by a deceased relative, but also due to the fact that this Grandpa was a World War II Navy Veteran.   And not just a Veteran, but one who served on an amphibious ship.

A question that can never be answered now, but I wonder if their decision to buy the WHALE had something to do with his Navy service and amphibious craft.  Although hovercraft were not around during his time in service, he also worked for one of the biggest defense contractors in the Twin Cities, and I gotta wonder if they had some bids for a Navy hovercraft like the GIJOE Killer WHALE?   (the company has a couple vehicles which would actually seemingly fit the bill for GIJOE vehicle inspiration.)


The sentiment has passed however, as I have now sold my WHALE.  It's been gone for quite awhile now, actually.

It is a great vehicle, but as I've really analyzed my collection over the last couple years, it really fits best with a core 1982-1985 collection.   My collection is more geared 1986 to 1992 for the most part now.

I also think it needed to be held by a collector that could do more with it, and have more fun, and get more enjoyment out of it.

As is, it would have sat on a basement shelf at best here, and more than likely in a Rubbermaid container wrapped in bubble wrap, for the next decade or so.  I just don't feel like I'm having fun keeping it all contained like this.   Plus, not that I would have minded sharing the toy in the future, but with young "joes" in the house, and the WHALE being more fragile in some spots, I don't think it would last long in its fairly good condition.


Summary.


Have you ever wondered where a GIJOE toy has come from?   I have wondered about some of these that I've acquired over the years, I mean, who had them, what adventures, and those types of questions.

The WHALE I had has had a pretty good traveling record, as you can see.

From the Twin Cities of Minnesota, to the wilds of Upper Michigan, to the Twin Ports of Duluth-Superior, to rural western Wisconsin, and finally to its last known location just near the border with Minnesota.

And that's not to mention where all the different parts that I upgraded and replaced came from.   I think the recon. bike came from a trade from a person in Florida, for example.

Lot of traveling for an old toy.