While the last few weeks had been packed with new toys coming my way, it has been very calm these last few days. Sure, I pre-ordered the new Funko Pops (Leatherneck and Dr. Mindbender) and there are still some Classified and Retro Line figures that I have pre-ordered as well, but it all seems to have calmed down for now. Naturally, in a few hours, Habro Pulse is going live and lots of new and exciting toys will be announced. I’ll try and watch it, or watch it later when I can. December is traditionally a very expensive month with gifts and this year, we have the extra cost of putting a new roof on our house. If you have been reading along with the blog, you’ll know that we moved 2 years ago and that we’re building 2 new rooms on the attic. One for my daughter to use as bedroom, the other one will be my office/G.I. Joe museum 😊. While we were preparing to put up isolation, we noticed quite some issues with the roof and it was so severe that we have to renew the roof. The works should begin by the end of the month. After that, we can start with isolating and building walls, putting in the wires for lights and outlets, flooring,… A lot of work and a lot of costs, and I may have been stretching my budget to buy new toys quite a bit already. So here I am, waiting to see what new toys are being announced and fearing that I may never be able to have the money for them.
In any case, let’s hope the end of the year will be brighter and healthier than it is right now.
Well, I’ve been working from my home office since March and in those 33 weeks, I’ve been expanding my collection with a lot of the new Classified line, the Retro line and Funko Pops. Today however, I have something vintage. And it’s in French.
Yes, it’s the 7″ vinyl of the cartoon’s theme song in French.
No seriously, I didn’t know these even existed until I came across it on a marketplace app. And right on time too, because you can now order the original music on a 12″ full album (see here).
And also vinyl related, Wordburglar will be releasing the amazing Welcome to Cobra Island album on a 12″ as well. The campaign has ended, so if you’re too late, sucks to be you I guess. Grab a digital copy or a cd on bandcamp if you haven’t done so already.
Well, we’re back with a new addition to the collection. No Retro Line or Classified figure, but a new Funko Pop figure. Let’s take a look at Shipwreck!
As with all Funko Pop figures, the resemblance is there and the vinyl figure that has the same height as a 3.75″ G.I. Joe figure looks really good. They designed him with his grappling hook and rope in hand and that is a nice detail to his original figure. There is one big downside on the figure and that is the fact that he is missing his – and our – beloved parrot Polly. How did this get through quality control? If you say Shipwreck, you say Polly. It’s like Bert and Ernie, Simon and Garfunkel, Yin and Yang. To make matters worse, on the box art on the back, they display his classic box art with the parrot!
I already had collected the previous G.I. Joe Funko pop figures (see here and here, but I also have the others: Snake-Eyes, Roadblock (again him), Storm Shadow (the white one) and Cobra Commander (the helmet version)). Next to that, I have a whole load of other Funko Pops from all types of geeky culture (from Star Trek to Thunderbirds, from Boy meet World to Care Bears, from Back to the Future to Ghostbusters). I also have one of the Sarge (see here). They are milking it for everything it’s worth with all the possible franchises you can think of, but hey, I’m a sucker for them. The next one I need to track down is the Beachhead NYCC exclusive one and the Zartan one that is coming out soon. Keep you posted.
Well, it turns out, it’s not that difficult. Although I must admit that I may have been lucky to find this one over here across the Atlantic. The latest addition to my collection is none other than the G.I. Joe Classified Series Snake Supreme Cobra Commander Figure. Yay!
Number 09
Box front
Box Detail
Box open
For someone who was skeptical about the whole 6″ line, I have quite the collection so far… And even more figures are coming my way. This figure is the 11th figure of the Classified Series that I can add to my collection. And I am just so glad I got this one! It’s an awesome looking figure! Very deluxe and regal if you ask me. And the cape! And the scepter! And the original Cobra Commander Laser Pistol is there too! Excuse me while I go and drool some more…
Just a short update this time, I hope you enjoyed the pictures and see you later!
I don’t remember what playset and figure from the original ARAH toys (1982-1994) was the last one I bought/got brand new from a store. The 1994 Razor Blade most likely was the last vehicle and one of the Star Brigade figures will probably have been the last figure. Today, I can relive that feeling with the arrival of the first Retro Line figures and vehicles. Keep on reading below to see which ones arrived here.
Before I show off the new additions to my collection, I want to share a short extract from a column I read in a Retro Gaming magazine (Retro Gamer, #212).
“I know why I’m doing this. And I also know it won’t work. I’m trying to recreate that moment. I’m trying to time travel via videogames and, I hate to break it t0 all of you, it isn’t possible. Not completely. I can maybe get the feel back for a few minutes, even smells can return when I’m playing an old game, but actual pure time travel? Sorry. It doesn’t work.”
After reading the column, it stuck in my head for a while and when the package with the Retro Line toys arrived, it popped back into my mind. Are we collecting to travel back in time to the time when life was simpler for us? No work, no worries, no stress, no pandemics, no deaths. Are we trying to recreate the feelings we had when seeing all those toys in the store and dreaming up stories for when we actually would get to play with them? I think, in a way, we are. Collecting is a form of escapism. It takes you back to those happy days, but here’s the catch. Each time, the feeling is shorter and less intense, so you try again and again and there’s no way you can stop, or you start feeling miserable and sad. Collecting is an addiction of some sort. Not just towards the collected items, but to the feelings and memories that are associated with the items. Am I saying that we shouldn’t collect anymore? No. Definitely not. I still get excited when I see new toys and when a package arrives. But I also need to realize that part of that feeling and excitement, is a memory of prior feelings and childhood memories that will forever be a part of me. Some bring me joy, some bring me tears. I guess what I want to say is, collecting is more than the items. It’s a part of me and that will never change.
After this little ‘serious’ talk, let’s get back to what you actually want to see. The new toys!
First off, we have the first wave of figures. The Baroness, Storm Shadow and Snake-Eyes.
I know they aren’t O-ring figures, but I don’t really mind that. The ‘Retro’ part to me is the wonderful card art and the feeling you get when you have these in hand. How wonderful it would be to see a toy isle filled with figures and vehicles again.
The Card Art
Filecards
Naturally, I didn’t just get the first wave of figures. I got the vehicles too.
This is my first A.W.E. Striker and my first H.I.S.S. v1 too if I’m not mistaken. My collection is still in boxes, so I don’t really know what I have and don’t have at the moment. I do have a H.I.S.S. mark 2 ever since I was a kid (see this post). Oh, and a Septic Tank too if you can classify that one as a H.I.S.S. variant.
H.I.S.S. Tank Box
A.W.E. Striker Box
These last few weeks have been crazy with all the new toys coming out and some of them coming into my collection. I’m still looking for the 1st 6″ Snake Eyes, though I’m starting to give up on him ever getting into my collection. Scalpers have been buying up the stocks in the US and are selling them for ridiculous prices on eBay. I really love these toys (as you can tell by reading all the posts here on the blog), but as I mentioned before, it’s getting harder and harder for international fans to get a hold of them. It’s time Hasbro recognizes that there is an international market and maybe sells them over here through their own channels. For now, I have been able to buy several toys over in the UK and have them shipped over, but with Brexit on the way, importing from the UK may prove to become more difficult as well and more costly too. I paid just over €100 for these 3 figures and 2 vehicles (+ shipping) which is quite fair if I compare it to the US prices (they would add up to about €75). A 33% difference, but that includes shipping, VAT and taxes. Not too bad, but looking at some of the prices online, it’s rapidly becoming less and less affordable for me to keep buying them. So, I may have to start limiting my purchases, there’s still many more from the Vintage line I need and want. I’m still debating whether to keep buying new stuff or only focus on the vintage toys (not that they are getting cheaper to find).
Well, that’s it for now. See you again soon with new updates or maybe a new post on the Impel Trading Cards (I haven’t forgotten about them!)
Happy Collecting and YoJoe!
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