European Joe's – European G.I. Joe Collector

It’s got G.I. Joe written all over it.

Occasionally, I come across something Joe related that is weird or special. This time around, I was browsing Amazon to see if I could find something to add to my curiosity collection of G.I. Joe related items. The first one was an easy buy, a simple ruled notebook to keep track of my posts on the blog seemed like a good idea.

I’ve been using many Moleskine notebooks over the years and I still prefer their notebooks above any other ones, but when I saw this one for cheap on Amazon, I ordered it. It’s a softcover notebook with ruled pages. The G.I. Joe print on the front is destressed, but also not of very high quality. Needless to say, this isn’t Hasbro licensed. The softcover is smooth, not shiny. It has a nice feel to it, which is important for a notebook. The notebook contains 60 ruled pages (front and back), so plenty of space to keep track of my posts and scribble down the ideas I may have for future posts. In the back of the book, it is stated that it was printed in Italy (so are Moleskines) by Amazon Italia Logistica. For those of you that are interested, the ISBN number given is 9798798260430.

The next item is something even more obscure and definitely not licensed by Hasbro. It’s the G.I. Joe Filecards Unofficial Fan Edition 1982-1994 by Jackson Robinson.

This truly is a gem for every G.I. Joe collector. The book lists all filecards from 1982 through to 1994. I have no idea who this Jackson Robinson is. I’ve searched through the dozens of Facebooks groups, Hisstank forum and many more places and the only useable reference I could find is on a personal resume page of a man named Jackson Robinson. The site mentions that he has worked on the Hasbro team as Principle Illustrator & 3D Artist and that he “Concepted, Pitched and created the new character line look for the GIJOE Action Battlers Toy Line.” I actually have one of those figures (see Instagram). Not the best figures out there if you ask me. And truth be told, neither is this book.

Yes, it does contain all the filecards (as far as I can tell), but the scan quality is not that high for all the cards and the layout is – well, quite frankly – not existing.

As you can see above, the scans are not perfect (even worse examples follow below). This is the first page of the book. No intro, no title page, just straight into the file cards. I can forgive that though. It does show what the title implies, but still. Some little intro text might be nice.

As you can see in the picture above, the scans sometime come with tape on them and the resolution of each scan does seem to be different a lot too.

I bought this book from Amazon (printed in Italy again by Amazon Italia Logistica – ISBN 979878665415). I’m a bit disappointed in the quality, not of the book, but of the contents. It’s a great concept and easy to look something up in a book rather than to go check online (I do recommend 3Djoes over this book though). Great idea, not so great result unfortunately. Like I said, the book could do with some intro (Why this book? Who is the author? – I use this term very loosely, because everything is just scanned/stolen from other sites I think.) and a table of contents would also be nice. A decent layout would also help.

Even though this is not up to the G.I. Joe standards of other guides and books, I’m not sorry I bought it as it’s a great subject for a post and some conversation. As I mentioned before, I like to just browse online to see what strange stuff I can find that is Joe related. Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of unofficial coloring books appear online. There are also a number of G.I. Joe cooking books. Did anyone ever buy one of those? Let me know if you did. I’m holding off on those purchases for now. Stay tuned, because maybe some future post will continue this bizarre book collection.

That’s it for now. Until next time. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

It’s a small world after all…

Now that this happy little Disney tune will be in your brain for the rest of the day, you might think my work here is done. Keep on reading though, because something small has been added to my collection.

Not so long ago, I wrote a post on some small scale (one might even say tiny) Joe themed toys from Jada Toys. This week, I received a new addition for that subcollection.

As with the previous post, the main complaint I have is that this is the exact same figure that was released in the 6-pack and in the Series 1 boxset that contains 18 figures.

Other than that, it looks awesome. I’ve stopped complaining about them using the A.W.E. Striker as boxart for everything. I still don’t get it, but I just let it go (really going for all the Disney vibes here).

The vehicle itself looks really good in this 1:32 scale. Lots of details and a true little version of the original toy. The bodywork is the same as that ot the V.A.M.P. they released with Duke, so a bit of an easy release if you ask me. Still, definitely worth it.

On the back, they are now showing not only the set with Duke and the V.A.M.P., this one but also still the H.I.S.S. tank with Destro. Where is this set? Has anyone seen this in real life? I need it! Okay, that Destro figure will be the same as the previous 2 releases, but that H.I.S.S. just looks stunning. Come on Jada Toys, what’s keeping you?

That’s it for now, see you soon! Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

4 ninja’s and a First Sergeant

If they were walking into a bar, that would probably make one hell of a joke. Or a painful experience. Whatever the case may be, they didn’t wonder into some shady establishment, but arrived here in my collection.

First of, I received the 2003 figure set consisting of Duke, Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. This set comes with the Spy Troops movie on DVD.

Let’s start with Duke. This appears to be the v13 of the figure, but on YoJoe.com, it only shows him being released as a single carded figure or in a set with Cobra Commander. I know that YoJoe.com is currently not the most reliable source, but these figures are almost 20 years old (just let that sink in…), so I do think it should be on the site. Maybe this was an international released pack and that’s why it’s not picked up on the site? I don’t really know. Information on this pack is very limited to people selling it online and even then, the intel is limited. If you know more about this, let me know. As you can see below, the backside of the card is aimed for the international market, not showing any file cards, but lot’s of information in many different languages.

The same goes for Storm Shadow (clearly v11) and Snake Eyes (v17). They are listed as being part of a 2-pack, but not in this weird threesome pack.

The other weird thing about this pack is the Duke figure. He’s given the ninja treatment by not having an O-ring, but being fitted with an nunchuck swinging action feature. So looking at the accessories, Duke should come with a gun and communicator device, but also with the nunchucks. Storm Shadow then gets a sword and dagger and Snake Eyes is equipped with an uzi, sword and communicator device. In short, Duke doesn’t fit in here. Put in Scarlett or Zartan and you’d get a pack that actually makes sense. It’s like trying to make Roadblock into a ninja, nobody in their right mind would try that, right?

It really is a little mystery if you ask me. What won’t be a mystery for long is the math you’re doing in your head right now. The title talks about 4 ninja’s and we only have seen two. Who could the other 2 be… Well, let’s find out. They came in a mystery box…

If you know, you’ll know the code on the box. For everyone still trying to guess, look at this next picture.

Yes, this package was ordered through In Demand Toys yet again. As with all my previous orders there, everything went smoothly and the package was delivered fast and undamaged on my doorstep. If you haven’t shopped with them, what are you waiting for? Seriously, they have everything from Star Wars to Power Rangers and from the TMNT to G.I.Joe. Check them out, buy something and tell them I sent you 😁

Now back to the actual delivery. The box contains the 2021 O-ring figures of Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes!

Similar art on the back and a lot of languages.

Now, inside the box, for now we have Schrodinger’s ninjas. I haven’t opened the box yet. All my Joes are still in storage and I’m holding off on opening this set until I can display them properly. I won’t leave you hanging though, here’s a picture I found online.

From what I’ve read online, the card backs are quite flimsy. Not the quality we remember from the original O-ring figures. The art is still the same. The plastic bubbles are also much deeper than the original ones, giving them a better display look. The file cards are on the back, but they are more of a multi-language name card rather than the classic file cards we all know and love. The figures are about the same size as the original ones, maybe just a teeny-tiny bit shorter, but I don’t have the exact measurements so I’m going by pictures I’ve seen online.

It’s great to see these vintage figures back. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the 3 3/4 inch Joes and it really is a nice tribute to the line by releasing these 2 figures (and the Cobra pack coming later this year). Did we need another set of Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes figures in the smaller scale? Probably not. I never had the original Snake Eyes figure, so this is most likely as close as I can get to the original figure without spending to much money. Also, the Classified versions of the figures do look great and closely resemble these figures. I have to say that I’m really surprised by the quality of the Classified line figures, the details on the figures and the box art. For both display value and playability, 6 inch is looking to be the new 3 3/4 inch. Bigger is better they say. I like them both and will continue to get both sizes of figures for my collection.

That’s all for now. I’ll be back soon with more updates to the collection, until then… Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

I’ve got a license to kill

Not exactly a real license, but it does involve a Double O. I honestly gave up hope of ever getting my hands on this figure. I really had to pinch myself this morning when I unboxed the package the mailman just delivered. First impressions? Surprised at the size of the box. Second impressions? Blown away by the beauty of the art and the design of the box. To say that this is a masterpiece, is not doing it any justice. This is one piece of G.I. Joe history that will go down in the books as a Grail item.

Get ready for the most amazing boxset of the entire G.I. Joe Classified line, and it was the first! Let me present to you figure “00” Snake-Eyes (Deluxe).

Inside the beautiful cardboard sleeve is a much sturdier box with the same artwork. This time though, it’s embossed and glossy. In bright red Japanese it says Snake Eyes (according to Google translate – I can’t read Japanese). The picture doesn’t do it any justice, I need to work on my lighting.

Inside the box, you’re greeted by yet again this stunning artwork (they are immensely proud of it and rightly so!). This time around it’s a drawing in charcoal. And the simplicity of this black on the brownish paper just brings out the beauty even more.

Underneath the drawing, the actual figure and accessories are located. Set firmly in some foam to protect everything nicely and securely. To be honest, I’m a bit reluctant to take stuff out of the foam. This is really going to be one of the centerpieces of my collection.

The figure itself is a work or art too. Highly detailed, a sword with sheath, a backpack, an uzi, silencer, gun, knife, extra hand, grenades on his web gear. Remember, this is the first figure of the line. Talk about setting the bar high. I’ve always made a point of addressing just how good the artwork is on the boxes of the Classified figures. This one is no exception. Just look at the details on the image. The figure, the hand on the sword, Timber… It’s truly Art with capital A.

The art on the back of the first wave of figures has always been the same image, this time they also printed it in the same metallic silvery grey of the Snake Eyes artwork. It looks superb!

As I’m writing this, it’s Friday (TGIF!). I know what I’ll be doing for the rest of the weekend (and probably even longer). That is to just look at this piece of art and feel all warm inside.

Happy Collecting and YoJoe!

I think Sarge lost his keys

I wrote a while back (really long ago) about how I used to go play with a friend that also had some Joes and how we didn’t have any Cobra vehicles (I picked up some in the meantime) so we always played that the Vipers were stealing our Joe vehicles. This time though, I finally got one of my favorite vehicles in a Cobra vibe. A custom Warthog.

I found this custom on an online marketplace in France and snatched it up. The vehicle is a bit banged up, but that’s part of the charm. It has most original parts, but also has some new additions.

The Warthog has always had a special place in my heart and collection. Not only is it a great vehicle. It really does look like a menacing tank. But it’s also a troop carrier with place for some figures in the back and 3 upfront.

It’s also the last toy I remember getting from my grandmother. We were on a day trip to a little town just across the border in The Netherlands and there was a small toy store about halfway through the shopping street. They had a big window display with lots of toys, but the real magic was just to the right of the door when you entered. They had a whole wall of G.I. Joe. Now, before you get too excited, the wall was about 2m high and 2m long, so still relatively small, but to me it was the most G.I.Joe I could ever see together. We often went to that town, like 6 times a year and each time I was able to bring back at least one figure. This time though, my grandmother was feeling very generous and I got to go home with the Warthog. I still remember sitting next to her in the car ride home with the box in my lap. It truly is one 9f my happiest Joe memories. My grandmother died shortly after that and this probably caused an even bigger love for the Warthog.

This custom version has a light at the front seat and more – though less impressive – rockets mounted on the back. This truly represents the feeling we had as kids when we were playing that Cobra stole this vehicle from the Joes. It reminds me of the simpler times. Ain’t that what collecting is about? Catching those old feelings of joy and happiness from your youth and cherishing it? For me, that plays a big part.

That’s it for now. Happy Collecting and YoJoe!