Barbie's long-lost love is back in his 11 1/2" form, and while the 3 3/4" action figures seem to be more popular with the younger crowd, the Big Kids are glad to see the "full sized" Joes again. It's funny, but while most men won't admit to ever having "played with dolls", women in stores tell me all the time about how their Barbies "dated" their brother's Joes. (Ken was just Barbie's "special friend".) I know that Barbie and GI Joe are evil and awful and enforce gender stereotypes and all that, but if what they are telling me is that boys and girls were actually playing together, maybe there's some hope here.
I told myself I'd never get back into GI Joes. Even though I still had the "guys" that my brother, sister, and I played with as kids, I told myself I wasn't going to do it.
I didn't listen.
Now, my themes for collecting GI Joes are supposed to be Civil War, Astronauts, and "stuff for the kids to play with". But sometimes I stray from these guidelines. Okay, a lot of the time. There's only so much Civil War or Astronaut stuff out there, unless you want to sew and scratchbuild. Enter a company in Hong Kong called Formative International, that has done a number of series of 12" figures and uniforms called "Soldiers of the World" (SotW). They aren't great, but they're fairly cheap and they can be the basis for other projects. I've used their Civil War and World War I figures for Civil War projects.
My biggest problem with SotW figures is that the heads are usually 'WAY too small for the bodies, which are rather more muscular than the other brands. However, the heads can be removed and modified to fit on GI Joe Classic Collection or Ultimate Soldier ("Sam") figures. You just slice the head off at the neck line on the SotW body, pop the head off the Joe/Sam body, wrap a rubber band around the neck stub, then twist the SotW head on. It's not as durable as a factory job, but it won't fall off, and it's quick.
But that leaves you with a pile of cheap articulated headless bodies. So what do you do? Well, you can find a way to put the Joe and Sam heads on the SotW bodies (been there, done that, here's how!), you can learn to sculpt (I have no talent for sculpting), or you can hit the bargain aisle looking for unique 1/6th scale heads. When I remove the SotW heads, the vinyl "neck" stub is left over. I use this to make an adapter for whatever head I'm working with.
I categorize SotW bodies into several different types:
Larry: Later body, ball-hinge-swivel articulation on wrist and elbow, same right hand as "Moe".
Curly: Same body as "Larry", but both hands cupped (right hand same as left hand).
Shemp: Latest I've seen. Same as "Larry", but with soft rubber hands instead of the stiffer plastic.
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¬ 'Rube' Goldberg This started out as a plastic head from a pack of gumballs and a SotW "Curly" body. All it took was a couple vinyl neck stubs, a #10 machine screw and nut, and some Goop glue to make an adapter. The neck is a little too wide at the joint, so a T-shirt covers it up. Now, I don't know much about professional wrestling, but if they didn't say it was Goldberg, I'd think it was Stone Cold Steve Austin. Or any other bald angry guy with a goatee. Sergeant Goldberg wants YOU
to play with your toys!®
His head's rather large for the scale, but he can wear GI Joe hats intended for "fuzzheads" or some of the later helmets. |
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¬Sam the Construction Worker Let's face it - the military is downsizing, and there's just so much Adventure to go around. It's inevitable that some Joes and Sams are going to have to find jobs in less exciting areas, like construction and cable installation, until "something opens up" in the Adventure industry. At least Sam has a clipboard, so he must be a supervisor. Or maybe that's his resume. 21st Century "Sam" head on a SotW "Curly" body, 21C T-shirt, Hasbro jeans (from the Classic Collection "US Navy Serviceman"), SotW helmet (French WWI) and boots. I don't remember where I got the clipboard. 'Spuds' O'Reilly, Man of A Thousand Faces
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I admit it - this is just plain weird. It's a Mr. Potato Head keychain, mounted on another SotW body (a "Larry" this time) using a #10 machine screw and nut and a vinyl neck stub. The head swivels, all the face pieces are removable, and there's a hatch in the back to store spare pieces. He's on SWAT assignment here, but I need to get him a proper spy outfit. |
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Other Joe projects I'm working on:
Making soft plastic parts, like hats and boots, using latex molds and plastic dip (the stuff you put on tool handles to make grips - it actually works!).
Improving the arm articulation on "Moe" bodies (creating "Enhanced Leverage Moes" or "Elmos"), and maybe improving on those huge hands.
Civil War stuff - uniforms, weapons, accouterments...
A 1/6" scale Civil War cannon, with a spring-powered firing mechanism (it works, but it keeps breaking).
A Joe-sized firetruck, in case 21st Century and Resaurus actually put out those firefighter sets.
Some silly custom figures for Halloween.
Remember to play with your Joes, or else stuff like THIS might happen!