I remember my first Joe, it was Duke V1, and I carried him around like a Teddy Bear. My Dad is military, so he fueled my love of the military toys, and I've been hooked as long as I can remember. I got back into it last year Nov. The first thing I bought was was the comic pack of Serpentor, Firefly and Scrap Iron. That opened the flood gates.

Well, I'm going to show my age here, but what the heck. My first Joes were the old 12" Adventure Team figures I had when I was a kid. When I outgrew them I completely forgot about Joe stuff. Then one day in '86, which was when the 3 3/4" Joes first came out here, I walked into a store and saw "GI Joe" on the shelf, a lot smaller than before, but pretty cool looking. I bought a couple for old time's sake and got hooked from there, eventually going back and spending a fortune picking up most of the early stuff I had missed out on. For a while I was a completist, but now I just buy the stuff I like. :)

Summer 1986; I was six years old, on vacation with my family and was given Zartan w/Swamp-Skier by my grandparents. All the articulation, accessories, color-change, filecard and fascinating wider universe had me hooked right away.

I'd previously been aware of the Action Force line while Palitoy was releasing it in "Action Man: Action Force" packaging but I'd never got into it and had not been aware of the transition from the Star Wars-style figures to Joes (so I missed characters like Scarlett, Duke & CC and didn't realize they'd been released until years later). In 1986, though, Hasbro took over and copied the US packaging style for "Action Force: International Heroes." The TV ads and sudden wealth of storybooks, coloring books, yo-yos, etc. certainly helped pull me in. It replaced He-Man and Star Wars as my favorite toy line and has been in that position ever since!

You're such a Girly-Girl! LOL!




Can you be MY Babysitter? :D



1982, fourth of July. In June I got Issue #1 of the comic. I loved the comic and was collecting Star Wars. I went to a Fays Drug Store with my Dad and Uncle Arnold to get more Beer, and I got Stalker and Snake eyes.

And....We're off!!!

i got into it a little late i started collecting about 2001-2002 i went to my local doller store and found a heavy duty and cobra CLAWS 2 pack and the rest is history

Sometime in 1982 (or maybe 1983). I saved money for a long while to get my VAMP with straight-arm Clutch. My brother picked up a straight-arm Zap the same day. That Christmas my brother and I received some Cobra Officers (1 each), and the rest was history.

We both stopped around 1990. I picked back up recently around the time I found Joedios, perhaps a little before that.

I'm finding it kind of funny that a lot of you folks dropped G.I. Joe in 1990, which is right around when I got into it.

April
 

July 22, 1982 - I received a straight arm Breaker and Rock & Roll for my 13th birthday. I remember very clearly because I always received 'educational' gifts and when I saw these guys I knew I had to have them. Luckily I was able to fast talk my Grandfather into getting them.

I got my first two figures 83 Gung Ho and Zap along with the APC for christmas of that year when I was 4. They were not followed by anything until 1987 when I got Wetsuit, and it has escalated from 3 figs and 1 vehicle to around 580 figs and 110 vehicles.