New stuff

I got around to finishing my three part series about the influences that have impacted my 1/6th GI Joe collection, but found I still had "stuff" roaming around inside my head. There was more that needed to get out into the blog. I'm still working against the self-editing problem, though, so I felt like I just had to jump in to see what needed saying. Hope it doesn't bore you.

E-bay. Yup, I've been following E-bay for several months now since none of the regular retail stores carry much 1/6th stuff. For years I've known about E-bay, but I also heard tons of "BS" stories about deals gone wrong and folks losing their money and their possessions thru bad deals. Well, thanks to The Lady Graemon, my lovely spouse, she actually decided to go "E-baying" all on her own to work at enlarging her collections of various things. She had very few problems and entirely satisfactory experiences while shopping E-bay, so I had to give it a try.

I was quite astounded at the variety of 1/6th stuff available on E-bay. I jumped in with both feet when I saw what I was missing. I've done well, maybe too well, enlarging my collection by buying up other people's stuff. Most of what I have purchased has been Mint-in-box figures and accessory sets. Very little have I bought that was loose and "played with." For the greatest part, I have been entirely happy and satisfied with my auction winnings.

There have been a few "not-so-good" deals. One "lot" of 21st Century Toys Sams was not well described on the auction and when I finally got it into my possession, I was disappointed with what I had purchased. The seller did NOT mis-represent anything. It was my fault because I "thought" I knew what I was seeing in the seller's photographs of the lot items, but what I got was "slightly" different. Almost everything in the lot I purchased had been kit-bashed into something "resembling" the items as they originally appeared in the boxed set editions as released by 21C. They were NOT what the original items were when released. Details were different and detail items were missing from the original boxed sets--things like this. My fault, not the seller, and I don't mean to imply there was anything the seller did wrong or deceptive.

This was definitely a case of "buyer beware" and "ask lots of questions" if something doesn't look right in those slightly dark, slightly fuzzy photos on the auction page.

Now, I don't want to dwell on this, but not every seller is an up-standing, forthright, fine human being and great American citizen. Some are, shall we say, only out to make a buck. In the 1/6th On-line community, we generally take efforts to make sure we communicate with our trading partners and to give fair measure in our inter-community trading practices and purchases. On E-bay a different set of rules is in force. The biggest and most important rule is: Don't assume your trading partner will be a fine, fair, up-standing person! The seller or buyer on the other end of your auction may be amateurish, un-professional, rude, and a rip-off artist. Sorry, but that's the reality of E-bay. And "feedback," while a noble idea in theory, has it's "limitations," shall we say. Just because somebody has a lot of positives doesn't mean what you think it means. read, really "read" the comments to see what's going on. Sure, there are "rules" on E-bay. Learn them well.

Enough of that--let me tell you the good stuff! E-bay actually has begun helping me figure out more parameters and complete my collections by providing items that I have searched for for years, without success. Not only is it helping me solidify ideas about my Joe collection, but since I also collect some role-playing games, E-bay has brought a number of items to complete my game collections for Traveller and Twilight:2000! It's nice to "pursue" items in a collection, but I grow tired of the constant searching. I want to "be done" with looking for select items to finish my interests in these RPG's. I want to "have" them, not look for them anymore.

Recently, I found several sellers of older "out-of-print" modules for my games, and I bought 'em, too! I almost have everything printed that I want for Twilight:2000. There are only a very few items left that I don't have. Same goes for Traveller--I am very close to "finishing" having all the core "canon" materials for the Traveller Universe printed by the original manufacturer and the several "authorized" licensees. Now, this doesn't mean I have "everything." It means I have almost everything I think I want and need for my collection of these gaming systems. There are some items that were made by somewhat obscure companies that are quite rare as to be almost unobtainable. I don't care about those things. I just want "core" products.

Give you two examples: there is a gaming module for Twilight: 2000 made by a company about a scenario for Los Angeles, California. Very rare--only seen it available one time for over $100. I passed on that. It was the only item I know about that covered that subject and the only product I know about NOT made by the original manufacturer of T2K. Second example is a board game made for the Traveller Universe. Again, very rare, but made by the original manufacturer. I've seen it available twice and both times I lost out on the bidding for them. It WON'T happen a third time, if I EVER see that particular game available again in my life-time.

Back to GI Joe and E-bay--when I bought some of these items from E-bay and actually took possession of them, it occurred to me that I needed to re-think my Joe collection (which covers ALL my various figures,) and my organization. How many MORE figs did I need? More precisely, how many more figs did I think I wanted? And why?

Good questions, don't you think? I do. I never sat down and seriously entertained those questions before. Really. I collect, therefore I am! Sure, I know there's all kinds of collectors of Joe out there. They all have many reasons why and what they collect for Joe-stuff.

Truth is--I don't have an answer for myself--yet. I got some ideas, but that's NOT GOOD ENOUGH for me, anymore. I need an answer that satisfies ME. That's what E-bay has done to me and for me--made me stop and think.

If I come up with an answer, I'll let you know. Until then, I'm gonna have a ton of fun this winter putting together my collections and my newest acquisitions and making a coherent, cohesive "whole" for all my stuff. I got started in this Joe collection stuff because I wanted to create 1/6th figures that represented my role-playing characters. Have I totally lost that concept along the way? I don't think so. As I have found these Traveller and Twilight:2000 items, as well as older and newer Joe-stuff, I find my thoughts traveling back to that age when my interests were more "imaginary" and less materially "concrete." I liked my character creations that could battle dragons and space monsters, or survive in a war-torn world devastated by warfare in a time contemporaneous with my military experiences. My intent at the time was to create 1/6th figures that I could photograph and use as a visual representation while playing my games and writing my stories. I've lost that original intent, I think it's safe to say, but I can gain it back IF I choose, and carry out my intent in a way that wasn't even possible when I started this 1/6th collection more than a decade ago.

I think I may have answered my own questions while telling you about E-bay.

Influences, Part Three

Well, it took long enough but I finally decided to finish off this series that I started some time back. Mostly it was done, but needed a few last touches before I published it on the blog. Tonight was the night, so it seemed. So, the conclusion of the series.

Role-playing games

If you are NOT familiar with role-playing games, maybe you have heard of Dungeons and Dragons? That's an example of an "rpg," role-playing game, as insiders call them. If you've never heard of rpg's or Dungeons and Dragons, a role-playing game is a game where the players imagine themselves as a character in an imaginary or fantastic circumstance or setting and "play" as if they were the character, such as a wizard, a soldier, or a space traveller. There are literally hundreds of different rpg's available on the market as these games have been around for most of 30 years now. In truth, if you think about it--they are much older than that, because a role-playing game is nothing more than playing "make-believe" as we did as small children. We could pretend to be nurses, doctors, cowboys, indians, soldiers, firemen, teachers, monsters, spacemen, policemen, detectives--any number of "characters" that our childhood imagination could come up with!

RPG's are exactly the same thing, but for older kids and adults, with very carefully established "rules" for settling circumstances, problems and conflicts. You could, if you wish, assign values to each character to give a "quantification" of each character's level of skill or attribute, for comparison purposes, and to determine outcomes of contests between characters, such as combat, success in wound treatment, persuading an enemy to surrender, piloting a space craft, shooting a weapon, or any number of various "contests" of strengths and skills. Assigning attributes would give characters ratings in intelligence, beauty, strength, endurance, or other physical, mental, or emotional characteristics.

Anyway, the point being the influence that rpg's had on me as I play with my Joes. As I have acquired my various Joes over the years, I name them and give them assignments within my "organization," as I have previously described. Some are officers, like Brigadier Graemon and Colonel Guile, some are doctors, like (Major) Doctor Devoreaux, some are pilots, like Major Cunningham, and so on. For some of the characters, I have written back-stories about the characters--where they came from, what experiences they've had, how they acquired the skills they have--all central concepts from rpg's, to give meaning, purpose, and depth to my many, simple Joes. Someday, if needed, I can assign those attributes to each character and use them in an actual 1/6th war-game or role-playing game of my design. It all adds play-value to my troops and collection! It all depends on how much time and effort I choose to invest in my figures.

Hasbro, when they invented Joe, gave him a sketchy back-ground to begin with. According to Vincent Santelmo, an author that researched the origins behind GI Joe at Hasbro, each of the four basic figures, the soldier, the sailor, the marine, the airman--all had simple names. I can't remember that GI Joe was actually marketed with those names, but they had 'em! The soldier was Joe, the marine paratrooper was Rocky, the sailor was Skip, and the airman was Ace, a fighter pilot. So, ya see--Hasbro worked GI Joe from the beginning, as discrete individuals, in each of the services.

Flash Force

Flash Force is an imaginary unit under the grandiose United States Department of Counter-Terrorism. It's a group of collectors that operate on Yahoo groups. These guys established standards and practices for their collections, giving their 1/6th troops uniforms, titles, and assignments. I can't really tell you too much about them, but I don't KNOW that much--I've only seen a few of their websites. They are fantastic, those I've seen. They made up maps of their "bases," pictures of their building interiors, pictures of their troops in training and on operations, vehicles, stories, aircraft, ranks, awards and Gawd knows what-all! The group really takes Joes and Sams to an entirely different level, from simple dust-collecting shelf-warmers, and makes them a "real" working combat and support unit assisting the United States government! It's an absolute hoot to see the fantastic imaginations and work these fellas have put into their collections!

When I saw what these guys had done, it really helped my ideas "gel" into what my collection is today. The Flash Force serves as a "model" model agency for the organization and presentation of a 1/6th collection!

OK, there it is. These are the major influences that have helped shape my collection of Joes, Sams, Dragons, BBI's, Lanards, Power Teamers, Cy's, and all the rest, into one fairly cohesive "whole," at least in my mind--the Special Services and Security Force. Hope ya liked to read about it, and more importantly, I hope you might have picked up an idea or two, to use as your own. But, even if you didn't, and you just go on with your collection of "whatever" 1/6th figures, I wish you well, and I wish you fun, relaxation, and personal pleasure with your wonderful collections of 1/6th soldiers, sailors, coasties, marines, airmen, police, fire, Adventure teamers, and fem-figs!

Oooooo...

It's crowding in on 3 weeks since I last smoked and I got to tell you...I think I'm gonna die and/or kill something or someone real soon now. Just about everything in Creation is conspiring to annoy me or otherwise piss me off! Yah, I'm a wee bit tense these days. Intellectually, I know that the physical adiction part of the tobacco has worn off already. What I'm dealing with is the psychological addiction and to NOT having the sedative effects of the tobacco calming down my normal and natural emotions and controls. Damn! But that smarts, I mean to tell ya! Hurts too. Painful, it is--having to go it naturally. How do regular and normal folks put up with all those jerks out there going out of their way to annoy the rest of us people on a daily basis?

Well, what I'm doing to distract myself as best I can while having SOME degree of fun is...drum roll, please...wait for it...Ta-DAAAAA! I play with my good old buddy, GI Joe! Yup, I've been doing what I can to amuse myself with my Joes, getting them out of storage, sorting them into their various groupings and departments. I wrote about the groupings in previous entries here on the blog. Well, anyways...I'm trying to be busy with 'em all--to get over and around the withdrawal problems of the nicotine. Ain't easy.

Latest effort--recently, a Joe collector bud name of Gun Shy, (ya might have heard of him,) posted a picture of some of his Joes wearing a particular camouflaged helmet. This helmet was a special painted camo version released years back with several carded sets that seemed to go right under MY radar screen for whatever reason. These helmets struck a particularly significant note with me because of the lack of proper helmets for my 40th Anniversary figures that Hasbro, in its total lack of marketing sanity, FAILED to release after making an absolute TON of 40th Marine figures! (Army guys, too, for that matter, but I'm talking Marines right now.)

Now I ask you--how in the Blue Blazes do ya expect a TON of Marines to assault enemy beaches everywhere and anywhere WITHOUT having helmets to wear??? How obtuse can one numbnutz, dumbjohn, lame-brained toy company be, is what I want to know??? Assault enemy beaches without helmets? Right...good one HasBLOW! Guess my Marines will just have to hold their hands over their heads while assaulting ashore, right?

So, here we are, or here I am with my 40th Marine contingent standing around wearing soft covers with nary a helmet in sight of any of them Devil Dogs. Sure, I have an extra Army "pot" helmet from some army set. That's good for ONE Marine. OK, I have a Red Cross helmet from the army medic set that's good enough for the hospital corpsman that accompnaies my Marines--that's two guys covering their heads, but what about the rest???

Bingo! Yup, the short point to my long story is these special camouflaged helmets from this previously released carded set. One set arrived today and now I have another Marine covered. Another set is "on the way" and that will make four Marines protected. Now I have to wait for more sets at reasonable prices to show up on E-bay before I can protect the rest of my Marine contingent. I just hope my troops don't get the call anytime before I get enough for the guys!

Which reminds me--my very good buddy ET, the 1/6th Transaction Man, and instigator of all these 1/6th blogs that showed up within the last few months, gave me a deal on some Marine uniforms and helmet covers. If I could find those helmet covers, I "could" fit it over that plain green army "pot" helmet and that Marine would look all the better like his camo-helmeted brothers-in-arms, right? It could work, I think? :lol

Oh, one more thing...an incidental thing, really, but I have to mention it. That helmet set that came in the mail today? Never thought I'd be the one to say it, but the packing material stank to high Heaven! Yes, it did! Why, you ask? The packing material smelled of cigarette smoke-- I kid you not! I threw the empty cardboard box outside with the packing materials from inside the box. I freed-up the actual Joe carded set from all the rest of the packing stuff, and I can't wait to clear all the Joe gear from the card so I can toss the rest of the cardboard things outside as well.

Never in all the rest of my life would I have thought I would be the one SENSITIVE to cigarette smoke! UN-BE-LIEV-ABLE!

Anyway...my Joe Marine looks cool as hell now! AND...I got a water-cooled .30 caliber machine-gun for the rest of my troops to have when they assault those enemy beaches--BONUS-TIME!

Thank you for reading! And please--if ya get a few minutes in your day that you absolutely have nothing else to do with? Please send a little "healing energy" my direction to help me get over this cigarette addiction. I thank you, and may Karma reward your selfless-ness!

GI Joe, GI Joe,
fighting man from head to toe,
on the land, on the sea, in the air!

It's been a week now...

...of me NOT inhaling that slow acting poison called tobacco. I mean to tell you--it ain't no easier today than it was yesterday or last Sunday. I keep patting my pockets, I keep getting up and wandering outside, I keep gazing off thinking about having a smoke. I can hardly refrain from responding as a crazy-man when somebody says or does something I think is fairly dumb. In other words, I'm on the edge all the time. But, I have experience with this quitting stuff--I've done it dozens, maybe hundreds of times...and it NEVER gets easier. I have THAT to look forward to. :(

On top of that cheery note, my "big" e-bay score arrived today and is exactly what it was represented to be, much to my surprise. I expected a bunch of SWAT team cops, and what I got was a bunch of 21C Close Quarter Combat figures with molded-on balaclavas...which makes them pretty darn useless to me as they are. I am NOT blaming anybody, least of all the guy I won them from. I blame myself for seeing what I "wanted" to see and not necessarily what was there, right in front of my eyes. I have grown somewhat use to people NOT knowing what THEY have and calling it by the wrong name, that I naturally expect folks to mis-identify their e-bay stuff. That AIN'T always the case. It wasn't the case this time. I now own a bunch of flat-black, molded-face, soldiers that will get shoved into a box until I need some anonymous "bodies" or something. I may be able to use three figures and four uniform sets out of the bunch. The rest are...less utility to me right now. Props at best. So much for my prideful "Big Score!" Maybe I can photograph a "riot control" scene or something, using these guys! Whatever....

*Sigh*

Well, we have a long week-end ahead of us. I have a friend to go visit. I might be able to get some amount of Joe-time in--sorting and storing, I guess. The grass will need cutting, paper-trash burned, garbage removed--routine stuff. But, let's try to remember that down South, things are not gonna be barbeques, beer, and fun times for the folks along the Gulf Coast. There are thousands, possibly hundreds of thousands of people that have lost all, or almost all, this past week. My work-place and my State are organizing to provide what assistance we can. Charity drives have already started. The Red Cross seems to be the agency that keeps cropping-up as in "most need" of funding for disaster relief efforts.

So, while we're all having our fun this week-end, (or be-moaning our bad e-bay deals or crankiness over stopping smoking,) please consider helping out our Fellow Americans in the deep South with even a few dollars of spare change, or more, if ya feel like it. Seems like folks are always asking Americans for a few dollars to send overseas to help strangers and foreigners--how many times do we Americans really need to help out fellow Americans, right here at home? Geez...these are our own friends, family and neighbors, ya know? OK...extended family!

Me? Well, I think I'll give at the office next week when the drives really get going. I figure if I can buy a bunch of dolls, I can toss a few bucks in a hat equal to a few packs of smokes I don't need anymore. Hell, I might go for the cost of a carton. Ain't no braggin' rights in charity work, but each of us will know what we did or didn't do to help.

Have a safe week-end, have a GREAT week-end! Have a Joe week-end if ya can! Honest to gawds--I WILL work on finishing up Part Three of my "Influences" piece this week-end!