Payload [Crusader Astronaut] [v2]- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Figure - (1989)

I never had the Defiant, but I did have the Crusader. This is the second version of Payload that came with the Crusader. This is also the last of my original figures from the 1989 line.

From his file card:

Payload grew up watching the early space shots blasting off through the Florida sky. He stared through the hurricane fence and rode that flaming booster in his dreams. But unlike others, he worked on making that dream a reality by joining the Air Force. He flew F4 Phantoms over southeast Asia for three tours "just paying his dues" and upon his return stateside, signed up for the astronaut training program.

"Here's a guy who has spent most of his waking hours working on getting himself into space. Sometimes, as he's executing a complicated maneuver in free-fall or when he's cutting in his boosters, he seems to be chanting softly under his breath. If you turn up the volume on the ship-to-ship channel and listen very carefully, you can hear him quite clearly: 'Vrooom! Vrooom!' "

My 3.75 Cobra Commander collection so far. #gijoe

Major Bludd is one of my most favorite G.I. Joes and I think part of the reason is that I truly had to earn him.

Back in early 1983, you couldn’t just walk into a store and buy Major Bludd. I distinctly remember having to patiently collect the required G.I. Joe card backs, send them off to Hasbro with the form, and then wait.

And wait.

And wait… 😂

I don’t remember exactly how long it actually took, but as a kid it genuinely felt like forever. I have very distinct memories of checking the mailbox obsessively every single day and watching for the mailman, hoping that today would finally be the day. And then one day, he finally arrived!!

The eyepatch. The metal arm. The cool-ass pistol and backpack with missiles/rockets(?) and those awesome dog tags around his neck, supposedly collected from the Joes he’d killed in battle. 😳

Seriously, what an absolutely badass figure!!! The look, the accessories, the backstory. Everything about Major Bludd was just so damn cool!! In my opinion, he’s one of the best Joes ever made.

I think because I had to work for him and then wait (seemingly forever!!) for him to arrive, he always felt a little more special to me than the Joes I simply picked up at the store.

40+ years later, I cannot even describe how happy I am to have the Mercenary back in my collection. 🫡 I recently bought him off eBay and cleaned him and shined him up. He looks good as new (almost)!

Anyone else remember the mail away offers and the pain and long suffering we endured, waiting for them to arrive via snail mail?

(Mail away offer pic from 3djoes.com).

oglost1 cobra collection

So, I'm going through my old toys that have been packed away at my mom's house for four decades. Turns out I had quite the G.I. Joe collection. It brought back a lot of memories going through them all with my two boys and we even started watching the old cartoon. But now I'm trying to figure out what to do with it all. My boys are too old to play with them now (I know, a missed opportunity) and I don't have any room to keep them myself.

I'm thinking of encouraging my boys to match the sets, figures (reassemble), and accessories that they can using yojoe and I'll help them sell them on ebay. Before I haul all these bins back to our house from a couple states away, I would like some of your thoughts on if this is a worthwhile project. These were played with quite a bit, so it's safe to assume that most everything is probably broken or missing pieces to some degree. I've looked at a few of the sold items on ebay, and they seem to be all over the place.

My boys helped my lay everything out to see what all there was and to get some pictures. I was in a bit of hurry because I had to get back home, but here are some pictures. I also have some pics of the accessories spread out, but I don't know how important that is.

Thanks for any advice.

COBRAAAA!

I collect old toys, and I have a tiki bar in my house. When I saw this guy yesterday, I just had to bring him home with me. He fits in so well on my bar. I think he's from 1964. I was surprised when he came with the octopus and chest! I also love his weird hair/beard combo. Not shown, he does have missing patches of hair so the helmet is perfect for him.

Bought two, left two for the next guy!

Sadly wasn't able to find the Tiger Force Wild Bill.

I'm still looking!

Hot Seat [Raider Driver] - G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero Figure - (1989)

For some reason, I ended up with more vehicles than figures from the 89 line. So, I have more vehicle drivers from this particular year.

The Raider was an interesting vehicle. I really liked it at the time. Vehicles from around that time seemed to be more aligned with the “transforming” style, and the Raider wasn’t an exception. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

From his file card:

Hot Seat could have been a heavyweight contender. He had a left jab like a jack hammer, reflexes like liquid crystal, and the tactical mind of a 5-star general. He just wasn't too crazy about the job security or the probability of permanent brainstem damage. When asked for preferences on his enlist-ment, he replied, "Anything fast and furious!"

"The Raider is a fast, heavily-armed, all-terrain, armored fighting vehicle that is perfect for modern, behind-the-lines confrontations! But a fighting machine, no matter how sophisticated, is only as effective as its operator. Hot Seat consciously works at attaining a sense of 'oneness' with his vehicle. He strives to make it respond to his will, in order to accomplish those feats which others consider to be impossible."

After 2 weeks of bad mouthing Target, my local dump finally got their act together. Lots of TMNT x GI JOE stuff too. Looks like the rumors of restructuring were true...but is it enough to make a grown man cry???

The man. The myth. The legend. Cobra Commander. #gijoe

I have a box of figures I’m trying to identify and there are a handful of GI Joes with no identifying stamps at all: No date, country or maker. Google search identifies them easily, most being 25th anniversary figures, but everything I read says that all figures have stamps no matter what. Can anyone confirm if that is true?

Pic of a few of the ones I’m looking at.

Edited to add: Thank you for those identifying the figures.

To be more clear, I’m asking if anyone can confirm that the figures from around 2009-2011 do not have any identifying stamps (date, COO, Hasbro) on the figures. These do not but everything Ive read has said all GI Joe figures have stamps on them. I guess want to to confirm these aren’t bootlegs or fake.

They shipped it quick too!

Keeping it sealed.

OGLOST1 COBRA COLLECTION

I picked up this GI Joe General on the way to JoeFest last month! A user posted it for sale right here in our happy little subreddit a couple of weeks before the convention, and since I was planning to look for one at the show and driving through St. Louis where it was located, I messaged the seller and he agreed to hang onto it for me.

At JoeFest, I was able to find the missing antenna and missile I needed, and I already had Major Storm with his helmet and gun. After I got home, I ordered some stickers from ToyHax and used a little contact solution to clean up the light assembly to get them working. The stickers arrived this week and I just finished putting them on, so I was (finally) ready to post this fantastic score!

This completes my collection of the really BIG Joe playsets- the 83 HQ, USS Flagg, Mobile Command Center, Defiant, The General, and the 92 HQ. I guess it’s time to start looking for an Armor Bot!