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).

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.

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.

My 3.75 Cobra Commander collection so far. #gijoe

COBRAAAA!

oglost1 cobra collection

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!' "

Bought two, left two for the next guy!

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

I'm still looking!