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1994 CONVENTION...a walk down memory lane...

9/19/2010

10 Comments

 
Well, it has been a busy weekend and it has gone way too fast. I spent a portion of it working on stuff for Ft. Thomas and I spent part of it just relaxing. I hope everyone has had a good one (short as it might have been). I am going to spend this week doing some looking back I am going to start with an event that took place in 1994 and then we will jump even further back to 1964. I recently found some pictures from the 1994 Joe Convention that took place on the USS Intrepid in New York City. I was there and though there had been Joe Conventions a plenty by 1994, there had never been one like the one in 1994 - The Thirty Year Anniversary of GI Joe.
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Two years earlier, Hasbro had returned to the 12" market with the special TARGET figure Duke. They were sold out in a matter of days. As we all remember, those of us who were in the G.I. Joe hobby at the time, he wasn't much of an action figure really, but we ate it up like it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. I think even Hasbro was surprised at his success and it wasn't long before a whole line of REAL AMERICAN HERO figures were lining the shelves at TRU, TARGET and WAL-MART.

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Yes, they were really this bad and I was buying them right along with everyone else. Two years later I was standing on the deck of the Intrepid and it had been thirty-three years since I had last stood on that deck.

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The 1994 convention was special for a couple of reasons; first it was the only place to get the Anniversary collection as it was not in the stores yet, it would soon be, but for the Joe crazed faithful, it was a magical moment when we had something that no one else had. Secondly, the convention was the place where Hasbro unveiled it's newest product, Sgt. Savage and the Screaming Eagles. That of course was to have greater significance for me later on when 21st released something called a Stuart Tank, but it was fairly significant for me the night of the banquet when we saw the new product and got to meet the product artist - Joe Kubert (the man behind Sgt. Rock). We also got to hold the original Concept GI Joe, which wasn't much to look at up close and personal, but it was carefully passed from one attendee to the next. And as exciting as all that was for me, nothing compared with being on the Intrepid. The last time I had stood on the deck of that ship was 1962, when my father had set me in the cockpit of an A-4 Skyhawk.


Well, I realize that this might not be an exciting blog for most, but I felt like a walk down memory lane this week and this seemed like as good a place as any to start.
Until next time, have a good one!
10 Comments
okimbored
9/19/2010 12:51:36 pm

That looks like a great show, tons of people and stuff for sale. I wonder if we'll ever see shows like that now that again. With online dealers closing, Hasbro virtually out of the 1/6th business and DML doing online shows. i think we really are a dying hobby. On some of the web sites I go to that list Birthdays it always amazes me that at 46 (today) I'm young for the hobby lol. I'd like to think my collection will be worth something when I'm gone but I doubt there will be anyone left who wants it

Reply
Point Man
9/19/2010 09:02:07 pm

46 Today, well then...Happy Birthday.

The trend does seem a little disturbing and yet we continue to see a tremendous number of new releases from Dragon, DID, Hot Toys, Sideshow and a host of other little companies. Despite the fact that you can't find anything in a retail store, these guys are moving a lot of product. I'm 53 and I can tell you it isn't me that is buying it. I haven't got the kind of money that they want for a figure these days, so who is buying the stuff? I do agree with you though, the hobby, like a lot of other past times is shrinking because most of the people in it are middle aged or older. We really do need to find a way to get young people interested, but we aren't going to see it happen when all the figures are $60 plus.

Reply
Panzercommander (HOH)
9/20/2010 12:04:42 am

Happy Birthday OK!

Interesting post Point Man - I like hearing about these past events that, though I don't like the product, I do recognize that there was a chain of events that got the companies that I do purchase products from into the market in the first place. Certainly Dragon would not have tried their hand in 1999 with Hans if the GI Joe stuff from the mid 1990s didn't go over so well.

I do agree with you about the disturbing trend in the hobby - I think the hobbyists buying the stuff now are generally older and either have a good job or good retirement package as they can afford a $50 - $130 figure (or multiples).

Two things that got me into the hobby - both when I was in 8th grade:

1. My family and I went to TRU one Sunday to get a birthday present for someone and I happened quite accidentally to find the Ultimate Soldier ISLE (back then) and I was amazed that someone made a Kettenkrad for action figures (after all, Saving Private Ryan had just featured one pretty prominently towards the end of the film). I made myself memorize the name "ULTIMATE SOLDIER" and looked it up on the internet as soon as I got home - and thus it began...

2. Someone left a Lee's Toy Review under a desk in my 8th grade History class and I happened upon it - needless to say - it sealed the deal. I think that's where I saw Hans and Klaus first - not to mention Cotswold's Elite Brigade figures.

I'm really surprised you still see younger people get into the hobby (more so online I guess) because of the price tag on newer figures - plus where are you going to find anything besides online? There was something to be said for being able to go into a Target, TRU, KB Toys, Walmart, K-Mart, etc. and being able to buy a boxed figure/carded weapons set/carded uniform set/carded figure, etc.

P.S. In the last picture to the left - is that Gunshy's camera? HEHEHE!

Reply
MadDogCPL
9/20/2010 01:02:13 pm

I agree with you Panzercommander the cost is getting to high and I think only the well established collectors can afford the nice new figures.
I love this hobby because I can hold history in my hand and think about how amazing the past was.
I also agree with OK that no one will be interested in our figures when we are gone.
I just do not think the younger generation is in to 1/6.
Thanks for the post Point Man.
Shawn.

Reply
Point Man
9/20/2010 08:52:54 pm

Panzercommander, I liked you talking about being in the 8th grade and going home to look up Ultimate Soldier on the Internet. When I was in the 8th grade, there was no internet.
And thus I am not worried about no one wanting my figures when I am gone, because I will not last as long as you guys.

Actually, when I started collecting in 1984, I was looking for vintage stuff that was twenty years old. So it is not hard for me to believe that there will be a market for figures in 2030, 2040 and 2050. Can you imagine what a Hasbro Japanese soldier will be worth by then. Gun Shy's descendants will be rich.

Reply
Hammer Six
9/21/2010 03:45:59 am

Damn nice pics PM. Wished I could have gone to that one. Was lucky enough to hit DX 08 and last years Joelanta.

Interesting that Fred and I got into the Hobby about the same time. Having had all girls and spending several years with The Mean Green Machine and running thru the boonies when GI Joe was born,I never got into them.

In double niner I was looking for a GI Joe for the youngest grandson, who likes all thinhs military, when I saw the Ultimate Soldier Paratrooper....from then on it was all down hill. But I think I have only bought ONE GI Joe figure.


Have to agree on trying to get younger ones included. Prices are to high for kids. Dragon used the excuse when oil hit $125/barrel that they had to raise the price. Now that oil is down to somewhat "normal" levels,,,the price by Dragon has still gone up.

Seems like the only people in the hobby anymore are the serious collectors. They need to make the 25-35 year old as the target market. .... .except the only way you find out about the figures is thru the net.

We need hobby stores to carry them,,,,,,,,,,but the wont. Dragon may have spurred some interest with the 1/6 the kits............we'll see.



Reply
okimbored
9/21/2010 04:04:04 am

but who even buys model kits anymore? i live within minutes of one of the best colleges in Michigan and the closest hobby shop of any kind is over 2 hours away

Reply
Hammer Six
9/21/2010 10:55:06 am

Hey Big C I hear ya. I used to be into 1/87 military minitures. Had starting doing those when I was in the 6th grade and bought them up until 21C rose up and bite me in the butt. THe thing is any decent 1/87 tank/vehicle is going to set you back about 30 bills! That means a Pather platoon of 5 vehicles which by the way would fit on 4 plus HO flat cars would set you back 150. Used to be you could buy 5 21C Paras for that amount

Price any 1/35 or 1/48 scale aircraft and it blows your mind!

Reply
Point Man
9/21/2010 11:31:01 am

I hear you. I am absolutely shocked at the price of models these days. There don't seem to be any bargains except on stuff that people don't want. I have even noticed a larger selection lately of 1/48th scale armor (which I think is a great scale), but it is as expensive as 1/35h scale stuff. Too bad that the model companies are basically pricing themselves out of customers. And the same thing is true about the model hobby, not a lot of young people, it is all old farts like me. It just seems sort of short sighted to me.

Reply
Panzercommander (HOH)
9/21/2010 12:03:26 pm

It's really too bad that many kids aren't interested in toys anymore. Sure they usually have them at some point growing up - but nowadays they only last until the kid learns how to text or use a PS3/XBox/Wii controller.

Personally I could play with toys for hours - action figures of course, but planes, trains, and automobiles, etc. as well. It's really too bad that the current trend is pointing in that direction though, but what can you do?

Models are expensive - I did 1:35th scale pretty heavily from 7th-9th grade (I even convinced my art teacher to let me make a papier-mâché base for a 1:35th scale North African diorama instead of doing the required project - a paper-mâché mask. I got to spend about two or three weeks on it and while everyone made masks and decorated them, I built the Tamyia British 8th Army infantry and the DAK infantry sets for my diorama - that was a blast!

I think a good discussion topic for a future blog post might be the future of the 1:6th hobby. It seemed to get a lot of attention on this one after all.

Reply



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