In the 1960's it was G.I.Joe. Now it's..................

Gentle reader,

If you follow my blogs, thank you very much! I'm always astounded at how many people have visited here.

As a kid, being a typical American boy, I played, er, interacted, "yeah, that's the ticket!" with G.I.Joe action figures. And built models, and played with HO slot cars. THEN we moved from Marin County, California (just across the Golden Gate Bridge) to Denver, Colorado. 

Unbeknownst to us (my brother and three sisters) Mom and Dad "donated" a BUNCH of our toys! When we were unpacking, all five of us were saying things like, "Hey, wheres my....?" That was the last I saw of my G.I.Joes and HO slot cars.

Sometime after marrying Nancy, we came across a "Toy Show". It featured vintage, collectible and some new toys. We found SO many things that we used to play with. Yet, I merely looked at the many G.I. Joes that were there. As you may have seen, many things like HO slot cars, HO scale trains, Dawn Dolls and other things we began to collect again.

It wasn't until earlier this year that I came across in one of our thrift store haunts, a new-in-the-box modern iteration of the classic G.I.Joe. Different company and WAY more detailed. It was less that $20., so I took the plunge.

Thanks to ebay, I discovered this whole 1/6th scale world out there! Some VERY expensive figures with incredible realism! In photos, one could easily be convinced you were looking at a real person. Such is the attention to detail.

In an effort to declutter in here, I decided to photograph my figures and carefully put them away for a future time that I can create diorama sets to display them. I photographed all but one in front of the inside of a box that held a 10" (1/6th are 12" tall) action figure that I bought for my grandson. I shot each with flash and without. I found the "without" shots more realistic and three dimensional. 

I was determined to assemble a set of figures from World War II to present day. From my years involvement with the U.S. Marines, I concentrated on USMC uniforms, mostly. In some cases, I bought a nude figure and uniform, boots, hats (covers in the Marines) helmets, weapons, etc. 

First up, below is a very detailed U.S. Army paratrooper from D-Day (June 6, 1944). His weapon is a folding stock M1 Carbine rifle. I don't remember any of the makers of these various figures.

Below is an Army figure from the Korean War. The seller said he looks like Harrison Ford. He's standing next to one of a series of diorama displays that hooked together. This one is for the outside of a M.A.S.H. tent. The only thing missing is the sling his M1 Garrand rifle should have.

Below is a Marine from the Viet Nam War. Figure, M16 rifle, helmet and cover and boots are all from different sources. Some might argue that it is a WW II uniform. The detail is much less that the other figure's uniforms and equipment. 

Below is the "Woodland" camo uniforms that all branches of the U.S. Military all wore. Now only the National Guard still wear them. The rest have gone "digital" with each having their own pattern and look. See: The Robb Collections: A Study in US Military Uniform Camouflage

 

Now skipping ahead to pre-Desert Storm, we have a uniform more suitable for rocky/desert situations. Note the "boonie hat" instead of a helmet. Also the tan suede boots. This photo shows the whole box background.

Note that the vest and other equipment was still in the Woodland pattern. Uniforms were much easier and quicker to manufacture than the vests and other equipment that U.S. forces are famous for draping themselves with. The UK (British) troops refer to U.S. forces as "Ninja Turtles".

Finally, below is a U.S. Marine wearing the digital Woodland pattern uniform. BTW, that helmet actually IS metal, covered with fabric. Note the modern M16/M4 with adjustable stock and 30 round magazine. 

Below is a set of FN SCAR rifles that the U.S. Military Special Operations COMmand (SOCOM) tested and accepted for their elite troops. Nancy's nephew, Matt was shocked at the amazing detail. They are accurate right down to the magazines being painted tan only on the portion that shows when in the rifle. 

They are the two versions of the SCAR. Note the physical differences. Seeing that Matt owns a real FN SCAR, he vouches for the accuracy. I was bothered to see the folding front site of one is missing. It may have been vacuumed up at some point after the fellow holding it fell off the shelf.

That's it for now. I feel good about the area in here being less cluttered and easier to move around in. Thanks for looking!

Scott