Friday, March 09, 2007

Urban Adventure!!!

Well it was bound to happen, I got so many new guys and only so much space!!! Last week I went into Manhattan and got the Urban Outfitters' exclusive G.I. Joe Air Adventurer with Kung-Fu Grip. Yes, he's prety cool, but ...











... he's dressed wrong ... a Sailor Boy!!! I also recently got two figures that show the difference between DC and Marvel. DC Direct gets it, they have been putting out excellent collector figures (they may be 13", but they still are cool) and Marvel has chosen to go for the more mass-market appeal and cheaply. Look at the quality of Thor ... he may be a nice figure, but compared to Captain Marvel, he's a cheap piece of plastic. Granted the Captain Marvel figure costs at least DOUBLE the price, but he's much cooler!!! Here's where G.I. Joe come in, he's an inaccurate reproduction of a classic 70s figure, but he still is a better value than either Thor or Captain Marvel merely for the fact that he is priced "right". At $20, he's 2/3 the price of Thor and well, you do the math for Captain Marvel!!!

I decided to have a little fun at Joe's expense ... I REALLY dig him and feel he belongs with Lewis and Larry in the world of "could have-been" Joes. I am a big fan of all action figures, mainly for their unique qualities ... do I want original 70s AT Joes? Sure, but I also want something that I can play with. The current crop of reproductions have an EXCELLENT "Play-Value" that I love.

SO, my advice to all the purists out there is to just go with the flow ... new and repro Joes won't diminish your collection and maybe, just maybe you may start to play with your toys and remember WHY you collect and love these toys!!!

Don't forget, the pictures get bigger if you click on them!!!

1 comment:

gibri said...

Hey Brian,

I agree with you, I think we are in the minority, but I love the play value of the new repro figs. from whoever made them. They look just like the Joes I had as a kid, they are in new condition, didn't cost all that much and you don't have to worry about damaging a valuable antique.

Another great cartoon to introduce your new fig.

Oh, yeah, and I always preferred DC over Marvel as a kid. Can't say exactly why, but I always felt they were better all around. And, of course, Sgt. Rock was and is the man!

Brian
=D