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One of our own, A.V.A.C. is down in Florida attending the G.I. Joe Collectors Convention!

The Fighting 1:18th visits JoeCon 2011!

It’s that time of year again folks…

It’s time for the G.I. Joe Convention.. 2011!!!

One of our own, A.V.A.C. is down in Florida right now attending the G.I. Joe Collectors Convention as we speak!

We will be having full live-blogging coverage on our Forums as well, so be sure to check that out for up to the minute details and info!

He is working on a full editorial write-up from the Convention, and we will post it in its entirety, along with some photos from his trip shortly.

[Edit: The full post is now below, thanks!]


“THROUGH THE GLASS”

MY REFLECTIONS ON JOE CON’S DISPLAY CASES

By Coby Brown

(Photos by Carrie Brown)

To GI Joe fans like me, one of the best perks about attending Joe Con every year is getting to see all kinds of fun new stuff just inches away from your eyes for the very first time, taunting the viewer behind a quarter inch of clear acrylic plastic or glass. Photos capture the essence of it, but it just doesn’t compare to seeing them up close and in person. Whether it’s the club’s exclusives, the newest additions to the latest line, or the stunning diorama’s done for Hasbro, the collective anticipation fills the air among the attendees. The contents of the glass display cases can foretell one’s financial future, as you ponder to yourself, “So, that’s how much or how little i will be robbing my savings for this weekend, the next few months and upcoming year”.

One of my favorite things as a young toy collector was finding and opening up a new Joe or Cobra vehicle that seemed to appear from no where, in those mythical toy aisles of the eighties. There were always the comics, cartoons, and commercials that set the stage or hinted at upcoming new characters and vehicles. You never knew for sure, until you got your little dirty hands on a new series insert inside a new vehicle. This full color display catalog displayed all the new mind blowing toys that could grace you on your birthday or Christmas. Everything was all set up in dioramas and given environments that put my childhood’s pillow and couch forts to utter shame. I remember buying the Cobra C.L.A.W. one Saturday afternoon in September of 1984. I was exited to see a new Cobra weapon that I had recognized from its use by Cobra in the Marvel comic. When i got home and opened it, my eyes zeroed in on something different, a new insert! What amazing things must lie inside i wondered, and who the hell is that two-headed guy next to Duke on the front? After viewing the books contents, i could barely dial my best friend’s phone number to tell him the news, as my hands were shaking with excitement and glee. As one could argue, it is one of the most iconic years for the Real American Hero GI Joe line. That two-headed guy was Zartan, the Rattler, Whale, Stinger, SHARC… Wow. I imagine these “child hood checklists” were the bane of many parent’s wallets back then, my mother used to call them “the begging book”, that and the Sears catalog of course. I would always gear my mom and dad up with past and present catalogs filled with circles and exclamation marks on what armaments or figures were the needed the most around the holiday time, or any time for that matter.

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