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| CODE NAME: TROOPER FILE NAME: CLASSIFIED GRADE: SUPREME COMMANDER (AT LEAST OF THIS PLACE) DUTY TITLE: WEBMASTER BIRTHPLACE: USA THE FIRST TIME I EVER ENCOUNTERED THE MEGA-TOYLINE KNOWN AS "G.I. JOE" WAS DURING THE LATE 1970'S. AT SOME POINT I WAS GIVEN MY UNCLE'S 12" FIGURE COLLECTION, OR RATHER, WHAT WAS LEFT OF IT. MY UNCLE DIDN'T KEEP HIS TOYS IN VERY GOOD REPAIR AND MOST OF THE ACCESSORIES FOR THE 4 OR 5 JOES GIVEN TO ME WERE LOST OR BROKEN. I PLAYED WITH THESE FIGURES FROM TIME TO TIME BUT, WASN'T TOO EXCITED ABOUT G.I. JOE. THAT ALL CHANGED DRASTICALLY ON CHRISTMAS DAY, 1982. MY PARENTS PURCHASED FOR ME SEVERAL FIGURES AND A FEW SMALL VEHICLES FROM THE NEWEST INCARNTION OF THE JOE LEGACY, THE 3 3/4" TALL "A REAL AMERICAN HERO" LINE. I DON'T REMEMBER EXACTLY WHICH FIGURES I RECEIVED THAT DAY, ASIDE FROM THE ONES IN THE PHOTO, BUT BY THE END OF 1984 I HAD MOST OF THE FIGURES AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME. I WAS HOOKED. THESE TOYS ROCKED!! I SPENT THE BETTER PART OF THE NEXT 5 YEARS PLAYING WITH MY JOES AND COBRAS. ONE OF THE EARLIEST IMPROVEMENTS TO THE LINE WAS THE INTRODUCTION OF "SWIVEL ARMS" IN 1983. THIS VERY SMALL CHANGE ALLOWED THE FORMERLY STRAIGHT ARMED FIGURES TO ACTUALLY HOLD THE WEAPONS THEY CAME WITH PROPERLY. THE NEXT BIG IMPROVEMENT WERE HEADS THAT COULD LOOK UP AND DOWN IN ADDITION TO SIDEWAYS. HASBRO KEPT MAKING THE FIGURES BETTER AND BETTER. THE VEHICLES WERE PRETTY DARN GOOD THEMSELVES, AND MOST INCLUDED A NEW UNIQUE FIGURE TO BOOT! MY ALL TIME FAVORITE WAS THE "SKYSTRIKER" WITH "ACE"! IF THE HOURS I SPENT "FLYING" THAT PLANE COULD COUNT FOR REAL FLIGHT TIME, I'D HAVE HAD MY PILOT'S LICENSE DECADES AGO! MY FAVORITE MEMORY WITH MY TRUSTY "SKYSTRIKER" WAS A NEIGHBORHOOD-WIDE CAMPAIGN IN WHICH I PARTICIPATED IN THE WORLDS GREATEST DOGFIGHT!! IT WAS BEAUTIFUL! KIDS RUNNING AROUND ALL OVER THE PLACE CHASING EACH OTHER WITH RATTLERS AND SKYHAWKS AND... WELL YOU GET THE IDEA. ANY WAY, WHEN WE CHOSE TEAMS (YEAH, IT WAS THAT BIG OF A DEAL) I WOUND UP WITH THE "LITTLE" KIDS THAT DIDN'T GET PICKED BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO SMALL/YOUNG. I DIDN'T MIND HAVING THEM ON MY SIDE. IN FACT, THEY HELPED OUR TEAM WIN THAT DAY. SEE, WE ACTUALLY HAD RULES OF ENGAGEMENT FOR DOGFIGHTING WITH JOE TOYS. FIRST, YOU HAD TO "FLY" THE PLANE. NO SUDDEN STOPS OR SHARP TURNS UNLESS IT WAS DESIGNED TO DO SO. SECOND, YOU SCORED A "HIT" BY ACTUALLY THROWING ONE OF YOUR MISSILES AND HITTING YOUR OPPENENTS PLANE; HITTING THE PILOT (THE KID) DIDN'T COUNT. SO, THERE WE WERE CHASING EACH OTHER ALL OVER THE NEIGHBORHOOD TRYING TO "SHOOT DOWN" THE OTHER TEAM'S PLANES. NOW, THE "SKYSTRIKER" HAD SIX MISSILES: TWO SIDEWINDERS, TWO SPARROWS, AND TWO PHOENIX MISSILES. I WOULD GIVE A MISSILE TO EACH OF THE RUGRATS, THAT THE OTHER TEAM DIDN'T WANT AND HAVE THEM CHASE AFTER THE OPPOSING FORCE'S PLANES. IT WAS A RIOT! WHILE THE ENEMY PILOTS WERE BUSY TRYING TO OUTRUN THE MISSILES WITH SNOTTY NOSED GUIDANCE SYSTEMS, I WOULD "FLY" IN FROM THE OTHER DIRECTION AND "SHOOT" THEM DOWN. OF COURSE THE OPPOSING PILOTS WHINED ABOUT HOW UNFAIR IT WAS. I JUST REMINDED THEM THAT IT WAS THEY WHO DIDN'T WANT THE LITTLE KIDS ON THIER TEAM. =) AHHH. THOSE WERE THE DAYS. FROM 1988 TO 1998 I WENT MIA FROM THE JOE UNIVERSE. JR. HIGH, HIGH SCHOOL, AND COLLEGE DEMANDED TOO MUCH OF MY TIME TO REALLY ENJOY MY JOE COLLECTION. I DID STILL SET UP MY JOES AND COBRAS IN BATTLE SCENES FROM TIME TO TIME. WHEN G.I. JOE ARAH RETURNED IN 1998, I WAS THRILLED TO PIECES TO ONCE AGAIN BE ABLE TO COLLECT THESE FUN TOYS. THE JOES AND OTHER TOY LINES THAT I OWN DON'T SEE MUCH TRUE PLAY TIME ANY MORE. INSTEAD I COLLECT WHAT I LIKE (I'VE NEVER HAD THE RESOURCES TO OWN IT ALL) AND I CREATED THIS WEB SITE TO SHARE MY HOBBY WITH THE WORLD. MAINTAING THIS SITE AND WORKING ON DIO-STORIES IS A WONDERFULLY RELAXING PASS-TIME FOR ME AND JUST ANOTHER CHAPTER IN THE ONGOING RELATIONSHIP I HAVE WITH SOME "REAL AMERICAN HEROES." YO, JOE! - TROOPER |
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| My first "G.I. Joe" Christmas. That's my sister in the Smurf pajamas on the right. |
| "Now, where do these stickers go?" Christmas, 1983. |
| Me with my beloved "Skystriker"! It was a birthday gift from my Grandmother. |