What is this vehicle, the "Devastator" or the large thing in the back? It's awesome and I want it. Any information?

Ask the guy that took the pic? The seat looks scaled for a 6" fig, but I got nothing.

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You won't believe this. A couple of years ago, there was a seller off the NJ craigslist that was trying to pass that off as a rare Joe collectible vehicle and wanted $80 for it.

I made an inquiry and asked him for proof. He sends me a price guide list (with no pictures) that has a Devastator reference listed as a Joe item. Obviously, a Joe customizer or collector would know that isn't the official Joe vehicle release (http://www.yojoe.com/vehicles/89/devastator/).

I told him that it wasn't a GI Joe vehicle and that I might be able to help properly identify the vehicle so he could list it properly. I asked for some pictures. After a couple of weeks, he eventually sent me photos of the vehicle. On the bottom, you can plainly see an address 799 ladd road, walled lake MI. No mention of Hasbro.

A quick google search turns out that it is from American Plastic Toys. The toy looks very similar to the old laser force toys from the 80s for a reason. APT is the rebranded Gay Toys company from that era. Here is their website - http://www.americanplastictoys.com/corporate.htm

I gathered up all this info and sent him reference pics from yojoe and the APT corporate site which shows their address which matches the underside of the vehicle.

As a counteroffer, I mentioned that I would be willing to buy it for 10-12 bucks since we proved it wasn't a Joe vehicle.

He replied that he would not accept any lower than $80 for it since it was a rare GIJoe collectible. I told him that he had a right to price the item at $80 but that he was falsely claiming that it was an official Joe product. I also mentioned that since he now knows otherwise, he would be intentionally misleading any potential buyer who didn't know.

Never got a response from them. I sincerely hope an unsuspecting buyer didn't get taken for $80.

After that, I just decided to put the vehicle on my Custom To Do list. Since then I have been parting out pieces for it in a spare bin when I can. Ironically, a base I have planned for it was from another APT tank that I found in a thrift store.

The other upside to this story is that I got some pretty good pictures of the vehicle which I have included below. Maybe it will help give some other customizers ideas for creating their own version.

The original listing on CL.


Close-Up pics

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wow, great detective work and great story, ronin

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Dang that thing looks pretty cool in the other photos. I don't remember seeing it around anywhere before either, which is weird because the APT/GT stuff isn't usually hard to find.

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Yeah, I'd take one.

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I think I have some missiles for that thing...
Looked like GI Joe parts, but not sure what...

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Ironically the original photos where emailed to me by a craigslist seller who wants an arm and a leg for it. #NJPROBLEMS

Wow, I don't think I've ever seen that before.
That's pretty awesome. If it were in the stores, I'd gladly grab a couple.

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Holy ________!

Makes me wanna go back in time and grab items I passed on because they weren't GIJOE.

Frickin' Hasbro plastic elitist...

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It might very well be the same guy trying to rip you off.

It was actually fortunate that he sent you that pic. We got to see a scale comparison with actual Joe vehicles which helps to sort out dimensions.

I do want to thank you because this got me going through the fodder bin I dedicated for this vehicle. The project has been on the shelf for awhile.

I believe that this vehicle can fit four figures from the pics. Two in the front, two under the turret.

I had set aside 6 STUN wheels to use for it. Also, had plans to up armor the driver cockpit a bit.

Getting off topic there. Sorry.

Am just curious but how much is he asking for it? Still 80 or more?

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My sentiments exactly. I never had any of those vehicles, but I remember seeing them everywhere as a kid, and I always made a note of them and how cool some of them looked. I definitely would have remembered seeing this. I've never seen one on the secondary market, either, and that's coming from someone who spends a lot of time looking for obscure/knock-off items. It's really awesome, and I'll be on the lookout for them from now on.

At one point in time I had almost as many vehicles from them as I did Hasbro, but yeah i have never seen this one.

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Although we know what it is, at first I thought it was one of those weird Tonka vehicles from a few years back that looked like post-apocalyptic versions of some of their other vehicles.

What is the purple race car in the front? That looks familiar too.

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This is why I miss the eighties( besides the fact I was a kid). Knockoffs that were great (kinda like chap mei now), but super cheap and more insane than the real joes/star wars. Heck, I remember micronauts,star wars, joe sized swords from the quarter machines, and the same sized lockers that had candy in them. Wow, I am old...

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