In 1996-97 I remember seeing the Tonka GI Joe offerings at Kaybee toys. At the time I remember thinking they just slapped the GI Joe name on a Tonka truck. Slap in the face! Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and it came up in a google search while looking for GI Joe/Transformers cross over customs. It became must have.
As far as GI Joe vehicles go, it is really basic. Its one major play feature is the working lights and siren (which my daughter loves). The tail gate does fold down and as you can see modern figures do fit inside. To say it has a solid construction is to basically call you stupid. Tonka + pressed steel = Tonka Tough (c)(tm).
The shipping was kind of high so I checked to see what else the seller had. That's wheb I saw the Nylint big rig with a ABC Winter Olympics sports tractor trailer. As a kid I had a couple of Nylint vehicles I had just assumed were Tonka. It looked a bit small but after some research the truck originally came with some Fisher Price Adventure People looking figures and a camera trolly. It was worth adding on to the order if for no other reason than having a Cobra surveillance command center.
Well, it is a bit under scale. Even if the cab was accessable, I not sure I could fit even a female o-ring figure in there. But rest assured, I will be trying.
Modern figures are too tall to sit properly at the consoles in the trailer unless you fudge the angles. O-ring figures are a little too big too but much easier to fit in place. You can see how the Techno Viper's butt isn't wuite touching the couch.
The inner walls have printed details and a wood paneling design. I thought that was a nice touch. The trailer has 3 opening side doors with latches so they can stay closed while the truck is moving. You can also see under the trailer where it has a folding support bar so it can stand alone without the truck.
The outside has tv cable connection sockets. I used some S'getti String tubing (aka replica GI Joe tubes) that fit the sockets perfectly. I threw a Funskool Psyche Out radar gun on top for good measure.
The back of the truck has a cargo door that actually slides up. I thought a Ferret might fit in there but the SNAKE armor laying down or the HISS drone seemed to be better fits.
Yeah, these don't show anything in particular. I just wanted to show you what my wife walked into when she got home. I was having so much fun.
