I joined the forum on March 24th, about two weeks ago. I didn't have a Joe, or a clue about any of the figures at the time. In the last two weeks, I've bought these:

Agent Mouse (Retaliation)
Sgt. Airborne v4 (Retaliation)
Snake Eyes v65 (Retaliation)
Snake Eyes v54 (Pursuit of Cobra)
Duke v32 (Resolute)
Night Viper v4 (Retaliation) x2
Shipwreck v14 (Rise of Cobra)
Shipwreck v16 (Dollar General)
Roadblock v23 (Retaliation) x 2
Low-Light v8 (Pursuit of Cobra)
Night Viper v5 (50th Anniversary)
Duke v50 (Retaliation)
Low Light v6 (DTC)
Lady Jaye v11 (50th Anniversary)
Baroness v12 (50th Anniversary)
Lady Jaye v9 (Retaliation) x3
Joe Colton v1 (Retaliation) x 3
Storm Shadow v43 (Retaliation)
Ninja Duel Snake Eyes v64 (Retaliation)
Dark Ninja v1 (Retaliation)
Firefly v25 (Retaliation)
General Hawk v6 (Pursuit of Cobra)



When I sat down, and put all my figures together, I couldn't believe that I have 28 already. In two weeks.

Is this kind of behavior typical for people when they start working on their collection? Please tell me that I'm not crazy (any more than an adult collecting G.I. Joes can be).

Oh, and I got my first screw back figure today, my first Low Light (I was a sucker for the Barrett M99 sniper rifle he came with). I think I've been bitten, for sure. It reminded me of the figures I had as a kid.

Am I beyond hope? Or am I displaying the kind of behavior you all expected to see?

Cheers, and happy collecting all!

Bill

Yeah, welcome to the club. My customizing has gone WAY down over the last few years, but I still end up buying fodder and am basically in hoarder status for parts "just in case."

The good news is that all the things you bought have useful, mostly-generic parts, so they'll go a long way. But when you find a fig that's "perfect" for multiple projects (like that sweatered Snake Eyes) and start buying up every one you can find just so you aren't stuck if they become rare, and suddenly realize that there's a newer, better buck out there. That's when you've entered my sad world

So yeah, this is totally expected. Just keep an eye on your budget so you don't pull a "Chief" and you should be totally fine.

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are you collecting these? or buying fodder i had to sit myself down when i got started, and have a talk. i have a hoarding mentality and try really hard to be a customiser and not a collector.

many of our ranks enjoy both, and that is cool too i am compulsive and wouldn't be able to rest until i had them all.

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Hi Chief,

Thanks for the reassurance! About 40% of the figures I've purchased have been from the two Toys R Us stores nearest to me, and at $4 apiece. The Tactical Ninja Team was $40 w/ shipping, the Snake Eyes v54, the one that I absolutely had to have, was $25 loose. All in all, I've gotten some really good deals. The Lady Jaye 2 pack I got for $10 at my local TRU today. While it's harder to find the figures I want coming in so late to the game, it's easy to find fodder for cheap. I'll probably go back and buy another 1-2 Joe Coltons and Lady Jays from the Retaliation line, just because the Colton figure is a really good base figure/head to start with, and the Lady Jaye figure is so good for adding a lot of weapons.

I've found several figures that I really want that are more expensive. Those will have to wait. A couple of them I've located the molds for their heads, so I'm thinking I can build them. The one I really want is the Daina v2 from the Oktober Guard series:

http://www.yojoe.com/action/12/daina2.shtml

Luckily, I've located her head resin build. I wanted the head to mod my Lady Jaye from the 2 pack w/ Baroness. I like the head better, and I'll paint this head for the Jaye figure with brown hair.

Since getting the older Low-Light (well, the older "build" technology) earlier today, it's sent my mind racing. I need to build up the nerve to start cracking these, using the guides on our site. But I have access to most of the tools I need. I can use my father's massive tool set. I have a lot myself, but no dremel. He has one, so I can mod the heads with it.

The painting will just take practice. But I'm progressing, which is the most important thing, I think.

I plan on building a 5 man team (well, 5 members. Men and women), and I'd like to set them up with 3-4 different setups. One for underwater, one for jungle/desert, one for arctic battle, and a final one for covert operations. My Sudden Death character is unique, but the other members of my team will be existing Joes that I feel give my team exactly what I need.

I will follow your lead, it seems. Thank you for the input, Chief

I haven't been able to stop buying. I've run out of space but still can't pass up bargains that I may need someday for customizing. It's an addiction.

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Hey Chris,

Well, I don't see myself customizing any Cobra figures. There's really no draw there for me. So those few I have are there for possible trade bait down the road. Sometimes, these figures will come with accessories I might want. The Firefly has an alternate head I really like, reminds me of Beach Head. The Night Viper characters intrigue me for their night vision helmet/goggle combination. I also like their sniper rifles. So, those elements could always get used.

The Joes, however, are for customizing. Most of them have at least a few elements I am seriously considering for my team. The Coltons and Roadblocks are "base" figures that I might build my Sudden Death character on. Or, one of the Snake Eyes. The SE v54 won't get touched, I'll keep him as is, and he'll be part of my support team. The one from the Ninja Trio I might leave unmolested, too. But any others, especially the Retaliation line one, could serve as parts for my covert setup. A lot of times, seeing a figure in a picture, and getting it in hand, are completely different experiences, and I don't know until I get pieces in hand, and see how they'll work together. I love the PoC Shipwreck in the black. But I'm disappointed by the range of motion his head has. However, I could slap a Joe Colton head on the body. That is an option. Plus, I can use the gear. I might mod his head, we'll see. But these all serve as options.

And, if I only use 2 of the Joe Coltons/Lady Jayes, I'll keep the others, and a few years from now, I might work a trade with somebody new like myself. I cover all my bases.

I'm not just spending money for the heck of it. If I were doing that, I'd spend on Blu Ray movies, or my baseball card collection.

You're at step 4 of the twelve step program to becoming one of the gang.

Good luck.

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Don't worry about it.
As long as you enjoy them in some way and you're having fun there's no problem.
It happened to most of us. Some army built like crazy and bought every viper or cobra trooper six packs they could get about 10 years ago while others just can get enough various bits and pieces just in case they need them for that eventual custom figure...

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I figure get it now while the getting's good. Once I have everything I need, and my tools (paint, brushes, etc), then I'm only limited by my imagination, and my talent. I look forward to seeing some new figures at the stores, though. That level of excitement will be nice. To experience new figures at the same time you guys are...that will be a thrill.

I am happy to be on step 4 already. I guess I'm making progress. I feel like the kid who is at a new school, walking into the cafeteria with my tray, looking for a place to sit down. I'm still the new kid, but at least now I have a place to sit and learn!

28figs / 2weeks = 2figs a day.

Pffft, amateur. Keep trying, li'l buddy; you'll catch up one of these days.

In seriousness, be *very* picky about getting 'screwback' figures. Since you're coming in at the artistic height of a 30yo toyline, them screwbacks are gonna be not as impressive to you, I bet. I'd focus on modern figures and vintage vehicles/playsets if I were you (even tho they won't always jive due to footpeg-size differences and height issues) as that's gonna get you the overall best bang for your buck, imho.

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I absolutely see what you mean. I'd augment what I've been looking at with these screwback figures, and the screwbacked figures I'd be looking at will be modern figures, ie the 25th, 30th and 50th anniversary figures. The Low Light I got I'll need to update with better hands and legs. But I like the bp, head and arms. And the accessories.

Last few figures I needed to get to work came in today. Now I am a happy camper.



Ok, now I can figure out how well certain parts work with different figures, and then I'll know how many more of ____ (insert accessory) I need. Hopefully I'll be able to get what I need without pulling out my remaining hair!

Once you open that new LowLight and compare him to the JvC one you already have; you'll see the dangers of going after them screwbacks. And that LL is one of the best of the JvC era, too!

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We're all a bit crazy here. It helps with our creativity.

As in one person saying "I was thinking of taking x figure and combing it with y parts to make z."

Second person is like, "You're crazy!" and then they see the same parts on their workbench just sitting there.


Wait until you discover army builder. It's maddening...

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having a ton of fodder parts is absolutely essential to growth as a customizer. When I first started out, I had 5 figures, and was limited to head swaps and painting. When I got ten more, I learned how to mod any head to fit any body, and added some tentative sculpting. But even then I was limited, because $7 +/- per figure made it sting every time I messed something up.

Then I won a couple too-good-to-be-true auctions on ebay (they really were true btw), where I added about 100 25th Anniversary figures at roughly $2.50 per figure. That's when everything took off, because I could hack, chop, splice, sand and otherwise destroy figures without regret. Obviously I did these things in the name of science (or at least technique and skill advancement), and I became better for it.

I am decently well stocked in fodder figs, but I am now very selective on what I add. Some new figs are must haves, but those are few and far between for us all right now. I still have a handful of go-to figures for my customs, and luckily I can still find those at a discount from the right seller here or there.

If you find you're buying and not really using, there's no harm in sitting tight for awhile. My experience is that I can usually find something I need here or on ebay without much effort.

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