OK, lets not make this a debate.

I absolutely LOVE the 25th figures to death, and I think they're great remakes. But the other day, after selling quite a few ARAH figures, I got to thinking:

1. Love the old figures, hate how brittle they are becoming. Glad to be rid of them.

2. Vehicle plastic from 82-83 is slowly turning into Kleenex. Got rid of those too.

3. Then I picked up my Viper Pit figures. Decent remakes, good colors, solid plastic. It occurred to me: I think these were the last gasp of decent ARAH made. I hate the con sets, cause Joes don't cost multiple hundreds in my book. Also, I know it kinda failed, but looking back on 2001-2004? It seemed like those ARAH reissues were GOLD. Non brittle new Joes in camo, lots of useful vehicles reissues, everything was cheap. Seems to me if they could have kept going in the direction they were (better build quality, better molds...making more Vipers), we could have seen a ARAH renaissance. I realize 25th is the way of the future and I'm pumped. But I'd love to see what "might have been"...

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That's why I keep both my ARAH collection for nostalgic reasons, and my 25A collection for asthetic reasons ,displayed - best of both worlds.

I think after 25 years, a toyline/product should reflect the changes in modern technology, sculpting expertise, and evolve. The 25A line does exactly that while staying as faithful to the original as possible. While there were a few promising characters/sculpts in the 2001-2005 run, I still consider it the "dark ages" where Hasbro was throwing everything at the wall to see what would stick.

I absolutely love the 25A line (heck they even stayed true to Bazooka v1 rather than that Zap-wanna-be from VvV) but I'm also happy about the memories this line gave me when I was growing up. Don't think I'll get rid of either anytime soon.

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I agree.

I love the 25th. I think they're awesome figures and I hope Hasbro will finally stick to one formula, the 25th formula being preferable to either New Sculpt or Sigma for me. But, with that said, I wish the RAH molds would have continued or gotten at least some kind of support from Hasbro beyond what the club offers (simply because I'm not willing to drop over $200 for con figures when for the same amount I could, like, make another car payment).

Simply put, I really like the 25th figures, but I'd drop them tomorrow if it meant returning to RAH, especially if Hasbro were willing to put the same care into them as they do with the 25th. I know a lot of people probably think that's ridiculous since the 25th figures are better than RAH in so many ways, but the fact of the matter is that RAH is the cornerstone of my Joe collection. After 25 years of collecting them, I've grown quite an army, and they all work and look "right" together.

Too bad Hasbro had to change the scale, yet again, for the 25th. Had the 25th been everything they are now, but RAH scaled, I think it would have been the best of both worlds. Then again, my biggest problem with the 25th has always been that they're too big to interact with the stuff they're celebrating.

And yet I still buy them because they're just too damned cool to pass up.

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I still prefer the ARAH figures myself, but I also like the 25A line. The initial release of figures were highly questionable in terms of quality and posability but the newer ones are quite good. Still, I prefer ARAH and I have no plans to get rid of mine. I am surprised to hear about the breaking and brittleness of your old stuff. I have collected mine from various sources over the last 8 years or so and none of them are falling apart. They are all just as solid as brand new figures save a few o-rings breaking here and there. Hell, the newer o-rings break more than the old ones. I just moved a bunch of stuff around and discovered about 6-7 figures that all had broken o-rings. I never knew it untill I moved them.

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I think my biggest regret is that I was driving myself nuts trying to track down some pieces that got updated/re-released. That and some compatibility issues are about my only regret/complaints.
I really love the 25th. I'm glad I had finished my ARAH collection before they came out, or I'd be more torn.

I haven't really experienced the brittleness in my old ARAH either -- and mine were played with hard and then just shoved in a box in the attic until I retrieved them from my parents' house a few years ago. The o-rings have all deteriorated, but the plastic doesn't seem that bad off. All the broken crotches & thumbs that I have were all broken when I was a kid. Same with all the rusted screws -- they were all rusted pre-1985, so no real damage has occurred since then other than the o-ring problem.

But I did pick up a couple of the 2001 releases when they came out (I was deployed to Kuwait at the time and they had them in the PX), and was impressed with the quality of them, if not the punkin' heads --I got the Surefire/Lowlight pack and thought Lowlight had the biggest melon evar.

And while I'm keeping about half of my original ARAH figs for nostalgia (the rest are just too trashed to save), I don't care to get any more in that style - even if they're originals. So that's why I'll never buy a GIJCC 'Con set or anything. The appeal of my ARAH toys is that they're mine -- I bought them in the stores in the early-mid 80s and kept them all this time. I didn't get any of them on Ebay or any other after-market location. These aren't collectibles, they're just my childhood toys, so the attachment is based on that more than my love for the style (which was awesome in the 80s, but lacking now, IMO.)

So really, my regret is that I didn't take better care of my figs, or that I should have tried to replace the broken ones back when they broke (never did get a replacement Flash in '83 when my straight-arm version died ), but I'm just happy that GI Joe is still around and the characters are still there in various forms. I love the 25A figs, although they're still not perfect (but that's why I'm a customizer), but they're the best we've gotten so far, IMO. But no real regrets in regard to the "evolution" of the toyline.

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I got my hands on an unassembled takara fang (whcih I of course put together), and when playing with it the other day, the small red rollcage broke in three pieces, the plastic was rotten

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No regrets, since ARAH is all I really own.

I haven't experienced any of the brittleness as well. I guess I am just lucky.

I like many of the accessories of the 25th, that is for sure. The gear, clothing, and weapons are a nice shot in the arm for the line. The figures just do not hold anything for me, no matter how I turn the package around trying to think of ways to utilize the sculpts. If anything, they made me appreciate the BBi Elite Force figures, since I can utilize the realistic look now, with what I have in mind. Perhaps if I need bar or street fodder, for a dio, I might give the 25th another look.

The ARAH releases from 2000 onward are what I am enjoying the most, as I can have the sculpts of old, with the softer plastic of today, at least where it counts, such as the hands.

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Don't really have any regrets......

other than I wish the 2000 and newer re-issues were more plentiful, so that my son can experience the same joy I had when i was a kid.

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Hrm, my only regret is that I didnt concentrate my collecting on the vintage figures almost exclusively. As in, tracking down my most prized childhood figures complete in minty shape rather than buying new sculpt stuff (mostly army builders) That is my only regret regarding ARAH figures.

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I wish they all had the same type of forearms as the 2000 figures, that way I wouldn't be scared of braking a thumb when I change my display once in a while.

RAH was what I grew up with, so it will always be an important and special part of my collection, but I also love what they did with the 25th line and I can't wait for the next wave to come out.

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My regret would be that Hasbro chose to make the ARAH figures, the NS figures, and the 25A figures so noticeably different from each other.

The ARAH figures could have simply evolved over time to (almost) where the 25A are now. The swivel arm battle grip was added in '83. The ball necks were added in '85. The figures were noticeably scaled up around '90. The best changes that the 25A figures have brought us, swiveling wrists and double-hinged knees, could have been worked into the ARAH or NS figures.

My regret is that Hasbro ended the general distribution for the ARAH line just as some pretty high-demand molds were, apparently, being rediscovered. So now figures that people were calling for rereleases of (Headhunters, Snow Serpent, etc) are only being made available through Master Collector at extremely inflated prices.

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I've found brittleness some figures that I picked up used. Most the stuff I bought back in the day is fine. I have no regrets. I might not be collecting ARAH figures but they still have featured spot in my display cabinets.

I finally quit altogether on the RAH sculpt line before the end of 2006.

shoulda quit before that.



I loved the old sculpts as a kid and into my college years but thats all nostalgia at this point, the figures do nothing for me anymore.