What is the pulse on the GI JOE Club and the hobby regarding the old 12 inch line?

[drquest]

Cotswold needs to run the 12" side of the club. They care and know how to run the business.

Hasbro isn't in the GiJoe business anymore pretty much, 3 3/4" some, but the 12" is dead. It bothers me they did nothing for the 50th in regards to the 12" figures. They have 3 3/4" 50th, but that doesn't count.

Sadly some of the decline is due to the aging of the collectors I feel. I collect vintage Captain Action as well, and it's similar, although Captain Action tends to pull the superhero collectors in, which keeps it sort of fresh. 12" GiJoe doesn't see that sort of cross pollination.

Regarding groups and such, the Trenches is the best for that in my opinion, all good people there, and the ones that run it are neighbors.

[skullface]

Hi Drquest. Hasbro dropped the ball 10 years ago and never really picked it back up. Dragon showed them what to do but they just could or would not. Collectors do age out,but joes should have had a new round of collectors every 10 years. Transformers have been able to do just that. When I first started selling toys everyone wanted cap guns....good luck selling one of those now. I have a nice Roy Rogers one that I just cant sell,so sad.

[Nostalgiabuff]

I noticed a lot of that with the Joe club too. this years 12" club figure was lazy, IMHO. Manof Action repro with a new sticker saying 50th??? no thought to it at all. if they had used next years Man of the Atom for the 50th, I might have stayed on. the sales they were having were great, if you hadn't already bought the stuff at the ridiculously high club prices as they came out, when you were trying to support the club and the hobby
I also had my card hacked through the club, luckily I caught it pretty quick and took care of it
the trenches is the best Joe site and the husband/wife team that moderate do a great job in trying to keep it fun, but there is really not all that much activity on there anymore.

[MysteryWho]

It does seem things have gotten a little quiet. There was a great Adventure Team resource site that I can no longer find and a Super Joe site that has disappeared. I joined the Joe club a few years ago, primarily in order to collect the Adventure team style figures they were producing. They are a lot of fun.
At the Joe Club Shop right now they seem to be liquidating their archives, I don't know if that is a good sign. It does seem that Cotswold is getting into
the "new" Adventure Team style stuff, and they are a great place to purchase figures also. I don't think Hasbro is interested in anything but the small Joes
now.

[drquest]

It does seem things have gotten a little quiet. There was a great Adventure Team resource site that I can no longer find and a Super Joe site that has disappeared. I joined the Joe club a few years ago, primarily in order to collect the Adventure team style figures they were producing. They are a lot of fun.
At the Joe Club Shop right now they seem to be liquidating their archives, I don't know if that is a good sign. It does seem that Cotswold is getting into
the "new" Adventure Team style stuff, and they are a great place to purchase figures also. I don't think Hasbro is interested in anything but the small Joes
now.

Here's a good AT Joe reference site. http://www.atgijoe.com/

[drquest]

Hi Drquest. Hasbro dropped the ball 10 years ago and never really picked it back up. Dragon showed them what to do but they just could or would not. Collectors do age out,but joes should have had a new round of collectors every 10 years. Transformers have been able to do just that. When I first started selling toys everyone wanted cap guns....good luck selling one of those now. I have a nice Roy Rogers one that I just cant sell,so sad.

I agree about Hasbro. I feel the 3 3/4"collectors are where vintage Joes were in the early 90's, people collect what they remember and enjoy. The vintage stuff has lower prices because there's less collectors for those right now.

Danny

[MIB41]

^^^ Great site! Thanks drquest!

[drquest]

^^^ Great site! Thanks drquest!

No problem!

Another friend runs this site, and it's cool since he has 3D spins of most of the Joes and their sets.

http://www.vintage3djoes.com/

[MIB41]

^^^ Yep! I found that last week when I was out there searching. LOVE IT! I especially like the fact they have it set up so you can listen to what all the talkers say. Ingenious! Incredible site.

[drquest]

^^^ Yep! I found that last week when I was out there searching. LOVE IT! I especially like the fact they have it set up so you can listen to what all the talkers say. Ingenious! Incredible site.

Yeah Matt took a lot of time putting that together, most of what you are seeing is from his collection by the way.

[torgospizza]

I think I have been getting stuff from them like 20 years.

Me, too--I still have a couple of their old catalogs from the mid 90s and like to take a gander at them every now and then. Monkey Depot, Toy Anxiety, and SmallJoes are all great places I trust completely and would always recommend, but I always go to Cotswold first.

[MysteryWho]

Thanks drquest! That's the site I was looking for, I didn't think it was still around.
I have to agree about Cotswold Collectibles. Excellent place to shop.

[rykerw1701]

I'll also say thanks drquest. Both of those sites are excellent, and I plan to waste plenty of time at work looking them over more. I also echo whats been said about Cotsworld. I think they're top notch, and I enjoy ordering from them, though admittedly it's not very often. They also have expanded into the reMego area, btw if anyone is looking for something.

I don't think the hobby has collapsed, but the interest in 12 inch Joes isn't what it once was. And reading about collectors aging out has me scared. I'm a child of the 70's. Do I have to give up my stuff soon? 50 isn't that far away. Cripes. Will Hasbro do a commemorative figure of me, and then take all my stuff? Maybe it's best afterall that they don't do 50th anniversary commemorative figures after all.

[skullface]

Yep rykerw1701 you should be very worried, I heard that Hasbro is making an over weight, middle aged ,balding white dude action figure. I dont know who it is based on.....it comes with a mini toy collection,an empty bank account and a happy grin. Unhappy wife is going to be sold seperate.

Most do start selling stuff off around 65 years old,if not before......many collectors never come back after the big sell off ....and it seems like about 10 good reasons to have one. I hear sick,out of work,devorce,car broke,house problems the most.

[MIB41]

I think priorities change in life, either by choice or outside forces. That can happen at any age as events around us conspire to move us in different directions. Hobbies will always be transient.