Search for the Abominable Snowman

Oh if I had more space, I fill my house with stuff like this.

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Toy-Ventures: Mike Power Atomic Man

This week is all about one of my favourite childhood friends, the amazing Mike Power : Atomic Man from the GI Joe Adventure Team.

We talk about his origins, foreign incarnations, accessories and his sales. 

Special thanks to Chris at www.1964gijoe.com

Hosted and edited by Brian Heiler (@plaidstallions)


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BIG Toys Week: GI Joe Big Trapper

The GI Joe Big Trapper vehicle is a kind of a bittersweet item for me. I really wanted it for my birthday that year but ultimately chose the Capture Copter, either way, I kind of won. The only downer was, these were the last GI Joe vehicles ever made.

Many collectors view the Big Trapper as the "Poor cousin" of the Mobile Support Unit produced a couple of years earlier and well, I get that, it's a quality vehicle full of science fiction flair.

Nobody is wrong here but for me, the big trapper just captures that "Ark 2" vibe and well, I was five years old when it came out.

Above is the British version, usually Palitoy made things cooler but i prefer the Hasbro big yellow.

This is mine, I got it in a flea market outside of Buffalo NY right after college. Even though it was bigger than my apartment at the time, I couldn't resist it's $20 price tag. I still have the cage somewhere too. Every time I look at it I think of the day that I bought it and it still brings me joy.

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1975 Adventure Team happiness

Spreads like this gave me a life long love of catalogs.....and GI Joe....

GI Joe Adventure Team Colorforms Set

I'm moving and forced to pack up my toys, every collector's nightmare! I'm making the best of it and photographing everything before I box it up.

 It's a lot of fun to get reaquainted with some of this stuff, especially this super cool colorforms set of the Super Adventure Team. More after the jump!

1973 Hasbro GI Joe Adventure Team Catalog

One of my favourite memories from childhood is tiny me marveling at the GI Joe adventure team boxes in the Woolco toy aisle, that's why I always enjoy when I pick up a Hasbro catalog I don't have.

This time it's the Adventure Team from their true high point in 1973 with such iconic toys as the Mobile Support Vehicle, the Training Center and the classic Adventure Team Headquarters playset.

Click here to see the Hasbro 1973 GI Joe Adventure Team Toy Catalog

1975 Polistil Action Team (GI Joe) Catalog

There is nothing i like more an European Catalog for GI Joe Adventure team toys and this one from Polistil Italy is a lot of fun.

Here they are the Action Team and all science fiction is toned down in favour of a slightly more paramilitary look.

As always, the products and faces are familiar but the packaging and marketing have a nice foreign flavour.

Check out the 1975 Action Team Catalog here

Other G.I. Joe Related Links

Check out the 1975 Action Team Catalog here

Our toy wantlist

Gi Joe: Action Pals for Adventure

My first action figure love was the GI Joe Adventure team, truly the gateway experience for a pretty happy childhood. No matter how many times I see the art on those wonderful painted boxes, I feel five years old. I seriously hope that never fades.

Here are some fun links to explore on the site:

1975 GI Joe Catalog

German Action Team Catalog

And another one, now with ladies!

1974 Adventure Team Newsletter

A little more Kung Fu Grip Love

It's true, I loves me some GI Joe. While I have no room to put it all, I sure like to window shop.

Sing along with GI Joe!

This G.I. Joe radio is completely bad ass but I'm confused as to what use the "Sing Along" feature would have to the bearded world adventure...

1977 Lili Ledy Toy Catalog

Lili Ledy was Mexico's premiere toy manufacturer and because of trade restrictions, all toys they sold had to be manufactured in Mexico. So many of the popular US lines were licensed and then produced by Lili Ledy resulting in wonderful variations that toy collectors hunt for to this day.

1977 was a killer year with Bionic People, G.I. Joe and Mego Superheroes for everyone. Many thanks to Steve F. for these incredible scans...

Click on the images below to see larger pages with descriptions:

1977 LILI LEDY (MEXICO) TOY CATALOG

More Great Foreign Toys:

Buy, Sell or look for vintage Lili Ledy Toys at our trading post

There are 50 Adventures of G.I. Joe

And I want every single one of them! Argh!

I'm not really a Joe collector but about once every 4 years, I go on this insane bender, where I purchase as much as I can find and afford. Eventually I came to my senses realising a) I'm broke and b) I have no room to put all this stuff. So I end up paring it down a bit, keeping childhood favourites.

This cycle constantly repeats itself, I blame the packaging, it's brilliant and my inner six year old just makes me it's slave. Help me....

A celebration of the Intruders

In 1976, Hasbro decided to change the game for it's G.I. Joe line, hoping to improve sales. So not only did Joe get a Superheroic sidekick in Bulletman but he also got his first bonafied enemy. Before then, Joe always seemed to fight a faceless foe or an angry animal. I guess you could count the Soliders of the World but I'm not.

So after 13 years, what did Hasbro make as G.I. Joe's new foe? A caveman from outer space of course!

The intruders are a race of muscle bound savages,who have come to earth in a meteor and plan to kick a little ass. Not exactly a grand scale invasion, did I mention they're unarmed?

The figure itself was a good deal shorter than Joe and far stockier, his articulation was limited and the button on his back allowed you to bear hug things.

Overall, it's a very strange toy and really wouldn't a mad scientist have been a better foe for our heroes? What does it say about you when your arch enemy doesn't have shoes?

As you probably know, 1976 saw the demise of the adventure team and the 12" joe. The intruders were not well recieved and actually languished a bit on store shelves. Finding one MOC isn't easy now however and i gotta admit, years later, I've grown fond of the character despite his short comings. My main reason for liking the Intruder are the two good things that came as a result.

1) The Capture Copter

This was my sixth birthday present, to me this is the single coolest G.I. Joe vehicle,

2) Big Trapper

While I never had this vehicle as a kid, I own one now and it looks like it popped out of "Damnation Alley" or "Ark 2". I love this stuff, so I guess the Intruder isn't all bad.