hobobellew

Ya, I was wondering the same thing. The guy was trying to be over the top on purpose, yet still brought up some good points. SENSE OF HUMOR guys...sense of humor. Problem is that it's not funny. It's generic, irate internet fanboy "funny", which means it's a good example of what passes for funny among geeks these days when trying to be funny, but that doesn't mean it's actually humorous. What it is is b!tchy, whiney, smug, sanctimonius, poorly written and stupid. There's nothing quite like a jealous, dissatisfied, underachieving, unoriginal fanboy with too much time on his hands taking shots at folks who actually try to do something with their lives. It's rapidly becoming apparent that the worst things about the ol' world wide web are blogs and message forums. if you really hate that style of writing so much why does your post resemble it so much? What's under his craw, so to speak, is the movie, yours is him disliking so passionately. For every fan boy like him there is one like you who really doesn't want to hear anything negative! it's the net, it's a hobby it's going to happen. Your post looks like a personal attack on the man, how can you be better? do you not think any of his points are valid? and if your not using a little drama stating that the worst thing in the world is blogs and forums then maybe you need to watch the news. I'm willing to put though that you, like it or not, are using the same passion and "slight" exaggeration as the blogger in question. First, read before posting. I said "...worst things about the ol' world wide web. My point is exactly that there are more important things to get pissed about. Second, I chose to write in the aforementioned "style" as a subtle jab. Interweb attacking is an awfully easy thing to do; especially when you follow the whiney fanboy formula. I suppose I should've called attention to the sarcasm, but I took it for granted that most would get that bit of subtlety. Note however that I mostly refrained from using gratuitous profanity, but did utilize proper punctuation. Third, I'm not attacking this dude alone, I'm calling out the smug, self-satisfied, whiney fanboy in general who think dropping the F-bomb every other sentence and utilizing cliched pop-phrases while tearing others efforts down is a form of humor. This guy is calling something crap before he's actually seen it. Why should he be applauded for that? Or for such a half-arsed, generic effort? Seriously. Why should any armchair complainer be applauded for doing nothing more than doing nothing. Guess I touched a nerve there... Fourth, speaking of seriousness, I can take or leave toys-- already have, in fact-- so this isn't serious to me. The only reason I'm here is because I dig some of the intelligent chatter around here and still have a soft spot for the nostalgia of my youth. But that doesn't mean I don't mind calling BS when I see it. I'm tired of psuedo-intellictual dorks bitching about children's toys and anything that has to do with them. I don't care if he likes the movie or not, but the fact remains he hasn't even seen it yet. So from where exactly does his dissastisfaction stem? Or yours. Why do you think he's so wonderful? Maybe because you're a generic fanboy too? And yet another one. My goodness you guys are easy to jerk around. Talk about "serious".

Ya, I was wondering the same thing. The guy was trying to be over the top on purpose, yet still brought up some good points. SENSE OF HUMOR guys...sense of humor. Problem is that it's not funny. It's generic, irate internet fanboy "funny", which means it's a good example of what passes for funny among geeks these days when trying to be funny, but that doesn't mean it's actually humorous. What it is is b!tchy, whiney, smug, sanctimonius, poorly written and stupid. There's nothing quite like a jealous, dissatisfied, underachieving, unoriginal fanboy with too much time on his hands taking shots at folks who actually try to do something with their lives. It's rapidly becoming apparent that the worst things about the ol' world wide web are blogs and message forums.

WTF's a "St. Valetin"?

There's a couple of things you can do if the hip joint is loose and they all work well. There's a little white friction plug in the hip joint that's supposed to keep the joint tight, sometimes it's missing and sometimes it just doesn't work. Some folks say that if you put a drop of super glue on the "ball end" of the metal tee and then move the leg continuously for a minute or so you'll get a tight joint, but that sounds risky to me, for obvious reasons. What I do is wrap a bit of teflon tape (aka "pipe thread seal tape"-- a non adhesive tape for use on threaded pipe joints) on that "ball" and then reassemble. It stiffens it all up nicely and isn't permanent. You can also use a little electrical or duct tape. If the tee in the waist is loose (which I've seen) all you can do is take the legs off, line the tee up where you want it and superglue it in place. Hope that helps.

The THIRD time starting to collect a line that's barely two years old...? Are you kidding yourself? 'Cuz you're not kidding ME! Easy now. Bear in mind that there's been like four years worth o' crap in these two years. This line is easy to get burnt out on.

This is actually a pretty good topic and I think its something many of us have wrestled with before. I suppose this is my fourth go 'round. I collected as a kid and then "outgrew" 'em. I collected the 2000 ARAHC through SpyTroops, then sold/donated them all. Collected VvsV and DTC and then, yup, sold/donated them again. Finally, I started collecting the 25th Anni, but ended up getting out of the game this year because I decided it just wasn't worth it, money, time and stress-wise. The diff here is that I haven't sold any of the 25th guys yet and I don't care if I ever do. Simply put, it just doesn't matter to me. While I still dig GIJoe and it's a neat part of my life, it's also something from the past and I don't need tangible reminders of that past when I've got my memories. I guess what I'm saying is that I've embraced the fact that life is transient and no amount of possesions are going to change that. Bottomline, I'd rather concentrate on the here-and-now than on the passed-and-gone and there are other things I prefer to spend my cash and time on. I'm content and feel no need to buy anything more. Matter of fact, I spend most days never giving GIJoe a thought, but if/when I do feel a little nostalgic, I just drop by the forums and see what's up. My advice to you, as a fellow (but former) on-again-off-again collector is to just take it slow. First, quit dwelling on it. You're devoting too much time and energy into thinking about this stuff. You're overanalyzing and that's always a buzzkill. Second, If you feel you're getting the urge to sell again, pack 'em all up instead and wait to see if that urge subsides. Finally, if this time around the hobby doesn't stick, admit it and move on. Remember that it's not an all or nothing game. There's no rule says you gotta own everything or that when you stop you hafta get rid of it all. Part-time collecting is probably the healthiest form of collecting. Keep this sh!t in perspective and it all gets easier. Maybe you're like me and your psyche has been trying to tell you that you no longer need to own plastic representations of past memories. Perhaps there are better ways (for you) to spend your time/money. Best of luck tho, you'll get it all figured out.

I look at it this way, like everything else in life, some toy collectors are "normal" folks and some are raging creeps. It's a matter of perspective. Some of us go a bit overboard; not with just the "completion-itis", but also with customizing, fan-fic, dio-making and complaining, but we still manage to balance the hobby with life and keep it in its place. A little complaining is normal and healthy, but constant whining about how a toy company "screwed" you by not making a toy exactly as you wanted or that a movie producer "raped" your childhood by making movies based on something you enjoy, but not doing it as you would've liked, is more than a little childish and is a sign that the complainer has lost some perspective. When a hobby (any hobby) starts taking away time, income and attention from the more important things in life, and to the detriment of those more important things, that hobbyist has become a full-blown loser. There is (or once was) a guy around the forums-at-large who lives off of his mom (not "with" her, but off of her; he's thirty-something and his mom is still his sole source for food, shelter, clothing etc), has a paper route, is basically a shut in and has a massive collection of toys. That guy is a loser and he has lost in the worst way. A basement full of toys is no substitute for living. No offense, but there are more than a few collectors I'd rather not run into in the toy aisle... or anywhere else. The rest of us can moderate, but there are some sad souls who've lost that perspective and ability to live a healthy life. In the end, all hobbies (and hobbyists) can be the victims of gluttony and gluttony is the surest way to lose perspective and normalcy and to kill a passion.

Boohoo... They paid a third party to give their items a nice case, and guarantee that the card's not being damage in transit to you! HOW DARE THEY! Guess someone who actually collects the item, as opposed to just playing with all of their Joes should drop some knowledge (thanks Gary)... AFA, Action Figure Authority. I agree that when I first got into toy collecting I had the same thoughts and ideas as you did. But here's what you (apparently just openly hostile) people don't seem to understand, they provide a service for those who buy online. Why am I going to buy a MOC figure that could be in who-knows-what-condition? Sure, they can provide me with pictures, but what good is that going to do? I could show you a picture of any number of items in my collection, and sell you the crappier version. By providing you with the "AFA Grade" you have a figure in a durable acrylic case, and a number verify that on AFA's own website. I will not buy an item off e-bay that is NOT AFA graded now, because it is that extra protection for a quality item in my collection. My RAH collection is now short some 30-expensive-ish figures. I'm happy to pay that extra 20% for these MOC to guarantee their quality. Now, for new figures, it's the same thing. I'm provided with a case, and a quality of a product. How many of you ordered cases of a wave, only to have that box partially crushed, bending maybe ONE of the 8 cardbacks, and it's one you intented not to open? Do you want a bent cardback on your wall? I sure don't. I do think the grading of loose figures/vehicles is a joke though. Although it provides the same attributes as the MOC items. -Kevin You may not have intended it, but the above post comes across as more than a little snide. You don't open your toys, you "collect". Good for you. I don't "get" the whole notion of "toys as collectables" just as you don't get why adults "play" with toys. Neither "side" is right or wrong here, but both are equally geeky. Afterall, these are just toys that we're all taking so seriously. They are disposable, unimportant playthings originally intended for children. In the grand scheme, none of us have any just cause towards righteous indignation over this subect. Hasbro builds them, HTS sells them (AFA graded or otherwise) and we buy 'em... or we don't.

Not as American or "HD" as you might think. That's the new Buell 1125 R which is powered for the first time by a non-Harley Sportster derived motor. Eric Buell hired Austrian company BRP-Rotax (a renowned engine designer/manufactuer/supplier) to design & produce the new liquid-cooled 60 degree v-twin to his exact specs and requirements. It's the first liquid-cooled Buell and is being hailed by those who've been lucky enough to get some seat time as comparable to many Ducati twins; something that couldn't have been said about previous models. Oh, and no offense but a ninja on a crotch-rocket is the stupidest thing ever! Too flashy and they gather too much attention. Everybody knows ninjas only sport Vespas, early 80's Honda Nighthawks and/or Rebels.

As far as I'm concerned, the only valid complaint is against Hasbro "fixing" Major Bludd, but limiting the availibility to an online exclusive only. What if you don't want a bunch of "desert" repaints or to spend 30 bones on one figure? To me, that's bordering on dirty pull. How about they release the figure on a single card with a mass device canister instead of the same ol' comic pack Tripwire? Or they could've forsaken the silver paint and stuck him in the dvd pack. I'm betting he will get a single or comic pack re-release, but Hasbro will change some cool detail (like the shoulder patch or pant stripe) or put Zartan's right arm back on him just to keep us from getting that definitive version for under $10.00. Other than that, the complaints are predominantly whiney in nature and sound a lot like picking nits to me.

Singles are $9.99 at ShopKo, while comic packs are $10.99... go figure. I think CP prices are holding steady elsewhere too at around $10, so I don't think we can blame oil for these price increases on single packs. This tells me Hasbro has increased their price on single packs but not on comic packs. I think it's called taking advantage of a hot commodity. The retailers are also probably getting tired of acting as wholesale suppliers for the secondary "scalper" market. At these prices, can you imagine how much scalpers will be charging!? Ain't opportunism a wonderful thing! What a messed up situation. Wonder if the movie figs will come out priced at a 8 or 9 bucks a pop?

Thanks for all the replies, it definitely helps. Common consensus (here and on other boards) seems to be that the newer stuff is just not out there in force yet, for whatever reason. I've told him that I'll keep looking when I can, but that he can't really count on me to be his number 1 source any longer. Things have changed here and I think we have more collectors and scalpers than we used to... the 25th line is just too cool to not draw additional collectors and scalpers are just too opportunistic to pass the limited availabilty up. The turds! I suggested he get his mom involved (she lives in the Phoenix area) and that he may have to go back to pre-ordering. Thanks again!

Thanx for the info.

Ahhh... going off of the info from my friend and some of these other sites, I've been under the impression that the stuff has been available for awhile now. Thanks!

Hi. Need some feedback, if you all don't mind. I used to be a Joe collector, but I stopped collecting awhile ago; now I'm trying to help a buddy of mine serving in Afghanistan keep his collection current by finding him the new stuff as it comes out. Problem is that I can't find jack #$## anymore. I see tons of other Hasbro lines like Indy, Hulk, Star Wars and T-formers, but Joe stuff has dried up... I have yet to see Red Star comic pack wave and had to have his mom buy find him the Major Bludd wave. I need to know if this is a nationwide thing or just a local issue because, if it is a local issue, he'd be better off having someone else in a better stocked area doing the looking. Thanks for any input. It's all appreciated.