My childhood collection

THIS is what I mean about the legs, ...I suppose more specifically the knees.
Aficionados never seem to have any problem with the very visible screws in the wrists and other joints, whereas I always saw them as visually problematic, even more so when they stopped painting them.



But I'm guessing it's the toys you grew up with and treasured as a kid.

However rest assured I am not picking on VAM. I also have a personal peeve with at least one aspect (and probably more!) of MAM, and that's those damn HUGE hands!
They will not go through so much of the wonderfully made 1/6 scale clothing that's available nowadays, .....the newer figures all seem to have those conveniently removable hands that allow for dressing. And yes, those huge biceps can also be a problem. Perhaps MAM was pre-supposing the Super-Hero figures of today?
I have frequently unpicked seams and resewn them after putting a garment onto a MAM, but then it's almost a permanent fixture.

As yet I have not joined the ever-growing "Frankenstein Club"!

Yes, I should have mentioned those mitts too. The combination of the hands and large forearms really ruin them for me.

I can see your point about the knees and rivets.

I've done a bit of Frankensteining. Mostly to swap heads, but I've also done a bit of dremeling to try and increase the range of motion to improve posing, but not on Joes. I've modded some neck mounts to put Joe heads on Dragon/DML bodies and dremeled the heck out of DML bodies so they could crouch low or sit in a jeep.

Actually now that I look at them, VAM has quite delicate little hands, specially when compared with the lumping great mitts of MAM.

I have quite successfully dremelled off more than a few of those moulded on weapons and such from MAMs, but am yet to work up the courage to attempt a head transplant.
I don't really have any other brands of bodies to use but would like to get some of the different MAM head-sculpts that I really like onto plain nude bodies, ...i.e. ones without any moulded on clothing on the upper torso.
This far increases the range of possibilities for which the figures can be used.

A huge problem with MAM group pics is that the heads are so often identical. Occasionally you can find different heads and these are all the more useful.
I try many ways to increase the appearance of diversity by painting hair, giving them "five o,clock shadows", chest hair etc., ....flocking would help immensely but there are no experts nearby.

Now if we're talking men in shorts on of my childhood adventure team figures looks great as the desert fighter outfit [br][br][br][br][br][br][br][br][br][br]

My commando and canoe from my childhood, probably my favourite figure. The cherilea oar seems to have gone missing though.









I also loved my British Tommy but he seems to be missing in action. I'd like to replace him sometime soon

Sparkys6887 wrote:

Now if we're talking men in shorts on of my childhood adventure team figures looks great as the desert fighter outfit

Well I have to admit that they are certainly somewhat better legs than are usually to be seen on most VAMs!
Have you performed a transplant, or are they originals!
He CAN wear shorts!

Original adventure team legs mate, I'd be happy with legs like that myself! Look at his calf muscles and thighs

Outstanding sparky! great to have you back!

Sparkys6887 wrote:

Original adventure team legs mate, I'd be happy with legs like that myself! Look at his calf muscles and thighs

Ah yes, ...I see your version here now in the centre!
VAST improvement on the 1964 legs.
Unfortunately for comparison purposes, the illustration does not include the later Hasbro version that had good flexible joints at the knees and ankles.
The stiff-legged one shown LOOKED okay if he was just to stand about but was useless in most poses, having only those "3-click" position knees.

Blondeactionman wrote:

Outstanding sparky! great to have you back!

Thanks Dal, good to be back, just never believed I'd be reunited with most of my childhood lads. The memories are so impactful made all the sharper as my folks died recently. I'm restoring one of my childhood scorpion tanks at the moment and remember one summer before my dad grassed our lawn he let me dig bomb craters and trenches big enough for my VAM and for me to get in! Then the wardrobe and command post my dad made together with check point. I've not got the money or time to put in like I used to but I'm loving it and so is Jemma, were decorating her bedroom at the moment and I asked her if she wanted to put her VAM away and she said she wants a display cabinet!!!

LeStryge, Loved my adventure team, got two of them.from a jumble sale. My dad was a scout leader and mum cub mistress so I often had first choice

Sparky, I can only imagine the wonderful memories of your childhood and your parents that your re-assembled collection has brought back.
The digging up of the lawn story was priceless!

LeStryge wrote:

Sparkys6887 wrote:

Original adventure team legs mate, I'd be happy with legs like that myself! Look at his calf muscles and thighs

Ah yes, ...I see your version here now in the centre!
VAST improvement on the 1964 legs.
Unfortunately for comparison purposes, the illustration does not include the later Hasbro version that had good flexible joints at the knees and ankles.
The stiff-legged one shown LOOKED okay if he was just to stand about but was useless in most poses, having only those "3-click" position knees.

Maybe if they would decide on the terminology...

I've always called that figure MB (Muscle Body) for US Joes and thought the VAM version was called Dynamic Physique(?)

Love the stories and the fox hole in the backyard, keep them coming please Mark!

Yes me too, muscle body Joe's and the box on my 1978 TC definitely read dynamic physique. Got him for my birthday that year

You both have the advantage on me.
Sadly I did NOT get a G.I. Joe as a child.
As a very young kid, I can clearly remember having a most beautiful sailboat that I used to sail on our dam. I dearly wanted a figure to skipper it and asked my parents to buy me one, but the only thing available here in suitable scale was a doll, and (even worse!) a BABY doll at that. I think I tried it once and almost immediately rejected it completely.
Of course it accidently fell overboard and I was strangely unaffected......

Good to see you back Mark and it's great that you have your childhood guys back too!



Re;body types terminology...

I think the 'Muscle body' is the post 64 type used by GI Joe. It was only used on the Tom Stone figure here in the UK. 'Dynamic physique' is the Palitoy designed body used on Eagle eye action men from 1978 onwards.

And while we are on the subject of variations in VAM, could someone please explain to me why some Vam Eagle Eyes seem to look quite OK, as in Number Three in the Rogue's Gallery below, but the first two have that shocked expression as if somebody has just done something unspeakable to a certain part of their anatomy?
They have always looked very odd to me. Are they "earlier versions"?
Number Four is my own MAM, who is also an Eagle-Eye, ( I have a few of them) but the manufacturers seem to have managed to make the moveable eyes so much more realistic.

Enjoying your collection Mark!
Those crazy Eagle eyes LeStryge....lol