Question for anoraks - not about anoraks

Dumb question really

Grenades - is their any way of identifying a standard pineapple grenade as being 1960's rather than from any other VAM period?
Is there any difference in plastic, design, colour etc.?

Just like to get it right sometimes.

It`s an interesting question , and I am sorry to say I don`t have the answer . But I would suggest you look at sealed / carded sets from various periods . I think that might give you a good idea . I would think ( if any ) changes came a long they would likely be when the gripping hands and then the Eagle Eyes figures started appearing , just a hunch .

Thanks Chip,

I have a suspicion that genuine 60's grenades, while exactly the same size and shape as every other one, are slightly darker in colour.
And, on the other hand, very late ones are very light in colour and made of a softer plastic.

But this is largely speculation on my part, and I guess I'm just hoping for a bit of validation for my theory.

I have Grenades of various colours and shapes too , I know there were some that came with the Cheralea Jeep and trailer too , in Brown and Grey I believe , just to throw in the mix , but I think these are easy identifiable .

I was just going through my 1st issue Sailor stuff , I was wondering if you or anyone else can tell how to identify the original White Sailor cap ? I have two or three various types . None are Hasbro , but I think one or two are stamped Hong Kong .

Good question.

I think I've got at least half a dozen or so kicking around, when I get the chance I'll have a look and report back.
Most of my Action Sailor's are currently in storage so might take a day or so to dig them out.

In my experience, 1960s grenades have usually had the detonation pins chewed off by some kid
.

Not that I, personally, would have direct experience with pretending to “pull the pin” with my teeth or wondering if inadvertently swallowing tiny bits of plastic would make me sick.


I was too busy chewing the lead-based yellow paint off my school pencils to be bothered with biting the handles off GI Joe grenades.


I recall the original era Joe grenades as being a not-extremely-hard silvery-grey plastic with detailed handles and pin loops completely devoid of manufacturing residue (flash). But the school pencil paint may have had a lasting effect on my brain, so take that for what it’s worth… which ain’t much.

SCU_HQ wrote:

I was too busy chewing the lead-based yellow paint off my school pencils

Well that certainly explains Sinatra and the octopus....

Chip wrote:

I was wondering if you or anyone else can tell how to identify the original White Sailor cap ? I have two or three various types . None are Hasbro , but I think one or two are stamped Hong Kong .

Had a look through mine. All appear to be the same with two exceptions.
The first different one looks to be just a little bit deeper in the brim than the rest but is otherwise the same.
And the only one with any markings inside has "Hong Kong" and what appears to be a mold mark, can't make out if it's an "A" or a"4"

I know this doesn't help - but it's the best I can do.

Thanks , I think my Sailor hats seem identical to yours . The vintage stuff continues to throw questions at us , I don`t think it will end either , as now the years have gone by we have 40th stuff thrown into the mix .

Yes, you're right.
I think that vintage Joe collectors have it a little easier than AM collectors as there seems to be much more readily available information on all the different variations and so on.

One advantage of having played this game for so long is that most of my vintage collection actually pre-dates 40th anniversary stuff so I know that I have a pretty good reference point - but that doesn't mean to say that some vintage knock off pieces haven't found their way into my vintage collection and aren't still lurking there masquerading as the real thing.
Funnily enough, I was OK about the Joe 40th Anniversary stuff but really quite anti the AM 40th range - I only have a few pieces of AM 40th- all bought deliberately as references against vintage.

It`s uncanny , your thoughts and collection almost mirror mine .