Different size Joe heads

I have two AT heads that I'm preparing for re-flock and was curious about the different head sizes, so I made up this photo just to demonstrate it. The left one is an Air Adventurer and the right one is a Land Adventurer.

Could be dissimilar decay of the plasticizer which results in shrinkage.

I have had the same experience with Action Man heads. Some heads shrink (pin heads) and go hard, whilst others remain supple.

pachwerk wrote:

Could be dissimilar decay of the plasticizer which results in shrinkage.
 

I agree...


These are the same Gi joe heads in 1964-1967 that took on different shapes...
Which is kinda cool because it gave Joe's a bit of a different look and
personality ... lol

Interesting! Keep the theories coming! Bear in mind though, these are both AT heads, therefore 1970 and beyond. Ask me some questions to prove the shrinking theory?

Yes the AT heads were a bit newer and things changed in the plastics they used...
For years Gi joe and Action Man were stored in attics which could get so hot
and cold who knows what effects that also could of had...

pachwerk wrote:

Could be dissimilar decay of the plasticizer which results in shrinkage.
 

Sounds a technically impressive and utterly plausible theory to me!

Here's my guys,,,


(Blond is normal size, Ginger has shrunk)

Although 'Pin head' syndrome is a PH ailment and the plastic mix was sorted by the time fuzzies came along, they still weren't designed to last for decades. Who knows where some heads have been stored for the last 40 years. Temperature extremes have taken their toll on many heads while others have survived unscathed.

Well that's my pet theory (private joke there!)

Those are really nice looking heads Steve!

Do you think the ginger guy has shrunk because the head is slightly distorted, or...?

inntruderr61 wrote:

pachwerk wrote:

Could be dissimilar decay of the plasticizer which results in shrinkage.
 

I agree...


These are the same Gi joe heads in 1964-1967 that took on different shapes...
Which is kinda cool because it gave Joe's a bit of a different look and
personality ... lol

Don't you think that the top right pic in the left hand set of pics looks like my PH Joe Seven?

Yes he does look like Seven...


Here is better pics of that page...

I remember my brother's Action Man adventurer had a slightly chunkier head than my version, his one also had a slightly browner/warmer flesh tone and much denser flocking, similar to todays reflocks.

Keep an eye on your vam limbs, I've not checked one of my early flocked haired, hard hand talkers for two years. I recently got the vam talker out and found a stress crack on the right forearm, the arm was perfect when the vam went into storage two years ago.

inntruderr61 wrote:

Here is better pics of that page...

Very interesting comparison photos. Now that I can see them more clearly, I think he looks more like a #10, what do you think?

#10 does look close to seven Theonemankid...
My eyes are going cross trying to compare them...

pachwerk wrote:

Does size really matter?

That's the question we all dare not ask!

pachwerk wrote:

Does size really matter?

NOPE! It's all in how you dress him...

one of mine has eyes so deep i love staring into them !

Today I have got a mixed lot of VAM stuff including two fuzz heads that are rock hard and shrunken, like the painted heads go.

They are very grubby, so I wonder if their storage has contributed to the hardening and shrinkage - these look like they have been buried in the garden or in a shed for a few decades.

PH5121 wrote:

Today I have got a mixed lot of VAM stuff including two fuzz heads that are rock hard and shrunken, like the painted heads go.

They are very grubby, so I wonder if their storage has contributed to the hardening and shrinkage - these look like they have been buried in the garden or in a shed for a few decades.

I would guess that yes the storage had something to do with there conditions...

Are you 100% sure both are G.I. Joe heads? The 1970's Action Man was a separate sculpt than the North American.

Another theory might be one is a 1969 version head sculpt while the other is a later 1970's head sculpt. Moulding dies wore out and were replaced.

Joe90 wrote:

Are you 100% sure both are G.I. Joe heads?  The 1970's Action Man was a separate sculpt than the North American.  

Another theory might be one is a 1969 version head sculpt while the other is a later 1970's head sculpt.  Moulding dies wore out and were replaced.  

Aaaah! Someone asked a question, feeling better now...

Yes, I am 100% certain they are G.I. Joe heads. The left one is/was an Air Adventurer with hard hands from a collector in the States and the one on the right is/was a Land Adventurer with hard hands and I have another Land Adventurer with an identical head sculpt to verify its authenticity (he is Django on Tom's Crew); both are from the States. I say is/was because these guys are probably going to have custom flocks, not decided yet.

Your theory might have some validity, because they are both early AT figures and some old paint heads might have been used for flocking. And not only moulding dies wore out, but there was clearly no attempt to 100% replicate the sculpt each time, as with modern manufacturing. And, there was likely many moulds being used at the same time, to meet demand. But, there is a glaring question that hasn't been asked yet, with regards to the size difference of the heads. There has only been assumptions made so far.

Keep the questions coming...

Ralph, is your 'DJANGO Joe' the missing link to my DJANGO III? They would make a great double act    



https://actionmanmobileops.forumotion.co.uk/t1739p105-my-boot-sale-sorties-latest-action-figure-finds-updated-7-10-2014

clivvers wrote:

Ralph, is your 'DJANGO Joe' the missing link to my DJANGO III? They would make a great double act    



https://actionmanmobileops.forumotion.co.uk/t1739p105-my-boot-sale-sorties-latest-action-figure-finds-updated-7-10-2014

I don't think he thinks of himself as the missing link, but with that beard thing going on, who can tell?

Okay, let's move this along a bit! The reason I was curious about these two heads in the beginning, is not because the left hand head is smaller than usual (shrunken), but because the right hand head is bigger than usual. The Air Adventurer head is pretty much a 'regular' sized Joe head that head gear will fit, but the head on the right is one of the 'over-sized' heads that most head gear won't fit. Tom K, Django and Diesel all have over-sized heads as well, even Seven's would be over-size if he was flocked I think. If you study the 'Tom's Crew' team shot, you can tell they are simply a bunch of big heads...

Not sure if the stripped big head is going to join them, let's see how he turns out with new eye paint and flock...

TheOneManKid wrote:

If you study the 'Tom's Crew' team shot, you can tell they are simply a bunch of big heads...

Posers and pretty boys yes! ..but big heads?



So you're saying the mystery to be solved here isn't about shrunken small heads but the manufacturing hiccup that lead to oversized heads?