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eBay Today: Look Before You Leap
Posted by D_Martin on March 12, 2007 at 03:19 AM CST:
In the US, G.I. Joe was A Real American Hero, but the team of specially trained soldiers had many different names as they fought tyranny in other countries. In Australia they were known as Action Man. In Brazil they were Comandos em A??o. They were known as Commandos Heroicos in Mexico. In most of Europe they went by Action Force. In each collection there were different variations that made them stand out as unique. Sometimes it was a repaint, other times it was the plastic the figures were moulded in. Some times, good guys were turned into bad guys as the manufacturers Frankensteined the figure parts into brand new characters.
For years now collectors have been playing catch up with all these different versions and for the most part have been able to keep a concise history on what's out there and who made it. For someone with money to burn and a lot of time to dedicate to their collection, the International G.I. Joe variations is one heck of a fun set to obsess over.
Case in point is this figure from Plastirama, the company that produced G.I. Joe figures for the Argentinean market. They often went for crazy mismatched colour patterns and a fair amount of vac-metal. This figure is a great example of how vac-metal crazy Plastirama could be, and bless them for it. An all-silver vac metal Destro is the greatest new variation discovered...
...or so you would think. Seems that the historians of the G.I. Joe International variations aren't so sure on this one, and if there is one thing you can count on when it comes to vintage toy lines, its that you should always pay attention to what the experts are telling you.* It is important when learning about an old toy line to do your research before you spend your money. After you know the facts, you'll be able to determine the value of any given piece a heck of a lot easier.
A point of interest when it comes to vintage toy collecting communities however, is that sometimes a piece that is proven to be a fake builds enough buzz that it becomes a desired collectible itself. So always go with you heart after you have the facts. If you still think the piece is super cool, then who cares if its authentic or not... so long as you aren't fooled.
For the record, this piece may be real, but since the experts are all saying it isn't chances are it's a fake, albeit cool as ever!
SILVER DESTRO MOC 10 Back 1983 GI JOE G.I. Joe Cobra ARG
*This writer, while a fan of the G.I. Joe International variations, is not in any way an expert on the nuances of every variation. As such, this edition of eBay Today was written after consulting trusted historians and the opinions of those experts state that this figure is most likely a fake.
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