A Real American Hero

It's been quite a while since I last wrote on this blog, 3 years, 3 months and 7 days - to be exact. During that time, a lot of things have happened. The Philippines voted in a new president (Noynoy Aquino), Ateneo won the UAAP's Men's Basketball Championship 3 more times (en route to a Final Four era best 5 straight titles), The Walking Dead TV series premiered in October of 2010 and it has been a zombie love-fest since then (admittedly, I was a little late to the zombie apocalypse, watching Seasons 1-3 during the Easter Holidays, but as they say, better late than never), The Big Bag Theory continues to chug along (now on its 6th season) and a few comic / cartoon live-action movies have been shown, some were great (Iron Man, Thor, The Avengers and X-Men First Class to name a few), others were so-so (Transformers 3, Captain America and the Spider-man reboot) and one was a complete dud (Green Lantern - this sucks as, together with Batman, he is one of my favorite DC comic hero). Which brings me to my blog topic of the day: G.I. Joe, with G.I. Joe: Retaliation hitting the movie theaters last March, I thought it would be nice to finally write something about my favorite 80's cartoon show (or more specifically, the toys they were "advertising").

During the 80s, the most popular cartoons showing on TV were The Transformers (more on this in the future) and G.I. Joe, they were shown every week (can't remember which specific day), and suffice to say, it was something I looked forward to as a kid. The shows were so popular that they even spawned 2 feature length animated movies (although G.I. Joe The Movie never made it to the theaters, it went the direct-to-video route). Along with the cartoon show came the toys, manufactured by Hasbro, the robots and military action figures were a must have for most kids back then.

Since G.I. Joes were much more affordable than Transformers (Php 60.00 vs. Php 350.00 at that time), it was easier to save up for them (Dad would take care of the Transformers, hehe), I remember saving my weekly allowance just so I can purchase a G.I. Joe figure at Nova Fontana. Trips to Hong Kong and the US would not be complete without stopping by Toys R Us, where they had aisles and aisles of Joes.  At the end of it all, my little brother and I would approximately have a combined 60 Joe and Cobra figures, around 5-10 vehicles and playsets.

Sadly, puberty hit and the toys were forgotten, it was only around 2001 when I started thinking of rebuilding my Joe collection.  At first, I tried to look for my old Joes, but 15 years is a long time and unfortunately for me, I could not locate them anymore. Luckily, during this time, eBay was already popular and a lot of people were selling these toys on-line.  The first figures that I got were Beachhead and Shockwave, I had these 2 figures as a kid and they were always my favorite Joes, it was a no-brainer that I had to have them again!  

25th Anniversary Beach Head
(Mint on Sealed Card)

Wayne " Beach Head" Sneeden is an Army Ranger, he is 4th in command in the G.I. Joe Team (after Hawk, Duke and Flint).  He appeared in the Sunbow cartoon series, the animated movie and the comics.  He was first released as a toy in 1986, as part of the 5th series of G.I. Joe toys (this wave included the Navy Seal, Wet-Suit, another one of my favorite Joes). He has been re-released a few more times after that, having a total of 16 versions to date, with the latest one as part of the G.I. Joe Retaliation toy line (Ninja Dojo Set).

Visually, Beach Head almost always appears in a mask (green balaclava), complete with vest, a backpack and a submachine gun. I have 4 Beach Heads in my collection, the original one released in 1986, the 25th anniversary version, the comic 2-pack version and the Rise of Cobra version (together with Rollbar and the Snarler Cycle ). Needless to say, I have him in multiple quantities, some loose, others mint on sealed card. Sadly, he has yet to make an appearance on the live-action movie, but with G.I. Joe 3 being greenlit by Hasbro and Paramount, there is still a chance we get to see him in the future.

Vintage ARAH Shockwave
(Mint on Sealed Card)

Jason "Shockwave/Shockblast" Faria is the team's S.W.A.T. specialist.  His primary military specialty is special weapons and tactics. He appeared in the DIC cartoon series and the comics.  He was first released as a toy in 1988, as part of the 7th series of G.I. Joe toys (this wave included light infantryman Hit & Run, another Joe favorite of mine). In 2009, he was re-released as part of the comic 2-pack series (together with Destro), but this time around, his code name was changed to Shockblast. In total, Shockwave/Shockblast has 6 versions, with the latest version being the Rise of Cobra 2-Pack (with Night Creeper).

Shockwave is usually dressed in a blue camouflaged uniform, complete with vest, backpack, sidearm and a submachine gun. His head is also covered by a balaclava, usually blue, and he wears a hat (and/or helmet, based on the 2009 release).  I also have him in multiple quantities, both loose and mint on card. He has not appeared in any of the live-action movies, and given the theme of the movies (more military than police), his chances of appearing in the next installment appears slim.

As of today, I've rebuilt my entire 80s Joe collection (and then some), and as far as my favorite Joes are concerned, I have a total of 6 Beach Heads and 4 Shockwaves/Shockblasts in my collection:

• 1986 Beach Head (Loose and Complete with Filecard)
• 25th Anniversary Beach Head - Silver Foil Version (Mint on Sealed Card)
• 25th Anniversary Beach Head - Comic Version (Mint on Sealed Card)
• Comic 2-Pack Beach Head (Loose and Complete with Filecard)
• Comic 2-Pack Beach Head (Mint on Sealed Card)
• Rise of Cobra Beach Head (Loose and Complete with Filecard)
• 1988 Shockwave (Mint on Sealed Card)
• 1988 Shockwave (Loose and Complete with Filecard)
• Comic 2-Pack Shockwave (Mint on Sealed Card)
• Comic 2-Pack Shockwave (Loose and Complete with Filecard)

I'm hoping for new versions of these badasses soon, so that I can post reviews about them, but for my next post, I'm planning to write about my 2 favorite Cobra figures, Big Boa and Croc Master...post should be up in the next week or so. Yo Joe!

All I Want for Christmas Is...

Photo Credits: Philip Sison

Yes, its that time of the year again, when everyone gets a chance to wish for something, and in the spirit of the holiday season, I'm coming up with my...

Top 7 Wish / Want List for Christmas:

1) A Lakers-Celtics Finals: I don't really root for any particular team in the NBA nowadays, the only team I actually rooted for were the 80's Showtime Lakers, after that, I only rooted for the teams that Kenny Anderson (My all-time favorite NBA player, and don't ask me why, because I don't know either) played for, the Nets, Hornets, Blazers and the Celtics. Now that he's retired, I'm basically an NBA orphan, a diehard NBA fan without a favorite team. Having said that, I still enjoy a good game, and for the past 3 years, the Lakers-Celtics Games have been the hottest ticket in town. Here's hoping that they do meet up again in the Finals this coming June, 2010.

2) Classic Transformers & GI Joe Toys: Come on Hasbro, more of the 80s version of these toys please. I know that you had to come up with updated (i.e. movie versions) of the toys to attract a new and younger fan base, but please please please, do not forget about your loyal fans, those who stuck with you through the bad years...bring back the Classic Transformers and GI Joes in their original packaging. For TF, I want a Classics/Henkei Wheeljack and Jazz. For GI Joe, I want a Shockwave, Wet-Suit, Hit & Run and Big Boa, and in original packaging please, none of the comic 2-pack and/or 7 pack crap.

3) A new and improved version of Mafia Wars: Actually, I'll settle for a working version of Mafia Wars. Please get your act together before its too late, too many issues on page loads, request errors and long loading times. And while you're at it, can you also give me a Liger and an Impression so that I can complete my Tigers Unleashed and Moscow Loot collection. A CM Dragon ( from Cuba Crates) and a Bugatti Veyron (from Limited Edition Loot) would also help in beefing up my car loot collection.

4) A World Series Championship for the Atlanta Braves: Huge Atlanta Braves fan, ever since the early 1990s. Next year will be Bobby Cox's last season as manager of the Braves, and as they say, "Let's win one for the skipper"

5) A Superbowl Championship for the New England Patriots: I know I know, it doesn't look too good right now, the defense is suspect, the offense is inconsistent, and Bill Belichick has been gasp...human. But hey, anything can still happen, and it doesn't hurt that they're still led by the immortal Tom Brady. Let's go Pats!

6) A Three-Peat for the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the UAAP: We are now entering year 3 of the Ryan Buenafe saga, and it promises to be another championship-filled year for the Blue Eagles. Ever since Ryan donned the blue and white, the team has won back-to-back UAAP and Uni-Games Championships, and 1 PCCL National Championship. That's 5 major championships in a span of 2 years (more on this on my next post...Vengeance Mode). And for next year, I have this feeling that Coach Black will finally unleash Ryan on the rest of the UAAP. Yikes!

7) Peace and Goodwill on Earth...and of course, an election win for Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to all.

Nerdvana

Nerd (noun) - a technically bright but socially inept person; an intelligent but single-minded person obsessed with a nonsocial hobby or pursuit

Nirvana (noun) - a place or state characterized by freedom from or oblivion to pain, worry, and the external world; an ideal condition of rest, harmony, stability, or joy

Nerdvana (noun) - ideal state of geekness

I first heard of the word Nerdvana from the sitcom Big Bang Theory (I love this show); the show mainly deals with the lives of 2 physicists (Leonard and Sheldon) and their interaction with their attractive blonde neighbor (Penny). Leonard and Sheldon's geekiness and intellect are contrasted with Penny's social skills and common sense for comedic effect. The term Nerdvana is often mentioned in the show to describe the pursuits of the lead characters...this would include Halo Night, Comic Book Night, Star Wars Marathon, ... etc.

Watching the show made me think what my own Nerdvana is, what truly makes me happy even without or with very minimal social interaction. Here is what I came up with so far:

1) My Toy & Comic Collection (mostly Transformers and GI Joe, with a sprinkling of Justice League of America);

2) My DVD Collection (wide range of genre, including war movies, teen flicks, cartoons, drama flicks and more)

3) Sports (NBA, MLB, NFL, and to a certain extent, the PBA)

4) Computer Games (currently addicted to Mafia Wars...used to eat sleep and drink Counter-Strike and Command and Conquer, also used to play console games)

5) Ateneo Blue Eagles (Back to Back, yeah baby!)

That is the list so far...my own personal Nerdvana