1988

I recently bid for (and won) a loose Rolling Thunder from 1988. You will no doubt be seeing an in-depth review soon after it arrives. It occurs to me that the year 1988 is significant as it was my jump-on point for collecting. So many of my initial G.I. Joe figures were from '88, and among them some of the enduring favourites such as Hit & Run, Shockwave and Hydro-Viper. The vehicles of this year also ingrained themselves as all-time favourites for a host of reasons. The Warthog entered my life shortly after my 8th birthday and it became my premier Joe armour. It saw so much use as a personnel carrier. I always loved the idea of a vehicle with a cavernous interior space where grizzled, war-weary Joes sat in cramped quarters, preparing themselves for a brutal land assault. It also seemed to be a vehicle that could easily fit in with a more realistic (therefore vintage) G.I. Joe motorpool, something that I appreciate as an adult collector with a love for the old-skool, olive drab aesthetic. Shortly after the Warthog, the BUGG arrived as a Christmas gift from ma and pa. Outlandish but definitively Cobra, this vehicle was great fun and is a treasure trove of memories for me.

Flash forward many years and I am cruising a flea market at Sunrise Beach, False Bay and I find a Skystorm attack helicopter mint in box! That alone adds a stamp of coolness to a vehicle and despite being maligned by a few (Mark Bellomo for example) I love this chopper. I have a great deal of fun and use for a small, sleek attack chopper that can turn on the juice with a jet engine. Such fun flying that craft about. Also quite late in the game, Christmas 2009 to be exact, I got a pair of Desert Fox's. I think as a standard G.I. Joe jeep, this puppy blows away the Vamp and Awe Striker. I don't even mind the flesh tone colouring, though I am eternally grateful that my buddy Paul airbrushed and excellent and very detailed matt green coat on one of mine.

This time last year I got my hands on a Phantom X-19 and what a beaut that is. The last of the good vintage jets, large, long and with an intricate working landing gear mechanism (well, mine kind of needs a bit of help, but it's an impressive design nevertheless). I think it's my fave Joe jet, as it turns out.

If the Rolling Thunder proves to be a winner (and I will be critical) then 1988 could well be my favourite G.I. Joe year. So hurry up and arrive! Getting big boxes from the post office is like, a reason to live.