So what is this all about really? Easter is first and foremost a religious celebration. That ain't my shtick. Beyond that, it's about hunting for chocolate eggs, typically made from the lowest grade of chocolate you're likely to get. All the images of bunny's, chickens and or course, eggs are supposed to have some relevance to the beginning of spring and rebirth and newness and life. But to a kid living in the Southern Hemisphere, Easter is naturally a time when you start feeling a slight chill in the air. So that's out. If nothing else, it's an excuse to get the family and friends together and have a roast or a 'braai' (South African BBQ) because it is of course in many parts of the world a long weekend. But for this writer, Easter had a GI Joe connection and that is why Easter will always be cherished, even if only with nostalgia.
Now it was customary in my house for their to be a little something extra in your chocolate pile. Nothing too substantial- it isn't a birthday or Christmas. But a carded GI Joe figure fit the bill perfectly each year. Or Dino Riders two-pack. Remember those? I think I have Easter to thank for my original HEAT Viper, all those years ago.
But the memory I cherish most fondly was perhaps the most notorious of all GI Joe pegwarmers my mother happened upon: Voltar.
This guy had the dubious honour of being Destro's General. An honour made more dubious by the fact that he required a fuchsia uniform to carry out his duties. Which is a pity because it masked a top notch sculpt. But it was on one fine Easter Sunday morning that this guy found his way to me. And that's all it takes to make me one happy boy.
It was not meant to last however. I don't know if Voltar was more frail than other GI Joes of the time; perhaps the gold plastic used for his accessories were more brittle than accessories cast in other colours, but before the figure's ultimate retirement:
The feet of his animal companion vulture fell out and were lost;
The bar on the backpack on which said vulture could perch had cracked off and disappeared;
The lenticular sticker on the backpack absconded. Funny that on the yojoe.com page for the figure, their sticker is similarly absent;
The barrel of his gun snapped off and disappeared;
Voltar's crotch broke off and fell away, leaving him to be "Destro's Fuchsia Eunich", or "Destro's Castrato in the key of Hot Pink";
The weak gold paint used for his helmet had rubbed away to the point where his head was flesh-tone with a few gold highlights. Now that is a freaky looking noggin, let me tell you.
And ultimately Voltar's o-ring snapped. Back then, my limited grasp of figure construction (and how to work a screwdriver) meant that the figure got binned. Yes. I threw Voltar away.
...and that was the tale of Voltar.
What does this all mean? Well, I guess it's to say that while other people connect how they styled their hair to a specific period in their life; or remember what they were doing by what car they were driving, where they were living, who they were dating; I will always make associations between a period in my life and what toys I was into at the time. And I know I'm not alone. But just know forever more that for a certain blogging, podcasting, YouTube reviewing GI Joe fan out there, Easter and Voltar will forever be linked.
Happy Holidays.
Now it was customary in my house for their to be a little something extra in your chocolate pile. Nothing too substantial- it isn't a birthday or Christmas. But a carded GI Joe figure fit the bill perfectly each year. Or Dino Riders two-pack. Remember those? I think I have Easter to thank for my original HEAT Viper, all those years ago.
But the memory I cherish most fondly was perhaps the most notorious of all GI Joe pegwarmers my mother happened upon: Voltar.
This guy had the dubious honour of being Destro's General. An honour made more dubious by the fact that he required a fuchsia uniform to carry out his duties. Which is a pity because it masked a top notch sculpt. But it was on one fine Easter Sunday morning that this guy found his way to me. And that's all it takes to make me one happy boy.
It was not meant to last however. I don't know if Voltar was more frail than other GI Joes of the time; perhaps the gold plastic used for his accessories were more brittle than accessories cast in other colours, but before the figure's ultimate retirement:
The feet of his animal companion vulture fell out and were lost;
The bar on the backpack on which said vulture could perch had cracked off and disappeared;
The lenticular sticker on the backpack absconded. Funny that on the yojoe.com page for the figure, their sticker is similarly absent;
The barrel of his gun snapped off and disappeared;
Voltar's crotch broke off and fell away, leaving him to be "Destro's Fuchsia Eunich", or "Destro's Castrato in the key of Hot Pink";
The weak gold paint used for his helmet had rubbed away to the point where his head was flesh-tone with a few gold highlights. Now that is a freaky looking noggin, let me tell you.
And ultimately Voltar's o-ring snapped. Back then, my limited grasp of figure construction (and how to work a screwdriver) meant that the figure got binned. Yes. I threw Voltar away.
...and that was the tale of Voltar.
What does this all mean? Well, I guess it's to say that while other people connect how they styled their hair to a specific period in their life; or remember what they were doing by what car they were driving, where they were living, who they were dating; I will always make associations between a period in my life and what toys I was into at the time. And I know I'm not alone. But just know forever more that for a certain blogging, podcasting, YouTube reviewing GI Joe fan out there, Easter and Voltar will forever be linked.
Happy Holidays.
