Here is a picture of me (on the left) and a neighborhood friend of mine back in the early 1970s playing with G.I. Joe. That seems like so long ago now. The Joes, from left to right, are action sailor (in white diving suit), adventure team AA adventurer (who incidentally, came with a foreign soldiers of the world Japanese soldier shirt), action soldier, adventure team land adventurer, and adventure team talking commander on the Irwin motorcycle. They are all still in my collection today. The footlocker was a MARX Stoney Smith version that my Aunt probably purchased through the SEARS Christmas catalog. It was made from cardboard and I still have it in my collection today. The footlocker was filled with several knock-off cheap plastic accessories (machine guns, MP-45, rifles, belts). These appeared to be produced with similar Hasbro molds, but were instead molded in a soft olive drab colored plastic.

Here is another picture of me from January 1969 taken by my Aunt at her house. Look! It's a MINT Hasbro #7000 Jeep with trailer, searchlight, and the projectile gun (somewhere around there). I remember turning off all the lights and driving this thing down the hallway of my home with the searchlight blazing away. This was such a cool vehicle for G.I. Joe. I dragged this thing around everywhere I went. It saw some pretty heavy use, but never abuse. Just well used in the battlefields of my backyard. What was I thinking when I threw that box away!? If I had only known then what I know now. I would have purchased (I mean had mom purchase) every Joe I could get my hands on for $4.99. Never in a million years would I believe I would have to pay the kind of prices I do these days just to add another Joe to my collection. It is insane!

My wife is very supportive of my Joe collecting. She jokingly tells everyone that it keeps me out of the bars, but in truth, she just understands how GI Joe helps me connect with my past and my now deceased Aunt. We only get to a few Collector's Club Conventions, but do hit quite a few toy and collectible shows. She is just great.

Shown on the left here are my wife and I at the 2002 Convention in Norfolk, VA. This was the night of the traditional dinner and I am shown (with a great deal more gray in my hair than previous photos) after winning the coveted mystery figure provided at each table every year (usually a prototype figure donated by Hasbro). This one was a prototype of the Navy SEAL.

Today, GI Joe occupies a room with some additional display cases scattered throughout our home. My collection could probably be described as medium in terms of size. Many are much larger and have more valuable pieces. I try to pick up what I can afford. Sometimes I stumble into something and get lucky.

My Site
Feel free to browse around and check out the platoon photos section featuring some of the figures, vehicles and accessories that make up my collection including vintage Joe related toys, games, coloring books, etc. This section also includes pictures of some of the more rare GI Joe items...including some items that I own as well as some that I do not. It is here that you can visit my joe room. The new recruits page will show you some of the latest Hasbro or other interesting action figures, vehicles and accessories that have been added to my collection. I simply don't have enough hours in the day to post pictures of them all, but this gives you an idea of my collection. You can also find The Beachhead on Facebook.

Take a look at the base exchange to see my extra vintage joe and other items for sale and trade. It is in no way a complete list and has really turned into a want list more than a sell list. I am not a toy dealer so I cannot sell you figures that you're missing or desiring 'cause they're certainly not coming out of my collection. However, email me if you are looking for something in particular. I may have seen it on toy shelves or know someone who can get it. The Exchange also includes many of my items that are currently up for auction on eBay. Simple click on the link there to see all of my current auctions. The items are not always GI Joe related. I have a few Joe items for auction from time to time as I pick up extras in other collections. You can also read my philosophy and policy regarding the auctions I have on eBay.

I usually do a limited recon of my local stores on a bi-weekly basis when 12" figures are marketed, less now following the discontinuance of the 12" GI Joe. There are several stores in the surrounding communities of my area including five Wal-Marts, eight Targets, one K-Mart, and three Toys R Us stores. If there are hot G.I. Joes or other military related action figures coming out soon, then I will attempt to check the stores on a more regular basis.

Overall, I keep my eyes open as much as I can, which is difficult given the number of stores, the travel distance, and the amount of time I have to spend doing this. Keep an eye on my recon reports. Even if you do not live in my area (Washington, DC), I have found that reports of new stock hitting the shelves in other areas gives me a good indication of when I should start looking. Maybe the same will work for you. I would also suggest you check out the alt.toys.gi-joe newsgroup also known as the Sandbox. Here you will find posts from people who have found the latest releases and where they were found. It is a great group of collectors and many people there will simply get an item for you for cost plus shipping if you cannot find it on the shelves in your area.

The operations schedule will give you an idea of the current shipping schedules for all new G.I. Joe and military action figure releases. This information comes directly from magazine and club listings. I do not release exclusive GI Joe Collector's Club news until it hits the streets through other means. If you want access to this information, join the Club. Check out the G.I. Joe Collectors Club for great news and information on new G.I. Joe items and conventions. If you are not currently a member, you should really consider joining. It's the only way to find out the latest in G.I. Joe before anyone else! There is also a members only webpage accessible through the main webpage. Club membership gives you a monthly club newsletter in color with all the latest news.

If you want to see a list of all vintage GI Joe products that came out for the Action Soldier, Sailor, Marine, and Pilot series plus the Adventure Team, take a look at my list of Sets & Series. Some of the Hasbro numbers have picture files associated with them so you can see what unopened packages looked like and contained. I also have a list of all 40th anniversary figure sets.

Have you ever wondered what some of the early Hasbro paperwork and advertising looked like? I have several examples of these items which include equipment set instruction sheets, comic book advertising including Andy & George, recent toy store exclusives advertising and more. You will also find G.I. Joe sound files and some of those famous G.I. Joe TV commercials and other videos.

I have included a list of G.I. Joe related books, magazines and newsletters that have been published. Some are still available while others are out of print. These provide information on the history of G.I. Joe as well as current information on new releases, convention information, and much more. If you know of something that is not on my list, please email me with the information and I will include it.

Stop by the Beachhead's maintenance depot. The maintenance depot shows how to take some of those cool older Soldiers of the World uniforms and make some useful, good looking outfits for G.I. Joe. There are pictures and descriptions of removing velcro and adding snaps as well as making useful helmets that fit and adding rifle and helmet straps. Check here for hints on removing stains from figures and clothes.

The communications links will show you a list of some of my favorite links to other GI Joe related sites, toy store links, and auction links. Go here to find a nice shortcut to places like Hasbro and more. I am not real big on links. I feel they really clutter up the webpage and besides, you can find them on about a thousand other Joe related pages. I have traded links with a small handful of other sites and will provide links to sites if I feel they are helpful to the collector like Hasbro, the GI Joe Collector's Club, and others.

Today's soldiers will give you a detailed list of the current line of GI Joes listed by year and category. This includes Classic Collection, Timeless Collection, convention figures, Hall of Fame, 40th anniversary, and every other new line introduced. These lists include the product number and even some variation information. I encourage visitors to provide me with product numbers associated with figures listed on this page when those product numbers are missing.

I didn't buy every figure, but would still like to record every figure's product number (not assortment number) usually listed to the left of the assortment number on the very bottom of the proof of purchase. For example, 81869 is the product number in 81869/81071 Asst.. This should also be the number on the bottom right side of the UPC bar code.

Reassignments depicts new material that I have added to the Beachhead. This includes most website changes. All of the details will be on the pages mentioned, but this page will let visitors know that there have been updates on a given page. If new store recons or hot news have been added, Reassignments will mention this, but the news itself will be found on the respective pages. See the photo below.

Enjoy the Beachhead and let me know what you think or if you have any ideas on how to improve it. I am always open to new ideas and information. If you have a similar site that helps the collecting community, then please feel free to contact me and perhaps we can exchange links!

Disclaimer
Okay, now for the small print also known as the disclaimer...Let me first say that this is not how I make a living. This is not my J-O-B (I'm actually a rocket scientist...no foolin'). I'm a collector, not not a dealer. I operate this site to further my own enjoyment of collecting as well as to help other collectors in their enjoyment. With that said, I am the first to admit that this site is not error free. I continually update this website by replacing a lot of information on a regular basis in my "spare time" so something is bound to be missed now and then. Sometimes a picture won't match a description or there may be a broken link. Please let me know if you see incorrect information like this and I will change it, or if you simply want to shoot the breeze, send me an email and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. My only request - mention GI Joe in the subject heading. Unexpected email to me without a subject goes into the delete file due to virus protection concerns. Sometimes your email will fall into my spam folder.

Many have expressed their appreciation of this site and I am, of course, happy to receive such comments. It's always great to hear from fellow collectors even if the comments are critical of the site's format. For those who do not like this site, I can live with that too and you are certainly more than welcome to tell me what you don't like or what could be improved...just keep it clean and professional please. There are many Joe sites, so I am sure you can find one that suites your fancy if mine does not.

Have Questions on Value or Rarity?
Feel free to send me an email if you have a question regarding the rarity or value of an item you have. I will do my best to answer your question. Remember, value really depends upon a number of factors including what someone else is willing to pay. Condition and completeness are important. I receive a lot of questions every week and I'm more than happy to help if I can. If you own a business (antique store, auction house, etc), I respectfully request that you do your own on-line or book research to determine value and rarity. Although I'm very willing to help fellow collectors and those finding their childhood toys who wonder what they have, I'm not really in this hobby to make professional business owners money...unless you plan to pay a consultant fee. :o)

Thanks! And remember..." Only G.I. Joe is G.I. Joe!"