The 1993 Mail Away Spirit remains one of my favorite figures. The colors are different, but work on the mold. He has a solid sculpt. And, he looks good with a variety of 1992 or 1993 accessories. This figure was once very available. But, he's gotten pricey in recent years as more and more collectors forget his ubiquity and desperately try to prove that every figure they own is a piece of unrequited gold.
In the case of Spirit, though, the figure really is golden. It's a great update to the character and gives you a choice when you want to use Spirit among later release figures. I've photographed him quite a bit over the years and you'll find him in both backgrounds and forefronts of photos dating back to the early 2000's. He's actually tied with several other figures at #7 on my list of most photographed figures. So, he's definitely found good usage through the years.
Usually, during Rarities Month, I spend my time refreshed and write up a good half dozen or so profiles to keep the content flowing through the rest of the summer. This year, that didn't happen. I've lost a bit of inspiration and haven't had much to talk about. I'm barely taking any photos of Joes for a variety of reasons. And, so far, I haven't really missed it too much. Some of the recent Super7 releases have sparked a bit of my interest in Joe again. So, we'll see if that gets me more motivated to get some profiles out the door. I have about 30 of them started, with most being about 2/3 done. But, each time I look at one, I just can't muster the energy to complete it. So, I'm going to get some old features that showcase some of my favorite figures out there. Usually, that's enough to break the malaise and produce something interesting.
I remember back in 2000-02 when Lee's Toy Review was basically giving away the International team set with a 2 year subscription. Now a sealed set goes for about $600 on Ebay.
ReplyDeleteThat's how I got my set! Though it was later in the 2000s, I believe. The offer also included an old Steel Brigade figure, but that never shipped with the set I ordered.
DeleteThere are many reasons I miss the late 90s to mid 00's, but relatively cheap and plentiful ARAH Joes tops my list. There were always expensive figures, but nothing like today. Around 01/02 my local comics shop had some carded 89-93 Joes for $15 -$20 a piece and a MOC 84 Storm Shadow for about $200. I thought 200 was an insane price.!! Oh, how wrong I was.
DeleteI still kick myself missing out on all the great Joe deals in the early 2000s. My attention was elsewhere. Recent years are probably the worst time Ive ever seen to be an ARAH collector. Prices are out of control.
ReplyDeleteThis blog is one of the bright spots we still have. Malaise is bound to set in- you've been at this for a long time. Taking a break is understandable. I've been away for a while myself due to the state of collecting these days.
As for S7, I like some of their stuff, but their sculpts aren't quite there yet. Hopefully they will improve. I'm looking into some of the 3rd party o-ring figures now.
This was a really strong mold. I prefer this mold to the original 84 used. I bought the international action force set probably 10 years ago and thought I paid too much then. Crazy to see how much a complete set is going for now.
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