1994 Joseph Colton - Random Photos of the Day

Joseph Colton isn't a figure that should be great.  But, he's a guy who works.  There's not much to him.  But, it's enough to make him stand out and work with Joes from every era.  I get him out often enough.  And, he's relatively popular among photographers.  There was a time when this guy was the hottest figure in the hobby.  You don't see them as often, now, but back in the late 1990's, there were tons of carded 1993 and 1994 figures with cut UPC codes where adult collectors had purchased retail figures just to get the UPCs to mail away for the Joseph Colton figure.

But, since collectors were obsessive, tons and tons of Coltons went into the collecting world.  And, the figure is barely worth more now than  he was 30 years ago.  But, that's OK.  It's allowed newer collectors to get a high quality figure for their collections.

Rarities - Joseph Colton Pre Production - Green Weapon

 Back in the profile of Lt. Kawalski from the Stargate line, I mentioned that early prototypes of the Joeseph Colton Mail Away figure included a green weapon similar to the one included with Lt. Kawalski.  Well, here is that Joseph Colton with the green weapon.

As far as variants go, it's pretty benign.  I doubt many people would prefer this green weapon over the black.  Most would likely prefer the weapon that was shown with Colton in the mail away booklet to this reuse of the 1992 Gung Ho weapon.  But, that didn't happen and we're left with this oddball green weapon as an example of early designs for Joseph Colton.

These photos were found on Ebay.  Pieces like this Colton tend to have fairly significant value.  But, at the same time, many of the people who own them feel the value should be much higher than what the market is willing to pay.  As such, you often see them sitting unsold for years.  Again, this isn't a particularly interesting variant.  But, it's something different than what we got at production.

2006 Joseph Colton - Viper Lockdown

Once the anniversary figures were released in 2007, the JvC era of G.I. Joe came to an end.  I define this period (generally) as 2002 through 2006 and it's also described as the "New Sculpt" era.  But, truth be told, the figures that Hasbro produced in 2006 were far cries from those who debuted in 2002.  The abandoned o-ring returned quickly.  But, the general figure proportions got better and the figures slimmed down.  Really, a 2002 figure is as far from a 2006 figure as a 2006 figure is from an anniversary figure that debuted in 2007.  The JvC line is full of good work, though.  It had innovative character designs, gear that could interact with the figure and a solid line up of classic characters and new recruits.  It's been a long time since I've looked at a figure from that era.  But, this Joseph Colton shows the evolution of that time that ultimately lead to the anniversary sculpt figures we still see today.

One of the things that the JvC era did well was they went easy on the vintage homages and reinterpreted characters in new ways.  In some instances, the figures were duds.  But, in others, the new takes were fun and interesting.  (I'm looking at you, Disco Destro!)  This take on Joseph Colton firmly falls into the latter category.  This isn't the Joe Colton we know.  But, it's not a radical departure for the character.  It's a fun toy, which is something that hearkens back to Joe's roots and was abandoned in the movie era.  Of course, being released in the DTC series, few kids actually had a chance to find him...until Hasbro dumped their unsold overstock on Toys R Us.  But, Hasbro at least tried.  I've long maintained that had Hasbro given the same level of thought to their vintage repaints of the 2000's as they did the JvC line, the vintage line would have continued at retail: long after the JvC stuff died out.

When the JvC era debuted, I was a willing and enthusiastic participant.  It was nice to get Joes at retail, again.  But, I was also blind in my support for anything Joe: naively thinking that support would lead to better things.  I religiously bought everything through 2003.  But, as 2004 dawned, I found my interest in the new sculpts diminishing.  I found that I rarely used them and always took out my vintage style Joes for photos.  As the 2004 continued, it became harder and harder to be a completist of the line.  Tons of retailer exclusives started popping up: often reissuing many existing figures along with one or two new figures.  I discovered that the effort of collecting the line wasn't worth the joy it brought to me.  So, I stopped collecting JvC.  And, with that, I lost any interest in a Joe figure that wasn't vintage style.  (You'll note that I profiled JvC figures throughout 2003.  But, in 2004, my new release focus shifted almost entirely to ARAH style releases.)

Over the years, I sold or traded off my entire collection.  This proved fortuitous as it allowed me to partake in the first batches of factory custom figures which are now much more expensive and hard to find than anything from the JvC era.  And, I've never regretted it.  That's the piece that's so odd to me.  I've long regretted selling or trading off vintage pieces.  But, I don't miss the JvC stuff at all.  I haven't had any in a decade, now, and I don't even have nostalgia for the era.  I fondly remember finding Vipers and Mirages on the shelves.  But, aside from the purple 2002 Snake Eyes, all of the JvC era stuff just flows together: even with that era and my purchases logged in the archives of this blog.

What is odd to me, though, is that we haven't seen the resurgence of collectors who were kids who grew up with the JvC era figures.  Collectors talk about the anniversary era being the heyday of modern Joe.  But, the best anniversary years sold about 2/3 the figures of the lower ends of the JvC era.  And a few JvC era waves saw production numbers that exceeded even the waning years of the vintage line.  These weren't all bought by collectors.  There were, maybe, 5,000 active Joe collectors of that era.  So, hundreds of thousands of Joe figures were bought and played with by kids.  Kids who would now be in their mid to late 20's...the prime years for them to be asserting themselves as the next generation of Joe collectors.  Sure, there a couple of them out there.  But, by and large, these kids didn't become collectors.  The second coming of the ARAH mythos was cool and sold toys.  But, it failed to penetrate the pop culture psyche of the kids to whom it was targeted.

This Colton is pretty basic.  The green and black camo pattern is nice and the maroon beret joins the silver highlights in offsetting the base colors, nicely.  But, he's so basic that, were I not familiar with him, I wouldn't recognize him as a G.I. Joe figure.  In fact, that's likely why he was lying at the bottom of a figure bin at a local comic shop where I found him.  One of the main features I loved about the JvC era was the working holsters and Colton's are perfect.  Aside from that, though, there's little to discuss about the figure.  But, that's OK.  The JvC era was dominated by intricate, well designed figures.  So, getting a few basic guys like this Colton gave the line a visual diversity that was reminiscent of the vintage line.

The Viper Lockdown is an interesting beast.  Upon its release, the set was well received.  Collectors always loved new Vipers.  And, getting an Interrogator and a G.I. Jane in the set were collector bonuses right as the line was dying.  Joseph Colton, though, was probably the least well received figure in the set.  In recent years, members of the set have gotten pricey.  But, the JvC era figures, in general, haven't seen the huge price surges that both vintage and anniversary figures have seen in the last 2 years.  While the Jane figure will fetch $20, Colton won't get 1/3 of that amount.  You can still buy carded sets for around $50.  So, if you want the whole set, that's the way to go.

1994 Joseph Colton - Around the Web

The final mail away of the vintage line was the first character who established the G.I. Joe universe: Joseph Colton.  At the time, this figure was highly sought after and quickly became a favorite of 12" Joe collectors who wanted the character in all his forms.  Since then, the demand for this figure was sated with the massive amounts of overstock that were left over from the original mail away.  But, the figure still holds a cachet.  The fact that it's a high quality mold certainly helps it out.  He's a decently popular character.  Here's the best of him from around the web.

Joseph Colton Profile

Joseph Colton Mail Away Insert

Joseph Colton Diorama

Joseph Colton Video Review

Joseph Colton at JoeADay.com

Joseph Colton at 3DJoes.com

Joseph Colton at Retro Reaction

1994 Joseph Colton Mail Away Insert

The 1990's really brought about the rise of the collector.  For the first time, toy companies really understood that there were people who collected their brands and that they were a demographic worth catering to.  They had money to spend and could offset their smaller numbers with the increased dollars they were willing to spend on high quality or nostalgic items.  Hasbro jumped on the boat with the 12" Joe figures.  And, with 1994 being the 30th anniversary of the original G.I. Joe, they decided to do a series of homages to the brand's roots.  In late 1993, Hasbro began including a mail away promo with 3 3/4" G.I. Joe figures encouraging kids and collectors to send away for their very own Joseph Colton figure.

Joseph Colton Mail Away Promo Cover

For 3 3/4 collectors, this anniversary meant a small figure of Joseph Colton and reproductions of the Marine, Soldier, Diver, Pilot and Astronaut from the early days of the brand.  While the "Action Series" of figures would be sold at retail in individual boxes and a commemorative boxed set, Joseph Colton was only available as a mail away.  At the time, the internet was in its infancy and communication among collectors was heavily influenced by rumors and falsehoods.  Most of these were driven by people trying to speculate in specific toys and drive up demand for something they either already owned or could easily acquire.  And, Joseph Colton was heavily influenced by that.  Adult collectors began hoarding up carded Joes so they could send off for the "sure to be valuable" Joesph Colton figures.  But, Hasbro actually made more of the 3 3/4" figures than collectors could absorb.  And, despite some high early pricing, the figures crashed in value and remain relatively easy to find to this day.

The insert shows a sample of both the 12" figure and the 3 3/4" figure.  The 12" figure is posed on a bookshelf in an obvious showcase of Hasbro's intentions behind it.  They created and marketed the figure for adult collectors of the day.  In looking at the 3 3/4" figure, there are some differences between the figure shown and the actual figure that was sent to collectors.  There are very subtle color differences in the green and brown colors.  The main change, though, is the rifle shown.  Colton is holding an M-16 inspired rifle.  It is a far cry from the 1992 Gung Ho machine gun that was actually sent with the figure.  The weapon shown in the insert was never, to my knowledge, released in any G.I. Joe line.  The sample appears production level, but it might have been a mock up and the Gung Ho weapon was released to cut costs.

Joseph Colton Mail Away Promo Interior Pages

The Colton mail away featured one major change from prior mail aways.  Rather than requiring flag points, it required mailed UPC codes from packaged figures.  The reasoning was that many people had bags and bags of flag points and there would be no need for them to buy up the massive unsold store stock of G.I. Joe figures if the promotion required mail aways.  And, if someone bought a figure and cut out the upc, they could not return the figure to the store.  It was an interesting way to devalue flag points and spur collectors to buy up unsold merchandise.

Joseph Colton Mail Away Promo Back Page

The legacy of this decision, though, is still seen more than 20 years later.  It is very common to find '90's era G.I. Joe figures that are MOC, but with missing upc symbols.  12" collectors and casual dealers who had no interest in retail G.I. Joe figures but had great interest in acquiring more than a few Coltons bought up retail figures, removed the upcs and then dropped the Joes into a box.  In the ensuing decades, as garages, attics and storage sheds have been cleaned out, these figures were put into the marketplace.  Most sell for loose figure pricing and remain one of the most effective ways to buy mint and complete with filecard Joes from the line's final years.

As mail in promos go, this one is fairly banal.  The Colton artwork on the front page isn't spectacular.  And, unlike most other mail away offers, this one only had a form to order the Joseph Colton figures and no other offers were present.  Just being two pages doesn't leave much room for pizzazz.  But, by 1993, the Joe line was in death throes and there wasn't much that was going to revive it.  Colton is a solid demarcation of the end of mail away premiums.  In 1996, Hasbro would start teaming up with food brands for mail aways for their new Star Wars line.  After that, mail aways were mainly retro ways to appease some collector nostalgia for bygone days.  So, this offer is one of the final legacies of the '80's Joe line.

Diorama - Colton in the Woods

Back in the spring of 2002, I took these photos out in my yard.  That was 4 houses and two states ago.  But, here's another look back at a different time in the Joe world.

1994 Joseph Colton Mail Away

Back in 1993 and 1994, Hasbro offered tons of mail in figures. Basically, the line was ending and they wanted to eliminate all of their old stock. As such, there were tons of mail in exclusive figures in 1993. 1994, however, was a bit different. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of G.I. Joe, Hasbro offered the one figure every kid in the early '80's thought was represented by Grunt: the one and only G.I. Joe.

I'm not much of a Joe historian beyond the 3 3/4 inch line. Frankly, I don't care about the 12 inch figures. As such, I was not real certain as to who this Joe Colton was supposed to represent. 5 years earlier, for the 25 anniversary, the comic had offered a nice little story about some guy named Joe. That was the extent to which I knew who this figure was supposed to be. When I saw the figure advertised on the inserts that came with many of my late 1994 figures, I was intrigued. The figure looked militaristic enough that it might be cool. What I was really interested in, though, was his gun. The insert art showed Colton with a very cool gun. The picture of the figure inside, though, showed the over sized machine gun you see in the bag with the figure below. Once I decided that this was the gun you got, and not the cool one he was drawn with, my interest for the figure waned and I never ordered him.

Now, years later, I've never really regretted that decision. Colton, like most of the mail ins offered in at the end of the line, is a very simple find that won't strain your budget. He is a figure, though, that I think is still kind of cool. The basic drab coloring without the trappings of unpainted extras that plagued so many '94 releases is a refreshing change. Aside from the Action Soldier, this was as basic a figure as they released in the entire line. In that simplicity lies the splendor of the figure. He works well as an officer, a basic soldier, or even an honorary persona. He's a guy who, if I had a loose specimen, would often play the background role. You would see him milling about in dioramas to add realism, but he would never be the major player. I think that is the reason the figure works. He is very different from most Joes in the line, but is still a nice enough mold to find uses among just about all the other figures.

The primary reason I wanted to profile this figure is because he is an oft recognized mail in figure. One of the things that made toy lines so much fun for me as a child was the mail in offer. From the first Boba Fett offer back in 1979 all the way through the Mace Windu offer in the fall of 1998, I have loved the concept of the mail in figure. Unfortunately, it seems Hasbro has moved away from this. Several high profile Star Wars collectors have bemoaned the fact that there are currently no plans to offer an Episode II sneak preview figure. Turning you back on 22 years of history and precedent is not becoming trait for a company that is still trying to foster strong relations with the collector community. One of the sinister corporate motives of the mail in figure is to eliminate overstock. I know that as a child I often needed one or two additional flag points to be eligible for a mail in offer I was interested in. This was often the only incentive to purchase less than stellar figures and add them to my collection. As they were what I needed for the mail in, I would buy them even though the figure would never be used. How else can you explain the presence of Crystal Ball, Raptor and, especially, Big Boa in my childhood collection? I think the Joe line was an instance where the mail ins were able to offer different generations of Joe fans connections that allowed the continuity of the overall story line to remain intact. Losing out on something like this will take away from much of what made Joe so successful. I wouldn't mind if all we were offered was the return of the Steel Brigade, newly amalgamated figures, or even straight repaints of current molds. (That would be a perfect way to distribute that tan version of the '00 Dusty rather than release a new version of him at retail.) As long as there is something available for order either by mail, or via an Internet enabled web form, I think that the collecting community and the line as a whole would be better served.

If you want a bagged figure, Joseph Colton is pretty easy to find. Like most late mail ins, he was more hoarded and kept MIB by collectors than he was opened by children. As such, you don't often see loose Coltons. He is a figure, though, whose popularity ebbs and flows like the tides. Some days you will see bagged figures fetch $25. Other times, he will sell for under $10. With a little patience, you can get a bagged figure for under $15 on a consistent basis. At that price, he is still cheap enough to actually open the bag. (Not something I've done, yet. I like bagged figures and have well over 100 of them. There's just something about the bag that makes me like them. I've opened a few bagged figures, but keep most of them in a special storage bin always ready for future use.) This is a figure, though, that I can see becoming like the Hooded Cobra Commander. He will not be rare or even semi-difficult to find, but will command a higher price tag because dealers and hoarders think he should be one of the tougher figures to acquire. Like Windchill, this guy may have low production numbers, but they still far outstrip the demand for him. With that said, I see this guy remaining like he is for some time. Collectors don't seem too keen on the mail in figures. Most of them are poorly colored resculpts (see Deep Six) that lack decent accessories. While Colton is a cool figure, he is often lumped in with the Action Series 30th Anniversary figures. He is a neat anomaly in the line, but doesn't really fit the overall continuity.

I would love for there to be mail in offers for the new Joe line. How about you? Would you like to see mail ins for the new line? If so, what type of mail in would you like to see? Email me. This might be the type of info that would be worth sending to Hasbro.