I loved GI Joe figures when I was a kid. In fact, I still love GI Joe figures and routinely scour eBay for broken ones to repair. (Here are my GI Joe repair tips.)
Well, there is a new line of GI Joe figures called GI Joe: Classified and they are hyper-detailed 6 inch figures, a boost of HGH over the 3.75 inch O-Ring Joes you grew up with. Can’t visualize 6 inch figures? Well, think about Marvel Legends or Star Wars: Black Series.
The GI Joe: Classified line is narrow at the moment, consisting of just about a half dozen figures over two waves. And what figure served as the crown jewel of the launch?
Snake Eyes, of course. See below.
Being a ninja, you couldn’t even see Snake Eyes in the picture unless he wanted you two. Click any photo to embiggen. ![]()
The 6 inch size allows for incredible detailing, while still harkening back to the classic 1986 design. 
Look closely. He has a knife that fits in a hip holster. A backpack with nice patches of color. And his classic sword with scabbard. ![]()
He also comes with a rifle and a pistol. The pistol fits neatly in a holster that also has a silencer attached. 
He is excellently articulated so you can pose him in a gazillion ways. ![]()
I’m thrilled about this new GI Joe line. I played with Joes for hours upon hours. There were a million reasons I loved them, the best of which was they were fun.
Then you grow up and society says toys are lame. You’re supposed to knuckle-down, be productive, and filter any ingenuity into your job! You’re not supposed to build LEGO, or pose action figures, or paint miniatures anymore; you’re supposed to build a shed in the backyard to store the tools you need for completing never ending home improvement projects around your house. If you enjoy handy work, fine. But it’s not why you’re doing it.
The closest thing to playing that’s permitted of an adult is restoration. You can fix up an old convertible or re-stain a table. Those things are fine, because the end product will be usable for something. Again, it all comes back to practicality.
The thing is, not everyone wants to gut and remodel an Airstream trailer. I say that it’s much more fun to play with old GI Joes from your childhood!
So why then is collecting GI Joes looked down upon like they are some childish thing? Why is replacing an O-Ring in an old Joe rather than a faucet considered a “guilty pleasure” rather than just a “pleasure”? And why am I considered a reclusive nerd, other than the fact that it’s true?
Because you allow it, that’s why.
But you don’t have to! You can say, “Screw it. I’m collecting GI Joes! I hold down a day job and it’s OK that I have a hobby I enjoy. So if you need me, I’ll be down in The PIT, posing these new 6 inch plastic action figures into a fighting force against Cobra. Because that’s what I want to do, and no, I won’t apologize.”
Getting them will be the problem. They are hot right now and if you are a nerd who loves the hunt, good luck with Target or Wal-Mart, because they leave the shelves as soon as they arrive. And they are getting marked up on Amazon.
Personally, I use Big Bad Toy Store. It’s a mom and pop online store that caters to collectors and specializes in the good stuff us nerds love. So, you don’t get the insane shipping speed of Amazon, but you get the guarantee of pre-orders. Give Big Bad a try: GI Joe Classified.
Snake Eyes | Cobra Commander | Duke |
Scarlett | Destro | Gung-Ho | Roadblock
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