Something happened a couple years ago on a ride back from a little fishing trip with Stormavik. We talked about creating our own universe. While he realized that he was too entrenched in his telling of the Joe Verse with ARAH parts to do his own, I wasn’t. Sure I had created quite a few Dreadnoks and a Heaven’s Fire Special Ops team, but I really hadn’t delved too deep into the world of the Joes. I had told him that I was just getting sick of countless Snake Eyes customs…Cobra Commanders…Storm Shadows…Zartans. I wanted to create my OWN world and not be shackled to what Hama and Hasbro had created. Now don’t get me wrong…I LOVE GIJoe! But, honestly, I yearned for something different!
It was at this point that we discussed “mediums”. The 25th was out there as well as ROC stuff. There was even really great Star Wars fodder. Indiana Jones was available, too. All these mediums presented me with a wealth of properly scaled fodder! Guys could be 5’9” or they could be 7’! Women would be the right height and size as well…and look feminine with no compromises! The world of ARAH was looking dim. I started my project…a group of soldiers for hire that would face not just one single enemy but various ones! From a Nazi Princess to an alien protecting a Mayan Temple! Have allies from various corners...From an old Vietnam pilot with a beer gut to a mysterious man in an old tweed suit.
As I created my customs…I loved them. The custom actually looked like the vision of the character that had been in my head for months! It was until I had the first wave done that I went back and looked at my old ARAH customs. I actually felt sad…as I looked at the Dreadnoks and Heaven’s Fire team, I saw the flaws that so many had pointed out back when I feverishly supported the line. They…looked…dated.
Now a few months has passed, and I have been doing a lot of thinking. I am going to go back and retouch my old Snake Eyes custom…and do a Storm Shadow custom…then rework my Zartan. I feel that I must go back and show some love for the ARAH medium. I am going to have a little shelf display with the original versions of each, their 25th counterparts, the 25th carded versions, and my customs. These 3 are my favorites from my childhood. I will probably even throw the POC/30-4-30 versions as well.
I come to this forum a lot to see the love for a medium that will always be near and dear to my heart. I love the fact that there is a lot of activity here. It’s also great to see the new figures coming. Loved seeing it on the other sites. To get a Pythona and probably a Venom and a Billy will make a lot of ARAHers happy I am sure. While I cannot say I will partake in the adventure, I do hope it gets a lot of support and works out!
I will always have a place in my heart for the ARAH line. While I can say that the 1995-20XX line of Star Wars figures is the greatest toy line ever, the ARAH Joe line is a definite #2. It created a universe that is rich and exciting…one that continues to this day with version “who knows” of Duke, Snake Eyes, Scarlett, Cobra Commander and countless others. It’s been a fun ride…and one that I will still hop on from time to time. Great work on the forum and projects!!!
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Subject: ...where did he go? 
