JoeDeclassified.com

Much like Gary (Cmnderinchief), I have been around the block for years now. I was attending Joe conventions back in 1995, and local shows as early as 1992. I never stopped buying Gi Joe (no gap, just turned my "playing with" into "collecting" when I was around 11 or 12). I spend more money than I should on things I want, and unfortunately I want most things related to the brand. I spend a TON of my time reading posts on all types of Joe boards, and the other half of my time on ebay searching for that next great deal. I pride myself on being a know it all when it comes to Gi Joe, especially International figures/vehicles and early Gi Joe paperwork. Unlike most of the other "old timers", I do not see myself stopping my collecting any time soon. Too many times you notice that the people who were collecting before the internet was around stop early or get burnt out. Well, don't count on seeing my collection listed on ebay anytime soon, because I'm in it for the long haul. Like the others here at Joe Declassified I am very interested to see how many other people out there are as enthused as we are, with regards to the making of the Gi Joe brand, the "behind the scenes", the rare and elusive pieces that are out there, and the "what could have beens" as far as unproduced toys, comics, cartoon series, movies etc.

I'm glad to be a part of Joe Declassified, and hope that others out there are as excited as I am about expanding their horizons as far as information about the brand, and branching out to newer collectors that may want to pursue collecting items other than the "norm", and bringing other old timers in together to create a great new group of collectors who have the same passion.

For those who don't know Drew well, he is the Funskool guy. I can't think of anyone as well versed in it's history or versatility quite so well. I consider it unfortunate that I didn't get to meet Drew until about 4 years ago, and I can easily say he's one of my good friends. For those new t the hobby, Drew is one of those that has forgotten more about Joe history that you can imagine, as he's always taking for granted information that some of us have never heard.

Drew is probably the FIRST guy I struck up a conversation with when I went to my first JoeCon in SF in 2003. I still remember him mentioning finding a Lift-Ticket with mic for cheap on the sales floor before it opened to the public, and bought it for me after I overheard him in the lobby. Figuring $20 would be a good price, he comes back a few minutes later, and gives me the figure and $12 since it was only priced at $8. He also sent me a few accessories I was looking for a few weeks later because he had them in a pile and he didn't need them.

While this sounds like an admiration society, if it wasn't for Drew, and a few other guys I met at that Con, I probably wouldn't be active in the hobby today.