1983 apc variant

[wild weasel tank buster]

while going through my apcs looking for any minor differences(I'm trying to get every version of the apc including variants, I'm becoming a bit of an apc hoarder in the process) I found something that intrigued me.

I love foreign joes and most of the mail aways are foreign pieces repackaged with minor mold differences, I love that connection. My assumption is that was a part of the deal to be able to manufacture joes in each country.

to my knowledge and speculation there was 3 versions of the mail away apc:
U.S. release apc
Brazil release apc("made in brazil" on bottom, no manufacturer logo)
green top apc


I'm not positive that the u.s. release apc was sold as a mail away, but I'd assume it was, atleast for an extremely short period of time, to get rid of extra stock.
I'll say "ma" for mail away, i'm tired of typing tht out lol
I know one version of the ma apc with camo top says made in brazil on the bottom.

here is a picture of a store release apc chasis hasbro logo
apc variant by wild weasel tank buster, on Flickr

On the brazilian version(sold in brazil, not the u.s. ma) the estlela logo was placed there. it is a star with the word "estrela" beneath, and it also says estrela s.a., which is south america.

the ma's made in brazil should say made in brazil on the bottom, and not have a estrela or hasbro logo, as seen in this ebay auction
1983 RARE Gi Joe Canadian Mail Away APC Mint Vintage Hasbro Made in Brazil | eBay

here's the apc I have

apc variant by wild weasel tank buster, on Flickr

the made in brazil was removed from the mold, and there is a rough spot where it should be. Also where the hasbro and estrela logos were placed was removed from the molding and is a rough spot as well.



apc variant by wild weasel tank buster, on Flickr

apc variant by wild weasel tank buster, on Flickr

as soon as I noticed this I took pics and then decided i'd stick it side by side with a retail version and the colors looked the same to my eye, but not to the camera

the one in question is on the right in all of these(with the pricetag in 1st pic)

apc variant by wild weasel tank buster, on Flickr

apc variant by wild weasel tank buster, on Flickr






apc variant by wild weasel tank buster, on Flickr

apc variant by wild weasel tank buster, on Flickr

apc variant by wild weasel tank buster, on Flickr
​I'm pretty sure I have the camo tops of these switched by accident, it appears the one I put on the u.s. release is a different color than the rest of my apc camo tops, so mentally switch them as you look at the pics

that's one more apc mail away variant, or foreign variant depending on how you look at it since this is an estrela apc. I'll try and get pics of the retail release and this one, next to my brazilian apc soon, this mail away should be the exact same in color, and I'll be able to note the chasis differences.
Hope that was helpful to anybody else who is interested in the pointless variants like me lol
I have a green top apc, but now after this I might need to buy a sealed one to be sure about the authenticity of which version it is

[StkhlmDK]

I think the mail away/con (CUDA) has a slight color difference compared to the original release, at least mine looks different when placed next to eachother. Bought my CUDA MIB but the tower gun had applied stickers eventhough the sticker sheet was intact so assume it was replaced with regular APC version.

[notpicard]

The very original APC also did not have the reinforced tabs. They are flat instead of having the wedge shape that helps hold the canopy on.

[Grunt]

I'm trying to get every version of the apc including variants, I'm becoming a bit of an apc hoarder in the process

Its nice to know there are other APC hoarders out there. I just sold my 12th one so I only have 11 left. I also have 2 Night Scramblers, a CUDA and the action force ATC. Awesome vehicle!

[Kronz]

Just chiming in to agree that this is a great, great vehicle. I played with mine until one of the axles broke and it lost a wheel. Always had it in the pool and around the yard until it was retired. Need to get another one eventually.