Is army building a new phenomenon?

**joebahama** · 09-20-2004

Back as a kid I couldn't dream of having two of the same figure much less five or six. I got into army building after seeing how sweet pics of mass cobra rallies looked. Thanks to guys like blaxoyzeus I want to army build more. I am still a ways off from the four hundred infantry and 200 vipers I've seen pics of on this forum. I only had one of any cobra troopers then. I had one viper, techno-viper, alley viper, range viper, sea slug, motor viper and thats it. Joes were way cooler so I considered it a waste to buy more than one of a cobra. Now its the opposite for me, if fate had it that I walked into a TRU and there was a Cobra Infantry set on the pegs along with a Anti -venom team or a Night force team I'd probably knock the joes of their pegs trying to snatch up the infantry before someone beat me to it. I hypothesize that army building is a fairly new phenomenon in the Joe collecting community. Did any of you army build in the 80s? If so what did you army build and in what quantities?

**curmudgeon** · 09-20-2004

When I was a kid my dad always used to buy me doubles of the vehicles. I asked him about it and he replied, "What, you think an army goes around with just one tank?"

I always inadvertently got doubles of figures on my birthday but I just considered them (the cobras) as sort of army builders. I never intentionally got more than one of the figures though...

**mizak23** · 09-20-2004

I never did it in the RAH era. I did start in 1999 at the convention becuase I figured the cartoons and comics showed multiples of figures and vehicles, thats what I want.

**nightc1** · 09-20-2004

I didn't have any multiples of any figures or even vehicles back in the 80's. Then again, I don't today either. But the thing is.. I didn't know anyone with cobra armies. And it seemed everyone played with GI Joes back then.

**BelgianGabber** · 09-20-2004

I got an occasional double figure back in the eighties because my parents didn't exactly know what we had.

A couple months ago, I bougth +-70 near complete and mint figures off of a friend. (UK Mutt, TF Outback...) I paid him because I felt guilty. The lot was so awesome, he had multiples of: Annihilator (3) and Iron Grenadier (3) and a couple more. He said he liked them back then and that's why he bought multiples.

I thought of it too when I was little but if you depend on your parents... There were just too many figs to collect

**Shimaneboy** · 09-20-2004

As a kid in the late eighties I actually did like to have multiples of the Cobras, especially Vipers, Crimson Guards and infantry but, like many of you, I couldn't dream of having multiples of stuff. I did, however, have three Crimson Guards and about 4 Motor Vipers at one point as a kid and I thought that was pretty cool. My greatest dream as far as army building as a kid was to have as many cobra troopers as are pictured in issue #1, page 15 when Cobra Commander reminds the Baroness the the fort is at full strength or something like that and simultaneously shows her all the troops lined up. I bet some of the guys on these boards could set up the Cobra infantry as seen in issue #1. NOw that would be sweet!

**gunslingercbr** · 09-20-2004

I don't know if it is as much a recent phenomenon as much as it is a repercussion of adults buying toys for themselves. you see, as a child our resources were limited and our figure collections were pretty much at the mercy of adults who would purchase the toys for us. as a result, most of us would have rather had at least one of every figure as opposed to just a few figures and multiples of troops. add to that most parents wouldn't dream of spending money on multiples of figures their children already have.

fast forard, to a time now when we all have our own money and can do whatever we want with it. now, if I want five Vipers or Iron Grenadiers, I can afford it, and also buy whatever other figures I want. buying multiples of army builders doen't affect my ability to buy other characters, which as a child it most certainly would have.

that, and the fact that our imaginations were undoubtedly better as children and we didn't need multiples to have a battle. nowadays, our toys are mostly for display and it looks better displayed to have an actual army, but in reality it would be a pain to play with.

**Deogg** · 09-20-2004

I don't know about it being new. When my uncle gave my friend and I his Joe collection (he only bought until 85-86), there were SIX Crimson Guards (all gorgeous shape too)

**GBPackRat** · 09-20-2004

As a Kid I didn't army build...

I mean come on, as a kid I could barely afford one of figures let alone 2 or more...

Also, for some strange reason, as a kid it just made sense to have 1 of everything, 1 viper, 1 bat, 1 eel... I never questioned if there were more...

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