X-Entertainment.com X-Entertainment.com A Proud UGO Affiliate
X-Entertainment loves Christmas and will not stop talking about it, ever.
« [Main Index] »

New Article: The G.I. Joe Train!

My friend Brian's been asking me to do this one for years, so here it is: a review of the G.I. Joe Electric Train & Battle Set, by Tyco in 1983. Pretty cool, actually -- you might assume this is one of the more generic military Joe toys, and it kind of is, but there's still a little Cobra going on. Review includes a firsthand look and a download for the original commercial, so go. Go get jiggly with it. Go now.

Posted by Matt on 11/17/2003. E-mail me!



Discussion Thread: 71 comments

Never got the train. Our parents had this strange idea that all our toys ended up broken. Every time I see the old Joes I get nostalgic. Unless I see that sailor or the paramedic who wore red. Then I feel depressed because I had those guys and they sucked. Anyone ever notice how fast the crotch of a G.I. Joe guy broke off? Then their legs got all wobbly and all they were good for was doing some sort of insane dance or taking apart to play Dr. Frankenstien with other Joes…somewhere in this house there is still some very mixed up toys.

Chestnuts roasted by Killer Duck @ 11/18/2003 10:23 AM

I’m with Applesauce. Everybody drop by this weekend. We can re O-ring my Gijoes. Bring your Stompers too.

Chestnuts roasted by klatubaradanikto @ 11/18/2003 10:45 AM

I had this. It sucked because it was too small for my regular GI Joes. Plus I was like 8 or somesuch and was into like figuring out how things work and i took the train apart and burned out the engine.

Chestnuts roasted by fR0 @ 11/18/2003 12:01 PM

This thing kicked ass back in the day… great article.

Chestnuts roasted by PWalk @ 11/18/2003 12:15 PM

did anyone have the GI JOE aircraft carrier? that thing took up my friends entire room!

Chestnuts roasted by Mimik! @ 11/18/2003 12:23 PM

Photog…*gasp* Please!

Chestnuts roasted by Gillespee @ 11/18/2003 12:33 PM

Setting up that parachute shot must had been a bitch.

Chestnuts roasted by Aconite @ 11/18/2003 1:23 PM

I had this set back when I was a kid but the problem was my man-at-arms figure kept trying to be a homo, I mean hobo and train hopped without paying fare. It’s ok though, slimer always promptly kicked him off and he sought refuge in my lil sisters malibu barbie mansion which I had converted into modern day (so to speak) hoovervilles. That damn man-at-arms and his hijinks.

Chestnuts roasted by kingofswing @ 11/18/2003 1:54 PM

Brian: Hang out. Matt’s plan is to do at least 2 more parade reviews for ’86 and ’89. He MAY do ’85, as well.

Chestnuts roasted by Scott @ 11/18/2003 2:12 PM

I was eight when it came out, and I got it for christmas. It rocked. My grandfather got me a big piece of plywood so I could nail it down. I loved that set. The parachutes sucked though. Damn things never worked. Many a good Joe lost his life on that track. (I was always into Cobra more than G. I. Joe)

Chestnuts roasted by Remember When @ 11/18/2003 2:38 PM

AWESOME ARTICLE! I had this, and it’s still in my parent’s basement — (I found photos of me playing with it the other day, coincidently).

Chestnuts roasted by Tim G. @ 11/18/2003 3:03 PM

Oh yeah Oneless, I had the 12" Joes as well ( with kung fu grip ). Unfortunately they all died in a tragic fire. Somehow they all ended up in a S.W.A.T. van filled with firecrackers and soaked with gasoline. I can still see them rolling down a hill ablaze and exploding.

Chestnuts roasted by Gozer @ 11/18/2003 3:27 PM

I had the Transformer train set… might still have it somewhere.. and it had a lot cooler cars, but not as much extraneous stuff if I recall. This Joe set looks like it came with a lot of stuff… wonder how much it goes for on Ebay.

Chestnuts roasted by Van Hammersly @ 11/18/2003 4:10 PM

Hey Matt, did you stop doing top 11 articles for UGO? Haven’t seen any mentioned in the blog lately.

Chestnuts roasted by Park @ 11/18/2003 8:35 PM

Doesn’t that kid’s weird looking dad look like the smoking man from x files?

Chestnuts roasted by Bitner-Boy @ 11/18/2003 9:08 PM

You’ve dredged up horrible memories for me Matt. I used to have that train set and many G.I. Joes but as a kid, they were all sent to the Philippines by my parents for the "needy" children. It hurt me then as a kid and it still hurts me as a young man today WAAAHHH!!!

Chestnuts roasted by polarbear @ 11/19/2003 1:10 AM

Had the Train. Broke it. Now miss it! Thanks to Matt. I blocked its mighty memory out of my head. I blocked all memories of putting blocks under its mighty tracks to make it try and climb up a hill it was not ment to climb. That poor train. The tiny soldiers ( and I do mean tiny. Like 1/4 the size of regular plastice generic soldiers) would watch and cry.
It finally broke when I slammed my Knight Rider KITT (talking) car into the Engineer car and fried it out.
Man! I broke more toys that way.
Anyhoo thanks for bringing up memories I tried to forget. Again. Jerk.

Chestnuts roasted by tcgarak @ 11/19/2003 2:33 AM

i’ve got a box of electric trains in my closet. I used them as a kid but I have no room to set them up. I have tons of tracks and a bunch of cars. Probably enough track to go through my house. it would be nice to set that all up again…

Chestnuts roasted by heeloyd @ 11/19/2003 4:52 AM

GI Joe is a great series I have a lot of comics and some of the toys too

Chestnuts roasted by Romo @ 11/19/2003 9:19 AM

The 1985 GI Joe USS Flagg aircraft carrier.
At 7 and a half feet long from bow to stern, and 2 and a half feet wide, it was the largest GIJoe toy ever made, and will probably never be made again, due to the sheer cost it would entail for Hasbro and the consumer.

some pics (the fighter on the deck is the Skystriker X-14, another rare and much loved 1983 GIJoe toy)

http://www.themassdevice.com/octvehs%20037.jpg
http://www.themassdevice.com/octvehs%20039.jpg
http://www.themassdevice.com/octvehs%20040.jpg
http://www.themassdevice.com/octvehs%20041.jpg
http://www.themassdevice.com/octvehs%20042.jpg
http://www.themassdevice.com/octvehs%20044.jpg
http://www.themassdevice.com/octvehs%20045.jpg

Chestnuts roasted by FFN @ 11/19/2003 10:06 AM

I know for a fact I had this one. It kicks ass. Anyway, I’m down for an X-E BBQ. Let’s do it! photog art?

Chestnuts roasted by Nemesis Frog @ 11/19/2003 11:48 AM

I assume you no longer have it, too bad, it gets great money on Ebay, even in busted-ass condition.

Here’s how a Mint in sealed box one is doing
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=2468&item=3155759456

Chestnuts roasted by FFN @ 11/19/2003 12:00 PM

Man that brings back memories. I had this when it first came out. For months the dining room table hosted my epic battles as Cobra tried to derail a train that went in circles. Tehy never won – poor planning.

Chestnuts roasted by Cass @ 11/19/2003 12:01 PM

I had the Aircraft carrier and the space shuttle complex. Sold them in a garage sale. :( Yes, they were huge, and they came in huge boxes that–to my childish eys–seemed to tower over you and threaten to crush you with their might.

Never had the train, though. I do remember having an HO train, shaped like a modern bullet train, that ran up the wall. It was orange, and came with little paper tunnels. Was probably about 1988 or 1989. Anyone remember this?

Anyway, if anybody wants to have a train at the approximate scale of the 3 3/4 figures, take a look at G scale Model railroad equipment. Examples: mylargescale.com; http://www.lgboa.com.

Chestnuts roasted by Cameron T. @ 11/19/2003 12:44 PM

HOLY CRAP!!! That aircraft carrier is freakin huge!!!! I would be scared of it as a kid!! I’d probably be scared of it now too! I wish I would have saved my action figures, I had tons of ninja turtles, gi joe, other figures from movies (i.e. Hook, Batman, etc..) so many memories, I still have my lego collection and my hot wheels though.

Chestnuts roasted by heeloyd @ 11/19/2003 4:10 PM

Add A New Comment!


This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2003 at 6:02 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.