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Meeting Number 2
Champaign, IL September, 2006
"Search for the GIjOE Comics"
Meeting #2 took place at Robert's house in Champaign. It was what we hope to be an example of a typical CIGCC meeting: A LOT of Fun! It began with viewing Robert's VERY impressive vintage Joe collection. If you haven't seen the photos of his Joe room yet, jump over to this page RIGHT NOW and prepare to be amazed!
The highlights of this meeting were four-fold:
1. SHOW-n-TELL
First, Scott McCullar generously brought free copies of his new (and VERY rare) AT comic book from the recent national convention's "FIGHT for SURVIVAL" premium set. Thanks again, Scott. This proves the unforeseen benefits of belonging to a Joe collectors club--FREE stuff! He also brought original art panels used to create the book. Soooo neat.
The convention set is truly amazing and has to bee seen in person to be appreciated. It features the AT sled dog team, (very) angry polar bear and a fully outfitted arctic GIJoe. This is a MUST HAVE set for every Joe collector. Unfortunately, the set is made in very limited numbers and is very expensive, so it's not feasible that every Joe fan will end up with one. That is REALLY too bad. The detail, quality, and extraordinarily high FUN Factor make this a killer toy. We say if you can afford this beauty, don't hesitate. Get one now.
2. FOOD-n-FLICKS
Secondly, we adjourned to the living room for some pizza and quality video time. Our movie of choice? Well the famous Joe flicks from Fuzzheadfilms.com of course! Robert had never seen any of these and was so tickled by the one where Joe hawks the Hallmark AT helo ornament on the shopping channel that he went to retrieve his wife so she could see it too. We all agreed the B-17 film which intercuts Joes with vintage war footage was really cool too. Making mini-movies must be a lot of fun. We know they're fun to watch!
3. "TRADE-O-RAMA"
After eating, we moved to the trading area (family room) and began the big "Trade-o-Rama." One at a time, each member dumped out huge tubs and boxes of Joes, extra gear, assorted vintage toys, comic books, model kits and much more for all to see. After everyone had perused the pile and set items of interest aside, the table was cleared and another tub was brought in and dumped out. This orderly system kept everything manageable and comfortable for all concerned. It seemed a little like Christmas too, as everyone was eager to see what would be coming out of those tubs and boxes next!
Trading went on for QUITE a while until all of the items had been seen, swapped and/or purchased to everyone's satisfaction. There was a LOT of stuff, and those of you who missed this event really missed a good one. One thing became abundantly clear during this meeting...this club is full of very GENEROUS guys who are more than willing to help a fellow collector out. This alone makes the CIGCC seem very worthwhile.
4. NEW BUSINESS
Our stomaches full, our minds entertained, and our collections enriched, we finally got down to what some clubs consider the most important thing..."business." To us, it was just something we needed to take care of at the end of this evening's festivities (not before). In short, here's what we discussed:
We reviewed the national GIJoe club's guidelines for becoming an "official division," talked about future club activities, conventions, the possiblility of having our own mini-show along with a train or toy show, club dues (we decided that $20 a year was fair to help pay for this website), and the possiblity of attending a flea market in October. All in all, fun stuff (you should'a been there!). Thanks again to Robert and Sharon for hosting and thanks to Scott for those wonderful free AT comic books. See everyone next time!