Welcome to the custom figures of Tom Brooks Owner: Tom Brooks, McDonough, GA Email: tmbsr1025@yahoo.com I have been a GIjOE enthusiast for most of my life. I grew up playing with Joe and had some really choice pieces "once upon a time" including the original glow-in-the-dark space capsule, 5 star jeep, fold-out AT headquarters and the yellow AT helicopter (among many others). After patching it repeatedly, I think that there was eventually more GLUE than plastic on that AT helicopter! Nearly everything of my original collection is gone now, except for one lonely, battered Man of Action. And, once the AT Joes came out, I thought that I had "outgrown" GI Joe and just let him fade away. Flash forward to 1982 and the first of the 3 3/4" GI Joe's appeared. Yes, in my mind, they were (and still ARE) GIjOEs and worthy of the name, so I bought nearly everything that came out. Once the line ended in 1994, I had amassed a huge, new collection. I still have all of my "little" Joe figures, most of my Cobra figures and several vehicles, including the amazing Defiant Shuttle Complex. The revival of the 12" GIjOE rekindled my passion for collecting big Joes. Initially, I collected only a few, moving from the HOF to the 30th Anniversary, to custom 30th heads on SLU bodies. Next, the more slender CC style bodies came out followed by the great SA body style and Hasbro started making different head sculpts for standard Joes, historical figures and even 12" versions of the 3 3/4" troops. Now I was back in with a vengeance! I started searching for any unique Hasbro headsculpt that I could find, with the intention of making 12" versions of my personal greatest era of GI Joe, the 1980s 3 3/4". My primary rule was that the head sculpts had to be from Hasbro and NO other company (I've been about 99% faithful to that rule). Plus, I wanted to use as many SA bodies as I could find as well. So that's where I'm at right now--glad for the break in the 12" line (my wallet needed time to heal), and just working with what I have to make representations of my interpretation of the 3 3/4" troops. Some don't look exactly like their little Joe counterparts, but the essence is there and I like them and THAT'S what is most important. Currently, my collection is starting to get packed up for an eventual move, and my wife promises me that we'll have a basement in our next house and I'll have a new "Joe room" all my own. Can't wait! ---Tom Brooks Really nice selection of pieces on these figures. The shield, the sword, the head sculpts. It all works! Here's a shot showing how many Tom has "brought up" from the 3.75" size to 12". Amazing work, Tom! More Custom Figures And Don't Miss... Collections Indoor Dioramas Outdoor Photos Custom Figures Custom Vehicles Tips & Tricks Club Websites Feedback Submit Your Collection About GIjOE Collections Cool Links HOME Address any questions or comments to webmaster Mark Otnes, at 303 E. Sherwin Drive, Urbana, IL 61802, or Phone: 217-337-1706 or Email: sterling@shout.net