Bottom Line: Anytime UK’s stalwart 12″ action figure makes an on-screen appearance, it’s worth a look-see by his loyal legion of fans around the world. Fortunately, the reviews for the upcoming motion picture, “My Name is Leon,” are strong and anticipation is high for the film’s June debut on BBC2. Add Action Man into the mix—and how can viewers go wrong? Here’s the official trailer—
It didn’t take long— Recently, a savvy entrepreneur known only as “PridePete,” swept in and claimed the renowned business name (and website URL!) of former 1:6 scale accessories supplier, Patches of Pride (PoP) for his very own. While PridePete’s new business offers “trendy looking stickers and decals,” we could find nothing available for collectors of GIjOE or other 12″ action figures. They do, however, provide larger, 1:1 scale stickers for use on 1:1 scale cars, locker doors, luggage, etc. As the old saying goes, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,” but we’re not so sure that applies in this regard. Regardless, we wish PridePete and his new PoP business all the best. In fact, may all businesses (re)named “Patches of Pride”—LIVE LONG AND PROSPER!
Since I’ve shuttered Patches of Pride, I’ve been deep-cleaning the vast PoP IHQ office complex and its near-endless, basement warehouse storage facility. In the process, I’ve uncovered numerous things that I haven’t seen for DECADES. Case in point—PoP’s vast hoard of action figure ephemera—including such items as those 21st Century Toys newsletters (they date back to 1998—the year we began PoP) that were created to promote and support the old “Ultimate Soldier” line; Hasbro’s first—and second—GIjOE club newsletters, assorted mail order toy catalogs, a slew of 1960s-vintage comic book ads, and much, much more. Every museum-worthy item is being lovingly heat-pressed to remove any wrinkles, and then safety-sleeved in clear, archival-quality sleeves, prior to insertion into large, black, storage binders (see photo). Rest assured, our work on this important project continues. Anyway, just thought I’d share. Go, JOE!—Mark 🙂
After 22 years of dedicated service to the 1:6 scale community, Patches of Pride (PoP) owner Mark Otnes has apparently decided to call it “quits.” Besides being the world’s go-to source for 1:6 scale patches, decals and other related accessories, PoP was also the long-standing, sole sponsor of The Joe Report. Yet, as of December 12, 2020, both the PoP website and its social media page on Facebook have been completely removed from the internet. Poof! Kaput! Adios! GONE.
Understandably curious (and a trifle concerned) about this unexpected turn of events, we dispatched our team of dedicated reporters to track down Mr. Otnes for an official comment. TJR Field Reporter Fred Friendly was the first to locate the reclusive miniatures magnate at an undisclosed resort hotel—somewhere in Hawaii—and according to Friendly—
When I finally found him, Mr. Otnes was reclining back on a padded, chaise lounge chair, tucked away beneath a massive beach umbrella. I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear a low snore emanating from the shade as I approached. Suddenly, and with apparent cat-like reflexes, Otnes reached out and grabbed—a frosty-cold drink from the small table that was placed next to his chair. Between sips of the piña colada, he agreed to respond to my questions about the demise of his beloved business and plans for future projects.
As I approached Mr. Otnes, he looked up and addressed me, stating—
“No, no, no… No more beluga caviar, please. And stop asking me, okay? I… Oh, sorry. You look like you work at the hotel. Actually, you look like you’ve been sleeping in your clothes for 3 days.”
He was right, of course, but after I introduced myself, I asked him about why he had decided to take the highly popular Patches of Pride website away from everyone. Why would he DO such a thing? The questions seemed to surprise him, as he replied—
“Hey, I didn’t take nuthin! And before you ask, I don’t know about any embezzlement of PoP company funds, either. It was all probably just some sorta simple accounting error, ya’ know?”
Um.. okay. I wasn’t sure if it was all the Biscotti cookies I’d eaten on the plane (so sue me, I’m sugar-addicted) or the raging case of jet-lag that was throbbing through my brain, but it seemed as if he’d misunderstood my question. I asked him instead about his plans for the future, on account that he’d have to get off this shore sometime. At this query, he sat bolt upright, stating—
“Look, Hobo-Joe—Don’t think I don’t get what you’re sayin’—I don’t know anything about any ‘off-shore accounts,’ okay? And as to my future ‘plans,’ I intend to give it all away to some charity, okay? I heard a Costanza guy talking on TV the other night and he mentioned something called ‘The Human Fund.’ That sounded good to me!”
By now, I was lost. However, I pressed on and asked Otnes if he planned to continue supporting 1:6 scale news outlets such as The Joe Report, and he practically yelled the following invective at me—
“Do I have to call Security? You ‘Freedom of the Press’ weirdos bug the heck outta me. And before you start asking about my new Bentley, I have a receipt from the dealership in the glovebox and a note from my CPA stating it’s a legit business expense, okay?
Now, get outta my way, Rumpled-suit-skin!”
At this, Mr. Otnes abruptly rose from his chair and shoved his way past me, knocking the camera out of my hands and into some nearby bushes. Before I was able to retrieve the camera and snap a photo, he had already stormed halfway down the beach, looking back only to shake a fist at me as he went around the bend and out of sight.
Bottom Line: We’re sorry we weren’t able to get any more information about this breaking news story, but until and unless Mr. Otnes decides to become more forthcoming, we’ll have to leave it at that. Oh! Before leaving town, Mr. Otnes DID leave a brief written explanation for his actions over on a new blog entitled, “Otnes Originals.” If you’d like to read that, please jump HERE now.
It’s time for more 1:6 scale greatness from renowned comic book inker and custom action figure maker, Wayne Faucher— This time, Wayne’s subject matter is DC Comic’s “Sgt. Rock.” Let’s jump right in to the HARD facts about Faucher’s Rock. According to Wayne—
“I came to comics pretty late for a kid, but when I did, I never left. I’ve been an artist for Marvel and DC Comics for most of my adult life. But growing up, it was DC’s Haunted Tank and Sgt. Rock for me! I was WAY into GI Joe at the time (still am!) and these tales fueled imagination to no end.”
“I already had the DC Direct Sgt. Rock figure as well as the Dreams and Visions GI Joe version and they’re both beautiful pieces. But the DC Direct figure is 13 inches tall and looks a little weird next to regular 1/6 figures. I mean, Joe Kubert drew Rock as tall, but he’s not 7 feet! And the GI Joe version looks, well, like a GI Joe. So, I thought I’d try my hand at a figure in-between the two.“
“I wanted something that recalled the Kubert version, but not as severe as the 13-inch head sculpt. So I went back to my trusty GI Joe (Infantry Squad Leader) Grunt head sculpt for a start. I’d already used recasts of that head for both my Race Bannon and Mighty Mightor figures. It has a great chin and a strange divergence of cartooniness and realism. I popped another one in resin and I was ready to go! I did a little reshaping of the brow, cheeks and hair (I wanted that military flat top look) and I painted it up accentuating that Kubert 5 o-clock shadow.”
“Once I had the head, I raided my collection and pulled an old Dragon Normandy (˜Dave”) figure off the shelf. I stole his shirt, pants, helmet, boots, Tommy gun, belt and equipment from him. The rest I pulled from the parts bin. All I ended up buying was the dog tags! Next came the piece de resistance— chevron stripes and helmet decals from Patches of Pride! POP not only offered the pocket patches and shoulder rank stripes, but also the character-specific helmet decal to really set the figure off! If you have any additional questions, feel free to ask, here, on Facebook or on Instagram! —Wayne Faucher
Bottom Line: Wayne Faucher’s custom Sgt. Rock action figure is yet another prime example of why he is considered to be one of the very BEST customizers “working” in the 1:6 scale universe today. Our sincerest thanks go out to him (again) for sharing all of his knowledge and experience here, with the faithful readers of The Joe Report. You are the BEST, sir. Keep up the great work!
Bottom Line: You already know the reasons. Here’s the official word from the show organizers:
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT
With an ache in our heart, we announce that after an extremely difficult deliberation, meetings with the hotel, and meetings with local officials, we regretfully have come to the conclusion that we need to cancel Toylanta/Joelanta this year.We are working on plans for refunds and we have already booked the dates for ’21 and ’22 and will be announcing those shortly.
Please forgive us. It is with a heavy heart that we arrived at this decision, but we believe it is the best decision, because we love you all and want to keep you safe. We will be announcing some details shortly. Please bear with us in the interim. —Toylanta
Sometimes articles for The Joe Report just fall right into our lap. Such is the case today— In an extraordinary example of kindness and karma, “Wonderful” Wayne Faucher had just completed a PERFECT, 1:6 scale custom action figure of famed Beatle’s bassist, singer and songwriter, (Sir!) Paul McCartney, and kindly decided to share the results of his efforts with us here on TJR—
Text and Photos ©Wayne Faucher (WEF)
“Hey Mark— Hope all’s well! Not sure if you’re still interested in my nonsense for The Joe Report, but I’m just wrapping up a 1/6 scale Paul McCartney to accompany my 1:6 John Lennon from a couple of years ago, and I wondered if and your readers would like a look.
I wanted to keep Paul in the same time frame as the John I did, although (unlike my Lennon) not specific to any particular performance or photo. So, I conceived the following ‘what if’ scenario: What if the Beatles were still together in 1971? As you may remember, my entire Adventure Team Commando line was based on a similar ‘what if’ conceit as well.
So— Paul is costumed in a basic black suit, which seemed pretty common for him between ’69 and ’71. I put him in sneakers to add just a touch of playfulness. The head sculpt is from Kumik. It’s very nicely done, but depicts an early 60’s Paul, so I had to do some alterations to the hair, as well as adding the beard. I also repainted the face.
The Hofner violin bass is an early version for the Beatles (as is John’s Rickenbacker) but it’s a fantasy, so I went with it. I contacted ace 1/6 guitar designer Georg Kreuter—whose work I found on the Shapeways 3D print site—and convinced him to give it a go. He sure came through, with what may be the only true 1/6 scale Hofner McCartney bass currently available. Just stunning work! I detailed and painted it up. To be honest, I’d have done this figure years ago but couldn’t find a suitable guitar. Georg made that possible.
Of course, I had to do a couple of 1971 Beatles concert pics as well. So, here’s what ‘Two of Us’ may have looked like back in 1971. No George or Ringo yet, but you never know! Stay groovy—WEF!“
Bottom Line— Another 1:6 masterpiece by master comics inker and custom action figure creator, Wayne Faucher. Thanks so much (again) for sharing these descriptions of your work and all of these great photos too, Wayne. As always, you are ‘da MAN! —Editor
It’s a Cozy Joe Christmas— GIjOE looks happy in his new pair of PJs from Christmas Couture.
Box ‘Em Up— Here’s what the box looks like in the store. Look for it in the Christmas aisle.
Bottom Line: We just found this cute pair of “Donut Be Naughty” pajamas at our local Meijer store, here in central Illinois. Originally created for use with the “Elf on a Shelf” toy line by Claus Couture Collection, it fits 1:6 scale GIjOEs as well, thereby providing fans with a comfy (and comical) set of PJs for Joe on Christmas morning. The pants have an elastic waistband and are covered with donuts and “YUM” graphics, while the sweatshirt utilizes velcro closures on its sleeves and sides for easy-on/easy-off dressing. Should you pick up a pair? Heck, yeah!
Bottom Line: A quick heads up to all the loyal “PoPsters” out there in 1:6 land—Longtime sole sponsor of The Joe Report, Patches of Pride has just uploaded another of their “instructional videos” over on the PoP Video Channel on YouTube. (Have YOU subscribed to their channel?) This one demonstrates the proper assembly of their unique and versatile “WarWire.” Enjoy!
Bottom Line: Techmoan’s video says it all. And these miniature electronic beauties are being sold NOW over on Amazon. If you’re interested in picking some up, we suggest you follow the links provided in his video (and set the language preference on Amazon to English). Happy Hunting!
The Joe Report 