Hey guys,
I'm really not too sure how many of you are into prototypes but i snagged this on ebay a couple months back and wanted to share with you this AMAZING piece of Joe history:
http://www.tattoosandtoys.com/images_yours/DoJo2upF.jpg http://www.tattoosandtoys.com/images_yours/DoJo2upB.jpg I've got to be honest, seeing as how i'd never seen a GI Joe 2up in person (i think only 4-5 have ever surfaced), i didn't really know what to expect from it. After getting it in the mail the other day i was totally blown away. I mean, i knew it would be large, but it's LARGE (as seen in this comparison shot:
http://www.tattoosandtoys.com/images_yours/DoJoComp.jpg). It appears to made from a white resin so it's also quite heavy.
Initially, I also wasn't sure how exactly it was made, whether or not it was hand made or if it was taken from a mold. I figured the latter simply because that's the way 2:1 or 4:1 protos from other lines were done. Sure enough, it was made from a mold (most likely silicon if Hasbro did things the same way as Kenner back then) or rather, several. By following the parting lines, it looks like each leg, the torso, each forearm, each bicep and the head all came from individual molds. The articulation lines that are apparent on the piece are actually faked...the forearms are held to the biceps by what looks like hot glue, the waist is glued to the legs and i'm not quite sure how the head fits in. While at the knees, the legs may look like they're two seperate pieces, they're actually one with what would be the articulation carved in.
It is obviously handpainted seeing as how it was the paintmaster. Overall it's in really nice shape with just a few minor cracks here and there. There is a hole in the back of the head where the ponytail would have been rooted and i think it'd be interesting to find out whether or not it would have been a part of this particular piece at one point or another but honestly, my bet would be that it wasn't. There are no real differences in the sculpt between this and the production piece but there is a symbol (which looks to be a Ying Ying with a couple of swords through it) rather crudely painted on his right bicep that isn't present on the production version. The 2up is also affixed to a base which has DOJO written accross the bottom as well as series of numbers.
So, that's that. Overall, I'm really happy with this piece, escpecially considering i was expecting to pay quite a bit more for it than i did.
Here are a few more pics in case you're interested:
http://www.tattoosandtoys.com/images_yo ... Side01.jpg http://www.tattoosandtoys.com/images_yo ... Side02.jpg http://www.tattoosandtoys.com/images_yo ... Turn01.jpg http://www.tattoosandtoys.com/images_yo ... Turn02.jpg