Author: Topher

I've always enjoyed writing. I see this as an opportunity to share my love of movies, action figures, comics, music, and just about anything else. As much as I enjoy writing, I also enjoy interacting with other folks online. If any of my stories or articles spark an idea for discussion, let me know. I read every email and comment I get! So look around, make yourself at home, and above all, enjoy your visit to my virtual discussion page!

GI Joe Head Swap to HOF body type

As I’ve explained elsewhere, one aspect of my action figure hobby is creating unique looks for the various GI Joes in my collection. This particular situation involves a 1996 “Hall of Fame” style figure. The Hall of Fame bodies have rather poor articulation – they are just bulky and clumsy looking. Their hands are thick and curved, making it difficult to hold items or weapons. For static, upright display, however, they can work fine. They also have a very limited head / neck combination. It can turn side to side, but has no movement to look up, down, or at any angle.

I intended to swap out his head for an off brand one I picked up online (I have no idea what brand it is – probably a clone of something that was a clone of something else.) This posed a problem, as the head I wanted didn’t fit.  Not even close!  The hole in the neck part of the head was WAY too small, and the post on the body had a strange swivel, on a thick neck, so there was no compatibility there.

Here’s the solution I found:

I decided to make him an Adventure Team themed guy, so prior to doing any construction (actually DEstruction) with the head, I first flocked it with a fine dark grey from Scale Finishes (Not a sponsor or anything -I just bought their product and liked it.)  

In the neck swivel of the body, I added a large wood screw (as shown)

Along the jawline of the head, I cut away the neck.

Inside the top on the head, I glued a rare-earth magnet. I’m not sure of the size – looks to be about 2mm think, and 10mm across. I used 5 minute epoxy, as I wasn’t sure of any other glues that would stick well.

Once the glue was set, the head just pops on or off. It can turn side to side, up or down, and at various angles, but it is removable. 

Since it was the first time I tried this, my cut under the chin was a little rough, so I used a turtleneck sweater with him.  It hides the seem really well. My next one will probably be a lot smoother, so I doubt any compensation will be needed.

Thanks for tuning in!

-Toph

The Eagle Has Landed

I’m a HUGE military history enthusiast. I remember watching old re-runs of “Combat!” on TV with my dad. He was also a history buff, and I think I inherited a lot of it from him. It spilled over into the comics I read (i.e. Sgt. Rock,) building plastic models (mostly WWII tanks and figures,) and reading all about the military. To this day, my favorite movies are old war movies.

The mid 1970s were a great time for war movies. The Eagle Has Landed, directed by John Sturges, and based on the novel by Jack Higgins, is a fictional story about a group of German paratroopers, tasked with dropping into England, disguised as Polish soldiers. The cast included Michael Caine as Colonel Kurt Steiner – the leader of the German commandos, Donald Sutherland as Liam Devlin – an IRA spy, providing logistical support to the Germans, and Robert Duvall as Colonel Radl – the German officer tasked with planning the operation.

In addition to the fantastic leads, there are a handful of noteworthy supporting players; in particular, Donald Plesasence has a small, but very convincing role as Heinrich Himmler, and a 25 year old Treat Williams plays a young Army Ranger officer.

As I said earlier, the movie is based on the Jack Higgins novel of the same name. I loved the movie so much that I read the book.  Like many 1970s espionage stories (especially those centered around WWII and its aftermath,) the action is fast paced. The story focuses on military accuracy with regard to things like rank, weapons, and historical events. It also is ripe with adventure – adventure that comes at a high cost of plausibility. If, as a viewer, you can suspend that disbelief, it makes for an exciting story. Today’s audiences are considerably more sophisticated, and the movie probably seems dated to most people. As a 9 year old in the mid-70s, I had no such hang-ups. It was COOL!

It is one of those movies I will always go back and re-watch, over and over again. I can just about quote every scene. I first saw the movie on HBO, and once it was available on VHS, I HAD to own it for myself. I’ve long since upgraded to a DVD version, but I hung on to the first edition hardback novel.

Jack Higgins died in 2022, at the age of 92. He remains one of the masters of the spy / thriller genre.

-Toph

The 1977 movie poster