ACTION JOE: The Story of the French GI Joe (Figurines and Toys) [Paperback]

Erwin le Verbier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2004 | Series: Figurines and Toys

In 1964, Hasbro created GI Joe, the first dress up figure for boys. His 12 inch size and numerous moving joints established him as the standard by which other similar toys would be measured. In France, he went under the name of 'Action Joe' and was produced between 1976 and 1981.

This work revisits the origins of Action Joe, analyzes the technical characteristics of the dolls, and provides an exhaustive inventory of the French collection.

The full color illustrations in the book comprise many photos of the dolls, their uniforms, equipment and their vehicles. All the examples photographed come from the private collection of the author.

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Histoire and Collections (December 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2915239215
• ISBN-13: 978-2915239218
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.8 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,235,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great photos... Really bad translation!!, July 12, 2005

By 

Action Joe fanatic (Montreal, Quebec, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: ACTION JOE: The Story of the French GI Joe (Figurines and Toys) (Paperback)

First, let me begin by saying that I am a 100% bilingual French Canadian and just felt that I had to write this to express how disappointed I am by this book. Although the photos and the contents are absolutely incredible, it is really unfortunate that a publisher would allow such a poorly translated book to hit the market... And for once I am not complaining about the French version!!!

Originally written in French, this reference piece shamefully disfigures the English language with its extremely poor syntax and very basic spelling mistakes, which could have been easily picked by even the most rudimentary word publishing software. To me, the language problem was such that it completely ruined my reading experience and made this collecting tool little less than a collection of images with unreadable garbled foot notes.

On the other hand, one can tell that the author totally knows what he is talking about (when one manages to understand what the author is trying to say) and if you are fluent in French, I strongly recommend purchasing this book in its original format. It is such insight to see all the great things the French did for 5 years with the Adventure Team / GI Joe line in the late 70's, early 80's, that I think every serious vintage GI Joe collector should have this in his reference library.

So in conclusion, +10 for the choice of subject, images and layout, zero for the language level. English speaking buyers beware!!

4.0 out of 5 stars ANOTHER GI JOE COUSIN?, July 13, 2005

By 

Alan D. Cranford (Salt Lake City, Utah USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: ACTION JOE: The Story of the French GI Joe (Figurines and Toys) (Paperback)

I have a modest GI Joe collection. When I was stationed in Berlin I found Action Man, the Palitoy licenced copy of GI Joe, in the NAAFI (the British edition of the Post Exhange) and have 8 in my collection. Until "Action Joe," I didn't know that the French had their own GI Joe. I've heard about Japan's edtion, and Gyperman.

The photos were great! I reluctantly rated this book with just four stars because the English translation is clumsy. I shudder to think how my own French sounds to someone from France! The photo layouts are first rate and seem to cover the entire line. Now I know what to look for at the next GI Joe convention.