Customer Reviews

Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982-1994

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is, without hesitation, THE best toy reference guide I have ever read. It's a well written book... it's fun, informative, and has no competition as far as I can see. Bellomo gives you info on all aspects of the world of G.I.Joe: all figures, all accessories, all vehicles, all playsets, all for YOUR fun and for your personal info. Wizard Magazine just released an Ultimate (!?!) G.I. Joe guide in this month's issue of ToyFare Magazine (12/05) and it was RIDICULOUS compared to Bellomo's excellent TEN STAR book. There are SOOOOOOOO many other Joe Guides out there that are complete crap, but NOT THIS BOOK! Great intro, great index, great summaries of the charcters PLUS lots upon lots of new info on characters that I've never seen ANYWHERE before. One of the BEST gifts I've ever received and it has FORCED me to get back in to G.I.Joe collecting and my collection again, not that that's a bad thing ;) . The simple fact that Bellomo took every pic, wrote every word, and owns every single toy in the book is unbelieveable, but to put this book together for all of us to enjoy is even cooler... I hear (according to the great web site [...]) that he's currently writing a second edition wih some minor corrections and bonus pages with interviews with Hasbro designers from the 1980's PLUS some of the true minds behind the Joe Team's backstory like Mr. Kirk Bozigian, Mr. Ronald Rudat, and Mr. Larry Hama. YES!!! I've been reading this book for a week straight and I'm not bored yet, and I'm halfway done.

I will start by saying I think this is just about the best book of its kind on the market. Lots of great pictures and item details. I wish book space hadn't been given for a price guide however because price guides in books are only a snapshot in time and 1-2 years from now may be worthless, but the toy history will last forever. Then only real price guide in my opinion is eBay and I wish people would stop putting price guides in publication. I also agree with a prior comment that most vehicle pictures were just top down shots and I think isometric shots of all vehicles would have been more valuable. Also a picture of the carded figures/boxed vehicles would have added nicely. Gripes out of the way, I do think that the amount of information and the order presented worked very effectively and I have not found another publication that comes close.

I bought this when I saw it advertized online and thought I'd give it a chance. WHAT A PAY OFF!!! UNBELIEVEABLE!!! I already have a bunch of little Joe guides (Desimone's, Lee's), and didn't know what to expect. And from the first page to the very last image, this is the most important book I ever read on 3 3/4" Joes. Not only will it help me complete my collection with piecing figures and vehicles together, I think it says there are 1300 pics in the book - but there's a BUNCH more, AND ALL FULL COLOR. The guy who created G.I. Joe wrote the intro, and its really insightful!!! This is the most imformational action figure guide I've ever seen, Star Wars, Transformers, whatever. The research it must have taken to put this together is ASTOUNDING cause there are blurbs for every single figure (500+ with little bios and notes from Hasbro resources and file cards) every vehicle (300+ with technical details like ACTUAL MISSILE NAMES) and accessory (even variations!!!). This is like a Joe Bible. And even if your not a Joe fan, like you just watched the cartoon - the memories that come back from reading this thing!!! TEN STARS!!! AWESOME!!! GET IT FOR EVERY JOE FAN!!!

I purchased this book following a rather comprehensive comparison and evaluation between this book and other "similar" products. For my needs, this was the perfect book for me and I'm very pleased with my purchase from Amazon. The obvious reason to choose this book over any of the alternatives is if your interests lie exclusively with the 3-3/4" G.I. Joe line. For the convenience of those reading this review, I will begin with what I liked about the book and what I wish would have been included.

I'll be honest, the primary reason I purchased this book was for the color illustrations. With over 250 pages of incredibly detailed (and clear) photos, I was very impressed with the presentation and layout. I was pleasantly surprised with the 2-3 sentences on each character - as they nicely tied together the toy line, cartoon series, and comics. I will have a bit more to say about the pictures in my portion on suggestions for improvement (perhaps a 2nd edition?)

While I agree with other readers that the price guide may not be entirely accurate - it is, nevertheless, useful for gauging the relative prices among the figures. For that reason, no matter how seemingly inaccurate the prices may be, I appreciated some measure of the toys' value.

To be sure, there were a few instances when this book didn't meet my expectations. Nevertheless, I awarded this book a 5-star rating because, while there are some things I sorely missed from this edition, those things that it did present were done so well.

While I previously lauded over the quality of the images in the book, like other reviewers I took exception to the "bird's-eye" angle used for the vast majority of the vehicle images.

This brings me to my next point - I think the book would have been perfect as a reference guide (and I do mean perfect) if it included more box art. I firmly believe that a gallery of figure file cards, as found on the back of each packaged toy, would have really made this book complete. For comparison's sake, Tomart's price guides for Star Wars figures do this and I find it extremely helpful in identifying variants.

Lastly, I would have really enjoyed more anecdotal accounts about the 3-3/4" G.I. Joe line. In the book's defense, it does open with a few paragraphs about the toys and the series itself. However, the book felt very sterile - which was odd given that it was written for a very passionate fan base. Perhaps highlighting the collections of, say, 5 of the largest G.I. Joe collections would have made the book seem less lifeless. Similarly, I think the book would have been improved by including a section recounting the production and development of the toys themselves. There are a few instances when production variants are raised - and I think giving a step-by-step of the creation of the toys would have been great. On a related note, [...] (which is credited in the book) has a very thorough section dealing with prototypes and I would have loved to have seen that in this book.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book if you are interested exclusively in the 3-3/4" G.I. Joes and no other aspects of the G.I. Joe universe. The book is very comprehensive and brings together the entire toy line in an easy-to-read book with clear, color images. As a reference guide I think it is nearly perfect (though without box art and file cards).

Unbelieveable information on the 3 3/4" G.I. Joe line. There are no books like it on the market now, and more than likely there never will be. Unparalleled pics, info, data. YOU MUST GET THIS BOOK!!! I wish there were more collectors books like this one!!!!!!!! A+++++

I've been buying the 3 3/4" Joe figures at Garage Sales for years and re-selling them on eBay. The only trouble was finding the correct figure names and matching the correct acessories to them. I've had to rely on scouring other auctions or by excellent websites like www.yojoe.com to find this info...until now that is. The Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982-1994 finally provides the one stop reference book I needed to identify and match up weapons and accessories. The book is 256 pages and features more than 1,300 color photographs of every figure with accessories, every vehicle complete with a listing of easily lost parts, and all accessories for the line. Included in the book are current prices for the items, both in package and loose, variations, pictures of inserts and paperwork, and even a Foreward by G.I. Joe Writer Larry Hama.

The photography is first rate and acessories such U.S.S. Flagg are shown with multiple pictures showing the ship from different angles as well as the acessories. Bellomo also includes the original prototype dossiers that Larry Hama wrote for the characters. This is just a marvelous guide and one I take with me to flea markets and garage sales. Truly an indispensible reference source. Well written, concise and knowledgeable. This is the one resource that Joe collectors must have!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Very detailed and accurate (save for estimated items' worth).

But, the pictures, especially the ones of the vehicles, are dull. Colors, angles and light are just enough to see what's depicted, never delightful.

Looking forward to a new edition with better photos!

As a serious G.I. Joe 3-3/4" collector, it has been difficult to find a good reference for figure accessories, and it has been almost impossible to find a good reference for vehicle parts. But, the "Ultimate Guide to G.I. Joe 1982-1994" provides both in one book. There are some minor issues that could be improved, most noticeably the pictures of the 1993/1994 accessory trees should all have been taken with the stand peg facing the camera. However, this is by far the best Joe guide available and is easily worth the price. No Joe fan should miss it!

Many, many, many guides have been written about 'GI Joe', but many short change or ignore the most popular Joe incarnation of all. Now, finally, we have an author from our generation who painstakingly chronicles the greatest toy line of all time.

This guide has it all. Full color photos of EVERY figure, plane, tank and jeep from the ARAH line. Plus, each is given a detailed description, a guide to easily lost parts and more.

This is far and away the best guide of it's kind, GI Joe or otherwise, on the market. If you're an 80's Joe collector, stop reading this and go buy it.

Now you know, and knowing is half the battle. Yo, Joe!

I have been collecting Joes for about ten years now, and this is the best resource out there for any 3 3/4" collector. Great pics, great writing, a HUGE resource! I just wish it were longer!