I came across this fun vintage lot on Craigslist yesterday. It wasn’t a huge bargain, but I have wanted a Johnny West figure for a long time, and it’s not really something you see everyday on CL, so I decided to make the call. I plan to hold onto the Johnny West and Geronimo figures, but the other guys will probably find their way onto eBay. I think I can probably make back my $50 investment if some of the G.I. Joe items are hard to find–I have my homework to do!
The Johnny West figures by Marx are large and made of hard plastic. These guys are really heavy for their size, and would do some serious damage if you threw these at your little sister. Johnny West figures are fairly common, but they are usually missing hands, legs, or arms. They are known for their multitude of cool accessories. In addition to the headdresses, pots and pans, and rifles, I even got a saddlebag that seems to be made out of cow hide! I’m not sure if it’s a real Marx product, but that’s the fun part about buying vintage toys in bulk.
The straw that broke the back for my buying hesitation was this fella, Johnny West’s faithful steed: Thunderbolt. This is such a beautiful toy (and BIG!).
Okay, now here’s where I need some help — any G.I. Joe experts out there? I know this guy is a 1964 figure with a rubber head and scar, but that’s about all I know. The boots he is wearing are marked Hong Kong and don’t seem to be hard plastic like the others, but the left boot has a serious hole in the toe. The other figure is a Ken doll, probably from around the same year. Do any of these accessories look like rare pieces that collectors clamor for?
Let me know in the comments below if I found any diamonds in the rough.
Congrats on the Johnny West score Brian and you no longer have your eCrater store?
I still have the ecrater shop, I just no longer have a link to it on the site. I should probably fix that. 😉
http://coolandcollected.ecrater.com/
Ok cool Brian I liked to see what goodies you have so we can work out trades/buys for lol. : )
Thanks! You’ve solved something that’s bugged me for years. A friend of mine had some of those cowboy figures but I never knew what they were. It’s great to finally put a name to them!
Glad I could help solve the mystery!
Those are so cool! Congrats on such a sweet score!
Thanks, Mike!
Don’t see anything out of ordinary on the Joe parts. If he had a clean head, but I think he’s been through it. The white hat and rifle on the doll make the Marine Dress outfit, I just bought a clean one for like $35 so you should be able to get a couple backs on your purchase, plus the Marx Knight.
Thanks Todd! I was hoping you would chime in here–I know you know your Joes!
I had the Johnny West and George Custer figures waay back when. They were alot of fun. Take a used toothbrush with a little bit of toothpaste on it and give the Joe a good scrubbing. It will clean all the years of fun off the face. That’s what I did with mine.
Hmmm, I might have to try that. I used just a wet rag last night and got a good layer of grime off but he’s still pretty filthy.
The firepit and folding chair are from the Big Jim Camper, it looked firmiler so I looked him up and found them on here http://www.toysyouhad.com/Bigjim.htm
Thank you because I couldn’t remeber if I had that or the tent set, and now I know. Must have been the Camper.
Edit: They are in both sets, guess I’ll never know.
Thanks Kevin!That’s a great site–I see a gorilla on that page that I have sitting on my King Kong shelf!
Brian, I recognize the knight on the left. If my memory is correct, there was a Viking as well. Maybe in light green plastic?