Hey kids!
I figured I'd take some time to tell you about myself. My name is John, but you probably know me from the net forums as ZombieGuide. I'm 34 years old and I live in Mandeville, LA which is about 45 minutes north of New Orleans. I've been a JOE collector since 1982 and am still very much involved with collecting, trading, buying and selling.
The goal of this site is to be THE #1 one-stop, get-everything-you-need in one place that has been long overdue in the Joe community. I've been self employed for years and this is one of our more recent ventures since leaving my Los Angeles store in 2002, when I move across the country.
My wife and I have two kids, Rebecca (8) and Max (4). We enjoy travelling across the country and spending time together as a family. Rebecca has read up to issue #53 of the Marvel Comics series and is awaiting the new film in 2009.
Max enjoys visits to my Joe room but was recently banned after breaking his 53rd item.
My wife and I own two businesses in our town. My wife is a childrens photographer and has her own studio. We also own a childrens indoor playground, which caters to kids 6 and under.
JoeArmory is my solo project, built solidly on my previous collectibles store experience in Los Angeles, which was called Box Office Collectibles. I owned and operated that businesses from 1997-2001. I may expand JoeArmory into a brick and mortar store at some point in the future, but am still deciding on that.
JoeArmory.com has a large inventory, over 1000 sq feet of Joe items! When in the New Orleans are, you are welcome to visit us by appointment. We have thousands upon thousands of GIJOE items, as well as many other toy lines and thousands of movie posters. This website represents about 5% of what we actually have for sale. You are welcome to bring your want list and spend hours looking for what you need to complete your collection. Plus, you'll have the company of me to answer questions and help locate what you need.
At right, CabanaJack of JoeCustoms tracks down some weapons to complete some of his figures.
I've been customizing action figures since 1991, and have developed what I
call the '99% chip proof method'. This method leaves my customs fully posable and playable and of production quality. My custom figures are available on the site along with testimonials from well known members of the online GIJOE collecting community.
I do take commissions from time to time, based on my availability.
To the right is a pic of my latest project: a 1:1 scale Back To The Future time machine! I picked up a 1981 Delorean A-12 in 2006, and am nearly done with the restoration of the engine and interior. Many hours of work have gone into this sucker and it's nearly done.
Next, I've been researching and aquiring the actual parts used in the film to begin the conversion of the car itself as soon as it's restoration is complete.
I've been asked about my collection a few times. I own the entire US line as well as a metric ton of international figures and vehicles as well as prototypes and other rarities.I have a converted two car garage in which my collection is housed.
(Yes, its alarmed by ADT, so don't even think about it.)
I am very active on various GIJOE internet sites, particularly
www.joecustoms.com. Beav runs a great site, and you could never ask for a better group of guys to get together with. Some of my best friends over the past few years are a result of JoeCustoms.com.
Here is a pic of the JC gang at the Atlanta JoeCon in 2007.
My wife and I donate thru KIVA.ORG, a non-profit that allows you to lend as little as $25 to a specific low-income entrepreneur in the developing world.
You choose who to lend to - whether a baker in Afghanistan, a goat herder in Uganda, a farmer in Peru, a restaurateur in Cambodia, or a tailor in Iraq - and as they repay their loan, you get your money back. It’s a powerful and sustainable way to empower someone right now to lift themselves out of poverty.
Check our lender page, and get involved if you can: