Did you attend 2011 JoeCon?

[Mark]

I'd like to hear from some attendees of this year's G.I. Joe convention in Orlando. What was the best part of the convention? What were your favorite con exclusives? How far did you travel to get there? Share your experiences.

[Mark]

Ok, I'll start! I was lucky enough to be able to attend JoeCon for the first time this year as it was not too far from where I live. After attending one though, I will not let distance be an obstacle again. I had a great time even though I was only able to go 1 day and missed out on some of the things that I would have liked to have taken part in. It was great just to be around people who were so enthusiastic about G.I. Joe. The sales floor was huge and packed with all kinds of great stuff that really got me itching to kick my collecting into high gear again. From vintage stuff, a lot of 25th anniversary and some Pursuit of Cobra toys to some great looking customs, artwork and other out of the ordinary collectibles there was something for everyone with great deals to be had.
The convention exclusives were all well done and sold out completely at the show for the first time, some on the first full day of the show (the carded Dial Tone figure sold out about 5 people after I got mine.) There are usually some left over that are put up for sale at the G.I. Joe Collectors' Club online store afterward but not this year. It could be that there are more collectors getting into the hobby but I think it is best explained by the addition this year of the option to buy a "Golden Ticket" for $200 which allowed people to buy 3 times the normal number of each item. My favorite exclusive was the Python Patrol Water Moccasin. I've always been partial to that vehicle and think the new paint scheme looked great.
It was very cool to get a Sneak Peek at the upcoming releases as well. There are lot of amazing toys, including Renegades figures, coming down the line of which I will be buying a lot. I'm just hoping that the continuity of the line won't be interrupted by the forthcoming second movie.
In conclusion, I really enjoyed the convention and will make it a goal to attend every year from now on. The best thing about the convention was that I made a great new friend in Dave, a collector from the U.K. who was attending his first JoeCon as well. He's an outstanding guy whose passion for G.I. Joe is infectious (in a good way, not in a swine flu kinda way.) He's opened my eyes to a few things that I might have otherwise missed out on and really got me interested in the thrill of the hunt again. I will be doing an article soon on Action Force, the U.K. counterpart to G.I. Joe, which Dave introduced me to so keep an eye out for that. Looking forward to hearing some other thoughts on the convention!