So dealer setup for Assembly Required was Friday evening. Since about a dozen of us or so were there much earlier, Brian Sauer and Steve Kelting showed us how to put the Assembly in Assembly Required. Packets with contest ballots and raffle tickets had to be put together. Which of course turned into a bunch of collectors talking toys and life while the assembly line was going. I've interacted with almost everyone there online in some capacity, but this was my first face to face meeting with a lot of that early group. So getting to know the personalities behind those names was nice. Getting to see the work that goes into all of those minimalist posters and pins and give aways really gave me an even deeper appreciation for them.
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Next was hotel check-in and I'm only mentioning it here to talk about the downtown Hyatt and how generously accommodating and friendly they were. And by accommodating, I mean they let us take over their lobby for two straight nights into the way too late to be early mornings. At one point we let them borrow their bottle opener. That isn't a typo. Oh and free breakfast and wifi.
After that it was time to hit local hang out and sponsor of AR, Jay's CD and Hobby (http://www.jayscdandhobby.com). I'd heard tales of this establishment, but wasn't prepared for the sheer amount of geekiness inside. They have everything, gaming, comics, video games, music, and a very impressive variety and quantity of new and vintage toys. Lucky for us they'd gotten in a huge GI Joe collection and didn't have time to go through it before the show. I'd show a pic of my haul but that got left in nova's van.
Then it was time for dealer setup and to check out the Des Moines Social Club. In my head, the name made it sound like leather chairs, cigar rooms, maybe a library with waiters serving scotch. Well it isn't. It is a repurposed former firehouse turned into a social center/meeting place. So Ghostbusters meets Breakin' 2, Electric Boogaloo ("We gotta save the rec center, man!"). I say that so you get a better understanding of one of my critiques, that the overall layout wasn't the most accommodating for this type of event. Everyone made it work pretty well though and it is already something the showrunners will be figuring out over the next year. But hey it was surrounded by tons of free parking and places to eat including a cafe and a restaurant (Malo) on the first floor of the building. That is where we had dinner for a party of 30 that night.
7 am and it is final dealer and exhibitor set up time. For JoeCustoms that meant a couple of hours of putting figures on stands and nailing down the overall layout for the tables. Declass, JoeADay, Ron Wagner, The Finest cosplay group, and the kid's area were all in "The Pit" across from the dealer room. That space was fine but could use some more lighting next year.
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jogunwarrior and bucky brought some of their customs along with Dusty79's drones to display too. We were still working, as the first of the crowd walked through. I went to take pictures and the next thing I know the JoeCustoms' custom panel is about to start.
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We've done table demos before and we've shown it all off in the wiki, but this was JoeCustoms first Live panel. We had a two table set up and that allowed us to have one demo going while setting up for the next. HypnoHustler covered cracking modern torsos using a Night Viper donated by Gyre-Viper. JM70 showed how to make use of tech details from spring loaded launchers. drbindy went over how to create decals. Then they both showed different weathering techniques. JoeCzar was able to give a quick cast demonstration. Finally HypnoHustler and I showed some different uses for hot glue (giving heads a tight fit and intro to glue effects). The thing I took away from it was that we seemed to hit on something for every level of customizer. There was a lot of "I'm going to give that a try when I get home." Expect us back with something new next year for sure.
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The sales floor wasn't JoeCon size but it was a decent size and had a really good range of Joe items from all eras as well as non-Joe toys. All of the dealers I talked to made money. That is always a good sign.
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JoeDeclassified panel: Freak Show
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I don't know where to start and I couldn't show you pics of anything even if I did, so let me just shout out a couple of things and you'll have to take my word for it. Let's start with color studies. Take Croc Master and base his colors on a custom Python Patrol Croc Master and you get a cool unreleased figure. Well what about an entire folder of Zartan art that shows a version with orange and pink camo colored skin or one with pink armor with white boots or one with blue pants and orange armor? All so the designers could look at the entire line up from that year and possibly say something like, "We have Cutter in that color scheme already."
You know about Sgt. Slaughter. You've heard about Rocky. But what about President Ronald Reagan with desk and red phone accessory? No? Me either.
Breaker without a beard. Zap with a mustache...from '82...on card.
Tripwire looking like he stole the Headhunter Stormtrooper's outfit and Matt Tracker's mask.
Star Brigade Thrasher, Replicators, Mech Walkers, War Dog, etc.
And that is when things really got weird.
When you think of Major Bludd, do either of these things come to mind?
A) Panthro wearing Crystal Ball's shirt?
B) A half man, half woman, half ork version? You'll have to take my word on the math for that one.
Take a G2 Megatron, glue a Slipstream upper body to the turret, paint it in woodland camo, and you have a cross-over MOBAT that was proposed. Now, take the Ashiko cycle concept, make it a car instead, and date it back to '86 or there abouts based on the General Hawk figure that the parts attach to and you have the Humanoid Robots.
Seriously, every time I attend one of the Declass panels I end up feeling like I don't know anything about this toy line. With all of the questions people had at the end, the 50 minute panel became an almost 2 hour event.
*insert a Gyre-Viper like segway here
So, yeah...
drbindy's Starlord won the 3 3/4" custom contest and JoeMichaels' Misery Machine won for vehicles. JM has been planning that one for over a year and dreading it over the past two months. After seeing the fun Kreo entries I wish I had put one together. They just looked so fun. All the winners were announced at the end of the show along with the raffle prizes. It was great seeing the entire crowd getting into it and cheering on winners. Or watching a dealer (L.O.C.) turn down last year's con set so someone else could get it.
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Overall it was a great show and only took a couple of days to recover from.
I really needed to recharge my batteries and this trip did it and then some. The people are great of course. When someone tells you they have the best story about fill-in-the-blank and you'll be crying from laughing by the end of it...and then you actually do. Well, those are just good times. It comes up from time to time how does one show compare to another. And it is hard for me to do, especially since there are still some I haven't been to. But the word I kept thinking about was "selflessness". Everyone was so...out of their way helpful. It was disgusting. 
Dealers had tons of help lugging boxes up and down steps. A group of us helped put a Flagg together for no other reason than, well, it is a Flagg, but also because we know it is a jaw dropper for people who have never seen it in person. Kids were able to go around the show and collect badges to earn a kids Top Secret bundle. There was just so much cool stuff, but also a lot of helping hands making sure everyone was enjoying themselves.Image from the GI Joe Discussion group on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater
And if that doesn't sell you on the show itself, let me just end things with the way they ended Saturday night after the show, at Zombie Burger and a double tapped Dead Elvis Burger (2 beef patties, cheddar cheese, bacon, deep fried bananas with peanut butter, and an egg) with a side of fried pickles. I had to get it because I was honestly afraid of it. Face your greatest fears and all that. It was like eating an entire IHOP breakfast all at once. But all the food was good and worth the hype from everyone over the past year.
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I hope to see more of you at Assembly Required next year.