Kentucky Joe 2022: A Con Review!

A few weeks ago, I had the fantastic privilege to travel to the Bluegrass State again for KYJoe 2022!

Here is just a small bite of what the show had to offer!

KYJoe 2022 took place from July 29-30 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Louisville, KY!

Dealers offered a variety of both modern/vintage and new/used toys in 3 different showrooms!

Roma Collectibles was there with decently priced 1:18 modern Joes. I picked up a MIB Joe Club Iceberg for $45!

1/6 masters, Cotswold Collectibles, had a table there! I use Cotswold for many of my 1/6 custom projects. Here is a display of some of their heads in flocked glory!

I love reproduction vintage style G.I. Joes! Here was a pile of well priced MIB 40th Anniversary Joes! I picked up an exclusive medic set for like $35!

The same dealer also brought a tub of fantastic handmade G.I. Joe clothing. This was from the early 2000's small company, Adventure Gear! I know how to make my own clothing now, but I still love picking up other creator's work, especially if it unique and well-made!

An interesting find... above was one of Mezco's earliest action figures, 1/12 Maria the robot from the classic silent film, Metropolis! This figure is not anything like Mezco's current figures, but I find it to be a unique property to hit. I would love to have an affordable 1/6 scale version with strong posability!

When G.I. Joe was discontinued in the 70's because of the Oil Crisis, Hasbro shrunk him down to about 8 inches and called him Super Joe! He had a new wardrobe and a completely different theme. The original Super Joes were not built to last, and they sadly all fell apart at the arms from cheap manufacturing. Steve Stovall and White Elephant toys are bringing them back though, and with bodies that will hopefully last! Learn more here!

A vendor who works for Dorkside Toys brought a ton of new 1/12 Hasbro figures and were selling them loose for cheap! Apparently, he has access to getting the damaged boxed versions, so he flips them to buyers like me for an incredible price!

I did not ask the price of this emperor, but I thought this Haoyu Toys 1/6 Julius Caesar was quite striking! Maybe one day, if my pocket allows...

Friend and sewing mentor, Mark Cole, had his table filled with all sorts of cool uniforms. Here is a custom German Resistance uniform inspired by one of my favorite sitcoms, Hogan's Heroes!

Marauder Task Force brought a plethora of their awesome 1:18 military stuff. I picked up some bodies to make some Cobra Special Forces figures!

Shipwreck enthusiast, Brandon Gay, was kind enough to pose for a photo!

G.I. Joe enthusiast, Cindy Scott brought her custom 1/6 collection again this year. She assembled the figures, and the outfits are from miscellaneous manufacturers and customizers.

This particular 'Robin Hood' Joe caught my eye. The costume is based off Errol Flynn's legendary silver screen portrayal, but the lack of facial hair makes this figure look more like Richard Greene's television interpretation.

As of the past few years, I became a pretty big sucker for 1/6 Western Joes. These are nice, but I would have definitely put some crazier flocked heads in these outfits!

Cindy also made these cool 1/6 scale dioramas as well!

This was an Army surplus store!

Here was a small barracks scene!

KYJoe held a custom diorama contest sponsored by Cotswold Collectibles. This one stood out the most; it was a 1:18 underwater scene made with layers of transparent resin. My only cringe on making this would be the sacrifice of the pieces stuck permanently in the resin!

Mattsquatch Customs sponsored the custom figure contest again this year. My entry was a mystical adversary for G.I. Joe, the mad monk Gregori Rasputin! I will talk more about the development of Rasputin in my next post!

Here were the other entries...

I got second place which led to a $75 'convention bucks' prize. I used the prize money to help pay for the new Cotswold Super Joe Arctic Danger set!

I spent way too much money at this convention (as usual), but it is always because I find a surplus of items that would normally cost twice as much in-store or online. My prize finds were the Dog Soldier Calvary Officer uniform for $20 (modeled on a Classic Collection Audie Murphy) and a loose, complete 20th Anniversary Marvel Legends Captain America for $10!

It is hard to believe that the first time I traveled up to KYJoe was 2 years ago. I was itching to show off some of my newly developed customizing skills, and Louisville was the only show that did not get cancelled that year. Two years later, the show is still just as great if not getting bigger and better! If you crave well-priced action figures and enjoy meeting nice people, this is the show for you!

G.I. Joe forever!

-Chuck