OK, so it’s not Star Wars, but there are times when we report on stuff that may be of interest to our readers who also collect outside of the galaxy, far, far, away. One such line would be G.I. Joe, a favourite of a certain Derryl DePriest, and the following article from the National Post reports on a Canadian equivalent.
Shannon Thibodeau is a vintage toy collector, a father with two young sons and a member of the Canadian Armed Forces, with two tours of Afghanistan to his credit.
He is proud of everything he is and everything he has done. But the aircraft metal fabricator instructor at Canadian Forces Base Borden, near Barrie, was also deeply perplexed and mildly miffed by the fact that whenever he went shopping for military action figures for his boys he could never find a figure that resembled him.
Sure, there were G.I. Joes to be had, but no brave Canucks. Nothing to commemorate the Canadians Mr. Thibodeau served with and, in some cases, helped bury.
“Shannon wanted to make something that would represent his buddies and acknowledge our troops,” says John Alan Sperry, a civilian and longtime friend of Mr. Thibodeau’s from Truro, N.S.
Mr. Thibodeau articulated his vision to Mr. Sperry, a graphic designer, who then brought it to life, or at least helped render it in plastic, using computer illustration software and his muscular soldier buddy as a model.
The result was “Heroes Force,” a series of Canadian military action figures that has stormed the toy market and struck an unforeseen emotional chord among buyers.
Click on the link below for the rest of the article.