Adventure Team Plus

In playscale miniaturism, I have encountered three types of Adventure Team type collectors:

1. Purists: Those who only use Hasbro-brand figures and accessories,
2. Expansionists: Those willing to include AT knockoff figures and accessories, and
3. Coed Inclusionists:* Those who will accept any reasonably articulated figure (male or female) who is properly outfitted for the genre. And any accessories from any source that is close enough to to work.

The first two groups tend to be male figure dominant, particularly representing a paramilitary force, verging on mercenarian. The third tends to have more of a National Geographic emphasis in its missions, though they are frequently armed for self-defense or have an armed escort for camp security (when necessary). Man-of-Action and Tomb Raider-types can be present in all three collecting styles.

My pulp-adventure collecting habits are definitely in line with group #3. I have been pulled aside on more than one occasion by those who thought that I was polluting the genre by including "civilian" figures (with no evidence of military background). With the exception of the big game hunter, none of the protagonists in Jurassic Park were ready for a fight. Their story was about survival, a recurring theme in pulp-adventure. It calls for "underdogs" and "damsels in distress." The B.A. gunman has his/her place in the genre, too, I just see this genre as bigger than the latter only. Resourceful survivor(s) and triumphant underdog(s) are just two of the many tropes that can be played out.

In a concession to the AT purists out there, I have decided to re-organize my "adventure team" to be more consistent with my vision for it. (We #3 [kit-bashers] don't need to limit ourselves to the official GI Joe universe; it was just a jumping-off point.) Primarily geographers, geo-scientists and supporting staff, my team will now be known as the Geo-Corps (subject to change, if I can do better ;-)).


Proposed logo for Geo-Corps
*Detractors would probably go with Kit-bashtards...!