G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero Field Guides SITREP!

There’s an new update from Carson on his highly anticipated G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero Field Guides. Check it out below –

Yo JOES!

It’s been quite some time since the 3DJOES photo studio tour, so let’s cut to the chase and answer your most pressing questions!

What have we completed, and what comes next?

(1) Figure Photography

I completed photography of every loose figure and accessory back on October 20th, 2025.

1994 G.I.JOE Convention Exclusive: Fighter Pilot

(2) Figure Image Editing

Since then Chad Hucal has been working diligently to edit these photos. He is knee-deep in 1991, and doing amazing work. Below is a look at the raw photo, the cleaned up photo, and a close up to show the level of detail achieved with these photos. They are pristine! THANK YOU Chad!

1987 Avalanche: Dominator Driver (Battle Force 2000)

Chad is completing about a year per month so that is going to keep him occupied through July.

(3) MOC and File Card Variant Research

I am currently working on the file cards volume. Back on Dec. 23 a massive milestone was reached: completion of ARAH filecard transcription and variant consolidation! This is one of those MASSIVE and less than glamorous tasks that was essential to creating a comprehensive File Card Field Guide. All transcripts are now live on 3DJOES – go have a look! If you see any errors, please just reach out and let me know.

File Card variant research goes DEEP!

Bellow is an example of one mystery that I dove in on to nail down the 1990 file card variants.

I proposed that six 1990 figures (in bold below) were NOT carried over to 1991, and all six shared the 6136 assortment number: Ambush (v1) 6207, Bullhorn (v1) 6136, Capt. Grid-Iron (v1) 6138, Freefall (v1) 6137, Laser Viper (v1) 6137, Metal-Head (v1) 6137, Night Creeper (v1) 6138, Pathfinder (v1) 6136, Rampart (v1) 6136, Range-Vipers (v1) 6136, Rock-Viper (v1) 6138, S.A.W.-Viper (v1) 6137, Salvo (v1) 6137, Stretcher (v1) 6136, Sub-Zero (v1) 6206, Topside (v1) 6138, Undertow (v1) 6136

With help from the community, we’ve been able to document that Bullhorn, Pathfinder, and Range-Vipers were released in early 1991 on 1990 cardbacks with updated filecards that were noted as C-011 (not the standard H-1 notation from 1990). These carded figures featured the 1991 “Instant Combat Pay Coupons” pack in promotion.

Rampart, Stretcher, and Undertow have not been found on 1991 cardbacks (we don’t think they will be), and they have not been found on 1990 cardbacks with the updated C-011 notation either (this IS possible, please check your MOC and file card collections and let us know what you find).

Apologies for going deep in the weeds there, but that’s just one example of the many details to obsess over while trying to nail down all variants (an impossible, but worthwhile task).

(4) Vehicle and Playset Photography and Editing

Wayne Scheiner, Founder and Lead Curator at Retro Toy Quest, is shooting and editing all vehicles and playsets. He’s well into 1990. You can follow his progress on Facebook, Instagram, and Kickstarter.

1988-1989 Night Force by Retro Toy Quest / Collection courtesy of Jason Hogue

Wayne is sharing his vehicle and playset photos with us for our G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero Field Guide Volume 4: Vehicles & Playsets, and we are sharing our figure and accessory photos with him for his The Toy Collectors Wish Book Special Edition: G.I.JOE – check that out here!

Ok, so when will we have these books in hand?!

When I originally set December 2025 as our goal, we were only going to be working on the first three Field Guides. Volumes 2 and 3 covering File Cards and Carded Figures were going to require additional research, but the lion’s share of the images were ready. We’d already shot, scanned, and edited them for the Omnibus Hardcover.

When we decided to combine forces with Wayne Scheiner (of Retro Toy Quest), and added the Volume 4 (for free for all-in backers!), we moved our timing estimate to May, 2025.

Now as we get closer to that self-imposed estimate, it’s becoming clear we’d have to rush research, editing, and production to make that timeline.

We are all working hard to make these Field Guides accurate and pristine. We simply cannot rush this process. I now anticipate a Fall 2025 delivery, with a fall back to AT LEAST having them by Christmas.

I will always default to creating the highest quality product we can, and giving the team the time needed to do so. The quality of the product is what will last, not memories of a self-imposed deadline that came and went. Quality is the legacy.

THANK YOU for supporting our work. We can’t wait to see you carrying these Field Guides around the shows, hunting to fill those holes in your collections.

R. Carson Mataxis

P.S. Many folks have asked about the 3DJOES poster series too. Those are still offline until we ship the Field Guides! Please be on the lookout for a quick poster Kickstarter once these Field Guides ship. We will be offering some posters that we have ALL wanted for 40+ years!

P.P.S. Did you miss the Operation: Recall Kickstarter? Wave One is in stock and now shipping!!

Breacher & Hellhound are outnumbered by the Orthrus forces, but not for long – Wave Two is on target for May 2026!

ALL-NEW o-ring action figures from the creative team that brought you G.I.JOE: A Real American Hero! Here. NOW!

Of note: There’s a clear typo, where the dates outlined should reflect 2026 instead of 2025.

That aside, I’m excited to have these in hand. The care that is going into curating the books is obvious and these will undoubtedly be cherished by fans everywhere.

I’ll be sure to bring you more updates as they’re made available. In the meanwhile, sound off – Did you join this campaign? What are you most excited for?