This takes me back to chewing sour straws at my favorite candy store in brooklyn playing russian attack at the back of the store on my way to school with a back pack full of my favorite joes and a brand new gijoe comic book ahhhhhh the good days
This review was AWESOME BLOSSOM!!! all the description and detail addressage, the 'hull mod' you made and the Top Gun Theme on top of everything! GOD how I wish I could've gotten one of these! ( but the ones on eBay are either broken or THOUSANDS of dollars for a decent set) EXCELSIOR, JOBURG!
Now that is the kind of comment that makes my day. Thank you so much Chris! Great to hear from you! I hope your Flagg search is rewarded some day soon.
Perfect setting for an animation. Imagine: Firefly and Storm Shadow board the carrier in the dark of night, and place explosive charges around the hull on the lower decks in attempt to breech it.
There is a Resolute comic that deals with Tunnel Rat dismantling the charges whilst fighting off Storm Shadow--comic's name is "22 Minutes", I believe.
Ah yes! It was a comic 2-pack. I got that Tunnel Rat, he's a rad little figure. But I never got the comic. I wasn't too blown away by the other new books written for the comic packs. The one with Shockblast and Pilot Destro was painful.
Cool work! Very Logical upgrades! It was funny to see you pushing the Flagg across the floor. I seemed like you were a theater artist performer moving around a stage! :D This is the most unique video review of the toy. :)
Awesome! ( I'm one too. I just wanna let you know. :) ) Anyway, keep up the great work! I really enjoy how you present the the Joe toys as a whole. Even Non-Joe fans or casual G.I.Joe fans would find your work very entertaining. :D
This was an AMAZING review. The modifications you made to your Flagg is just wow. The added space you made is just genius. You earned a subscriber with this review :)
Kudos for suspension of desbelieve. There isn't enough room for landing or take off anything with wings only. Now I few the need to build two or build from scratch something bigger.
If you have the space for something larger, by all means build it! And post pictures! For my part, sure the Flagg needs some suspension of disbelief (so many Joe toys do) but not much. There's so much to suggest play on the set. And it's still impressively sized even if nowhere near accurate scale. And it's a piece of history! Long live the USS Flagg!
@@gijoburg I think maybe I will not scale in order to keep the actual G.I.Joe's Skystriker full squadron on deck but some F14 models bigger than my hand should be best fit for the job. It must be on scale, it must move, it must float and it must get through the door's apartment and inside my building elevator.
You could paint the parts. For models with lighting they have a special non-translucent paint that is black, it prevents the light from glowing through the parts of the model, what I'd do is paint a few layers of that black non-translucent paint then paint over that with a grey that best matches the interior color of the plastic, that should keep the light from glowing through the plastic.
Great observation! We did not know that. Seems there were a handful of whimsical names just to remind you this is in fact a toy and not a real person. Like Cutter and Alpine’s filenames...
back in the 80s, a brand-new FLAGG was just over $110.00 But now finding a COMPLETE one on eBay will set you back just over $12,000! I'm jelly of you dudes! YO JOE!!!
And I'm jelly of the guys who can keep theirs set up all year round! That thing is a BEAST. But indeedy, about twice a year I put it on display and I'm the coolest kid around.
Fine job gentleman, your customizations are brilliant! No pun intended, I am floored by your skateboard adaptor! The L.E.D. lights are the crown jewel!
Thanks bro! I'm surprised it's not such a common mod, when I first got the Flagg I was like, um, it's dark and can't be moved. But I hope Flagg owners feel inspired enough to give it a bash because it's just what the old girl needs!
GI Joburg While I was watching this, I was checking my collection room, to see if a Flagg would fit. You gents inspired some creative ideas for my collection! Thank you.
I have never had the ARAH joes, I have always preferred the 12 inch gi joes but this aircraft carrier is awesome. GI Joe ARAH made some of the best sets. The defiant is also extremely cool.
Putting the Rising blocks, and, the under Carriage ... Bravo. It looks so legit. Great job. I've always wanted to get this baby, but the lack of movement pushed me away. After watching your setup, it may be worth a go now. Thanks.
Still need a lot of floor space sadly. I shot this in my mother's mini dance studio! Most of the year the Flagg lives deconstructed in the cupboard. The lesson: buy the house; then buy the Flagg!
Awesome review. Didnt realise that there were fellow South Africans who collect G.I.Joes. I have many figurines but NO FLAGG. Respect to you. Love the LEDs and wooden frame and movable base.
What an awesome and amazing piece! Great modifications...I had a chance to buy one around 8 years ago...no space for it. One day I will dedicate a room for my ultra huge collection of 60s ,70s,80s,90s and up.For now, they are boxed and stored. I can only display a few at a time. Rotation is key. I soon will be showing off some of my prized pieces.
Yup. Need some serious real estate to parade your Flagg around. For the top down shot where I give it a hug, I needed to mount the camera on a ladder. Some Dogma 95 filmmaking comes to South Africa. If I'm being obscure; I blame the whisky. Thank you sir!
Are your plans available digitally? The Joe community might go nuts for this stuff! Why have a table, when you can have a better scaled TTBP to land your Dragonfly on?!
When I grew up here in Germany, it was so hard to get G.I. Joe action figures. When finally a Toys R us store opened in town at least we had access to some of this awesome stuff. Really envy your collection my friend. Unfortunately my mum gave away all my toys (incl. G.I.Joes, StarWars and Transformers!!) when I moved out. It's a shame. I really miss the good old times. Thanks for taking me back in time.
The lower level is a great idea guys! And the wheels are a must for such a huge beast of a playset. I just finished my own and did a video review. Check it out!
Awesome review! My friend back in the 80s actually used to stand and lay on his FLAGG. He was a smaller kid, but still, I was like....... It was an impressive toy. I was a little disapointed back then at the sparseness of the interior and the fact that it was pretty much an empty space of supports underneith but woa it was big. And cost like $100 back then. I've only ever seen one that one day I went to visit him at his place.
I saw Michael Mercy's custom USS Flagg and he said he drew inspiration from your review. I left this suggestion on his channel as well. I figured it was only fitting to suggest it to you as well. You can take it over the top at some point if you want....by making an electric elevator to go between the deck and the lower compartments. Just a suggestion though if you are up for improving it. I love your channel and have come to watch your videos....your one with the VHS tapes made me laugh....building with what you had!
I'm so thrilled the rudimentary improvements we made to our Flagg have become so popular! We love RetroBlasting's channel too. And there have been a handful of awesome Flagg mods that have taken it a step further. I wish I had a link rattling around in my head but I think someone has done your elevator suggestion. Was it you?! Hmmmm? 😜
I wish. I dont own a Flagg mostly due to space limitations. It and the Defiant are my 2 grails fir GIJoe vehicles....while Modern Era Dialtone is the grail of figures for me. Thanks and keep up the great job on your channel.
Great review guys...!! I have just enjoyed again. It is amazing. Some questions. Where did you get the furniture you added to the inside compartments? How much time did it take you to create the rolling board? Do you have have some DIY knowledge? Do you recommend to get it done by someone with skills?
The furniture was originally put out in the World Peacekeepers toyline; but I got them from marauderinc.com The stuff there is awesome and very high quality, I'd recommend checking them out. As for the 'carpentry', I'm no handyman, but I can operate a saw and a sander. If you're not confident around powertools I'm sure you could get assistance from a major hardware store. Provided you have your boards clearly marked. As my brother in law would say: "measure twice; cut once".
I am a FLAGG owner and I need the measurments of your mods. I am going to build a house with a large theater room that will house my toys on the walls.
I had a couple friends that had the Flagg when we were kids. I asked them about this past weekend and both gave me the same answer. They loved it and hated it at the same time. The size was the biggest issue as they were always being told to move the thing to somewhere else in the house do to space issues. By taking it apart and putting it back together so many times they broke so many pieces they couldn't even assemble it anymore without stability issues. The size was a blessing and a curse at the same time.
Absolutely bang on. And as adults it's more or less the same chore. Except it's the girlfriend or wife telling us to get the damn thing out of the way. Or our fears of young kids wrecking it. What an unfortunate legacy for a legendary toy!
I want this so bad but even if i could get it my parents would thinks its to big which it is very big so i understand but lets say i do get it im 11 id need them to help make the mod which they probably wouldnt even want the mod because it would make it even bigger. So im disappointed but maybe ill be able to get the tactical battle platform
Various types. The strip ones are cool white, 500mm long, with adhesive backing. The tower ones are ring type, bought at a motoring accessories store. Got both kinds at a Chinese market.
@@gijoburg It looks amazing and really bring the ship to life. I had the same concept in my mind for the Mobile Command Center, I didn't think it was possible until I saw this video.
I can only speak from my personal experience Darryl, as these things fluctuate based on condition, completeness, and the general toy savvy of the buyer and seller... I paid $900 for mine back in October 2010. It did not include the Y-pins or the Admiral's pistol. But it did include the box. If it seems steep, I will be the first to admit it wasn't on the cheap side. But I have dealt with that seller many times and know them to be fair. And they were proficient enough to not have a knee jerk at the prospect of sending a Flagg to South Africa! I hope that helps as a benchmark.
Caro amigo primeiramente parabéns... lindo.. E sua ideia De colocar rodas foi demais. Arley.. varginha.. Brasil.. Este porta avioes não foi fabricado no Brasil... todo o restante sim..
If you get a chance, check out the V.S.S. Venomous Sea Serpent. It's a Cobra aircraft carrier that's fan designed. It's a concept that's very close to becoming produced.
Instructions?! You overestimate our skills! We literally just sawed up a board to match the outline of the Flagg's hull! But a fellow TH-camr copied our work, check out his vid for more info. His TH-cam handle is Mike Mercy and he's a pretty stand up guy!
I traded all my Gundam 4 inch action figures and models for a run down mostly complete USS Flagg. Best trade I ever made. I'm a Marvel Universe 3.75 inch collector and have been trying to in spare time convert the USS Flagg into a helicarrier. It's harder than I originally thought. But once complete it would have been so worth it.
Excellent! I’ve played with my Flagg as a Shield Helicarrier before. Just let my imagination fill in the propulsion systems. But man, if you pull off your design, please refer me onto some pictures! I’d love to see it. Good luck!
Great vid and review. Surprised you didn’t paint your custom board ocean blue outside the ship. Getting further through the vid, makes sense to keep it all gray. I take my blue paint comment back.
Can you point me in the direction of where you got the LED's and how you powered them? You inspired me to put a base and blocks on my Flagg to make it taller. Thanks!!!
I went to a Chinese lighting store in Chinatown, Cape Town, South Africa! Sorry if that is no help whatsoever. But the lights ran from a wall socket, into a transformer and then into the various strip lights. But you can now buy LED strips 5 meters long that go straight into the mains. They're out there, happy hunting!
Amazing! Thanks for checking us out! We were inspired by a prototype image of the Flagg - turns out the designers always wanted the hull to be twice the height of what we ultimately got.
i never got the USS Flag, but I had the Star Wars IMperial Star Destroyer as a kid. i never thought much of that playset either, but at least it was soemthing one could strap on your arm and fly around in. You would have thought the toy designers would have made something with a rigged hull that could float in somehting like a bathtub or something.
What, an 8 foot toy not ambitious enough for you?! I saw a photo somewhere in the interwebs once of a Flagg with a custom hull floating in someone's pool. Insane.
Marques Butler Chap Mei did one for their Soldier Force line back in the mid-2000's. And they have not used the mold since! To the chagrin of collectors everywhere...
Nice review, didnt know you had a channel, also my lego G.I. Joe movie is being rebooted but i uploaded the original version to my channel Mrenderkid Productions
TBH, I could care less about the need to have a sky striker on it, and to me the Tomahawks are just too big. I never had a Flagg (did have the joe base, tactical battle platform, rolling thunder, and thunderclap) but a buddy did and his father tricked his out similar to how the one in the video is, but he used 3 large foam squares that he carved for vehicle space and access instead of wooden blocks, and which he painted (several coats) and attatched to a shaped board (no rollers, but 4x rope handles for carrying and we just placed it on a couple of skateboards for play when we wanted the thing to move). We much preferred to use post-1985 smaller vehicles in order to maximize the number of vehicles (to us, a "base" is something that holds quite a few vehicles and troops). So having explained that, for your Flagg I think the optimal vehicle loadout would be: (air superiority/combat air patrol) 2-3x Conquest X-30's (1 belowdecks) (helicopter transport gunships) 2x Dragonfly / Tigerfly (assault force armor) 4-6x assortment of wolverines, armadillos, and/or triple t's (small vehicles that a dragonfly can carry on it's tow hook) (recon and ship defense) 2x SHARC (air support for amphibious assault force) 4-6x assortment of Locusts and/or Skyhawks (amphibious assault troopcarriers) 1x killer WHALE OR 2x Warthog (sea defense and patrol boats) 2-3x devilfish / tigerfish That's a full house there, you can fight off cobra jet fighters, you can engage cobra attack boats, you can launch air strikes on cobra ground positions, you can launch an amphibious troop attack on Cobra island complete with light armor and attack helicopter support, and of course you still have room for tons of Joe figures to do the fighting. Of course once you bring some of the power team elite vehicles into play, it gets even more fun since they have some small boats, small helicopters, and I think their F-18's are about the size of an X-30.
Excellent loadout my man! Gonna have to use the ol' "one representing many" trick as the space limitations are quickly met on even something as large as the Flagg. But you're damn right about those Hornets being about as big as the X-30. Longer wingspan, sure, but they can be folded! As for your foam board memory... all I can say is come March, we'll be unveiling our latest addition to the Flagg and it's very much in line with what your buddy's dad did!
Love this idea. I'm gonna try it! What do you recommend doing first, take the deck plates off and then create a template based on that outline? Cut with jigsaw, sand and paint? Then assemble framing and then trace for outline of risers? I'm just trying to think through your process. What type of wood/materials do you recommend? Thanks!
Brian Bray Hey Brian! I took a cheap large piece of pine for the base and overlayed the prow, stern, and support trusses on top, and just traced a hull shape around that. Jigged it out and painted it with a can of enamel if memory serves. Can't really remember what wood I raised the trusses on. It's got to be a little thicker than the trusses to be stable and offer enough space for the trusses to rest upon. Let me know if you have any further questions!
Sky Strikers work well with the Flagg, but I think it was designed for the Conquest X-30, which was slightly smaller. I hardly knew anyone that had one, and when I saw one, I knew why. It was extremely huge, and in a typical kid's bedroom that only had one bed, it would take up the entire bed. It worked ok for larger families, where there might be two or more beds per room & maybe an extra bedroom to sleep. At the time, when I first saw it, the size shocked me. It seemed so impractical. The second time I saw it, it was unassembled. A bit of disillusionment set in, as I realized it was just panels & stickers on top of a scaffolding. Seeing it in the video, and many years later, I do see its actual potential. You still need an abnormal amount of space. I do like the idea of a base with casters, though. Upon closer look, it occurs to me that maybe it might go well with some smaller (scaled down) 3D printed Joe vehicles. You could then have a full compliment and an assortment, that might even work better with the elevator. A small linear actuator might be a good enhancement for the lift.
Nice, am planning on getting a flagg soon, and I love what you did adding a second level, great for space. Planning on doing the same thing too, but I was thinking of also adding a third level. What do you think? Is this doable?
I've seen threads where it was discussed. The conclusion was that it is still cheaper to buy a vintage than to 3D print one from scratch! The size of printer required for those deck plates and the quality of plastic needed will run up your cost pretty darn high!
@@gijoburg I would use a 3D printer to make custom pieces like crates or carrier plates for choppers to grab. Speaking of 3D printing, did you guys notice the 3D printed repro clips for the flight deck? They look good from what I've seen although I'm not sure how sturdy they are and the pictures make them look a bit too dark in color.
I have 5 of those 3 regular ones and the 4th I made custom for my cobra figures cobra needed a carrier also and I keep them in the garage have the space for them .!
Decided years ago when I win the lottery I'll get an aluminum boat, probably 40-50 feet long, have a remote control run jetski engine installed & set up, the nuse that as the hull for possibly the biggest R/C 1:18 toy ever. Having done the math a carrier styled like Nimitz class in scale of Joe fugs would need to be over 70 feet long but that's a touch much. But imagine a true 1:8 Tomcat painted like a Stryker taking off & landing on it while you drive it around the lake in your back yard!!! I could go into very long detail about how I'd build the rest but instead I'll just reveal the funner part, the defense systems; -CWIZ- using the twin gattling cannons (mounted to the deck below the flight deck, no longer on trailer base, 2 per side for 360 degree coverage) with batter powered, solenoid activated "Robocop" full auto BB guns hidden behind whirlwinds to represent them firing -Anti Aircraft- using 3/8" brake line, cut to 2.5" long & bundled (tack welded) like SAM pods with remote fired wires (think like spark plugs but smaller protruding into the back of each tube. Pull the wick from bottle rockets, slide into tubes with sparkers poking into back where wick was & have it programmed to fire 1 at a time each time you hit the fire button on the remote Add a lot of LEDs, strategically drilled small holes on flight deck to wire Joe vehicles in place (so they don't fall off the side into the lake) & just imagine the possibilities!! & imagine the confusion when planes or helicopters fly over the lake & look down seeing it I make custom GI Joes & vehicles ("Customs By R/T" on Facebook if interested) so yeah if I ever had the money & space I would absolutely build this just "cuz I can"
Dream big! This sounds absolutely incredible. Wowzers. Might need a staff of workers to make it tho. One person chipping away at a project like that would take years! But I got faith in you man!
@@gijoburg tbh I know next to nothing about boats or remote control so that part would absolutely have to be farmed out, having thought about it for a long time I could easily build the rest myself. The idea came to me over a decade ago & every time I think about it I come up with new detail ideas to make it more & more realistic & "playable"/poseable (such as; did you know both ARAH & 25th size foot-peg holes are the same size as a few different brands of the round toothpicks? Meaning cut the picks to about 1/4", drill same size hole in any surface you want to pose a fig on, glue half the pick into hole & paint protruding part to match surface. Dio pro-tip, you're welcome hahaa) I've seen used toy parts & random parts of things like laptops for another example of things I'd use to make a conn tower based on Nimitz class carrier that'd be 4 x 1:18 stories tall (appropriate for a 40ish-foot long version). The construction wouldn't be hard at all compared to storage & transport of the whole 40' Flagg lol
oh my god that launch prep and take off was sweet
love how the blast shield has a danger sign
Thanks buddy! We took it to the next level and did it from the ocean in Blazing Sand Part IV, hope you like!
Nice touch on Top Gun soundtrack and also very creative camera framing, like shooting from inside the tower to the flight deck.
Glad you appreciate! When we shoot these, we try to play with them, but with a camera in our hands instead of a figure!
This takes me back to chewing sour straws at my favorite candy store in brooklyn playing russian attack at the back of the store on my way to school with a back pack full of my favorite joes and a brand new gijoe comic book ahhhhhh the good days
I had the same childhood in montreal, canada! Im 43. It was just great back then.
This review was AWESOME BLOSSOM!!! all the description and detail addressage, the 'hull mod' you made and the Top Gun Theme on top of everything! GOD how I wish I could've gotten one of these! ( but the ones on eBay are either broken or THOUSANDS of dollars for a decent set) EXCELSIOR, JOBURG!
Now that is the kind of comment that makes my day. Thank you so much Chris! Great to hear from you! I hope your Flagg search is rewarded some day soon.
Perfect setting for an animation. Imagine: Firefly and Storm Shadow board the carrier in the dark of night, and place explosive charges around the hull on the lower decks in attempt to breech it.
Hey! That sounds like a prologue to GI Joe: Resolute! I wanna set up the Flagg and play that one out!
There is a Resolute comic that deals with Tunnel Rat dismantling the charges whilst fighting off Storm Shadow--comic's name is "22 Minutes", I believe.
Ah yes! It was a comic 2-pack. I got that Tunnel Rat, he's a rad little figure. But I never got the comic. I wasn't too blown away by the other new books written for the comic packs. The one with Shockblast and Pilot Destro was painful.
Just wondering, have you seen the Battle Corps Blockbuster from 1994?
We're aware of it; never owned one. Why do you ask?
Dude. Love your vids man. They are hilarious, thoughtful and best of all, take me back to my childhood.
Aha! Mission accomplished then. Glad we could take you back! Yo Joe!
Cool work! Very Logical upgrades!
It was funny to see you pushing the Flagg across the floor. I seemed like you were a theater artist performer moving around a stage! :D This is the most unique video review of the toy. :)
You called it brother. Steve from GI Joburg is a theatre actor! Ha!
Awesome!
( I'm one too. I just wanna let you know. :) )
Anyway, keep up the great work! I really enjoy how you present the the Joe toys as a whole. Even Non-Joe fans or casual G.I.Joe fans would find your work very entertaining. :D
Thanks for the encouragement man. We'll keep putting them out! Sporadically...
That is a pretty cherished memory shared between friends. I remember it well.
Awesome customizations dude.
Bro I can’t get enough of the Uss Flagg vídeos bro :D this is one of the best reviews :D
Wow wow! Thank you very much. There are a handful out there; so happy we could rank so highly for you! Yo Joe!
This was an AMAZING review. The modifications you made to your Flagg is just wow. The added space you made is just genius. You earned a subscriber with this review :)
Thanks E(dward?). Glad to have you onboard. Nautical joke.
Great job. You took me back to my childhood on this one.
That is the highest goal of any toy review. Glad we could take you back...
This is why GI Jobrug is the best reviewers on You Tube today.
Thank you!
Kudos for suspension of desbelieve. There isn't enough room for landing or take off anything with wings only. Now I few the need to build two or build from scratch something bigger.
If you have the space for something larger, by all means build it! And post pictures! For my part, sure the Flagg needs some suspension of disbelief (so many Joe toys do) but not much. There's so much to suggest play on the set. And it's still impressively sized even if nowhere near accurate scale. And it's a piece of history! Long live the USS Flagg!
@@gijoburg I think maybe I will not scale in order to keep the actual G.I.Joe's Skystriker full squadron on deck but some F14 models bigger than my hand should be best fit for the job. It must be on scale, it must move, it must float and it must get through the door's apartment and inside my building elevator.
This is starting to sound like an epic undertaking! Awesome! You have my best wishes!
This video came up again in my feed, it’s one of my favorite videos!
Thanks dude! It’s an oldie but a goodie. Mounted the camera on a bloody ladder to get that top-down shot of me snuggling the Flagg. Oh the hijinks!
You could paint the parts. For models with lighting they have a special non-translucent paint that is black, it prevents the light from glowing through the parts of the model, what I'd do is paint a few layers of that black non-translucent paint then paint over that with a grey that best matches the interior color of the plastic, that should keep the light from glowing through the plastic.
Wow, best Flagg review I've seen. Good Job!
+Joseph Colton Joe Colton? Coming from a living Joe legend, that is high praise indeed! Thanks!
Nice work. Would love to get dimensions of your custom lower deck if you're willing to reveal.
Hey hey RB, I popped them up on the Facebook group, hope you managed to peep them.
Funny! Keel-Haul’s real name is Everett Colby. Everett is the site of a Navy base and the major street of the city is Colby.
Great observation! We did not know that. Seems there were a handful of whimsical names just to remind you this is in fact a toy and not a real person. Like Cutter and Alpine’s filenames...
The mods you did to this are pretty cool. Love the idea of having a "below decks" area.
...and so easily implemented! Thanks Tim!
6:16 that's a fantastic shot! Great camerawork
So many unconventional ways to shoot a Flagg if you put your mind to it! Thanks!
Do you have the patterns for that platform and risers?
Hi John! Did a very crude job but simple is good, right? Send me a PM on arealsouthafricanhero@gmail.com and I’ll hook you up with what I got.
@@gijoburg Will do.
back in the 80s, a brand-new FLAGG was just over $110.00 But now finding a COMPLETE one on eBay will set you back just over $12,000! I'm jelly of you dudes! YO JOE!!!
And I'm jelly of the guys who can keep theirs set up all year round! That thing is a BEAST. But indeedy, about twice a year I put it on display and I'm the coolest kid around.
Fine job gentleman, your customizations are brilliant! No pun intended, I am floored by your skateboard adaptor! The L.E.D. lights are the crown jewel!
Thanks bro! I'm surprised it's not such a common mod, when I first got the Flagg I was like, um, it's dark and can't be moved. But I hope Flagg owners feel inspired enough to give it a bash because it's just what the old girl needs!
GI Joburg While I was watching this, I was checking my collection room, to see if a Flagg would fit. You gents inspired some creative ideas for my collection! Thank you.
I have never had the ARAH joes, I have always preferred the 12 inch gi joes but this aircraft carrier is awesome. GI Joe ARAH made some of the best sets. The defiant is also extremely cool.
Putting the Rising blocks, and, the under Carriage ... Bravo. It looks so legit. Great job. I've always wanted to get this baby, but the lack of movement pushed me away. After watching your setup, it may be worth a go now. Thanks.
Still need a lot of floor space sadly. I shot this in my mother's mini dance studio! Most of the year the Flagg lives deconstructed in the cupboard. The lesson: buy the house; then buy the Flagg!
Respect. I got the tape measure out to make sure ;)
Awesome review. Didnt realise that there were fellow South Africans who collect G.I.Joes. I have many figurines but NO FLAGG. Respect to you. Love the LEDs and wooden frame and movable base.
+ketan bhana Hey Ketan, hit us up on Facebook, we'd love to connect with other Joe fans. I'm sure we are not the only ones out there!
Will you guys ever cover the Terror Dome? The Mack Daddy of all cobra bases?
This very month the Terrordrome will make its first appearance on the channel. Stay tuned!
What an awesome and amazing piece! Great modifications...I had a chance to buy one around 8 years ago...no space for it. One day I will dedicate a room for my ultra huge collection of 60s ,70s,80s,90s and up.For now, they are boxed and stored. I can only display a few at a time. Rotation is key. I soon will be showing off some of my prized pieces.
Good to hear! I take it you shoot collection vids and post them on the TH-cams?
I never knew anything like this ever existed until today..and I'm in my 40s
As John McClane might’ve said, “Welcome to the party, pal!”
Awesome VIDEO! AWESOME narration AWESOME TOY and Love the ballet Studio and bars in the background SUPERB!!!
Yup. Need some serious real estate to parade your Flagg around. For the top down shot where I give it a hug, I needed to mount the camera on a ladder. Some Dogma 95 filmmaking comes to South Africa. If I'm being obscure; I blame the whisky.
Thank you sir!
Awesome vid, makes you want to add the Flagg to your collection for sure.
That's so awesome👌 .. just wanted to ask if you would share the Dimensions of Lower deck? Thanks
Hi Joseph, thanks! Send us an email and we’ll send you some detailed pics. arealsouthafricanhero@gmail.com
I have plans to make an outdoor play table for my son based on the USS Flagg
Man oh man, I hope that becomes a reality! And I hope there are pictures!
when I get it done, I'll throw pics on your FB page!
I also have a Transportable Battle Platform table for his room inside going!
oh, and a GI Joe base toybox!
Are your plans available digitally? The Joe community might go nuts for this stuff! Why have a table, when you can have a better scaled TTBP to land your Dragonfly on?!
Great review. I like your modifications. I always wanted to get this and use it for a marvel shield helicarrier
And she works perfectly in that role, lemmetellya!
@@gijoburg someday when I have the extra funds I'll do that.
Love that grey Dragonfly.
An awesome Paul Loubser custom paint job. I love it.
When I grew up here in Germany, it was so hard to get G.I. Joe action figures. When finally a Toys R us store opened in town at least we had access to some of this awesome stuff. Really envy your collection my friend. Unfortunately my mum gave away all my toys (incl. G.I.Joes, StarWars and Transformers!!) when I moved out. It's a shame. I really miss the good old times. Thanks for taking me back in time.
Lot of work obviously went into this review, nice job!
Well this is THE toy for professional players. I didn't knew of this piece but its absolutely wonderful.
i dont understand how this cant be more popular then staring at an ipad all day for kids
I can! It requires kids to get off their butts! We are a lazy species and we’re getting lazier! 🤪
The lower level is a great idea guys! And the wheels are a must for such a huge beast of a playset. I just finished my own and did a video review. Check it out!
Terrific! Looking you up now!
Awesome review! My friend back in the 80s actually used to stand and lay on his FLAGG. He was a smaller kid, but still, I was like.......
It was an impressive toy. I was a little disapointed back then at the sparseness of the interior and the fact that it was pretty much an empty space of supports underneith but woa it was big. And cost like $100 back then. I've only ever seen one that one day I went to visit him at his place.
Great build video! Great ideas for added support/play area!
I saw Michael Mercy's custom USS Flagg and he said he drew inspiration from your review. I left this suggestion on his channel as well. I figured it was only fitting to suggest it to you as well. You can take it over the top at some point if you want....by making an electric elevator to go between the deck and the lower compartments. Just a suggestion though if you are up for improving it.
I love your channel and have come to watch your videos....your one with the VHS tapes made me laugh....building with what you had!
I'm so thrilled the rudimentary improvements we made to our Flagg have become so popular! We love RetroBlasting's channel too. And there have been a handful of awesome Flagg mods that have taken it a step further. I wish I had a link rattling around in my head but I think someone has done your elevator suggestion. Was it you?! Hmmmm? 😜
I wish. I dont own a Flagg mostly due to space limitations. It and the Defiant are my 2 grails fir GIJoe vehicles....while Modern Era Dialtone is the grail of figures for me. Thanks and keep up the great job on your channel.
This would make an awesome coffee table with the sky striker.
It is an awesome display piece. Would love to have one for my collection
Great review guys...!! I have just enjoyed again. It is amazing.
Some questions. Where did you get the furniture you added to the inside compartments?
How much time did it take you to create the rolling board? Do you have have some DIY knowledge? Do you recommend to get it done by someone with skills?
The furniture was originally put out in the World Peacekeepers toyline; but I got them from marauderinc.com
The stuff there is awesome and very high quality, I'd recommend checking them out.
As for the 'carpentry', I'm no handyman, but I can operate a saw and a sander. If you're not confident around powertools I'm sure you could get assistance from a major hardware store. Provided you have your boards clearly marked. As my brother in law would say: "measure twice; cut once".
I was told my Dad's cousin had this very aircraft carrier. It was a legend in our family. Unfortunately it was destroyed in Hurricane Andrew
I’m terribly sorry for your loss
Optimus Prime riding an AT-AT on a GI Joe aircraft carrier.
Yeeeeeeee-Haw!!! Did it on a whim because... why not? Stuff you can do with a Flagg!
Should've put Bumble Bee on an AT-ST riding next to him like Sancho Panza.
😂
I am a FLAGG owner and I need the measurments of your mods. I am going to build a house with a large theater room that will house my toys on the walls.
Sure thing! Shoot me an email to arealsouthafricanhero@gmail.com
Awesome!!! Great job!! Congratulations!
+baillergeaux Thanks bud!
I had a couple friends that had the Flagg when we were kids. I asked them about this past weekend and both gave me the same answer. They loved it and hated it at the same time. The size was the biggest issue as they were always being told to move the thing to somewhere else in the house do to space issues. By taking it apart and putting it back together so many times they broke so many pieces they couldn't even assemble it anymore without stability issues. The size was a blessing and a curse at the same time.
Absolutely bang on. And as adults it's more or less the same chore. Except it's the girlfriend or wife telling us to get the damn thing out of the way. Or our fears of young kids wrecking it. What an unfortunate legacy for a legendary toy!
I want this so bad but even if i could get it my parents would thinks its to big which it is very big so i understand but lets say i do get it im 11 id need them to help make the mod which they probably wouldnt even want the mod because it would make it even bigger. So im disappointed but maybe ill be able to get the tactical battle platform
The Battle Platform is a very fun toy my man. I can think of a few folks who rate it above the legendary USS Flagg. I hope you get it and love it!
I like how empty the tower is , tons of customization potential
Great video.. really love the grey Dragonfly
Thanks! Yeah, I prefer a naval variant to go with the Flagg.
so I guess your never too old to play with toys?
Question: what of LED lights did you use for the interior?
Various types. The strip ones are cool white, 500mm long, with adhesive backing. The tower ones are ring type, bought at a motoring accessories store. Got both kinds at a Chinese market.
@@gijoburg It looks amazing and really bring the ship to life. I had the same concept in my mind for the Mobile Command Center, I didn't think it was possible until I saw this video.
Top Gun music + G.I. Joe = match made in heaven ;)
Totally worth the copyright infringement!!!
Absolutely! 🤣
That’s was awesome, made me want to watch Top Gun.
question how much does this behemoth cost ?
I can only speak from my personal experience Darryl, as these things fluctuate based on condition, completeness, and the general toy savvy of the buyer and seller... I paid $900 for mine back in October 2010. It did not include the Y-pins or the Admiral's pistol. But it did include the box. If it seems steep, I will be the first to admit it wasn't on the cheap side. But I have dealt with that seller many times and know them to be fair. And they were proficient enough to not have a knee jerk at the prospect of sending a Flagg to South Africa! I hope that helps as a benchmark.
Caro amigo primeiramente parabéns... lindo.. E sua ideia
De colocar rodas foi demais.
Arley.. varginha.. Brasil..
Este porta avioes não foi fabricado no Brasil... todo o restante sim..
This is like the first time outside of the Jurassic Park Toys community I've ever even heard anyone else even MENTION Chap Mei toys.
They did waaaaaay more military stuff than Dino Hunters stuff. C'mon!
oh they have some nice things, like a destroyer and a ac130 cargo plane.
It's awesome how you decided to make it more portable!
Had to. A boat that can't be moved?! Preposterous. Now I just need to get it to float...
AMAZIIIIIING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.....Q: The helicopter you showed (@ the 13:03 min of the video), is that Chap Mei True Heroes? I've never seen that one.
Yes, it’s a Chap Mei Osprey helicopter released around 2004-2005.
@@gijoburg Thanks. That one is close to impossible to find...😖
Indeed. If I had a magic window to the future I would have bought all the stock of that toy. Incredible how Chap Mei have never reproduced it.
If you get a chance, check out the V.S.S. Venomous Sea Serpent. It's a Cobra aircraft carrier that's fan designed. It's a concept that's very close to becoming produced.
Hey great video any chance you can give your instructions on how you built the trolley and added led lights
Instructions?! You overestimate our skills! We literally just sawed up a board to match the outline of the Flagg's hull! But a fellow TH-camr copied our work, check out his vid for more info. His TH-cam handle is Mike Mercy and he's a pretty stand up guy!
Do you have the measurements for the base and stands that you made? I'd like to cut some for mine.
I can go one better, mail me on arealsouthafricanhero@gmail.com and I'll send you the details!
I traded all my Gundam 4 inch action figures and models for a run down mostly complete USS Flagg. Best trade I ever made. I'm a Marvel Universe 3.75 inch collector and have been trying to in spare time convert the USS Flagg into a helicarrier. It's harder than I originally thought. But once complete it would have been so worth it.
Excellent! I’ve played with my Flagg as a Shield Helicarrier before. Just let my imagination fill in the propulsion systems. But man, if you pull off your design, please refer me onto some pictures! I’d love to see it. Good luck!
Great vid and review. Surprised you didn’t paint your custom board ocean blue outside the ship. Getting further through the vid, makes sense to keep it all gray. I take my blue paint comment back.
Awesome video..... You just made me LOVE my GIJOE collection more than ever :)
Now there's a compliment! Thanks! Glad we could inspire you, because these toys are the best. Oh yes.
Can you point me in the direction of where you got the LED's and how you powered them?
You inspired me to put a base and blocks on my Flagg to make it taller. Thanks!!!
I went to a Chinese lighting store in Chinatown, Cape Town, South Africa! Sorry if that is no help whatsoever. But the lights ran from a wall socket, into a transformer and then into the various strip lights. But you can now buy LED strips 5 meters long that go straight into the mains. They're out there, happy hunting!
+Stephen Jubber yeah unfortunately South Africa is a bit of a drive from the states! I did see those strips online that peel and stick
hi l liked what you did for the USS Flagg. I was in the Navy and served on a aircraft carrier. The playset looks e looks far more believable now.
Amazing! Thanks for checking us out! We were inspired by a prototype image of the Flagg - turns out the designers always wanted the hull to be twice the height of what we ultimately got.
i never got the USS Flag, but I had the Star Wars IMperial Star Destroyer as a kid. i never thought much of that playset either, but at least it was soemthing one could strap on your arm and fly around in. You would have thought the toy designers would have made something with a rigged hull that could float in somehting like a bathtub or something.
What, an 8 foot toy not ambitious enough for you?! I saw a photo somewhere in the interwebs once of a Flagg with a custom hull floating in someone's pool. Insane.
did I see a MV-22 OSPREY on the deck? where did you get that I want one! awesome review wish I had the space to add the Flagg
Marques Butler Chap Mei did one for their Soldier Force line back in the mid-2000's. And they have not used the mold since! To the chagrin of collectors everywhere...
what a shame
Una de las mejores Reviews que he visto del USS Flagg
¡Graçias!
love your video... Thanks 4 all the memories.
I want the Flagg and. The osprey. I never knew they made one of those.
Chap Mei's Soldier Force line did the elusive Osprey only once to my memory. Back in 2005 or thereabouts...
Oh man. I am never going to find one of those then.
Nice review, didnt know you had a channel, also my lego G.I. Joe movie is being rebooted but i uploaded the original version to my channel Mrenderkid Productions
I wish I had this in 86'
You and me both buddy!
What is the stArting background music
TBH, I could care less about the need to have a sky striker on it, and to me the Tomahawks are just too big. I never had a Flagg (did have the joe base, tactical battle platform, rolling thunder, and thunderclap) but a buddy did and his father tricked his out similar to how the one in the video is, but he used 3 large foam squares that he carved for vehicle space and access instead of wooden blocks, and which he painted (several coats) and attatched to a shaped board (no rollers, but 4x rope handles for carrying and we just placed it on a couple of skateboards for play when we wanted the thing to move). We much preferred to use post-1985 smaller vehicles in order to maximize the number of vehicles (to us, a "base" is something that holds quite a few vehicles and troops). So having explained that, for your Flagg I think the optimal vehicle loadout would be:
(air superiority/combat air patrol) 2-3x Conquest X-30's (1 belowdecks)
(helicopter transport gunships) 2x Dragonfly / Tigerfly
(assault force armor) 4-6x assortment of wolverines, armadillos, and/or triple t's (small vehicles that a dragonfly can carry on it's tow hook)
(recon and ship defense) 2x SHARC
(air support for amphibious assault force) 4-6x assortment of Locusts and/or Skyhawks
(amphibious assault troopcarriers) 1x killer WHALE OR 2x Warthog
(sea defense and patrol boats) 2-3x devilfish / tigerfish
That's a full house there, you can fight off cobra jet fighters, you can engage cobra attack boats, you can launch air strikes on cobra ground positions, you can launch an amphibious troop attack on Cobra island complete with light armor and attack helicopter support, and of course you still have room for tons of Joe figures to do the fighting. Of course once you bring some of the power team elite vehicles into play, it gets even more fun since they have some small boats, small helicopters, and I think their F-18's are about the size of an X-30.
Excellent loadout my man! Gonna have to use the ol' "one representing many" trick as the space limitations are quickly met on even something as large as the Flagg. But you're damn right about those Hornets being about as big as the X-30. Longer wingspan, sure, but they can be folded!
As for your foam board memory... all I can say is come March, we'll be unveiling our latest addition to the Flagg and it's very much in line with what your buddy's dad did!
@@gijoburg Hmmmm. I wonder if that means we're gonna see a floating USS Flagg this spring.
'Bout damn time if you ask me. Boat that don't float. Or even move. Legend status: REVOKED!
hope you do a mcc review nobody has done one yet
We do now...
Love this idea. I'm gonna try it! What do you recommend doing first, take the deck plates off and then create a template based on that outline? Cut with jigsaw, sand and paint? Then assemble framing and then trace for outline of risers? I'm just trying to think through your process. What type of wood/materials do you recommend? Thanks!
Brian Bray Hey Brian! I took a cheap large piece of pine for the base and overlayed the prow, stern, and support trusses on top, and just traced a hull shape around that. Jigged it out and painted it with a can of enamel if memory serves. Can't really remember what wood I raised the trusses on. It's got to be a little thicker than the trusses to be stable and offer enough space for the trusses to rest upon. Let me know if you have any further questions!
Hi, what are the dimensions for the custom underdeck?
Best to email us at arealsouthafricanhero@gmail.com and we’ll send you what we have!
Awesome! Do you still have the dimensions? I want to make one like yours.
Are you on Twitter? We have the dimensions you're looking for @gijoburg
Sky Strikers work well with the Flagg, but I think it was designed for the Conquest X-30, which was slightly smaller. I hardly knew anyone that had one, and when I saw one, I knew why. It was extremely huge, and in a typical kid's bedroom that only had one bed, it would take up the entire bed. It worked ok for larger families, where there might be two or more beds per room & maybe an extra bedroom to sleep. At the time, when I first saw it, the size shocked me. It seemed so impractical. The second time I saw it, it was unassembled. A bit of disillusionment set in, as I realized it was just panels & stickers on top of a scaffolding.
Seeing it in the video, and many years later, I do see its actual potential. You still need an abnormal amount of space. I do like the idea of a base with casters, though. Upon closer look, it occurs to me that maybe it might go well with some smaller (scaled down) 3D printed Joe vehicles. You could then have a full compliment and an assortment, that might even work better with the elevator. A small linear actuator might be a good enhancement for the lift.
Nice, am planning on getting a flagg soon, and I love what you did adding a second level, great for space. Planning on doing the same thing too, but I was thinking of also adding a third level. What do you think? Is this doable?
I think its totally do able, though youd have to make sure your bottom most level is secure and id maybe add notches for a tighter fit.
Where can I find the measurements for the base?
Pm us at arealsouthafricanhero@gmail.com
How Did You Get The Ship?
Whooo! In the post in two enormous boxes.
Are your pod casts on spotify?
They are indeed!
where did you find the cargo net for the hook?
Wild Quest toyline by Chap Mei, circa 2004! Came with a lime green Sea Knight-style helicopter.
Hey buddy do you have the measurements of the foundation? I just brought a USS Flagg
Hi there! I do have some photos that might be useful, email me at arealsouthafricanhero@gmail.com
And congrats on joining the Admiralty!
Yeah yeah yeah that’s all good and all but how the hell did you make it float!?
Custom base bro! Super easy with something as bouyant as POLYSTYRENE!
3D printed Flagg when?
I've seen threads where it was discussed. The conclusion was that it is still cheaper to buy a vintage than to 3D print one from scratch! The size of printer required for those deck plates and the quality of plastic needed will run up your cost pretty darn high!
@@gijoburg I would use a 3D printer to make custom pieces like crates or carrier plates for choppers to grab. Speaking of 3D printing, did you guys notice the 3D printed repro clips for the flight deck? They look good from what I've seen although I'm not sure how sturdy they are and the pictures make them look a bit too dark in color.
So far I've found my deck clips to be pretty tough, I hope I don't eat my words but I'm gonna keep using the originals!
Badass setup
I have 5 of those 3 regular ones and the 4th I made custom for my cobra figures cobra needed a carrier also and I keep them in the garage have the space for them .!
OK I am very impressed that you built and raise the flag made it mobile. I would’ve never came out of my room.
Had to do it bud! The thought of not being able to move it was more than I could bear!
Dude. This is Bada$$!! I wished I had this when I was 8.
Dude! I think we all wished we’d had this at age 8. Man, I didn’t even know it existed when I was a kid.
I already wanted one of these. All this review did was make me make it a certainty instead of a passing fancy.
DO IT!
The Best Yet!!!!!!!
DarkBot-1138-BlackBicycle Sweeeeeeeeeet! Thank you!
Decided years ago when I win the lottery I'll get an aluminum boat, probably 40-50 feet long, have a remote control run jetski engine installed & set up, the nuse that as the hull for possibly the biggest R/C 1:18 toy ever. Having done the math a carrier styled like Nimitz class in scale of Joe fugs would need to be over 70 feet long but that's a touch much. But imagine a true 1:8 Tomcat painted like a Stryker taking off & landing on it while you drive it around the lake in your back yard!!!
I could go into very long detail about how I'd build the rest but instead I'll just reveal the funner part, the defense systems;
-CWIZ- using the twin gattling cannons (mounted to the deck below the flight deck, no longer on trailer base, 2 per side for 360 degree coverage) with batter powered, solenoid activated "Robocop" full auto BB guns hidden behind whirlwinds to represent them firing
-Anti Aircraft- using 3/8" brake line, cut to 2.5" long & bundled (tack welded) like SAM pods with remote fired wires (think like spark plugs but smaller protruding into the back of each tube. Pull the wick from bottle rockets, slide into tubes with sparkers poking into back where wick was & have it programmed to fire 1 at a time each time you hit the fire button on the remote
Add a lot of LEDs, strategically drilled small holes on flight deck to wire Joe vehicles in place (so they don't fall off the side into the lake) & just imagine the possibilities!!
& imagine the confusion when planes or helicopters fly over the lake & look down seeing it
I make custom GI Joes & vehicles ("Customs By R/T" on Facebook if interested) so yeah if I ever had the money & space I would absolutely build this just "cuz I can"
Dream big! This sounds absolutely incredible. Wowzers. Might need a staff of workers to make it tho. One person chipping away at a project like that would take years! But I got faith in you man!
@@gijoburg tbh I know next to nothing about boats or remote control so that part would absolutely have to be farmed out, having thought about it for a long time I could easily build the rest myself. The idea came to me over a decade ago & every time I think about it I come up with new detail ideas to make it more & more realistic & "playable"/poseable (such as; did you know both ARAH & 25th size foot-peg holes are the same size as a few different brands of the round toothpicks? Meaning cut the picks to about 1/4", drill same size hole in any surface you want to pose a fig on, glue half the pick into hole & paint protruding part to match surface. Dio pro-tip, you're welcome hahaa)
I've seen used toy parts & random parts of things like laptops for another example of things I'd use to make a conn tower based on Nimitz class carrier that'd be 4 x 1:18 stories tall (appropriate for a 40ish-foot long version). The construction wouldn't be hard at all compared to storage & transport of the whole 40' Flagg lol
Parabéns pelo vídeo!
Is this the family balett/dancetraining room? Cool.
Mother is a dance teacher. It was the only room to adequately show off the Flagg - as I bought the damn thing before I had a room to show her off in!
Thanx.