#1047 G.I. JOE – S.L.A.M. (1987)

The black catalogue used in Europe for the G.I. Joes corresponding to the year 1987 in the US (which arrived in Spain around one year later), was a trauma for many children like me, as it depicted many references that were not available in Spain (or in Italy or in both). We could see the pictures, we could read a short description of the vehicle, and at the end of this text, we could read "this item is not available in Spain/Italy". Why didn´t they change the catalogue layout, as they did the next year, is something I never understood.

One of the vehicles that was not available for me was the S.L.A.M. a small tank with capacity for two figures. The tank had some legs to fix itself to the ground and convert into an artillery base. Too much firepower for a small tank! The platform rotates 360 degrees and has four cannons on one side and a lot of red missiles that do not fit very well in their places and usually fall down (the slot is too small). One of the figures look ahead, the other back, so all flanks are covered.

The vehicle itself is not a great thing (there are others which I like better in this same size), but I learnt to love it more, since I had seen it hundreds of times in that catalogue sheet. I also have the original box in great condition, with a very fine artwork.

As I usually do with G.I.Joe vehicles, I will display now some diorama pictures of this vehicle.

FACTS and FIGURES:

• Name: S.L.A.M. (Strategic Long-Range Artillery Machine)
• Toy Line: G.I. Joe (Wave 6)
• Year: 1987
• Company: Hasbro (U.S.A.)
• Size: Around 20 cm long