GI Joe scale Processed Plastic Army Troop Transport Truck

This could be cool, it could be nothing special, but I haven't seen it before, so I am writing about it. It is a 33/4" GI Joe scale Army Truck from Processed Plastic Company of Montgomery, Illinois. The company has been around forever, and still produces a ton of stuff that most of us wouldn't notice, unless we were looking to buy something for a 6 year old. They are probably best known (at least by me in my toy collecting circles) for producing the best small scale (1/35th or so?) army men and vehicles from the 1960's to the 1990's

Honestly, I never thought there was much of a collector market for those little army guys. I didn't even think there was any single well known company that made them, since most of the ones I see are just dollar store, "Made in China" junk. I only learned about them in the last couple years, from a friend who collects them. Do an eBay search for Processed Plastic Army men and you'll see a wide range of items and prices for examples in all conditions. I've sold a few that went for way more money than I expected, for sure.

Which brings us to this piece, a 1/18th scale (certainly closer than most Joe vehicles) cargo truck. I remember seeing a lot of grocery store and discount chain blow-molded junk when I was growing up that was meant for use with GI Joe or Star Wars, but I have never seen this before. I got it recently in a lot of older GI Joe vehicles and figures, from the 1980's. It has the same look and feel of the "Army Men" style plastic, but feels sturdier, with metal axles and hard plastic tires. There are decals to represent the headlights and front grill, as well as some details like the classic Army star on the hood and some generic military looking numbers and US CONVOY markings. It is well detailed, with rings in the bumper, a trailer hitch, and a nicely detailed cargo tent.

I mentioned it to a friend who collects Processed Plastic military stuff, and he had never heard of it or seen one. He doesn't even remember much PPC stuff in the Joe scale, (save for a large tank which looks to still be in production) and he has looked for several years both at shows and on line.

 Right off the bat, it is pretty obvious that it was made to hold figures, whether it came with some of it's own or it was made for use with other military lines. GI Joe figures need to sit sideways a bit because their feet are a little long to fit in front of the seat, otherwise they drop right through the hole in the roof with ease.

 Here is a shot from behind, with the cargo tent still attached.

Removing the cargo tent shows dual rows of seats that, while simple, fit a seated Joe figure perfectly, the side clips holding the figures tightly in place. It holds eight figures, and apparently had a flip down door that this one is missing. The tent attaches firmly with snapping clips.

The under carriage is more detailed than I expected, and the center is marked with the name of the company. It is nice to see "Made in the USA" stamped on it, too.

While it isn't a licensed piece and wasn't made to Hasbro's ARAH line standards, it certainly has a nice feel, heavier and sturdier than I would have expected. I have no clue exactly when it was produced, my buddy says the company either went under or stopped producing around 1982, but being that they are still around, I am not sure how accurate that is (and I am too lazy to wiki it right now). I have to say though, the feel, the style, and the look are unmistakably vintage, and fits nicely with the first couple years of the Joe line. It also represents an interesting "missing link" between the classic Army Men and the GI Joe line of the 1980's. It is a fun piece, and while the Joes had their APC, I can imagine running Cobra down in one of these, or maybe using it to transport some ammo crates or roll in a convoy (honestly, if this piece was ever available in black or blue, it would be THE BEST Cobra truck).