GI Joe 1964 1966 SOTW #8300 GERMAN STORM TROOPER EARLY PRODUCTION Belt

GI Joe 1964 1966 SOTW #8300 GERMAN STORM TROOPER EARLY PRODUCTION Belt

The original GI Joe American soldier was unique in appearance - and showed the "hard life" he lived with the large visible scar that was featured prominently on his cheek.  When Hasbro came out with the "soldiers of the world" line, they probably wanted to distinguish these foreign soldiers easily and left the scar of the face (in addition the face is a different sculpt).  There were 6 soldiers released - still not sure exactly what went into their final decision process in how they chose the particular 6).  The soldiers included:  German Stormtrooper, Japanese fighter (with a unique Asian head sculpt), Russian, French Resistance fighter, British fighter, and Australian Jungle fighter.  The Soldiers of the World were marketed in two main ways - you could buy the figure with no accessories (small window box) and then the weapons (small card)...or the figure and accessories were available in a large window box.

This listing is for a rare German pre-production belt.  It it distinguishable from the standard production belt by the circular clasp that hooks to the belt buckle.  Note image of this buckle still on an early production card (image provided by Duane Smailus - Thanks, Duane!):