Code Name: CLUTCH

File Name: Steinberg, Lance J.
SN: RA757340802
Primary Military Specialty: Transportation
Secondary Military Specialty: Infantry
Birthplace: Asbury Park, NJ
Grade: E-4

Clutch was a mechanic at Manny's Mean Machines and was heavily involved in racing street machines prior to enlistment. Graduated: Advanced Infantry Training; Covert Ops School; Executive Bodyguard School; Ranger School. Qualified expert: M-14; M-16; M-1911A1; M-3A1; M-79; M-60

"He greases his hair with motor oil, rarely shaves, and chews on the same toothpick for months. Clutch still calls women 'chicks.'"

My Personal Notes: Clutch is the #1 figure with me for G.I. Joe, for numerous reasons.  First and foremost, he was my first Joe period.  To be honest, I really don't think I had even heard of G.I. Joe until I got him.  That leads to the main reason he is so special.  He was a Christmas gift to me as a kid from my Grandma Faye.  I remember how cool he was having never seen him or anything quite like it before.  He firmly got me hooked, him and the Vamp.  I no longer have my Grandma Faye, but even after all of these years, I get a warm feeling about her when I see him.

The other strong love for him is from my Dad.  At the time I got him, he looked so much like my dad.  I also thought their personalities were very similar.  Both were into cars, etc.  On another note, when I played with my Joes as my collection grew, I would arrange huge battles/battlefields that pretty much spanned my entire room.  Well, I usually left a path from the doorway to my bed, etc. but one night my Dad came into my room to tuck me into bed, and accidentally stepped on my Vamp.  It broke one of the wheels off the front axle.  Otherwise it was fine.  As I said, it was an accident, but I remember that over the years I always either tried to find a way to keep the wheel on, glued, etc, or would have the wheel off, from being "damaged in battle".

I got another Vamp over the years, but I still have my one and only Clutch.  He has a little paint wear, but overall, is in excellent condition.  I find that crazy since he was my first, and got so much play time over the years.  My first broken Vamp was latter accompanied in my collection by a second one that was missing parts.  I took the missing parts off the broken one and added them to the second, so it is a complete one in excellent shape.  My original one is still serviceable in the "field of battle" but besides the wheel damage, it is missing the top turret for the gun as well as gas cans.