1985 GI Joe Product Catalog – Part 3
The small and medium vehicles (here dubbed the combat and battle series) get the spotlight in the next page of the 1985 catalog. Like the other sections, there’s a mix of old and new, and the Joes and Cobras are again cast about on the surface of a toy planet that mixes elements of Death Valley and Mars. It must be dusk in this alternate reality, as the sky has turned a pinkish hue. Speaking of color, seeing all of the Cobra and Joe vehicles across from each other like this really brings out the common colour schemes among the toys.
Firefly is again hanging out in one of the smaller rides, and several older Joes are taking off in the Silver Mirage. And what happened to Mutt’s helmet? Looks like he lost it and had to dig into an accessory pack or steal Duke’s for a replacement.
The Snow Cat and AWE Striker make their debut on the next page. Like Snow Job in 1983, the Snow Cat gets its own little patch of the chilly white stuff. An oddity in such a barren landscape, but one must suspend disbelief to some extent. We’re talking about toys, after all. The two water vehicles share a place in some rather murky, almost radioactive looking liquid. I swear this is an alien planet, people.
Come back again tomorrow as we cover more vehicles, and make our way to the grandaddy of all GI Joe playsets.
Another grand year for vehicles. As a kid, I only had the Armadillo since I was also discovering girls. I also gave away my collection sometime that year to a schoolmate who only cared for toys at the time.
As an adult collector, I eventually found vintage samples of the A.W.E. Striker, (redone to death but always welcomed here) and the Snow Cat… (ditto) I also had a Ferret and parts of the Silver Mirage from a friend who gave them to me around 2001 or 2002.
I always wondered what happened to Mutt’s helmet in that pic before learning about prototypes and mock-ups later on. The backgrounds and tiny ass shots did nothing for me back in the day. I think the layout Hasbro debuted with the 1986 catalog (Joes and Cobras on opposite sides of the pamphlet and individual squares for the figure pics) was a major improvement towards selling their wares.
I love these small vehicles. It allowed kids to have epic battles at a reasonable price.
I had the skyhawk at one point [a thrift store find] and i thought it was cool. I didnt have it for very long before it disapeared. I was able to replace it with the p.o.c skyhawk [i think] and it still impresses me. Even though the vehicle is sitting on the edge of scifi.
I find myself liking the smaller vehicles more than the bigger ones. i once used the Devilfish with three random figures to show some of my mothers friends how versatile and interactive the brand was. One of them asked me why kids didnt like the brand anymore and i said “It cant compete with online gaming”
On the subject of the background in the two part episode “Worlds without end”, the scenery in the alternate reality looks very simmilar to that pink backdrop.
Annd on the subject of that green water. If Copperhead falls into it it will probably make his skin glow the same colour as his uniform.
Some really good stuff here. Over time I think I’ve owned them all apart from the ASP and Slugger!
It’s baffling that a retooled ASP and the Silver Mirage haven’t found their way into the modern line. I always loved the Mirage but it had to be the flimsiest of all the Joe vehicles- it could never stay together during play! A retooled Mirage would need to address that issue up front.
There’s been very few towed weapons in the new line: just the ROC MMS and Twin Battle Gun. I’ve got lots of vehicles with tow hooks wanting something to tow!
The FANG suffers from a lack of a glass canopy for the pilot as does the Ghost Hawk.The Armadillo tank is way out of proportion, but as a kid, I never noticed.
@Troublemagnet
I’m pretty sure the Armadillo started out as a 1/35th Sherman model kit. Ive built enough of them to know a modified composite hull when i see one
Why Cobra lost. Illiterate bikers piloting mini copters and ninjas wasted as artillery operators. (Where are the ASP’s gun barrel tips?)
Why did Zap and Mutt swap helmets?
Odd thing here is that the VAMP MK2 was not reissued for 85. It was one of the earliest non-exclusive items not to get a two year window.
I think every Cobra vehicle shown is a winner. I have always loved Stingers, FANGs and ASPs because of they way Michael Golden drew them in GI Joe Yearbook 2.
And that’s not water, it’s Ecto-cooler.
Rob, have you a link to a larger picture of the current header image, by any chance? I saw that particularly set years ago in one of Vincent Santelmo’s books, but the best I can seem to dig up online is this tiny catalogue pic:
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/1992images/snakeeyescostume.jpg
The A.W.E. Striker is awesome…always!
It’s odd to remember a time when we weren’t burned-out on AWE Strikers, but this catalog shot takes me back there. And the alien lake is rather unusual, now that you’ve pointed it out.
Interesting to see how they chose some older figures to man the toys in the first image. The Silver Mirage is all ’82 Joes, though probably the swivel-armed ’83 versions.