Agent Faces, the Joe team’s infiltrator, was a new addition in the Spy Troops line. A natural Joe counterpart to Zartan, he was even packed alongside the infamous master of disguise. While the secrets of Zartan’s abilities remained a mystery, Agent Faces was revealed to be a gifted mimic who was trained to become a make-up artist and create disguises.
Read moreAs a kid, I always wanted an update of Major Bludd. Unfortunately that didn’t happen until the Sonic Fighters sub line, which was released at a time when I didn’t much care anymore. I still enjoyed his new version, although it would have been nice to see the mold in his trademark colors rather than blue. Until that actually happened
Read moreIn 2006, Sgt. Slaughter’s Renegades returned as part of a convention exclusive set that also included the Sarge himself. The mold use was a good reuse of some maligned 90’s figures, the Mega Marines. The story for the con set had the Rednegades outfitted in special armor, so instead of each member’s unique look, the team shared a common body,
Read moreCobra’s Night Creeper forces have been around since 1990. Say what you will about ninjas, this force of technological ninjas is an original concept–at least they’re not Arashikage. Design-wise, the group presents a unique look for being based upon the ninja archetype. Merging armor, stealth gear and powered weapons seems like a natural evolution for the famed assassins. Any military
Read moreI have a real soft spot for the first GI Joe mini-series, AKA the MASS Device. I find it endlessly interesting from the standpoint of the many elements that are different from next mini-series and the eventual regular series. One of the elements I enjoy so much about this and other Joe Sunbow series are the added characters, vehicles and
Read moreSigma 6–in the end, it should have been called Stigma 6. Sorry, couldn’t resist. The series came along just as it seemed like Hasbro was putting out some nicer product in the Valor vs. Venom and DTC lines. To some fans, the series couldn’t be seen as anything but Hasbro ‘killing’ the small Joes in favor of a more kid-friendly
Read moreThe saga of the Payload figure is one of sadness and missed opportunity. When the Star Brigade line was launched (no pun intended) in 1993, early pictures and even the back of the packages depicted a Payload figure using the original 1987 mold. For me, this was an exciting prospect, as I never had the Defiant or Crusader, and therefore
Read moreI miss the days of Joe vs. Cobra/Spy Troops/Valor vs. Venom. Say what you will about the articulation, designs and proportions, I loved the fact that Joe was back on toy shelves. The concept of offering Joe figures in two packs was a great value and a good concept, whether it was a Joe/Cobra combo or a Cobra troop builder
Read moreGather round all ye Joe fans and let Uncle Joe A Day tell you a story of the dark days of the mid to late 90’s. They were dark times indeed. With nary a small Joe on a shelf, wandering bands of collectors were forced to venture into the wilderness of flea markets, garage sales and swap meets to stifle
Read moreDusty is one of those Joe mainstays who didn’t get a single card release in the 25th line, so we had to make do with his inclusion in a DVD battle pack. For me, the battle packs became increasingly difficult to find, culminating in the ridiculously hard to track down fifth pack featuring another great ’85 character, Alpine. Much like
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