Stalker has the distinction of being one of the Joes to see both the beginning and end of the Real American Hero line. The line really looked like it was heading back to its military beginnings with some of the 1994 offerings. Over the course of the RAH run, Stalker has had two types of looks: the beret-wearing Ranger and the
Read moreDid you know about a Joe who appeared in the Marvel comic multiple times, yet was never mentioned by name? Such was the fate of Ghostrider, the pilot of 1988’s Phantom X-19, the stealth jet. The Phantom was a truly amazing Joe vehicle. At the time of its release, the public had no idea what the US military’s stealth fighter
Read moreThe original Roadblock figure was a favorite of mine at the time of its release, mostly due to his appearances in the Sunbow cartoon. Yeah, I know it’s not the coolest thing to admit nowadays, but understand that to 11-year-old Rob, the rhyming Joe was a great character. And you know what, I still like Sunbow Roadblock, and not in
Read moreThe new sculpt period produced four new versions of the venerable cobra android trooper, some of which were repainted time and time again during the era. The initial redesign bore a certain resemblance to the original 1986 BAT, but with a modern robotic twist. However, the initial version was missing the interchangeable arm, the most memorable element of the
Read moreI’ve been fascinated with the Joe MPs ever since the release of Mutt and Junkyard in 1984. I can’t really explain it, but I think some of it has to do with both the inclusion of an animal sidekick and the accessories for the figure. Mutt had that great MAC-10 and billy club, as well as a muzzle (for himself
Read moreAh, the days before Hasbro realized they could simply add Sgt. or Agent to the beginning of a character name to sidestep the whole lost name rights issue. I also dearly love the outright goofy names that they came up with instead. Sidetrack? What is he, the easily distracted Joe who often goes off topic in briefings? So yeah, it’s
Read moreI’ve had Renegades Duke here in the on-deck circle for a couple of months, and just couldn’t bring myself to write about him until now. Don’t get me wrong, I think the figure itself is fantastic. The sculpting and removable gear are all on par with the other recent Joe figures. I really don’t have a problem with the wrist
Read moreThis was the 25th anniversary line’s attempt to recreate one of the cooler Snake Eyes figures from the new sculpt O-ring era. It utterly fails in that regard, and like his multi-pack sword brother, Snake Eyes ends up loaded down with extra web gear. Having said that, he’s still the main reason I bought the sad sack Greatest Battles DVD pack,
Read moreToday’s figure inspired me to write a haiku: Beachhead brave ranger. Always longing for command. Are you a pumpkin?
Read moreStorm Shadow is the leader of Ninja Force–excuse me, got confused there. Rain is the leader of Shinobi Squad, a specialized ninja assault team and sub-group of the Corps! When Lanard’s Corps! line transitioned to the T-crotch in the 2000’s, I found most of the figures to be oddly proportioned and a little too busy with details. But over the
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