Bazooka (1993)
The Battle Corps years probably contain the highest per capita amount of funky trousers in all of GI Joe history. Considering the overall weirdness of the figure designs at the time, it’s not really all that surprising. After all, 1993 gave rise to Giraffe Pants Leatherneck, Stonewash Jeans Cross Country, and Zubaz Night Creeper Leader, just to name a few. Second only to the Rise of Cobra’s explosion of camo drawers, the Battle Corps era was in my opinion the golden age of the Nice Pant among GI Joes.
As fly fishermen/missile specialists go, there’s a lot to like with Bazooka’s new look. I figure that ‘Zook simply thought a swap out of fun trousers in place of his old Steve Grogan jersey would be a nice trade-off. I don’t quite know what to call their shade, other than ‘bluish-green,’ and the pattern can best be described as ‘snake tongue.’ Considering his team-mate Leatherneck’s animal print BDU britches, I think there’s some nice consistency between the two.
The obvious element of this figure, aside from the pants, is his fisherman getup. In his off-hours, it looks like Bazooka has been spending a lot of time fly fishing. That’s no joke, as the file card mentions this pastoral pastime as well. His hat is supposed to be military in origin, but come on, look at it. I’ll be darned if that’s not a lure pinned to the front of it. Since he’s a missile specialist, the missile launcher is appropriate for the toy. Bazooka’s is much less obtrusive than others, and even though getting his hand to fit is a chore, he wields it convincingly.
To give an indication of just how important pants were to this year of GI Joe figures, the file card for Bazooka calls them out, describing them as “standard issue gunner’s pants.” Standard issue? Gunner’s pants? I have another, more appropriate, and brief, desciption–nice.
For completests only, but the pants are quite debonair.
Hey, Bazooka… Niiiice pants.
Yeah, that’s a fishing lure on his hat. And a grenade bracelet!!
One of my early Listia wins. Took me a while to complete him.
I was 7 in 1993 and i got a lot of battle corps stuff. I remember showing this version of Bazooka off at school and the other kids put down their turtles to admire him.
And yes, my mother thought he had “nice” pants
Are we sure that is a missile launcher and not a giant cooler or outboard motor minus the propeller? If the 1992-93 Eel looked like it fit in to a standard fishing getaway lake, he might’ve had a good foil, but alas, they look like they fit in coral reefs. It is somehow appropriate that each time, Bazooka was wearing a rather goofy outfit for a bazooka soldier, but hey, he somehow seems closer to the military standard than a certain Marine and his giraffe pants.
Forget the oh-so-nice pants and fishing gear, what is up with that grenade bracelet???
Old Bazook must be wearing it in case he ever comes across another sea serpent. 😀
I love the idea that Bazooka was on vacation, out fishing with with feet up when the call came in from G.I. Joe to report back for a mission. He thought about changing into his standard uniform and then thought, “Ah, screw it!”
This is one of those figures I don’t have much use for outside of custom fodder. Then, all the parts are pretty handy. These legs make a good start for a SWAT Bullhorn.
Great mold, bad colors…
Needed a good repaint. The grenade bracelet seems like it would be awkward. He’s also got two side-arms. Well-armed fisherman.
It’s not a traditional olive drab BDU by any means, but Bazooka is a really solid figure. For me, this figure made for a great driver and vehicle gunner, and went well in any amphibious play adventures I had.
On the flip side of combat, this is where the “Adventure Team” aspect of GIJoe could have started popping out. Just pure exotic foreign travel, perhaps after Bazooka is semi-retired and out touring the world. Exploring. Fishing. Combating smugglers stealing small villages priceless stones in India.
Stopping the poachers in Africa.
Plus, this guy works great in the more recent Bass Pro Shops logo 1/18 sets.
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