By KansasBrawler I’ve never been much of an army-builder. I’ve never really seen the point of assembling large quantities of identical looking figures. Intellectually, I understand the appeal…there have been some great shots in Joe dio-stories of Cobra Commander addressing a massive group of all the Cobra specialties before his big scheme takes off. Even Rob’s army-building post from a
Read moreApologies for the less than pristine figure, but that’s how these guys are often found. The Viper Pilot is of course the standard original Cobra trooper mold, with a silver sigil in place of red. Something about the silver paint used for the chest emblem just doesn’t hold up to play over the years. Viper Pilots certainly got their share
Read moreNo, it’s not the CORPS! attempt at creating an anti-drug mascot. Instead, we have another of the Construction series figures. This time, it’s a surveyor. The code name is appropriate, I think. I didn’t even realize these civilan offshoots of Lanard’s me-too 3 & 3/4 inch action figure line even had code names until I found some packaged samples at
Read moreNo, it’s not an exclusive brick version of the long forgotten GI Joe barber, it’s the pilot of the WHALE. Unfortunately for 80s nostalgists, that impressive watercraft was not rendered in the Kre-O format. Instead, Cutter commander the Thunderwave Jet Boat, a moderately sized and fun vehicle in its own right. The boat didn’t really have a corollary in the
Read moreBy KansasBrawler It’s hard to deny that once Cobra Commander finds a good look, he sticks with it. He doesn’t generally stray too far from the blue dictator suit and either a hood or a helmet. It makes sense that the first two 25th Anniversary Cobra Commander figures represented those looks. It’s his classic look, however, my inner kid was
Read moreNational Defense, a series of budget, me-too GI Joe clones, is an odd and confusing story, to say the least. The line, available at K-Mart, utilized molds that would also be used by Galoob in its Gen. Patch series. The line also saw release as American Defense, a name later used by Remco for a series of K-Mart exclusive figures
Read moreHasbro went redeco crazy with some of 1993’s Battle Corps figures. Call it the last gasps of a once fabulously successful toyline, or a cheap way to extend the line for another year, the fact remains that, repaints aside, the year’s output in terms of single carded figures was immense. With Battle Corps and a host of offshoot sub-teams, there
Read moreSome fans of Sunbow’s GI Joe cartoon have for years clamored for toy versions of the series’ interpretations of some key characters. From the slightly different, like Flint in a new shade of fatigue shirt or Cobra Commander with a striped battle helmet, to the radically altered like Airborne and Steeler. Some of the changes make for oddities that only
Read moreIt’s another blast from the past. Check out Eco Flint in all his colorful glory here.
Read moreBy KansasBrawler I have to credit Hasbro for their diabolical level of genius. It seems like every so often, they make a figure that I didn’t necessarily want because of its design but then they deck it out in a paint job that hits all my nostalgia buttons hard and I snap it up. A prime example of this is
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