Lonzo R. Wilkinson (2006)
Did you read the Marvel GI Joe comic as a kid and wish that they made action figure versions of the many variations of the main characters? I know I did. My fascination goes back to issue number two, with the very cool arctic uniforms worn by Snake Eyes, Stalker, Breaker and Scarlett. Okay, maybe they were a little plain, but I still liked ’em. Somebody at Hasbro must have liked them too, because Snake Eyes has had two figures based on it.
Stalker, whose iconic camo outfit is still one of my favorite GI Joe figures, was featured in the Snake Eyes origin issues. He, Snakes and Storm Shadow were depicted in Vietnam flashbacks, wearing combat fatigues. Each of the three had a unique look, with some signature elements of their later selves included. The comic pack based on this storyline gave us all three in one pack, and like the other 2000s comic packs, were made up of a combination of mostly existing parts but with a few new as well.
I’ve heard varying opinions on the comic packs’ redesigned heads. Some think they’re too small, while others like the detailed modern sculpts. Some of the heads are small, especially in relation to the figures’ hands, but the vintage hands have never been to scale either. It’s just a matter of the design. In order for the hands to be the proper size in relation to the body, they would have been so small as to be very thin, and thus even more easily breakable. We all know how easily thumbs can snap off, but imagine if a vintage GI Joe figure’s hands were one third smaller, and made of the old hard ABS plastic. Today’s toys get away with it because they use pliable PVC. Wow, have I gotten sidetracked, or what?
Stalker is a pretty decent representation of his flashback self, given the parts used. The original Duke torso seems like a good fit, aside from the blazing silver airborne insignia and grenade. Probably not a good idea to wear in the jungle, but hey, even back then Stalker was a bad bad man. Waitaminute, Stalker isn’t airborne! Nerd rage!
Relax, it’s only a toy.
I thought it was Classified who came with the ’92 Gung-Ho pack (that Lonzo here is wearing in the pics) while Lonzo got the SAW-Viper pack as a homage to his comm-pack from the comic.
While I didn’t ever get this version of Stalker, I have to say, I’m impressed at just what they were able to do with parts reuse. With minimal effort, they managed to repurpose some pretty recognizable parts and still make it look like Stalker from the comic days and that’s all that important in my books. Kudos to Hasbro on going for something with such a niche-market as Vietnam-era Stalker.
Makes you think. Could Snake eyes, Stormshadow and Stalker be the same three soldiers in the famous Vietnam statue?
They certainly could be interpreted as such, but the statue was unveiled on Veteran’s Day, 1984. This was shortly after G.I. Joe issues #26 & 27 were published. In addition, the men depicted here are of Caucasian, African-American, and Hispanic origin, respectively, which would rule Tommy out.
The resemblance is pretty much spot on to our guys, though. Here’s more on “The Three Soldiers.”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Three_Soldiers
I didn’t know about the three soldiers statue thanks for the link.
– John.
Stalker is one of those characters that I’d happily purchase in any version. Issue #26’s Vietnam uniform was a nice surprise for us older comic readers.
You make a great point about hand sizes and old ABS plastic, except I had more trouble with those stick thin crotches than thumbs. 🙁
Thanks for the intel on the memorial. Being Australian, i’ve only ever seen glimpese of it in movies. B.T.W is the gun this version of Stalker comes with a Thompson? Did the Rangers use Thompsons in ‘Nam
It’s an M-16, one that came with a lot of comic pack figures. Tommy Arashikage came with the 1992 Shockwave’s M-4 carbine, while Classified came with the same M-60 machine gun as the comic pack Rock N’ Roll.
Actually, DEF Shockwave was armed with an M635 (the M4 carbine would not enter service for another two years):
http://www.chucktayloramericansmallarmsacademy.com/coltm635.html
Interestingly, it’s noted for its use by the real-life DEA, which might have been a factor in its inclusion in the DEF line.
This was a long awaited comic book set for me. I used other comic pack joe fodder to create customs of Ramon, Wade Collins and Dickie. I also donated a Frostbite V1 M16 rifle to Stalker as it has the starlight scope pointed out in the comic.
– John.
Lonzo, awesome character…