Mirage (2003)

When is a repaint worthy of your attention? Does it have to be dramatically different to catch your eye and make you want to pick it up, or are you the type who will buy a figure again even if it only has a small difference in a particular paint app?

If you collected the 2000’s series, and are the type that abhors repaints, you probably weren’t happy with the Mirage mold. This guy saw four different releases from 2002 to 2005, three of which were mostly different in that they were painted in differing shades of green, although one was inexplicably clear. Exciting, no?

The Mirage mold was part of the filler packs of vintage style figures that were released early in the new sculpt period, and along with Big Ben, Viper, Shock Viper and Alley Viper, had two color variations. Neither were all that exciting. This version however, holds a little more interest for me. Some of which is due to his color, and some is due to the weird vehicle he piloted.

Sure, his colors aren’t too different from his previous two versions, but I find him to be the most striking. The green of his shirt is more garish than his predecessors, always a positive for me. He also has some details picked out in a vibrant shade of red, another plus. After all, this is a man who got his start with the Mega Marines. But the biggest draw for me, and I know this is ridiculous, are his goggles. They’re yellow, and for some reason I really like that. It’s like he’s wearing shooting glasses, or he maybe just had lasik surgery.

This Mirage, even though he’s still a weapons specialist, piloted the radio-controlled Hoverstrike, another in the long line of Joe vehicles that offer their drivers no protection from enemy fire. I don’t know if pilot is even the right word in this case, since Mirage basically stood on it and held onto the control stick like grim death as kids careened it about the kitchen floor. Maybe the wacky color scheme was a callback to the original GI Joe radio control vehicle driver, Mr. Peach Pants himself, Rumbler.