Missile Emplacement (Geewunner.com)

The battlefield accessories concept of the Real American Hero era was a brilliant little example of Hasbro’s marketing its revamped GI Joe line in new and interesting ways. The small size and small price point items really recalled the diorama-like accessories of the 60s as well as the small action packs of the 70s. For just a bit of money, kids could both flesh out their battlefields and give their characters a partial playset in which to role play.

The missile defense unit also helped fire the imagination. I had one as a kid, and even though the piece was simple, with just a wall corner, sign, ammo box and launcher, my mind filled in the details. The same sort of imaginary embellishment happens when looking at Geewunner’s recreation of the set in brick form.

Talk about efficiency; this build is made up of just 30 pieces. However, it doesn’t seem too sparse. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to see how well it all comes together. The set even improves on the original, adding a swivel joint to the missile launcher. Speaking of missiles, there are three included, and they’re the BrickArms type, along with the crate. Lego shies away from this sort of thing, you know. The official Kre-O battle stations, the Checkpoint and Outpost Defender were two of my favorite sets, as they both stuck close to the original designs. I would have loved to see more of these small sets in the in line had it continued. Who knows, maybe Geewunner has more of his own in the works. I’ll put in a request for a Bivouac right now. This set and other custom creations are available at the Geewunner store.